Adam met up with her twice; she had missed anyone on one walk around. “See anything?” he asked the first time, his young voice almost cracking in its eagerness.
“Nope, and I hope we don’t,” she confessed honestly. The idea of dealing with the Japanese did not appeal since stories abounded that they were not kind to prisoners, especially women.
It was on her last walk around; she had to admit she was getting tired of peering into the darkness that she thought she saw something out on the water. She stood there like a dog scenting as she looked past whatever it was she thought she saw. Looking directly at it wouldn’t have done anything in the dark. She was looking for a shadow, a shape; anything that would show her if someone was out there. She thought she had imagined it when she saw what looked like a boat. A rather large boat. She pulled herself back into the trees. She was on the far side of the island and knew there were a couple of paths that would lead back to the village. Seeing the object again and then again she knew it was a patrol of some kind and she looked for the whiter sands that would lead her into the jungle and back to the village, marking the trail. She nearly missed it in her haste but soon found it and walked rapidly down the trail, not running because she knew it would be easy to miss the turn off or trip on something. Remembering Father Abrams she shuddered at the thought of ending like that.
She arrived back at the village and went directly to the men’s hut and began waking all four of them, her distaste for Dirk evident as instead of shaking his arm she nudged him rather hard with her boot. “Come on, there’s a boat out there,” she told them. Instantly they woke up and grabbed weapons to follow her. Cass headed for her own hut and prodded Annette awake telling her what was going on and suggesting she wake the headman and urge him to come along. Rapidly she headed back down the trail she had traversed earlier and was followed by the four men.
“What did you see?” Blake asked quietly behind her.
“A boat, but it looked pretty big and I wasn’t asking what nationality,” she replied over her shoulder trying to watch where she was going as she got hit in the face by a plant.
They arrived back on the beach to see a larger silhouette of the boat it had moved closer. Cass stopped Dirk and Rory from stepping too far on the beach. “If you stay in the shadows they can’t see us,” she hissed at their stupidity. They all stood there wondering if it was an Allied boat or an enemy’s boat as it seemed to be circling the island very slowly.
Annette and a few of the villagers came out of the jungle and she hissed under breath, “What’s going on?”
It was Paul who answered her, “We’re just watching.”
They didn’t see Adam as he walked along the shore looking down at his feet but one of the villagers did and signaled to Blake. “That idiot,” he hissed at the young man.
They could do nothing but if the boat was an enemy boat and it shot a spot light across the water, just then the thought wasn’t even completed when one did. They all ducked down, they were far enough back that the villagers melted into the foliage. The rest of them watched frightened to see if Adam would be spotted or would see the danger he was in. It was fortunate for him that they hadn’t spotted him or his silhouette walking without a care in the world on the beach kicking at little stones that came in with the tide.
Paul, Blake, Dirk, Rory, and Annette all jumped when Cass whistled low, it traveled far but it was out of the ordinary enough that they all looked around, including Adam who looked up and fortunately saw the beam of the spotlight that was now flashing along the beach coming his way in time to fall to the sand to hide. They all turned back to see him. He got up as soon as it had passed and ran up the beach but ducked down again as the beam made another sweep back along the beach. He finally made it to the jungle and then nearly stabbed Blake with his gun when he grabbed his shoulder.
“You idiot, you nearly got yourself SEEN, what the heck were you doing on that beach, you were supposed to be on patrol!” he raged.
“I’m sorry, I was lost in thought, only for a few minutes, I swear!” the young man defended himself but no one believed him, they had watched him on the beach for too long.
The boat circled around the island sweeping its light along the beaches as it checked it out. Blake and his men followed along accompanied by Paul and a few of the curious natives who probably wondered what they were up to.
Cass decided to go the other way, just in case there might be a second boat and to check that Paul’s boat was still well hidden in the inlet. Annette accompanied her quietly. She appreciated that she didn’t say a word.
The boat after making an almost complete circuit sailed off and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they met up to compare notes.
“What if that was our rescue boat?” Dirk sneered. They had all remained hidden for what?
“It’s too soon!” Paul insisted.
The men stood discussing it and Cass handed her gun back to Blake before she and Annette headed back to the village to get what sleep they could before the sun came up. Cass found she couldn’t sleep and she saw Annette couldn’t either as they lay there for a while tossing and turning on their own pallets.
“Would you like to go watch the sun rise?” Cass finally whispered into the darkness.
“Love to,” Annette whispered back.
The walked companionably to the east side of the island, the last place the boat had been seen before it sailed off and sat down on the sand near enough to the jungle that they were still hidden if it should come back.
“Cass, we haven’t really talked about the other night,” Annette began but stopped when Cass held up her hand.
“I really don’t want to talk about if that’s okay with you,” she responded. She didn’t want to talk about the death of Father Abrams or what they had done before it. She had a lot of time to think about it paddling yesterday as well as on patrol last night. She was tired but not enough to turn off her brain and sleep. She was enjoying the companionship of her friend, with the possibility of a glorious sunrise, one of many she had witnessed in the years she had been in this area of the world. She wanted nothing to interfere with that. Not Annette, not her thoughts of things that had occurred, not even her thoughts of Stephanie far away across the world.
Together they watched as the most glorious sun rose over the horizon, its brilliant orange globe getting larger over the water. Cass playfully walked down to the edge of the beach and pretended it was a big ball she was going to catch, stretching out her arms as Annette looked on and laughed. Annette couldn’t help but admire the muscular body, the rags that she still wore, and all of it disappeared as the sun came up and blinded her. It was such a carefree moment for them, the noise of war was far away, responsibilities, life…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was two days later that a boat was spotted off the island by one of the natives fishing. He rowed in to gesture and tell the village and their activity alerted the Aussies and nurses. Paul had left the morning after the boat left, exhausted from lack of sleep but murmuring about ‘duty.’ They were sorry to see him go but glad he was okay and hoped he got back to his island safely. They all watched the appearance of the new boat with some trepidation but even though it was out beyond the reef and an inflatable boat was launched they watched warily from the trees as the position of the boat did not allow them to see which flag it was flying.
“It’s American, them Yanks are bold,” Rory told his companions.
“How do you know it isn’t Japanese?” Adam teased him although he too thought it might be American.
“How do you know it isn’t one of ours?” Dirk asked. They had been treating him like a pariah since he had stolen that kiss from Annette. The fact that he had to get a little rough with her had escaped him.
“Something about the shape,” Rory answered.
Cass was amused as they debated back and forth. She too thought it was American but only because they were expecting a rescue and were hopeful.
“Thi
nk it’s for us?” Annette asked her quietly. This time alone with Cass had been wonderful; except perhaps for the burns, the fever, getting attacked…at least they had become close.
Cass nodded as she watched avidly. The bigger boat, a huge boat compared to what they had ridden in recently began to drift a little sideways and another anchor was thrown down. The drift was enough that they could see the Stars and Stripes of the flag flying over it.
The cheers could have deafened anyone standing too close and they all ran across the sands towards the incoming rubber raft with six men in it. They looked up at the cheers and smiled rowing industriously.
The boat had eager hands to help it on shore. The Aussies were barefooted but the two nurses in their boots and shorts outfits were glanced at more than once. Women, especially white women, were rare out here.
“I’m Captain Steinem,” the tallest man there introduced himself. The Aussies introduced themselves first and as an afterthought Cass and Annette. “Lieutenant Scheimer, Corporal Messerman sends his regards,” he told her with a smile.
Cass smiled back wondering if that were code for, ‘I made it back safe.’ “Have our families been notified that we survived Wiquaqau?” she asked.
“I assume so as it was relayed when we were dispatched to pick you up,” he told her. “Do you have items you wish to bring with you or can we go?”
“Captain, do you have anyone who speaks the native language?” Cass asked.
“Why yes I do, why?” he looked at her in surprise.
It was Annette who spoke up, “We need to thank these kind people.” She gestured to the natives who had come on the beach to stare curiously at them.
The Captain nodded. “Of course, I understand. Perhaps we can find something for them.” He gestured to one of the Privates with him and he brought a box out of the inflatable. Opening the top he showed Cass and Annette the canned goods inside, mostly the fruit that Cass had tried on Paul’s island. She nodded approvingly. The taste would be different to the natives but the tin cans would come in handy.
“Do you have a can opener you can spare?” Annette asked knowingly and shared a laugh with the rest of them at the thought of trying to open cans without it. A can opener was found and two of the Privates, the Captain, Cass, Annette, and Blake all walked back towards the natives while the first boatload went back to the larger boat. The headman came forward to meet them. One of the Privates explained that they wanted to thank them for taking care of their people and this small gift was a token of their thanks. He showed them how to open a can, at their first taste the headman’s eyes opened wide in surprise but he nodded his thanks and spoke quickly and eloquently before they all turned to return to the arriving inflatable.
“We have clothing on board you can change into,” the Captain informed Cass and Annette.
“I take it our attire isn’t fashionable?” Cass asked as she looked down at the ripped and torn and very dirty outfit she had worn for weeks and they shared a laugh. The fact that it was still on their bodies was a testament to it. The burns that she got long ago, just wear and tear, wearing it daily, it was really a mess. She couldn’t wait to wash with soap and water and put on clean underwear. She had developed a horrible rash as had the others from the heat and humidity and the chafing of wearing the same outfit in this tropical paradise.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cass and Annette were taken to Wangutupi where they gave their complete reports about the events that had happened since they left Wiquaqau. As they were interviewed separately and their written as well as verbal reports were similar they were believed.
“Well, you are both going to be rotated home, I’m going to arrange transportation to Pearl Harbor and from there as well,” the Colonel told them together. “I am sorry to hear that Lieutenant Colonel Anderson and his family did not survive,” he told them sincerely.
“Yes sir, it was tragic,” was all Cass could say. She didn’t tell of the vindictiveness, the pettiness, or the near slave she had been kept. She figured that letting sleeping dogs lie was the only way to handle this.
“I’m sure you understand that it can take weeks to make some arrangements, so sit tight while you wait.”
Cass handed him the packet of Father Aames things and while he began to peruse it she gave him a verbal report of what she had read and surmised.
“Thank you Lieutenant, I’ll make sure that this gets back to the proper authorities in England and perhaps his family,” he told her.
While they waited for a transport to the nearest air field they ran in to a couple of the doctor’s they had known on the island, they all expressed relief that Cass and Annette were alive. The wait seemed to take forever over the next few weeks as they recuperated. They had been supplied with new uniforms and the ones taken and thrown out but not before Cass had removed her worn picture of Stephanie, the only one that had survived with all that had happened to that shirt.
“What are you going to do when you get home?” Cass asked knowing Annette was headed for Chicago; they would probably be able to travel together for most of the way. She felt bad about what had happened between them but they were friends, bonded for life after everything else they had experienced.
“I have no idea; you’ll be going back to being a farmer. You think that will be enough for you now?” she asked and gestured at the palm trees and warm tropical sun they were sitting in.
Cass shrugged and then smiled. “I can’t wait to see the place.”
Annette heard what she said but in her mind she heard her say, ‘I can’t wait to see Stephanie.’ After all it had been a couple of years.
“I’ll miss this weather though when it’s forty below in the Northwood’s!” They shared a laugh.
“It gets cold in Chicago too I assure you, they don’t call it the Windy City for nothing!” she answered.
“We’ll always have this part of the world though to remember,” Cass said wisely and they exchanged a look. They both knew what they weren’t saying.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They caught their transport to Pearl. The long hours were spent playing cards, talking with others on the plane, and sharing stories. Cass wasn’t nearly as quiet as she had been in years past when she first came out here but now she had stories to tell other than her farming ones.
In Pearl they ran into Pamela who would have joined back up despite their attempts to keep her out of it and instead married an airman who was stationed there. Karl, her husband was funny and sweet and treated her like a goddess. She was very happy to see them and proudly introduced her husband to them. They had managed to ‘rent’ a little bungalow off base. She could see that they were closer than ever and she felt a little like a third wheel. In the weeks they were stuck there waiting for orders they all caught up. Between the intermittent showers and the fantastic tropical sun they all felt like they were on vacation as they laid out in her back yard. Finally they had to get back to the base to catch a plane heading back to San Francisco.
The long hours on the plane they slept as much as possible. Many of the men being flown back for various reasons were injured or ‘important’ enough to be transported by plane instead of the huge ships that ferried the injured across the seas and back to the States. Cass was grateful they weren’t on one of them as their services as nurses would have been much in demand. She was tired of death, she was tired of disease, and she was certainly tired of war.
They had several days to wait for arrangements in San Francisco and it was debated whether to send them by train or air. While waiting Annette took her to a risqué part of town. Where homosexuals were welcome and she was surprised as she gazed around at the dance club, men and women with other men and women, openly, honestly, and in plain sight. She also took her to a little store that sold ‘toys’ for women of discerning tastes. Cass was once again a wide eyed girl from off the farm as she looked around in surprise. She did buy something that she hoped Stephanie would enjoy as it caught her fancy and she actually got aroused
at the thought of using it on her. Annette was discrete enough to go to the opposite end of the store while she made her purchase.
The flight back to Chicago was bittersweet. Their hours together were coming to an end. Cass knew the probability of her ever making it to Chicago or even off the farm farther than Wausau were nil. She also knew that Annette wouldn’t come to Merrill, the trip was too long, even by train, and she had no business up there other than visiting Cass. Stephanie wouldn’t understand their friendship even though they had exchanged nothing more than kisses…their love was tucked down deep in both of their hearts, never to be discussed, never to see the light of day again.
It was a wrench to say goodbye in Chicago. Cass took the train from there, the Army was not willing to fly her any further and she had been lucky to catch this flight from San Francisco. She would be going up to Milwaukee and then Green Bay and then over to Wausau before going up to Merrill. She anticipated being home in three more days and was looking forward to it; she had missed her family, not heard from Stephanie in so long despite sending several letters in the time it had taken to get home…
Their hug of goodbye was almost desperate as the train whistle blew. Cass tried not to tear up but the open tears pouring out of Annette’s beautiful eyes made her. “I’ll never forget you my friend,” she told her honestly.
“All aboard,” was heard over their heads.
“Nor I you,” Annette hiccupped as she tried not to breathe too hard, it hurt too much.
“You will find someone,” Cass assured her wiping the tears with her thumb.
“But they won’t be you,” Annette replied with a sad little smile.
The train whistle blew for the second time and Cass backed up and climbed the steps backwards so she wouldn’t lose sight of Annette. She felt bad, so very bad, for what could have been, what couldn’t be. She waved slightly as she watched her friend out of sight. She turned and nearly ran into a man who was standing behind her. She dodged out of his way so she could get into the car of the train, her bag of replacement clothes in her hand not any fuller than when she left.
The Journey Home Page 35