A Song For Lisa

by Clifton La Bree

  “The kind considerate soldier that came out of the jungle to free me and my companions could never be a cripple. Don’t use that word in my presence. I hate it because it’s synonymous with inadequacy and becomes an excuse for not measuring up. I’ve been down that road, and I can tell you it’s a dead ender.”

  Jonathon was taken aback by her outburst. He saw a new Lisa. Strong passions and feelings were just below the surface! “I hear you, Lisa. I guess I had that scolding coming to me. Wow, you can really chew out a guy when he needs it.”

  Lisa chuckled at him and herself. “Sometimes I can get worked up. I didn’t mean to bark at you.”

  “Do you know that when you’re angry you’re very beautiful?” he replied.

  “You’re teasing me now,” she said nervously.

  “No, I’m not.” He tilted her chin upward with his right hand and gently kissed her on the lips. She clasped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss.

  Tears formed in Lisa’s eyes. They both remained silent for a long time, enjoying the moment. Then, Jonathon pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped away her tears. He kissed her trembling lips and she began to cry again. It was a powerful moment of discovery for each of them.

  “I believe I’ve fallen in love with you, Lisa. It was easy to do you know,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Oh, Jonathon! I’ve loved you since that first day,” she cried between sobs. “I wanted so much to be your friend. Every day I’ve spent visiting with you has been the highlight of my existence. I didn’t dare to hope that my feelings would be reciprocated.”

  “How can a person not love you? These past weeks with you have been like a ray of sunshine in my life. I never thought any person could ever have a place in my heart, but you’ve won it with your gentle and positive ways. The days have been long between your visits to the hospital. When you do show up the whole place glows with your presence.” Jon clasped her hand in his.

  “It’s almost like a song,” said Lisa in a low tremulous voice. “Two lonely people finding love after bitter losses and rejection. I’ve had many offers at the university and back home. None have been appealing to me. Now I know why I kept refusing them. Is this for real Jonathon? I couldn't handle another rejection and that’s the reason I’ve been reluctant to place myself in that position.”

  “I didn’t plan this, Lisa. I’ve cherished our friendship. It wasn’t difficult to have it take one more step forward. Lately, I’ve been thinking that maybe, just maybe, you would not want a one-armed man…”

  “Stop right there, Colonel Wright,” Lisa said sharply. “Those are your thoughts, not mine. If you only knew how much I’ve leaned on your strong principles. I made the decision to have Terry after talking to you on the hospital ship. You’ve been my salvation in more ways than you’ll ever know. I can tell you with all my heart that I love you without reservations. It has been a secret dream of mine over the years.”

  Jon held her again and buried his face in her hair. Suddenly his world had changed. He looked into her eyes again and wiped a tear that was falling down the side of her nose and kissed her one more time. Lisa embraced him. Her heart was pounding wildly. She felt like shouting to the world that her love for Jon had at last been declared, and the joy was compounded. He loved her too!

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was a day that Lisa and Jonathon would always remember! Their first meal out at Yoken’s was an experience they did not want to end. It had been Jon’s first trip out from a hospital since he was wounded in Korea.

  At first, he was self-conscious appearing in public with an empty sleeve. Lisa was able to dispel his anxiety by telling him that people may stare, but they do so because his ribbons and empty sleeve only serve to indicate that he was a brave soldier and has sacrificed much for his country. Most acknowledged him with respect, not pity.

  Lisa also saw that he was getting tired. “I don’t want you to overdo on your first outing. Why don’t I take you back to the navy yard?” She took his right hand in hers across the table. “I never dreamed that this day would be such a happy one for me.”

  “I’ll let you take me back. I am feeling a little tired, but it feels good. It’s hard to explain.”

  “I understand, Jon. Where do we go from here?” she asked. “Do you want me to help you find a house or apartment near the university? Have the doctors given you any idea just when you can start your teaching tour?”

  “The doctors are cautious about predictions. I expect that I’ll be able to carry out a full day’s work within a couple of months. I’d prefer starting earlier on a part-time basis. I’m not sure what the routine will be for quarters, Lisa. I’ll find out later how the army handles that. It’ll be nice working with you in the same place.”

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Lisa remarked casually. “I’m ready to leave if you are. We can be at the navy yard in a half hour.” She noticed a distressed look on his face. “Are you all right, Jon?”

  He was holding his wallet in his right hand. “I need some help,” he replied embarrassed at his predicament. “Would you hold the wallet while I remove the money to pay the bill?”

  “Of course. Don’t feel bad. It’ll be easier when they have your arm ready. In the meantime, let me be the one to help you for a change. Okay, Colonel?”

  Touched by the love in her eyes, Jon replied. “Okay, Lisa Carter!”

  On the way back to the hospital, Lisa was focused and alert with her driving, enjoying the closeness of Jonathon’s presence. Words were not necessary for her to rejoice that, for the first time in years, she was truly happy. The future was bright with possibilities. As she was driving over the bridge between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine, Lisa remembered that she had not told Jon about the symphony’s schedule.

  “I almost forgot to tell you,” she continued. “Our schedule for the winter performance is beginning to come together. We’re doing a Christmas concert on Christmas Eve and a couple of months or so later, we’re doing a concert at the auditorium with two featured performers. One is a cello player and the other is a violinist. Commitments are tentative but it’s exciting to think about.”

  “I’m glad for you, Lisa. I hope that I can attend them. Faith asks me every time I see her when you’re going to play again.” Sitting beside her in the Studebaker, Jon sensed the inherent decency and modesty that was so much a part of her disposition. He was a lucky man.

  “Faith is a dear girl. You have a right to be proud of her. Your mother has done a wonderful job, but I have a feeling that she is anxious to be with her dad. Just maybe, her dad needs her more than she needs him.”

  “You’re a perceptive person. I do need her. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve felt guilty and hope that I can make up for lost time.”

  Lisa turned into the hospital parking lot and stopped. “I’m sure you will, Jon. It’s been quite a day!”

  “More than I expected,” he answered, leaning over to kiss her.

  “Thank you for being honest with me,” Lisa was smiling at him. “I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight. You rest well, Jonathon. I’ll pray for you.”

  Jonathon opened the door and started to get out of the car. Lisa opened her door to get out. “Please, Lisa,” he requested. “Let me get out of the car and walk back into the hospital without an escort.”

  She smiled at her proud soldier. “Of course. I’ll see you as soon as I can make it. Probably day after tomorrow. Take care of yourself, soldier.”

  Jonathon climbed out of the car and walked deliberately to the door, where he turned to wave.

  She watched him disappear and started the Studebaker’s engine. One of the most beautiful evenings of her life was slowly fading to a memory.

  Lisa’s life changed dramatically that day she and Jon had declared their love. She still taught her classes in music at the university with her usual enthusiasm and maintained the same routines she had always done, but it was all accompanied now by
a heightened sense of no longer being alone. Sharing her heart with Jon had made the difference. Their discovery of each other continued all that winter.

  Visits to the hospital were more frequent. They often took short drives along the rocky coastline. One stormy evening they watched the crashing waves attack the granite shore in nearby York Harbor. They occasionally went to the movies. Jon attended his first film in a civilian theater in eight years. They watched African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn at the Colonial Theater in Portsmouth.

  Occasionally Lisa challenged Jon to a game of cribbage. She told him that Madame June had shown her how to play the game while they were in prison. In prison, the cards they had were fragile and badly worn, but they were able to use them for the duration of their incarceration. The board was usually drawn on the ground and sharpened twigs were stuck into the soft earth as pegs.

  Jonathon claimed that he was considered by many in his company to be a good cribbage player. But game after game, Lisa was able to beat him. Occasionally she skunked him and that tickled her. They laughed a lot together. All of a sudden her life had taken a turn for the better and she was happy.

  In the meantime, Jonathon was growing stronger with each passing day. The physical therapy section at the hospital had completed the mechanical arm and the caliper he had selected to substitute for his hand. Slowly, after days of concentrated therapy sessions, Jonathon was able to move his new arm in circles and directions that replicated movement of a real arm. At times he was discouraged with his progress, but Lisa was always there supporting his efforts and encouraging even greater participation.

  The first time he appeared in public with his new arm was the Christmas concert at the university. Lisa had obtained seats for Jon, Terry, Faith, and her grandmother. She played lead piano and the primary accompaniment to the choral group performing with them. Lisa and Terry met Jon and his family at the hospital and they all went to Yoken’s to celebrate the occasion. It had become a favorite dining place for Lisa and Jon. Terry and Faith especially liked the bowls of fresh shrimp Jonathon had ordered for them. It was a good place to enjoy a leisurely meal and share in warm fellowship before attending the concert.

  After dinner, Lisa drove back to her apartment, where she changed into her teal green gown with white lace covering her shoulders and her throat. Jon was the first to see her as she entered the living room.

  “Wow, is this the same lady?” he exclaimed approvingly, getting up from the couch. His mother handed him a box containing a violet orchid. May I have the pleasure of fastening your first orchid from me?”

  “Yes,” she answered modestly. “It’s beautiful, Jon.”

  “You look lovely, Lisa,” Mrs. Carter told her.

  “Yes, like a star,” added Faith, impressed by the fact that Lisa was going to perform on the stage.

  “All of you are wonderful. Thank you. Would you believe that my stomach is a buzz with butterflies!”

  Jon was proud to show off some of his newly acquired skills by removing the delicate orchid from the container and setting it on the table. He then turned to Lisa positioning the corsage high on her left shoulder while he fastened it to the gown. When he had finished, he smiled and breathed easier.

  “You’re beautiful, Lisa,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I love you, Colonel Wright,” she replied lightly kissing him on the cheek. “We should get going, we don’t want to be late.” She kneeled in front of Terry and put her arms around him. “Are you going to be a big boy for Mommie while I play in the concert? Faith, her daddy and her grandmother will be sitting with you in the front row. You watch and I’ll wave to you.”

  “I’ll be good, Mom. You’re all dressed up pretty,” Terry replied, kissing his mother.

  “He’s going to be just fine, Mother,” remarked Jon, holding out his new arm for Terry. He took it without a thought and smiled at Jon.

  For the past month, Jon and Lisa had taken special pains to show him how it substituted for the hand Jon had lost in the war, and that it was nothing to be frightened about. Jonathon had even taken his shirt off to show Terry how it was attached to his shoulder and upper arm. Every day Jonathon needed someone to tighten the straps around his chest and arm. When he first began wearing the arm, Lisa was instructed by the nurses and therapist about the correct tension of the straps. She insisted that Terry become a part of that same team so that he could do it if she were absent. One day Jonathon had asked him to fasten the straps all by himself, and he did a good job. That was the beginning of a very special relationship between the two. Terry idolized Jonathon, who in turn made Terry feel important to him. Lisa beamed when she saw the two men in her life interact with each other.

  The Christmas concert opened with all the old familiar favorites: Silent Night, Joy To The World, and others. They played excerpts from George Handel’s Messiah, which embraces the full breadth of human experiences, hope and fulfillment, suffering and death, resurrection and redemption, a perennial favorite the world over.

  Lisa’s piano was positioned to the left of center stage. She waved several times to Terry sitting between Jonathon and Faith directly in front of her piano. She was her usual inspiring self. Twice during the concert, she brought the audience to new levels of involvement, sharing the passion and joy of the musical selections. At the finale of the concert, the conductor and the choral director walked to the center of the stage with her. She bowed to the audience. They rose to their feet as one and gave her a resounding endorsement.

  Jonathon saw the tears that filled her eyes. He picked up Terry so that he could see his mother better.

  “They like my mommie don’t they,” Terry said to Jonathon.

  “They sure do, Terry, they sure do. How lucky you are to have a mom like her,” Jonathon told him, his heart pounding. He was so proud and thankful that she was a part of his life.

  Twenty minutes after the concert, Lisa was able to free herself of the fans and made her way to the Studebaker in the parking lot. Mrs. Wright and Faith were holding Terry between them in the back seat. He was sound asleep with his head on Mrs. Wright’s lap.

  “I’m sorry I’m so late,” announced Lisa climbing behind the wheel.

  “You don’t have to apologize, dear girl,” said Mrs. Wright. “This has been a wonderful evening. I’ve enjoyed it so much.”

  “I hope that I might be able to play like that someday,” Faith told her.

  “You’re very generous with your praise and I appreciate it. Now, what do you and your grandmother say if I take you two to the apartment? Would you look after Terry while I take your son to the hospital?”

  “Faith and I will be glad to,” responded Mrs. Wright uplifted to see how things were going between Lisa and her son. “Terry’s out like a light. You could tie his arms and legs into knots and he’d never know it,” she laughed softly. She was a gentle lady and Lisa liked her pragmatic ways.

  As soon as Lisa stopped the Studebaker, Jon stepped out of the car, picked up Terry, carried him into the house, and placed him on his bed. Faith and her grandmother quickly got him undressed and slipped him into his pajamas. He was still sound asleep. Lisa excused herself to change into something less formal than her concert gown. Shortly, she reappeared wearing a deep purple blazer and skirt.

  “Now I feel more comfortable,” she announced. “Are you ready, Jon?”

  “You bet,” he answered. “I feel terrible putting you through this trouble.”

  “You know it’s no bother,” she scolded him. “Good night Faith and Mrs. Wright. I’ll be quiet when I return and we can sleep late in the morning. The first one up can put on the coffee.”

  Mrs. Wright warmly embraced Lisa. “Goodnight, Lisa. I want you to know how grateful I am to see Jonathon’s response to therapy. Thanks for giving me back my son. I understand now why he loves you the way he does.”

  “Mrs. Wright,” Lisa sighed. “You’re going to make me cry. I’m thankful to be the object of his love. You rest we
ll and I’ll see you in the morning.” Lisa turned to Faith who had been looking at her as if she were ten feet tall all evening. “Goodnight, Faith. I’m glad you liked the concert. Your time will come. Probably sooner than you think.”

  “I love you, Mrs. Carter,” confessed Faith, kissing her on the cheek.

  “I love you too, honey,” Lisa replied. Happiness and contentment filled her heart.

  Chapter Twenty

  Two months after Christmas, 1950.

  The army had approved Jonathon’s release from the hospital so that he could take up residence at the house they had leased for him near the university. The doctors believed that he was strong enough to handle the teaching assignment and administrative duties associated with the post. The New Hampshire ROTC contingent was composed of two lieutenants and three sergeants, all combat veterans. Jonathon would continue his therapy with the mechanical arm, even though he had passed all the requirements for the army and the State of New Hampshire for his driving permit.

  The first day on the job, he drove to the campus in a Ford army sedan issued to the ROTC unit. He met Lisa walking from her apartment to the campus and stopped to give her a lift. He was all smiles. “Is it proper protocol for a new male faculty member to give a lady faculty member a ride, or is it taboo?” He leaned across the seat to open the door for her.

  “You look great, Jon. I believe work will be good for you,” she squeezed his hand. “In regards to conduct on campus, all kidding aside, it might be best if we avoid hugs and kisses in public, at least for awhile. What do you think?”

  “You’re correct, Lisa. It would be more professional and the students don’t need any more gossip material. I’m sure that many will, in time, figure out that we have something going between us. My love for you is not easy to hide.”

  “I love you too, Jonathon. I’m so proud of you I could bust, but let’s keep it our secret. It’ll be fun and kind of clandestine,” she giggled softly. “You could drop me off at the administration building. By the way, there’s a faculty meeting this afternoon. I expect it’s to introduce you to the clan, so be prepared for a thorough inspection.” She pointed to the administration building known as “T” Hall. “I’ll see you this afternoon. Thanks for the ride, good luck, soldier.”