She smiled and her even white teeth surprised him. They were so perfect and smooth and he had been among so much that was broken and destroyed. Her smell was fresh and clean and noticeably different from the hospital and ship smells he had grown so accustomed to.
“Jonathan, do you want to talk about what’s happened?”
He nodded his head slowly and said, “It seems like it’s been twenty years since we were up at the lake. There were times I thought I would never see the lake again, or catch a fish, or drive a boat."
“You’re home now and you’re safe.”
“I’m walking better now,” he said. “Gerome and I are working harder every day. I almost walked without holding the rails today. I know I’m getting stronger and I know I’m going to walk out of here.”
“I heard you were away at the war. We’ve been up to Charlevoix these past few years, although last summer I stayed here at school. My father let the Navy take the EmmaLee. She’s out on the East Coast somewhere.”
He went on to tell her about his ship and his job, and the action they had seen. He told her what he could remember from the day he was hurt and then about his recovery and trip home to Michigan. It was over an hour before he finished and it felt good to tell her of his time away.
“My friend George is back in Charlevoix,” he said. “He got a little banged up, too. The Germans got a piece of him, but he’s home and he’s okay. I’m going to get up there to fish with him this spring, one way or the other,” he said.
“My brothers shipped over to Europe last year,” she said. “They finished school, then went to OCS to get their commissions. They’re in England with a support group for the Air Force.” She paused and smiled at him. “Jonathan, I’m really glad you’re back home safe.”
Her words warmed him and he wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but he held himself back.
Emily said, “I’ve always felt so badly about what happened that summer to your brother and all. I heard he went to jail for a time.”
Jonathan nodded, feeling the regret coming back.
“Connor is much better these days. He was able to go back to school and he’s working for his father in Chicago.”
“I hope he’s had sense enough to stay away from my brother,” Jonathan said quietly.
“I haven’t heard of anything,” she said. “Do you think you’ll be able to go home soon?”
“I’m trying hard to get stronger. Gerome is working me to death and I’m doing better every day. I want to get home by the end of April for the trout season opener with George. I know I’m gong to make it. Gerome won’t say, but I know he’s working hard to help me.”
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked.
He smiled. “You’re doing enough right now.”
Over the next several weeks, Emily Compton stopped in to see him every day she worked. She pushed him around the grounds when the weather was nice enough to get outside and she would eat lunch or dinner with him in the cafeteria. They shared stories of their childhoods and the times they had both spent in Charlevoix. They had not spoken much in the short time they had been together that summer so many years earlier and they found they had so much to learn about each other.
Jonathan looked for her each day he knew she would be working. The hours she was away passed slowly. At times, he wondered if her interest in being with him was just her compassion for a wounded soldier and part of her job, or did she really enjoy being with him?
It was a sunny morning in early March when Emily came in pushing a wheelchair. He sat up to greet her and put the book he was reading on the nightstand beside the bed.
“Good morning, Seaman McKendry,” she said with a wonderful smile.
“Hello, Emily,” he said, brushing his hair back with his fingers.
“I have a surprise for you,” she teased.
“And what would that be?”
“I have permission to get you out of here for a while,” she said, obviously pleased with herself.
“You’re kidding!”
“No, I’m not. Tonight, we’re going out on the town and I’m buying you the biggest steak you’ve ever eaten.”
“Emily, you really didn’t need to do that,” he said and paused for a moment, “but, I’m sure as hell glad you did! Where do you want to go?”
“I’ll be back around six to pick you up and we’ll head into town. I have a great place picked out and we have reservations for around 6:30.”
She helped him down into the chair, then down the hall to meet up with Gerome for his morning session. Jonathan was so excited he felt like he could jump up and run down the hall.
He turned his head to look at her. “You don’t know how much I appreciate what you’ve done to help me.”
She rubbed his shoulders and continued to push him on down the hallway. She had been up most of the past night thinking about Jonathan McKendry and her feelings for him. He was so unlike the other boys and men she had known. Physically, she had always been drawn to him, but she also felt a deeper connection. For a while she had thought it was just their love for the water and boats, but now she was beginning to feel it was more. These past weeks working with Jonathan to get well had allowed her to get to know him so much more deeply. She often remembered the day she met him in the boathouse with her father. She realized now, even from that first day, there was something special about Jonathan McKendry.
About two hours before Emily was to return, it occurred to Jonathan he didn’t have any decent clothes to wear to dinner. He asked Gerome about it and they agreed his old Navy uniform just wouldn’t do. Gerome volunteered to help and took some clothing sizes from Jonathan and left. A little over an hour later he returned with his arms full of new clothes.
Jonathan had showered and was ready to get dressed. He looked through the items Gerome had purchased for him. There was a navy-blue sport coat that he slipped on over his tee shirt to see if it fit. The feel of the jacket felt strange on his body after so many months in hospital pajamas. It fit fine and the new smell was a welcome change. There was a white shirt and a striped tie. Gerome had picked out a pair of gray wool slacks and they fit well enough to get by for the night, maybe just a bit long. He had also found some black leather loafers. When Jonathan slid his feet into them he was surprised how well they fit and how comfortable they felt.
Within a few minutes with Gerome’s help, he was dressed. There was a large floor length mirror in the bathroom down the hall and Gerome helped him stand in front of it. Jonathan looked at the image staring back at him, standing there with real civilian clothes and standing, by God! He felt the lingering dull ache of his wounds continue to ebb.
“Gerome, I don’t know what to say.”
“You look like a million bucks, man.”
“We better get down to the lobby. I told her I’d meet her there.” He took one last look in the mirror at the stranger looking back at him. For so long he had seen a broken and pained image stare back. More and more in the last weeks, he had begun to feel like the long climb out of this deep and terrible hole was nearing an end. He could see the edge of the hole now and he could see light shining through from the real world that was waiting for him again.
Emily arrived on time as promised. She drove up to the front of the hospital on the long circle drive in a long black convertible with a tan canvas top and stopped by the front door to get out. Jonathan was waiting on the front walk with Gerome. He was helping him stand as she arrived. She waved as she got out and came over.
“Jonathan McKendry, you look…well, you are a sight to see,” she said and he thought he could see a misty sparkle in the corners of her eyes. She came right up to him and hugged him, then she kissed his cheek. The feel of her next to him was the most wonderful thing he knew he had ever felt. She stepped back.
“Let me look at you,” she said.
“Gerome did a little shopping for me,” Jonathan said. “I didn’t really feel like putting on the old Navy dress whites.
”
“I told him he looks like a million bucks, don’t you think, Emily?” Gerome said.
“Two million, easy,” she said with a big smile. “Let’s get you into the car. Are you ready?”
“Absolutely.” With a cane and Gerome’s help, he was soon sitting in the front passenger seat of the car.
“Thanks,” he whispered to Gerome as Emily went around to the other side of the car. “I owe you big.”
“You have a great time. You’ve earned it,” Gerome said and then he pulled back and closed the door.
Jonathan watched him wave as they pulled away. He saw the big hospital behind his friend and felt such happiness to be leaving it behind, if only for a night. He watched the trees along the drive pass by and he felt like he was moving down a corridor from the past into a new future.
When he looked over at Emily, she was smiling at him. She turned to watch the road. “Jonathan, we’re going to Dominic’s tonight,” she said. “It’s a great place out on the south side of town. They have a Porterhouse steak there as big as a plate and garlic mashed potatoes that are unbelievable.”
Jonathan sat silent for a moment. He was enjoying the feel of the new leather seat beneath him, the smell of the new car and Emily’s perfume. He was mesmerized by the traffic and people walking on the sidewalks. Finally, he spoke, “Emily, you’re the one who’s unbelievable. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to tell you how much this means to me.”
He watched her smile again and he noticed the dress she was wearing, red and black with a white scarf around her neck and black and white high-heeled shoes on her feet. Her hair had been curled and styled and it shined even in the soft fading light. Her lips were bright red and so were her nails, as he looked at her hands on the steering wheel. He couldn’t help but think of her when he had seen her as a young girl years ago on the deck of her father’s boat with her hair blowing in the wind. She had grown into a beautiful woman and she was here with him in one of the nicest cars he had ever seen, let alone sat in. He shook his head in amazement as he thought about how far he had come in the last months from his small confined bunk on the ship and the series of hospital beds and long hours looking at the ceiling.
He watched the small college town of Ann Arbor slip by as they drove. Young people were walking together, boys and girls holding hands, sitting together and talking on benches, going in and out of stores. He was finally beginning to feel like he was really home in America and life was returning to normal.
Later, they sat across the table from each other at dinner. The restaurant was dark and noisy, and filled nearly to capacity. The waitress had taken their order for drinks and he watched as she put a glass of white wine down in front of Emily and a frosty cold mug of beer down in front of him. He looked at the bubbles rising from the bottom of the mug and the icy cold condensation on the outside of the mug and he reached out to touch it.
“Do you have any idea how long it’s been?” he asked her.
“For a cold beer?”
“For a cold beer.” He held the mug up and proposed a toast, “To America’s prettiest Florence Nightingale. Thank you for everything you’ve done to help me get back… to get back home.”
They touched glasses and drank. Jonathan savored the cool chill and taste of the beer as it foamed inside his mouth and down his throat.
“Jonathan, you deserve so much more. You served your country and you almost gave your life. I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve seen and what you’ve been through.”
Listening to her words, he began to see images of the War and his ship and friends, some who were now dead. He closed his eyes to block the thoughts and opened them again to see Emily Compton. The contrast was overwhelming and he put the drink down. He felt like he was short of breath and his heart was pounding in his chest. He breathed deeply for several moments, but couldn’t seem to find the right words. He just stared into the beer, watching the bubbles lit from behind by a candle on the table.
Emily seemed to understand and didn’t try to speak. They sat in silence for a while, then the waitress brought menus and they had a welcome diversion.
They ordered a short time later and as the waitress walked away, Emily asked, “Will you be going back up to Charlevoix, I mean as soon as they say you’re ready?”
“My folks were here again yesterday.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. How are they?” she asked.
“Well, I can’t believe how much my dad seems to have aged, so much more than my mother. They seemed to be doing well though and they want me to come home. My dad says he needs help with the business. My brother’s working over at a plant in town.” He looked for a reaction from her when he mentioned Luke, but he didn’t notice any change of expression. “The old town’s been going along just fine they say… a little quieter in the summers than before the war.”
“And your friend George is home?”
“Yeah, he’s back and almost put back together. I guess I told you about his ship and his wounds and all. He’s doing just fine. My parents said he’s planning to come down to visit in the next week.”
“I’m sure it will be great for you to see him.”
“I’ve been thinking about college,” Jonathan said.
She was taking a sip from her glass of wine and after she swallowed, she said, “Jonathan, that would be great. Do you know where you want to go and what you want to study?”
“Engineering, I think,” he said with hesitation. “I want to build boats and I need to learn how things work and all,” he said, feeling a bit clumsy about the whole discussion.
“My father’s an engineer. You should talk to him about it. He would be able to give you some great advice, I’m sure of it.”
Jonathan felt a little embarrassed at the thought of talking to Stewart Compton about his education, but he put the thought aside for now. “I’ve been thinking about Michigan Tech up in Houghton. They have a good engineering school. I was looking into it before the war.”
“Houghton, Michigan? Way up in the U.P.?”
“Right. It’s way up there, but it’s a good school I’m told. I think I’m going to be able to get some money from the Navy to help with the tuition. Gerome’s been helping me with the whole process.”
“What would you do without that man?” Emily said. “You’re so lucky to have him.”
“I’ve been very lucky all around, to get back home, to have enough left of this body to put back together, to have friends like Gerome and like you.”
“Well, thank you,” Emily said. “It’s been more than my pleasure. I still can’t believe we met again after all these years, even though the circumstances aren’t what you would have hoped for.”
The waitress brought salads and placed them down in front of them. They went through the motions of placing their napkins on their laps and reaching for silverware and tasting the food. Jonathan’s thoughts were far away, however. He suddenly couldn’t help but think of men and friends who had been with him back on his ship in the Pacific, sitting in the mess, eating bad food, waiting for the next engagement, wondering if they would ever get home again. He looked again at Emily Compton and knew he was truly blessed to have survived, to have returned and to be sitting here with this girl, in this place.
When the dinner was finished and Jonathan had reluctantly agreed to order a second dessert, they sat facing each other with napkins askew in front of them on empty plates.
They had talked about their families and school and how Emily was planning to finish medical school at the University of Michigan and start a family practice. While they talked, Jonathan had been thinking about how different their lives had been and probably would be in the future and yet, for this time tonight they seemed to have so much common ground and they were together as if it was the most natural thing. He knew George Hansen would never believe it.
“That is the best meal I’m sure I will ever have in my entire life. Thank you,” he said as he pushed back from the table and put h
is hands on his stomach.
“You’re welcome, Jonathan. You had quite an appetite, which I can understand after eating that hospital food.” The waitress brought the check and Emily reached down for her purse and left some bills on the table. “There are some friends of mine I’d like you to meet. They’re going to be down at this little bar off campus tonight and I said we would stop by.”
Her invitation caught him by surprise and he didn’t answer right away as he thought through the prospects of meeting her college friends. It seemed too awkward and too overwhelming. What could he possibly have in common with them?
“Would you like to come, or is it just a bit much on your first night out?”
“Some friends?” he managed to say.
“Yes, a couple of girlfriends from my sorority and some boys we hang out with. I know they’d like to meet you.”
Her words cut through him and he knew she wasn’t trying to hurt him, that she was just trying to include him in her circle of friends to have some more fun on his night out, but… some boys that we hang out with. He felt foolish for assuming she didn’t have a boyfriend, or that she might even be interested in him as more than just a past acquaintance and patient at the hospital. He tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. “Emily, this has been a great time and thank you for dinner. It was incredible, but I’m really running out of steam and probably better get back.”
“Oh, of course,” she said, clearly dissappointed.
When they pulled up in front of the hospital, she got out and got a wheelchair from inside the door. She helped him out of the car and into the chair. A nurse came out to meet them. Emily came around to face him before the nurse wheeled him inside. She took his hand. “Jonathan, I’m really glad we could do this and you could get out of this place for a while.”
Jonathan felt her soft hand in his and looked into her eyes and tried to block out all the jealousy and uncertainty about her he knew was unfair. He wanted to tell her to stay. Finally, he managed to say, “This was great of you. Thank you. You’ll have to let me return the favor someday.”
The Seasons of the EmmaLee Page 15