A Moment Forever

by Cat Gardiner

  The U.S Marine Corps Band marched next before the two childhood friends. Their patriotic performance of the “Marines’ Hymn” electrified the air, mixing with the cheers of spectators as hundreds of unified soldiers brought up the rear.

  Streams of white paper ticker tape snowed down upon the hot, gray concrete and the army of Marines, the Corps of the nation’s treasures, when they passed in unison where Lizzy and John stood. Chills ran up her spine in tingly excitement tangibly producing euphoric confidence at the power they conveyed when marching as one with their bayoneted rifles steadied upon their shoulders. This vision, combined with her voracious reading of the newspaper these last two weeks, was the closest she came to learning what was going on beyond the shores of America, and it was all because of one man who made her desire more than her self-absorbed life in Glen Cove. Louie and William Martel were a part of these brave men, and she wanted to be more than the affluent debutante they had met. Changing for William meant changing for herself, and with every new day, she found herself welcoming any and all challenges with a firm resolve. Lizzy stood on her tiptoes, searching every face of every soldier passing by. Her head craned around the broad navy blue official in front of her. “Do you see him, Johnny?”

  He laughed. “No. He’s not a Marine. His brother Louie is the Marine. Your friend William is with the Army Air Forces. They’ll probably be parading with one of Robertsen’s warplanes. We must have missed them or they haven’t come up the avenue yet.”

  Bag pipers and a flag-holding delegation of Western Hemisphere nations passed and Lizzy shouted out to John, “I wish Kitty were here! She would love this!”

  He simply smiled, his vision locking on her jubilant countenance for a bit longer than necessary. In all the years of their close friendship, he doubted he had ever seen her so alive, so animated before. Lizzy was ordinarily a ball of fire, but today her excitement was extraordinary. It wasn’t her simple, red and white polka dot dress or the stylish, crochet hairnet she wore, nor was it her vibrant, red lips smiling and cheering. John was certain that the flush to her cheeks wasn’t just from the heat and humidity. It was something more, and he wondered if perhaps his dear childhood friend was in love for the first time in her twenty years.

  “Maybe Hearst will take some home movies with his 8mm camera. Kitty can still see the parade as though she were here with us. I promise she can come over to Coventry’s movie showing room, and we’ll make it a special night just for her.”

  “You’re always so good to her.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? I love you both like the sisters I was meant to have.”

  She playfully slapped his arm when he chuckled at his own joke.

  Lizzy burst out, “I’m so proud!”

  John laughed again at her enthusiasm. “Yeah, me too. To think, Robertsen Aviation is a part of this power and might. We’re putting good men like your lieutenant in the air.”

  She smiled playfully. “He’s not my anything … yet.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. He wouldn’t have made a date to meet you later if he wasn’t keen on you, Lizzy.”

  Her white-gloved hand tilted the glass Coca-Cola bottle in her grasp as the now warm rim met her lips. She shrugged a shoulder, not quite sure if Flyboy was indeed interested. She hated being so insecure. It was highly unusual and an unfamiliar emotion, so she promptly changed the subject. “Why aren’t you parading beside your father and the plant workers?”

  “Why? You know the answer to that. Apparently, my father and sisters, not to mention Ingrid, don’t want me to stoop to such a level. Hearst isn’t marching either, and he’s the Vice President of Finance. Nope, only Dad at the helm, steering the float and pretending to salute the crowds like he’s Jimmy Doolittle himself.”

  “Who?”

  “Never mind. The point is both you and I know that even though our fathers fight with one another, they agree on the business of this war as a profitable venture, nothing more. My dad’s not as patriotic as he may seem. Heck, I bet he even attends some of those wacky meetings your father goes to down in New Jersey.”

  “Wacky meetings? Why the heck would he go to New Jersey for a meeting?”

  John glanced down at Lizzy’s curious expression. No, she wouldn’t know about those meetings. Renner’s best-kept secret was best kept from Lizzy. She would be crushed if she knew just how her father truly felt about Hitler and the Nazis. He wished he could always protect her from knowing and hoped this war would end soon enough so she would never find out that Renner was a sympathizer and a bigot of the worst kind. “Heil Hitler” wasn’t something Renner heard actors declare in the movies. It was something he believed as early as his affiliation began with The Friends of New Germany and later the German American Bund.

  Years ago, John had become deeply curious about the Bund’s Youth Camp Siegfried when Renner had sent Ingrid out to the far end of Long Island. Lizzy was just eleven then, and he an inquisitive young man of sixteen who had a crush on her beautiful older sister. Once, he even traveled out on the train to the camp to spy on Ingrid from the forest until the wee hours of the morning. John knew for sure the Bund’s camp attempted to indoctrinate Ingrid in the Nazi ideology. Heck, the swastika flew unabashedly, but he was never able to confirm the extent of their rhetoric until the newspapers reported its dismantling in 1939.

  No, he wasn’t about to burst Lizzy’s happy bubble and loyalty to her family even if the truths of die familie Renner were ugly—as ugly as the Robertsens’. John lied, realizing he had said too much, “Um, you know those American First Committee meetings.”

  She shrugged again. “Oh, those. I thought they disbanded.”

  “Say, don’t you have a pilot to meet? You better get a move on.”

  Lizzy glanced at the Rolex she received as a coming out gift. “You’re right! It’s time.” She reached upward, placing her hands on either side of her dear friend’s fair head and kissed John’s cheek. “Wish me luck.”

  “You don’t need any luck. After today, he’ll be certifiably dizzy and head over heels with that vibrant, loving spirit of yours.”

  “Thanks, but we’ll see.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you? The crowd is pretty thick.”

  “No, I’ll be all right. Stay where you are and enjoy the parade. I’ll telephone you tomorrow with all the details of my date and set a time to get those books from you for the Victory drive. Thanks again, Johnny, for escorting me into the city. I didn’t mean to be such a baby in not wanting to ride the train alone.” She leaned into his shoulder with a push. “Don’t tell Father. I think he’d be upset with me if he knew I hated riding on the railroad.”

  “I won’t. Hey, I had fun today.” He smiled again and joked, “Next patriotic parade that comes along, I’ll make sure we invite Ingrid. Maybe get her to buy War Bonds. You know I’ve been trying to get her to use her trust fund for that ‘Buy a Bomber’ program.”

  “Oh you’re a gas! That’ll be the day that she ever spends her money on that or attend something like this.”

  With a quick kiss to his cheek again, Lizzy was gone, headed through the crowd toward what she hoped was her destiny.

  ~~*~~

  Lizzy hadn’t planned on the library’s signature white stone lions being concealed below the temporary grandstand erected to accommodate the various speeches taking place throughout the day. She almost panicked, afraid that her much anticipated date with Lieutenant Dreamboat might not happen. Perhaps, they wouldn’t be able to find one another in the crush of spectators.

  Built upon the steps of the library, an impressive, elevated reviewing stand, back-dropped with a huge American flag, looking out onto Fifth Avenue and the passing floats. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia surveyed the crowd from his helm position on the battleship shaped platform in all his five foot, two inch powerhouse stature. His familiar, high-pitched voice pierced the crowded avenue as he gave one of his many memorable speeches to the thousands captivated by his message. Even in Lizzy
’s hurried anticipation and endeavor to locate Will, she caught snippets of the “Little Flower’s” speech. She liked him at once and couldn’t understand why her father hated him so. The diminutive mayor spoke of equality and justice for all people. What could possibly be wrong with that?

  Looking over and around the heads of spectators, surrounding the grandstand on the sidewalk, she anxiously pressed through, fighting her way within the flag-waving contingent. Many cheered a passing float, reading its message of stalwart determination—“Czechoslovakia Fights On.” Lizzy stopped to admire the black and red float, carrying patriots dressed as farmers, and she knit her brow in concern. Only yesterday, she read the small article in the New York Times on how the entire town of Lidice had been burned to the ground.

  Wearing his olive dress uniform, Will watched her from his covert position leaning against a wood barricade behind three small boys waving American flags. He smiled at the glorious vision Lizzy created. The way her gloved white hand shielded her vibrant green eyes from the sun when she turned to view the passing float, and her quizzical brow caused his heart to flutter a little bit. She was as gorgeous as he remembered her fourteen days earlier. Those perfectly tinted red lips contrasted against her ivory skin and cheerful polka dot dress. He wondered what she thought as she watched the decorated platform roll by.

  She turned to him and even through the crowd of ten or so adults and children between them, their eyes met, and her serious expression transformed into a beaming smile. Will’s heart fluttered again, and he redirected that intense feeling by tossing the empty peanut bag he held into the trashcan beside him.

  Making his way to her, he couldn’t help matching the brilliance of her grin. “Hello, Miss Renner.”

  Her mouth twisted in that seductive manner he remembered and liked so much.

  “Hi Flyboy. Nice, spiffy uniform.”

  Will touched the brim of his service cap. “That’s Lieutenant Flyboy to you and thank you. You look lovely yourself. Well, Lizzy, what do you think of the parade, so far?”

  “It’s wonderful!” she blurted before he could reply, “I looked for you!”

  “Oh, yeah? That’s nice to hear. I’m sorry you missed us. I marched up at noon with other men from the First Air Force. We marched in review behind a couple of F4F Wildcats.”

  Will watched as Lizzy bit the lower corner of her lip, and he realized she didn’t understand what he just said. As tempted as he was to kiss that nervous tick of hers, he quelled the temptation, remembering why exactly he asked her for a date at the parade when he could have taken her anywhere else. “They’re fighter planes made by Grumman.”

  “Right. Robertsen Aviation’s competitor.”

  “Not during the war. We’re all in it for the same cause. Even book campaigns fight for our freedom. Books are a weapon, too.” He pointed to the small V pin Lizzy wore below her shoulder, hoping she would understand what he meant about her recent volunteering. Reading her letter about her war efforts had made him happy—hopeful.

  “Yes, you’re right! We don’t burn books here; we send them to the soldiers. Maybe one of my Agatha Christie novels will find their way into your hands when you’re over in Europe.”

  “And what would you write on the inside cover … should I get it, of course?”

  Lizzy clasped her hands together, jutted her chin like Ingrid and standing straight she very prim and properly proclaimed, “Dear Flyboy. Give ’em hell, keep ’em flying, and come home safe! Yours truly, Pistol Packin’ Lizzy.”

  They laughed, and, again, Will felt the prompting tug in his heart to kiss her.

  Beside them, the U.S. Army Band marched up the avenue, passing before the mayor who admired them from his perch as they played the Army’s official song, “The Caisson.” Overhead, as though a moving dark cloud, combat planes filled the vibrant blue Manhattan sky in salute of the men bringing up the rear behind the band. One could almost see the white stars on the side of the planes above their ball turret.

  Even in the heat of the summer humidity, goose pimples formed on Will’s arms. It was a sublime, breathtaking moment not only infused with patriotic pride but also the promise of a burgeoning romance that somehow he knew would develop into something more in spite of her family and their vulgar opinions. He watched Lizzy studying the sky—innocence, excitement, and effervescence transformed her face from beautiful to stunning. This time, she didn’t cover her eyes with a gloved hand. She met the warmth of the sun, watching the B-24 Liberators soar above in formation. The profile of her grin was as awe inspiring as the impressive bombers themselves, and it was then he truly knew Lizzy Renner was special, different from any other woman he knew. She was a brilliant beacon of light in a dark world and an ingénue, ready and anxious for the next chapter of her life. Silently, he thanked his brother for the encouragement to pursue her against his hesitant and suspicious judgment.

  As the battalions of men filed past in review, Will stood at attention, saluting not only the marching commanders but also his brothers in arms. Sure, he was a commissioned officer, but rank didn’t matter to him. They deserved a salute, especially since many marched holding the colors of the nation.

  Lizzy turned to him, meeting his gaze with a timid look, and that surprised him.

  Taking a step closer, she took his free hand. “What song did you march up the avenue to?”

  “The Army Air Corps song. You’ve heard it, I’m sure.” He didn’t know what possessed him, but he sang it. “Off we go into the wild blue yonder.”

  “Well, well, not only are you a good dancer but you can carry a tune as well. Be still my heart, Lieutenant.”

  Will looked down at their clasped hands, thinking how comfortable it felt. “You can call me Will, you know.”

  “Finally. I thought you’d never ask. Lieutenant Fuddy Duddy Ducky Shincracker is quite a mouthful.”

  He chortled and couldn’t help his mind gravitating to how he wanted his lips and tongue to give her quite a mouthful of the most delicious kisses, but promptly chastised himself for such wolfish thoughts.

  It was bad enough that his own mouth remained full of words he wanted to say, like how he wished he had invited her for a date sooner, but how happy he was that she met him on such an auspicious occasion, but he resisted. The reserved, proper man in him fought the young eager romantic held inside—held back warily until he knew Lizzy’s true opinions and beliefs. “Speaking of a mouthful, would you like to get something to eat?”

  “Oh, yes, I know just the place uptown. The Rainbow Room serves up a splendid late lunch. Later, maybe we can head over to the Swing Club.”

  “No … I hope it’s okay, but I have someplace else in mind. No hoity-toity restaurant today and no party atmosphere tonight. You’re going to have a taste of Americana like the rest of us.”

  “That sounds swell!”

  He continued to hold her hand leading her uptown through the massive crowds, seemingly marching in unison with the Army GIs beside them on Fifth Avenue.

  Lizzy asked unabashedly, “Do you know what has happened in Czechoslovakia? I read something in the Times, but I didn’t understand why the Nazis would wipe out an entire town. Why would they murder those poor people?”

  “It’s the same all over Europe: Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, France, and the Netherlands. Under the guise of punishment for actions against the Reich, the Gestapo has been deporting thousands to forced labor camps and sequestered ghettos, probably since ’37. The boycotts began when Hitler came into power in ’33. Lidice is an ideal example of the brutality I spoke of on Memorial Day.”

  “Boycotts? Against whom?”

  He furrowed his brow, disbelieving that she truly didn’t know, but then reminded himself that most Americans didn’t want to know even if it was reported as it should be. “Why Jews, of course.”

  Will stopped at the corner of 43rd Street and turned to her. This was the open door where he would attempt to fan her flame of curiosity in the hopes of deconstructing her famil
y’s ideology. A marching band played behind them as he asked, “You really want to learn more, Lizzy?”

  “I do. For the last hour, Johnny and I have felt more pride in our nation than we ever had and … and, I’m embarrassed to say, actually ashamed to say, I’m ignorant as to all the reasons we are fighting.”

  Will couldn’t help the stab of jealousy. “Oh … I didn’t realize John is here with you.”

  “He played the ever-attentive big brother by escorting me into the city. His father is participating in the parade, you know.”

  “Right, of course.” He smiled thoughtfully. “Well, if you’re serious about learning more, then the best place to start is to advise you not to read just the New York Times. If you want the full story, the stories that shouldn’t be buried on page six, read all the papers through and through, and not just the front page.”

  “Father used to read the America First Bulletin but now only reads the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung, but I don’t understand German, so I have been reading at the public library. If you don’t read the Times, do you read the Herald?”

  How could he tell her what he read? He just met her and wasn’t about to divulge twenty-plus years of deep secrets to just anyone.

  “Among other things.” He brushed a loose tendril escaped from her white hairnet. “Now, c’mon, let’s have fun and not think of such atrocities today—our first date. I’ve thought of nothing but your smile these last two weeks, and I can’t stand to see that pretty face of yours frown so.”

  She beamed at his compliment. “You think I’m pretty?”

  Will leaned down to her, breathing in the delicate jasmine and orange blossom scent that had tormented him for two weeks. He spoke shyly, as though afraid of being heard when finally voicing the words. “Yes, Lizzy. I think you’re very pretty. In fact, you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met.”

  “Really? The most beautiful girl? You must not get out much, then.”

  “Yeah, that must be it. I just spent the last nine months surrounded by Air Cadets in Texas. Although some of those Grey Lady Red Cross girls looked worth buzzing around.”