by Linda Ellen
But now…if this room was nice, and big enough for a middle-aged mother and a teenaged son to be comfortable…
“Oh Vic…do you think?”
He pursed his lips and shrugged. “Might work…”
They rode on, turning the corner and pulling up outside the apartment. Vic carried their bags up to the door as Louise unlocked it.
“Billy?” she called, but got no reply. “Hmm, I wonder where he i…oh!” she gasped as she found herself, once again, in Vic’s arms with him carrying her over the threshold. She giggled as he sat her down in the foyer. “Aren’t you taking this carrying over the threshold business a bit far?”
Vic winked at her, leaning down to give her a smack on the lips as he turned to retrieve their bags from the front porch. “They say it’s bad luck if you don’t do it. I ain’t takin’ no chances.”
Louise laughed as she followed him on through the living room, noticing that he dropped his duffle by the settee before carrying her overnight case into the bedroom.
“So…do you think we should go look at that room?” she asked, opening her case to begin removing items.
“Sure. You never know…and if it’s the right one and it gets snapped up…”
She stopped and stood straight, turning to look at him. With a nod of agreement, they retraced their steps to the door and headed on down to the corner.
*
“It’s a furnished room, everything’s included, you pay one price for the month,” the stocky, balding man who had answered their knock informed them. They followed him up the steps and he unlocked the door to the one room unit.
The couple looked around. It was a large room, with a kitchen area in one corner, a big bed along one wall, a couch that made into a bed on another wall, and various other pieces of furniture. It was light and airy, with two white curtained windows overlooking the backyard, and didn’t have a musty smell like some of the old apartments in the area. A small round wooden table sat between the windows, with two curved back wood chairs tucked underneath. The furniture looked sturdy, worn, but still plenty serviceable. The kitchen corner boasted a small sink, two shelves on the wall above it for dishes, a small icebox on the right of that, and a small black stove on the left.
Louise turned to the man who was lounging in the doorway watching them. “Where is the bathroom?”
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. The building has one on every floor, it’s right down the hall. You gotta share with the other three tenants on the floor.”
“Can we see it?” she asked and he nodded, “Sure,” and pointed the way.
Louise took a look at it, and was pleased. It was a nice bathroom, with a claw foot tub and even a showerhead on a pole. A shower curtain hung from an oval metal rod suspended from the ceiling. The walls and floor had white tile, in fairly good condition.
All in all, she was confidant Lilly would be pleased with the accommodations, but of course, she would want to see it first.
Turning to the man, Louise asked, “Can we talk in private a minute?”
He shrugged. “Sure. I’ll be downstairs.”
She and Vic went back inside the apartment and stood looking around, with Louise trying to picture her mother and Billy living there…and truthfully, feeling a bit guilty that she and Vic would have that big apartment all to themselves, with Tommy, of course, while her mother and brother were relegated to one room.
“What do you think?” she asked her husband. He stood with his hands in his pockets, glancing around. “I think it’d work. It’s pretty big in here, and they could take a few pieces from our apartment if they wanted. And with it furnished, you can’t beat the price.”
Louise nodded thoughtfully. The price the man quoted was quite reasonable.
The decision made, they went back down the stairs and asked the man if they could put down a deposit, explaining the situation. He agreed.
They just hoped Lilly would like it.
*
The couple spent time that Sunday afternoon with Irene and her roommate Betty, who absolutely doted on Tommy. Matter of fact, they insisted that he stay another night with them, so that Vic and Louise could have one more night of honeymoon before they both had to return to the working world the next day. Sixteen-year-old Billy offered to ask if he could stay the night at a friend’s house, which he did. That left the newlyweds alone for their first night in the apartment that would become their home.
Louise found she adored being married to Vic – and that it was so totally different from the life she had led with TJ. Vic was agreeable, attentive, and sweetly romantic. Twice he had come into the kitchen while she was preparing supper that evening and slipped his arms around her from the back. Suffice it to say Louise didn’t mind the interruption one bit. She did, however, almost burn dinner when they both got carried away with some quite stimulating kisses.
They had taken the complimentary bottle of champagne with them from the Brown, and shared a glass while eating their dinner by candlelight at the dining room table. Soft music played on the radio in the living room, and when they finished eating, Vic took her hand and tugged her into his arms to dance.
“You’re being wonderfully romantic tonight, Vic,” Louise purred against his cheek. “Considering I know you aren’t much for dancing…”
He grinned against her hair and held her a little closer. “You make dancin’ fun,” he admitted in a low, husky voice.
“Thank you,” she smiled, pulling back a bit to look up into his eyes. “I’m so glad we didn’t wait longer to get married…even though Mama and Billy couldn’t be there…it’s been the most wonderful weekend of my life,” she murmured lovingly, surrendering to his kiss as he gently lowered his head.
“Yeah,” he breathed against her neck once he broke the kiss. “Mine, too.”
The song ended and the announcer cued up the next one, Tommy Dorsey’s I’ll Never Smile Again, with Frank Sinatra singing lead. Louise turned her head, nestling her cheek against Vic’s shoulder, her body pressed close to his, as the melancholy lyrics of lovers being apart crooned from the old speaker. It brought back memories for Louise of many times she had spent missing Vic, longing for him and dreaming of him over the years she had been with a man she didn’t love.
As the last strains of the song ended, she pulled back and looked up into Vic’s eyes, which were gazing at her with that expression she had come to love…had come to count on whenever their eyes met, one of complete adoration. Smiling softly, she murmured, “I used to feel like that…that I would never smile again. I used to wait until he left the apartment…usually to go out drinking with his buddies…and I’d put the radio on and get out my box of treasures and just take them out, one by one…wishing I could see you again.”
He drew in a slow breath, musing that he had done something similar on more than one occasion. Only for him, it was taking her pictures out of his wallet and gazing at them with longing – until the pain became too much and he had to stuff them back in the wallet again….
“Treasure box?” he asked softly.
She nodded, giving him a shy smile. Then stepping out of his arms, she took his hand and led him into the bedroom, indicating for him to have a seat on the bed. He did, as she bent down to drag a large box from underneath. Untying the strings that held it closed, she retrieved the wooden jewelry box she had won that magical night of the K.C. dance and brought it with her to recline upon the bed next to her husband, placing the box between them. Unlocking it, she smiled up at him as she opened the lid and allowed him to see inside. He looked at the objects with interest and began take the items out…the stack of receipts from her divorce lawyer lay on top. He removed them, finding underneath a matchbook from Pearl’s Café and the ticket stub from the night they saw Tarzan. He grinned at her, and she shrugged, “I keep adding to the collection…”
He nodded, his heart swelling with emotion that the moments of their lives together meant so much to her that she wanted to keep mementos of each one.
Under that were the telegram he had sent her in the hospital, and the two letters he had sent her from Evansville. He smiled and nodded as he put those aside, curious to find out what the other items were beneath. Somehow, he felt that if he saw the items, touched and held them, he would connect with the past in a dimension he hadn’t before… Continuing, he found ticket stubs from Fontaine Ferry Park and the dances they had attended, her copy of the picture of their passionate kiss by the car, and the newspaper clipping of Vic and his crew during the Flood. His eyes opened wide at this and he stared at it, realizing that in all of the chaos of those days, he had not kept a copy of it himself, and it made his heart swell with love to realize that she had. He lifted his eyes to find hers were slightly misty.
“I’ve looked at that picture so many times…caressed it…kissed it…I’m surprised there’s any ink left on the paper,” she murmured jokingly. “And I’ve shown it to Tommy many times too…that’s how he recognized you the first time he saw you…”
Vic clamped his lips together for a moment, surprised that the items in this box of memories were affecting him as much as they were. He carefully laid the clipping aside and proceeded.
He found the Derby pin he had given her from 1937, an 1801 coin from his treasure stash, and the white figurine he had won her at Fontaine Ferry. At that, he chuckled softly, remembering how they had laughed together that he had been her knight in shining armor. Next came the velvet box that had held her amethyst necklace, which she almost never removed, and finally, at the bottom, that fateful letter that he had so cowardly shoved under the door of her family’s apartment.
This, he took out and carefully removed the sheets of paper from the envelope. Immediately, he noticed the pages were littered with smudges and stains, and he realized they were teardrops, where she had read it with tears of longing dripping onto their surface. He read his words from so long ago, and an ache pierced him – in it, he had been so optimistic and full of plans, having no idea that his words would be too little too late.
Louise watched him, and instinctively knew he was mentally beating himself up for his fateful decision the day he left the letter at the apartment. Tonight wasn’t a time for sorrow, but for joy. Their years of sadness were over – they were legally married, husband and wife.
Lovingly, she reached over and took the pages from his hands; folding them carefully and placing them back in the envelope and into the box. The rest of the items followed, and she shut the top, locked it, and set the box aside, finally turning back to her now subdued husband.
“Hey,” she whispered, reaching out to caress his cheek.
He met her eyes. In them he saw forgiveness, love, and passion. He nuzzled her hand; again struck by how precious and special this girl was to his heart and his life.
“My dream come to life,” she murmured, her expression sensual in the soft lamplight. “Make love to me, Vic…”
His eyes flared and he didn’t need further encouragement, but leaned forward and touched his lips to hers, and then pulled her fully into his arms for a sensual kiss brimming with all the pent up longing they had both felt over all those years.
The rest of the night, the last one they would spend alone for who knows how long, was spent in one another’s arms making such heated love that it rivaled and exceeded that of their activity in their honeymoon suite.
For them both, it was truly much more than lonely longings fulfilled and dreams come to life. It was the beginning of a passionate and loving marriage that would last until death do them part.
‡
CHAPTER 19
Newlyweds and Pearl Harbor
The family had received a telegram from Lilly stating that she was coming back the next day and what time her train would arrive, so to make things less hectic, both Louise and Vic took the day off from work. Suffice it to say, Monday was a full day.
Lilly came back from New York with a hat full of opinions about Edna’s lifestyle; she was fit to be tied over what she considered Edna’s rough treatment of her baby girl, and Edna’s neighbors had been more than willing to share their observations of the couple’s volatile marriage. Both partners had quick tempers, and it seemed their irritation flared at one another quite often. Edna had assured her mother that she and Gene were as quick to reconcile, as they were to fight. However, Lilly hadn’t seen evidence of that fact since Gene had been away on a business trip for the duration of her stay.
Thankfully, when the family took her to see the new place, she said she thought it would be fine. So, they finalized the deal and made several trips around the corner to the three-story apartment house on Breckinridge, carrying belongings, food, and other essentials to help Lilly and Billy set up housekeeping. Sonny even dropped by to lend a hand.
Then once they had them situated, Louise and Vic rearranged their own apartment, moving Tommy’s baby bed to the small alcove Billy had used. That night, the little boy was a bit frightened at first to be sleeping in a room alone. But with a bit of coaxing and pampering, he settled down.
He did, however, climb over the rails of his bed several times during the night and come to their room to make requests, such as a drink of water, even trying once to climb up and get in bed with them. Each time, he had softly pushed on one of the sliding doors to their room, but luckily the wheels had squeaked and the couple had taken the precaution of keeping the sheet pulled up.
“I think I need to put some kinda lock on our door.” Vic snickered upon Louise’s return to their bed after she had put Tommy back to bed the third time.
Louise chuckled in return as she settled again into his arms. “That might just be a good idea.”
The following morning, Louise nearly overslept, but managed to get up and get herself ready to catch the bus on time. She truly hated to leave their comfortable bed and Vic’s warm loving arms – and he was no help, using every ounce of magnetism he had to try and coax her back for “Just a few more minutes.” Those luscious lips pursed into a pout were almost her undoing as she finally extracted herself from his arms and began pulling on her clothes to start the day. Wisely, she ignored his pleas for one more kiss, and didn’t allow herself to give him a goodbye kiss until she was fully dressed, had finished breakfast, made her lunch, and had her pocketbook in hand. Even so, she had to wiggle out of his grasp with a giggle as he grumbled a few choice words.
As she practically skipped out the door after giving Tommy a tiny kiss on his forehead, she couldn’t help but marvel at how good it felt to be married to Vic. Once again, the words Dream come true crossed her mind.
Life was good.
Vic learned a lesson that first morning, however. He stayed in bed a little longer after hearing the front door close behind his new wife, lying with his hands clasped under his head, reliving moments from their night with a lascivious smile on his face.
Fifteen minutes later, in the midst of a luscious daydream, he heard the front door open and, thinking Louise was returning for some reason, got up and padded naked to the sliding bedroom doors. Yanking one open to surprise her and expecting to see the loving face of his wife, he encountered the stern face of his mother-in-law, frozen in mid step in the center of the living room! To her credit, she was just as shocked as he and hastily turned her back, haltingly telling him she had come to watch Tommy while they were at work. For some odd reason, she had assumed that he would have already left, or at least been up and about.
Needless to say, Lilly never entered their apartment again without knocking, much to Vic’s relief.
*
Happy times ensued. The family spent their days working and their evenings enjoying being together in their wonderfully comfortable apartment. Large and spacious, it made a delightful home, and the love and happiness flowing between the three, and extended to their friends and family when they would visit, made the early days, weeks, and months of their marriage heaven on earth. Truly, Louise didn’t want it to change, and was almost afraid to believe things could go on so joyfully. Dee
p down in the recesses of her heart, she had the unsettled feeling that some thing loomed unseen, out there in the future, just waiting to rise up and cause them fear or pain.
On a Sunday afternoon the first week of December 1941, a month after their wedding, Vic was busy talking Louise into making dinner that coming Friday night – fried chicken – for him and a few of the guys. He told her he wanted to invite the guys over for a men’s night, to play cards and listen to a boxing match on the radio – and that he wanted to show off his beautiful new wife’s skills in the kitchen. She argued at first, because truly, she had never made fried chicken on her own, although she had helped of course, many times. But, the thought of having the entire responsibility, and that each of the guys would be judging the quality of the meal, caused her quite some consternation.
“Aw babe, I know you can do it,” Vic encouraged as she stood folding a load of towels. Banding his arms around her from behind, he nuzzled his lips against her neck. “You’re a great cook. I wanna make ’em all jealous,” he chuckled, nibbling her ear and caressing the sensitive skin below with his soft lips. Lost in the moment and the tingles she always felt whenever he touched her, however lightly, she found herself agreeing to do it.
“I guess I can pick up everything I need after work…” she murmured, the wheels of her mind spinning with preparation plans, and a touch of pleasure that Vic had said he wanted to show her off. Although she knew the guys, it would just be Alec, Earl, and Gerald – still she knew them mostly as being Vic’s girl. This way, it would give her something of her own she could crow about.
“That’s my girl,” Vic mumbled against her skin, both of them caught up for a moment in their play, and nearly ignoring the antics of Tommy as he galloped around their legs on his imaginary horse. Music played softly on the radio in the living room.