by Linda Ellen
It seemed that everything in life had been altered by the war going on “over there.” One by one, the necessities and pleasures of life were being rationed in America – gasoline, rubber for things like tires or shoes, metal, sugar, butter, coffee, cheese and canned milk, meat and canned fish, fuel oil and kerosene, nylon – the list went on and on, and seemed to expand every week. Now, everyone was issued ration coupons, without which you couldn’t buy those items – even Tommy had them.
Pausing to stare out of the open back door onto the porch, and further still into the gloomy, rain-drenched backyard, she allowed her thoughts to return to their previous resting place. An envelope on the other side of the table, containing a letter from her brother, had caught her attention a few minutes earlier and set her musings in that direction…
Her golden-haired brother Sonny had, indeed, left for the Merchant Marines. Once he had finished his three-month training in California, he had been assigned to a ship that transported supplies to various military bases in the US and abroad.
Louise looked forward to his letters. In his most recent one, he had joked that serving on the ship was at least easier than standing in two feet of cold muddy water during the ’37 Flood while trying to hawk the afternoon addition of the Courier featuring, of course, The Flood. Always a lover of adventure, the pages of his letters were always full of the excitement of new places and new experiences, although the fact of being away from his wife and daughter dampened some of his enthusiasm.
Drawing in a contemplative breath, Louise began spooning the deviled egg mixture back into the egg halves as her thoughts turned to Sonny’s wife. Although her husband’s service pay was $72.50 per month and would have allowed her to keep their apartment, Sara had chosen to take the baby and move back in with her elderly parents for the duration of the war. The plan, of course, was to get another apartment with her husband upon his return to the states. Although she understood her sister-in-law’s reasons, her and the baby now lived across town, and since Sara didn’t drive, the move had severely limited visits with Sonny’s family. With a tinge of melancholy, Louise realized she hadn’t seen or held her niece in at least three months.
Thinking of the family and friends that would be gathering together later that day, Louise felt a bit guilty for seemingly finding things about which to complain, especially in light of the suffering of their soldiers on the front and those who had worse things to worry about, but…if there was one fly in the ointment of Louise’s life, it was that she wanted to have more children. She didn’t want to put things off, but her husband was adamant that they wait five years.
Probably because of that, her desire to have another child seemed to grow week by week, and quite often she found herself lamenting over the baby she had lost two years before. Everywhere she looked, she saw women with young children. It didn’t help that one of her close friends, Ruth, had just given birth to her first child, a sweet little girl they named Vicky. Every time Louise held her, and smelled that sweet baby smell, it made her ache for one of her own and miss the one she lost even more. She could barely remember when Tommy had been that age.
Realizing she had stopped all movement, spoon poised above an empty, hard-boiled egg half, Louise glanced down at her watch to gauge the time before the others would arrive, and it reminded her once again of the happy evening Vic had given it to her. Such carefree days compared to these…
Louise shook her head to rid her mind of the downward slant of her thoughts and determinedly focused on positive things.
Billy and Lilly were doing fine, and Billy had truly stepped up to the plate to be the man of the house, as his older brother had admonished when they had said goodbye to Sonny on the platform at Grand Central. Although the youngest sibling had quit school and had been working for several months before Sonny left, the teen had merely regarded the experience as an adventure. But once his older brother had joined the war effort, something had clicked in Billy’s young mind that he needed to be the provider for his mother, and he hadn’t let her down.
Thinking of their mother, Louise smiled and nodded as she worked, reminding herself that Lilly had seemed more content lately, now that she had begun to attend the ladies’ meetings at the church with Miss Irene. However, they hadn’t quite succeeded in persuading her to attend Sunday services yet. Louise knew that her mother’s strict Catholic upbringing was still very much a part of her mindset and it kept her from reaching out for fellowship with those of the Protestant persuasion. That being said, neither did Lilly try to attend any of the Catholic churches nearby. Louise figured it was the fear of being rejected and shunned by the priest and parishioners over the choices she had made in her past. The thought of that saddened Louise, as she now knew what a difference it made to a person’s whole life to have a church family that loved and prayed for you. Still, she was hopeful that someday her mother would experience that as well, as Louise knew Lilly kept the women in the church group at arm’s length and refused to open up and share details of her life.
Hearing her husband’s voice call a question from the other room about where Billy had put a folding table he had brought from work, Louise bit her lip momentarily as she searched her memory. Remembering, she turned her head and called, “It’s out on the back porch, sweetheart.”
Finishing up making the deviled eggs a few minutes later, she was just placing the bowl in the sink when Vic came through the kitchen on a mission, their little boy following closely behind him, chattering away. Vic met her eyes and winked with a wide grin and she knew what he was thinking. It seemed like Tommy never ran out of energy or topics about which to expound upon – and most of the time they only understood three out of four words. She watched as Vic retrieved the table and began carrying it into the living room, Tommy’s little hands gripping the edge firmly as he “helped.”
Louise hummed along with the song playing on the living room radio as she began filling the sink with hot water in preparation for washing the dishes. Placing cups and glasses in the soapy water, her eyes registered the Maloney-Davidson logo on her husband’s favorite coffee cup and she smiled again, closing her eyes for a moment and thanking God for Vic’s job.
As far as she knew, Vic was still content with his delivery job at Maloney-Davidson, which was one of the many wholesale distributors of wine and spirits. He had settled in comfortably and now ran an established route of liquor stores and restaurants. Although the product he delivered wasn’t exactly wholesome, having the position had allowed the months and years of working at jobs that paid little to nothing to fade from their minds. They weren’t rich by any means and hadn’t managed to put any money aside for a rainy day beyond a few dollars hidden away in a bureau drawer. Nevertheless, they were comfortable.
At times, however, she would see something fleeting in the warm brown depths of his eyes, and she wondered if that oft-imagined dream of someday embarking on a “Bold Venture” of his own was once again playing across the screen of his mind like a silent movie. Vic’s delivery truck job was good, honest work, and who knows? Perhaps his Bold Venture would be that he would rise to a higher position within the company, like that of foreman or supervisor. At least he enjoyed the work, unlike how she felt about the grueling cigar factory labor.
That brought her thoughts around to herself and the fact that she had finally become fed up with the day-to-day hassle of her factory job, and had up and quit one day after spying a help-wanted sign in the window of Lerner’s Clothing Shop. She had hopped off the bus and went in to apply, and they hired her on the spot. It was a breath of fresh air, in more ways than one, compared to the cigar factory. The only draw back was that it didn’t pay as much – and she found she missed working with Wanda, Stella, and Agnes, her cigar-making pals. They had been a well-oiled team and had gotten along great, which had served to make the work go a little easier.
Oh well, Louise shrugged as she envisioned each one flashing a grin her way or laughing at a shared joke. There’s always a trade-off
when you take a new job. So far, although it had only been two weeks since she changed jobs, she found herself less fatigued – and more patient with her rambunctious child when she returned home at the end of the day.
Thinking of him again brought another smile. Tommy was now an active, bright four-year-old who was forever saying funny or unexpected things. He made their lives seem rich, despite the ever-increasing shortages forced upon them by a government neck-deep in a world war.
Just then, Louise heard her little boy’s contagious peel of laughter and her husband’s deep voice as he interacted with him, as they were busy setting up the folding table and extra chairs in the living room. The familiar sounds made her pause and shut her eyes in joy.
In spite of the rain, for which they’d had to change their plans, she was looking forward to getting together with their friends and family to celebrate the holiday.
*
Several hours later, the get-together was in full swing when Fleet walked into the kitchen holding two-year-old old AJ on her hip. Louise was busy arranging all of the food on the table and countertops, clearly agitated and feeling under pressure.
“Anything I can do to help?” Fleet offered as she glanced around. Whistling appreciatively, she murmured, “Wow, what a feast.”
Lilly, over near the sink slicing carrot sticks, turned her head to cast a smile in Fleet’s direction. “We surely couldn’t have done it without everyone pitching in with their ration coupons. And I was lucky I went to the market early yesterday, because when I sent Billy back later in the day for something I forgot, he said everything was nearly sold out.”
Louise placed a plate of deviled eggs on the table and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she perused the multitude of dishes. Ticking off on her fingers the various items to see if they had forgotten anything, she eyed the plate of small sandwiches, mumbling, “Ham, chicken salad, egg salad, peanut butter and jelly…got the deviled eggs on…pickles, cottage cheese, tomatoes, cookies, Jell-O…” she paused, glancing around to take stock of other items. “Lemonade, iced tea…Mama, should we make a pot of coffee now, or wait?”
Lilly answered with a shrug, “We should see if anyone is ready for it yet.”
With a smile, Fleet did an about-face as she called over her shoulder, “I’ll go ask.”
At the living room doorway, Fleet perused friends and family who had gathered for the Labor Day holiday.
Ruth Grant sat with her new baby on the settee with her mother-in-law, who was at that moment cooing and fussing over her prized first grandchild. Earl’s father stood nearby, watching with obvious pride. Over near the front window, seventeen-year-old Billy Hoskins was leaning one arm on the wall as he hovered, speaking intensely with sixteen-year-old Bernice Grant, who Fleet could tell was enjoying every moment of his attention. The young girl had grown into quite a beauty, with dark wavy hair and a cute figure. She was at that moment batting her eyes up at dark-haired, blue-eyed Billy and giggling at something he said. Fleet grinned, remembering that summer years before when the three couples had spent the day together at Fontaine Ferry – and ten-year-old Bernice had tried her best to catch Billy’s eye. It took a few years, but she seems to have caught it.
Mrs. Alder had come, along with Alec’s oldest sister, thirty-year-old Bertha. They were, at that moment, standing awkwardly on the other side of the settee, gazing down at baby Vicky. Bertha had that unmistakable look of sheer misery, and Fleet once again felt sorry for her. Poor thing, she wants a husband and a baby of her own so bad… But, Fleet reminded herself, I’ve tried to get her to spruce herself up, wear her hair different, put on some glad rags, but she just won’t…
That reminded her of her other sister-in-law, Rose. She noticed that Rose had not come along with her mother and sister, and Fleet didn’t have to wonder why. Over the years, she and Rose had more than once had words regarding Vic and Louise. Rose had always thought Vic should have belonged to her, and no amount of explaining the depths of his feelings for Louise would change her mind. The poor thing still harbored a hope that Vic would leave Louise and she would try again to win him. She had turned into a bitter woman. It was such a shame…
Just then, Mrs. Alder saw her own daughter-in-law and grandson and turned toward them with a loving smile. Fleet nodded with an answering smile, “Henrietta, Bertha…” She adjusted AJ in her arms and smiled fondly over at her husband, who was at that moment deep in a conversation with Vic and Earl. He glanced over at her and winked, sending those familiar tingles up and down her spine and Fleet once again knew she was a lucky woman to have snatched up such a prize. With an answering wink, she mused, Yeah boy, Louise ain’t the only one with a dreamboat for a hubby.
Clearing her throat, she called over the voices, “Okay everybody, do any of you want a cup of coffee now?”
Receiving all nays and no yays, Fleet waved in response and turned to go back to the kitchen and report.
*
“Yeah man, I thought my notice had come for sure the other day,” Vic was saying as he sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee after the meal. Louise, sitting next to him, visibly blanched. “But it was just a letter telling me that us guys that had served in the C’s will be put on the list if the war keeps on.”
“I figure I’m safe, seeing’s how I work at Naval Ordinance,” Alec chimed in, relief evident on his face. The others nodded agreement.
Billy and Bernice had drifted in from the other room and stood near the table eating several of Lilly’s delicious cookies. The teen asked nonchalantly, “You get yours yet, Earl?”
Earl grimaced and cleared his throat. “Uh yeah…in ’41 I went to take my physical and they, uh…they put me as 1-Y because…” he hesitated, as he had never told the gang, knowing the guys were going to rib him. He was right. Ruth, his loving wife, piped up with an unladylike snort, “Because he has flat feet!”
Everyone at the table burst out laughing. Fleet couldn’t resist and leaned to place a hand on his arm to croon, “Well, now we know why you hate to dance, huh Earl?”
Laughing along with them, he griped, “It ain’t funny.”
“But seriously, I think we’re all about past the danger point anyway,” Alec commented. “The cut-off age is twenty-five, and since we’re all old-timers here – except Junior there,” he added, jerking a thumb toward Billy, “I’d say chances are good we ain’t gonna be called…unless the war lasts ten years.”
Lilly shivered at that and raised her hands to rub her arms. “Oh, don’t even say that.” Turning her head, she looked longingly at a family picture taken the previous Labor Day, hanging on the wall next to the window. The rain outside seemed to echo the gloominess she felt as she murmured, “I wish Sonny hadn’t volunteered…”
Mrs. Alder, imagining her only son, Alec, over in a foreign country, or on a ship somewhere in the ocean, fighting an unseen enemy, reached to lay a hand on Lilly’s. “Have you heard from him?”
Lilly sighed softly. “He sends letters regularly, and he’s sent me several gifts from ports he visited. To hear him tell it, he’s having quite an exciting time of it. Right now he’s somewhere across the Atlantic. Although he couldn’t tell me the name of the ship he’s on, he said it’s a man’s name with the initials L.S.”
Everyone nodded slowly, images from the news of Merchant Marine ships being blown up or sunk springing to their minds and each one hoped, for the family’s sake, it never happened to the ship Sonny was on.
“Is Sara alright?” Ruth asked, glancing at Louise, who answered truthfully, “As far as we know. Since she moved back with her parents, we don’t hear from her often.” Then glancing at her mother, she added, “We should call her…”
Earl, looking to try for a lighter subject, asked Vic, “So, you heard from your friend Floyd lately?”
Vic smiled and then let out a soft laugh. “He manages to keep one step ahead of the reaper. They sent him to Pearl. Since the attack, that’s just about the best fortified port in the whole fl
eet now.” With a slight frown, he murmured, “He’s assigned to the big airplane hangers. He drives trucks and does odd jobs…after all this time, they’ve only raised him to Private First Class,” he added, obviously disgusted that the persistent racial discrimination was totally unjust and was affecting and hurting his friend.
Eyes met around the table, everyone thinking pretty much the same thing – racial inequality was a lousy situation and maybe by the end of the war, things would begin to equal out. Lord knows they should.
Hoping to lighten the emotion in the room then, Lilly commented, “This turned out to be a good meal, thanks to everyone’s ration coupons.”
Mrs. Grant laughed and nodded, turning to meet eyes with her husband. “It surely was. Goodness knows it’s hard sometimes to prepare a decent meal anymore, between the rationing and the shortages. I, for one, will be very glad when this war is over and things can get back to normal.” The others nodded in whole-hearted agreement as Mr. Grant lifted his coffee cup and murmured, “Here, here.”
Music from the living room was turned louder then and garnered everyone’s attention. Ruth got up from her seat, murmuring that she would go and check on baby Vicky and AJ, who were napping in the bedroom. The others decided to migrate to the living room also, taking their coffee with them.
Wandering in, they stood and watched the youngsters, Billy and Bernice, cutting a rug to the snappy, silly Andrews Sisters’ tune, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.” Lilly stood tapping one foot and clapping softly as she watched her youngest swinging the girl around and performing the dance steps perfectly. He was so light on his feet; it was as if he were floating an inch above the floor. Earl and Ruth stood to the side, hooting and hollering for the young couple. Watching Bernice shimmy and scoot, Ruth joked that it was a good thing a certain kind of feet didn’t run in the family. Louise and Vic laughed as they stood, his arms around her from behind, grinning at the young couple’s antics – Billy was showing off to beat the band.