K.T. was regretting the suggestion of driving to Pearl City. He sure as hell didn’t need a beer, spending the day with Wendy was intoxicating enough. Why hadn’t he realized that and taken her straight home? That would have been the smart thing to do. He’d gotten so hung up in not being alone, not being the odd man out, that he hadn’t wanted the day to end yet.
Which was absurd. He’d never minded any of that before.
The deluge of anger he’d summoned at himself, stayed with him as he drove around the east loch of the harbor. The red dirt road was rough, and the noise from the engine and the gravel was too loud to talk over. That could be considered a blessing or a curse. The silence gave way to thinking that went in two directions. She wanted to see new things and places, but he didn’t need to be the one to show them to her.
More specifically, he didn’t need to complicate his life. That’s what he was doing. Before meeting her, things were all in order. Now there was chaos everywhere, all around and inside him.
He didn’t blame her. None of it was her fault. The attack wasn’t to blame for the chaos inside him, either. He’d managed to create that all on his own. Just like he’d created this—bringing her to the bar because he thought it would be a place she’d like to see.
Pearl City wasn’t very big. The main attraction was the tavern, inside a large tent, that had been labeled the Monkey Bar because of the monkeys that amused the guests in a large habitat area that was built behind the bar. Inside their screened cage, the monkeys swung from branch to branch and screeched at the guests. The place had become one that military men from all branches gravitated to. He couldn’t recall many women visiting the bar. Then again, he’d never looked for any, either. Had never looked at any before her that night of the dance.
What the hell was he doing?
He was supposed to be thanking her for all she’d done for him, and figured he’d make a day of doing that. Nothing more. There would have been nothing wrong with ending it as soon as they’d walked out of Will’s house.
He was still silently badgering himself when he pulled into the parking lot that held a variety of vehicles. Music filled the air, and as he turned, caught sight of the grin on Wendy’s face, all of his regrets vanished.
“They have music here?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered. On the few times he’d patronized the tavern, he’d spent most of his time talking with the bartender, George, who was also the owner, but knew there was a jukebox and a dance floor near the back wall where the canvas was often pulled up, exposing a large lanai.
“Are there really live monkeys?” she asked.
“Yes. Still want to go inside?”
“More than ever,” she replied.
She was already out of the jeep by the time he walked to her side. Looking at the variety of automobiles, from jitneys to passenger cars, and a variety of military vehicles, she said, “This must be the happening place.”
“Looks that way.”
“Is that because all the events at the Bloch Arena have been canceled?” she asked as they walked toward the large sun-faded canvas tent.
The outside was a bit deceiving, because the inside looked like any other building, with wooden floors and walls, tables, chairs, and a bamboo bar complete with stools. “Could be,” he answered.
They entered through a wooden screen door attached to the canvas with a wooden frame. Tables were full of occupants, as was the bar, and nearly every one of them had a bottle in their hands.
Wendy glanced up at him with a grin. “Looks like prohibition hasn’t struck here, yet.”
He nodded. “That explains the crowd.” Spying two stools near the corner of the bar, he asked, “That okay?”
“It is. It also looks like the only seats in the joint.” Glancing about, she added, “This place is amazing. The outside doesn’t do the inside any justice.”
Before they’d even settled on the seats, the bartender, who had to be at least six and a half feet and made up of all muscle, shouted, “Lieutenant! Aloha! Good to see you!”
“Good to see you, too, George,” K.T. replied.
“I heard you were in the hospital,” George said. “Glad to see that’s no longer the case.”
“Me, too,” K.T. replied and waited until Wendy sat on a stool before sitting down beside her. “Meet the reason I’m out of the hospital. This is Nurse Smith.” Calling her that hadn’t helped him compartmentalize her in his mind as he’d hoped, and he’d have to think of something else that would.
“I’m honored to meet you,” George said to her. “You gals have done a hell of a job for our boys. That’s for sure.”
K.T. fully agreed with that statement.
“Nice to meet you, too,” she replied.
“Looks like you have a full house today,” K.T. said.
George laughed and winked at Wendy. “This is the good old US of A! A few bullets and bombs may have knocked us down, but nothing will keep us down. For you, Lieutenant, I will get a beer, and how about some torpedo juice for the young lady?”
The expression on Wendy’s face said she’d never heard of torpedo juice. K.T. nodded to her and told George, “Sounds good.”
George slapped the bar as he turned about. “Be right back.”
“What is torpedo juice?” Wendy asked.
“Pineapple juice with rum.” He pulled his billfold out of his back pocket. “Do you like pineapple juice?”
“Yes, I do. I’d never had it before coming to Hawaii.”
“Me, neither, but it’s good.” He took money out of his billfold, laid it on the bar, and returned the billfold to his pocket. “I hadn’t had coconut syrup on pancakes, either, but that too is good.”
“I love coconut syrup,” she said, but her eyes were locked on the monkey cage behind the bar. “Those are real monkeys in there.”
“Did you think I was lying?”
With a soft giggle, she shrugged. “I wasn’t sure.”
George arrived with their drinks and laid his hand on the money K.T. had set on the bar top. “This one’s on me. It’s my honor.”
Both he and Wendy thanked George, and watched the monkeys frolicking from branch to branch for a few minutes while sipping their drinks. She appeared enthralled with the animals, but his gaze went from the monkeys to her profile. From the first time he’d seen her, he’d been amazed, and that had continued to grow while he’d been in the hospital, and again today. He was glad that Will had suggested it, or actually it had been Anda who told Will to tell him to bring Wendy to their house for lunch. Her joy over seeing Anda and Pearl had been genuine and it had been fun to watch her tell Will and Anda things about her home life back in Nebraska.
He’d known most of the things she’d shared, and that had produced a rather unique satisfaction for him. She was creating so many unusual and unique sensations inside him. Some familiar ones, too. It had taken all of his willpower to not turn his face and catch her lips with his when she’d kissed his cheek, and a full minute of freezing every muscle in his body to make sure he didn’t even after her fast kiss had ended.
Then he’d remembered that she’d only done that, kissed his cheek, because they were friends. He’d never felt the things he felt for her, for a friend.
He’d done his best to act like her kiss was as normal as the sun coming up. Had hugged her just to reinforce that her kiss hadn’t affected him, which had been another mistake. She’d felt too right in his arms.
Taking a sip of beer, he used it to swallow the sigh that was stuck in his throat, because that had been like the sun coming up, but not in a normal way. It had been more reminiscent of watching a sunrise. One so glorious that a person felt it deep inside.
He’d never felt that before and that worried him. Even if Betty wasn’t waiting on him back home, expecting them to get married, he could never pursue anything with Wendy. She wanted to see the world, and he believed she would. He, on the other hand, would return to Oklahoma where there wasn’t a whole lot to see.
All he could do was accept her as a friend, and be happy about it. Happy that because of her, he would be able to return home.
“Hey, K.T.!”
The voice and the slap on the counter had him turning on his stool, and dang near choking on the beer he was trying to get past his throat.
“And Nurse Smith! What are the odds?” the man asked. “Remember me? Wes Henderson, we shared a room at the hospital for a while. Glad to see they set you free.”
“It’s good to be free,” K.T. replied, finding his ability to speak. He hadn’t seen the man as much as he’d talked to him, while face down on the bed, and definitely recognized the voice. “How are you doing, Wes?”
“Good. Real good, thanks in part to Nurse Smith here. Why don’t you two join us? Faye and I, and some others, are over in the corner. There’s room for two more chairs.”
K.T. looked at Wendy, letting her know it was her call.
She shrugged, but in the next instant nodded.
“Sounds good,” K.T. replied to Wes.
“Great!” Wes said before turning to the bartender. “George, I need two more beers!”
“Coming right up!”
As soon as Wes had been handed the bottles of beer, he led the way through the tables to one in the corner near the open flap of the canvas and surrounded by six people, men and women.
Faye, whom K.T. also knew from the hospital jumped to her feet. “Wendy! Lieutenant McCallister!”
Wendy and Faye embraced. K.T. said hello, and while introductions were being made, two more chairs were pulled up to the table for him and Wendy.
He’d half expected an awkward moment or two, because he normally wasn’t one to join a group of people he barely knew, but that wasn’t possible with Wendy. She could befriend someone in a heartbeat. He was proof of that.
They were instantly included into the group and the conversation.
Still, K.T. was prepared to just sit back and listen to the idle chitchat, but there, too, Wendy had something else in mind, because the first thing she did was tell everyone about his diving gear, which brought on a round of questions.
The shine in her eyes held his attention more than the questions. He liked watching her. Liked seeing her free spirit rise and shine. He also liked the way she would slap his arm or lean closer while laughing. Especially at Alan, a big, barrel-chested, bald sailor, who had to be the best storyteller in the navy. Between his jokes and fables, for they couldn’t possibly be true, Alan kept the entire table laughing for the next several hours, even as they ate the evening special of sausage and rice.
Right up until a bell rang.
“What’s that?” Wendy asked him.
“I’m not sure,” he answered.
Everyone else at the table was downing the last bits of their drinks as if they’d been dying of thirst.
“Drink up!” Wes said, between swallows. “That bell means we have half an hour until curfew!”
K.T. stood, and held a hand out to assist Wendy. His beer had long ago been finished, as had her drink, as well as the soda pops they’d ordered to drink with their meals. No one really took time to say goodbye, except for George, who shouted, “Aloha! See you soon!” as the entire crowd rushed for the door.
Outside, people were running toward the variety of vehicles, including those from their table, with waves and shouts of aloha and goodbye.
K.T. grabbed Wendy’s hand to lead her on the shortest route to their jeep. It was only ten miles to the base, but the dirt road was rough and narrow. “We have to run,” he told her. “If we get stuck behind one of those trucks, we’ll be eating dirt the entire way!”
Nothing about her should surprise him, but discovering that she ran like a deer, did. She had no trouble keeping up with him as they raced across the parking lot.
They were in the jeep and pulling away, while others were still running to their vehicles.
“Go, go!” she shouted.
He laid his foot on the gas pedal, and maneuvered around the parked vehicles quickly, but cautiously, because he didn’t want to scare her by driving too fast. Another jeep cut them off just as he was nearing the road. Had he been alone, that wouldn’t have happened.
“Oklahoma!” she shouted. “If you can’t drive any faster than this, move over and let me drive!”
“I can drive faster,” he said.
“Then do it! Now!” Her hair was flapping in the wind as she twisted about to look behind them. “Or we’re going to get passed like we’re sitting still!”
He laid his foot on the pedal and caught up with the jeep that had cut them off. It was Alan, who was grinning from ear to ear as he hit the next gear and bolted forward.
K.T. shifted the jeep into a higher gear and put the gas pedal all the way to the floor.
Wendy’s laughter could be heard above the engine, as could her shouts, “Yes! Go! Go! Faster! Faster!”
As they zoomed past Alan, she waved. “Bye, Alan!”
Alan honked his horn at them, and without missing a beat, she reached over and pushed the horn button on the flat dashboard, giving it two solid blasts.
K.T. laughed, but felt he needed to warn her. “You know what this means? Us being in front of everyone?”
Her glee literally filled the air as she shouted, “Yes! It means you better not slow down, because we are going to win another contest!” She spun her head around, looking at the vehicles behind them. “Someone’s passing Alan! Another gray jeep!”
“Turn around and hang on!” he shouted. “We’ll lose if you fall out!”
She laughed. “Are you worried about me falling out, or us losing?”
“Both!”
She patted his arm. “You focus on driving, and I’ll make sure I don’t fall out. Deal?”
He laughed. “You just don’t stop, do you?”
“Stop what?”
Chancing a quick glance her way, he shook his head at the grin on her face. He had never met someone who enjoyed life like she did. “Having fun!”
“No one wants to stop having fun!” She spun around again. “They passed Alan and are gaining on us! Faster! Go faster!”
His hands were tight on the wheel and his foot hard on the pedal as he steered from one side of the road to the other, dodging ruts as they sped forward. “Who is it?”
“It’s Wes and Faye!” She waved at those behind them. “Catch us if you can!” Spinning about, she pushed on the horn again.
A matching sound came from behind them, and she honked their horn again.
The recklessness of this was playing havoc inside him. He was always the first to point out acting responsible and sensible in all situations. A trait he inherited from his mother and her signature line of being a McCallister. Driving at this speed, on this road, was not sensible, yet Wendy was enjoying every moment. So was he. However, he felt the need to warn her. “You do know that they are going to get to the base first, don’t you?” he asked.
“No, they aren’t. We are.”
“The road to the base is before the road to the hospital,” he said.
“Awe, shucks!” A second later, she rebounded. “We’ll still be the first one to pass the road!”
He reached over and honked the horn, and laughed along with her.
Time had a way of speeding by when a person was having fun, and that’s exactly what had happened today. Wendy’s heart was singing with happiness as they sped along the road with a line of jeeps, trucks, jitneys, and cars behind them. The race was on, not only with the other vehicles, but with the sun that was slowly lowering toward the horizon.
The entire day had been wonderful and she didn’t want it to end, but the consequences of being out after curfew were not something she wanted to face. Moreover she didn’t want K.T. to face them. Although people could be outside until nine at night, all cars had to be off the streets by seven forty-five.
Combining that with her eagerness to win the race, an idea formed. “You can pull into the base,” she said. “I’ll walk from there.”
He shook his head. “Just hold on!”
He swerved around a rut in the road, and she laughed at the way she swayed in her seat. “This reminds me of riding with Uncle Sy!”
“He drove fast?”
Holding on to the edge of the seat with one hand, she used the other to keep her hair from whipping around her face. “Yes! Not when Aunt Ella was with us, but when it was just him and I, he never drove slowly. Not even when he was teaching me how to drive. He claimed driving faster made the road smoother.”
“I’m not sure that is true!”
“Me, either!” She twisted, glanced behind them at the line of vehicles still coming. There was a huge cloud of dust as far back as she could see and she was glad they were first in line. “I think it was because he wanted to stay ahead of the dust!”
“That I do believe.”
She turned back toward the front. “He would love this, and would be shouting for you to go faster!”
“Just like you!”
“Yes!” She’d learned a lot about K.T. since that night of the dance, and one of those things was just how reserved and in control he needed to be in practically all situations. However, it wasn’t surprising that he was enjoying himself, because he’d enjoyed dancing, too, once he’d been challenged into it. She hadn’t verbally challenged him into anything today, but had known at the bar that they would have left if she hadn’t agreed to join Wes and Faye at their table.
She’d been being selfish, because she hadn’t wanted the day to end, but didn’t regret it. Seeing him laughing as he had at the table, and again now, was worth it. After all he’d been through, he deserved some happiness.
They both had jobs to do here, and those jobs weren’t all roses and sunshine. Some parts were devastating and a person has to balance that with good things. That, too, was something Uncle Sy had instilled in her.
Horns behind them began honking as they neared the base, and she pressed the button on the dash, honking in return as K.T. slowed enough to make the corner onto the road that led to the base.
The entire caravan had slowed, but Wendy was still bubbling with happiness over the fast ride. She honked again when K.T. didn’t turn into the base and she spun around, waved at the vehicles behind them. “That was amazing,” she said, smiling half to herself and half at him.
He nodded as he turned the corner toward the hospital. “Yes, it was.”
Her happiness could easily have slipped away as her barracks came into sight, but she wasn’t going to let it. Not even as she collected her purse and gas mask box off the seat between them. “Just slow down long enough for me to jump out,” she said. “It’s almost curfew time.”
He didn’t say anything, just drove all the way up to the front of her building before he stopped the jeep, and climbed out of his side the same time she climbed out of hers.
Meeting him near the front of the jeep, she grinned and shook her head.
He took her elbow. “Walking you to the door won’t cause me to break curfew.”
She knew that, but had known that having him walk her to the door was going to make her think about things that weren’t true. This hadn’t been a date, and she should be happy about that. “Thank you for a wonderful day,” she said as they walked along the walkway. “It was so nice to see Anda and Pearl, and, well, it was just all very nice.”
“It was.” They arrived at the door and after a long moment of silence, he gave a slight nod. “Have a nice evening.”
“You, too. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He looked confused for a moment, then nodded again and opened the door, held it for her to cross the threshold. “Good night.”
She stepped inside. “Good night.” A heavy sigh seeped out of her lungs as he closed the door and she watched him walk toward the jeep. The day had been fun and exciting, so why did she suddenly feel disappointed? Like she’d wanted more.
The answer was easy.
She had wanted more and was finding it hard to remember that there never would be more between them than friendship. Which was exactly what she wanted, so why wasn’t she happy about that? He had a life to return to, and she had a world to see.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Wendy spun around, saw Helen behind her. “Tell you what?”
Helen walked to the door and pointed out the window. “That’s the sailor you danced with at the dance.”
There was no sense in trying to keep it hidden any longer. “Yes, it was.”
“Ooh, la, la.” Helen twirled a clump of her hair with one finger as she continued to stare out the window. “Can’t say I blame you. I’d want to keep that all to myself, too.”
“He took me to see Anda and Pearl,” Wendy said, seriously wanting to change the subject. Helen had just pointed out a clear fact. She did want to keep K.T. to herself, even though she knew he wasn’t hers to keep. “They are both doing wonderful. Pearl has grown and is as adorable as ever. She has the prettiest blue eyes.”
Helen turned around and her brown eyes were even bigger than usual. “Wait a minute. Is he the dance sailor and your burn patient, one and the same?”
Wendy combated the frustration at herself by holding her breath for a moment. She should have realized by saying that about Anda and Pearl, that Helen would have put two and two together. “Yes, he is.”
Helen stared at her for several seconds, with a big grin, before she sighed. “Well, I’m happy for you, and now I’m wondering if you’ll be excited about the news I wanted to tell you.”
Fully willing to change the subject, Wendy asked, “What news?”
Helen hooked their arms. “I’ll tell you in our room. I heard it today while on my shift, but the announcement won’t be made for a few weeks.”
More than curious, Wendy whispered, “Give me a hint.”
“The South Pacific!” Helen whispered with excitement.
“What about it?”
“Hurry, and I’ll tell you.”
They rushed up the steps to the second floor, and down the hallway. Once in their room, with the door closed, Wendy asked, “What about the South Pacific?”
“Pago Pago,” Helen said. “The capitol of Samoa. The Tutuila island. That’s where the Solace will be sent in six weeks. From there she’ll sail to the Tonga islands, then New Zealand and Australia, the Fiji islands. All over the South Pacific!” Helen twirled around and plopped down on her bed. “It’s our opportunity to see that entire part of the world.”
Wendy froze, midway to her bed. Helen was from Iowa, but they’d met in California and had formed an instant friendship over the desire they shared about volunteering for the Red Cross because they both wanted to see amazing places and people, and everything. For Helen, it had been for herself, not a promise she’d made to anyone, but the goal was the same.
Rubbing her arms at the chill still rippling over them, Wendy slowly, almost as if she didn’t have full control of her body, or her thoughts, finished crossing the room and sat down on the bed.
The movement helped because her brain started working. “We aren’t assigned to the Solace.”
“Not right now, but we could be,” Helen said.
“How?”
“I was eavesdropping.” Helen held up a hand. “Not really, and not on purpose, I was getting things from the supply closet and the door was open across the hall. I just overheard what was being said. A medical officer from the Solace was talking to hospital officers and said that according to Fleet Medical Headquarters, orders were in the pipeline for the Solace to set sail for Pago Pago by the beginning of March. Current patients aboard the ship who would still need care beyond that time would be transferred to the hospital, and that there would be a call out for more nurses to be assigned to the ship. He stated more nurses would be shipped over from the mainland within the next few months, and asked for nurses from the hospital to transfer to the ship, as well as Red Cross volunteers.”
Wendy waited for her mind to do something besides conjure up the image of K.T.
“Did you hear that?” Helen asked. “We can volunteer for a transfer from the hospital to the ship. They are the safest. No one attacks them. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Sailing around the world? Seeing ports and cities across the South Pacific?”
“It would be,” Wendy admitted, feeling the need to answer. There was also a hint of excitement inside her. One that should have been bigger. This was her dream. “You said by the first of March?”
“Around then is what he said,” Helen said. “We’ll have to wait until the official order comes through, but it wouldn’t hurt to hint that we’d be interested in having our assignments transferred. Especially to Nurse Manning. She’s the one who would have to approve it, and we both know she’d do anything you asked. You could teach others her burn therapies throughout our travels.”
It might be conceited, but Wendy was sure that Gloria would approve a transfer. All she’d have to do was ask and her dream would come true.