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CHARLES COLVERT SAT beside the Army recruiter and listened while the exhausted man went over the details of the path he’d chosen to follow. Several young men had chosen the same, if seeing was believing. The room was full.
Unlike some here, he had his family’s full consent and blessing to join up. They’d all listened to the president’s address following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and with war imminent, what able bodied man could excuse himself from service to his country?
Not him. Aside from his family, he hadn’t spoken to another soul about his intent to enlist. Not even his steady girlfriend, who he fully intended to marry one day.
Maybe even one day soon, if she’d have him.
“If you understand what I’ve just told you,” the recruiter tapped on the table, then pointed at the paper, “sign and date here.”
As he signed his name, he pictured Emily McGee in his mind’s eye. A beautiful blonde, with sparkling blue eyes, she would understand his choice, as no other choice seemed reasonable to him, and they usually were of the same mind.
“If you’ll follow me,” the recruiter stood, “I’ll take you for the AGCT, the test we discussed to see where you can best lend a hand.”
Charles followed him to another sterile room, where he was situated and given the timed test to complete. He tried to clear his mind to do the best he could while all he could think was, I just want to fight!
They all wanted to fight, everyone in Bryeton was horrified by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The whole town, to a person, wanted to fight. How was he supposed to focus on this silly test? He didn’t care where they placed him. Just put a rifle in his hand and point him at the enemy.
He tried in vain to clear his mind and, truth be told, he checked off the first appropriate-sounding answer and returned the test in record time.
He only hoped they knew he was of sound mind, even if he scored poorly. Even a bad test-taker could stop a bullet.
“Infantry.” The recruiter scribbled on top of the form, then filed the information away for the next set of eyes. “Off for your physical.”
Today? They had this process down pat, like one of Henry Ford’s assembly lines. He followed his recruiter down the hall and out the door to the next building, where a string of seemingly able-bodied men snaked out the front door.
Left there with paperwork in hand, he flipped the collar of his jacket up against the cutting wind. Exchanging terse greetings with the men just ahead, he wondered how many had come from the county, in sum. He multiplied the number by how many counties in North Carolina. And then by the number of states in the United States.
“Where’re you from?” one of the recruits asked.
“Bryeton,” he answered, aware almost no one knew where Bryeton sat on the map. “Graduated last year, been working at the McAfee Mill, saving up money to marry my girl.”
“Aren’t we all?” The man extended his hand. “George Hocker, nice to meet ‘ya. I married my sweetheart last summer.”
He shook George’s hand and the line crept forward. “Whereabouts are you from?”
“Over near Bryson City. My family owns a grocery there off the state route. I guess I don’t want to go into the family business.”
The pair made small talk until they finally moved inside the structure. Then, after a short wait, George went one way and Charles went the other.
“Good luck!” George shouted in parting.
Charles waved and followed a white-clad nurse into an exam room. She took his height, weight, and followed up with a quick eye and hearing exam.
“The doctor will be in soon.”
She exited, leaving Charles alone with his thoughts for the first time since he’d reached Asheville. While he knew things needed to happen fast, his mind spun. He’d committed. If the physical found no fault or defect, he’d be given orders.
Orders he would follow into war, whatever they might be.
“Emily,” he murmured. How would he be able to break this news to her? She probably expected him to sign up, and now he worried he’d made a huge misstep by not talking about his decision with her first.
After all, if they meant to marry, they would have to make hundreds of decisions together. She wouldn’t appreciate him not including her.
When he finished his business here, he’d beeline straight to her and have the overdue conversation, coupled with an apology. He hoped she could forgive him.
***
EMILY MCGEE STEPPED back from the family Christmas tree and squinted. Getting all the decorations just so took hours of happy work. With only the finishing touch missing, she turned to the shoebox perched on the arm of the sofa.
Mom’s tree-top ceramic angel. She sighed as she lifted the heirloom from a bed of tissue paper. Glancing at the clock on the mantle, she smiled. Her younger sister, Susan, would be home from school soon. The angel could wait until then.
She loved the holidays and decorating the tall fir her father had brought home provided a much-needed distraction from the stunning attack on Pearl Harbor. The news headlines created a persistent tightness in her chest.
Lots of Bryeton boys went to Asheville to sign up for the war, and she hadn’t heard from her steady all day. She feared he’d gone to town as well, and what his enlistment might mean.
A sharp rap on the front door ripped her attention from the dreary prospect of war, and she tucked the angel into its nest before scurrying to answer the knock.
With a deep breath, she turned the knob. The icy tail of a Blue Ridge winter storm whipped past the tall, blue-eyed man smiling on her doorstep.
After five years as an official couple and knowing him even longer, she could usually tell what Charles Colvert was thinking, which scared her. Her anxious gaze sought his as he stepped inside, looking for the confirmation she dreaded, words long unnecessary between them.
Charles’s grin faded and he nodded, snow melting off his strawberry blonde hair, making his answer quick and painless. “May I come in? I’m afraid I owe you an apology.”
As Emily stepped back and closed the door behind her beau, her knees wobbled. When the latch clicked, she rested her forehead against the wood and refused to turn around.
After a long moment, Charles rested his hands on her shoulders. In the quiet of the empty house, his soft words rang clear and feathered warmth against her cheek. “Hush, Emily. It’ll be all right. At least, tell me you understand.”
Emily covered her mouth with her hand as she turned to the love of her life. If she tried to speak, she’d wail.
He’d joined the Army, and now he’d go to war, exactly like she knew he would.
His gentle expression gave way to a resignation of duty she dared not speak against. How could she, when so many boys volunteered? Reserve cracking under the strain, she held back sobs building in the pit of her stomach, pushing their way outward.
“Please don’t cry.” He pulled her as close as his thick wool overcoat allowed. “Everyone was there, Emily, all the boys. I can’t stay behind when everyone else is pitching in.”
His wind-chapped face looked more handsome than ever through her veil of tears. “I understand, I truly do. I’m so scared, Charles. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’m sorry. We should have decided together.” Charles took her hand and led her to the couch, where she tried to stop trembling. “You have to be strong. Be brave, Emily. You gotta believe in me. I can’t do my best if you don’t believe in me.”
Looking at their locked hands, at the small diamond sparkling on her narrow, gold band, she gasped. The wedding. They would have to postpone their May wedding. And what about Christmas? And New Year’s?
Everything in her world turned upside down.
Panic pulled at the corners of her mind, so she focused on the red bows dotting the Christmas tree, counting them until she could speak without a tremor.
“When do you leave?”
“A week. Early next Tuesday, from Asheville. I’ll probably take the bus up there Monday night with some of the fellows.”
So soon? His calm answer filled her with more dread. Her fingertips fluttered over his cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin, imprinting his image on her heart.
With the patience of a saint, he took her hands in his again, and kissed the back of each one.
“Aren’t you afraid?” she whispered, searching his eyes for any hint of apprehension.
“No.” A smile started at the corners of his mouth and soon overtook his entire face. “Do you want to know why?”
She grasped at the strength behind his words. “Yes.”
“Because I love you, Emily. I can face anything, even horrible things, if I know you love me, too.”
“Of course, I love you.” Swallowing around the lump lodged in her throat, she asked, “What about the wedding?”
“We’ll figure everything out, I promise.” He leaned back and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “Since we’re sending our troops in, the war will be over before you know it.”
She didn’t think so. Hysterics wouldn’t do either of them any good, so Emily nodded and tamped down her worry. A promise was a promise, and he hadn’t yet failed his word.
When he glanced around the room, his gaze lingered on the stockings hung from the fireplace mantle. Theirs hung side by side. Then his brow furrowed. “Where is everyone?”
“Daddy’s working late. He’s sure they’ll step up shifts at the mill because of the war. They’re going to need, well, everything.” She sniffled and then tried on a small smile. “Susan will be home soon. She had piano after school.”
Charles kissed her on the cheek, then reached into his pocket and handed her a small roll of bills. “When she gets home, why don’t you go into town with her and stop at Miss Barker’s, buy the pretty green dress you’ve had your eye on? I’ll take you to dinner this weekend, over near Boone. We’ll go to that high-falutin’ place you like so much, with the candles and classical music. What do you say?”
She nodded, not wanting to spend a moment away from him until he left. “It’s supposed to storm something fierce and it’s at least an hour to Boone, there and back. Snow’s already here.”
“Why don’t we wait and see what the weather’s like when the weekend comes ‘round? I want to take you out, make some happy memories we can both hold onto.”
She sifted through the bills he’d given her. “Twenty dollars? Charles, this is far too much. I can’t take this.”
When she pressed the money back into his hands, he insisted. “Honey, if I take this with me, I’ll spend it on nothing. You should have a beautiful new dress to wear, so everything’ll be perfect. I’ll stop by and talk to your daddy about what I’ve decided. Maybe he won’t worry about us spending time alone together. Sound good?”
“Sounds good,” Emily agreed. The probable highs and lows of one last romantic evening to themselves made her hands tremble as she folded the money.
“We’ll forget about the war and have a great night.”
Numb, she nodded and walked him to the door, then kissed him good-bye. Her heroic fiancé walked up Polk Street, head bent, broad shoulders hunched against the wind, hands in his pockets. Her heart broke when he stopped on a dime, glanced over his shoulder, and blew her a kiss.
Though she felt a little silly, she reached out and grabbed the kiss on the wind and held her hands over her heart, the way she had when she’d nursed a crush on him in the fifth grade.
As soon as she shut the door, tears came in a wave. She’d never make a life without him, no way. She didn’t even want to try.
***
CHARLES SAT AT THE dining room table with his parents and younger brother, Jeff. At thirteen, Jeff seemed excited to hear the details of Charles’s enlistment experience. He didn’t seem to grasp the dangerous possibilities involved.
“I wish I was old enough to sign up,” he exclaimed.
Charles met his father’s anxious gaze across the table, then nodded. “Jeff, I know this seems exciting. There’s a lot involved. I have to go to training, and I’ll be assigned a specific job to do. I might not ever get to the front if they think I’d be more help cooking meals or fixing tanks.”
While his words did little to deflate Jeff, his mother seemed to relax a bit. He couldn’t save his family from worry, an integral part of joining up. He wished he could, though.
“He’s right,” his father said. “And while Charles is away, he needs to know you’ll do the right thing and pitch in around here, pick up in his absence.”
Now the kid looked a little worried. Charles, while he still lived at home to save money to start his life with Emily, did the lion’s share of the hard labor around the place. He said, “You know, mow the lawn for Dad and till the garden for Mom. The kind of stuff I usually do.”
Jeff nodded and decided he needed to stop talking. “Looks like I’ll have plenty to do, then. You’ll write to me, won’t you?”
Charles smiled. “Of course. You’d better answer, too.”
“You bet.”
As an unsettled silence fell over the meal, Charles confessed, “I’m going to marry Emily before I leave. I mean, I’m going to try. I haven’t talked to her father yet, and I’d like to get his permission and have a small ceremony before I go.”
His mother’s jaw slid wide open while her eyes narrowed. “Before you go? You’re not giving yourself much time, Charles.”
“I know,” he answered quietly. “We’d planned for May and, well, I just don’t want to ask her to wait. Who knows how long this war’s going to go on, after all?”
“It can’t last forever, son,” his mother argued.
“Lizzie,” his dad reached out and took her hand. “He’s a grown man and how long have we known they’d end up together? Do we really want to quibble about when or how?”
“I suppose not,” she murmured.
“This way,” Charles continued, “You can look out for one another. Especially you, Jeff.”
“Me?” The thought of taking care of his brother’s wife sent his head wagging. He wouldn’t know what to do with any girl. “What am I supposed to do with her?”
Charles laughed. “Just make sure she doesn’t get sad, stay in the house all the time. Invite her to your baseball games and make her feel like family while I’m gone.”
“You going to the Justice of the Peace?” his father asked, stacking his dinner plates.
“I have another idea, and I’m going to need a lot of help to pull this off.”
Everyone smiled, momentarily distracted from the sadness of his impending departure. Exactly the result he’d hoped for. His mother prodded, “What’s your idea? We’re all willing to help however we can.”
“I invited her to dinner this weekend, Saturday night. I’ll take her to Boone, to the nice place where she likes the fancy desserts. When I bring her back, I want to surprise her with a wedding at the little chapel in Antioch. Just family, hers and mine, her best friend.”
His mother clapped her hand over her mouth, then burst forth with ideas, “We can decorate the place like Christmas, all warm and cozy. Bert, you can talk to Reverend Luddington, can’t you? See if he can make time?”
His father nodded. “While he’s retired from the pulpit, I’m sure he can still perform nuptials. I’ll give him a call tomorrow and find out. Charles, you’re absolutely certain about all this?”
Nodding, Charles had never been so certain about anything in his whole life. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Emily, and he didn’t want to wait to get started.
He checked his watch. “I need to duck out and speak with her father. If he opposes the idea, he could put a stop to everything. I won’t go against his wishes.”
“Then I suggest you get your coat,” his mother said, rising from the table and putting an end to their meal. “Sun sets pretty fast around here.”
***
MISS BARKER’S DRESS Shop, situated conveniently beside the tailor’s shop, looked warm and inviting as Emily and her sister, Susan, approached from the street. A rather new establishment, they highlighted the coming holidays with sparkling lights of red and green in their window display.
“Come on!” Susan pulled at Emily’s hand. The impatient high schooler had inhaled her dinner, so they’d be able to go shopping tonight before the store shuttered. “They close in an hour.”
“There’s plenty of time,” she argued. She definitely wanted to buy this beautiful dress. She had from the first moment she laid eyes on the garment. Buying the dress meant the reality of this final dinner with Charles, their last night out before he left Bryeton.
And only God knew if he’d ever come home again.
If she could stop time, she would. Right here, right now. Or maybe yesterday, before she even knew he enlisted. They could stay in this happy place, together, for the rest of time, just as they were.
A bell on the door jingled as Susan pushed inward, a rush of warm air greeting them as they entered the store. Only a couple of customers looked around the place, no one they knew.
“Hi,” an impeccably dressed woman greeted them from behind the jewelry counter. “How are you ladies this evening?”
Emily put on a smile. “Just fine, thank you.”
Meanwhile, Susan beelined her way to the dress, displayed near the window. “Is this the one you mean?”
Nodding, Emily joined her sister and looked at the display. The emerald green dress followed the style of the day, cinched and banded at the waist. What she loved was the short bolero jacket tailored just so, a smattering of jewels and glitter accenting the lapels.
“It’s gorgeous,” Susan breathed, entranced by the garment. “And it’s perfect for you. With your blonde hair? You can wear the red lipstick you can’t wear with anything else.”
“She’s right,” the saleswoman approached with a smile. “Not every woman can wear this dress. Your friend has a good eye for fashion.”
“My sister,” Emily corrected. “I’ve been looking in this window every time I walk by. I think I’d like to try it on.”
“Of course, let me find your size.”
They discussed sizing and Emily went into a small, curtained dressing room to change. She quickly dressed and turned to inspect herself in the mirror on the wall.
She smiled and had to admit, the cut of the dress looked flattering on her figure and the color undoubtedly suited her. Deciding against giving her critical sister an opinion, she changed back into her clothes and exited the dressing room.
When she studied the expectant and disappointed faces of both Susan and the saleswoman, she smiled. “I’ll take it.”
“Lovely.” The dark-haired woman led the way to the cash register to ring up the purchase. “Do you need any accessories to go with your dress today?”
Emily surveyed the earrings, scarves, and gloves on display and quickly shook her head. Thanks to Charles, she could buy this gorgeous dress without asking the price, and she wouldn’t abuse his trust in her.
Besides, if she had a couple dollars left, she’d treat Susan to some ice cream at the Copper Kettle when they left. She hadn’t told anyone about Charles’s enlistment yet, and she thought maybe in public, she wouldn’t cry when she broke the news to her sister.
After Emily paid for her dress and the garment had been bagged on its hanger for protection against the elements, Emily threw the bag over her forearm and steered Susan from the store, waving her thanks to the woman at the counter.
“My treat at the Kettle,” she told Susan and they redirected their steps. “We’ll get something sweet for ourselves and take some pie home for Dad.”
Susan smiled and moved more quickly. As the more outgoing of the sisters, Susan made friends in a flash and likely knew several of her friends would be inside the local eatery.
Maybe even the local boy, Evan McAfee, she had a crush on.
“Slow down,” Emily requested with laughter. She would need Susan more than the girl knew. With Charles gone and in harm’s way, she would need her family most of all.
They went into the Copper Kettle and squeezed in at the counter to order a couple of chocolate malts. Behind her, four boys from the high school celebrated.
Glancing over her shoulder, she recognized the McAfee twins. She didn’t know the other two boys. They were all a couple years behind her in school. She keyed in on their conversation about the war, and when they might be able to enlist, following their graduation in the spring.
Why did young men look forward to war so much, anyway? If the First World War taught her anything, war wasn’t all flags and glory, and no one should look forward to going at all.
“Are you alright?” Susan touched her hand and she turned back around in her seat. “Don’t mind them, you know the twins are full of it. Old Judge McAfee isn’t about to let those two enlist, anyway.”
“Susan,” she paused and laid her hands flat on the countertop, taking a deep breath before she continued, “Charles enlisted. He leaves for training on Tuesday.”
Susan gasped and paled. “What? When did he tell you?”
“Earlier today. This date is why I bought the dress at all. He wants me to wear something special when we go to dinner Saturday night. You’re the first person I’ve told about him leaving.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she muttered, her expression mirroring Emily’s conflicting emotions. “I mean, I understand why. Emily, what about the wedding, though?”
She shrugged. “We’ll get married when he comes home, I suppose. There’s no other man for me, Susan. I’ll wait as long as I must, no matter what.”
No matter if he was injured, or insane from war, or if he found another woman he loved more. She had no other options. No one in either of their families had the clout Judge McAfee had to get him out of his enlistment. Emily didn’t doubt the wealthy mill-owner could find a way for his boys to stay home while others sacrificed life and limb.
Susan’s hands covered hers. “Everything is going to be all right, Emily. I don’t know how or why. I just know God didn’t bring you two all this way together to let a stupid war end what you have.”
Tears filled Emily’s eyes and she fought them back while she squeezed her sister’s hands. “I hope you’re right, Susan. After losing Mom, I don’t know if I can take another loss.”
“He’s not gone yet, Emily,” she lowered her voice and leaned close. “Don’t put the cart before the horse. As long as he’s alive you know he’s coming back to you. Without a doubt.”
‘As long as.’ She hung onto those words for dear life.
***
WHEN CHARLES KNOCKED on the McGee’s front door for the second time today, he crossed his fingers in hopes the girls had, indeed, gone shopping and he’d have time to talk with Emily’s father alone.
He wanted to do this for a couple reasons. First, although he’d already given his permission to marry Emily, he wanted to discuss this surprise wedding his family now planned and include him and Susan in the preparations if possible.
Second, the man had been in World War I, and he wanted to know what he could expect, what he’d truly gotten himself into, from someone who’d been there. Mr. McGee didn’t speak casually about the experience, so he might not share much now. Still, Charles needed to ask, man to man.
He wanted to be as prepared as possible.
The porch light came on and the door opened. Emily’s bespeckled father smiled and extended his hand. “Good to see you, Charles. Emily took Susan shopping, I’m afraid. At least that’s what her note said. I just got home a little bit ago.”
Nodding, Charles cleared his throat. “I actually stopped in to see you, if you can spare me a few minutes?”
“Of course, come in out of the cold.” He stepped inside and Charles followed. “I can put some coffee on, if you like.”
“No, sir, thank you. I won’t take up too much of your time. So, you haven’t seen Emily yet today?”
“No.” The question stopped her father in his tracks. “Is something wrong?”
Charles took a deep breath and delivered his news. “I enlisted today, sir. I told her earlier, when I got back from Asheville.”
The older man moved to a chair at the kitchen table, and said, “I can’t say I’m overly surprised. When do you go?”
“Tuesday.” He pulled out a chair and sat across from his future father-in-law. “I guess I didn’t think it’d be so quick.”
“I expect they want to get things moving.” Mr. McGee sighed. “How’d she take the news?”
“As well as she could,” Charles admitted. “I still plan to marry her, and I’m here because I want to marry her sooner than later, if you’re agreeable.”
The request pushed the father back in his seat, and he fell silent, considering the arrangement. When he finally spoke again, his voice sounded thick with emotion.
“I’m very agreeable, Charles. You know how much we lost when my wife died. How does your family feel about moving the wedding up?”
“They’re agreeable, too,” he confirmed. “You see, I’ve invited her to dinner on Saturday, and I hope to surprise her with a ceremony later in the evening. My folks could use your help getting everything ready. You’d have to keep things a secret, of course.”
“A surprise wedding?” A smile cracked his somber expression. “I reckon we can hold our tongues for a few days. Emily’s sharp and keeping her in the dark won’t be easy. She was always the one searching for hidden Christmas presents and solving the hardest jigsaw puzzles.”
“I have confidence in your abilities. If you can get her ready and out the door with me on Saturday without incident, I’ll get her where she needs to be after dinner.”
“What time will you pick her up?”
“Five. I have reservations for six o’clock. I plan to have her to the Antioch Chapel between eight-thirty and nine o’clock. Everyone needs to be there by then.”
“Susan will help her get ready, I’m sure. I probably won’t tell Susan your secret, though. She has a hard time keeping her lips sealed most of the time. After y’all leave for dinner, we’ll go over and help your parents get the chapel ready, bring some food to keep things running.”
Charles felt a burden lift from his shoulders. While he’d anticipated just this response, knowing things were falling into place thrilled him. “I appreciate you more than you know. You know how much I love your daughter. I can’t ask her to wait and see if I come home or not.”
Mr. McGee nodded, lacing his fingers together on top of the table. “I admire your enlistment, what lots of young men are doing. We didn’t finish things in the first war, history will make all the mistakes clear. I’m sorry you all have to go back over there, go anywhere, to clean up once again.”
“Thank you,” Charles said, bowing his head. He hadn’t considered the things the man said, and would later, when he had the time. “We’re volunteering because we saw people like you go to war, do their duty. Whether it’s the same mess or a whole different mess, we’ll do our best, same as you.”
“I know you will, son. I know you will. And may God be with you because war isn’t a thing to be enjoyed except by a specific kind of wrong-headed man. Good men, like you, have a hard time with some of the things you’ll have to do. You’ll do them because they need to be done for the greater good. Keep your Bible with you, son, the word of God will be your best friend.”
“Yes, sir.” Charles tucked the advice into the back of his mind and heart. Hearing such a blunt description chilled his blood. Good men had to go, they had to do those things, they had to stand up. “I appreciate your advice, and more than anything else, becoming a part of your family. Y’all will hold one another up while I’m gone.”
“Count on it, son.” He reached out to Charles and clasped his hand between his own. “Count on it.”
***
EMILY COULDN’T BELIEVE when Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye. Despite her wish for time to stand still, the hands on her watch seemed to run faster than ever.
Susan stuck her head into Emily’s room. “You haven’t started getting ready yet?”
Sighing, she shook her head. The hope she could stop time and Charles wouldn’t be sent into the war effort was, indeed, childish. And selfish. She needed to snap out of her doldrums and give her fiancé an evening to remember, memories he could take out and polish on cold, dark European nights.
Or hot, steamy Pacific nights, depending. She’d been reading, learning about the events leading up to the war and she didn’t know which arena she feared more, Europe or the Pacific.
Of course, she didn’t get to choose for him. None of them got to choose except to join the fight and she needed to support him in his choice. The worst thing she could do would be to send him away feeling uncertain about her or her love for him.
This wasn’t about her anyway. This was about them, together as a team, building their future. No one ever said things would be easy or simple, and she needed to adopt a new mindset, starting now.
“I’m just waiting for my hair to dry a little more.” She smiled at her sister, knowing what would do the trick. “Think you can roll my hair for tonight?”
“You bet!” Susan loved all the girly things Emily tried to keep at bay. “Do you want me to paint your nails, too?”
“Why not?” she shrugged. “Red, to go with the lipstick you like so much.”
Little sisters could be a pain at times, however since losing their mother, the two had been more patient with each other. Charles had been great, too, but at the end of the day, a girl needed another female for some things.
“I’m going to miss him, you know?” Susan sighed as she stroked a ruby red polish onto her older sister’s nails. “You two have been together forever. It’s like he’s always been there.”
“Very true.” Emily recalled how the scrawny little boy chased her outside the school building and pulled her braids. “He’s coming home when it’s all over. No doubt about it. I need him, we need him, and he’s going to come home after we win this war.”
Her sister smiled. “You’re right. Do you think I can write letters to him?”
“You’re precious. He would love getting letters from you.” She began fanning her nails to help them dry quicker. “There’s a lot of boys going, you heard the McAfee twins in the diner the other day. And Daddy said Jake Ryan enlisted yesterday, too.”
Susan paused to think about what all these men leaving meant for their little town. Jake worked for their father at the mill. “If you were a man, would you go?”
She hadn’t really considered. “I suppose I would. We have a lot of freedom many places in the world don’t have. I wouldn’t join up for revenge, though. I’d sign up to defend our country and make sure people can be free.”
When Emily’s nail polish dried, Susan went to work on her hair, using a variety of rollers to set her damp locks. Then, they plugged in their mother’s hand-held electric hair dryer to set the curls.
When every hair lay perfectly in place, Emily shooed her sister away to get dressed in peace. Pausing to look at herself in the mirror, she felt like a princess. She looked a lot like her mother, now she’d grown up.
As if on cue, her father knocked on the bedroom door. “May I come in?”
She opened the door to him and waited to hear what he thought of how she looked. When his eyes misted over, she grabbed his hand. “I know, Daddy.”
“It’s amazing how much you resemble her.” He reached into the hallway to retrieve two small boxes, which he handed to her. “These were your mother’s gloves, black kid, they’ll keep you warm and look good. And the cross I gave her when I asked her to marry me. I thought tonight was important enough for you and Charles that you should wear something special of your mother’s.”
“Oh, Daddy.” Tears flashed across her vision, and she dabbed them away so as not to ruin her makeup. She lowered her head, and he fastened the cross around her neck. When she looked in the mirror, she touched the emblem and said, “Now everything’s perfect. Thank you.”
Not one for large emotional displays, he patted her hand and checked his wristwatch. “It’s almost five. You look beautiful. You’re going to have a wonderful evening.”
After he left her alone, she stopped to hug her sister and thank her for her help. “I’d never look this good without you. I really appreciate your help today. Do you want me to wake you up and tell you all about my date when I get home?”
Her eyes widened. “Would you, please? You know Daddy won’t let me date until next year.”
“I will, I promise.” She crossed her heart even if the promise meant sharing her sadness about Charles leaving in three days.
As she stood in her sister’s bedroom doorway, she saw Charles’s car come to a slow roll and turn into their short driveway. “He’s here. I gotta go.”
***
CHARLES HELD HIS BREATH as he approached Emily’s home, stressed about his plan. Dressed in his best suit, he left the remaining details of his surprise to his parents. While everything seemed to be coming together on his end, the most important thing was to show the love of his life a great time tonight.
And showing her a good time might be difficult.
She worried most about things she couldn’t control, and she most definitely could not control either the U.S. Army or the Axis powers. They would talk seriously tonight, like the adults they’d become, and he wanted to give her the right answers, say the things she needed to hear, even though he might not be able be honest at the same time.
Her front door swung open as he raised his fist to knock. Emily stood in the doorway, the very picture of grace and sophistication in the green dress from the shop window. She took his breath away on a regular day, and she’d outdone herself tonight. She smiled at the affect she had on him.
“Hello, handsome,” she greeted him with a wink and a smile.
He whistled under his breath. “You look amazing, Emily, I mean it. The color really suits you.”
She blushed, then stepped outside and took his arm. Glancing up at the sky, she murmured, “Looks like more snow tonight.”
“If we’re lucky,” he answered. She looked at him like he’d lost his mind and he couldn’t tell her snow would be the perfect backdrop for the surprise he’d planned. “I know you think a layer of snow makes everything prettier.”
“I do,” she agreed, while he opened the car door for her, and she climbed inside. “A layer of snow also makes the roads hard to manage.”
When he slid into the driver’s side and started the engine, he said, “I think we’ll be fine. I put new tires on not three months ago, and the temperature won’t drop until we’re almost back.”
“Good. I’m glad you like the dress. I like your tie.” She reached out and smoothed the silk. “Is this new?”
He nodded as they headed out of town toward Boone. “I thought I should complement your green, holiday colors and all. Glad you like it.”
They made small talk during the drive, a strained give and take, ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room. Charles didn’t want to discuss anything important when he couldn’t look into her eyes.
Luckily, traffic didn’t slow them down and they were on time for their reservation, which almost never happened. Of course, they didn’t go places requiring reservations very often, either.
Charles chuckled as they took their seats. When he returned from service, they’d do a lot more of the things they loved. For now, they only had tonight.
“What looks good tonight?” Emily asked, knowing what he usually ordered.
After a quick scan of the menu, he decided to stick with steak, trying the filet. When she chided him with a look over the price, he said, “We’re celebrating tonight.”
Nodding, Emily closed her menu with a sly grin. “I’ll have my usual, and if we’re celebrating, I’ll have the chocolate mousse for dessert.”
Once they’d ordered, Charles grew serious, and took Emily’s hand across the table. When her eyes met his, he saw her sadness and resignation, even though she tried to hide her feelings.
“I’m sorry, Em. This is all terrible timing. I’m of two minds about this war. On one hand, I’m young and able-bodied, which means I have a duty to serve. On the other hand, I’d rather not ever leave your side, especially knowing what could happen.”
She blinked a rush of tears away. “I’ll be strong, Charles. Don’t worry about my loyalty to you. You’re the only man for me and I don’t want you to think I could ever let you go. No other man is going to catch my eye.”
The thought never crossed his mind. He squeezed her hand. “I’m certain of you, always. I hope you’re as certain of me, too.”
“Of course, I am,” she answered. “I have been since fifth grade, if you want the truth.”
She always could make him smile. “I always want the truth from you. I count on you for the truth, more now than ever. The uncertainty of everything is going to be our biggest obstacle. Our faith in one another and God will be tested every day.”
Another nod, and she couldn’t stop the tears this time. Thankfully, their dinner arrived just in time to provide some much-needed breathing room, and they paused the conversation to begin dinner.
“This is delicious,” Charles commented as he shared a piece of perfectly cooked steak with his bride-to-be. “What do you think?”
“It is,” she agreed. “Maybe I should have ordered one, too. Do you remember when I tried to cook some steaks at your house on the Fourth of July?”
“You cooked those a few years ago.” He chuckled, recalling how she’d burned the outside. “You’d do much better now, you’ve become a great cook.”
“I’ve had to, with Mom gone. Maybe I’ll take some lessons while you’re away. I want to be able to cook like this when you get home. Help me pass the time, too.”
“Good idea. Emily, I don’t want you to sit, and wilt, and be sad and upset all the time. You’re a strong woman, which is one of the reasons I love you so damn much. Promise me you’ll go and do the things you want to do. If you want to cook, do it. If you fancy going to college, go. Whatever you want, promise me you won’t put your life on hold.”
She swallowed, and he felt hopeful when he saw her mind racing with possibilities. Then she blinked and said, “I don’t want to do all those things alone, Charles.”
He smiled, his heart breaking. “Then don’t do all of them, do some of them. Save some adventures for when I get back and do what you have the strength for while I’m gone.”
Emily nodded, her voice shaking as she asked the next question. “What if you get hurt? What if you don’t come home the same?”
“And what if I don’t come home at all?” he finished for her. “Those things are possible, it’s true. Nothing has happened yet, and Lord willing, I’ll come home in one piece and love you even more because we’ve been apart so long.”
“Don’t try to make this sound romantic, Charles.”
“I’m not. I want us to stay out of the pitfalls. You know I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t go. If we’re not on the same page when I leave, I don’t know how I’ll bear it. And if by some chance, I don’t come back, don’t stop living. Live for me, no matter what.”
Sniffling, she laced her fingers through his. “I’m a realist, as you know. Your love for me is very real, tangible, as is your love of country. I understand why you must go, and I swear I’ll do my best here to support you and your decision. Your family is already like family to me. We’ll pull together and get through the war and pray every day for this to end and you to come home. And, if you don’t, we will pull together then, too.”
What more could he ask? Some of his friends wouldn’t have this kind of support following their decision to join up. “I don’t take any of this for granted, Emily, you have my word. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, and I know I’m lucky backward and forward.”
“I’m the lucky one.” She sat up and Charles would never forget how beautiful she looked in the glow of candlelight. “We’ll figure our way through this time in our lives, just like we’ve made our way over or around every other obstacle. Together, we can do anything.”
***
EMILY PUSHED HER CHAIR back from the table and took a last look around the restaurant. Golden candlelight warmed the room, softening the hard edges of their reality. They’d held hands across the brocade tablecloth, laughing about their nervous first date as freshmen in high school, and how he’d asked her to marry him by attaching the proposal to her fishing line.
She hated more than anything for their special evening to end. Charles never looked more handsome, in his grey flannel suit and red tie, and she felt like royalty in her new dress. She didn’t know any other occasion to which she’d ever wear the garment. She might well put everything on when she felt lonely and wanted to remember this night.
For a few sweet hours, they’d pushed away the rumblings of war and pretend kamikaze bombers hadn’t come between them. They focused on each other alone, recalling the good and holding back the ugly possibilities.
“You look stunning tonight,” Charles whispered against her ear as they walked to his car, bundled against a rising wind and fat white snowflakes. “I’m happy you bought the dress. You sparkle.”
“Thank you.” She felt exquisite, cherished, not only because of the dress. While she’d spied the dress in the store window right before Thanksgiving, she couldn’t justify buying the garment with no occasion at hand. “I just hate spending your money on something this frivolous.”
Laughing, he ushered her into his car, shut her door, and then slid behind the wheel. “It was worth every penny to see you look like a Hollywood starlet. Our night’s not over yet, either. I have a surprise for you, Emily.”
“Something more?” Her spirits lifted. This wonderful evening gifted her with more than enough memories to carry her through his enlistment. He’d moved heaven and earth to get them into the fanciest restaurant between Bryeton and Asheville and bought her this gorgeous dress. Any second, he’d run out of money. “What now?”
His blue eyes glowed with anticipation, and she felt something big on the horizon. “Do you trust me?”
Her heart fluttered on butterfly wings. “With my life.”
“Then put this on.” He handed her a blue bandana, the kind he wore around his neck while riding the tractor in his father’s fields.
She studied the kerchief, not sure what he wanted her to do.
“Over your eyes, Emily.” He chuckled. “I’m taking you someplace special, and I don’t want you to know where we’re going until we get there.” He lifted the kerchief and covered her eyes, blocking her field of vision from her eyebrows to her cheekbones. “Trust me.”
Emily’s body hummed with excitement as she questioned him about his secret destination. “How far is it? Are we meeting anyone else?”
Charles laughed and switched on the radio, then laid his hand on her knee. They rarely drove anywhere together when he didn’t rest his hand comfortably across her leg.
When the roads became rougher and gravel pinged off the undercarriage of his prized Ford, she figured they’d turned off the state route. She didn’t know how much time had passed and they might be halfway back to town by now. Aside from the price of the dress and dinner, driving around used precious fuel and she didn’t want them to get stranded.
“Tell me where we’re going,” she pleaded. “Have we been to this place before?”
“Yep,” he answered, the snappy Bugle Boy tribute of the Andrews Sisters filling the car. “Once or twice.”
“Are we almost there?” She giggled like a child on the night before Christmas. “Are we?”
“Trust me, Emily.” The tone of his deep voice dipped even lower in laughter. “Tell me you trust me. I need to hear you say the words.”
Her heart turned over. He hardly ever asked for anything, and this request she filled with ease. “I trust you forever, Charles Colvert.”
“Good.” He sighed and turned off the gravel road onto what felt like an uneven dirt road. The car bounced off ice-filled craters and shallow ruts. She lost track of how long they’d been on the road long before too long.
Charles slowed and drove a good distance through the crunch of ice before reassuring her, “We’re almost there, I promise.”
“All right.” She reached out and clung to his arm, as he needed both hands to maneuver the automobile.
Finally, he brought the steel carriage to a halt and turned off the engine. The radio died and silence blanketed the interior of the car until he honked the horn in three short blasts.
“What on earth?” Emily jumped in her seat, then reached up to remove the blindfold.
“Not yet.” Charles stopped her with a gentle touch on the wrist. “Let me help you out of the car.”
Her gloved hands fidgeted in her lap while Charles came around and opened her car door.
Taking her by the hand, he helped her from the sedan, then put his arm around her and kicked the door shut with a thud.
This game had gone on long enough and her nerves could stand not one moment more. “Can I look now?”
He turned her in a half-circle, then positioned himself behind her and held her around the waist, buffering her from the wind. “Yes, ma’am. You can look now.”
The excitement in his voice made her hesitate. If only they could stay this way forever, in a constant state of anticipation.
But they couldn’t.
Hands trembling, she reached up, pulled down the bandana, and gasped at the sight before her in the cold Carolina night sky.
The Antioch Chapel glowed against the deep velvet sky, lit with warm amber light from the inside out. Twinkling yellow lights blazed against the night, outlining the clapboard structure from cornerstone to steeple.
The little country chapel looked like a glittering jewel.
“What’s going on, Charles?” Festive piano music emanated from behind the walls, Christmas carols, and every now and then a shadow passed by a window.
Emily’s heart thumped against her ribcage as she drank in the scene. Had he planned a Christmas party to try and make up for missing the holidays this year? “What have you done, Charles? What is this?”
Charles hugged her tightly and planted a kiss on her cool cheek, then gave her a gentle push in the direction of the cozy building. “Let’s go inside. Everyone is waiting for us.”
A whirlwind of possibilities swept Emily forward, heels clicking and sliding against the gravel path covered with pristine snowfall. Her mind whirred with a thousand possibilities, the top choice of which was a going-away party.
She didn’t know if she could live through an event to say good-bye, no matter how well-intentioned.
She hitched a deep breath as Charles helped her up the steps of the whitewashed building and opened the heavy door on the right. The music, O Holy Night, continued with piano and vocals, and once inside, he took her coat. No words were exchanged between them, and she grinned at the sparkle of mischief in his eye as she tried to steady herself.
“Are you ready?” He took a moment to remove the bandana from around her neck, out of place with the nice dress, and straightened his crimson tie. “You look like you’re ready. You look beautiful.”
Her brow furrowed. Whatever should she be ready for? Had he organized some sort of party? Something to substitute for Christmas and New Year’s and the Fourth of July all in one night? None of their friends were inside, only family as far as she could tell.
“I-I suppose I’m ready,” she stammered.
He kissed her forehead, took her hand, and opened the sanctuary door. The intimate gathering inside fell silent upon their arrival, the music fading as they entered.
When Emily’s vision adjusted to the candlelight, her jaw dropped. “What on earth?”
Her father and his sister sat side by side at the piano, while Susan stood off to the right, looking ready to sing her heart out. Emily’s best friend waved from the front of the aisle, a bouquet of red and white carnations in one hand, while their retired minister, Louis Luddington, smiled a warm welcome beside her.
Overcome, Emily clung to Charles like a frightened child. This looked like...it couldn’t be. Could it? She leaned close and whispered, “What is all this?”
As she looked into his eyes, she found her answer, certain and true. He squeezed her hand. “Did you really think I’d leave here without making you my wife?”
As breath caught in her chest, she managed, “Your wife?”
“Emily,” he chuckled, gesturing to the people waiting. “Everyone is here to see us exchange vows and become man and wife. This is our wedding. If you’ll have me, of course.”
Everything came clear in an instant, from the dress to the dinner to the blindfold. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she covered her mouth with both hands, then exclaimed, “Oh, my Lord! Of course, I’ll have you!”
She wrapped his arms around him, and he swung her into the air. “You’ve made me the happiest man on earth, Emily. How about we don’t wait a minute longer?”
No, not one moment more. How had he managed all this in only a few days?
“Everyone is in on your surprise?” she asked, a hard blush warming her face. “Everyone?”
He nodded. “Some more than others.”
“I’ll bet,” Emily joked. “When do we begin?”
“Right now.”
Charles left her side and walked to the front of the sanctuary to stand with Reverend Luddington, while her father made his way to the back of the space and took his proper place at her side, his smile beaming with pleasure.
“Your mother would be proud.” Eyes glittering, he held Emily close, then settled her arm through his. Emily rested her head against his shoulder, glad to be holding on to her anchor as emotions overwhelmed her.
Charles had crafted this entire day, he would not leave without committing to her for life, and her family had grown exponentially to include his parents and brother.
After a moment, her father nodded to his sister, who sat ready at the piano.
The bold notes of the wedding march took flight, and Emily’s heart soared with the music as she walked forward to meet the love of her life at the altar.
***
AS EMILY WALKED TOWARD him, Charles couldn’t possibly be prouder. Of her, of his family, of this thing they’d done together and how happy she seemed.
No, this wasn’t a traditional ceremony a white dress and a big crowd. Instead, these were extraordinary times, and as he caught the twinkle of lights in his vision, this memory would be seared in his heart until the end of time.
The reverend cleared his throat and began, “Welcome, friends and family, witnesses to the glad union between Charles Gray Colvert and Emily Anne McGee. Who gives this woman to be wed?”
Mr. McGee looked at Charles and nodded. “Her mother, her sister and I.”
Emotion lodged in his throat at such a meaningful endorsement. He smiled his gratitude as Emily reached out to take his arm.
Reverend Luddington continued, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Those gathered bowed their heads for a blessing, and, when the ‘Amen’ sounded, Charles turned to look at Emily as the vows began.
“Charles, do you take Emily to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, ‘til death you do part?”
He did not hesitate. “I do.”
When the vow was repeated for Emily, she responded, “I do.”
“Do you have rings to exchange?”
Emily laughed. “I don’t know!”
“We do,” Charles nodded toward his brother and Emily’s sister. The pair stepped forward and handed the simple wedding bands to their sibling.
“Go ahead and place the ring on the appropriate finger, then repeat after me, together.” He paused while they slipped the bands on the other’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Looking into Emily’s sapphire blue eyes, he spoke as one with her. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Then by the power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I am pleased to pronounce you ‘man and wife’. You may kiss your bride.”
Charles grinned as their families applauded, then leaned in and kissed Emily. The sweetest kiss they ever shared, their first as a married couple. He couldn’t fit all she meant to him into only one kiss, and he kissed her a second time for good measure.
Emily caught him by surprise and threw her arms around his neck, whispering into his ear, “You’ve made me the happiest woman on earth.”
Squeezing her tight, he picked her up, swinging her in a wide arc before sitting her back on her feet. When they turned to face those gathered, he knew he’d never be able to repay their kindness in making all this happen.
Which made him more resolute to make his way through the war and return to such a wonderful family. He would not disappoint them, especially not Emily.
***
“HOW ON EARTH DID YOU pull all this off?” Emily asked once the hugs had receded, and they had a moment to themselves. Her heart hadn’t stopped drumming since she realized what he’d done. “I had no idea!”
He shrugged, like concocting the plan had been simple. “I had a little help.”
“Did my father know?” she asked, then answered her own question. “Of course, he’s here. And Susan? Did Susan know? What a little sneak.”
Charles laughed. “I don’t think she knew until after I picked you up for dinner. Your dad said she couldn’t keep a secret.”
“She can’t.”
“And he said you were like Sherlock Holmes.” He sat on one of the pews and pulled her onto his lap. “Everyone helped. Everyone understood. We should be married before I left. I couldn’t leave with anything unfinished between us. Now, if you still want to have something when I get back, we can.”
She cut him off with a kiss, deep and full of meaning. “I do not. This is our wedding. Everyone we love is here and I don’t need anything else to make me your wife.”
“Good, because I don’t have anything else,” he joked. He lifted her left hand and admired the pair of rings she wore on her finger. “Looks perfect.”
“I can’t believe you. What did my father say?”
“No one argued with me, let’s just leave things there. We’ve been friends forever and together for almost six years. This war won’t keep us apart, we won’t let it.”
She promised, “Nothing is going to come between us.”
Usually careful with her words and promises, she didn’t restrict her hopes and dreams when she thought of her and Charles and their future. The war would end, his service would end, and he would return to her whole.
And if by some stroke of fate he did not, they would cope with the surprises life brought their way with humor, love, and strength. Nothing less would do. By the grace of God, they would be together if He allowed, and she would find something good and pure in each and every day they were given.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, kissing her cheek. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Probably,” she admitted. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about the coconut cake in the back of the room they want us to cut, and how I probably shouldn’t have let you have the chocolate mousse after all.”
“Charles Colvert!” She elbowed him in the ribs, then glanced at the back of the chapel to see he was right. “You thought of absolutely everything.”
“Nothing’s too good for you, Emily,” he said, the gravel in his voice catching her attention. “I’m still in love with you, have been since elementary school. I’ll give you everything I am, you have my solemn promise.”
Placing her hands on his cheeks, she kissed him, soft and sweet, a memento of all the kisses to come. “My promise to you is the same, across all space and time. Now, let’s go cut the cake.”
With joined hands, they began their life together with the simple cutting of a homemade wedding cake. Their joined hands represented their joined hearts and lives, no matter the miles between them.
Come hell or high water, their lives would be joined together. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Most importantly, in peacetime or wartime, their love would endure until death parted one from the other.