Chapter 13

On the seventh of June, there was a field trip for everyone in Milleson House. The women made up a picnic lunch and took it to the train station to support Donna as she anxiously waited for the train that was bringing her only son back home to her.

Mavis had a moment of déjà vu as she saw the smoke from the locomotive on the horizon, though she couldn't hear the zinging of the tracks this time due to the large crowd on hand. Most of the town was there, because this train would have a lot of soldiers on it. There were no less than thirty-two men who fought in the war, and came from Hampstead, Nebraska.

Rachel was even there, embarrassed as she was about the now noticeable swell of her belly, that had announced to the town that she had been indiscrete. Some people thought that perhaps her rapist got much farther with her than she had admitted. Others thought not, and that one of the married men had dallied with her, though there was no evidence of that. While there were no known suspects, an awful lot of women kept an eye on their husbands that day, watching to see if there was anything that looked like guilty communication between the harlot and their man. Her welcome, and the warm thoughts of most of the townspeople toward her after the attack, suffered greatly when it became known she was with child.

But Meg and Sally had insisted that she come, and they protected her from the snorts of the women by simply proclaiming that they were jealous. Rachel hadn't admitted anything to anyone at all, but knowing that Bobby went to her house twice a week, and knowing Bobby, they had their suspicions.

Finally the train came into view, far down the tracks. The five piece band, made up of a battered tuba, a bugle, a drummer, a clarinet and a fiddle, struck up a cacophony that was energetic, if not in tune, playing "Over There" to the best of their ability. They were playing it for the fifth time when the train groaned to a hissing halt and the doors opened.

There was a hush of the crowd, and men, blinking in the bright sunlight, began stepping out of the coaches.

Bedlam ensued.

Two hundred and thirteen mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and other relatives, as well as neighbors, roared their approval, drowning out the poor band, which finally gave up because they couldn't hear themselves playing. There was a surge and the men were surrounded, beaten half to death by well meaning slaps on the back and hugs that crushed them. Men were hugged and kissed by women they didn't know, or weren't related to. All the hoarded excitement of VE day was brought back and burst from those people, saturating the soldiers.

Donna, who had seen a man she thought might be Wally, struggled through the crowd, using her elbows like they were weapons, until she stood facing a tall, thin man, now almost twenty-two years old, who looked enough like her seventeen year old little boy that she was sure it was him, but who was a stranger as well.

"Wally?" she said, her voice high and strained.

"Hi Mama," he said with a toothy grin.

Then he couldn't move because he had his mother wrapped around him like a boa constrictor. When she was finally pried off of him there was a stain where her tears had wet the shoulder of his uniform. Then he got hugs from women he had known existed, but had never actually paid any attention to, as Meg, Prudence, Sally and Mavis all took their turns with more gentle and polite hugs, but smiles just as big as his. Donna babbled, trying to introduce them all. Rachel stayed back with the children, who, at the uproar, had huddled around her instinctively, looking around in wonder and not a little fear.

Things calmed down a little bit and Wally looked around, spotting the two men he loved more than any other in the world, possibly more than even his own father's memory. They were both standing awkwardly, talking to complete strangers nearby. He waved at them and they shuffled toward him, nodding and thanking the people who had welcomed them, even though they'd never been in this town in their lives.

"Ma" said Wally, as the two men arrived in the little group. "This is Ralph Carter" he gripped the arm of the taller man, who had very dark hair and a scar across one cheek, "And this poor excuse for a human being is Jimmy Franklin." Jimmy was shorter than both Ralph and Wally, appeared older and had blond hair. "Ralph here saved my life when we went ashore on Omaha beach in France. All three of us have been together ever since."

Donna looked at Ralph, who was obviously embarrassed to be the center of attention. She moved to him, took his face in her hands and, oblivious of the fact that he was almost the same age as her son, kissed him firmly on the lips. When she pulled back, he had a dazed look on his face, and licked his lips.

"Thank you," said Donna with great dignity.

Ralph swallowed visibly. "Ma'am" he drawled with a southern accent. "You are most certainly welcome."

Then it was off to the picnic. When Donna apologized for all the children being dragged along both Ralph and the soft spoken Jimmy said that it was one of the nicest things that had happened to them since they got back.

The women of Milleson House had no designs on the soldiers. They were there just as a show of support for the returning heroes and for Donna's sake. They tended the children, feeding them and tried to keep them out of Donna's hair so she could talk to her son and his friends.

The men, however, were quite interested in those women. They had been gone for almost four years and the women they had seen, as Jimmy would later describe them, were "beaten down, starved, and would do anything in the world for a bar of chocolate." The men had felt sorry for them, but in most cases the women didn't speak English either, and just didn't appeal to them in a blatantly sexual way. Besides that, the unit they were in was on the move constantly as the battles progressed and Germany was penetrated.

Now, though, on a warm June afternoon, back in America, the vibrancy of these healthy, good looking women electrified all three lonesome soldiers. It was easy for Donna to see as she plied them with questions.

The first thing she learned was that after their 30 day leave, which everyone in the whole company had been compelled to take, they would ship out to the Pacific Theater of Operations. They boasted that they would do in Japan what they had done in Germany. Donna was shocked by the seriousness they showed when they talked about that. During those moments they were grim men, despite their youthful appearance.

Ralph was only a year older than Wally and from Texas. He had been notified that his parents had died of tuberculosis while he was overseas. His sister and her husband were holding down the fort in Brownsville and he wanted to get home for a few days before they got shipped out again if he could figure out a way to get there.

Jimmy was twenty three and an orphan. When Donna heard that her eyes got round and she excitedly explained about Milleson House. She pointed out Bobby as their oldest and newest charge and described how he had showed up. Without another word Jimmy got up and went to talk to Bobby, even before Donna could explain that Bobby couldn't talk.

Meg and Bobby were feeding children sandwiches and cole slaw when Meg saw the shortest of the three men who had gotten off the train together walking towards her. His eyes were on Bobby, and she wondered what was happening. When he arrived he stood, casting his shadow on Bobby, who looked up, his head turned.

"Miz Pratt says you ain't got parents," he said abruptly. Then he smiled, his teeth white against his face. "Me neither. Joined the Army when I turned seventeen just to get out of the place they had me in." He stuck out his hand.

Bobby almost spoke. He took in the breath, and his unused vocal chords vibrated as he tried to introduce himself. He clamped it off in a panic, and all that came out was a guttural rasp. His hand, which had been rising to meet Jimmy's faltered and fell back in his lap as he darted a glance at Meg to see what she would do at the sound he had made.

Meg looked up. "Bobby can't talk. There's something wrong, and we don't know what it is," she said.

Jimmy looked startled, and sat down. "'S Okay" he said, holding out his hand again. "We're still brothers, you 'n me, far's I'm concerned."

Bobby grinned and shook the offered hand vigorously.

"Bobby's doing fine," said Meg, smiling at him. "He's even employed. He carves wood. He's doing very well indeed. We try to take good care of him." She pinked up just a little at that last statement as she thought about just how they took such good care of him.

Jimmy scratched his head. "I imagine I'd be doing just fine too if I had a bunch of beautiful women taking care of me." He grinned to show he had no salacious thoughts. He was pretty good at covering for the fact that his thoughts were all salacious at that point in the conversation. Meg was a good looking woman, with fine thrusting breasts, and no ring on her hand to show she was taken. She was, perhaps, an inch taller than Jimmy, but that didn't matter to him in the least. "I never would have tried to run away if there had been ladies like you around," he added.

Meg responded the way any other woman would have responded in that situation. She was pleased. But, like any other woman, she didn't want to appear pleased. Not blatantly anyway.

"Why mister ... why I don't even know your name!" she said, with a little giggle.

"Jimmy Franklin, ma'am, at your service," he said, extending his hand to her too. He looked over at Bobby. "You ain't claimed her yet have you?" he joked. "Wouldn't want to horn in on a brother."

Bobby blinked. While he was adept at some adult actions, at least in the bedroom and with tools in his hands, he had no social basis on which to draw in this situation. Had he had time to think about things, he might have figured it out, but Meg's outburst shattered his concentration.

"Why Mister Franklin, you are embarrassing me! I don't believe I've met such a forward man in my entire life!"

Her response was based on mixed emotions. Her first thought was to protect Bobby. She was quite sure that no one outside Milleson House would understand or appreciate her relationship with him. By now she knew she was pregnant as well ... had lost the flat plane that used to be her abdomen in fact. When she was dressed that slight bulge wasn't noticeable yet, and she'd let out her dresses to camouflage that rounded belly, trying to delay the inevitable scorn that would be sent her way as soon as the townspeople knew her condition. At the same time she was flattered at attention from a grown man, and she wasn't prepared to deal with that eventuality. She hadn't spent much time thinking about normal relationships, because they had seemed so far away. She can't be blamed for the fact that the men, like Jimmy, who would normally have pursued her, were all off at war. What complicated things was her urge to dismiss him forthwith, avoiding the inevitable disgust he'd reveal when he found out she was with child ... while at the same time craving his attention.

Jimmy looked back at her with a very frank ... and very adult appraisal. "Ma'am, it would hurt me to my very bones to cause you pain. I shall withdraw if that would ease your concern."

His sudden change to dignified ... and surprisingly educated speech, threw Meg another curve ball. It so startled her that, instead of accepting his offer to withdraw, she blurted: "You needn't withdraw, sir ... merely behave." It came out as a mild admonishment, rather than the dismissal she knew was for the best.

Jimmy, unable to behave on the instant, grinned and said "I'll behave if it will let me stay near to you, that's for sure." Then he blinked. "I don't imagine it would be too forward to ask your name ... would it?"

Now Meg blushed again. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Meg. Meg Johnson. Happy to meet you mister Franklin," she said.

"I'd be tickled if you'd just call me Jimmy," he said. Then, throwing her yet another loop, he turned back to Bobby. "So, iff'n you can't talk, how the heck do you get by?"

Bobby whipped out a sheet of paper from his pocket, along with his pencil stub, and scribbled quickly. Meg heard squabbling and saw that Patrick and Jerry were arguing over the last sandwich. She went to resolve the matter. When she looked back, Jimmy and Bobby had their heads together, and Bobby was writing more.

When Donna saw where Jimmy had gone, even though she couldn't hear the conversation, she saw him stick out his hand and eventually get it shaken. She turned back to her son and his remaining friend.

"Well, with Meg right there I doubt we'll be seeing much of him for a while," she said, half joking.

Wally laughed. "I remember her, but not like that."

Donna turned to Ralph. "And what about you? A handsome man like yourself must have a girl somewhere, right?"

Ralph looked morose. "There was a girl back home, but she got married while I was gone." His eyes drifted to Prudence, who was playing catch with Terrence.

Donna saw where he was looking and her lips thinned. "I don't think she's the one for you," she said. "Her husband was over there with you boys and he dumped her for some French tart. He even sent her divorce papers. I don't imagine she's got much patience with soldiers right now."

"Man must be off his feed to abandon a woman like that," said Ralph, half under his breath. Like other men, he let his eyes drift across Sally, but not light on her.

Donna nodded. She wanted to talk to Wally some more, so she tossed off something to get off the subject. "Well, I'm sure there will be a dance in honor of your return. You could ask her to it, but don't be surprised if she throws something at you." Then she turned back to her son and began peppering him with questions about where he'd been, and what he'd seen, and how he was and so on.

Unnoticed by either his best friend, or his best friend's mother, Ralph stood up to take a walk. His walk took him vaguely in the direction of one Mrs. Prudence Watson, soon to be divorced.

The object of Ralph's interest missed a wild throw of the balled up sock that the children often played catch with. It had been made heavier by rolling three more socks up inside and then folding the outside sock down, twisting it and folding it over the lump again. What resulted was between the size of a hardball and softball, and if it hit you it didn't hurt. She twisted, reaching as the "ball" sailed over her head and to the left, and saw the sock caught by one of the soldiers who was with Donna's son. She saw it was the tall one, with the scar on his cheek. He held the sock out to her.

"Thank you," she said, somewhat stiffly. What she saw most was his uniform ... the same uniform her husband had been wearing when he left her. "Ma'am?" came the man's deep voice ... much deeper than George's voice. She looked up again. "I just wanted to say how sorry I am about how things turned out for you."

"What?" asked Prudence, astonished.

"Wally's mom explained what happened with your husband and all, and I just wanted you to know that not all of us behaved like that over there."

Prudence was horrified that this strange man knew about her ... situation. The first thing she thought of was the fistfuls of hair she was going to pull out of Donna's head the first chance she got. She was so mad she sputtered, unable to say anything.

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