“I know the look well,” I offer in response. “How is Mr. Evans doing?” I used to refer to him by his ranking, but our families are closer than military neighbors. We’re more like family and embrace that feeling.
“I assume much like your dad. He’s quiet, angry, restless, and the thoughts spinning in his head are endless.”
“Same here, my dad has been pulling some long days and I don’t believe he has slept much at all this week.”
“Are the twins okay?” Mrs. Evans asks.
“Yes, they’ve been in and out but also working more hours too.”
“You know you are more than welcome to come stay with us while no one is home, right? We have discussed this in the past and you do not need an invitation to walk through our doors, and that goes for any time of day or night.”
“I appreciate the offer, Mrs. Evans. Maybe I can make something to bring over for supper one night this week.”
Mrs. Evans shoos her white-gloved hand in my direction. “Nonsense, Elizabeth, don’t be silly. You can be our guest. You don’t need to bring anything.”
Audrey is staring at me as if she has a burning question. “Is everything okay?” I ask her.
“Mom, could you give us just a moment?” Audrey asks Mrs. Evans.
Mrs. Evans peers between Audrey and me, then adjusts the tilt of her gray pillbox hat that matches her skirt. She appears suspicious of what we would need to speak about in private, as am I. “Of course.” Mrs. Evans tilts her head to the right, peering around us, down the sidewalk. “As a matter of fact, I need to run into the pharmacy at the corner. I’ll be just a few minutes. I look forward to seeing you one night this week, dear,” she says before walking off toward the corner.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Evans,” I call out with a wave.
“What is in your hand?” Audrey asks, grabbing my wrist to flip over.
“Nothing,” I say, tugging away from her hold.
“Open your hand, Lizzie.” Audrey isn’t shy about prying my fingers open from my tight grip, exposing the Red Cross button the nurse handed me in exchange for my paperwork. “Did you donate more blood this morning?”
I stare my friend squarely in the eyes. “No, I did not donate more blood this morning.”
Audrey shakes her head with dismay as a fleeting look of pain burns through her eyes. “You didn’t …”
“It’s what is best for me and I feel it’s my purpose in life.”
Audrey releases my hand and gently pinches her fingers around the star dangling from my necklace. “They will kill you over there if you deploy. Why would you do this? You know what is happening in Europe, Elizabeth. You are a smart woman, so why would you be so reckless at a time like this?”
I can’t say her words don’t hurt me, but I understand her concern for my well-being.
“Audrey, I don’t have a say on being a Jewish woman, and the men who died without a chance to fight, here, in our country, didn’t have a choice either. It doesn’t matter who we are, where we are, or what we are doing. Our lives seem to have a plan, one we may not be aware of yet. Can’t you see?”
“No, I can’t see. We’re lucky to be alive after what has happened this past week. Have you not seen enough? I know I have.”
Her question isn’t fair because I’ve seen more than I could have ever imagined witnessing, and I certainly don’t wish for more of what we experienced, but all the men standing in a line across the street will depend on us just as we are counting on them.
“These young men are going to need us, Audrey. And if we aren’t there, they could die in vain while fighting for the freedom we hold so dearly. I can’t sit back and simply hope for the best.”
Audrey crosses her arms over her chest and purses her lips with a glimpse of disappointment “This is a foolish decision, Elizabeth. It’s just plain foolish. You don’t know that you won’t be whisked away to one of those horrid camps in Germany if someone finds out you are Jewish.”
“You mean, like what they are doing to some innocent Japanese civilians here?” I respond in a lower voice.
“Elizabeth, you know that is a different situation.”
“No, it’s not. We’re afraid of them because of their race, but there is no reason to be fearful of every confined person. It’s not right.”
“You have lost your mind, Elizabeth. You don’t know what you are saying. Maybe your mind got jumbled during those explosions.”
“You can’t be serious.”
