“Are you hoping they lock you up in Germany because the Germans are afraid of Jews? They won’t stop to wonder if you are a good Jewish person. Just the same as no one is stopping to think that most, if not all, of the Japanese in the camps here are good people. That isn’t the way war works. It’s a life for a life, and your life would be on the line first.”
“We’re women too. I guess we have nothing good going for us, do we?”
“How dare you speak that way?” Audrey and I have had our moments arguing over silly topics, but we have never had a fight that has ended with us making each other feel terrible. We love each other like sisters, but I need her to understand where I’m coming from.
“It’s true, Audrey. I don’t agree with society’s views, and if I’m locked up for being a Jewish woman, then I will be a lesson to the world someday. Whatever the case, I need to make a difference somehow—someway, and that is what I’m going to do.”
Audrey folds her arms over her chest and grits her jaw tightly. “Have you told Everett or your father yet?”
“No, this was my decision, and mine alone to make.”
“You are going to break their hearts, Elizabeth, and we’ve already been through so much.”
There’s nothing more to say. It’s not my intention to cause anyone I love pain, but I can’t allow anyone to stand in my way of what I must do. “I appreciate your honesty.”
Audrey lunges forward, wrapping her arms around me, holding me tightly. “I’m so angry at you, Elizabeth Salzberg, but I love you. Don’t forget that.”
“I love you too. We’re going to be okay. We’re going to be better than okay.”
My promising statement is full of meaningless words. Nothing is truly okay, and there are no guarantees on how anyone’s future will turn out with what we are facing.
26
December 1941
If there isone way to everyone’s heart in this house, it’s meatloaf. Personally, I could go a year without seeing another chopped, formed, brick-shaped glob of beef, but this meal isn’t for me, per se. Plus, the meat alone will be a surprise since the commissary has been low on goods due to panic rationing. Meat hasn’t been in stock since Wednesday, but I had this package of hamburger sitting in the freezer box so I can save my worry about food for another night.
Dad told James and Lewis to be home by a decent hour for supper tonight because he’s concerned the three of them are going to burn out at this rate. The cleanup at Pearl is never ending. I don’t see how we’ll ever get this base back to the condition it was in. Never mind the battleships. They nearly destroyed all eight, and no one is sure if any are salvageable yet. It’s all hands-on deck, but with so many injuries, the burden is heavy on those fortunate enough to have walked away in one piece.
The more I consider their exhaustion, the worse I feel about the news I’m going to be delivering tonight. Not even meatloaf will lessen the impact of my news. I’m not sure how long it takes papers to process through the system or when someone from the Army Nurse Corps will contact me about my application, so I have to get this over with.
With the sun setting at this early hour, headlights are already lighting up the road in front of the house. I must seem like an anxious child, jumping at every sound and sight of a car, waiting for Everett to pull up out front. I asked him to join us for dinner tonight too, but I believe he will be here sooner than the rest of them so I can talk to him privately before they get home. My decision probably won’t be as much of a shock to him as my family, but I’m not naïve to Everett’s feelings on the matter. He supports my endeavors in every way possible, but his fear of what’s occurring in Europe overrides his support for me enlisting. And then there’s also the “us”part of this—love is hard to fight against.
It’s tough going against what everyone else wants, but I’m at a crossroad where I know my feelings must count more than anyone else’s. I haven’t made this decision lightly. I have wanted to join the Army Nurse Corps for a long time, but I might have let go of the dream after receiving two job offers. Now everything has changed, and I’m doing what I believe is right.
After whipping the mashed potatoes with blunt force for a few minutes too long, I pause to catch my breath and spot a set of headlights parked out front. He didn’t pull into the driveway, so it must be Everett. I wipe my hands clean on a dish towel and race to the front door, eager to see the eyes I think about all day.
“What do you have all over you, doll-face?” Everett asks while approaching the storm door.
I glance down at my dress and apron, wondering what he’s looking at. “There is nothing on me, silly. Maybe you are hallucinating after another long day.”
The moment he walks through the door, I smell the fresh scent of soap and the spice of his aftershave. He’s wearing an aquamarine floral-print aloha shirt. The vanity of living in Hawaii suits him well. The bright colors against his bronze tan make him even more appealing than when he’s dressed in all neutral colors. “You don’t think you have anything on you?” he continues, teasing me with a coy smirk.
“How in the world do you have this much energy for horseplay at this hour of the day?”
Everett scoops his arm around my back and pulls my waist in against his. His eyes burn into mine for a long breathless second, but then his free hand reaches for my face and he sweeps his thumb across the width of my left cheek. “Hmm.” He inspects his finger, then dips it into his mouth. “Just as I thought. Mashed potatoes.”
I pull away from his hold and swat at his arm. “Why, I’ve never—”
“Never, what, doll-face? Gotten potatoes on your face? We’ve all been there.”
“All these long hours have stolen the gentleman right out of you, Lieutenant Anderson.”
“Aw, come on, baby, you can’t take a little teasing? That isn’t like you. Is everything all right?” Everett reaches for me once more and pulls me back into his embrace. “Yeah, something isn’t right. I can see it in your eyes. They aren’t twinkling like they normally do. You got yourself in trouble today, didn’t you?” I suppose I can’t say Everett doesn’t notice every single detail about me.
“Am I that obvious?” I question.
Everett’s smile fades and he glides the back of his hand along the side of my face. “What’s wrong, Lizzie?”
