She had to laugh at that. “Iama twin. I’ve just never met any others.”
They both grinned, almost like a mirror with a crack in it. “I’m Eugene. This is Harry. Nice to meet you.”
“Twins are lucky,” Harry said. “We always have our other half to back us up.”
She felt a sharp emptiness where Dot was supposed to be. “You’re right about that,” she said, moving on. “It’s really nice to meet you. Thank you so much.”
She followed their directions to the temporary wharf and found the ticket desk. The spectacled man at the counter scowled as he stamped her ticket for theQueen Mary.
“Traveling alone? This is not a pleasure cruise, young lady.”
“I shouldn’t think so,” she replied. “I’m going to serve my country in the war, sir.”
“Is that right?” His eyes narrowed. “TheQueen Maryhas been reoutfitted mostly for troop transport. No matter why you’re going over there, you will be required to stay in your room as much as possible with the other ladies.” He slipped her ticket under the window and pointed out the print. “There are six women on board. You will be sharing two rooms. These are the room numbers.”
Giving the man an exaggerated thank-you, Dash collected her ticket, left the building, and was instantly enveloped in a fog thicker than she’d believed possible. When it briefly cleared, she stared up in awe. The renowned ship stood like a mountain before her. The first thing she noticed, other than its sheer size, was the anchor hanging from the side of the bow. When she matched it up to the rows of portholes dotting the sides, she calculated the anchor had to be four storeys high. And that was only the part of the ship she could see, not the underwater decks keeping them afloat. She hoped she didn’t get lost in all the space.
Men in uniform dominated the area, many of whom she assumed were lined up to board. It felt overwhelming to be in the middle of the throng, let alone be the subject of dozens of admiring glances. When she spotted a small group of five women about her age standing off to one side, all wearing matching blue capes, Dash rushed over to introduce herself.
“You’ve no idea how pleased I am to meet you,” she said to the others. “I’m Dash.”
A blond woman held out her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m June. Are you with the nurses?”
“I’m afraid not.” She scanned the others. “You’re all nurses? What courage you have. I haven’t the stomach for that. No, I’m going to be a pilot.”
“A pilot!”
She tried to look nonchalant. “Yes, I’ll be with the Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying replacement planes. I’m very excited.”
The women exchanged a startled glance, but June gave her a wide smile. “I should say so! Flying an airplane all on your own? How extraordinary!”
On the first night, Dash tucked into a top bunk, excited to watchtheir departure through the room’s porthole. Unfortunately, she soon learned that all the ship’s portholes had been blacked out for the sake of safety. She understood the reason, but it was disappointing nevertheless. Still, what an adventure this was. None of the women had ever been on the ocean before, and Dash agreed that they weren’t about to miss out on the experience just because they were female. If the six of them snuck out together, she was sure they’d be allowed to watch some of the goings-on.
Escaping the segregation rules was easier than she’d hoped. In the morning they went for breakfast and were assigned to two tables in the corner of the room. From her menu, Dot ordered a simple meal of a soft-boiled egg and toast with a cup of coffee. One of the girls had gotten awfully sick the night before, and Dash wasn’t entirely sure yet how her stomach would fare with the ups and downs of the ship’s movements, so she decided to be safe rather than sorry.
Following the meal, their waiter approached the table and handed Dash an envelope with their room numbers written on it in elegant handwriting.
“Go ahead,” June said, leaning in. “Tell us what it says.”
“It’s from the captain,” Dash gushed. “Oh my goodness. Ladies, I hope you have a nice dress with you, because he just invited us to dinner and a concert tonight. You’ll never guess who is on this ship.”
“Well? Tell us!”
“Mr. Bing Crosby! He’s on board with us! Can you imagine? He’s going overseas to entertain the troops!”
The rest of the day the girls were caught up in anticipation. When the magical hour arrived, a porter came to their rooms to escort them to the captain’s table, where Dash practically vibrated in her seat. If seeing Bing Crosby wasn’t enough, the menu was something out of a dream. Dash chose the rack of lamb with asparagus, boiled new potatoes, and a vanilla ice with butterscotch sauce for dessert. Apparently rations did not apply to theQueen Mary.
“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” she hummed after the meal.
Bing Crosby soon came onto the stage, charming as could be. Almostlike a real person, not a star. In her head, Dash was already composing a letter to Mary and Ginny, describing every little thing about him. In that smooth voice of his, he thanked the captain for giving him the opportunity to acknowledge all the troops in the room in his own small way. Dash held her breath when he nodded to the piano player seated behind him.
“I know we are headed in entirely the opposite direction,” Mr. Crosby said to the audience, “but I thought it might be nice to imagine we’re in the Pacific, instead of shivering over here.”
He began to sing “Blue Hawaii,” and Dash fell in love, just like Mary had said. A couple of the girls sat with their elbows on the table, their faces resting in their hands, blinking with big, sleepy eyes. At one point he sang, “Embraceable You,” and he smiled at the girls the whole time. Dash knew it wasn’t personal, but she had never felt more beautiful in her life. He ended the performance with “Danny Boy,” and Dash pressed her fists against her cheeks, trying not to cry at the pleading melody. From her seat at the side of the room, she could see he held all the sailors and soldiers spellbound as well.
And then, well! Mr. Crosby came to thank the captain in person! Dash practically swooned when he went around the table and shook the girls’ hands.
“This was the most wonderful night of my life,” she told him. She felt silly, but she couldn’t do anything about that.
