Flying Angels(29)

“At twenty-five, you’ll be competing with eighteen-year-olds for a husband,” her mother said, sounding discouraged.

“I’ll just have to find someone who wants an old bag like me.” Alex grinned at her, and clearly wasn’t worried about it.

“Will you give up nursing after the war?” her father asked her.

“I hope not. I doubt it. I don’t know what else I’d do. Somehow flower arranging and ladies’ lunches don’t appeal to me.” He nodded and wasn’t surprised.

“You could spend time with your sister in Greenwich, and help her with the children,” her mother suggested, and Alex didn’t comment. Jumping out of a plane with her parachute on, which had terrified her in evac training, sounded more appealing. She was a nurse, not a nanny.

“Do you know where you’ll be stationed in England?” her father asked her.

   “They haven’t told us yet,” she said vaguely, as she was supposed to, and gave nothing away. “But you can write to me just like you did when I was in San Francisco. It’ll take longer, but I’ll get it eventually.”

“I wish they were sending you back there,” her mother said mournfully. And shortly after, they left the dining room and retired to their rooms.

It was nice to be home, in the luxury of their apartment with all the comforts her parents provided for her, but there was a sense of unreality to it now too, as though all the bad things happening in the world beyond these walls didn’t exist. Alex used her three-day leave to do errands and pick up things she’d need on the trip. She had the feeling that she might not have a chance like this again. She didn’t know how much time off they would get once they were in England, or how close together their missions would be.

It felt odd walking around New York in her olive uniform and khaki blouse. She saw people looking at her, wondering what branch of the service she was in. There were little gold wings on her lapel, with a maroon “N” on them, which identified her as a flight nurse, which most people didn’t recognize.

She had dinner with her parents on the last night and said goodbye to them after dinner. She would be leaving at six the next morning and didn’t want to wake them. She had to report to the troop ship that would take them to England. It was hard to find the words to say goodbye, knowing that there was always the possibility that they might not see each other again. Her parents were acutely aware of it, and Alex tried not to be. On the whole, the three days had gone smoothly, and Charlotte had come to have dinner with them on the last night to say goodbye too. And for once, she was warm when she hugged Alex.

   “I wish you weren’t doing this,” she said in an emotional tone.

“I wish I didn’t have to. Hopefully, the war will end soon.”

“Maybe I should have been nicer to you,” she said, looking guilty. “Then you wouldn’t have run away and joined the circus.”

“I probably would have anyway. And the Army Air Forces needs nurses desperately.”

“Just come home, Allie. I promise I’ll be nicer when you do.” Alex doubted that but appreciated her sister saying it.

“I’ll be back soon, Char. Take care of your babies. Maybe you’ll have a boy next time,” Alex teased her, and Charlotte shook her head.

“Oh no, I’m done. Four girls are enough for me. I’ll be ready to kill myself fifteen years from now with four teenage girls fighting with me.”

“I admit, it’s a frightening thought.” Alex hugged her tight then, and Charlotte left shortly after, with tears running down her cheeks. Her parents hugged Alex again and went to bed. When she went to her room that night, Alex sat smoking quietly by the window and realized that, whatever their failings and no matter how different she was from them, her family loved her to the best of their limited abilities. It was a comforting thought as she prepared to leave them. For once, she was sad to leave, but she wasn’t afraid of what lay ahead. She couldn’t wait to get to England and start flying missions.



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—

   Lizzie had come to similar conclusions in Boston. Her parents were distressed that she was going overseas too, with both her brothers in the Pacific. But whatever their ideas, or their goals for her, and however little they understood the dreams she had, she never doubted that they loved her, and would always be there if she needed them. It was the best she could hope for, and all she needed to take with her.



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—

Louise took the train from Kentucky to North Carolina, and she was grateful to have the time with her parents. Her father canceled his office hours for the day, and spent the time with her, and her mother joined them as soon as she could leave school.

She had always been close to them, and they had always encouraged her to follow her dreams and fight for what she believed in. She tried to live up to what they expected of her, and she set the bar high for herself. What she was doing now was no different. They were proud of her, and they stood tall on the station platform in the segregated section as they watched the train pull away when she left. She hung out the window waving at them, in her uniform. She could see the tears glistening on their cheeks, and she kept waving until she could no longer see them.



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