by Linda Ellen
Vic folded his hands respectfully in his lap and nodded, “Yes, sir.”
“Well, Vic, I understand that you served in the Corps before, at a camp in California, is that right?”
“Yes, sir. I served six months at Camp Havilah.”
Connors nodded and opened a file on his desk, which was obviously Vic’s paperwork. “I noticed you enlisted this time for the full two years. I know a few details about you from Doc, but tell me young man, do you have plans, and long-range goals?”
Vic smiled, relaxing a bit at the continued friendly attitude of his superior. “Well, sir…I plan to stay in the corps and save my money for my future…”
The other man grinned and sat back in his chair, meeting Vic’s eyes with his own, which were a cool, light shade of sky blue. “A future that concerns a certain young lady, I presume?”
Vic sent the man a closed-lip smile and a small nod. “If she’ll have me.”
Connors laughed and nodded. “Ah women. Unpredictable creatures aren’t they.”
Vic raised his eyebrows, thinking that was an understatement. “This one sure is, sir.”
The commander nodded again and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, fingertips touching as he observed his newest enlistee. He could tell just from the intelligent glimmer in Vic Matthews’ eyes that he was sharp, and would prove to be a hard worker, and an asset to the camp. His record from his previous hitch included glowing reports on the then eighteen-year-old.
“Well, Vic, I know that you were in the Corps before, but I’ll give you my usual spiel that I dish out to all new enlistees, just in case some of the rules or facts have changed.”
Vic nodded.
“As you know, you’ll be paid $40 per month, $35 of which will be sent to the family member of your choice, which in your case you’ve chosen…” he paused as he consulted the file, “Your brother James Alvin Matthews.”
“That’s right, sir.”
He went on, “In addition to your cash stipend for the five-day workweek, you will receive three full meals a day, lodging, clothes, footwear, inoculations and other medical and dental care, and – at your option, vocational and academic instruction.”
At Vic’s nod of understanding, the Major rocked back in his chair. “As you will remember, the CCC is modeled on the military – minus the guns,” he quipped. “All enlistees wear uniforms, are stationed in military-style barracks, and are supervised by military brass, such as me. You won’t be required to march or drill, but we do stand at attention every evening while the flag is lowered. If you do as you’re told, be where you’re supposed to be, and don’t cause trouble, your hitch will…go off without a hitch,” he snickered at his own pun.
Vic murmured his agreement, thinking that this camp seemed to be a tiny bit less like the military than the one he was at in California, but he liked the feeling of a well-run program. That was what he had enjoyed during the crisis in January – the way Doc had run the rescue station, with military-like precision.
The commander paused for a minute, as if weighing what he was about to say, then continued frankly, “Vic, most of the young men in this camp now are fairly new enlistees, inexperienced at or wholly ignorant of the fundamentals of the tasks they will perform. Just this past June, Congress changed the age limits for the CCC to 17-23 years old, and as a result, we had an influx of young enrollees. The stints of my older, more experienced residents all seemed to come to an end around the same time. My feeling, therefore, is that since you were in before – and from the glowing recommendation I received from Doc concerning your work ethic and overall reliability when the going gets tough, in a very short time I’ll be promoting you to crew manager…and thereby increasing your pay.”
That was great news to Vic, and his dimpled smile revealed his pleasure. “I’ll work hard for you, sir. Just gimme a chance. That’s all I’m askin’. I won’t let ya down.”
With a jovial smile, the commander stood to his full height and leaned to shake Vic’s hand. “That’s good enough for me, son. Come with me and we’ll get you squared away.”
*
Their first stop was the camp physician, who gave him a routine physical. He informed Vic of what he already knew – he was in perfect, robust health, except for being flat-footed. That particular malady had never given him trouble, so he just shrugged good-naturedly and replied, “Okay.”
Soon after, Vic entered the deserted barracks, his arms full of uniforms, boots, bed linens, and other paraphernalia he had been issued, including a canteen.
Making his way to an empty lower cot, its mattress rolled up at the foot, he temporarily deposited his trappings onto the lid of the locker at the end. He made short work of making the bed, and had just finished storing all of his stuff when his barrack-mates came back from their workday. Laughing and shoving one another like the boys they were, each one gathered around him, introducing themselves. Names like Butch, Bobby G., Clarence, Marshall, and Spike were among the monikers.
One young man, Gary, made a derogatory remark about the bunk he had chosen being underneath ‘the darky’s bunk’, but Vic shot him a disapproving look when he realized he meant Floyd. The young enlistee who had made the crack had the grace to look ashamed when Vic replied, “Yeah…so?”
Later after chow, evening chores, and the lowering of the flag, when the camp turned in for the night, Vic suspected that same smart-mouthed enlistee guilty of performing what must have been his ‘initiation’.
Sliding into his freshly made bunk, Vic’s bare foot encountered a cool, smooth wiggling object, and he let out a yell, kicking the covers back and jumping free. The others in the room burst out laughing, pointing and rolling around in their bunks as Floyd leaned over to see what happened.
Nodding, Floyd murmured, “Yep, they done the same tuh me on my first night,” before rolling over and making himself comfortable again.
To a continued chorus of howls of laughter, Vic ran a hand agitatedly back through his hair and watched his temporary bunkmate slither further up the sheets. Recognizing the varmint as a Northern Ringneck snake by its bluish grey body and orange ring around its neck, he knew it wasn’t poisonous. He’d dealt with them before while fishing back home. Reaching out and taking it by the tail, he hurriedly carried the twenty-inch long creature over to the door and out into the nearby woods a few feet away, where he released it back to the wild.
Upon his return, the boys were still laughing at his animated reaction, and he knew this first impression of him would set the precedent. In truth, he had been unnerved by the presence of a snake in his bed, but now he mustered his resolve and glanced around at them all in calm assurance.
“Glad you guys had some fun at my expense tonight. But it’s light’s out and I don’t wanna lose no points my first night in camp.”
With that, he ambled to his bed, wiped his feet on the blanket, and – after a quick glance under the covers – climbed into his bunk to get some shuteye. The others were still cracking jokes about how high the new guy could jump; nevertheless, they silently admitted to a grudging respect for the new member of the crew.
Turning on his side, he stared at the photo of Louise he had wedged into the corner of the headboard of his bunk, which was illuminated by the soft moonlight shining through the window. Something was bothering him…tugging at him…about the girl his heart adored. As if she were in some sort of distress. Frustrated that there was no way for him to know or find out, he thought about praying…something he knew Irene and Doc would recommend. However, even in his mind he felt tongue-tied when it came to talking to God.
Finally, Vic’s eyes drifted shut and he slipped off to sleep, hoping there wouldn’t be any more surprises.
‡
CHAPTER 23
Louise! Don’t do it!
“Sis, are you crazy? I can’t believe you’re gonna do this,” Sonny murmured to Louise as she stood at the sink washing dishes. He’d been trying to reason with her over the course of two days, but for some reason, to his
mind, she was being awfully stubborn.
Louise glanced his way, her resolve weakening a tiny bit even as she once again recited her reasons. “If it’ll help out the family…then it won’t be for nothing, Sonny. T.J.’s father promised to…”
“But what about Vic?” Sonny interrupted, raising his voice a tad. “I thought you loved him…you went through all of that plottin’ and schemin’ this summer just so you could…”
Lilly happened to walk in the room at that moment and heard Sonny’s outburst.
“Vic Matthews is gone. Mr. Blankenbaker made some inquiries,” she informed the siblings, glancing over at their surprised expressions. “It seems that he left town, presumably to go to Indiana and stay with a brother.” This was the first news Louise had had regarding Vic since the moment he had stalked away from her in anger.
“He didn’t even have the courtesy to say goodbye to you, Louise. That should tell you a little something about what he felt for you. All he wanted was one thing, like all men,” Lilly added derisively. “He proved that by refusing to come here and ask your father and I if he could court you…” she paused as Louise interrupted emotively, “I told you, Mama – he wanted to, but I wouldn’t let him!”
Lilly pursed her lips, purposely ignoring the sadness and pain in her daughter’s eyes. “Well – be that as it may, he doesn’t have a job, a place of his own, or even a car. He’s gone and I say good riddance!”
“But that don’t mean that Louise should go off and marry some guy she don’t even know!” Sonny came to her defense, moving to stand between his mother and sister. Neither of the women realized that Sonny was unconsciously trying to fulfill the promise he made to his father every time Willis left again for Bowling Green…to take care of the family and be the man of the house. That was nearly impossible, however, when his sisters and mother refused to listen to him…
Edna chose that moment to angle her head around the bedroom door, unable to resist getting in on the conversation. “Serves her right for what she did,” she sneered over at her sister before retreating back to continue curling her hair.
Louise turned back to the sink, wiping tears with the back of one hand as mother and son exchanged a look. Softening slightly, Lilly moved over near her daughter, watching her wipe a dish and hold it under the rinse water. “It won’t be so bad, Louise,” she tried to soothe. “T.J. seems like a nice young man, and he cares about you…and believe me, there’s been many a woman that had to settle for who would be best for them and not chase after a no-good who would only end up breaking her heart.”
Louise winced at her mother’s words; still unable to fully accept that Vic was one of ‘those kinds of men’ as her mother continued, “It’ll all work out, you’ll see…”
Louise swallowed the lump in her throat and wished fervently that her father were there. Perhaps he would not let her go through with it. However, she gave a quick nod, managing to whisper, “I know, Mama. And besides…if I can’t have Vic…I don’t really care anymore.”
Sonny gazed at his mother and sister, feeling extreme aggravation. He wondered if he should go to their landlady’s apartment and try to get in touch with Willis by phone, but he was torn. The fact that Vic left town without a word was puzzling and he was quite taken back. He’d been sure Vic Matthews had been crazy about his sister. If not, he would have stepped in long ago and let the cat out of the bag. It had even been kind of fun, playing along to see how far Louise could carry the ruse. Now…he wondered if he should have informed Vic on the sly…
He watched as Lilly wrapped one arm around her daughter and gave her a semblance of a hug as she murmured, “Everything will be all right.”
All three fervently hoped so, but each one had a very bad feeling about the whole situation.
*
The next day T.J. gave Louise ten dollars, with the encouragement to, “Go buy yourself an outfit for our big day.” Her mother accompanied her to a local shop where she purchased a street length dress, white with tiny green polka dots, shoes, stockings, and even a hat. Plans had been made to take a day trip out to Elizabethtown on the following Friday…to get married.
Friday morning, Louise found herself tugging at her mother’s hand as she was being ushered out the door of the apartment. “But Mama…I thought sure you’d come with me to my wedding…” she whined, striving to push back a rising sense of panic.
To Louise, it seemed Lilly was somewhat nervous, fussing with the crocheted headrest on Willis’ chair and avoiding her daughter’s eyes.
“I’m sorry Louise, but I just can’t. I promised Mrs. Cesar upstairs that I’d watch her little boy for her while she went to the doctor. I declare, I think that woman is expecting again,” she added with a chuckle that sounded more like a gasp. “I’ll see you tomorrow…” she pacified. In truth, she couldn’t stand the thought of watching her daughter being wed to a man she didn’t love. This, however, was hopelessly tangled with the fact that Lilly, herself, was a big part of the reason why Louise was going through with it.
“Come on, honey, we’ve got some driving to do and it looks like it might rain,” T.J. encouraged, his voice sugary sweet as he picked up her overnight case and encouragingly slipped an arm around her shoulder to gently turn her toward the door.
Louise glanced up at his face, clearly hesitant, but unable to take a stand against the unstoppable flow that seemed to be relentlessly sweeping her along.
T.J. caught Lilly’s eye in a silent bid for help, in truth afraid Louise was about to change her mind.
Lilly leaned forward and gave her daughter’s cheek a soft kiss. “You go on now, it’ll be alright,” she whispered. Then, as Lilly watched T.J. usher her daughter on out the door, she reassured herself silently, It’s for the best. It’s all for the best…
At the car, Louise discovered a young man and woman she didn’t know were waiting inside. T.J. opened the door for Louise and she slid onto the front seat, then turned around to greet the strangers. They introduced themselves as Geneva and Ralph Mocker, good friends of T.J., and explained that they were along as witnesses.
Mocker, Louise mused irrationally. Mockers along to watch a mock of a wedding… Biting her lip, she nodded to each of them, afraid to open her mouth for fear of laughing hysterically, and turned back around as her intended climbed in through the driver’s door.
He looked over at her, and the blue of his eyes looked more like the stormy gunmetal gray of the sky above. A crazy thought went through her mind that all of the color seemed to be disappearing from her world, as if in response to her emotional condition. “All set?” he queried with a smile.
Louise felt a sharp slice of alarm arc through her body, like a strong surge of electricity, as if something was screaming Don’t do it!! It took every ounce of strength she had to keep from bolting from the car and dashing back into the house, up the stairs to the bathroom, and locking the door against this unseen, encroaching menace. Could she go through with this? Should she? Desperately, she wondered if she should listen to this voice, this feeling. One hand on the door latch, she hesitated, searching her mind once again for the reasons she had agreed to the marriage in the first place. Vic doesn’t want me anymore, and if the family will stop hating me, then it’s a good thing…it’ll make up…atone for…all the wrong I did…and I can stop going to school hungry and facing everyone making fun of me everyday…
Willing herself not to be sick to her stomach, she swallowed nervously and gave him a nod as she took her hand off the latch and entwined it with the other in her lap. As she pushed away thoughts of the few times T.J. had kissed her and she had felt nothing at all…or worse yet…repulsed, Louise set up a litany in her mind, I’ll get used to his kisses. I’ll learn to love him. He’ll be a good husband and provider, like Mama says. It’ll be all right…
A light misting rain began to fall, seeming to mirror Louise’s emotions. All the way to Elizabethtown, the Mockers and the groom kept up a steady stream of conversation about mundane topics,
despite being aware of Louise’s apparent lack of enthusiasm.
As the car carried her toward the start of her future, Louise stared out the window through the gathering rivulets of rain, her thoughts of nothing but Vic. Where was he? Was he thinking of her? Did he regret leaving? What would he say if he knew…
If Louise could only have seen where he was – staring through the rain dotted window of a Greyhound bus on the way to what he thought would be the start of his plans for their future, it would have made all the difference in the world.
But she had no idea.
*
That night, in a strange bed in T.J.’s family’s home as her husband slept beside her, Louise lay with silent tears dripping down her temples, into her hair, and soaking the pillow beneath her head.
His four younger brothers had griped and groaned about having to bunk on pallets in the living room so their older brother could ‘have some fun’ in the room they normally all shared. She had looked over at the two empty full size beds situated in opposite corners of the room and swallowed miserably.
Unable to sleep, she thought back on the preceding hours. What should have been the happiest day of her life – her wedding day – had been anything but. It had surely not been the embodiment of her girlhood dreams…nor her dreams of a wedding with Vic…
It had rained all the way to Elizabethtown – a tiny burg forty-seven miles south of Louisville, where a couple could get married with virtually ‘no questions asked’.
They had arrived at the house of a pseudo preacher who, for a nominal fee, opened his home to visiting couples who wanted a quickie marriage…with little to no emotion or romance. He asked just a few preliminary questions, such as the ages of the parties involved. Against Louise’s better judgment, she had followed T.J.’s instructions and mumbled that she was ‘twenty-one.’
In the dimly lit parlor of the house, with the man’s wife and the Mockers as witnesses to the ‘happy event’, the parson had quickly read some words from a worn booklet. Later, Louise barely remembered what he had said, something about love, honor, and obeying, till death do you part. She fuzzily remembered whispering, “I do”. Her new husband had slipped a thin, plain gold band on her finger before bending over to give her a tiny kiss, and the deed was done. In practically no time at all, they were on the road back to Louisville. She hadn’t even held flowers.
