The Liberators of Willow Run

by Marianne K. Martin

  Ruth reached across the table and took Audrey’s hands. “We’re really going to do this, aren’t we?”

  Audrey squeezed Ruth’s hands tightly. “If I have to drive her into Canada myself.”

  “And if I have to quit my job and move to Canada to take care of her,” Ruth added.

  “No one is going to do to Amelia what they did to Velma, I promise you that.”

  Her heart pounded, her eyes stayed with Audrey’s and claimed their promise. “I love you, Audrey Draper.”

  Audrey stood and pulled Ruth into an embrace.

  The arms holding her told Ruth what words could not. They held her, firm and sure, finally offering promise instead of doubt. Ruth pressed tightly into the promise, accepted it for whatever it meant. The beat of her heart jumped free, quickened its rhythm against Audrey’s breast. Her body shared the heat between them, and the smooth flush of skin as Audrey pressed her face against Ruth’s. Exactly where she wanted to be, exactly what she needed.

  Audrey whispered the words. “Please don’t let this be the worst thing to happen to you.”

  Ruth leaned back to see the concern in Audrey’s eyes, and offered softly, “I can lie with the best of them if need be.” She slid the palm of her hand gently over Audrey’s cheek. “And the only person I promise not to lie to is you.” It was all she had, all that she could promise. And it was enough.

  Audrey said so without words. She said it in her kiss and Ruth believed it, welcomed it. This was no mistake. It was love—in all its splendor and its risks—warm and sweet and taking away her breath.

  The kiss lingered and wandered, and was answered with another. Tender touches at first, exploring and deepening. Whispers found space. “Stay with me.”

  “Yes.”

  This was their time, their space, safe and protected. Between kisses they found buttons and zippers and hooks, and slid together between the coolness of the sheets. Ruth’s lips touched the smooth flesh of Audrey’s neck, trailed fervent kisses down the curve to its base, and felt Audrey’s body respond. Long, lean legs entwined with her own, arms wrapped her tightly, and Audrey returned kisses to Ruth’s face and neck.

  Ruth closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet lilac scent of the silky dark hair falling over her cheek. It felt so right—the feel of Audrey’s body against her own, the flush of her skin, the quickening of her heart. Nothing could be more right—this love, this woman—reaching for her, wanting her.

  Audrey slid her fingers into Ruth’s hair, grasped the side of Ruth’s head, and covered her mouth with a kiss that pressed her back into the pillow. There was no more need for thought or worry or anything, only accepting—the kisses now growing in urgency, the desire searing through her, the love. Audrey’s love. Yes, she accepted it all, fully and wholly.

  She needed nothing more, wanted nothing more. Ruth let go of everything, gave it up to the sensations racing through her body, to the need to go wherever Audrey took her. Ruth had no control, welcoming the free fall as Audrey’s hips moved against her and Audrey’s hands defined and caressed her body. She wanted Audrey’s lips everywhere, her tongue circling her breasts, teasing her neck, probing their kisses, bringing her to the place where sensations race ahead on their own. Racing to that glorious place she knew, this time with whispers she had longed for.

  “I love you,” Audrey breathed, low against her neck. “Do you know?”

  “Yes, oh yes.” Ruth whispered in return. “I know, my love, I know.” She wanted to say more, to tell her how much she trusted those words, how much she believed in her heart, but words would wait. It was her body speaking now, gathering the whispers, the caresses, the heat into a need sounding through soft moans and gasps of desire—hers, Audrey’s, theirs together. No separation, no delineation, only a melting that fused them, flesh to flesh. Only the want was clear, driving them harder, faster, until she couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop her body from shouting in joy and release. She was in that beautiful place at last, sensations rippling in decreasing waves, passion settling into gentle kisses over the moist, flushed skin of Audrey’s face and neck.

  Audrey returned kisses to Ruth’s neck and nestled her face against her shoulder. She wrapped her arms and legs around Ruth in a snug embrace and said softly, “My sweet love, you’ve filled my heart.”

  She felt the beating of Audrey’s heart against her breast. “It’s where I always want to be,” Ruth whispered. “Always.”

  Chapter 24

  Maybe it was her internal clock, or maybe it was a need to be conscious of every moment that Ruth was in her arms, but Audrey was wide awake long before necessary.

  The early morning stillness allowed her mind to move freely, without interruption, over the string of events that had brought Ruth into her heart. Unpredictable. Unimaginable. Even now, with Ruth snuggled against her chest, Audrey wondered at how it happened. How circumstances in each of their lives had brought them here, to each other. Things that had threatened to destroy their chances at happiness had instead made happiness possible. And neither of them would have predicted it.

  Her own healing was next to miraculous—guilt slowly giving way to forgiveness and understanding, hate and fear losing out to resolve and a newfound courage. The ache in her heart now had a balm to soothe it.

  All this was part of her realization. But she wondered, as Ruth stirred awake, about Ruth’s healing. She never spoke of her own struggle. Yet it had to be there, tucked deep, overridden at least outwardly by concern for Amelia and her concern for a new love.

  “Don’t wake me,” Ruth whispered, her eyes still closed, “if this isn’t real.”

  Audrey shifted from the position she’d held to keep from waking Ruth. “Then I’ll kiss you awake,” she said, pressing her lips to Ruth’s forehead.

  “What has you awake so early?” Ruth asked.

  “Thinking about you.”

  “Oh?” Ruth smiled and laid back against the pillow. “What is it you’re thinking?”

  “How much I love you.” As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she met Ruth’s gaze. “And how selfless you are. It makes me worry about you.”

  “No, you mustn’t worry about me. Honey, don’t. I’m fine.”

  Audrey turned onto her side. “Not about this,” she said. “Not about us loving each other. I worry that you care so much about Amelia and about me that you’re not getting what you need.”

  “What I need is to know that Amelia will be okay. And I need your love.”

  “But you’ve said so little about what you’ve gone through. I can’t imagine how I would feel in your place. Is there the same kind of guilt and sadness?”

  There were a few seconds of hesitation before Ruth answered. “I’m okay. I’ve dealt with it. Really,” she said, stroking the side of Audrey’s face. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Would you trust me with it if there was?”

  “Yes,” Ruth replied, “of course I would.”

  “Because I’m here. You don’t have to hurt alone. I’ll always listen. You can tell me anything—and I’ll help any way I can. I want you to know that.”

  Ruth slipped her arm across the smooth skin of Audrey’s back and pulled her into an embrace. “If there is one thing I know for sure about you, it’s that. Velma taught me all I need to know. She showed me your heart.”

  Chapter 25

  There had been days, pink with romance and giddy with love, memorable for their place in Audrey’s life. And there had been steel-cold days and dark, desperate nights that challenged her hope for anything else.

  The structure of those days had changed very little. She worked the same hours, ate dinner at The Bomber, and spent her usual evenings with Nona. All the same stresses, the same responsibilities and exhaustion still rolled along during the course of each day, but without their usual notice. Now, shining above it all, every day, were visions of Ruth—tactile, sensual, an inextinguishable brightness.

  Unlike the past months of hedging and worrying, the d
ays and nights of arguing back desire and possibility, the first thing in Audrey’s thoughts was how soon she would see Ruth. She was in love, and happy—like before, with Velma. This time, though, she was in love and well aware of the risks.

  Everything lately had an air of excitement about it, and today was no exception. Jack had found a battery and as fast as they could get out of the plant, they were on their way to Ruth’s.

  Jack chattered the whole way across town, wondering about the car and asking questions that Audrey couldn’t answer. By the time they arrived at Ruth’s driveway, Audrey had heard the story of Jack’s first car in detail and realized that his love of cars came in a tight number three behind his love of his wife and new baby.

  “1935 model 48,” he said before he even got out of the car. He jumped out and continued as he circled Ruth’s new acquisition. “Fordor Humpback.”

  Ruth burst from the side door of the house. “What do you think, Jack?”

  “Oh, it’s a beauty,” he said. “Yes, it is.”

  “She’s been sittin’ for a bit,” Ruth replied. “But I’ll bet she is a beauty under that layer of dust.”

  “We’ll give her a proper wash after we get her started,” Audrey offered, sending a smile in Ruth’s direction.

  “Yep, we’ll get her started,” Jack said. He pulled the battery and a wrench from the trunk of his car and met the two women at the top of the driveway. “Uh, huh,” he said after lifting the hood, “refreshed 221 CID V8. She’s gonna hum.”

  Audrey hovered over the fender and watched him take out the old battery and replace it. If she was going to drive a car she ought to know how it worked.

  It took a can of fresh gas and three tries and Jack had the car humming just as he had promised. “Jump in,” he said. “I’ll move my car, and then we’ll take this beauty for a spin and clean out her system.”

  Through the neighborhood, and out for a short distance on the highway in order to get it just over the speed limit at forty miles an hour, and Jack was pleased. Audrey was grateful, for his help and his friendship, and for his acceptance. He never questioned why, about anything.

  “You were right,” exclaimed Ruth, her hands firmly on the steering wheel. “We’re really free, aren’t we?” The car rolled at a leisurely pace down the dirt road just outside of town, and Ruth checked her mirrors religiously, exactly as Audrey had instructed. No cars ahead of them and none behind, just as it had been for miles, but practice made good habits.

  “Turn into this farmer’s drive coming up,” Audrey directed. “Go a little further this time and then back up to the road and turn around. We’d better head back home before dark. We’ll get you used to driving at night another time.”

  Backing up was getting somewhat easier. She was learning to trust her mirrors and not stick her head out the window. But coordinating releasing the clutch and giving it the right amount of gas still needed work. The car bucked and lunged in defiance. Ruth gritted her teeth and willed herself to get it right.

  The car smoothed out and Ruth asked, “Should I have this by now? How many times have you had me stop and start and go through the gears? I want to be as good a driver as you are.”

  “You will be,” Audrey replied. “Maybe even better. Anyone who can balance a tray of dinners above her shoulder, wind her way between tables, and not hit a customer or spill a drop can do anything she sets her mind to.”

  “I sure hope you’re right because I want to do this every day for the rest of my life. I don’t know how to describe how this makes me feel.”

  Audrey answered Ruth’s quick, wide-eyed turn of her head with a huge smile. “Better than fully loaded ice cream?”

  “Oh, yes, even that. This is something that I’ve never felt before.” She chanced another quick glance to see Audrey waiting. But the words to describe it weren’t there. How could she describe the feel of the engine vibrating from the steering wheel through her hands and arms? Or the realization that she was controlling something so large, a machine capable of taking her wherever she decided? Decisions and a power that were all hers.

  “Is it wrong,” Ruth asked, “that I feel powerful right now?”

  Audrey slid closer and pressed her lips to Ruth’s cheek. “No,” she said. “And I think this is only the beginning.” Ruth’s eyes remained on the road, but Audrey could tell that she was smiling. “You go right ahead and feel powerful.”

  Ruth loosened and re-gripped the polished wood of the steering wheel and let her smile linger a little longer. This was a feeling she would never let go. “Yes, this is only the beginning.” She pulled the car to a stop at the side of the road. “But I would rather you take us the rest of the way home through town. I don’t want to risk any damage my first time out.”

  Audrey delivered them safely to Mrs. Welly’s driveway, turned off the engine, and handed the key to Ruth. “Another lesson tomorrow?”

  “Yes, yes,” Ruth replied. “I can’t wait.” She took Audrey’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “That powerful girl that was behind the wheel would kiss you with authority, but she’s taking her leave for this more reasonable head.” She placed her hand gently to the side of Audrey’s face. “So I’ll just say thank you for teaching me.”

  Audrey didn’t reply. She let a silence settle between them, around them, as if there was something she couldn’t voice. Something with weight beyond that of a driving lesson. It settled, rested heavily; it brought tears to the beautiful eyes, and Ruth knew.

  “Velma,” Ruth said softly.

  Audrey closed her eyes, and Ruth leaned forward to kiss away a tear. “Yes,” Audrey replied, “Velma.”

  The unmistakable squeak of the screen door captured their attention, and Ruth turned to see Mrs. Welly standing in the open doorway.

  “I’ve been thanking the good Lord since the moment I heard the car pull in,” she was saying as Ruth exited the car. “Don’t know that I ever could’ve forgiven myself if anything had happened to you girls.”

  Ruth squeezed around the screen and wrapped her arms around Mrs. Welly’s shoulders. “Not a thing to worry about. Audrey’s a very good driver, and she’s going to make one out of me, too. We’re just fine.”

  “Well, I’m not the only one worrying after you,” she said “A woman has called twice for you. She said it’s important that you call as soon as you can.” Ruth motioned for Audrey to follow. “I wrote her number down by the phone.”

  Ruth rushed through the kitchen to the living room and the phone with one thought in mind. Audrey was right behind her as she found the piece of paper and dialed the number.

  “Lillian?” Audrey asked, and received a nod.

  The phone picked up on the second ring. “I’m so sorry, Lillian,” Ruth began. “I just now got home. Is it Amelia?”

  “She’s fine,” Lillian replied, “but I’ve been worried that I wouldn’t find the right place for her in time. I think she is going to deliver a little early.”

  “How early?”

  “This week, maybe three days.” Lillian’s voice picked up energy. “But I found it. I have a safe place for her. Now we have to find a way to get her there.”

  “We have it,” Ruth said. “A car.”

  Lillian’s voice carried obvious concern. “Whose car, Ruth? Are you sure you can trust him?”

  “It’ll be my car. It was Mrs. Wellys late husband’s car. And before you ask, I am not a good enough driver—yet—but Audrey is a Jim Cracky driver.”

  There was a hesitation before Lillian said, “I have to be honest with you, I never thought we would find a way—not in time. I don’t think I will believe it until it’s over and Amelia is actually safe.”

  “I think we have all had our doubts. But I’m not willing to let doubt, or anything else, get in our way.”

  “I will be holding my breath a lot.” Despite her words, there was a sense of relief in Lillian’s voice. “We’ve got no time, either for spare or for error, now. We’ll have to get the timing figured out perfect
ly. Call me as soon as you are home from work tomorrow, even if it’s into the ‘lines clear’ hours. This is important, too.”

  “I will. Thank you, Lillian.”

  “It’s happening faster than we thought,” Audrey remarked.

  “But it is happening.”

  Chapter 26

  The variables were daunting. In just over forty-eight hours the exhilaration of a plan coming together had given way to apprehension and what ifs.

  The trip to Jackson to lay out the plan with Lillian also served as a practice run to know exactly where they would be going and how long it would take. There wouldn’t be enough practice time left for Ruth to be the driver. It was clearly Audrey’s responsibility, and she welcomed it.

  They followed Lillian’s directions and picked her up at the back entrance of the hospital, the same door Ruth had used, the same one Amelia would use. The plan continued to emerge as they drove to Lillian’s, and finalized as they once again huddled together in her living room.

  “Amelia has read your last letter over and over,” Lillian directed to Ruth. “And I was able to convince her to leave all your letters with me. I’ve done my best to encourage her and still be discreet. I was able to use today’s examination time to explain that I had found a safe home for her. I told her what I know about the couple, but she is so quiet. I can’t figure out what she is thinking, and I’m afraid we aren’t going to know if she has the courage to leave until she actually gets in the car.”

  “I wish I could talk with her face to face,” Ruth replied.

  Lillian shook her head. “We’ve done everything we can. It’s up to Amelia now.”

  “If she does get into the car,” Audrey asked, “where will we take her?”

  “A couple from Canada is going to meet you at a diner on the U.S. side of the bridge.” Lillian handed Audrey an envelope. “Here are the directions and how you’ll be able to identify them. You both need to wear a yellow daisy so that they can identify you. I will call Robert when I know Amelia’s in the car and he will call them.”