Tears glistened in Madge’s eyes. She blinked furiously to keep them at bay. Finally she nodded.
Kitty returned her gaze to the plate of food in front of her. She no longer wanted to eat. In fact, she was nauseous. Her friend was almost in tears, and she couldn’t help believing it was her fault.
Ted hadn’t said it. Hadn’t said that he felt anything for her. Yet she sensed the connection, just like that day on the beach. Ever since he’d recognized her, there had been something between them. Was the investigation only an excuse to stop seeing Madge? Could he really be interested in her?
Or was she only imagining it?
“Well, I’m not giving up,” Madge said. “I’ll give him time, if that’s what he needs. But I care too much about him to let him go.”
Kitty nodded, unable to respond.
Madge stood and retreated toward the entrance, zigzagging around women carrying trays, to make her way to the end of the chow line.
Kitty returned to her own dull food. Potatoes, bread, some nondescript meat. Her appetite was gone.
She took her tray to the KP line and scraped the remains into a big barrel. On the way back to her office, her thoughts drifted to her meeting with Ted the day before. He hadn’t been that drunk. And he’d been nice. Easier to talk to than she expected. Since that first day when she recognized him, she’d been afraid of him. Now he seemed a little more human.
She couldn’t believe he’d been accused of doing something bad just because he talked to a German in the village. It wasn’t fair. She might not know him well, but she sensed his loyalty. He would never reveal military information, even by accident. She just knew it.
Chapter Fourteen
TELEGRAM:
In London on Leave. STOP. Meet me at Red Cross Piccadilly Circus. STOP. Love, Milton.
****
General Lake strode into his office. “Come in and bring your book,” he barked over his shoulder.
Kitty grabbed a sharpened pencil from the cup on her desk and her stenographer’s pad and then followed him through the open door.
“Shall I close the door?” she asked. He’d been so busy she hoped this would be her chance to ask him.
“Yes,” he replied striding to the map that covered one wall. “Take a letter.”
“Yes, sir.” She hurried to take her seat and open her pad. He always jumped right into whatever he was doing without waiting to see if she was ready.
He started dictating the letter. Her pencil flew across the page. She’d learned his style, the way he worded things, what he meant when he added “et cetera, et cetera.” He wasn’t hard to work for as long as he focused on work. But sometimes he got a little too friendly.
She watched for these times when he came closer, when he smiled a little too much, when he made jokes or when he offered her a drink. All were signs of his tendency to get too friendly. She’d managed to handle these situations when they were alone pretty well. It was when others were in the room that she got flustered and embarrassed.
That’s why she’d decided on a tactic to discourage him. A tactic Madge had taught her when some soldier had gotten too interested and wouldn’t give up. A fiancé. It was amazing how most men respected another man’s turf. It didn’t work on all of them. But she had a feeling General Lake would back off if he thought she was engaged.
“Get that typed up for me right away.” It was his way of dismissing her.
She had to seize her chance. “General, may I have a word?”
He looked up, clearly surprised she wasn’t leaving. His brows drew together as his dark eyes bore into her. “Go ahead.”
She clutched her pad to her breast and drew a deep breath. “I got a wire…from my fiancé. He’s on leave in London, and he wants me to meet him.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound to pitiful. She wasn’t sure the general would respond to begging.
“So you want a pass to go to London.” His voice was gruff and disapproving.
“Yes, sir.”
“Who’s this fiancé? Someone you met here?”
“Oh, no, sir. He’s from back home. We’ve known each other for…well forever.” She studied his face, fearing he would deny her request. “I haven’t seen him in almost two years. He’s in the First Infantry Division.”
“Infantry, huh,” he mused. “Probably part of the invasion force.”
“Yes, sir. That’s my guess. Although he’s said nothing about that.” She added the last bit quickly to make sure Milton wasn’t suspected of leaking information.
“Well, I suppose I could spare you for a few days.” His frown had transformed into a softer expression. “You never mentioned being engaged.”
“I know.” She struggled to control herself, to keep from blushing, or doing something else to reveal her lie. “I don’t talk about it much. I guess I didn’t want to jinx him.” Her voice trailed off. She said a silent prayer, Please let him believe me.
He flipped through the calendar on his desk. “Tell Captain Weatherby I said to give you five days. That’s all I can manage.” He looked up, back to all business.
“Thank you, sir.” She gave him a big smile and fought the urge to run around the desk and hug him. That sure wouldn’t discourage him and all her efforts would have been wasted.
She hurried out, torn between running to tell Captain Weatherby and typing the general’s letter. She decided she better do the typing first. Keep the general happy.
****
After a day on the English trains, Kitty took the underground to Piccadilly Circus. She had never ridden on a subway and was amazed when she got off at the right place. She had no idea what to expect of Piccadilly Circus. All she knew was that despite its name, it was not a circus, at least not the Ringling Brothers variety. The stairway from the underground emerged in a huge square or rather circle where vehicles went round a center, coming on or going off the circle at the various streets. To her it was chaos . Add the hundreds of people dressed in all manner of uniforms with a few civilians scattered about, and she wondered if everyone in London gathered in this one place.
She stood on the sidewalk amidst all the people coming and going and scanned the buildings surrounding the circle. She easily spotted the big Red Cross sign. With a tight grip on her small overnight case, she headed around the circle, carefully crossing two streets before reaching her destination.
Inside she found more chaos. Military personnel everywhere. Even the Red Cross women wore uniforms. She pushed her way through the crowded lobby until she spotted a desk with a small sign “Information.”
“Excuse me.” Kitty leaned across the desk to get the lady’s attention.
The woman smiled when she turned to greet Kitty. “Can I help you?”
“Oh, yes. I’m looking for someone. My brother. He told me to meet him here.”
The woman’s eyes shifted toward the crowd. “You didn’t see him.”
Kitty shook her head. “You don’t understand. I just got to London. He’s in the First Infantry Division, and he wired me to meet him here.”
“In that case, he probably left a message for you.” She gave Kitty a reassuring smile. “See the girl over there.” She pointed to tired-looking blonde at a nearby counter. “Give her your name and ask if she has a message for you.”
Someone bumped Kitty, and she had to grab the desk to maintain her balance. “Thanks,” she muttered to the woman behind the desk. Kitty then wove her way through the crowd to the counter.
Two men formed a line behind a tall officer having an animated conversation with the tired blonde. Kitty took her place at the end of the line grateful for the disinterest of the serviceman in front of her. She considered setting her overnight bag down at her feet but decided to hang onto it so she wouldn’t lose it in the bustling crowd. Soon the tall officer disappeared and the two soldiers moved forward and began talking at the same time. The fatigued Red Cross worker held up her hand to silence them.
Kitty wondered at her patience. After she retrie
ved something for the men, they whooped with joy. The smile that spread across the woman’s face dispelled any sign of fatigue as she watched them hurry away.
Kitty stepped forward and spoke to the pleased-looking woman. “Hello. I’m Sergeant Katherine Greenlee. Do you have a message for me?”
“I’ll see.” The woman lifted a thick folder from a shelf below the counter and leafed through its contents. Kitty gripped the handle of her bag as panic seeped into her thoughts. What if he hadn’t left a message? What if she couldn’t find him?
“Ah, here it is.” The woman handed Kitty a small piece of paper.
Kitty grasped the note while juggling her bag. “Thank you.”
She moved to one side before reading the familiar scribbling.
“Katherine—I’ll check in at ten a.m. and four p.m. every day. Be at the bar in the canteen. And get yourself a place to stay. Milton.”
Kitty looked up to ask the woman what their hours were, but someone else had taken her place. She checked her watch, ten after three. She compared that with the large clock hanging over the counter. Nine after three. Milton would be in the canteen at four. That didn’t give her enough time to find a place to stay. She decided to go back to the information desk.
After waiting several minutes, Kitty faced the woman again. “Hi, again.” Kitty forced herself to smile despite her discomfort in the crowded place. “Do you know if there is someplace for WACs to stay? A special hotel or something?”
The woman wrote an address on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “Try here. You might have to share a room, but it’s a reputable place. Okayed by the WACs.”
“Thanks.” Kitty looked at the address and wondered how she would find it. Maybe Milton could help. She hated to ask for directions, especially since she knew nothing about London.
She slipped the paper into her pocket and headed for the canteen. Just as on every base she’d been on, there was a separate section for enlisted personnel. It wasn’t as fancy as the officers’ section, but it wasn’t so bad. She climbed onto a stool at the bar and settled her bag between her feet before ordering a cup of coffee and a doughnut, standard fare for the Red Cross in jolly old England, or anywhere else for that matter.
At eight after four, she checked her watch for the millionth time. Her brother wouldn’t stand her up, surely. How much longer would she have to wait?
The waitress asked if she wanted another cup of coffee. Kitty shook her head. She’d already mentioned she was waiting for someone. The waitress just nodded and moved on.
Kitty occupied a seat that a buying customer could use, just like in the drugstore back home. All the popular kids hung out there. She would go in, order a soda, and sit there sipping on it, hoping someone would speak to her. Conspicuous and out of place, she’d eventually leave. Unless Milton came in. He would always stop and talk to her, even though his friends hadn’t wanted to be seen with her.
“Sis, is that you?”
Kitty swung around. She almost didn’t recognize him. A handsome sergeant stood before her, broad-shouldered, tan and beautiful. She slid off the stool and flung her arms around him, squealing in delight.
He lifted her off her feet and gave her a bear hug—just like old times. Then he set her down and pushed her to arm’s length. “Let me look at you. Sergeant no less. That’s my gal. Movin’ right on up the ladder.”
She smiled. “Just got the stripes. Thanks to General Lake.”
“You look good. The Army must agree with you.”
“I guess.” Always awkward talking about herself, she shifted the conversation back to him. “Look at all those ribbons. You’ve been busy.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” A soldier standing beside him punched him in the arm. “Oh, yeah. This is Ade Carlton. He’s in my outfit. My kid sister, Katherine.”
Kitty stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The soldier took her hand and held it in both of his. “Likewise.”
“Ade’s from the mid-west, Kansas isn’t it?”
“Nebraska,” the soldier corrected him. “Milt can’t keep anything straight.”
“Okay, so I’m not so good with geography. But Katherine here, she’s smart as a whip. Went to college to make a teacher.”
“Thanks, Milton.” She chided her brother in a friendly way. “But men don’t like smart girls.”
“Not true,” Milton argued. “Men don’t like unfriendly girls.” He slipped his arm around her and steered her toward the exit. “Let’s get out of here.”
On the sidewalk he asked, “Did you get a place to stay?”
“Not yet. The lady inside gave me this address. Said it was for WACs.”
Milton looked at the paper and nodded. “I think I can find it. We better get you over there before they get all filled up. It’s not easy to find a room in London these days.”
****
Milton took charge. Kitty soon had a room for the next few nights shared with two other WACs on leave in London. The girls were out, but the landlady assured Kitty that they expected a roommate. She left her few belongings and memorized the address.
From the hotel Milton led them to a little Italian restaurant where a cute, pale blonde in a gray-green tweed uniform called out “Milt, my love” when she saw them.
Milton hugged the English girl then turned to introduce Kitty. “Betty Tatum, meet my sister, Katherine, and you remember Ade.”
“Nice to meet ’cha,” she replied in her quaint English accent. “Milt’s a great guy for a Yank. Me and my friend went out with these two blokes last night. Had quite a time of it, didn’t we?”
“Swell, just swell,” Milton beamed.
“How’s Edwena?” Ade asked politely.
“Oh, just ducky. She’s off with some RAF fliers tonight. Whole group of ’em off to Hyde Park. But I’d rather do the theatre with Milt.” Betty clung to Milton’s arm, and he beamed at the attention she showered on him.
“Let’s go in.” Milton led the way. “Betty told me about this place, and it’s great. A lot better than most of these English joints.”
Rationing and shortages made it hard for the restaurants to survive. Most offered a very limited menu, and what they did serve was boiled and bland. So Italian cuisine proved a pleasant surprise.
Kitty’s first encounter with Italian food had been in Boston. Madge had an Italian boyfriend who’d fixed Kitty up with his friend. The soldiers took them to the Italian section of Boston where Kitty experienced the warm, friendly atmosphere and her first taste of spaghetti and ravioli.
Milton ordered for them all. The waiter served wine while they waited for the main course.
“Did you get tickets?” the English girl asked.
“You bet cha,’” replied Milton, mimicking her accent. “For that comedy you wanted to see at the Strand.”
“Oooo! You’re such a doll.”
Kitty laughed at the girl’s enthusiasm. She liked her. “I don’t recognize your uniform,” Kitty commented. “What service are you in?”
“Women’s Voluntary Service,” she replied cheerfully. “We do all sorts of things to help out. People bombed out, displaced, elderly—that sort of thing.”
“Sounds like important work.”
“Oh, I’ve seen my share. Some hair raising tales I could tell ya’, during the blitz and all.”
“None of that, tonight,” Milton said. “We’re celebrating. Katherine and me together again.” He raised his glass. “How long’s it been, sis? Two years.”
“Not quite. You came home before you went overseas. That was in the summer of ’42. I’d just come back from Suzanne’s.”
“Well, here’s to family reunions,” Ade said as he raised his glass.
They all clinked glasses and sipped the wine. Kitty beamed at her brother. He was still the same old Milton, but more. He’d matured, added some lines to his face that made him even more handsome than she remembered.
The waiter served the food, and Kitty looked around,
excitement pounding in her chest. She was in London, with her brother, and in for a night on the town. What more could she ask for?
After dinner they walked to the Strand Theatre which was only a few blocks away. Milton explained that London was full of performers from all over Europe. These refugees found work in the local theatres providing excellent performances of every type. The show they saw was a light comedy. Kitty laughed until tears ran down her cheeks.
They emerged from the theatre to total blackness. The moon hid behind a cloud cover. After seeing the bustle of the city, to have it completely disappear into darkness gave Kitty the creeps.
Other people leaving the theatre jostled them along.
“Not to fear, I have my torch.” Betty spoke nearby. Quickly a narrow beam of light illuminated her feet.
Other small beams appeared around them in the crowd.
“I’ve got one, too,” announced Ade. “It didn’t take me long to learn I needed a flashlight to get around in the blackout.” He clicked it on and pointed it toward the sidewalk in front of Kitty’s feet. She sighed, relieved to be able to see something.
“Let’s see if we can find that place we went the other night. You remember, the one down below street level.”
“It’s getting late,” Kitty interjected. “I’m beat. I think I’d better get back to my room.”
“Okay, sis,” Milton agreed.
Kitty thought he gave in a little too easily. Maybe he wanted to spend some time alone with Betty.
Milton acted like he knew the way, so Kitty and Ade followed him. Once she got the hang of making their way in the darkness, Kitty relaxed and held on to Ade’s arm.
They turned a corner, and Milton commented they were almost there.
A shape came out of the darkness, and they came to an abrupt stop. Kitty couldn’t see much with Milton and Betty ahead of her.
“Hey, watch it,” Milton complained.
Betty giggled.
“Sorry, ma’am. Must have tripped on the curb. I can’t see a thing in this black out. “
She could hardly believe her ears. The familiar voice couldn’t be him. “Ted?” Kitty exclaimed. “Is that you?”
Kitty's War Page 14
