Of Windmills and War

by Diane Moody

  She squeezed Wim’s body one last time, kissing his pale cheek. “I love you, Wim. I’ve always loved you.” She gently laid his body down, kissed him once more, then got to her feet and tried to discern which direction the German voices had come from. As the wind carried more of their despicable language, she grabbed the gun, turned the opposite direction, and ran as fast as she could.

  Part III

  26

  October 1941

  Northwestern University

  Evanston, Illinois

  Danny stared out the window of his dorm room. He’d been studying for more than an hour, but his mind kept drifting. He still couldn’t believe he was finally here—a college freshman living on campus. During all those months he’d managed the theater during his dad’s recovery, he’d constantly stewed over the delay. While the rest of his friends went off to college or enlisted to serve in the military, he’d kept the theater running. But his mind seemed to constantly chronicle everything he was missing out on. He’d missed a year.

  One full year.

  His mother had encouraged him not to look at it that way. “You have to stop agonizing over this change of plans. God allowed it for a purpose, Danny. Your father will never forget the sacrifice you made to provide for our family during his recovery. And I know God will bless you. You’ll see.”

  He wished he had his mother’s simple faith. She accepted whatever crisis or roadblock fell in their path. When his father was finally released from the hospital late last year, their lives had changed drastically. Again. Since Dad couldn’t manage the stairs up to the bedroom, they’d rented a hospital bed and set it up in the living room. Day and night he barked at them, always needing something just out of reach—the newspaper, a glass of water, the ledger from the theater, a pain pill. Danny’s mother took it all in stride, maintaining a cheerful attitude no matter how belligerent he was.

  Danny did his best to stay out of the house, spending as much time as possible at the theater. He didn’t possess a single ounce of his mother’s patience and resented the way his dad treated both of them. At first, he’d felt compassion toward his dad, realizing how close they came to losing him. But once the initial shock wore off, Frank McClain was back to his old grouchy self, only worse. Like a caged animal, he’d snap at anyone near him—usually Mom.

  Sophie seemed to be the only companion Dad could tolerate. She parked herself at his side whenever possible. It occurred to Danny that his dad related better to dogs than humans.

  By summer, Frank had learned to walk again, though his gait was jerky at best. He hated using what he called “that blasted cane.” Refusing to stay bedridden the rest of his life, he gradually forced himself to get used to walking with a cane. Eventually he eased back into his routine managing the theater. Naturally, he made quite a production of pointing out all the things Danny had done wrong in his absence. But Danny took it in stride, knowing it was just his father’s way.

  Even then, all Danny could think about was starting classes at Northwestern in the fall. Even with all his savings, he’d come up short for housing primarily because of the ongoing medical bills. His mother continued praying over the matter, and much to his surprise, Danny was able to secure a job working at the campus soda fountain. It helped with expenses, it was easy work and a good place to meet people.

  Which is exactly how he met Beverly Grayson.

  Danny never had time to date much in high school. Which wasn’t a problem since he always had crushes on the popular girls whose eyes were set solely on the football and basketball players. With everything else going on, he figured there’d be plenty of time for romance when he got to Northwestern. Still, he was surprised when the cute little coed from Wisconsin seemed to frequent the snack bar whenever he was working.

  “Hi there, Danny,” she’d said that first week of school.

  He’d never laid eyes on the attractive brunette before, but somehow she knew his name. He looked around then leaned across the counter toward her. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  “Of course not, silly.” She pointed at his name tag. “I just thought we should get acquainted since we’ll be seeing each other a lot.” She’d tossed him a subtle wink then ordered a cup of coffee and a brownie.

  “Coming right up.” He poured a mug of fresh coffee from the urn then plucked the largest brownie from the display case and put it in a small paper bag. “That’ll be twenty-five cents.”

  She dug in her purse and placed fifty cents in his open palm. “Thanks, Danny. You can keep the change.”

  “Thank you, Miss . . .?”

  “Miss Grayson. But you can call me Beverly.” She picked up her brownie and coffee.

  “Thank you, Beverly Grayson. Nice to meet you.”

  As she turned to go, she waggled her eyebrows and smiled at him. “The pleasure’s all mine, Danny McClain. See you tomorrow.”

  He was fairly sure it was the most gorgeous smile he’d ever seen. And by the time he’d slipped her tip into his pocket, he was head over heels for her.

  The door banged open. “Well, if it isn’t my roommate, the bookworm.”

  Danny blinked out of his daydream as Craig Gilmore sauntered into the room and threw his books on his desk. Danny doubted there were two more mismatched roommates on the entire Northwestern campus, but he couldn’t help but like the Indiana transplant.

  “I’m just trying to keep up.” Danny turned around. “Where’ve you been?”

  “I thought you’d never ask. I’ve been tutoring the sweetest little Georgia peach.”

  Danny laughed. “For two days? Somehow I doubt there was much ‘tutoring’ going on.”

  Craig flopped onto his bed, locking his hands behind his head. “I suppose that depends on your definition of the word. I feel it’s my duty to welcome as many coeds as possible to our sacred institution. I see myself as a one-man hospitality committee. In fact, the university should probably pay me for my services.”

  Danny shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s still illegal in the state of Illinois, but I’m sure they appreciate your endeavors.”

  Craig rolled onto his side to face his roommate. “And what about you, Saint Daniel? Have you found any bewildered young coeds in need of a more personal introduction to the vast exploitations of our beloved campus?”

  “Not in your context of the word. But yeah, I met someone.”

  “And?”

  Danny closed his textbook and shoved it aside. “And we’ve gone out a couple of times.”

  “And? C’mon, McClain. Out with it.”

  “Out with what? We’ve gone out. In fact we’re going to the movies tonight. She’s a nice girl. There’s not much else to tell.”

  Craig rolled onto his back again, covering his face with his hands. “Please don’t tell me you haven’t scored yet. Because I refuse to give you a lecture on the birds and the bees. Let’s be absolutely clear on that.”

  Danny stood up and pulled a clean shirt from his closet. “Ah shucks. I guess I’m on my own then. Whatever shall I do?” A pillow sailed by his head as he opened the door. “Nice try, Gilmore. Where I come from, a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

  “Yeah? And where I come from, guys who don’t tell aren’t getting any.”

  Danny shook his head. “See you later, Mr. Hospitality.”

  After he showered and shaved, Danny returned to his room to find Craig sound asleep and snoring like a freight train. He finished getting dressed, ran a comb through his damp hair, and splashed on a little aftershave before heading out. As he walked to Beverly’s dorm in the south quad, he had to appreciate the fact that she kept things light and fun. He’d waited a long time to find someone special and wasn’t in a big hurry. He wanted to savor the experience. Craig could keep his conquests. Danny preferred the all-American girl-next-door type.

  It still embarrassed him, thinking about the first time he asked her out. True to her word, she’d stopped by The Grill every day and said hello. Whether she actually wanted a
morning snack between classes or whether she stopped by just to see him, he couldn’t be sure. He just knew he’d grown awfully fond of seeing her smiling face every day at 9:50. By Wednesday of the second week of school, he’d convinced himself to ask her out. Unfortunately, he lost his nerve, kicking himself as she waved goodbye like she always did. On Thursday morning, his boss asked him to get some straws and napkins out of the store room right at 9:50. As he hurried to grab the supplies, he dropped the carton of straws, spilling them all over the floor. By the time he’d cleaned up his mess and returned to the counter, he saw her rounding the corner as she left.

  By Friday, he vowed to ask her out no matter what else transpired. But on that particular day, she wasn’t alone. A tall, good looking guy walked in with her, then sat beside her at the counter.

  “Hey Danny! How’s it going?”

  “Good. How about you?”

  “I’ll have a cherry Coke and a Danish,” the guy with her ordered.

  She swatted the guy’s arm. “Where are your manners? Whatever happened to ladies first?”

  “Fine. The lady can order whatever she likes, but I’ll have a cherry Coke and a Danish.”

  Danny wanted to deck the guy. Wise guys like him were a dime a dozen on this campus. But it bothered him even more that Beverly would hook up with a smart mouth like this one.

  “Coffee and a brownie?” Danny asked her, avoiding the chump beside her.

  “Yes, thank you.” She smiled at him like she always did, which felt a little strange under the circumstances. So much for asking her out.

  He put their order together, serving her first. As he finished pouring the cherry syrup into the Coke, someone yelled, “Heads up, Grayson!”

  Danny turned just in time to see a football sail across The Grill toward Beverly’s friend who thankfully caught it. As he spun the football in his hands, he yelled back, “Dawson, if you’d throw like that on Saturday, we might just beat Kansas State!”

  Danny slid the coke and Danish across the counter.

  “Danny, you’ll have to forgive my big brother.”

  “Your brother?”

  “Oh, that’s right. You probably don’t know him.” She tugged at her brother’s sleeve. “Billy, turn around. I want to introduce you to Danny. Danny, this is my obnoxious brother Billy.”

  Billy tucked the football under his arm and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Danny. Oh wait—did you say Danny?” he asked, looking at his sister. “So this is the guy you keep talking about?”

  She dropped her face behind her hand. “Gee, thanks, Billy.”

  “Huh? Oh. I probably wasn’t supposed to say that. Well, it’s nice meeting you, Danny.”

  Danny returned the handshake. “Billy, it’s my pleasure.”

  Beverly lifted her head, her face flushed as she pasted a smile on it. “Okay. Now that we’ve got that straight . . .”

  “Hey Sis, I’m gonna go sit with the guys. I’ll catch up with you later.” He was halfway across the room before the words were out of his mouth.

  She faked another smile. “Sure, brother dearest. By all means.”

  Suddenly Danny laughed out loud.

  “And what, pray tell, are you laughing at?”

  He pushed his paper hat back on his head. “Ah, nothing. I’m just relieved.”

  “Relieved?”

  “Well, sure. I mean, I was all set to ask you out and then you walked in with that guy and I thought he was your boyfriend or something. So I—”

  “You were going to ask me out?”

  He watched her face fill with expectation. He didn’t know much about girls and dating, but he had a feeling that was a good sign. “Well, yeah. In fact . . . I’ve been wanting to ask you out for several days now but I—”

  “I’d love to.”

  “You would?”

  “Of course I would.”

  He laughed again.

  “Now what are you laughing at?”

  He scratched his eyebrow. “I was going to ask if you’d like to go to the football game with me tomorrow.”

  She laughed out loud. “What a great idea! I would love to go to the football game with you. As long as you don’t make me root for my brother.”

  They’d had a great time at the game, cheering the Wildcats—and Billy Grayson—to a 51-3 victory over K-State despite a drenching rain. Afterward they’d huddled under Beverly’s umbrella and walked to Cooley’s Cupboard for dinner followed by a slow, chatty walk back to campus.

  “I must look like a drowned rat, but I had a really nice time today, Danny,” she’d said, taking his hand as they walked up the steps to her dorm. “I hope we can do it again sometime. Preferably without the monsoon.”

  “I’d like that, Beverly. I’d like that a lot.”

  Standing on a step above him, she’d suddenly turned around and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Good night, Danny McClain.”

  “Good night, Beverly Grayson.”

  Not a bad first date. Not bad at all.

  Now, as he approached her dorm, the sound of her voice snapped him out of his stroll down memory lane.

  “There you are!” She hopped up from the steps of the dorm where she’d been seated. “I was hoping you didn’t forget me.” She looped her arm through his.

  “How could I forget someone like you?” He pulled his arm free and wrapped it over her shoulder. “Whoa, you smell really good.”

  “Yeah? It’s a new fragrance called Deception.” She stretched her neck, inviting him for another whiff. “Daring, isn’t it?”

  He took the bait and pressed his nose against her perfect neck. “Scandalously daring, my dear.” He couldn’t stop grinning at her. He honestly couldn’t help it. She was so pretty, so full of life, and so obviously happy to see him.

  Wow.

  “I’ve been dying to see this new Bogart movie!” Beverly intertwined her fingers with his as they headed across campus. “It’s supposed to be quite the mystery.”

  “Oh, it is. Why, just last week Bogie called and told me how they—”

  “Sure he did.” She pinched his arm.

  “Ouch!”

  “And last week it was Gary Cooper who dropped by to see you. You forget I called you out on all that name dropping. Just because you and your dad were movie theater moguls doesn’t mean you rubbed elbows with all the stars. Except maybe in your dreams.”

  He braced his grip around the back of her neck and gently squeezed.

  “Noooooo! Danny, stop stop stop! You know I’m ticklish!”

  “Yeah? Guess I forgot or something.”

  “Stop, stop, stop!” She wrangled out of his grasp and ran ahead, wrapping her sweater around her shoulders as her long plaid skirt billowed in the strong breeze off Lake Michigan.

  He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Truce. No more tickling. I promise.”

  She walked backward just ahead of him. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you! I had a postcard from Joey today.”

  “No kidding? What’d he say?”

  “He said his ship just got out of dry dock in San Francisco and they’re headed back to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He was disappointed he couldn’t make it back to see all of us before they shipped out, but he didn’t have the money to get home. Dad thinks he’s probably losing all his money in poker games, but I don’t know if that’s true or not. Mom was pretty disappointed, though. We haven’t seen him since he enlisted.”

  Beverly resumed her place beside him, taking his hand again as they walked. “I can’t even imagine how beautiful it must be in Hawaii. I’ve always dreamed of going there some day.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Well, sure it is! I want to travel the whole world. Don’t you?”

  “I don’t know. Guess I never gave it that much thought.”

  She looked at him as if he’d sprouted a third eye. “You can’t be serious. Who wouldn’t want to travel to exotic places? Think about all the amazing sights you’d see�
�the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon in Athens, the Eiffel Tower, the London Bridge—”

  “Maybe so, but this isn’t exactly the optimal time to travel the world. Unless, Fräulein,” he said with a thick German accent, “unless you’d like mein goose-stepping Nazis to give you a tour?”

  “Your accent needs work, Herr McClain.” She slowed her pace. “Whoa, look at the long line.”

  Danny followed her gaze across the street where a line of movie-goers had already wrapped around the corner of the theater. “Gee, I hope they don’t sell out.”

  “Then c’mon. We better hurry!” She started to run, tugging on his arm. He didn’t budge. She turned. “What are you doing?”

  “Oh. Wait.” He dug in his pocket with great theatrics, finally pulling out two tickets.

  “I knew there was some reason I let you tag along.” She plucked the tickets out of his hand and giggled.

  He watched her dance her way to the main doors of the old theater. As she turned to summon him to catch up, he stared at her . . . the soft waves in her shiny brown hair, the flirty little smile, the twinkle in her eye . . . and wondered how on earth he’d ever lived a day before knowing her.

  27

  November 1941

  On the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving, Danny kicked open the door to his dorm room and turned on the light.

  “Do you mind?” his roommate growled, peeking out from under his covers.

  Danny tossed his keys on his desk and dropped his duffel bag on the floor. “What are you doing in bed? And why is this place such a mess?” Remnants of half-eaten food covered both desks, the floor, and most of Danny’s bed.

  “None of your business,” Craig mumbled, pulling the covers over his head.

  Danny yanked them back. “I thought you were going home. Did you stay on campus over break?”

  “So what if I did?”

  “Because I invited you to come home with me, but you said you had plans of your own.”

  “Well, then. You’ve found me out. I lied. Happy?”

  Danny shrugged and started unpacking his clean laundry. “Suit yourself, Gilmore.”