by Marilyn Turk
Lexie’s head told her the men were not a threat. Why did they make her uneasy anyway? Cal had seemed like a polite man, and she hadn’t talked to the other guy. It didn’t matter. She didn’t have to worry about them as long as she had Russell by her side.
Chapter Sixteen
Russell kissed Lexie goodbye before leaving her and walking back to the hotel, a spring in his step. Being with Lexie always had that effect on him and reminded him why he had followed her to New York in the first place. He shook his head. Why was Lexie so worried about those strangers? Sometimes she was too suspicious, but other times she was too trusting. No doubt the men were harmless, but he needed to stay close to Lexie if only to send them a message that she was taken.
He looked up at the Martinique as he approached. The 1910 French Renaissance façade with its stonework balconies was a piece of art amid the more modern buildings that had been built since. The hotel’s style was one of the things he liked about it because he appreciated its history, as he had the Jekyll Island Club and the old homes on the island.
When he walked into the lobby, he scanned the room for activity. Because it was a Sunday, most of the guests were out enjoying the day in the less-busy city. He crossed the room to the front desk, admiring the inlaid mosaic tile floor with its intricate, multicolor patterns, a unique floor no other hotel could boast.
“Any messages for me?”
“Yes, sir.” The desk clerk retrieved a note, glancing at the piece of paper in his hand before giving it to Russell. “This call came in at four o’clock.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in my office if you need me.” Russell descended the stairs to his private office, entered, and sat at his desk. Artie Davis’ name was by the number. He must’ve called to ask Russell to fill in again this week. Russell picked up the phone and asked the operator to give him an outside line before dialing the number. After a couple of rings, Artie answered.
“Artie Davis, best band leader in the biz, at your service.”
Russell laughed out loud. “Hey, Artie. This is Russell Thompson. You called?”
“Hey, Russ! Man, I need to talk to you. I’ve got a proposition for you.” Artie’s enthusiastic voice brought a smile to Russell’s face.
Russell sat back and put his feet on the desk. “That so? No, thank you, but I’m not joining your band.”
“Hold on! You haven’t heard the proposition yet.”
“All right. I’m listening.”
“You like playing for the USO, right?” Artie asked.
“Yes, I enjoy it. Got to do my service for the country.”
“Right. Well, how would you like to do even more for your country?” Artie’s eager voice was intriguing.
Russell put his feet down and sat up, his elbows on the desk. “You have my attention.”
“This is the deal. My band has been asked to go on a USO tour. And you know we need a piano player. If you want to do something really big for the country, come with us. We’ll perform for soldiers who are away from home and won’t be back for a while. Will you consider it? I’ll match your pay at the hotel. Maybe you can take a leave of absence or something so in case it doesn’t work out, you’ll still have your day job to come back to. What do you think?”
Rubbing his chin, Russell tried to take in all Artie was saying. Travel with the USO? He’d never considered that as an option. But Artie’s argument made sense. He could help to raise soldier morale much more when they’d been far away from home. Maybe this was the chance he’d been waiting for. But what would Lexie think? Could he leave her here alone? If he were going into the military, he would leave her behind like all the other guys did who served. He needed to talk to her first before deciding.
“I don’t know, Artie. That’s a big decision, and I can’t make it without giving it a lot of thought.”
“I get that. Tell you what. We’re playing at the Stage Door Canteen tomorrow night. I’d like you to play with us there, then we can talk about the other gig. Will that work?” Artie was persistent if nothing else.
“Yes, I can do that. See you tomorrow night.” Russell hung up the phone, his head swimming. He could actually be overseas where the army and navy were. He could do something that really mattered, more than he could do here at home, where he basically helped send soldiers off before they knew what it was like to be out of their own country among strangers and enemies. He’d prayed to do something significant for the war effort since he couldn’t serve in the military himself. Was this the answer to his prayer? Part of him wanted to jump at the opportunity, but part of him said to take it easy and not react too fast. He closed his eyes. Lord, is this what you want me to do?
He needed to talk to Lexie before giving Artie his answer. If he decided to go overseas with the USO, how would that affect their wedding plans? He’d been waiting for her to have time, to finish her studies, but now, she might have to wait for him instead. Not that he needed her permission, but she’d want to know about it before he made his decision. He checked his watch. He should call her before it got any later, not knowing when he’d have a chance to discuss it in person. Maybe she could come to the Stage Door Canteen tomorrow night, and he could talk to her then.
Russell picked up the phone and called the nurses’ residence. When the housemother answered, he asked for Lexie. Drumming his fingers on his desk, he tried to picture himself with Artie’s band overseas.
“Hello?” Lexie sounded out of breath.
“Hi, Lexie. It’s Russell.”
“Russell? Is anything wrong? You just left.”
“No, no. Um, I’m playing at the Stage Door Canteen tomorrow night and wondered if you could come.”
“On a Monday night? I couldn’t come, even if I didn’t have to work, which I do. I’m on the night shift tomorrow again after I take my test in the morning.”
“Oh, of course.” He had forgotten about her big test, not to mention the fact that she couldn’t get away on a weeknight.
“Russell, isn’t the Stage Door Canteen where the movie stars hang out with the servicemen?”
“Yes, that’s the place. I haven’t played there before, but Artie just called and…”
“Russell, you might get to meet somebody famous—like Bette Davis or Bob Hope or something!”
“Maybe so, but I wanted to talk to you about something.” He heard excited voices in the background. It sounded like the other girls were talking to Lexie about the names she’d mentioned.
“Sorry, Russell, did you say something? There’s a bunch of nosy girls around here.” Lexie laughed, and so did the girls standing near her.
Nosy and noisy too. “Lexie, can you hear me? Lexie, I need to talk to you.” He frowned at the interruption. He had hoped to talk to her alone, but chances of that happening in the main living room at the nurses’ quarters were slim to none. Frustrated, he stood and paced in front of his desk with the phone in his hand, waiting for Lexie’s attention. He could hear her voice talking to the other nurses.
“Would you girls be quiet? No, I didn’t say Bob Hope was on the phone. No, I didn’t see Bette Davis today.” She giggled. “Quit going bonkers on me. Go away.”
Russell waited, his patience growing thin. He raised his voice. “Lexie!”
“Russell? Are you yelling at me? What on earth for?”
“You said you couldn’t hear me.” He seethed through clenched teeth.
“Sorry. I can hear now. The other girls left the room. What did you want to tell me?”
“I … I really wanted to discuss this with you in person, but I don’t know when we’ll get a chance.”
“Discuss what?” Her voice had a worried tone.
“Artie asked me to join his band, you know.”
“Yes, you told me. And you told him you weren’t interested.” She paused. “Did you change your mind? Are you going to accept? Is that why you’re playing at the Stage Door tomorrow night?”
“Whoa. Wait a minute.” He took a deep breath. “Yes and no.
He did ask me to join the band, and I told him ‘no.’ He called today to ask me to play tomorrow night, and I said ‘yes.’ But … he asked me about something else that I want to talk to you about before I give him an answer.”
“Something else? What, Russell? Tell me,” she insisted.
“His band is going on an overseas USO tour, and he wants me to join them. Lexie, I’m tempted to accept.”
“Gee, Russell. That’s quite an honor. But what about your job here at the hotel? Will you quit?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know when the band is leaving or how long it’ll be gone, so I don’t know what to tell the hotel. Artie suggested I ask for a leave of absence so they’ll hold my job for me when I come back, but I don’t know if they would.”
“What are you going to tell him?”
“I don’t know, Lexie. You know I’ve wanted to do something more for the country, and maybe this is it. But if I leave, I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Russell, you already do plenty, but I know you don’t think so. Have you prayed about it?”
“Some. But I had to speak to you about it too. I wouldn’t make that big a decision without you.”
“I’m glad you wanted to talk to me first, but I’m not going to tell you what to do. I think we both need to pray about it.”
“Lexie, what about our wedding? It might be delayed even longer if I go.” Russell waited during her silence. Was she upset about that?
“You know, Russell, our wedding has been postponed by my nurses’ training, and you’ve supported me with my decision to go to school. I want to support you, too, if you choose to accept the offer.”
Russell’s heart swelled with the love he had for her. She cared about what he cared about, whatever the consequences. “You know, we can get married by a justice of the peace real quick before I leave town, just like all the soldiers and sailors are doing.”
“We could, but why? So we’ll be married while you’re gone? No, I want the real deal, and I want to be married in a church. Plus, I want my husband to be here with me afterward.”
“You know, kiddo, you’re something. You are the real deal, and I love you for it.”
“I love you, too, Russell, and I’ll love you wherever you go.”
“All right. I’ll pray about it. And I’ll see how things work out tomorrow night at the Canteen, see if I want to be with those guys more than a night.”
Lexie laughed. “You have a good time, and I’ll be praying about your decision too.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I decide. Meanwhile, go study. I want you to score flying colors on your test.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get right to it, as soon as we hang up. Good night, Russell.”
“Good night, sweetheart.”
The tables along the wall were filled with platters of cookies and cake when Russell entered the basement of the 44th Street Theater, the home of the Stage Door Canteen. Servicemen were already lining up outside for the opening shift of the night, which began at 6:00 p.m. Although the canteen could hold 500 at a time, more than 2,000 came each night, according to Artie, so the servicemen were divided into shifts, with tickets for four shifts issued every night. Decked out in patriotic red, white, and blue aprons, the women who were hostesses chatted with each other while they waited for the men to come in.
Russell waved at Artie and hurried over to the stage. “Looks like everything’s ready.”
“Yeah, the folks have been working here a couple of hours already.” He pointed to the piano. “Have a seat, and let’s run through a couple of songs before they open the door.”
Soon the place teemed with servicemen being served food and drinks by some of the stars from Broadway shows. Russell glanced over and saw Tallulah Bankhead serving coffee and Ray Bolger serving sandwiches. The band took a short break while a vaudeville comedian performed on stage to entertain the crowd. Afterward, the band started playing again, and the dance floor was packed with sailors and soldiers dancing with the hostesses.
The band took another break when the shift changed, and new servicemen entered the room. They, too, were treated to sandwiches, dessert, fruit, and drinks. Russell couldn’t believe how much food they would go through each night. He was thankful to learn that no liquor was served to these men who might be shipping out in a few hours. They didn’t need to start out their service on the wrong foot. Russell felt a sense of patriotism as part of such a morale-boosting event for these guys. Too bad Lexie wasn’t able to come tonight and share the experience with him.
When the last song ended at midnight, Russell was beat. What a long day, working at the hotel eight hours, then coming to the canteen and playing almost six. He closed the piano lid and stayed seated on the bench, taking a few minutes to regroup as he watched the other band members pack up their instruments. True, he was tired physically, but somehow he was also energized mentally, knowing he’d contributed to a good cause.
Artie came over and pulled up a chair beside him. “What d’ya think? Are you ready to take this show overseas?”
Russell nodded and faced him. “Artie, I want to do it. I’ve talked to my girl and my Big Boss, but I haven’t talked to the hotel yet.”
Artie’s eyebrows met. “I don’t get it. I thought the hotel was the Big Boss. If they’re not, who is?”
Russell smiled and pointed skyward. “The man upstairs. Had to talk it over with Him first.” He chuckled at Artie’s reaction. “Do you know when you’re going to leave?”
“Well, here’s the thing. I just got word that they want us to fly out in two days.”
Russell’s mouth dropped open. “Two days? That’s a lot sooner than I expected.”
“Yeah, me too. But some folks in another band got sick, so they need us right away.”
“That doesn’t give me much time to give notice to the hotel. I feel kind of bad about that.”
“I know, but people are a lot more understanding about things like that these days, especially if you’re serving your country. And that’s what you’ll be doing.”
He was. And he would be. Finally.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hey, Lexie. Any chance you can meet me for lunch today?” Russell’s voice was especially animated Tuesday morning.
“Sure, I guess so.” Lexie ran over all she had to do that day, wondering how she could fit a lunch date with Russell into the schedule, but she heard the urgency in Russell’s tone.
“Great. I’ll meet you at the diner at noon. Okay?”
“See you then.” Lexie hung up the receiver and stared at the phone a few seconds. Had Russell made a decision about going on a USO tour? He must have, or he wouldn’t be so anxious to see her today. She’d had a hard enough time focusing on studying for her test after he’d called Sunday night. Hopefully, she’d passed, even though Russell was in the back of her mind. But whatever he decided, she needed to act as supportive of his decision as he was of hers. Yet, deep inside, she hoped he had turned down the offer.
“Lexie! Time for inspection!” Penny tagged her as she passed.
Snapped back into her immediate duties, Lexie lined up with the rest of the girls. She restrained herself from tapping her foot as she endured the scrutiny of the nursing supervisor once again. Everyone’s uniform had to be clean, starched, and ironed. Every shoe had to be scuffless, polished lily-white, the seams in their white hose straight, and the hats pinned on in the proper place on their heads. Lexie thought she could put on her uniform blindfolded now that she’d done it so many times. This ordeal was one she looked forward to leaving behind when she graduated from nursing school.
As soon as the girls were released, they reported to their classes. This afternoon after lunch, she’d report back to the psychiatric hospital for duty. Did Nurse Harper have her test results yet? When would she tell Lexie how she did?
The pharmacology class ended just minutes before noon, giving Lexie little time to change to meet Russell. Lexie practically ran to the diner, hopin
g Russell had arrived early enough to claim a seat.
She squeezed in the door through waiting customers and spotted him at the counter where he waved her over.
Russell smiled and kissed her on the cheek as she climbed up on the stool. “Sorry I couldn’t grab a table,” he said, nodding toward the tables. “They were already taken.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind sitting here.” She didn’t mention the last time she sat there it was next to Cal Miller.
The waitress stopped in front of them with her pad and pencil ready.
Russell glanced at Lexie. “Do you know what you want yet?”
The smell of bacon frying tantalized Lexie’s taste buds.
“Yes, I’ll have a club sandwich and a Coke.”
“Make that two.”
The waitress scribbled on her pad, then walked away.
Lexie faced Russell. “You made a decision, didn’t you?”
Russell’s smile dimmed as he got serious. “I did. But I wanted to tell you in person.”
“You’ve decided to go.” She forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat.
“Yes.” He took her hand. “You know I don’t want to leave you, but I have to do this. I have to do more for the war. I have to do my part.”
Lexie nodded, wishing the moisture in her eyes would go away. She sniffed, then said, “I know you feel that way, Russell.”
Russell reached with his thumb and wiped away the tear that escaped from her eye and ran down her cheek. “I know you don’t really understand, but thanks for trying.”
She searched his face. “Do you know when you’ll be leaving?
He cleared his throat. “That’s one reason I needed to see you today.” He squeezed her hand. “We leave tomorrow.” Noticing her shock, he said, “I know it’s kind of sudden, but another band had to cancel, and Artie’s was asked to fill in.”
She blew out a breath. “Tomorrow.” She tried to let that fact sink in. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Yes, first we’ll go to a base in England, then we’ll fly over to Northern Ireland to some bases there.”
