Trotting through the busy Austrian village with Samantha, Edith caught sight of Sergeant Eddie Grable in a group of GIs. He was dressed in his PT gear with a baseball bat slung over his narrow shoulders. Edith lifted a hand and was about to call out to him when Samantha snagged her coat sleeve.
"Don't you do it." Samantha grumbled.
Edith snorted, "What do you mean?"
"Don't you draw Eddie's attention over here!" Samantha hung behind her until the young man disappeared around a corner, "Gracious, you almost blew my cover."
"Samantha, what are you talking about?"
"I have been doing my best to avoid him since the other night at the park."
"Why?"
"Because the boy tried to kiss me!"
"And you're surprised?" Edith quirked an eyebrow, "Samantha Quincey, he has been sweet on you since the moment he set eyes on you."
"I know it. I shouldn't have-"
"Led him on?"
Samantha groaned, running her hands over her face, "He's a great guy and he's fun to be around. I just don't feel… I don't know how to explain it."
Samantha's gaze zeroed in her shoes. A slight tick pinched her rounded cheek as she bit the inside of her mouth.
"It's not the same as it was with Smooch." Edith surmised.
"I'm scared it never will be again." Samantha gave a weak laugh, kicking a stone into the gutter.
Edith laced her fingers behind her and focused on her Oxfords. She was tempted to tell her that she had been plagued with the same fears after Colonel Bentley broke her heart. That there were much better things waiting for her if she would only be open to them. Edith could feel the words brimming in her brain.
"You know," she sighed, "If Smooch means that much to you, you need to tell him."
"He was the one who ended things."
"Did he know how you felt about him?" Edith asked quietly.
Samantha shook her head, "I didn't feel like I could say it. I wanted to be practical. Your whole pedestal speech spooked me a bit."
Edith hooked an arm with her, "I'm sorry I said all that. I was wrong."
Samantha glanced over at her in surprise, "Well I never thought I'd hear that from you."
"I should never have scared you away from loving someone." Edith peered down the street towards the breathless blue of Lake Zell, "If you love the man, you should tell him. What's the worst that could happen anyway? He says no?"
"And then I end up alone." Samantha scoffed, "I'm already alone now."
"Then someone else will come along. They always do. Will you at least think about writing Smooch? His response might surprise you." Edith patted her hand.
"I'll consider it." Samantha conceded.
Edith let her go, brushing a hand through the loose waves on her shoulders. She had forgone her usual chignon and let the honeyed strands do as they pleased for the day. The thought of trying to tie herself up in buttons and pins had felt impossible that morning. The evening before, it had taken her an unusual amount of time to fall asleep. As she would drift off, she'd awaken to the memory of heat burning up her lips. The pressure of Alex's touch had left imprints like indents in the sand.
"Come on now," Samantha skipped ahead, walking backwards to face her, "Would you just fess up already? Who's the man?"
Edith barked out a laugh, "What man?"
"You have been grinning like a possum eating taters all the live long day. Is it Porter?" Samantha swung around a lamp post with an impish grin.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Edith replied coyly as she raced ahead to her quarters.
"You won't get out of it that easily!"
Laughing, she ascended the steps, "I'll see you this afternoon."
Halfway to the landing, she peered up to see Alex's tall frame stark against the sun shocked sky. He was chatting with Porter and another one of Easy's officers on a landing of the stairs. She slowed her steps, observing him with fascination. He undid the buttons on his jacket, letting it fall loose to his sides. Perching a hand on his lean waist, he was propped up against the railing. He didn't look anything like the man barking out orders in a bombed out winter forest.
"Good afternoon," Edith called out, shielding her eyes with her hand as Alex straightened his posture.
"Afternoon."
Edith could barely contain the electricity under her skin as his gaze slowly swept over her. She tore her attention to the other two men. In true form, Porter gave her a smirk and a salute, cigarette smoke brushing past his cheek. The other officer whom she hadn't met brushed his hands off on his pants.
"I don't think we've been introduced." The shorter officer gave her a charming, gap toothed smile, "Ralph Burbank."
"Edith Dixon." She shook his hand, recalling that he was the same officer who had been shooting the necks off beer bottles by the lake the other evening.
He crossed his arms over his barrel chest, studying her a moment, "Dixon huh? You wouldn't happen to be a relation to-"
"The Colonel is her dear old papa." Porter interrupted with a wink in Edith's direction.
"Really?" Ralph snorted, "How is that?"
Edith sidled up against the railing in front of Alex. His presence seared into her back as though she stood before a bonfire.
"It has its moments but my father gives me my space." She explained, sensing Alex rest his back to the railing.
"We were just discussing here the possibility of Ralph going ahead and marrying this girl from town. It’s bound to happen sooner or later, the Government giving leave for marriages to locals. They have to, there are too many pretty blondes running around here. Present company included." Porter stretched his arms in front of him with a yawn that turned into a smirk, his eyes drifting from Edith towards Alex.
Edith sensed Alex straighten his posture and his hand grip the railing tighter. She suppressed a smile and turned to Ralph, “So who is she?”
Ralph sighed, “Her name is Hilda. She’s the vicar’s daughter actually.”
Port scoffed “A little too straight laced for you, I would think-“
Ralph hunched his shoulders and scowled, "Can it, Port."
"Don’t let him get to you, Ralph." Alex's voice rolled over her.
"So how I do I tell her folks I want to marry the girl when they just think I’m out to use her? I may not be the nicest guy around but I wouldn’t do that to her, not Hilda." Ralph looked back at Porter.
"So don't tell them. She wants to marry you, you want to marry her. That’s all that matters." Porter shrugged.
Ralph scoffed, “I can’t not ask her parents’ permission. Anyway, what about this whole deal with the drop on Tokyo? They are training us already? How can I marry her then leave her for Japan?”
Alex ran a knuckle down the back of her upper arm, out of sight from the other two men. She stopped breathing. Edith fought to keep a straight face as Ralph glanced at the two of them. She hadn't even heard what he had said but gave a distracted smile.
"Clearly the Colonel hasn’t told you the rumors.” Alex interjected.
Edith shifted so she could see him. He glanced over at her where she stood nearly eye level on the higher step.
"What rumors?" Ralph asked.
"I was going to say something then Romeo over here couldn’t stop moaning about his Alpine Juliet," Porter replied, a tendril of smoke drifting from his words, "Dixon is saying that we are getting shipped for the orient sooner than later."
Edith's gaze snapped back over to Alex. He looked down at his feet before meeting her eyes, "They are sending out the 13th Airborne as soon as possible.”
“And Captain Goody Two Shoes here is up for a possible promotion and a transfer.” Port stumped out his smoke, “All the way to Paris? How cruel.”
Ralph snorted and nodded towards Alex, “The Brass really does love you, buddy.”
A stilted silence followed. Edith's brow furrowed as she peered down at her neatly folded hands in front of her. Despite the elation she had felt at seeing him, this turn of events left her dizzy. Alex took a step closer to her without making it obvious.
"I would be made Major. I never thought I’d make it that far." He attempted a light tone that she knew was meant more for her than the other two men. However, she couldn't look at him.
"So you'll be leaving your men." She stated quietly, daring a peek into his steady gaze. And me.
One look at him and she knew he would go through with it. Not that he had much of a choice. She was the daughter of an Officer, she knew the life. Whether she had come into the picture or not, Alex McKay was eventually going to be sent somewhere else. Whether or not it was the Pacific. As would Port, Ralph Burbank, Eddie Grable and even possibly Burk Lane. There was no knowing when Japan would surrender. It could take years. Edith felt sick.
"I don’t know yet. It’s whatever my superiors need from me." He replied calmly, holding her gaze.
Edith fought the impulse to say how much she needed him but swallowed her words with a weak nod.
"They'll be lucky to have you wherever you end up, Captain." She answered, keeping her voice steady.
If she was going to love a soldier, this was going to be her life. It was something she would have to learn to accept. She bit her lip as she realized that she had just applied the word 'love' to him.
"It was nice to meet you, Ralph. I hope everything turns out well with Hilda and her parents." Edith broke the silence climbing up a few steps, "I need to have my lunch and get back to work. You men have a nice afternoon."
"You too, Edith." Porter pulled his legs out of the way for her.
Alex didn't say anything as she walked away.
#
That evening, Alex left his office later than usual. His desk filled up with reports he had yet to file. He took a long time, his brain occupied with other thoughts. Mostly about Edith McKay.
Dixon. Her name was Dixon.
Whatever her last name was, what had happened between them was irreversible. The moment she had kissed him like she meant it, his fate was sealed. She had dropped right back into his life. Would he be going against God’s plan by leaving her behind again so soon?
His head spun as he strode towards his quarters through the empty street. It was all too much to think about after a long day. Pausing under a street lamp, he scratched at the back of his neck and let out an aggravated grunt.
“Those fleas bothering you again, Okie?”
Alex swiveled to see Port sitting on a bench in front of a closed up drugstore. He threw back a shot from his ever faithful flask then held it out. Alex shook his head as he ambled towards him.
“Who are you calling an Okie?” Alex retorted, sinking down into the seat beside him. Port reeked of drink, more than his usual biting odor, “Your pop was a migrant just like mine.”
Port let out a quiet belch, “This is true.”
“What are you doing out here?”
Alex waited for a quick witted remark but nothing came. He studied his old friend, his brow furrowing. Port leaned forward onto his knees and unfolded a worn piece of paper, “Got a letter from my mom. My dad isn’t doing so well.”
Alex folded his hands with a deep nod, “Not doing well?”
“He’s dying is what my mom thinks.”
Michael Porter’s father was a hardworking man. He had made sure his son had every opportunity to shine. Especially with his genius in mathematics. Alex missed days of class during harvests while Port’s father pushed him to be the best.
After earning his degree, Michael had seemed confused. He applied only to jobs for which he was overqualified. He got a job selling cars and wasn't very good at it. His life paused, disappointing everyone. Especially his dad. Port took up the bottle as hard as his father did, his drinking becoming a bigger problem in the weeks after D-Day. Their relationship was as complicated as Alex’s had been with his own father.
Port rose and ambled out to the middle of the sidewalk. “You wanna know why I didn’t try to make something of myself after school?” He whipped around, pointing the end of the flask at Alex. “Because I didn’t wanna get to a place where I was better than my dad. He’s the best man I know, I didn’t want to be more successful than him. But he couldn’t understand that-“
“Michael, do you need to go home?”
“What’s the point? From the sounds of his letter, he might already be dead.”
Alex sighed, “Then your mom would want you there-“
“Gah, stuff it, Alex. I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” he stumbled away muttering to himself, “You bore me.”
Alex watched him, knowing he should follow after him. Clean up the mess. Alex gripped his hands together and shook his head. He had been cleaning up after Port for years, he would be lying if he didn’t say he was tired of it.
Across the shadowed street, he noticed Sergeant Quincey exit a building. He recalled it was where Edith worked. He wasn't surprised to see the light in her work space above burning.
Peering down the street, Port had disappeared around another alley. Instead of following him, Alex jumped to his feet and trotted over to Edith's building. He hated to hear that Port was having a hard time about his father, but Alex had his own life now.
The blood hummed in his ears as he swung into the doorway that Samantha had just exited. He didn't know if he'd made Edith upset by not telling her about his possible early deployment. But he didn't care. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing her that night. He skipped the last two steps leading up to her floor. Alex checked his pace and make the conscious effort to knock when all he wanted to do was burst through the door.
"Come in!"
She had barely gotten the words out before he was in the threshold. Edith's face flushed where she stood in front of her desk, holding a few papers suspended in front of her. They floated from her fingers as he marched towards her.
"You're working late." Despite his pounding heart, his voice was calm. He got the last word out as he took her in his arms and kissed her soundly.
"And you're surprised by this?" She grinned, twisting her arms around his neck.
Taking her mouth once again, Alex gripped her waist. She broke the kiss with a gasp.
"Wait a moment," she breathed, pushing him away, "Wait, wait. We need to talk. This is important."
"Okay let's talk." Alex replied. Distracted by her berry red lips, he leaned forward to lay another kiss on her.
"Wait! You get over there!" She shoved him back.
He almost laughed at her determined tone, her eyes widening as she pointed to Samantha's desk. The woman was serious. And more than that, she was right. This was ridiculous. They needed to work this through sensibly.
Fighting against the heat of the moment, Alex managed a few weighty steps backwards. He collapsed against the opposite desk. He ripped his gaze away from her to the darkened windows.
"What are you thinking?" He finally asked.
“Are you leaving with the 13th?"
"That wasn’t my transfer. I'm not."
Edith smiled, "They don't need you?"
Alex scoffed, "Nope. But I'm still getting the promotion."
Edith launched herself towards him. She stopped a few feet away with a laugh. He ached to reach out and grab her once more but mustered some self-restraint.
"Now hold on, that's not all." He lifted his hands with a sigh, "If I take the promotion, they will send me elsewhere."
Edith's smiled faded, "Where?"
"Paris."
"That's not so bad," she snorted.
Alex crossed his arms over his chest and scratched at the back of his neck. "Yeah but this is the crossroads from the sounds of it. If I take this job, this will probably end up as my career. Either that or I have the points to go home now if I wanted."
"And get out of the military for good?"
Alex smirked, "Sound familiar?"
"Too familiar," She laughed but her face fell again, "So what are you thinking?"
At that moment, he didn’t want to talk or think about it anymore,
“When are you leaving?" He inquired, his eyes dropping to his boots.
"In a couple weeks at the latest. And they still don't have a date for when the 101st will be deployed to the Pacific?"
"Nothing yet."
"What do we do? Do you want to go to Paris? Or do you want to come home with me?" Edith bit her lip as she realized what she had just said, "And what are we to each other anyway? What am I to you?"
The vulnerability in her tone stunned Alex. Her expression was more hopeful than he had ever seen. He wasn't confused anymore about where she stood.
Unable to stay away any longer, he crossed the floor and cradled her face in his hands. Running a thumb across her cheek, he pressed his lips to her forehead.
"I'm yours, if you'll have me." He breathed, burying his fingers in the waves of loose hair around her face.
Edith curled her fingers around his wrists, "And I'm yours. I think I always was."
Alex inhaled sharply.
"I don't want to stand in your way if you want to go to Paris. But will you will come home to me? Someday?" She asked.
Alex brushed his mouth over hers.
Before he could reply, a horn from a jeep blared in the street. The terrifying scream of breaks tore through the quiet night. Alex pulled away from Edith, the two of them staring over at the darkened windows. They raced over and squinted down at the avenue. A jeep on the cobblestones below was parked at a crooked angle. It’s headlights blared across the road.
The driver of the vehicle ran up to a motionless body that lay in the path of the jeep. He flipped him over. Alex’s heart dropped to his stomach. It was Michael Porter.
“Oh no-“ Edith breathed in horror as Alex sprinted towards the door.
ns 15.158.61.39da2
