Battle Hymns (2 page)

She pouted. Returning to the college meant they’d be
separated, and she had more time before her curfew.

“At least to the car.” Nick rubbed her shoulders. “I
don’t want you to freeze.”

“I’ll go back to the car with you, but I won’t say
good-bye until the minute before they lock the doors.”

They returned to Nick’s Buick. He drove to the campus
and parked down the street from the entrance of Charlotte’s
dormitory.

“It’s not fair we have curfews and you men can do
whatever you want.” She glanced at the dashboard clock. She had to
be inside before eleven o’clock on a Friday night, an unreasonable
constraint. Nick, of course, had no curfew at Georgetown.

He squeezed her hand. “Believe me, I wish you didn’t
have a curfew either.”

She smiled coyly. “When I return home for Christmas,
it’ll be extended to midnight. Then I can spend more time with
you.”

He toyed with the engagement ring on her finger.
“That’s good to know,” he whispered, dipping his head to kiss her.
She pressed her lips against his with increasing fervor. She wanted
more than their usual, sweet good-night kiss.

Nick’s tongue grazed her lips while he pulled her
closer. His hands roamed up and down her back. One slid between
their bodies, caressing her breast through the thin silk. She
gasped as Nick placed kisses across her jaw line, up to her ear. He
lifted the bottom of her dress, and she opened her eyes. Her gaze
landed on the clock. It was nearly eleven.

“Damn it!” Charlotte’s curse startled Nick. She
lurched away from him. “I have to go, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”
Her heart beat frantically beneath her ribs as she adjusted her
dress, pulled on her coat, and grabbed her pocketbook from the
floor. “I love you so much.”

She opened the door and hurried out, slamming it
behind her. She rushed toward the dormitory, turning every so often
to catch another glimpse of her fiancé.

Nick emerged from his car and leaned against the
inside of the open door. “Can I see you again tomorrow?”

A grin swept across her face. “Pick me up at
six!”

She ran toward the front door of the dormitory and
turned the door handle. Thankfully, it was unlocked.

As she entered, Mrs. Lloyd, their house matron,
walked toward the door, keys in hand. She frowned at Charlotte.
“Good night, Miss Donahue.”

Charlotte hurried upstairs to the room she shared
with Natalie. She unlocked the door and opened it, glad to see her
best friend was awake so she could share her news.

Natalie sat on her bed with rollers in her hair and a
book in her lap. She glanced at the clock and flipped the book
cover closed. “Close call. How was dinner?”

Charlotte grinned. “Dinner was great. What happened
afterward was even better!”

Natalie narrowed her eyes. “What happened?”

Charlotte held out her left hand.

With a loud shriek, Natalie jumped from the bed and
grabbed Charlotte’s hand to get a closer look. “Goodness gracious!
You must give me details.”

Charlotte relayed all the events of her evening with
Nick.

Natalie squealed again. “Oh, Charlotte! This is the
beginning of something grand, I can tell! You two will be so happy
together. I’m absolutely sure of it!”

***

C
harlotte pored over her
history textbook and notes on Sunday afternoon, memorizing the
facts and dates required for her final exam the next day. Glancing
away from the textbook, she twirled her engagement ring around her
finger. Not only was the ring beautiful, the symbolism behind it
meant everything to her. Nick loved her and wanted to spend the
rest of his life by her side. It was the greatest feeling in the
entire world.

She tried to read one more chapter, but was unable to
focus. The words on the page might as well have been written in a
foreign language. She rubbed her forehead and decided to take a
break. She stood, smoothed her skirt, and left the room.

When she reached the lobby of the dormitory, the
radio was turned to
Sammy Kaye’s Sunday Serenade
on NBC.
Natalie sat on a loveseat, flipping through the latest
Screen
Guide
magazine, which featured Lana Turner in a bridal veil on
the cover.

Charlotte plopped down next to her. “Sorry if I’m
interrupting.”

Natalie closed the magazine. “It’s fine. I was only
reading about Judy Garland’s marriage. It’s not breaking news, and
I can finish it later.” She tapped her fingers to the beat of the
music. “I’m excited for your engagement party tonight. Have you
decided what to wear? I don’t want to sport the same color as the
bride-to-be.”

Having known about Charlotte’s engagement ahead of
time, her parents had planned a soirée in honor of her and Nick.
Many of her girlfriends from Trinity College and Nick’s buddies
from Georgetown were invited. She was looking forward to it all
day. It was no wonder she couldn’t study.

“I have so many dresses, I can’t decide.”

Natalie perked up. “Let’s go upstairs and figure it
out. How swanky do you think the party will be? I can’t choose
between my blue velvet and my black silk.”

As she collected her magazines, a radio commentator
disrupted the music. “
We interrupt this program to bring you a
special news bulletin. From the NBC newsroom in New York—President
Roosevelt said in a statement today that the Japanese have attacked
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii from the air. I’ll repeat that. President
Roosevelt said in a statement today that the Japanese have attacked
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii from the air. This bulletin is from the NBC
news room at Radio City.
”

The National Broadcasting Company returned to their
normal programming.

“I’ll try another station.” Natalie turned the
dial.

The announcer on the next frequency also spoke about
the event. “
Here is what has happened—President Roosevelt phoned
Secretary Early half an hour ago that the Japanese had attacked
Pearl Harbor, the United States naval base on Oahu Island in the
Hawaiian Islands. This means that war is underway between Japan and
the United States.
”

Natalie tried other stations. The announcers all
relayed various versions of the same message.

Word spread throughout the college quickly, and soon
it was all anyone talked about. Some women expressed anger, some
expressed anxiety, and some even expressed apathy. One thing was
clear: studying for exams was no longer top priority.

Fear replaced Charlotte’s previous excitement. If
American Forces in Hawaii were attacked, what would stop the
Japanese from attacking Washington, D.C.? Would this draw them into
the war so many deemed to be inevitable? And more importantly,
would Nick, as interested as he was, participate?

Two

C
harlotte and Natalie
waited just inside the entrance to their dormitory for Nick to pick
them up and drive them to the party. They had made a pact earlier
in the afternoon not to discuss the attacks. Until they knew more
information, worrying about it would be useless.

Natalie had picked out a black silk dress with a
sweetheart neckline and capped sleeves for Charlotte to wear. The
skirt puffed out at the waist and fell to her mid-calf. She wore
her grandmother’s pearls, and her lips were colored red.

Natalie looked sophisticated as well in a dark blue,
velvet dress that fell below her knees and a matching bolero
jacket. Her hair was styled in pin curls.

Nick’s car pulled up to the curb. Natalie pushed open
the front door, and they stepped out into the bitter cold. John
exited from the front passenger side, leaving the door open for
Charlotte, and crawled into the back seat with Natalie. Both Nick
and John were ginned up in black suits, white dress shirts, and
ties.

Charlotte leaned across the seat and pecked Nick on
the lips. He flashed a smile and pulled the car onto the road,
heading toward her parents’ house in Chevy Chase.

“Did you hear about Pearl Harbor?” John asked.

Natalie sighed. “It’s terrible, and I’d rather not
talk about it.”

“I heard the Japs sunk the entire naval fleet.
Fortunately, the aircraft carriers were untouched because they were
out in the water, not in the harbor. Otherwise, the Pacific fleet’s
ability to conduct offensive operations would’ve been destroyed. I
also heard the Japs might attack California next.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Where did you hear
that?”

Nick glanced at John in the rearview mirror. “You’re
not helping. We don’t know anything yet. It’s all hearsay.”

John persisted. “I bet your father would know more
about it.”

Charlotte shifted in her seat. “I guess so.”

Her father was an Army major who worked in military
intelligence for the War Department. He very likely knew more about
the attacks than the rest of the American people. Still, she didn’t
want John bombarding her father with questions he likely wasn’t
allowed to answer, especially not at her engagement party.

“Maybe he has an idea of how Roosevelt will
respond.”

“John, that’s enough,” Nick said.

Charlotte tossed a grateful smile at her fiancé.

It didn’t take long for them to cross the state line
into Maryland and enter the affluent neighborhood where Charlotte’s
parents lived. The house was styled after the Tudor Revival period
of the twenties with timbered gables and red brick siding. Nick
parked the car on the street and accompanied Charlotte to the front
porch with Natalie and John closely behind. Nick knocked on the
large oak door.

Charlotte’s mother, Helen Donahue, greeted them. She
was dressed in a black evening dress. Her auburn-colored hair was
pulled back into a stylish chignon, and she wore her best diamond
earrings.

“The guests of honor are here!” she exclaimed to
those already in the house. She ushered them inside and closed the
front door. “Congratulations, sweetie.” She hugged her daughter,
kissed her cheek, and did the same to Nick. “Go say hello to your
father. He’ll be glad to see you. They wanted him to go into the
office, but he insisted on being here for you.”

Charlotte grabbed Nick by the hand and walked with
him to the sitting room. The room was lavishly decorated with
silver streamers and a
Congratulations Charlotte & Nick
banner, which hung across the back wall. The Christmas tree in the
corner looked as festive as it did every year. With the extra
decorations, her mother truly outdid herself, and that said a lot,
considering she was a socialite and a politician’s wife; planning
soirées was part of her domestic repertoire. A handful of guests
were present. Most of them were friends of either Charlotte’s or
Nick’s parents.

Nick and Charlotte strolled through the room,
accepting congratulations and making small talk with each couple.
Charlotte’s mission, though, was to speak with her father. She
spied him standing at the far side of the room, speaking into the
ear of an Army colleague.

When he spotted Charlotte, he smiled and held out his
arms. She let go of Nick’s hand and walked into her father’s
embrace, letting him hug her and kiss her cheek. “Congratulations!
Your mother and I are happy for you.”

“Thank you, Dad.” She pulled away to look him in the
eye. Something was different. The carefree spirit that always made
Thomas Donahue the life of the party was gone. His forehead was
wrinkled with worry, and the usual gleam in his eyes had dimmed.
The smile he wore looked somewhat forced.

Even though she knew the answer, she asked, “Is
everything all right?”

Her father sighed and brought his cigarette to his
lips. “Things could be better.” Smoke billowed from his nose and
mouth after his puff. “I assume you’ve heard about Pearl Harbor by
now?”

Charlotte nodded.

“It’s not good. Almost all the battleships in our
Pacific fleet were destroyed.”

Her eyes swept the room. Many guests eavesdropped on
their discussion.

Her father lowered his voice. “I’m afraid that’s all
I can tell you at the moment.”

Yet another Army man approached her father and
murmured into his ear. He grimaced and turned back to his daughter.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte. I have some urgent business to attend to.
Tell your mother I’ll be in my study if I’m needed.”

“I understand.”

He excused himself and led the man toward his
study.

More guests arrived, including some friends from
college and Nick’s parents, Jim and Barbara Adler. It was a nice,
intimate gathering, and the celebration should have been a gas. But
Charlotte found it wanting. She and Nick were greeted with
congratulations and superficial inquiries about her ring, the
length of their engagement, where they’d like to be married, and
whether Charlotte would quit her studies to become a housewife.

Too quickly, though, all discussions turned to the
attack on Pearl Harbor. The friends of Major Donahue and Mr. Adler
were in one group, clouded by cigarette smoke, sharing opinions on
how President Roosevelt should respond, while the friends of Mrs.
Donahue and Mrs. Adler were in their own group worrying about whose
sons would be shipped off to the Pacific if America went to war
with Japan.

Charlotte was in neither group. She stood to the
side, leaning against an armoire with her arms crossed in front of
her. This was their engagement party, and she and Nick deserved at
least a little more attention than they’d received so far.

Nick detached from his friends and joined her. He
wrapped his arm around her waist and took a sip from his champagne
coupe. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “The
Japanese ruined our party.”

Nick frowned. “They ruined more than our party. Many
men lost their lives today.”