Battle Hymns (4 page)

Nick stared at the ring and then at her. He leaned in
and cupped her jaw. The gold felt cold against her skin. “I’ll wear
it proudly. God, I love you so much. It’ll be hell being away from
you.”

***

M
uch too soon, it was time
to say good-night. Mr. and Mrs. Adler retreated upstairs, and
Charlotte lingered on the sofa with Nick. She rested in the crook
of his arm, staring at the lingering smoke and embers from the
extinguished fire in the hearth.

“I don’t want this day to end,” she said. “I could
live in this moment forever.”

Nick kissed her behind her ear. “Come to my room
tonight.”

Her lips lifted into a smile. “All right.”

Charlotte and Nick retired to their separate upstairs
bedrooms. She changed into her long, rose-colored silk nightgown,
pulled on a knit robe, and tied it tightly around her waist. When
the house fell quiet, she left the guestroom.

Moonlight filtered in from the window at the end of
the corridor, brightening the darkened hallway. She tiptoed toward
Nick’s room and entered silently. Nick was sitting up, waiting for
her. She gently closed the door, walked to the bed, and sat next to
him.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave in the morning.”
Charlotte wrung her hands, her eyes burning with imminent tears.
“I’m going to miss you terribly.”

Nick pressed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes
and hooked her arm around his neck, drawing them closer. His hands
trailed down her back to her waist and then her hips.

She broke their kiss and rested her forehead against
his. “I want you to make love to me.”

He pulled back. “You’re sure? I thought you
said—”

“I know what I said. I don’t care now. Our wedding
night won’t be anytime soon, and I don’t know how long you’ll be
gone.” She placed her hand on his thigh. “I want this.”

Nick grinned. “I want this, too.”

His lips met hers again, this time with less
restraint. He guided her onto her back and hovered above her. She
rested her head on the pillow while his hand grazed her robe. He
paused at the belt. Charlotte helped him untie the knot, desperate
to remove the dressing gown from her body. Without the robe, the
silk of her nightgown provided little coverage. Nick’s hands were
soon upon her bare skin, and as he resumed his caresses, she forgot
all about his departure and her worries.

They were each other’s first, and they would be each
other’s last. They fit together perfectly, as though they were
always meant to be. One entity. Soul mates. And nothing would keep
them apart, not even the war.

***

M
orning arrived with a loud
peal of the alarm clock. Nick didn’t stir, so Charlotte reached
over him and silenced the bells on the nightstand. She pulled the
sheet over her chest and gazed at Nick. He lay on his stomach, his
back bare.

She rubbed his shoulders to rouse him. “It’s time to
wake up.”

He groaned and turned his head toward her. He opened
his eyes and smiled. “What a sight to wake up to.” He drew her
close and kissed her lightly. “Good morning.”

A door in the hallway closed.

She pulled away. “We should get ready.”

Nick heaved a sigh. “All right. I’ll see you
downstairs.”

Charlotte stood from the bed and grabbed her
nightgown from the floor. She was about to pull it over her head
when Nick stopped her. “Wait. Just let me see you for another
moment.”

She paused, granting his request.

His eyes swept her body from head to toe. “Thank you.
That image will get me through this war.”

With a sheepish smile, she finished dressing.

Charlotte made it to the guestroom without being
caught. She dressed in a gray wool skirt and jacket ensemble with a
dark blue blouse, black heels, and matching cloche hat. She didn’t
bother with makeup. Her tearful eyes would only run the mascara.
Her curls were untidy so she pinned them into a low bun and pulled
on the hat. Then she packed up her belongings and her gift from
Nick and went downstairs.

The Adlers were eating breakfast in the dining room.
Nick sat at the table in his new Army uniform: tan khaki pants and
a green khaki jacket, shirt, tie, and cap. He looked quite dashing,
even as he picked at a piece of toast with jam. Mr. Adler read the
morning’s
Washington Post
while sipping a cup of coffee.
Mrs. Adler ate small bites of her toast and eggs. Charlotte was
offered a similar breakfast, but she didn’t have an appetite. She
accepted a cup of tea instead.

Conversation at the breakfast table was stagnant. No
one muttered a word until Mr. Adler looked at his watch, folded the
newspaper, and said, “It’s time to go.”

The four of them arrived at Union Station half an
hour later. It was crowded inside the depot, a sea of khaki green
with so many soldiers leaving that morning. They checked the
departure board for Nick’s train and made their way through the
crowd. They arrived at the platform only ten minutes before the
final whistle.

John Cartwright spotted them and waved. He wore an
identical uniform to Nick’s and tapped his fingers on his thigh,
seemingly impatient for the train to depart.

“How was Grand Rapids? How’s Natalie handling this?”
Charlotte asked.

After Nick and John enlisted and received their
orders, John traveled to Michigan to spend the week with Natalie,
since she couldn’t be here to see him off.

“She’ll be fine. Grand Rapids was all right. I hadn’t
met Natalie’s folks before . . . I’m not sure they
like me.” John shrugged. “Oh well. It was great to see her before I
left.” He pointed to the passenger car. “I’m heading inside.
Charlotte, take care of yourself. Natalie, too.”

“I will.” Charlotte hugged him. “Be safe.”

John said farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Adler, hopped into
the doorway of the train, and disappeared among the soldiers.

All around her, men said good-bye to their loved
ones. Charlotte wasn’t ready to do the same. She never would
be.

Nick cleared his throat. “I’ll have to join him in a
few minutes.”

Mr. Adler placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We’re
going to miss you,” he said, his jaw tight. “Nick, you’re following
in the footsteps of the rest of the men in our family. Your
great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, both of your
grandfathers fought in the Spanish-American War, and even I served
a year in the supposed ‘war to end all wars’ before I met your
mother.” He nodded his head intently. “I’m proud of you, son. No
matter what happens, you’re a hero, both to our country and to me.”
Mr. Adler embraced Nick and patted his cheek as he pulled away.

Mrs. Adler threw her arms around Nick, crying into
her handkerchief over his shoulder. Nick hugged her. “Mom, I’ll be
fine. I’ll come back safe and sound, and you’ll think you were
being silly for crying so much right now.”

“I love you, my sweet boy.” Mrs. Adler pulled away
and ran her hand over Nick’s forehead. “Don’t do anything stupid.
You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Be sure to use it.”

Nick nodded. “I will, and I love you, too. I promise
I’ll write.”

Mr. Adler draped an arm over his wife’s shoulders.
“Charlotte, we’ll leave you to say your good-byes. We’ll wait for
you at the entrance.”

He paused. “Nick, be safe.”

Nick raised a hand in farewell, and his parents
disappeared into the crowd.

Charlotte took Nick’s hands in hers. Tears fell down
her face. “You have to come home to me. Promise.”

“I will. Sweetheart, I want to return home to you
more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire life. I’ll do my
damnedest to get back to you.”

“I’ll be here when you get back, waiting for
you.”

“I love you so much. I’ll look at this ring and
always think of you. I’ll also have your picture, your letters, and
the amazing memory of last night to get me through.”

She nodded eagerly. “And I will always love you.
Always.”

Nick pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her
waist. She linked her hands behind his neck, and their lips met
desperately. She threw all of her might into the kiss, blocking her
anxieties and fears, all thoughts of the other people in the
station, all thoughts of anything but Nick.

Much too soon, the train whistle sounded and a man
yelled, “All aboard!”

Charlotte held him tighter, unwilling to let go.

“I have to leave.” Nick looked at her through moist
eyes. “I love you, sweetheart.”

Reluctantly, she released him. Nick hitched the bag
further onto his shoulder and stepped toward the train car, ticket
in hand. She followed. She kept her hand on his arm until he stood
right at the entrance.

“Charlotte, I have to go.”

She nodded and gathered enough strength to pull her
hand away. She grasped her pocketbook with both hands so she
wouldn’t reach for him. The whistle on the train sounded again, and
the locomotive crawled out of the station.

Nick stepped onto the train and stood in the doorway,
facing Charlotte. She walked along the platform as the train rolled
out, excusing herself as she ducked past countless strangers who
waved their good-byes. She reached the end of the platform and
gazed up at him. He looked at her with teary eyes, his lips flat.
That expression couldn’t be the last one she remembered.

“Smile for me!” she shouted as he moved farther
away.

He obliged, giving her that grin she fell in love
with so long ago. “I love you.”

Charlotte matched his smile and waved him off. “I
love you, too.”

Nick grew smaller and smaller until Charlotte
strained to see him. As the crowd around her dispersed, she wiped
tears from her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. The moment she had
dreaded for weeks was upon her: Nick was now at war.

Four

E
verything reminded
Charlotte of Nick. She wore his ring on her finger. She had a
picture of the two of them from last summer framed on her bedside
table. And everything else, from the radio and the newspapers to
her father’s Army uniform, reminded her of the war for which he
trained.

Her body ached for his touch and his kisses. Even the
sight of him would have sufficed. Sometimes at night, she lay in
bed and thought of Christmas night when they made love. Her stomach
flipped and her cheeks flushed as she recalled the feeling of his
hands on her body. Three days after he left, she went to the store
and bought several tins of peppermint Altoids, just so she could
remember how Nick tasted when they kissed. She couldn’t find the
motivation to do anything socially with her friends. She didn’t
want to go shopping, see any films, or attend any parties. All of
it seemed trivial in comparison to Nick training for war.

On New Year’s Eve, she was listening to her parents’
old records on the Victor-Victrola with a magazine in her lap, when
her mother showed Evelyn into the sitting room.

Evelyn wore a gold dress and red lipstick, and her
dark hair was styled into curls. She sat next to Charlotte and
embraced her. “Oh, honey. I wish you had told me Nick enlisted. I’d
have visited sooner.”

Charlotte shifted on the sofa. She’d forgotten to
tell Evelyn and her other girlfriends about Nick in her effort to
spend as much time with him as possible. Natalie only knew about
his departure because John joined him.

“It’s good to see you. What are you doing here?”

“Your mother called me this morning, and I’m glad she
did. New Year’s Eve is not the time to mope. It’s the time to
celebrate, even if your beau is off to war. A new year brings the
end of the war, you know?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “That’s what Nick
says.”

“And it might very well be true. Now, I’m inviting
you to a party at Ginger’s house, and I won’t take no for an
answer. Let’s get you cleaned up.” She prodded Charlotte off the
sofa.

The New Year’s Eve party was a
gas . . . for everyone but Charlotte. There was
raucous dancing and free-flowing champagne. She knew at least half
the men and women in attendance, either from high school, college,
or District society. But she felt she didn’t belong. She declined
offers to dance with strange men and stood to the side with a glass
of champagne in hand, all the while wishing Nick could kiss her at
midnight as he had one year ago.

***

W
ith eager anticipation,
Charlotte awaited Nick’s first letter. They wouldn’t know his
mailing address at Camp Upton until he arrived, so he promised he’d
write first and include the address in his letter. In the two weeks
since his departure, she checked the mail every afternoon.

Finally, on the ninth of January, an envelope with
her name scrawled in Nick’s familiar handwriting arrived. She
laughed and held the envelope to her heart. She and Nick could
begin their correspondence at last.

She dropped the remaining mail onto the table in the
entryway and ran upstairs to her bedroom. She plopped down on the
bed, pulled her legs beneath her, and ran a finger under the flap
of the envelope. The single page was full of his handwriting.

January 1, 1942

Upton, New York

Dear Charlotte,

I arrived safely at the base where we’ll be
quartered for the next few months. I’m sorry it took me so long to
write you. I promise it was my first thought when I got off the
train, but they’ve given us little downtime since we arrived. Even
now, I have to write this note in small increments throughout the
day.

The train ride only took a few hours, but it felt so
much longer knowing I was leaving you behind. I don’t think there
was a single man on the train who wasn’t heading toward some sort
of military service. A few guys I met on the train have been in the
Army for months already, and they were finally going overseas. I
must admit, I envied them. I would much rather head straight to the
Pacific or Europe and fight than train for months. I figure the
sooner we go over there, the sooner we’ll win the war and I can
return to you.