She Had No Choice (19 page)

“
How many brothers do you have?”

“
Seven.”

“
Wow, what a big family! I only have one brother,” Margaret told her.

Not knowing what else to talk about, they stood there for a second or two in awkward silence,

both trying to think of something else to say.

“
Hey, my friend, Donna, and I are going to a USO dance this Saturday night. It’s at Fort Ord, by Monterey. Would you like to come with us?” Margaret asked.

“
I don’t know,” Eva hesitated. “I’ve never been to a USO dance.” The truth was that she had never been to a dance of any kind before.

“
Oh, it’s lots of fun. All those army guys, so cute in their uniforms. Really dreamy, you know.  Tell me you’ll go with us. It’ll be a kick.”

“
Okay,” Eva agreed. It sounded like fun, but what would she wear? She didn’t exactly own any party dresses.

She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake agreeing to go with these girls, but maybe it would be good to try something new. And it might be nice to meet some nice young men. She hadn’t dated at all.  She was trying to concentrate on her studies and save whatever money she made at the various jobs she worked in her spare time.

That evening she told Miss Walker about what happened at school with the two teenage boys. Naomi was furious at the boys, but she was very proud of how Eva had stood up for herself. She was also pleased that some of the other students were willing to stand up and support her. Naomi could see Eva was becoming a strong and confident young woman and was glad she was able to help her escape the life she had left behind in Tres Pinos. She wished Eva’s mother could see how much her daughter was blossoming.  Hopefully, someday she would.

Then, Eva told Miss Walker about her new friend, Margaret, and how she had invited her to go to a USO dance with her and her friend, Donna, whom Eva had not met yet. She was glad to see Eva was starting to make more friends. It wasn’t very common in their town for the white kids to socialize with the Mexican kids. This was a good sign, she thought.

Eva looked troubled. “What’s wrong?” Naomi asked.

“
I don’t know how to dance.”

“
Oh, don’t you worry. I can teach you. We have a few days. We can start this evening,” Naomi offered.

“
That would be great, but even if I learn how to dance, I don’t have anything to wear to it. There’s nothing in my closet that says ‘party dress’.”  She had a little money saved from her babysitting and house cleaning jobs, but didn’t really want to spend any of it. She liked knowing she had that money in her savings account in case of an emergency.

“
Well,” Naomi said excitedly, “why don’t we see if I have anything in my closet that you could wear. I have a few dresses I can’t seem to squeeze into anymore, but I keep them around because I keep hoping someday I will. Come on, let’s go see.”

Eva’s countenance lit up and a big smile spread across her face. Naomi put an arm around Eva’s shoulder and off they went to her bedroom to see what they could find.

Naomi had been a single woman for many years, a spinster some would say, because she never married. During World War II, she had been an army nurse. She’d fallen in love with an army officer named James, and he asked her to marry him. He had taken her out to dinner and dancing at a popular night club and proposed to her over glasses of sparkling champagne. That evening, she had worn a beautiful sapphire blue dress with rhinestone buttons, and James had told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He popped the question and she gladly said yes.

That was the last time they went dancing. A couple of months later, James was killed in the war.  That beautiful dress was never worn again.

Naomi pulled the stunning blue dress out of her closet and lovingly looked it over. She gently ran her hand over the glittering buttons, remembering how in love she had been and how beautiful she felt the last time she had worn it. Naomi unzipped it and handed it to her.

“
Try this dress on. Let’s see how it looks.”

Eva carefully tried it on. She didn’t know the story behind the amazing blue dress, but she could imagine it held sentimental value to Miss Walker by the way she looked at it and tenderly caressed it.

For a moment, Eva was speechless as she caught the first glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror. She never thought she could look so attractive, but the dress was stunning on her and accentuated her curves. She twirled around like a model on a runway, keeping one eye on her image in the mirror.

“
What do you think?” Eva asked. “Isn’t it perfect?”

“
Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! It’s a little long, but other than that, it looks gorgeous on you, dear. Take it off and let me hem it for you,” Miss Walker offered. “It won’t take long.”

Eva didn’t really want to take it off. She loved the feeling it gave her. She thought she looked sophisticated and grown up. She thought she looked like someone with a bright future.

Chapter 16:
First Love

Saturday evening came, and Eva looked stunning in the beautiful blue dress. Margaret and Donna picked her up at Miss Walker’s house in Margaret’s father’s nearly-new Chevrolet sedan. All gussied up for a night out, the girls chatted and giggled the hour-or-so drive to the USO in Monterey.  The main topic of conversation:  men.

They pulled the car into the USO parking lot and quickly made their way inside. Standing in the doorway, they looked like something straight out of a Hollywood movie. Three beautiful young women in eye-catching dresses – one hot redhead, one sexy blonde and one exotic brunette. Heads turned all over the room and all eyes were focused on the three of them.

“
That’s one great entrance, girls,” Donna said, full of confidence and allure.

Stepping into the dance hall, they were greeted by many eager young men in uniform, hoping for a chance to dance with each of the girls. Eva and her friends spent the next couple of hours dancing with one young soldier after another.

Toward the end of the evening, Eva found herself dancing with a young man stationed at Fort Ord. His name was Richard. He had piercing blue eyes fringed with dark eyelashes. His thick brown hair was neatly clipped, and he had a friendly smile at her that made her feel warm all over. They were drawn to each other like magnets, and they danced the remaining few songs only with each other.

The first number they danced to was a slow song, “Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole. Richard gently took Eva’s right hand in his left hand and put his right hand on the small of her back, drawing her toward him a bit. Their eyes met for an instant and then Eva looked away, too shy to maintain the gaze. Neither knowing what to say, they danced without talking for a few minutes. The song ended and they stopped, let go of each other and stood there for a moment in uncomfortable silence.

Right away the next song began. This one was faster, and Richard led Eva around the dance floor. She wasn’t an experienced dancer, like he was, but he led her in such a way that it was easy for her to follow. She was glad, though, when the song was over that the band went back to playing another slow one. This time, Eva felt more comfortable and at ease with Richard, and they were able to have some easy conversation.

“
Are you from ‘round here?” Richard asked her.

“
Well, about an hour from here, from a little town called Hollister,” she answered.

“
Did you grow up there?” he asked.

“
No. I’ve been in Hollister since I was about five. What about you, where are you from?” she asked him, changing the subject.

“
I grew up in Wisconsin. It’s a long story. It wasn’t good. I don’t want to spoil this evenin’.  We’ll save that story for the next time we’re together.”

“
The next time? How do you know there’ll be a next time?” she asked in a flirtatious way. The dazzling blue dress was somehow giving her a new boldness.

“
I’d like to come visit ya in Hollister sometime, if that’s okay.”

“
Maybe,” she said, playing a little hard to get. “Let me think about it.”

They finished their dance and the band announced that was all for the night. Margaret and Donna were collecting their coats and purses, getting ready to head back to Hollister.

“
Eva, at least gimme your phone number.” Richard said. “I’d like to call ya tomorrow.”

“
I don’t know, I barely know you,” she answered.

“
I wanna see you again. I’m leavin’ Fort Ord next week for a few days of trainin’ at Camp Pendleton. I’d like to come see ya before I have to go.”

She didn’t want to seem too eager. But, after the third time he asked, she eventually gave him her phone number. No boy had ever asked for her phone number before. She wondered what Miss Walker would think.

Richard phoned her the next afternoon, and they made plans to go on a picnic Sunday at noon in Bolado Park, a few miles outside of town. Miss Walker was pleased Eva was going on a picnic with a soldier, rather than out to the movies or some other dark place. She knew Eva was inexperienced with men. An afternoon picnic seemed safe.

Eva packed a delicious lunch in one of Miss Walker’s large picnic baskets, and she even loaned Eva an old blanket to put down on the grass. Richard stopped by the house and introduced himself to Miss Walker. He picked up the heavy basket, and Eva carried the blanket out to the car.

Richard had come to pick her up in his buddy’s black Ford sedan. He helped Eva into the car and put the basket in the back seat. Then he slid into his seat and started the car. Naomi waved to them as they drove away, hoping this soldier boy would be a gentleman.

It was early spring and the afternoon was sunny with a gentle breeze, perfect for their picnic.  They arrived at the park and quickly found a nice spot near a large oak tree to spread out the blanket and the food. They sat and talked for hours, learning about each other, feeling the mutual attraction.

“
Tell me about yourself, Richard. I don’t even know your last name.”

“
It’s Falkenberg.”

“
Well, Richard Falkenberg, tell me about yourself and your family.”

“
Okay. Well, let’s see. My father was from Germany and my mother was from England. I don’t know exactly when they came here to the U.S., sometime before I was born. My father had family in Wisconsin, so that’s where they settled down. I never knew my father ‘cause he died when I was a baby. My mom got married again after a few years, and my stepdad moved in with us. We got along okay. Then, my mom died when I was twelve. That was really an awful time.”

“
I’m sorry, Richard.  I’ve never had anyone close to me die. It must’ve been terrible.”

“
It was. What made it worse was that I had to be raised by my stepfather – there wasn’t anyone else, I guess. He was okay to me when my mom was alive, but after she died he resented having to be stuck with me, not being his own blood and all. Then came the new wife, that made things worse. My stepdad remarried, moved that woman into our house. And the woman brought her two no-good sons with her. They made my life hell. I was still just a boy, and I really missed my mom. My new stepbrothers were hellions, always doin’ bad things. But all they had to do was blame stuff on me and I got beat for it. My stepdad never believed me, so he beat me a lot.”

“
That sounds horrible,” Eva said, empathizing with what he had gone through.

“
It was bad, real bad. So, when I was seventeen, I ran away and joined the army, hopin’ it would be better than stickin’ around that miserable place. But enough about my life, tell me about you.”

Eva could relate to Richard and his life story. She was well acquainted with an abusive stepfather. But at least she had her mother.

“
I’m living with Miss Walker now, but I have seven brothers and two sisters. I’m the oldest. I don’t get to see my mama very often. Like you, I have a mean stepfather, too. He beat my brothers and me. But what I really couldn’t take anymore was his beating my mama.”

“
How come you’re livin’ with Miss Walker?” Richard asked.

“
Well…because one day the old man was hitting my mama and I just snapped. I took an axe and almost killed him with it. I would have, too, if one of my brothers hadn’t stopped me. I knew right then that it was time to get out, or next time I would kill him for sure.”

Richard could see he wasn’t the only one with a tough past. He found Eva strong and interesting. She had a beautiful smile and made him feel like she cared about him. It had been a long time since he felt like anyone cared about him. He was thoroughly enjoying her company.

As she was talking, he reached out and put his hand on hers, and she felt a tingle go up her arm. Stopping for a just moment, her mind went blank. She forgot what she was saying until he picked up the rest of the sentence.

They continued talking and sharing back and forth about the details of their lives. Time passed quickly and the sun was beginning to set, signaling it was time to go home. They packed up their blanket and picnic basket and headed to the car. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and she felt a warmth flood her body. This was a new sensation for her, and she decided she liked it.