Battle Cry (27 page)

“No crazier than the rest of the world. Let’s promise now. We won’t count days. We’ll just act like you’re going to stay forever. We won’t think about a thing in the world but us.”

“We’ll have our lifetime now, Kathy.”

“We can try.”

“Kathy?”

“Yes, darling.”

“As long as we’ve decided…I mean, do you think it will be all right if we find a place? A motel…”

“Yes, Danny.”

She nestled her head against his shoulder as they raced from the park toward the waterfront along Hanover Street, then over the city line to the quiet of Annapolis Boulevard.

“Mrs. Forrester,” he whispered. “It sounds so strange.”

“It sounds wonderful.”

“Are you sure, kit?”

“Who is sure of anything? I’m only sure of the way I feel this moment.”

They turned left at Glen Burnie and skirted the Chesapeake Bay, soon leaving the city far behind. A blinking neon sign: A
UTO
C
OURT
,
Vacancy,
brought them to a stop.

“Wait a minute, I’ll be back,” he said. He stepped from the car into a noisy bar and went on to the office.

The flickering light and the noise froze Kathy in her seat. In an instant she found herself bewildered. A lonely road, a noisy, full saloon…shouting…singing….

Danny returned, followed by a short, old, baldheaded man. He took her hand and they followed the man, shuffling in his bedroom slippers along the gravel driveway. He stopped midway in a row of attached rooms and placed a key in the door.

“I’m taking a chance, young fellow. The military is pretty rough about this sort of thing.”

The ugly old man made it sound so cheap, Kathy thought.
Taking a chance. This sort of thing.
What kind of a girl does he think I am? Clammy sweat formed on her hands. The door swung open. Danny flicked on the light and shut the door behind him.

It was cold and dank, dingy. The light from the sign sent a red glow off and on, off and on. The headlights from the speeding cars of the highway flashed against the wall as they swept past the court. A loud jukebox blasted from the bar through the paper-thin walls:

There’s a burlesque theater,

Where the gang likes to go,

To see Queenie, the cutie of the burlesque show….

The hungry months of waiting, the burst of passion on the hill, the pent-up words that had poured from her—they were gone now. She looked at the tall, tanned man in the center of the room. He stood up straight and wore a green uniform. No, it wasn’t Danny…it wasn’t he. Danny wore a silver jacket, he slouched when he walked. She tried to correct it…Danny wasn’t dark…he had fair skin.

He lit a cigarette. It wasn’t Danny, it wasn’t; Danny didn’t smoke. He was young and his eyes were full of mischief. They were not the serious, grim eyes of this man.

What have I done, what have I said? This room…this dirty room.

Take it off, take it off,

Cried the boys in the rear,

Down in front, down in front….

I want to go home. I want to go to my mother…oh Lord, he’s coming to me. She gritted her teeth. He wants to take me to bed. She became faint with fright. Run! No, it was impossible. He was near her, he was reaching for her….

“It’s all right, Kathy, I understand. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

She felt as though she were drunk. Nothing was real. A car door slammed. A motor sounded. The song and the noise faded.

Queenie, queen of them all,

Queenie, some day you’ll fall….

Again they drove the darkened road. She rolled the window down to catch some relief from the stifling heat. Slowly her senses returned. She didn’t dare look at him now. What must he think? She didn’t want to see the hurt look. What a miserable mess she had made. She tried to speak, but her words were gone now.

The road swung close to the shoreline of the bay. A shower of stars covered the quiet sky. The moon was hidden behind a row of cypress trees. Then the gentle splashing water came into view, beating against the moon-silver sand.

“Danny,” she cried softly.

He did not answer.

“I’m so ashamed, I’m so terribly ashamed.” The tears poured out. He slowed the car to a stop and sat as she wept it out.

“It wasn’t very nice, I’m sorry. We should have never…maybe it is a lot better it happened.”

“I don’t know what got into me, I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to explain.” His voice sounded sad and tired. He passed his handkerchief; she dried her eyes and blew her nose and sighed deeply in relief.

“I’m sorry.”

“Shhh.”

“You look wonderful in your uniform, I didn’t tell you.”

He didn’t want to talk any more. The sudden drop from heaven to hell left him empty. “I’m all right now,” she said.

He turned the key, then felt her hand on his. “Let’s not drive off, just yet.”

“Kathy, we’d better not start up again.”

“It was so strange,” she whispered, “as if I didn’t even know you. Funny, I never pictured you in uniform. I always sort of remembered how you looked in school, walking down the hall. You smoke an awful lot.”

“I suppose I’ve picked up a lot of bad habits. I guess I’ve changed.”

“No, not really. Danny! Remember the night that you and me and Sally and Virg drove out this way and went swimming in the moonlight…gosh, I guess it was just last summer. Come on, let’s take a walk on the beach, it looks scrumptious.” She was out of the door before he could protest. They stepped on the sand and she reached down and kicked off her shoes and laughed. “I like to walk on sand.”

“Aw, for Christ sake, this is silly.”

“Go on, take off your shoes. It feels wonderful.”

“Don’t be a baby.”

“You know who you sound like?”

“No, who?”

“Danny.”

Funny, he thought, for the first time during the night she seemed like Kathy. First, the wrought-up, impassioned woman, then a scared little girl. She skipped through the sand and there was a happy ring to her voice. And at that moment there wasn’t any war or any Marines. He was Danny Forrester and she was his girl…like it used to be.

“Kathy, come on back here before I drop you.”

“Oh, yeah. Big football star, afraid of getting sand on his itsy bitsy feet?”

“Nuts.” He sat down and removed his shoes and ran up alongside her.

“I’m going in the water.” She ran along the surf’s edge where the sand was hard and made crazy little fading footprints. A trickle caught her feet and she jumped back. “It’s cold.” She held her skirt up and waded in. Danny sat on the beach and watched her.

“Aw, for Christ sake, act your age.”

“It’s wonderful, come on in.”

“Nuts.”

“Sissy.”

“Come out, will you? I’m not going to sit here all night.” He rolled up his pants’ legs and dashed to the water’s edge and jumped back as it splashed against him. Kathy laughed. “Water too cold for the big halfback?”

“I’ll show you.” He waded next to her; she kicked a splash up all over him. “I’m going to brain you! You messed up my uniform.”

“You’ll have to catch me first.”

She ran up the beach laughing. Then zigzagged breathlessly and finally bogged down in the sand. He tackled her from behind, gently, as he always did when they were playing.

“I’m going to make you eat sand.” She squirmed and tried to wrestle from his grip.

“Danny! Danny! Don’t…don’t…uncle…uncle!” she laughed.

He pinned her on her back till she was unable to move. Straddling her stomach, he held her down. “Now, one good handful of nice wet sand.”

“Danny—don’t.”

Then, their eyes met. They became motionless. Slowly he released his grip. No words were needed now. It was silent on the beach…each could hear only the other’s tense breathing. His eyes asked the question. She nodded and drew him down beside her.

Danny buckled up his trousers and walked to the car. He took a blanket from the trunk and made his way down the beach to where she lay. He knelt beside her and gazed. In the trickle of light from the stars her body looked like an ivory statue. Her skin had a dull, satiny look, her hair lay in long waves around her head. A soft wisp of a breeze passed. She stirred, sighed and moved slightly. He leaned over and touched her to make sure that she was real. Gently he spread the blanket over her.

“Yes, darling.”

She sighed once more and closed her eyes and opened her arms for him. She held his cheek against her breast and her fingers ran softly over his shoulder. She drew him close. “Oh, Kathy…Kathy.”

“Sweet.”

“There’s a little abandoned shack down the beach.”

“All right.”

“I’ll move the car off the road.”

The first rays of light caught his eye through the glassless window. Her head lay on his chest. He reached his arm down and with his finger traced the long, graceful line of her back. How wonderful she felt. He pressed her body against his and kissed her cheek. “Kathy,” he said softly.

She smiled and hugged him. “It’s almost daylight, Kathy. We’d better go now.”

She drew herself up, kneeling, and bent down to kiss his lips.

“You’re so beautiful. I just like looking at you.”

She blushed.

“Do you mind?”

“Not if it makes you happy, darling.”

He propped himself against the wall and she rested in his arms. He studied the rickety, dusty, crumbling one-room shack. “Not much of a wedding. No church, no flowers, no presents. I’ve cheated you already.”

She took his hand, kissed it, and placed it on her breast. “I’ve got you. And I’ve had a honeymoon that no girl ever had.”

“Kathy?”

“What?”

“Did I hurt you?”

“Not much. I…I talked to Doctor Abrams. He told me about a lot of things. I’m shameless, I suppose.”

“You rat. You never gave me a fighting chance.”

“I knew what I wanted. Oh, Danny, I’m so happy. You were so understanding.”

“Royal suite, Waldorf, for Mr. and Mrs. Forrester.”

“And breakfast in bed.”

“Of course, breakfast in bed.”

“Danny.”

“What?”

“I’m hungry.”

They dressed, unwillingly, and walked slowly to the car. She cuddled in his free arm, closed her eyes, and they took off up the road.

“I’m going to make you happy,” she said.

“Be quiet, woman.”

“Am I any good, Danny?”

“What kind of talk is that from you?”

“Am I any good? I want to be, for you.”

“Will you shut up?”

“Tell me, I want to know.”

“Well, I suppose you’d bring three bucks in a joint.”

“Danny!”

“I shouldn’t have said that. Anybody can see you’re a five-buck piece.”

“Danny?”

“What do you want now?”

“Am I really beautiful? Look at my hair. It’s all wet and stringy. I want to look nice for you all the time.”

“Go to sleep, will you?”

“Danny?”

“What?”

“Am I as good as that girl in San Diego?”

He almost veered the car into a light pole. Kathy smiled like a little kitten. “I knew all the time. I knew when you didn’t write. I don’t care…I’ve got you now.”

“There’ll never be another girl, Kathy…never anyone but you.”

At a drive-in on the outskirts of the city they ate a sizzling plate of bacon and eggs, and had coffee. As they reached the city limits, the magic spell of the night turned into a cold reality of what lay before them.

“Kathy.”

“Yes, darling?”

“We’re in for a rough time.”

“I know.”

“Are you frightened?”

“A little.”

“Stick by me.”

“They can’t stop us, Danny, they can’t.”

He stopped before her home and slowly emerged from the car. Taking her hand and squeezing it tightly, he winked at her as they trudged up the steps. She smiled and winked back and opened the door.

The four parents were there. Sybil Walker sat sobbing, as did Martha Forrester. The two men were upright and haggard from the all-night vigil. As they entered the room, there was an instant of electric silence.

“Kathy, darling…are you all right?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Oh, thank God!” Martha cried. “We were afraid you’d been in an accident.”

Another period of silence as they studied their children.

“Where the hell have you been?” Marvin Walker finally roared.

“My goodness, look at you, Kathy.”

“We can explain,” Danny said softly.

“You’re damned right you’re going to explain!” The young lovers backed up a step, still holding hands tightly. “We almost lost our minds.”

“What have you done, Kathleen?” her mother said, now assured her daughter was alive and safe.

“If we’ll all lower our voices,” Henry Forrester offered, “I think we can get to the bottom of this much better, Marvin.”

“Lower my voice, hell! It’s my daughter, Henry—don’t forget that. It’s my daughter!”

“Kathleen, did…did you?”

There was no answer. Martha Forrester wailed. “Oh, Danny, shame, shame, shame. How could you?” she wept.

“You son of a bitch!” Her red-faced father in anger shook his fist beneath Danny’s nose.

“What have you done, son?”

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute all of you,” Kathy said. “Mother, don’t you understand. I love him…Dad, please.”

“Go to your room, Kathleen!”

“No!”

“Young lady, you’re going to be punished so you’ll never forget it. As for you—I’ll see that the military authorities take care of you!”

“How could you do this to us, Kathleen?”

“Hang on, dammit!” Danny ended his silence. “We love each other. We want to get married.”