Page 118 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
She quickly went to stand beside her, slipping her arm around April’s waist as the people they loved moved farther and farther away. They stood until there was nothing left to see, and Eva eventually squeezed April’s arm and gestured for them to go.
‘Do you ever wonder if we made the right decision in staying?’ Eva asked April.
April shook her head. ‘No. We made the right decision, I know that. I just wasn’t prepared for how much it was going to hurt.’
‘I know.’
They both turned and linked arms, walking back to their campsite. It was almost Christmas, and everything about this year was different from the one before. Last year she’d been grieving so much, numb to everything around her, and this year she was full of anticipation—anxious about what was going to happen but able to feel everything.
When they finally reached their tent, Eva held open the flap in the doorway for them both to enter, then gasped when she walked inside.
‘Oh my God, look what she’s done!’
They both burst out laughing as they went to their beds, and Eva reached out to touch the homemade decorations Grace had left for them hanging on strings running from one side of the tent to the other. There was even a sheet fashioned into a stocking hanging above each of their beds.
‘Your sister sure is something else,’ Eva said as she reached for it and pulled it down. She peeked inside to find chocolate and chewing gum, as well as a little note in Grace’s handwriting.
‘It was always me, every year, finding presents for everyone and putting out a stocking for Grace,’ April said. ‘I can’t believe she did this for me.’
Eva could hear April’s little sob, and she went to her, holding her as she cried, looking in amazement around their tent.
‘Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the turkey makes it in time for Christmas,’ she whispered, letting go of April and collapsing onto her bed, then staring at the paper decorations hanging above.
‘Turkey? Are you kidding me? I’ll put money on it: we’ll be having Spam for Christmas lunch.’
They both laughed, and Eva unwrapped her chocolate, closing her eyes as she slid it onto her tongue, imagining Art boarding the ship with Grace and Teddy.
‘So you really want to be a doctor one day, huh?’ she asked April.
‘Yes,’ April said, and Eva turned onto her side to find her friend smiling at her, eyes glistening with determination. ‘Once this war is over, I’m not going to take no for an answer.’
‘Well, good for you,’ Eva said. ‘We need more women like you in the world. Look what women have already done for this war.’
‘You think I can do it?’ April whispered.
Eva grinned at her. ‘April, I think you can do anything you set your mind to.’ And she meant it.
A week later, Eva stretched and stared at the changing landscape around her as they arrived by army trucks in Algiers, Tunisia. Despite the chill in the air, the sun was shining, and she smiled at the feel of sunshine on her skin, raising her cheeks skyward for a moment before children chasing their truck brought her back to the present.
Like the children in their last village, barefoot girls and boys ran alongside, hands outstretched and calling out, thinking the Americans were like Santa Claus and waiting for items to be thrown to them.
Eva looked away and toward the peddlers on the roadside with their oranges, eggs, and dates, and she could almost taste the sweet orange flesh as they passed. She knew she’d be making a trip to one of their stalls on her first day off. The houses she passed had bright flowers outside, welcoming and colorful, and they could see down to the Mediterranean, the beautiful blue ocean seeming to wink at them as it rolled back and forth. They’d been told to expect a bitter, cold winter, but so far it had been bearable.
‘What do you think the others will be doing right now?’ April asked from beside her.
‘I’d say they’ll be almost home,’ Eva replied with a smile. ‘You know, we might be eating oranges and fresh eggs before they do.’
April leaned into her as a shout went up from the truck up ahead.
‘What is it? Are we under attack?’ someone yelled.
A call came straight back as they waited in silence. ‘We’ve just found out the turkey’s finally arrived! It’s here waiting for us!’
The entire truck erupted in laughter and cheers, and Eva dropped her head to April’s shoulder, closing her eyes as she thought of Art coming off the ship, his family swarming him in love as they saw the reality of what had happened to him; of Grace and Teddy taking their tentative first steps toward being a couple; and of the war stretching out ahead of her and April, an unknown they still had to encounter.
It seemed like such a long time ago that she’d left home to join Charlie in Pearl Harbor, to prepare for the onset of war even though everyone had believed it would never happen. And now she was a married woman, on the other side of the world to the man she’d now vowed to spend the rest of her life with.
‘You okay?’ April asked, squeezing her hand.
