these things, he grabbed Corby’s arm and headed toward the side door. He never looked back.
It took two weeks before he was close enough to her to possibly contemplate speaking to her. He had almost stalked her in school. He was sure she never noticed. He and Corby had driven Em’s dad’s tractor by her house at least a dozen times. Once, when she was outside, they both turned and looked in the opposite direction. When they looked at the road again, they were completely on the wrong side.
Now, he and Corby were sitting at a table in Aunt Mable’s diner. When Irene and her twin brothers walked in, Em felt the urge to sink underneath the table. Irene’s eyes quickly scanned the room, and immediately, she saw Em and Corby. Her and her brothers turned and walked toward Em and Corby’s table. Em tried to look invisible and mentally urged Corby to do the same.
Right on cue, Corby leaped to his feet and stuck his hand out to the fast-approaching brother. “Hi! I’m Corby, and this is Em.”
Em did not know why it surprised him, but it did when her brother just reached out and shook Corby’s hand and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Mark, and this is Matt. This here is our little sister, Irene. She thinks you two might be able to help us. We need a tractor, and she says you two have one, and you don’t have anything worthwhile to do with it. She says all you do is ride up and down the road with it. My dad bought two mules and a plow and says he wants us to plow a few acres. We was thinking that if you might be able to help us, then maybe we could think of something to help you fellas out sometime.”
Em could not believe his ears. She had noticed him. Nothing else registered. The brothers were talking, and she was looking at Em the whole time. He stared at her and could not look down. He felt his face flush but could not stop looking at her. He noticed her complexion was a little red. He still could not find the ability to speak. When Corby began to explain that it was not up to them, Em interrupted him and blurted, “Sure. We can help you. When do you need it done?”
Corby exploded into fits of laughter, and Mark and Matt just exchanged quizzical looks. To Em’s surprise, Corby finished his fit and calmed down. Irene was smiling and still blushing. Em stood up and told them that he could get it done in just a couple of hours, and as long as it did not rain, he would do it tomorrow.
The next day could not get there fast enough. Em could not sleep the entire night. He wanted to be there before sunrise. He could only manage to wait until eight o’clock in the morning. By ten thirty, he was almost finished. When he thought about leaving, he was consumed with daydreams about Irene coming out to meet him with lemonade. He wanted to sit in the swing with her. Several scenarios ran through his mind, and all of them included the two of them sitting together holding hands. With these thoughts consuming his entire mind, he almost ran the tractor over the mailbox. Then he saw her coming through the front door. She was wearing long pants and green sweater. She moved toward him and the tractor. He once again lost his concentration. The tractor slowed, and he forgot to push in the clutch. He jerked to a quick stop. The noise stopped at once. She was laughing a little. The redness he felt in his face was not due to the sun.
Then she spoke, “I want to thank you. My brothers are so lazy. You did not have to do this for them. They’re used to getting their way, and now they expect people to do things for them. I told them not to ask you. They made me come with them. I’m going to tell my dad.”
“Oh no, don’t do that. I mean, I really don’t mind at all. If there is anything you need done, all you have to do is say so. I’ll do it.” Em’s words were coming out of his mouth at full speed.
“Well, you don’t even know us,” Irene said. She was only two feet away from Em now. She looked at him and smiled again. Then she stumbled. She quickly straightened up and turned to look at the house. “Oh, I should have gotten you some iced tea or something.” She began to move toward the back door. “I’ll be right back.”
They drank iced tea and sat in the backyard talking for more than two hours. Her brothers came out and thanked him. When he met Irene’s mother, she made him feel at home. From that day forward, he slowly became integrated into their family. He and Irene became an item. By the end of the summer of 1942, they had told each other they loved each other. Corby thought he was crazy, and so did his family, but Em was certain he knew what he was doing.
*****
Right now, he had to get Jack out of here. They had to be at the dock at Pearl Harbor by sunrise, and there was a lot to do before then. He tried to end his conversation with Katherine, but another subject always came up. He also knew that this was definitely the last sunset he would watch from a beach this peaceful in a long time. Jack and Meredith were looking very relaxed. About thirty of forty yards away, they lay on a blanket and were wrapped around each other like a couple of earthworms. Em was aware that Jack was oblivious to any of his surroundings, with the exception of the five-foot-nine-inches Texan he was entangled with. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for the two of them to become too involved. I hope Meredith knows that Jack isn’t always going to be around.” Em was hoping that Katherine would offer some wisdom.
“I don’t think she’s in her right mind. She’s been saying some crazy things these past couple of weeks,” she offered
“What do you mean?” Em lowered his voice.
“I mean she’s in love. Or at least she thinks she is. I think she might do anything to make sure Jack feels the same way. I just hope she isn’t planning on going too far.” Katherine thought that she had said plenty, but Em was still feeling a little in the dark.
“Once again, what do you mean?” he asked.
Katherine merely raised an eyebrow and cocked her head in the direction of the two lovebirds. Em only hoped that she did not mean what he thought she meant. If Meredith was feeling desperate enough to try and lasso Jack, she might find out that he was one bronco that might be untamable. He thought that when they left tomorrow, she would move on. Separation was the key. Now, to separate them from a physical standpoint, he told his new friend goodbye and gave her an uncomfortable hug before he made his way to where Jack and Meredith lay in the sand.
“C’mon, Jack,” he began. Of course, Jack completely ignored him. Meredith made a pitiful attempt to arise from the blanket. Her earlier embarrassment seemed to have entirely vanished. Now she straightened her own clothes.
Her mother would see right through her, Em was thinking. “We have to go! We have lots of packing to do, and we can’t be late. I know this isn’t easy, but we’ll be back. Sergeant Cannon said this was an easy one. Two weeks and we’ll be right back here.” Em was sure these were not Sergeant Cannon’s exact words, but he needed to say something to get Jack up.
“I know, Storybook. Keep your knickers on. You and Katherine go on ahead, and we’ll be there in a sec.” Jack tried to get Meredith to lie back down. She broke away from him and gave Em a piercing stare and walked toward Katherine. “I don’t think she likes you, Em.” Jack grinned his most menacing grin and put his arm around Em’s shoulder. They walked behind the girls and began to think of the next day.
The sea was rolling, and the lightning was constant. Em felt sick to his stomach again. He could no longer vomit. All he did was dry heave. The nausea was all-consuming. He wanted to just lie still and not move at all. He and Sergeant Barnes were both in their bunks moaning and groaning. He thought he must have been here in this bunk for three days. How long could a sea storm last? Captain McVay had promised them calm seas by the morning. These last few hours were dragging on. Em could not even write in his journal. He held on to his stomach and curled into a ball and hoped no one tried to get him to move. It was already October 23. This mission had not gone according to plan. They were supposed to be back in Hawaii by October 18. The rendezvous had not even been set up yet. When the ship was in calmer waters a couple of days ago and the captain had let some of the men go swimming, Em remained on the top deck trying to write to Irene.
When he overheard a conversation between the captain and one of his officers, he was not quite sure what to make of it. The captain was looking out over the water and said to the other officer, “He is not going to leave us alone. I made him angry and embarrassed