From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [484]
She has a face like a Madonna, Karen thought exquisitely. Watching her was like being in an art gallery.
“I should think that would have been a position to have hung onto,” she said.
“I—” the girl said and stopped and the Madonnaface clouded somberly. “It was,” she said simply. “But I couldn’t stay.”
“I’m sorry,” Karen said. “I didnt mean to intrude myself.”
“It isnt that,” the exquisite girl smiled at her. “You see; my fiancé was killed on December 7th.”
“Oh, I am sorry,” Karen said, shocked.
The girl smiled at her. “Thats why I couldnt stay any more. We were planning to be married next month.” She turned and looked back out across the water to shore, the lovely Madonnaface sad and pensive. “I love the Islands, but you can see why I couldnt stay.”
“Yes,” Karen said, not knowing what to say. Talking helped, sometimes. Especially if it was with another woman. The best thing was to just let her talk.
“He was shipped over here a year ago,” the girl said. “I came over afterwards and took a job, so I could be near him. We were both saving our money. We were going to buy a little place up above Kaimuki. We wanted to buy the place before we married. He was going to ship over for another tour of duty, maybe several. You can see why I wouldnt want to stay, cant you?”
“Oh, my dear,” Karen said, helplessly.
“Excuse me,” the girl smiled brightly. “I didnt mean to use you as a wailing wall.”
“If you feel like talking,” Karen smiled, “you talk.” It was these young people, like this couple, and their courage and their levelheadedness, unsung unknown unheroized, that were making this country the great thing it was, that made the winning of the war a foregone conclusion. Before this bravery Karen felt worthless and a slacker. “You go right on and talk,” she said.
The girl smiled at her gratefully and looked back at the shore. They had passed Diamond Head now, and the bluntness of Koko Head was looming up in the distance.
“He was a bomber pilot,” the girl said out across the water, “stationed at Hickam Field. He tried to taxi his plane off the apron and down to the revetments. They made a direct hit on it. Maybe you read about it in the papers.”
“No,” Karen said, impotently. “I didnt.”
“They awarded him a Silver Star,” the girl said out across the water. “They sent it to his mother. She wrote me she wanted me to have it.”
“I think thats very fine of her,” Karen said.
“They’re very fine people,” the girl smiled tremulously. “He comes from an old Virginia family, The Prewitts. They’ve lived there since before the Revolution. His great-grandfather was a General under Lee in the Civil War. Thats who he was named after: Robert E Lee Prewitt.”
“Who?” Karen said numbly.
“Robert E Lee Prewitt,” the girl said tremulously on the verge of tears. “Isnt that a silly old name?”
“No,” Karen said. “I think its a fine name.”
“Oh, Bob,” the girl said quiveringly out across the water. “Bob, Bob, Bob.”
“Now: now,” Karen said, feeling all the grief that had been in her boiling over into a wild desire to laugh out loud. She put her arm around the girl. “Try to get hold of yourself.”
“I’m all right,” the girl said, drawing a quivering breath. “Truly I am.” She touched her handkerchief to her eyes.
“I’ll walk down with you to your stateroom,” Karen offered.
“No,” the girl said. “Thank you. I’m perfectly all right now. I owe you a tremendous apology. And I do thank you. Excuse me, please.”
She walked away, the poise and the carriage both exquisitely perfect, in the exquisitely simple expensive black outfit, with the real-looking pearl ring and necklace, all looking as if she had walked right out of a page in Vogue.
Karen watched her go, thinking so this was Lorene of the New Congress, and that this was the first time she had ever really met a professional whore, at least to know who she was.
“Who’s your friend?” the young Air Corps Lt/Col said from the other side of her. He had just come up. “She certainly is a beauty.”
“Isnt she lovely?” Karen said, still wanting to laugh w