From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [485]
“No; thanks,” the young Lt/Col said, looking after her. “She’s so beautiful she makes me feel uncomfortable. What is she, a movie star?”
“No, but I think she’s connected with show business. I dont honestly think an introduction would do you much good anyway. Her fiancé was killed December 7th. He was a bomber pilot at Hickam.”
“Oh,” the young Lt/Col said subduedly. “Thats rough.”
“She’s taking it pretty hard,” Karen said.
“I was at Hickam on The Seventh,” the young Lt/Col said in the same funereal voice. “What was his name. Maybe I knew him.”
“Prewitt,” Karen said. “Robert E Lee Prewitt. She said he came from an old Virginia family.”
“No,” the young Lt/Col said thoughtfully funereally. “I dont guess I knew him. There were an awful lot of bomber pilots at Hickam,” he apologized. “And an awful lot of them got it.”
“He was awarded a Silver Star,” Karen said, some bitterness in her making her unable to resist saying it.
“Then I ought to know him,” the young Lt/Col said funereally. “But, truthfully, just between you and me, they handed out such a lot of Silver Stars, both posthumously and otherwise, at Hickam, that it alone isnt much to go on,” he apologized.
“I suppose thats true,” Karen said.
“I got one myself,” he said.
Karen looked at his shirt then and saw it there right next to the Purple Heart ribbon.
“Oh, I didnt do anything,” he said hastily, “except get blown up by a bomb concussion that I couldnt have avoided anyway. But I took it anyway,” he added. “I suppose I shouldnt have.” He looked at her boyishly searchingly.
“I dont see why not,” Karen said.
“Well, there were so many guys who should have got one but didnt,” he said.
“Your refusing yours wouldnt have helped them.”
“Thats true,” he said, relievedly. “Thats what I told myself.” He leaned his elbows on the rail and crossed his ankles. “And so you’re from Baltimore,” he said pleasedly. “I cant get over it. Its sure a small world.”
“It certainly is,” Karen smiled, “and getting smaller.” Now it will come, she thought, now he will ask me if he can drop out and see me sometime when he gets lonesome in Washington.
But he didnt.
“What table are you at, at dinner?” he said, instead.
“Table Eleven,” Karen said. “What one are you?”
“Table Eleven,” the young Lt/Col grinned, “Isnt that coincidence for you?” He took his elbows off the railing. “Well, see you at dinner, hey? I have things to do.”
“All right,” Karen smiled. “I ought to do some unpacking myself.”
She watched him walk off. But after he had gone a few steps, he turned and came back.
“I’m not really at Table Eleven,” he said. “I’m at Table Nine. I lied to you. But I’m going to be at Table Eleven by dinner time. Thats one of the things I have to do.”
“You mustnt wear yourself out,” Karen smiled, “doing it.”
“No.” He grinned engagingly. “You wont mind?”
“Why should I mind?” Karen smiled. “I appreciate your telling me, though.”
“Well,” he said, “I thought I ought to.” He looked at her, carefully but politely, and then he smiled. “Well, see you at dinner then.”
“We’ll be there,” Karen smiled, and looked over to see how Junior was making out at the shuffleboards. They were still playing the game, and there were five of them now.
The young Air Corps Lt/Col looked over at them, too, and then nodded at her and grinned, and Karen turned back to the rail.
They had passed Diamond Head quite a while ago. They were almost past Koko Head now. To the east of the big hump that always made her think of a whale’s head she could see the drop and depression that was the parking lot at the top of the cliff above Hanauma Bay. From this far out, if you did not already know it was there you couldnt have seen it.
Behind her, the five boys had swelled to seven and had given up being shuffleboards and taken to shooting at each other with cocked thumbs and explosive “Bohww!”s from behind corners and stanchions.
She took the six flower leis off over her head and dropped them over the side. This was as good a place to drop them over as any. Diamond Head, Koko Head, Makapuu Head. Perhaps K