U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [64]
They waited two weeks in Vigo while the officials quar-reled about their status and they got pretty fed up with it. Then they were al loaded on a train to take them to Gibraltar where they were to be taken on board a Ship-ping Board boat. They were three days on the train with nothing to sleep on but hard benches. Spain was just one set of great dusty mountains after another. They changed cars in Madrid and in Sevil e and a guy turned up each time from the consulate to take care of them. When they got to Sevil e they found it was Algeciras they were going to instead of Gib.
-162-When they got to Algeciras they found that nobody had ever heard of them. They camped out in the con-sulate while the consul telegraphed al over the place and final y chartered two trucks and sent them over to Cadiz. Spain was some country, al rocks and wine and busty black eyed women and olive trees. When they got to
Cadiz the consular agent was there to meet them with a. telegram in his hand. The tanker Gold Shell was waiting in Algeciras to take them on board there, so it was back again cooped up on the trucks, bouncing on the hard benches with their faces powdered with dust and their mouths ful of it and not a cent in anybody's jeans left to buy a drink with. When they got on board the Gold Shell around three in the morning a bright moonlight night some of the boys were so tired they fel down and went to sleep right on the deck with their heads on their seabags.
The Gold Shel landed 'em in Perth Amboy in late October. Joe drew his back pay and took the first train connections he could get for Norfolk. He was fed up with bawling out that bunch of pimps in the focastle. Damn it, he was through with the sea; he was going to settle down and have a little married life.
He felt swel coming over on the ferry from Cape
Charles, passing the Ripraps, out of the bay ful of white-caps into the smooth brown water of Hampton Roads crowded with shipping; four great battlewaggons at an-chor, subchasers speeding in and out and a white revenue cutter, camouflaged freighters and col iers, a bunch of red munitions barges anchored off by themselves. It was a sparkling fal day. He felt good; he had three hundred and fifty dol ars in his pocket. He had a good suit on and he felt sunburned and he'd just had a good meal. God
-163-damn it, he wanted a little love now. Maybe they'd have a kid.
Things sure were different in Norfolk. Everybody in new uniforms, twominute speakers at the corner of Main and Granby, liberty loan posters, bands playing. He hardly knew the town walking up from the ferry. He'd written Del that he was coming but he was worried about seeing her, hadn't had any letters lately. He stil had a latch key to the apartment but he knocked before open-ing the door. There was nobody there. He'd always pictured her running to the door to meet him. Stil it was only four o'clock, she must be at her work. Must have another girl with her, don't keep the house so tidy. . . . Underwear hung to dry on a line, bits of clothing on al the chairs, a box of candy with half-eaten pieces in it on the table. . . . Jez, they must have had a party last night. There was a half a cake, glasses that had had liquor in them, a plate ful of cigarette butts and even a cigar butt. Oh, wel , she'd probably had some friends in. He went to the bathroom and shaved and cleaned up a little. Sure Del was always popular, she probably had a lot of friends in al the time, playing cards and that. In the bathroom there was a pot of rouge and lipsticks, and facepowder spilt over the faucets. It made Joe feel funny shaving among al these women's things.
He heard her voice laughing on the stairs and a man's voice; the key clicked in the lock. Joe closed his suitcase and stood up. Del had bobbed her hair. She flew up to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Why, I declare it's my hubby." Joe could taste rouge on her lips. "My, you look thin, Joe. Poor Boy, you musta been awful sick. . . . If I'd had any money at al I'd have jumped on a boat and come on down. . . . This is Wilmer Tay-loe . . . I mean Lieutenant Tayloe, he just got his com-mission yesterday."