arms and head dangle. He liked to do this until he grew dizzy and his stomach hurt, and then he liked to complain about how dizzy he felt and how his stomach hurt him. “Ma? What’s moonin’ and spoonin’?” He slid off the chair and leaned against the table leg with his head in his hands. “Whoa! I’m dizzy!”
Margaret began clearing the table. “Never mind about things that needn’t concern you. Let’s clean up these dishes and get Louise down here for a lovely game of canasta.”
“I’m taking Tommy to the movies,” Kitty said.
“I want to come, too!” Binks said. “Can I come, too?”
“I’ll take you another time,” Kitty told him. “This time it’s just me and Tommy.”
“Yeah, but why can’t I come, too?”
“Aren’t you coming to the dance with us?” Tish asked Kitty. And then, to her parents,
“I’ll
take Louise to a dance. That’ll take her mind off things.”
“Och, and what an angel you are, to make such a sacrifice,” Margaret said.
Binks stood. “Kitty? Can I come, too?”
“I’m going over to Anthony’s,” Billy said.
“After you take the garbage out,” Binks told him.
“I’m not taking the garbage out. It’s your turn to take the garbage out. I’m going to Anthony’s. I’ll be home by nine or so.”
“No ‘or so,’” Margaret said. “On the dot.”
Binks put his hand over his stomach. “I can’t take the garbage out. I’m
sick
!”
“It’s your turn!” Billy said.
“Ma!”
“I’ll
just do it,” Tommy said, and together his parents said, “No you won’t!”
“I don’t see that you have to spend so much time with that Anthony anyway,” Frank said. “He’s eighteen, way too old for you.”
“I turn fourteen in two days.”
“He’s still too old for you.”
“He tried to enlist yesterday,” Billy said.
“And?” Now some admiration came into Frank’s eyes; maybe Anthony was good for Billy after all.
“He has flat feet.”
“Ah,” Frank said. “Let me ask you something, Billy. What do you do with Anthony, anyway?”
“Nuttin’,” Billy said. “I’ll take the garbage out; then can I go?”
“May
I,” Margaret said.
Billy smiled. “Sure, you can come, Ma. Bring some prune whip.”
“I GOT A NOTE FROM JULIAN, AND HONEY,
I guess it’s okay what he did,”
Louise read aloud to her sisters.
“About the ring, I mean. I really wanted to put it on your finger myself, and at first I was sore about your seeing it without my being there, to say nothing about him paying for it. A guy likes to buy his girl a ring himself. But I’m going to pay him back the installments I was going to pay Munson’s, so I guess it’s all the same and you get to have it sooner. Gee, I sure hope you like it; I took a long enough time picking it out! And sometime I’m going to give you a bigger ring. And then I’m going to—
“Well, wait a minute,” Louise said. She read to herself for a moment, smiling, then resumed reading from Michael’s letter.
“I wonder what it’s like where Julian is. Did you know the Pacific war covers nearly half the planet? From Panama to Singapore is 11,800 miles. It boggles the mind, doesn’t it? Boggles and saddens it, I think. My love to you, my darling. My love, my all.”
Louise put her letter down, and for a moment none of the girls spoke. Then Kitty said, “I don’t know what else to say to Julian.”
“Not this again,” Tish said, sighing.
Kitty looked at the three-quarters of the page she’d filled. She was using the V-mail form, where the writing paper was also the envelope. V-mail was wonderful. It was free to service personnel, and it got preferential handling so that letters were no longer delayed—sometimes for months—because of the great volume of mail being sent. These form letters were photographed and transferred onto microfilm, and the film was taken to various destinations. At a processing center close to the addressee, the letter was printed onto photographic paper,
Margaret began clearing the table. “Never mind about things that needn’t concern you. Let’s clean up these dishes and get Louise down here for a lovely game of canasta.”
“I’m taking Tommy to the movies,” Kitty said.
“I want to come, too!” Binks said. “Can I come, too?”
“I’ll take you another time,” Kitty told him. “This time it’s just me and Tommy.”
“Yeah, but why can’t I come, too?”
“Aren’t you coming to the dance with us?” Tish asked Kitty. And then, to her parents,
“I’ll
take Louise to a dance. That’ll take her mind off things.”
“Och, and what an angel you are, to make such a sacrifice,” Margaret said.
Binks stood. “Kitty? Can I come, too?”
“I’m going over to Anthony’s,” Billy said.
“After you take the garbage out,” Binks told him.
“I’m not taking the garbage out. It’s your turn to take the garbage out. I’m going to Anthony’s. I’ll be home by nine or so.”
“No ‘or so,’” Margaret said. “On the dot.”
Binks put his hand over his stomach. “I can’t take the garbage out. I’m
sick
!”
“It’s your turn!” Billy said.
“Ma!”
“I’ll
just do it,” Tommy said, and together his parents said, “No you won’t!”
“I don’t see that you have to spend so much time with that Anthony anyway,” Frank said. “He’s eighteen, way too old for you.”
“I turn fourteen in two days.”
“He’s still too old for you.”
“He tried to enlist yesterday,” Billy said.
“And?” Now some admiration came into Frank’s eyes; maybe Anthony was good for Billy after all.
“He has flat feet.”
“Ah,” Frank said. “Let me ask you something, Billy. What do you do with Anthony, anyway?”
“Nuttin’,” Billy said. “I’ll take the garbage out; then can I go?”
“May
I,” Margaret said.
Billy smiled. “Sure, you can come, Ma. Bring some prune whip.”
“I GOT A NOTE FROM JULIAN, AND HONEY,
I guess it’s okay what he did,”
Louise read aloud to her sisters.
“About the ring, I mean. I really wanted to put it on your finger myself, and at first I was sore about your seeing it without my being there, to say nothing about him paying for it. A guy likes to buy his girl a ring himself. But I’m going to pay him back the installments I was going to pay Munson’s, so I guess it’s all the same and you get to have it sooner. Gee, I sure hope you like it; I took a long enough time picking it out! And sometime I’m going to give you a bigger ring. And then I’m going to—
“Well, wait a minute,” Louise said. She read to herself for a moment, smiling, then resumed reading from Michael’s letter.
“I wonder what it’s like where Julian is. Did you know the Pacific war covers nearly half the planet? From Panama to Singapore is 11,800 miles. It boggles the mind, doesn’t it? Boggles and saddens it, I think. My love to you, my darling. My love, my all.”
Louise put her letter down, and for a moment none of the girls spoke. Then Kitty said, “I don’t know what else to say to Julian.”
“Not this again,” Tish said, sighing.
Kitty looked at the three-quarters of the page she’d filled. She was using the V-mail form, where the writing paper was also the envelope. V-mail was wonderful. It was free to service personnel, and it got preferential handling so that letters were no longer delayed—sometimes for months—because of the great volume of mail being sent. These form letters were photographed and transferred onto microfilm, and the film was taken to various destinations. At a processing center close to the addressee, the letter was printed onto photographic paper,
Similar Books
