Memories In Ink

Chapter Three: One Too Many

June 29th, 1943. The next two weeks flew by with a fast motion, the kind of fast motion when you're dreading a certain day. Sarah and I had been on quite a few dates, though I hadn't really considered us a couple just yet. Once I broke the news to her about my order of induction she wanted to see me as much as possible.  A dragon fly was fluttering past the barn as it chased a mosquito in the humid morning air.
It was Sunday, just a little under a week remaining until I shipped out to Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The Truetone radio in the corner of the barn let out a monotonous whir as "Deep in the Heart of Texas" slightly chimed through. The humid air filled my lungs as I took a long drag off of my cigarette, the silhouette of smoke trailed around the opened hood of my '38 sedan. I took another puff as I reached for my 3/8" ratchet on the fender. As I began to install a new waterpump on my sedan, I heard a commotion across the pasture. I ignored the commotion and continued working. As I began to tighten the bolts down, a real loud thud jarred me, causing me to drop my wrench. As I jumped, reacting to the thud, I hit my head on the Ford's hood. "Son of a bitch!" I shouted. "Watch that tongue young man!" I looked over my left shoulder to see my mother, looking out of the window. My mother smiled and went back to cooking. I peered behind my car to see Ernest Briggs, trying to get his truck to start. The morning haze made a rippling effect as I stared in his direction. The old man was muttering obscene words and banging on the front fender. As I sat there, puffing on my cigarette, he let out one final curse as he slammed his foot into the bed, missing the bed and slamming his foot right into the frame. I chuckled as I watched Ernest do a very creative dance to help fight the pain, as I took another pull off of my cigarette.
I was startled by a footstep in the direction of where I was working. I turned my head to see Sarah, in a bright, colorful red dress, her red hair curled, and her lips as red as my sedan. I stuttered as I tried to say "Good morning" to her. "Seems like you're busy, I can come back later!" Sarah said as she winked. I picked up a fast trot over to her as I threw out my cigarette, the remainder of the smoke trailing around the back of the sedan. "No, no! I'm not busy, just putting my hands to use!" Sarah laughed. "I was just kidding Everett! I leaned against the fender trying to recover from my desperate manner. "Oh I knew that!" I exclaimed as I nervously tapped on the car's fender. Sarah took a deep breath. " I was wondering if you wanted to maybe, go out tonight Everett, considering you don't have but a few days left here." The cicadas in the tree line began to pick up as the morning haze became even stronger than usual. The radio still whirred in the background as my throat went completely dry. "I-I would very much like that Sarah." I said as my hands began to get clammy. Sarah looked at me with a puzzled grin. "Everett? Is everything alright?" I nervously chuckled as the radios whir came to an abrupt stop and the static took completely over. "Oh yeah, I'm just wonderful. You're just so, so-" "Pretty?" She added, trying to finish my incomplete sentence. My face flushed bright red as I nodded. Sarah looked flattered as she looked down at her feet. "Well, that's kinda what I was shooting for Everett. I am a lady after all." I looked to the right of Sarah to see my mother, smiling, almost as if she was approving of Sarah from a distance. My eyes followed the tree line back to Sarah's smile. "Well, yeah, I wouldn't have expected anything less ma'am." Sarah became a little flush herself. "Well, Everett, I need to head down to the store, I'll see you at six? I eased up off of the fender. "Yes ma'am, I'll have this red beauty finished long before then hopefully ." The scent of her perfume filled my nostrils as she began to turn toward her '31 Ford Model A pickup. My eyes were locked on her as she walked to her pickup. The morning haze couldn't even faze me, as I tried not to stare at her backside. She let out one final smile as the Model A roared to life. I let out a small wave as she started down the hill, still mesmerized by her beauty. The sun glared on the dark green paint of her pickup and it gallivanted onto the Highway.
           My trance came to an abrupt end as I noticed my mother standing next to the barn door, a plate full of buttered biscuits in hand. She had a stern look on her face as she began to hand me one of the biscuits. "Everett, she seems very nice, but don't you even think about doing what I think you are." I smiled nervously, reaching out at her as my throat once again went dry. "No mother, I was just enjoying her company is all." I chuckled a bit as I began to bite into my biscuit. She looked at me with a stern quality about her eyes. "Your father and I were both young, and he had to go off to war, now you remember that. I do like her, but don't you go giving a woman a baby when you're over in Germany, or wherever you're gonna be. You hear me?" I glared down awkwardly at my feet. "Yes ma'am." I said in a low, ashamed tone. She smiled at me and turned back, making her way to the house. "Remember what I said young man." She said clearly as the wind picked up, making the sheets dance on the clothes line. I finished my biscuit and reached into my pocket for my cigarette carton. I turned back to face the barn, and continued working on my car. After the last bolt was tightened, I walked outside to the well to retrieve some water. As I walked outside, I could hear Ernest in the distance, still trying to get his truck started. I walked back to the car and filled the radiator full of water. I reached into the car with my arm only to turn the switch on. The flathead spun over 2 times and came to life. I checked for leaks and confirmed there were none. I put my tools back up and slowly closed the hood to the car. As the hood latched, I noticed a brown pellet fall onto it. Soon after followed four more. I looked up to see a hairy, wet rat on the rafter of the barn just above my car. I was furious and marched over to the corner of the barn, grabbing the rusted 12 gauge in the corner. I brought the stock up to my shoulders and aimed down the sights. "There you are you little bastard!" I slowly squeezed the trigger as I squinted. A very loud blast echoed through the barn. My ears began to ring as the smoke cleared. I sat the shotgun down and looked up as the smoke cleared all the way. The sunlight shined through a big gaping hole in the front wall of the barn. I looked below the hole, and the rat scurried away. I let out a sigh as the gunpowder filled my nose. Mother came running into the barn. "What the hell did you do?" I looked at her with a pale face. "I-the uh-the gun fell over and went off!" She looked at me with her arms crossed. "Well you better be careful! You scared me half to death!" She turned away and walked back toward the house, with anger in each step. I turned back and looked at the gun, then noticed Ernest behind me, in his field. I looked over to him through the back doors of the barn. He was laughing, laughing hard. He kept laughing until his laughs turned into a violent cough. Talk about making myself look dumb, I felt like a small child again. I turned to the car while Ernest kept laughing. I climbed into the Ford and cranked the flathead to life, drowning out Ernest and his laugh attack. The gears ground as I put it into first gear and eased off the clutch. I pressed on the accelerator as the motor purred its way out from under the barn. Mother waved at me as I turned down the driveway towards the Highway. I switched on the radio to calm my nerves. Hank williams came through the lone speaker of the dash, vibrating my embarrassment away. The hot sun blazed onto the asphalt as I stopped at the mailbox. I looked both ways and went out into the Highway, grinding every gear as I got up to speed with the road.
             The monotonous tone of the reliant six soothed my mind as I roared down Highway 183. My attention was only given to one thing, Sarah's red lips, and her curly red hair. I nervously gripped the wheel tighter, trying to fight the thoughts. The brakes let out a distinct howl as I eased to a stop in town. As I looked both ways to the adjacent Highway, I locked eyes with Uncle Sam. His stern look, and patriotic clothes, pointing right at me. My eyes trailed the poster to the words: "Uncle Sam wants you!" I shook my head as I continued forward along the Highway into town. The howl of the tires became quiet as I eased off into Sarah's driveway. I reached into my flannel shirt's pocket to retrieve my cigarettes. As I struck a match, in all of her beauty, there she was, smiling as wide as she could. I quickly ditched the match and dropped the cigarette. "Hop on in ma'am!" I said nervously, as my fresh cigarette rolled around the floor. Sarah opened the door, allowing the dome light to emit a weak glow, revealing her smooth legs and bright red dress. I tried to keep my composure, as I cranked the Ford back to life. Sarah, without hesitation, slid right up to me. "Good evening Everett." She whispered as the sent of her perfume radiated throughout the cars interior. "Good evening." I said nervously, trying to fight my dry throat. "Where might we go?" She asked with curiosity in her voice. "I've got a place in mind." I said as I kicked the car into reverse. She smiled brightly and eased back into the seat.
            The Ford's headlights danced on the Windows of Alberts Restaurant, A higher class place. Sarah looked surprised. "Everett, it's nice but, are you sure? Their food isn't the cheapest." I applied the parking brake and turned the switch to the car, interrupting its roar. "I'm sure." I said as I looked at her, smiling. I got out of the car, rushing to her side, pulling the door handle open. She eased out of the seat smiling at me. "You sure do smile a lot." I chuckled. "Everett, I smile all of the time!" She said as we walked up to the door. I pulled the doors rustic handle open, motioning her to go first. We were met by a well dressed gentleman as he walked us to a dimly lit booth. The air within the restaurant was filled with scents of food I'd never smelled before. As I sat down, so did Sarah across from me. I nervously tapped on the table as the waiter approached us, notepad in hand. Sarah gave the man her order, a steak, medium rare. I ordered the same nervously. The waiter looked up at me. "Sir, would you like to try some wine?" I sure didn't have the deep pockets for it, but Sarah's expression I couldn't resist. I looked back at the waiter, with a stern look. "Yes sir I would, bring a bottle of the good stuff." He smiled as he walked away. Sarah bent down toward me. "Everett how can you afford that?" I looked at her with a grin. "I work on cars for a living, I've got the money for it." She grinned as she sat back up. The distinct chatter of customers, and the rattle of glass dishes filled the room as we awkwardly stared at each other. I cleared my throat as I attempted to speak up. "Sarah I-I wanted to ask you-" Before I could finish, the waiter came back, with the steak and wine. The aroma of the steak eased my mind as it was placed in front of me. The waiter poured Sarah and I a glass of wine. "You can leave the bottle." I said. He nodded and walked away. Sarah and I both enjoyed our meals, without many words exchanged. As the time went by, so did the wine. The once full bottle, remained half full on the table, as Sarah's words slurred more and more. "Everett?" She said in a slur. "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?" I nervously stared down at my empty plate. "Yeah but, I'll wait until we leave, it's kind of , well you'll see." She smiled wide, revealing her vibrant white teeth. "You sure do smile a lot Sarah." I said as I took another drink of wine. Sarah looked at me, in a seductive tone. "I smile when I see something I want." My face went flush red, before I could say anything the waiter came back with the check. I nodded at him as we got up, and stumbled out of the door.
       The car ride home was quiet. As the car roared up the road, there was obvious tension between Sarah and I.  If I had a pocket knife, I could have cut the air with it. As we eased down the Highway, Sarah's hand began to trace my leg. I tried to focus on the road. I had a destination in mind, but had to be quiet, as my mother were likely to kill me before I even shipped out. I killed the lights to the Ford as we eased into the barn. I eased out of the Ford to close the barn door. As I approached the door Sarah's lips met mine. I had never felt this way before, I was on cloud nine. I eased the barn door shut as we danced to the whirring radio in the corner. The dimly lit barn served as a dance hall, as we twirled around the car. Sarah laughed as she leaned into my ear and whispered: "Everett, I need to tell you something." I gently pulled away from her grasp. "What might that be?" She giggled and she cleared her throat. "I like you, a lot."  My face once again, became bright red. Before I could say much more, her lips met mine again, as she trailed me to the Fords bench seat and pushed me down into it.