American Girl

Maryland

Frances Thornton sat on the bus with her cheek pressed against the window. She thought about Dennis Frampton. She always thought about Dennis Frampton. Franny loves Denny, she wrote in her diary. Instead of describing her daily events and personal thoughts, she wrote the same words on every line.

At the moment, Denny was far away on a destroyer in the South Pacific. He joined the Navy the day after he graduated from high school. Franny didn't want him to go but knew she couldn't prevent him. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, most of Middlechester's eligible young men signed up to serve in either the Army or the Navy.

Frances lived in the same New York town all her life. Her mother took her to Manhattan twice yearly to shop for school clothes or Christmas gifts. Otherwise, she rarely left home. Home—Franny thought, watching the passing scenery from the bus window. She found life satisfactory until Dennis left. Afterward, the straight main street turned dull. The cinema and 5&10's lunch counter seemed old and stale. Her girlfriends' chatter about Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper no longer interested her. She wanted to do something with her life and join the war effort.

"Wish I Could Join Too...Serve Your Country in the WAVES."

Franny stood before the window of the Navy recruiting office. The poster in the window showed a young woman gazing hopefully at the words. She gnawed her lower lip, trying to decide. Over the summer, she volunteered at the hospital. Although her duties mainly included delivering meals and running errands, she enjoyed helping patients. Franny longed to become a nurse. The WAVES would allow her to both serve and gain experience. She opened the door and stepped inside boldly.

"I joined the WAVES," Franny stated, returning home an hour later. Her father rustled his newspaper and looked at her over the top. She could only see his bald head and questioning eyes.

"You did what?" Her mother rushed in from the kitchen. She wore a floral apron and held a potato masher in her right hand. "What did you say?"

"She said she joined the WAVES, Mama," Kathleen announced. Franny's little sister sat on the floor, cutting out paper dolls.

"I heard her, Kathy," Mama snapped, poking the masher in her younger daughter's direction. Turning toward Franny, she asked, "What in the world does WAVES mean?"

"Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service," Frances answered, showing her parents the poster she had brought home with her. The bus leaves on Thursday, Mama. I'm going to The Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland."

Her mother's face turned pale, and her father folded his newspaper. Kathleen put down her scissors, the paper dolls forgotten.

"I have to DO something, Mama, Daddy," Franny remarked emphatically. "I want to take part in the war effort. I can't sit around here doing nothing."

Her parents accepted her decision stoically. With the war raging in Europe and the Pacific, they knew everyone had to do something to help. Although they didn't want Frances to leave them, they couldn't hold her back either.

"Do everything possible to stay in the States," her father advised before she departed. "Don't volunteer for overseas duty."

Although Frances agreed, she already knew she wanted to serve in the Pacific. She would take any opportunity to move closer to Dennis. Perhaps they would meet somewhere and remain close to each other. It was what she wanted more than anything else.

The women on the bus chattered noisily with each other. Francis Thornton kept her thoughts to herself. She didn't know anyone and tended toward shyness around strangers. Perhaps during their training, they would all get to know each other. At the moment, Franny wanted to keep herself to herself. She would make friends when the time came.