A Farewell to Family...

[Cpl. Thomas West]

A Farewell to Family...and the Entry into Another...

For the 3rd time in as many minutes, Thomas West was knocked into by yet another would-be passenger making their way across the platform. It was Tom's experience that most often, people wouldn't really stop to excuse thmeselves; but, as he was in uniform, people almost felt obligated to. He was still trying to get used to the stares of admiration from many of the people who saw him. More than one person had stopped him on the way to the train station and shook his hand and thanked him. It was ust something that Tom wasn't used to. He had never been the type to attract or want much of any attention on himself.

Though his uniform was quite immaculate and pristine, it was terribly hot. The fully wool uniform didn't exactly keep a soldier cool in the heat of the Northern California sun. The humidity hung on Tom's body like a blanket and caused the already heavy uniform to seemingly double in weight. But, the heat and humidity were something that Tom had gotten used to during Boot Camp.

He had traveled down south to Camp Roberts in California shortly after he had signed up for the Army in Oregon. The decision had been a shock for the family. They had expected him to stay home and help with his aging father's lumber business; but Thomas's sense of duty had come into play. After listening to the radio reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor in his father's office at the mill, Thomas had been enraged. He felt as if part of his family had been attacked. Later that night, he had taken his sweetheart, Natalie, out to the pictures. While there, they had watched a newsreel of soldiers training vigorously. Though Thomas had been turning the decision over in his mind all day up until that point, seeing those men train so hard to fight for their country and fullfill their patriotic duty had clenched it for him.

The very next day, he signed up for active duty in the Army. His enlistment process had been accelerated. It was no wonder considering how many enlistees the military was getting in those first few weeks. The line at the office that Thomas had enlisted at was down the block and around the corner. Many of his friends were ensliting as well, in all of the branches. Thomas was swept up in the frenzy. There was just something wrong with you if you hadn't enlisted yet.

Now, a month after he had gotten on the train with the rest of the recruits, he was an American Infantryman. The training had been tough and intense, but Thomas had been able to stick with it. It was while he had been in Boot Camp that the Drill Instructors had seen that Thomas was usually one the men encouraging the other recruits - whether it was on the obstacle course, the ardiuous runs or the 5 mile long hikes with full combat gear. Thomas was usually trying to urge his fellow squad mates on. It wasn't long before the Instructors made him an acting Corporal within the Platoon he was assigned to. He had flourished in the position. The leading came naturally to him, and over time he had been able to learn and develop his command skills.

The training had ended as fast as it had begun; though during the training itself, there were many times when Thomas could see no end to it. At the end of their training, every man was given a ten day furlough before they had to report back to base and be embark to another location for further training before shipping out. Where they would be headed was anybody's guess, and Tom had been hard-pressed to find out what little information he had. Most had assumed that since they were on the west coast, they would be heading to the Pacific to fight the Japanese - but this was something Thomas had doubted. It looked as if the Marines would be the ones handling Tojo for now.

A lot of the men talked about how they would spend their ten day furloughs getting rip-roaring drunk and tear the towns apart that were by the base. There were also a good maority of the men who would travel home to see their families during their furloughs. Thomas was one of those men. He wanted to spend time with his family for a few days more before he had to leave them. No one knew how long they would be gone for; and though it was not something he discussed with his parents, no one knew for sure if he would be coming back. Thomas also wanted time to spend with Natalie.

Natalie had been the light of his life since the 7th grade. They had come up together and were the best of friends. They had talked about marriae often, and Thomas was close to proposing when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Immediately, those plans were placed on hold, like millions of other young men's plans were. With there being no idea of how long Thomas would be gone or if he would even come back, Thomas had decided that he could not promise to marry Natalie if he couldnt guarantee it. Thomas was never one to make a promise that he could not keep.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle from a train broke Thomas's line of thinking. From his place on the station platform, he could see another train pulling into the station. Checking his watch, Thomas saw that it had to be his train bound for Oregon and his home town. Hoisting his duffel bag up onto his shoulder and looking around to make sure no one was nearby to crash into him to knock it off, Thomas began to make his way to the platform.

Though he had phoned ahead to let his parents know he was coming, he would be getting in very late, and didn't want to make anyone come out to get him. Instead, he decided that he would get a taxi upon his arrival, or, as he had done to get to the station, hitch a ride. The uniform he wore almost guaranteed he would be able to hitch a ride anywhere he needed to go.

He quickly made his way over to one of the cars that was open for boarding. Once aboard, he placed his duffle bag over his head and settled into his seat. Reaching into the chest pocket of his dress uniform, he retreived a small packet of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum. Everyone smoked, but Thomas was one of the rare individuals that didn't. He had never liked the taste of cigarettes and prefered his gum instead. As he unwrapped a piece and placed it in his mouth, he saw a little girl sitting across the aisle staring at him. Her mother and father sat in the two seats next to her talking.

The little girl's blond hair reflected the falling sun brilliantly. Her crystaline blue eyes bore deep into Thomas as he looked back at her. The little girl smiled slightly and tilted her head, looking over Thomas's uniform. Thomas smiled warmly back at her and saw the girl's parents notice their interchange. The little girl reminded him much of his little sister, Anne, at home. In a few short hours he would be seeing her. Thomas offered a stick of gum to the little girl who instinctively looked up at her parents. The parents both smiled and nodded to her. As Thomas stood up and crossed the aisle with the gum held out, the little girl watched his hand intently. Upon reaching her, the little girl grabbed the gum thankfully.

"And what do you say, Molly," asked the girl's father.

"Tank yoo," replied the little girl sheepishly to Thomas. As Thomas stood six feet tall, he towered over the little girl. He bent down and spoke to her.

"You are very welcome, Miss," Thomas said with a warm smile. He stood back up and looked at both of the parents and nodded.

"And thank you, for your service young man," spoke the mother to Thomas. Thomas grew slightly red as he always did when other thanked him for serving.

"Just doing my duty, ma'am." Thomas nodded to them and returned to his seat. Once more he settled into it and looked out of the window as the fun was almost ready to fall behind the mountains. The train began to lurch as it pulled away from the station slowly.

Thomas was finally on his way to be home with his family and Natalie for a few short days. It was to be a biding of farewell to one family and the embracing of a new family...A family known as the Army...

[Cpl. Thomas West]

A Silent Arrival

The train pulled into the station shortly after 9 o'clock in the evening. The sun had gone down about 20 minutes after Thomas had pulled away from the station. The train ride had been slow, and Thomas had spent much of it staring out of the window by his seat in reflection. Thought came and they went in his mind over the course of the ride. Mostly, he thought of Natalie and his family.

While away at Boot Camp, Thomas had written his family at every opportunity he had - which, wasn't too often considering the busy life of an Army enlistee. But whenever he could, he spared a moment to dash off a letter to his family. To save time, Thomas usually just put in a quick note for his parents to tell Natalie something. Sometimes, he chose to write a quick letter to her and enclosed it with the letter to his family so that they could deliver the mail to her personally. She only lived down the block from he and his parents, so it made things easier as opposed to mailing two separate letters; and besides, Natalie liked spending time with his family and his family liked spending time with Natalie and her family too.

As the train slowly began to groan to a stop, Thomas reached up and pulled down the window. Sticking his head out of it, he took in a deep breath of his hometown air. The sweet smell of the woods filled his nostrils and lungs. A smile slowly crept upon his face with the realization that he was really home now.
The station itself wasn't the biggest that Thomas had ever been to, but it was of a fair size. The platform was dimly lighted by overhead lamps that were spaced about 10 feet apart along the length of the platform. The station had a single building which sat on the East side of the station, connected to the platform. The opposite side of the tracks was only for us by Train yard personnel where coal and water could be refilled and the operators could stretch their legs.

The only building that the Station had was a structure made out of wood that looked much like one from an old Western Serial that Thomas so enjoyed watching before the main feature at the theater. The building contained the ticket counter, public restrooms and a sizeable waiting area with benches that people could use. On the side of the building facing the platform was a small newsstand that also sold gum, chocolates, and soda pop. Thomas had known the owner, Mr. Farland, for his entire life. Mr. Farland's son, Jeremiah had been in Thomas' class. Jeremiah was now in the Navy and had already been shipped out. As it was a little past 9 in the evening, Thomas knew that the newsstand would be closed, and decided he would try to catch Mr. Farland when he made his way back to Camp.

As the train came to a complete stop, the passengers who were getting off of the train began to stir. Some passengers who had a little farther to go were still asleep. As Thomas stood to grab his duffel bag, he looked over at the couple with their daughter. The parents were beginning to stand and grab their things as well, while the daughter lay fast asleep in the chair - her mouth slightly open.

Reaching up, Thomas grabbed his duffel bag from over his head and brought it down to over his shoulder. Inside of it were a few things that he wanted to leave with his parents before shipping overseas. He wanted to save on the postage and decided he would just "kill two birds with one stone" as the saying went. He had a small carving that he had whittled of a soldier which he wanted to leave at his home along with a few things he had bought for people in his family and for Natalie while away at Boot Camp.

It had been a tradition in Thomas' family that whenever someone took a trip, they brought back a "souvenir" of some sort from their travels. There were times when Thomas was growing up, that his father had picked up a carpentry contract outside of town that would take him a week or two to finish. While they all missed their father, the family would look forward to his return because of the different gifts that their father would bring home. Thomas decided that as he was out of the house now and doing a bit of traveling himself, he would carry on the beloved tradition. Though he had merely gone out of state, Thomas knew he would be traveling to different countries very soon and that would offer him more opportunity to find things to send home.

Thomas made his way off of the train and stepped out onto the dimly lit platform. The iridescent glow of the lamp overhead bathed him in light. The Division Insignia on his chest and the lapel disks slightly reflected the light. He made his way away from the train and over to the steps which led down to the road that led into town. He knew there was a phone about a quarter of a mile down the road at Old Man Rudemakers that he could use to phone a cab.

Old Man Rudemaker ran a 24 hour mechanics shop. It had always puzzled Thomas as to why he stayed open 24 hours a day when usually he didn't have very many customers. Not many people broke down on their way to or from the town. But, whenever someone in town who lived there had a problem, they would always take it to Old Man Rudemaker's shop. Thomas' father had been a customer of Old Man Rudemaker's on more than one occasion, largely due to the fact that Thomas' father refused to purchase a new car. He liked his old Ford pickup and thought it more thrifty to make patch jobs on it than to scrap it and buy a whole new car altogether.

Old Man Rudemaker really was an old man. His hair had turned white when he was only about fifty years-old. The joke that people loved to say around town was that it was his demanding wife that had turned his hair to prematurely turn white. It was true that Mrs. Rudemaker had a penchant for being a bit overbearing and demanding of her husband, especially when it came to how much he charged people for his business. Times were tough and Old Man Rudemaker often gave people big breaks on the prices of his work, usually at the cost of his own pocket. This wasn't something that Mrs. Rudemaker really approved of. Old Man Rudemaker's face was very craggy and he was almost always dirty because of all the cars he worked on. Many times when Thomas shook his hand, as his father always made him do when speaking to another man, Thomas' hand was blackened by the grease.

Thomas came to the bottom of the steps and walked over to the road to begin his walk to Rudemaker's Garage. He heard steps behind him and turned to see the family making their way away from the station as well. Thomas watched as they walked over to another car where they were greeted by other family members quietly so as not to wake their daughter. Thomas had never seen them before and suspected that they were probably just visiting family or possibly even new arrivals in town.
Facing up the road, Thomas began to make his way to Rudemakers' Garage. As he walked, thoughts began to tumble over in his mind once more. This time, he thought of Natalie. They had both known for some time now that they wanted to get married, but had been waiting for the right time in their lives for it. Natalie was hoping to go away to college soon at the University of Oregon in order to obtain a degree in teaching.

While Thomas also wanted to attend school, he had been very busy learning from his Father how to run their family's lumber business. Then, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and Thomas had enlisted, which put their plans on hold indefinitely. Natalie would be leaving for college within the next few weeks, and Thomas knew it was a big step for her. He was glad that he had this opportunity to see her before he left for the war. It was hard to not be able to tell her or his family where he would be going or what he would be doing, but he knew they would be able to piece together where he was from things he would write to them in his letters, and from their own reading of the newspaper.

As his mind began to dwell even more on his sweetheart, his hand instinctively reached for his chest pocket where he kept his picture of Natalie. He had promised her it would never leave his possession. It was fitting that he carried her picture over his heart, because that was where she belonged. Then, as he thought of her picture, his mind moved to another image...the ring.

His parents knew that Thomas was going to marry Natalie, and so, his mother had given him her mother's wedding ring. It was a beautiful, yet simple ring. It was a silver band with two small diamonds on either side of a much larger diamond in the center. It was another one of the things that he wanted to leave at home with his family before he left. He didn't want to be running around in a battlefield and lose it, or keep it in his footlocker to have some GI steal it as was sometimes the case in the Army.
it didn't take long for him to arrive at Old Man Rudemaker's. The doors were locked as usual at night and the lights inside were off. But outside was a sign that read "Open" and over the front door was a single light that was on. Thomas rang the bell and waited for the response. Within a few moments, there was Old Man Rudemaker standing in front of him from behind the door. The man looked half asleep and was wearing long johns with a robe quickly tied off around him. Upon seeing Thomas, his eyes widened and he quickly opened the door.

"Oh! I wasn't expecting to see one of the West boys at this time of night!" Old Man Rudemaker said in surprise holding out his hand. Thomas firmly shook the man's hand and smiled.

"Well, I didn't know when I would be coming, sir," Thomas replied. "I hope that I am not disturbing you."

"Oh no! Not at all, young man. I was already up." Rudemaker's eyes went over Thomas' uniforms and his ribbons. "Say! Look at you! A West boy all dressed up and in the Army!"

Thomas smiled as the man took his arm and backed up a little bit to look him over. "You know, you're doing a good thing, son. Your father and I served together in the Great War, you know, but we didn't have a nice of a uniform back then!"

They both shared a laugh. "Well, thank you, sir. I am glad to be serving, just like you and my father."

Rudemaker smiled and nodded to him. "Well, what brings you to my place at this time of night? I take it you're not paying me a social visit?"

"No, sir, but it is always good to see you again. I was actually wondering if I could use your phone to call a cab to get into town."

"What!? A cab!? At this time of night, son," Rudemaker asked incredulously? "No, no. Don't bother with the cab. It's not free and you'll have to wait too long for it to come all the way out here. That won't due. Wait here." Rudemaker disappeared into his shop.

"Yes, sir," said Thomas as he stood waiting in the doorway. A few moments later, Rudemaker appeared again.

"Take these," he said thrusting out a pair of keys. "It's to my Ford four-door."

Thomas looked at Rudemaker with more than a bit of shock. "Oh, no, sir. I couldn't take your car," he said offering the keys back to him.

"Nonsense, son. Take it," spoke Rudemaker pushing the keys back into Thomas' chest. "I hardly ever go into town anymore. My wife brings back all the groceries. Will you be in town long?"

"I'll be here for about a week, sir," Thomas said reluctantly accepting the keys.

"Well, you keep the car until you have to go back. Just leave it here on your way to the station." Rudemaker held up a hand, "And before you tell me no, I insist." The Old Man smiled up at Thomas.

"I am very thankful, sir. I will take good care of it." Thomas grabbed up his duffel bag and slung it back onto his shoulder.

"You take care now, son, and make sure you visit me and the wife before you leave," Rudemaker said as he stepped back behind his door.

"I surely will, Sir, thank you." Thomas watched as Rudemaker closed the door and disappeared into the darkness of his shop once again.

Making his way over to the car, Thomas opened the trunk first and placed his duffel bag inside of it. Then, he climbed into the driver's seat and started it up.

The drive from Rudemaker's to his house didn't take long. As he pulled into the driveway, he felt a small warmth in his chest. He was very glad to be home. The house stood on Front Street in the middle of a section of houses. It was two stories tall and had a large porch that was enclosed with windows and doubled as a sitting room when company was over. It came in handy, as Thomas' Father sometimes had to entertain guests that had come over on business visits. The house had wooden slats all along the front of it and was painted a soft blue. Thomas smiled once more to himself as he sat in the front seat. Turning off the engine, he stepped out and slowly closed the door in order to not wake anyone.

Retrieving his duffel bag from the trunk, Thomas went to the back door of the house. His family always left the doors open at night as the neighborhood was never one where doors had to be locked. The lights were off inside as he entered from the back. He quietly set his duffel bag by the back door. Almost in the same style as the large porch/sitting room, the backdoor had a small mud room. During the winter, everyone kept their muddy shoes and soaked clothes back here in order not to track anything through the house. AS he walked in, he removed his cover - a military custom that he did instinctively now without having to think.

Thomas moved deeper into the house, passing through the pantry which adjoined the mudroom and then passed through the kitchen. From the kitchen with all of its cupboards and accouterments - his mother loved to cook - he made his way into the dining room. The Blue China plates were sitting in their rack on the long table that served to house all of the cutlery in its drawers, as well as other types of plates and dishes and things that had to do with the dining room. The long, oak table that Thomas had eaten so many meals at still stood in the center of the room. The green wallpaper which Thomas had always felt was distasteful still adorned the walls. Though Thomas had not liked the green, it seemed a bit of a step up as opposed to the yellow wallpaper that was in the kitchen.

As Thomas walked into the living room from the dining room, he saw the familiar old couch laying on one side of the room. As Thomas laid his eyes upon it, he suddenly felt very tired. Walking over to it, he looked over the pictures that was on the wall above the couch which had pictures of the entire family, including grandparents. As Thomas' eyes came to the end of the shelf, he noticed the picture of himself that he had taken shortly after arriving in Boot Camp. He had the portrait done in order to show everyone at home that he was doing well and was loving his time in the service so far. There was a feeling of pride to see himself up on the shelf in his uniform. After the feeling subsided, Thomas once again felt the fatigue of a long day over take him.

As he laid himself down, he wondered how his family would feel when they woke up in the morning to discover that he was home. The thought brought a smile to his face as he immediately drifted off into a deep, contentful sleep...

[Cpl. Thomas West]

A Warm Reception

Thomas had woken up before anyone else had that morning, which was saying a lot, since his father was always the first one up in order to be at the mill early. It was one of the affects of Boot Camp that he had risen so early at 5 am. Thomas had wasted no time after being awake. He moved to the kitchen and began to cook breakfast for the family, just like he always used to do in the mornings.

In the kitchen and pantry, Thomas found the food that he was looking for, all where it had always been before he had left. It was good to have a feeling of familiarity again. When he was off at Boot Camp, everything was so new and foreign to Thomas. That wasn't to say that he eagerly embraced the Army life. But there was something about returning back to a place where things were already known and comfortable to him. Even the breakfast would be familiar! He'd cook his usual breakfast which everyone had always loved to wake up to in the mornings" eggs, bacon and toast. Rationing was only ust starting to begin, and Thomas thought it would be a nice way to experience some last goodness before their groceries lists were limited.

As he whipped the eggs in the both held out in front of him for the scrambled eggs, Thomas' thoughts once more began to wander. How long is it going to be before I will get to be in this kitchen again? How about in this house? Am I even going to live to be able to come back here? If I do live, what if I am horribly disfigured or mained? They were thoughts that Thomas knew he couldn't llow to take root in his mind. Most of the other men seemed to feel invincible, as if nothing in the world could touch them. Thomas envied them. He was one of the few who seemed to always wonder when and if it would be him that would never come back.

Once more, he pushed the thoughts from his mind and poured the eggs onto the frying pan which he had already put a light layer of butter on. The butter would help the eggs not to stick as much to the pan and make them easier to cook. He moved with ease around the kitchen preparing a breakfast that he had missed. In the Army, many of his meals had been something left to be desired, but now he was home where he could indulge himself. The smells of the food he was preparing slowly began to fill not only the kitchen but also worked its way through the house. Thomas took in a deep breath through his nose and exhaled with a smile on his face. Familiarity indeed.

Though Thomas had taken off his jacket when he woke up, he still wore his military pants, shirt and tie and still had his shoes on as well. He didn't need to be wearing his ribbons for his family to see. They would see soon enough. He also felt like he didn't want his family dolting over him when he really hadn't done anything of recognition yet. After all, that's not why he was in the Army in the first place. Serving the country that had given him and his family so much was all he wanted.

As the bacon he had just put onto the skillet began to sizzle, Troy once again sniffed the familiar smell of it. It had been far too long since he had bacon. He moved his fork over the eggs and continued to make sure they didn't sit too long on the stove and burn. The toast he had put on not too long ago in order to cook to the perfect amount of crunchiness. He cooked quickly, but effortlessly. As he moved over to flip the bacon, he heard someone walk into the kitchen.

"Tommy!" he heard his little sister's voice cry from behind him as he turned around. His little 6 year old sister Anne ran towards him with her arms outstretched for an embraced and to be picked up.

"Little Annie!" Troy said with a warm smile as he bet low to pick her up as she ran towards him. He swept her off of the floor and spun her around once before standing again and giving her another big hug.

"Mommy and Daddy said you'd be home! You surprised us! I love surprises!" Anne cried with glee as she kissed Thomas on the cheek. Then, her eyes caught glimpse and found the smell that had woken her up. "Bweakfast!" She gently kicked to be let down and Thomas obliged her. Anne ran over to the cupboards and began to get out a plate for her. She spoke to Thomas as she get all of her eating utensils, "I miss your breakfasts, Tommy."

Thomas turned back to the stove and the smile never left his face. "Well, I miss cooking breakfast for everyone little Annie." Thomas flipped the bacon and then checked on the eggs again. "It'll be soon, Annie Fanny."

"I missed you, Tommy. Are you home now," Annie inquired in a soft voice to him.

Thomas paused and turned around to see Annie staring up at him from the table with expectant eyes. "Just for a little bit. Then I've got to go away for a little bit longer." Anne began to hang her head, and Thomas knew that her little heart was feeling sorrow. Kneeling down next to her, Thomas kissed her head, and picked her chin up. "Now don't you worry, Little Annie. I'll be coming home sooner than you think." Annie smiled slightly to Thomas as he stood up from her and walked back over to the stove. He began to take some of the eggs off and put them onto a plate he had set out for them.

Thomas then took some of the bacon off of the stove and put more on to begin cooking. Thomas felt the quiet in the room like a blanket that deprived warm as opposed to providing it. Anne was always talkative, but not this morning. Being only 6, she still knew what it felt like to miss her big brother. Thomas knew what might cheer her up a bit.

"Say, Annie, could you do me a favor," Thomas asked her in a slightly perky voice.

Annie immediately perked up and eagerly looked at Thomas. "What, Tommy?"

"Do me a favor and go into my big bag that I put in the mudroom. In the top of the bag should be my special leather folder. Could you bring it to me?" Thomas asked her with a smile that told Anne that he had something for her.

"Mhm!" Anne said excitedly as she ran off to do what Thomas had asked. Thomas smiled and again flipped the bacon, then began to prepare more scrmabled eggs to be placed onto the stove. Anne returned quickly with his brown leather bound folder. Thomas kept his journal and drawings of his in there. Thomas had always drawn things for Anne and she kept them in her room tacked up on the walls or placed on her small desk.

Undoing the straps wrapped around the metal clasp, Thomas opened the small notebook and pulled out a few small pictures that he had drawn for Anne. He held them out to her. "Here you go, Annie Fanny. I had some time for some special drawings for you."

Anne eagerly took the pictures from Thomas and returned to the table to look them over. She leafed through them, paying special attention to each one that she looked at. One picture was of a bird sitting on the branch of a tree with beautiful wings outstretched as if it were just landing on the branch. Another was of a little girl holding the hand of her parents as she walked. The last, which turned out to be Anne's favorite, was of a single tree standing by the edge of a lake with a small boat not too far away from it. Anne looked at each of the pictures again and smiled up at Thomas who had his back to her, facing the stove.

"I love them, Tommy!" Anne said as she looked back down at the pictures from smiling at Thomas.

"Well, good! They're yours to keep, as always," Troy said briefly turning away from the stove.

"We thought we heard voices down here," came Thomas' father's voice from behind him. This time, he turned to see his mother in a robe and his father fully dressed for the day, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Mommy! Daddy! Tommy is home!" Anne exclaimed with glee to them.

"We know, sweetheart," said Thomas' mother as she moved into the kitchen with a smile across her face. Thomas left the stove and gave his mother a hug. "Glad you're home, hunny," she said in a caring voice.

"Good to be home, mom," Thomas spoke as he turned to face his father. Thomas' father looked him up and down and then smiled to him.

"Well, they certainly have done a better job on the uniforms than from when I was in," his father said with a smile.

Thomas looked at his own uniform and then smiled. "Yes, sir, they have."

Thomas' father grabbed his shoulder and firmly held them. They stood for a moment and looked at each other before his father turned away and sat at the table.

"Look, Daddy, Tommy brought me more pictures," Ann spoke as her father joined his wife and daughter at the table. Thomas' mother was alreayd looking over them.

"Beautiful, Tommy," spoke his mother.

"Glad you think so, mom."

"Why didn't you wake us when you got in, son?" his father asked him.

"Oh, I didn't want to wake anyone, sir. I stopped by Old Man Rudemaker's to call for a cab, but he gave me his old Ford for the week, instead."

"Well that was nice of him," spoke his mother.

"Yes, it was," his father chimed in. "Be sure to fill the tank for him when you return it."

"Yes, sir," Thomas said as he placed the finish bacon onto a plate. Thomas then moved and grabbed the toast which was now perfect. Turning around, he set the plates of food on the table in front of his family.

"Well, it's nice to not have to cook in the mornings for a change," said Thomas' mother with a smile on her face as Thomas placed the food on the table and sat down next to Anne.

The family sat together and all took portions of the food that had been set out before them. Thomas was the last to fill his plate. As usual, Thomas' father led them in a prayer before they enjoyed the delicious food. The customary compliments of the food prepared by Thomas passed, and, after a few more moments of eating, Thomas' father spoke.

"So, son, how long will you be with us for?"

Thomas knew the question was going to come sooner or later, but was glad that it had come sooner. "I'll be here a week, sir," Thome spoke before looking down at his plate of food and moving some of his eggs.

"Well, that's nice," his mother spoke to him in a cheerful voice. Thomas looked up from his food and gently smiled and nodded to her.

The family continued to eat and speak of different things together. Thomas shared with them his experiences so far in the Army, and particularly, in Boot Camp. He explained to them what he was allowed to tell them of where he was going next and what he would be doing. Then came the next question he had been waiting for. This time, his mother asked him.

"And when will you be seeing Natalie?" she asked with a smile on her face.

Thomas thought briefly to himself. "Well, I thought I would see her after breakfast. Then tomorrow maybe go with Dad to the mill."

"That'll be nice," spoke his mother.

"She's missed you, Tommy!" said Anne loudly. "She comes by and is always talking about you and asking about you." Thomas began to blush a little bit as Anne said what she did.

"Now, Anne, don't embarrass your brother," began his father.

"But it's true!" Anne persisted.

"Why don't you clear your place, Anne," spoke their mother.

Anne hung her head and slowly stood from her seat. "Yes, mother." As she walked over to the sink, Thomas couldn't help but smile through his blushing. He stared across the table at his parents and the three of them smiled at one another. It was certainly good to be home...

[Cpl. Thomas West]

Cordial Greetings

After another hour at home with the family, his father had gone off to work and his mother began to clean the house. She had planned to do it on that day as she was not sure of when Thomas would be arriving home; but, as he had already arrived, she decided she would have it done before he got back home that evening.

Thomas suggested that he take Annie to school, which she readily and happily agreed to. It only took a few minutes for Annie to get ready for school. They took Old Man Rudemaker's Ford to drop Annie off at school. On the drive over, Annie had filled him in on all of the happenings in town while he had been away, among which were: Mrs. Atkins had twin baby boys, Alice Harper was engaged to Ezekial Matheson who was going off to join the Navy, and Arthur Newman had won the annual miniature boat model competition. And, of course, Annie made sure that she told Thomas all about how Natalie was doing and what she had been up to, including visits to their house. But one of the biggest pieces of news that Annie had told him that really hit him the hardest was the report that Joe Slewinski had been killed in the South Pacific while invading the island of Guadalcanal.

That had really stuck in Thomas' mind. Thomas had gone to school with Joe and they had been good friends while on the football team together. Joe had wanted to become a contractor and he and Thomas had talked often about how they would help each other out. Joe would get the contracts, and Thomas would supply him with the lumber he would need at a discount. The thought made Thomas smile as he drove his little sister to her school, despite the feeling of loss that came over him. It once again made Thomas think of his own mortality and the odds of himself making it back from wherever he went.

Thankfully, Annie had drowned out the morbid thoughts wth her sweet, little voice before they had had a chance to really take a hold. She smiled the entire car ride and rode with her window down, calling out to people she knew on the sidewalks as they passed them by to let them know that her brother was home. As it was a small town, Annie knew most everyone. Thomas laughed as she would call out of the window in her little voice. She smiled and waved to everyone and they did the same back. After a few times, Annie had told Thomas to smile and wave as well, so he had.

When Thomas pulled up in front of the school, Annie hurredly jumped out and yelled to her teacher, Mrs. Hanson, who was waiting in front of the school to greet her students as she did every morning. It was something she had done ever since Thomas had her as his 1st grade teacher. Annie ran up to Mrs. Hanson, whose hair was showing more signs of grey now that she was getting older. Annie brought Mrs. Hanson up to the car. While Thomas had tried to shake his head against Annie bringing her over, it had been of no use. Thomas quickly put the car into park, got out, and came around to see Mrs. Hanson.

"Well, my goodness," started Mrs. Hanson in her motherly voice, "Thomas West. My how you have grown into a very handsome young man!" She looked Thomas up and down with her glasses that she now wore.

Thomas smiled as he looked down at her. "Thank you, ma'am," Thomas replied respectfully.

"You know, Annie," said Mrs. Hanson taking Annie's hand into hers. "Your brother was always one of my best writers."

Thomas smiled sheepishly as his little sister stared up into his eyes. "I appreciate that, ma'am."

Mrs. Hanson smiled at Thomas. "Granted he did get a little distracted by his drawings sometimes," she said with a laugh. Thomas laughed with her but Annie interjected.

"But I love his drawings, Mrs. Hanson!" Annie said with glee.

"As did I," said Mrs. Hanson. "So how long will you be in town," Mrs. Hanson asked Thomas.

"Not long, ma'am. I was given a brief furlough before I have to return to camp and ship out to where I'll be serving."

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, Thomas." The bell rang behind them and Thomas felt a small wave of relief come over him.

"Well, I must be going now, Thomas. It was very nice to see you again," said Mrs. Hanson as she bent down to Annie again. "Come in after you say goodbye to your brother, Annie. You have permission to come in a few minutes to class." Annie looked up into Mrs. Hanson's eyes who smiled at her before gently squeezing her hand and going inside of the school.

Annie looked up into Thomas' eyes, and he could see that she didn't want to leave yet. Thomas smiled down at her and stroked her forehead. Turning into the car, Thomas grabbed the small paperbag that their mother had packed her lunch in that morning after breakfast. He kneeled down in front of her and held out the bag.

"Listen, little Annie Fanny," Thomas started in his best tender big brother voice, "I'll be here to pick you up after school. Not only that, I'll take you out to Shaughnessy's Diner and get you a slice of your favorite. Peach Pie." Thomas smiled at her as best he could.

Annie began to smile and jumped at her brother, wrapping him up in a big hug. Thomas laughed and hugged her back. He picked her up and spun her around once as she let out a cry of excitment before putting her back down on the ground.

"You're the best, Tommy," she said.

"Aw, shucks," Thomas said kicking the ground in feigned shyness. Thw two of them laughed for a moment. "Hurry, Annie. Don't want to miss too much class." Thomas patted her head once more before she turned around and ran up the steps. At the top of them, she turned and cried out to Thomas.

"I love you, Tommy!!" Annie yelled with a wave. Thomas slightly blushed and waved back.

"Love you too, Annie." With one last smile, Annie disappeared into school. Thomas laughed to himself as he closed the passenger door and went back around to the driver's side. He got in, took the car out of park and slowly pulled away from the front of the school.

As the school faded from his rearview mirror, Thomas began to think of the times he had spent in its halls not too many years ago. He had had happy times and fond memories in the school and on the school yard. It was also in that school where he had met the girl of his dreams. No. Better than the girl of his dreams, Natalie was a reality.

Thomas turned from Orchard Street to Main Street. He mad his way to his next stop now. With all of the people that had seen him because of Annie's calling this morning, he wondered if Natalie had heard he was in town or not. With the way the gossip seemed to spread in a small town, there was a good chance that she knew he was in town. Still, a part of him hoped that he could surprise her at her door step. With it being a Tuesday, he knew Natalie didn't have to be at work at June's Apparel store until noon. Though that was only 4 hours away, Thomas hoped that he could at least spend as much time with her before she had to go into work. As Thomas made a left off of Main Street and onto Chikoree Avenue, he hoped that by some miracle, he could surprise her...

[Cpl. Thomas West]

A Brief Stop

As he made his way down Chikoree Avenue, he passed few people on the streets. By this time of the morning, most everyone was at their perspective jobs. He made a brief stop on the corner of Chikoree Avenue and Pineview Road at Mrs. Porter's Flower shop. Stepping inside of the flower shop, he was immediately greeted with sweet fragrances of all of the flowers. Everywhere in the shop were flowers of different colors - bright, vibrant color that couldn't help but put a small smile on Thomas' face.

The bell above the door rang as Thomas walked inside of the door. From somehwere in the back of the store, Thomas heard a shuffle followed by a small voice that Thomas immediately recognized as Mrs. Porter. "Coming. I'll be just a minute," spoke Mrs. Porter in her gravely voice.

"Don't rush yourseld, ma'am," Thomas said as he glanced about the shop. Reaching into his chest pocket, Thomas pulled out the money he had been given just before going on his leave. The Company Clerk, Sergeant Masterson, had given each one of the troopers their pay before they headed out on their leave. Thomas, along with everyone else, was thankful to be getting their pay before going on their leaves. Many men would need the money just to be able to make it to their hometowns and then back to the base.

After a few more moments of browsing, Mrs. Porter came to the front of the store, wiping some dirt from her apron. The surprise was easily notable on her face by her wide eyes and the equally wide smile. "Well, Thomas West, my goodness. I had heard something of you going off to the Army." The woman came from the other side of her front register and greeted Thomas with her hand outheld.

Thomas gently grabbed her hand a shook it once. "Yes, ma'am."

"Well, glad as always to see you, Thomas. What brings you to a flower shop on your visit?" her question was tinged with a bit of confusion as she spoke.

"Well..." Thomas started, but didn't get a chance to fininsh as Mrs. Porter's demeanor changed as if coming to a realization.

"Oh! Wait a minute. You must being going to see Natalie," Mrs. Porter said with a smile that made Thomas blush. As he always did when nervous, Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. He quickly stopped himself when he found himself doing it.

"Yes, ma'am. I was just hoping for a few roses, perhaps some Queen Anne's Lace as well?"

Mrs. Porter had began to move as soon as Thomas had spoke the word roses. She moved precisely. Even though the shop was crowded with flowers that sat in every available space, she still knew precisely where everything was that she was looking for. She moved and took several roses from a large vase on one of the shelves by the window. After taking the roses, she walked back to the counter where a stack of wax paper at by the register. Mrs. Porter took a sheet of wax paper from the stack and placed it on an open spot of the counter. Then she laid the roses that she had picked onto the paper. Beads of water fell from the roses and stayed together on the paper. As she moved from behind the counter once again, her eyes moved over the store once again. This time, she walked to the opposite side of the store to a large section of flowers. "Is that all you had wanted," Mrs. Porter asked without turning around.

"Yes, ma'am," Thomas replied in his usual respectful tone. Natalie had never been one for extravagant tastes or showy things. But as Thomas had been away for longer than either of them had cared to be, he thought she would understand his visiting gift. Thomas had always liked to show Natalie that she was more special than any girl he knew and tried to show her in any way he could.

After retrieving the Queen Anne’s lace, Mrs. Porter laid the flowers down with the roses and began to gently, but quickly wrap the flowers in the wax paper. Moving at a pace that showed her years of experience in the flower business, Mrs. Porter took a thin, long piece of paper from another stack by the register. Taking the piece of paper, she wrapped it around the flowers in the paper halfway down the stalks. In one hand she held the flowers with the strip of paper wrapped around them, and the other moved to a small piece of clay. Taking the clay, she put it in between the thin strip’s ends and made them stick together.

With the flowers now together in a bouquet, Mrs. Porter now placed them on the counter by the register. Thomas was somewhat grateful that Mrs. Porter wasn’t as talkative as so many other people in town were. As long as Thomas had known Mrs. Porter, she had been alone. Well, not alone. She had always had her flowers. When Thomas worked his paper route in the summer, he had come by her shop more than once to find Mrs. Porter talking to no one but her flowers. To the best of his memory, Thomas could never remember any man being her company. Mrs. Porter punched in the total of the sales and the ring of the register loudly prompted Thomas to get his cash out.

Reading the price, Thomas was slightly confused and looked at the price as indicated as an advertisement in the store’s window. Looking back at Mrs. Porter, he saw that she was already smiling at him. “A young man serving his country is not going to pay full price in my shop, especially not for his beautiful girlfriend.”

Thomas couldn’t believe it. “No, ma’am, I couldn’t do that.”

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Porter spoke sternly as she pushed the flowers over the counter towards him. “I insist.”

Thomas felt humbled and at a loss for words. He hadn’t even been in the Army longer than Boot Camp. He only saw what he was doing as his duty to his country. Reluctantly, he gave her the exact change and took the flowers from off of the counter. “Thank you, Mrs. Porter,” Thomas said sheepishly as he brought the flowers to his chest.

“Give her my hello,” Mrs. Porter said to Thomas as he got to the shop’s door.
“Yes, ma’am I will. And thank you so much for the flowers.” Thomas left the shop and walked to the car. Laying the flowers on the passenger seat next to him, Thomas started the car and pulled away from the curb. As he turned back onto Chikoree Street to finish his drive to Natalie’s house, he thought of the smiles they would share when they finally saw each other….