"… And today's news for April 23, 1944: In Germany, our American troops fought bravely against the German army in a decisive battle…"
I sat on the floor of the living room, listening to the radio. My younger sister, Alice, sat next to me and our parents reclined on the couch. We cheered for the soldiers who had fought the day previously and prayed for the ones who were wounded. As the program continued, Alice occasionally nudged me with her elbow to emphasize a point made by the announcer, or whooped when news of a victorious battle was announced.
News of the war in Europe was broadcasted daily at 6 PM, and I was the most avid listener of the family. Everyday, come 5:55, I was perched in front of the radio and ready to hear about the day's news. Alice would come in soon after me, and my father usually read the paper while mother knitted. On a lucky day, word of my brother Emmett's regiment would be aired and we would all breathe a sigh of relief.
Emmett enlisted last year and was deployed in January to Germany. He wrote home regularly to us and his girlfriend, Rosalie Hale. His descriptions of the battlefront and army life captivated me: I wanted to be fighting alongside him against the Nazis so badly. But I was seventeen and too young to enlist, so I lived vicariously through Emmett and the other soldiers in Europe.
That year, war efforts consumed the citizens of Chicago like no other. The elementary school held weekly can drives to collect scrap metal for tanks. Alice's class knitted blankets and scarves for wounded soldiers. Victory gardens filled yards and vacant lots and American flags waved from every building. Even my girlfriend Bella wanted to help.
That day's report ended around seven. Alice twirled up the stairs to her room and father left for the kitchen. Mother, however, lingered. "Edward, I was thinking about the conversation we had a few days ago, and I want to help you out. Come into my room and I'll show you what I mean." I followed her.
After that surprise, I went upstairs to do my homework. Calculus was a breeze and I wrote a quick paragraph for English. As I was beginning my history work though, the phone rang. I glanced at my alarm clock: it was ten.
"It's Bella, I know it!" Alice cried from her bedroom. She had the uncanny ability to predict who called on the telephone. "Edward, you get it!" Sure enough, Bella's soft voice came from the receiver when I picked it up.
"Hello Edward. I hope I'm not interrupting you?" I looked at my homework.
"Nah, you're definitely not interrupting anything. What's up, love?
"I think I want to join the Red Cross." Red flags went up all over my mind.
"Bella, you passed out in class when we were blood typing, remember? Do you really think you can work around bleeding wounded soldiers?" I remembered that day too vividly, when she took one look at Mike Newton's bleeding finger and passed out cold. I carried her to the nurse's office where she came to and began apologizing profusely. So like Bella…
"I have to help somehow! What else can I do?" I heard a loud thunk through the receiver and a sharp, OW!
"Bella. Pacing and talking on the phone doesn't work for you, remember?" I chuckled. Keeping Bella safe was a difficult task when she bumped into everything.
"I'm sorry Edward! It's just, I'm so worried! Your birthday is in a couple weeks, and I know you want to enlist, and I want to help you out…" Her voice trailed off. I could tell she was thinking about our time together. She often worried about what would happen when I was old enough to enlist. Would I leave her? Would I ever see her again? She though our time together was coming to a close. I was not going to let that happen though.
"Bella, shhh, love, it's okay. Just calm down."
"Come meet me, Edward. I can't sleep." I whispered a reply and hung up . Tiptoeing down the hall, I entered Alice's room.
"Alice, will you cover for me? Bella needs me." Alice winked and nodded, pointing me to her window. I opened it silently and climbed out, onto the oak tree in the yard. I grabbed my bike from the shed and started pedaling down the street to Bella's house. The cool night air whipped past my face. I passed Mike Newton's house, where I saw him struggling with homework through the window. Next was Jasper and Rosalie's house. I didn't see Jasper, but Rosalie seemed to be writing a letter. Probably to Emmett..
I stopped when I came in sight of her house. Darn! Chief Swan's car was in the drive. I hated breaking into the cop's house when he was home. But he wouldn't deter me. I continued my silent path towards Bella's window and tapped on the glass. Soon her face illuminated the window and she slid it open.
"Hello, beautiful." I kissed her chastely and pulled myself up into her room. Her long wavy hair fell about her shoulders and her pale skin shone in the moonlight. Those blue pajamas only accentuated her beauty, and her cute toes poked out from the pants legs. But none of these things were any competition for the smile now shining on her face. She lit up whenever I was near, which warmed me to my core. Bella Swan was my love, my other half. Who cared that we were young?
She led me to her twin bed where we talked about her fears of being a nurse and failing her country by not contributing to the war effort. The hours crept by slowly and we filled them to the brim with conversation. Soon, Bella was drowsing in my arms. I kissed her forehead and she smiled.
"Bella?"
"Mmm…"
"You know I love you with all my soul, right?" She nodded. "And that I will do anything to protect you and keep you?" She nodded again. I clutched her to me and her breathing fell into a steady rhythm. She was asleep.
I quietly dislodged myself from her and climbed back out the window. Would my desire to fight for my country overwhelm the love I felt for Bella? I couldn't leave her, I was incomplete without her. Of that I was positive. And deep inside, I knew the path I would choose. I had talked to my parents and Chief Swan about it, even. The result of those conversations sat in my bedside drawer. Come May 9th, I would make my decision.
These thoughts hung over me as I pedaled slowly home. The stars twinkled in the sky, just as Bella's did whenever she saw me.