Memories: Past, Present and Future
Lt Jarrick Thornton, Jack to his family and friends, paced the floors of the Navy chapel waiting for news of his bride-to-be. Today was November 30th 1941 and he was going to marry the most beautiful woman in the world in the most breathtaking place, Honolulu, Hawaii. He walked over to the window to look out at Pearl Harbor and the ships that lined the docks. He had been stationed here for a year. On one of his first days he was shopping at the PX when they bumped into each other, literally. They both had a lot of things in their arms and weren't paying attention to where they were going. He apologized profusely and began picking up her items. When they both stood up and looked at each, he felt the air leave his body. She was the prettiest woman he had ever seen. He never believed in love at first sight until that day and that moment. Thinking back to that day made him even more nervous so he decided to go outside to get some fresh air.
One Year Ago, Jack's POV
Jack, with his arms full of supplies turned a corner in the store and BAM! He walked into someone and both their items fell to the floor. "I'm so sorry." They both said to each other at the same time.
He heard a female voice and the gentleman that he was quickly started picking up the things that he knew were hers. "Here let me help you pick up your items, Ma'am." After he thought he had everything, he stood up and looked at the woman. She had long curly auburn hair, the bluest eyes he had ever seen and he guessed she was about his age. He had never seen a more beautiful woman. "Here you go." They exchanged their items and stared at each other. "Um, I'm sorry, I'm Lt Jarrick Thornton but most everyone calls me Jack." He shifted his items to his left arm and held out his right hand. He smiled at her, showing his dimples. He felt his heart skip a beat when she smiled back at him.
"Hello, Jack. My name is Elizabeth Thatcher." She replied as she grasped his hand.
Oh, my! She is so pretty. He thought. "Again, I'm so sorry for bumping into you. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Thank you but it was as much my fault as it was yours. I also wasn't looking where I was going." They let go of each other's hands. "I haven't seen you in here before. Did you just arrive in Hawaii?"
Jack looked at her in surprise and at the same time noticed her wince, as if she couldn't believe what she had just said to him. It made him realize that she wasn't overly forward with men and he relaxed a bit. "Yes. I was recently assigned to Pearl and arrived just last week."
"Welcome to Hawaii!" She smiled again and her blue eyes looked so much like the water in Pearl Harbor.
"Thank you!" They stood there for a moment. "Well, I should go pay for my things. I hope to see you again soon."
"I would like that." Elizabeth blushed then moved past him to continue shopping after they said their goodbyes. Each one wondered if they really would run into each other again.
A few minutes later, Jack was walking towards his car when he saw her putting things into the car next to his. "Hello Elizabeth."
Elizabeth stood up abruptly from the back seat of her car. "Hello!" She grinned. "I didn't expect to see you again this soon."
"Me either." Jack replied as he put the key in the door lock. He placed his items in the car. "I know we just met but I think fate is telling us something."
"Oh? And what would that be?" She smiled and her eyes sparkled as if she guessed what he was thinking.
"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Jack asked nervously. "I hope this doesn't scare you off and make you say no but I felt an instant connection to you when we bumped into each other. I would like to get to know you." He studied her face to gage her reaction. She continued to smile.
"I felt it too, Jack and I would love to go on a date with you."
Jack inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Great. Does Friday evening work? That's my first night off this week. Unless you have a different night in mind."
Elizabeth frowned slightly. "I have a school event on Friday night."
"School? Are you a student?"
"No, I'm a second-grade teacher. We are putting on a Thanksgiving play." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Would Saturday work for you?"
"That sounds perfect to me."
"Wonderful!" She reached into her purse and pulled out a pencil and note pad. She wrote something on the paper and then handed it to him. "Here is my address and telephone number. I will make dinner for us."
"You don't have to do that. We can go to a restaurant."
"I know I don't. I want to. I love to cook and I thought you might enjoy a home cooked meal."
"I would like that. Prior to coming here, I was stationed in California for two years. I haven't had a real home cooked meal since I left my home town of Bedford, Massachusetts."
Elizabeth looked at him in surprise. "Oh my gosh! We're neighbors! I'm originally from Lexington!"
Jack's expression equaled her and then he laughed. "This is so cool! Who would have thought that a man from Bedford and a woman from Lexington would meet each other in Hawaii?"
"Not me." She replied. "I can't wait to have our dinner so we can talk about home together. I have been here for a little over a year and sometimes I miss home. Why don't you come by at 6?"
"Perfect!" He replied. "I have to get back to the base. I will see you Saturday."
"See you then." She got in her car while Jack stepped aside to let her back out. With one last wave to each other, she drove off. Jack put his purchase into his car and left, thinking about this lovely woman he just met. He hoped the week would fly by.
Nov. 30th 1941, Elizabeth's POV
Elizabeth Thatcher was getting ready in the bride's room at the chapel. She found it hard to believe it was her wedding day and that in just about 30 minutes she would marry her best friend, the man she loved with all heart, Jack Thornton. What a year it had been. She turned towards the mirror and couldn't believe her eyes. Her best friends, Abigail and Rosemary had told her she would beautiful bride the day they went dress shopping. She remembered looking at herself in the mirror at the dress shop and feeling the same way as she did right now. Excited and yet sad.
She was so happy to be getting married but a part of her thought something wasn't right. Maybe it was because her family couldn't be here. She missed them terribly but with all the warnings about a possible imminent attack from the Japanese, her father didn't think it was safe to travel. In fact, he had tried to talk her into returning to the main land. He even went so far as mentioning that he could call in some favors and have Jack transferred back to the main land as well. Her father had been in the Navy during World War I; after he was discharged and started his shipping business, he obtained contracts to provide supplies to the East Coast Naval bases. He felt he could use his connections to help his future son-in-law find a new position and be around more for his new wife. Elizabeth told her father in no uncertain terms he was not to meddle in Jack's career or her own for that matter. She loved living in Hawaii and had no plans to return to the main land for the foreseeable future, unless things changed with the possibility of war. She just hoped her father would listen to her.
Elizabeth shook her head, trying to wipe those thoughts out of her head. Today was a happy day, even if her family couldn't be there to support her. She was marrying her Jack and she had plenty of friends around her to help celebrate this next chapter in her life. She glanced out the window and noticed Jack taking a walk near the water. Seeing him, looking ever so handsome in his dress uniform, brought her thoughts back to the day they met.
One year earlier, Elizabeth's POV.
Elizabeth had been in a hurry that day. She had just come from a teacher's meeting and she needed to get some last-minute supplies for the Thanksgiving play the school was putting on that Friday. Being that the school she worked for was part of the Naval base, she was allowed to shop at the PX. She needed one more item in the next aisle. She turned and BAM! She ran into someone.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said as a man's voice echoed her words. They both bent down to pick up each other's items. When she stood, she found herself looking into the hazel eyes of a very handsome stranger, dressed in a Navy uniform. They talked for a few minutes and when he smiled at her she noticed his dimples. She felt weak in the knees as he was even more handsome when his dimples were showing. As they chatted she couldn't believe herself when she asked him if he was new to Hawaii. She was never so forward with men. That was something her sister Julie would do. He took it in stride though after an initial shock. Then as quickly as they had bumped into each other they both moved on as they had things that needed to be done.
About ten minutes later, Elizabeth was putting her parcels in the back seat of her car when she heard him say hello. She knew in that moment that something was pulling them together; that destiny had led them to meet that day. He mentioned thinking the same thing and before she knew it, they had a date set up for dinner at her house. As they talked about her making a home cooked meal for him, she was surprised to find out they both came from the same area in their home state of Massachusetts. Yes! She thought to herself. Fate had brought them together in this paradise.
The rest of the week was spent working, preparing for the play and planning the meal for Jack. She decided to splurge and buy a roast beef. She never made roasts for herself; it didn't make sense to her to make a meal like that for one person. If she felt like eating roast beef she would go to Abigail's café. She decided on roasted potatoes, green beans, biscuits and a decadent chocolate cake for dessert, her own creation. She put a recently completed embroidered cloth that she had made on the table and set it with the expensive dishes her mother insisted on sending her. She hardly ever used them, except if she was having a dinner party, which was something that had only happened twice.
At 4:30, Elizabeth stepped back to look at the table, pleased with it's look, then went to check on dinner. Everything was going as planned, so she stepped in the shower. After she was done, she put the potatoes in the oven then went back to get dressed. She pulled out a blue sundress with hibiscus flowers on it and slipped it on. Then she went to apply some light makeup and put on her opal jewelry. By the time she was finished, it was time to warm up the appetizers she had prepared and wait for Jack to arrive.
First date
The week dragged by for Jack. He spent all his free time thinking about Elizabeth; her beautiful smile, her sensational blue eyes, her gorgeous long, curly auburn hair. It was all he could do to concentrate on his job. Finally, the day came and he was so excited but also nervous. He was really beginning to believe in love at first sight and he didn't want to mess anything up. He dressed in the only civilian suit he brought with him and stopped at the florist to get a special bouquet, roses and hibiscuses. He had never seen hibiscus flowers before coming to Hawaii and he thought they were so beautiful, though not as beautiful as the woman he was giving them to.
Soon he had arrived at the little bungalow she lived in. He stayed in the car for a few moments, taking a few deep breaths. He had never felt so nervous before. She had left such an impression on him, both while he was awake and when he slept. He had been dreaming of her every night since they met. Finally, he got out of the car, walked up to the door and knocked. He held his breath while he waited for her to answer. The door opened and there she appeared, with a smile on her face.
"Hello, LT Jack. Come on in." She greeted as she stepped aside. Jack smiled back at her and walked into her home.
"Hello, Elizabeth." They stood in the doorway for a moment, just smiling at each other before he realized he hadn't given her the flowers. "These are for you." He held them out towards her.
"Oh, Jack! Their beautiful! Thank you! And they match my dress."
"Really? They do?" He looked closer at her and noticed she was right. She was absolutely breathtaking. "Forgive me for being so forward but you look more beautiful than the flowers.
"Thank you!" She replied while her heart raced and she felt her cheeks warm. He thought she was beautiful! "You look rather dashing in your suit." She motioned for him to follow her and then went into her kitchen. She went to get a vase to put the flowers in.
"Thank you." He watched her arrange the flowers but quickly noticed the heavenly aroma in the kitchen. "What smells so good in here?"
"I made roast beef for dinner. I hope you will like it."
"Roast beef is one of my favorite meals. I had it on my last night at home in Bedford. My mother made me some of my favorite foods since she knew she wouldn't see me for a long time."
Elizabeth smiled at him. "That was so sweet of her." She moved towards the oven to check on dinner. "Have a seat, Jack. The roast needs to cook a little longer but I have some appetizers we can start on." She pulled out cookie sheet from the oven and began putting its contents on a tray. She placed the tray on the table. "What can I get you to drink? I have wine, lemonade, iced tea and water."
"Iced tea sounds great." He told her as he looked at the food she put on the table. "This looks wonderful, Elizabeth but you didn't need to go to so much trouble."
"I know, but I wanted to. I don't get to cook like this much since it's just me living here. I try to make meals for only one or two nights for myself."
"Makes sense." He replied as he popped a stuffed mushroom into his mouth. It was so delicious that he closed his eyes to savor the moment and let out a soft moan. "My goodness, this is so good." He raved as he sampled a cheese puff. Again, he closed his eyes and when he opened them, the smile on her face could have lit up Boston.
"Thank you, Jack." She said, pleased that he liked her cooking. She poured his drink for him. "Here you go." She sat down at the table and picked up a mushroom.
"Tell me about yourself, Elizabeth."
"Well, as you already know I am a school teacher. I have been in Hawaii for 2 years now. I came here after graduating from The University of Southern California. As a graduation gift, my father took my whole family to Hawaii. It was the trip that I found this job, much to his chagrin."
"You mean he didn't want his daughter to be so far away from him." Jack surmised. "Your family is still in Massachusetts, right?"
"Yes. My father served in the Navy during the Great War. After it was over he started a shipping and lumber business. He has several contracts with the Navy to supply what they need for various things. He really wanted me to get married when I graduated from high school to the son of one of his colleagues. Charles and I had have been friends since we were little but I never felt for him in that way. Charles once said he loved me and wanted to get married but that wasn't for me at that time in my life. I wanted to go to college and earn a degree in education. My dream was to leave New England to go to school and then find a job in another part of the country. As much as I love Massachusetts, I found myself yearning for new experiences."
"I know what you mean. I felt that way too. My father was also in the Navy; he was part of the military police. After the Great War was over, he got a job as a police officer in Concord. My mother is a school teacher, like you."
"Really? Does she still teach?"
"She does. She stopped for a while to raise us, my younger brother and me. When my dad died, she had to go back to teaching so she could put food on the table." He closed his eyes as he felt himself getting emotional, like he always did when talking about his father. He opened them again when he felt Elizabeth put her hand on his arm. He looked into her eyes expecting to see fake sympathy in her eyes, like he always did when mentioning the death of his father but what he saw instead was understanding. He felt comforted.
"I'm so sorry about your father, Jack. I know how hard that can be. My mother died when I was 12. She had been ill a long time but had been trying to hid it from my sisters and me but we knew. They only told us the truth when the end was near." She brought a hand to her mouth trying to stifle a sob.
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. "Here, Elizabeth." He handed it to her. "What did your mother die from? If you don't want to answer you don't have to."
She looked into his eyes and saw a man who completely understood what she was feeling. She felt comforted for the first time ever when telling someone about her mother. "She had cancer."
Jack was shocked. He didn't know too much about cancer but he did know people usually didn't get better from it. "It must have been hard for you to lose her at that age. I was 10 when my dad died. I know how tough it was for me."
"It was but it would be hard at any age, whether you are a child or an adult."
"Truer words were never spoken." He said softly. They sat in silence for a few moments, each one thinking about their personal losses. Jack came back to the present first. "Elizabeth, one thing I remember about my father is he wouldn't want me to feel sad right now, not when we are just getting to know each other."
Elizabeth smiled. "My mother wouldn't want me to be sad either." She got up to check on dinner, then returned to the table. "So, you mentioned you have a brother. Any other siblings?"
"No, just Tom. How about you?"
"I have two sisters. I'm the middle daughter. Viola is older and Julie is younger." Her face took on a worried look as she talked.
"What's wrong?" Jack inquired as he reached out to squeezed her hand. They both looked at each other, shocked by his gesture but happy.
"Viola is married, to a Brit. His name is Lionel. They live in England. He is a member of the RAF. When the war started over there, he wanted Vi to come back to the States, as did my father, but she refused. She wanted to stay in their home in England so she could be there if he ever got leave. I worry about them both so much."
"I can imagine. While this isn't the same circumstance, I remember how it was telling my mother I wanted to go into the Navy and possibly follow in Dad's footsteps. I had never seen her get that scared before, even after getting the news about my father. If ever there was a time to be frightened it would have been after he died. Not knowing what she needed to do next. She begged me not to join for fear I would die to. Eventually she backed down, knowing this was my decision but it doesn't stop her from feeling scared."
"I've come to the conclusion that parents are always going to worry about their children no matter how old they get. Even when it's our turn to worry about them."
"Elizabeth how did you get to be so wise?"
"I think a lot has to do with losing my mom so young. My dad was always over protective of the women in his life but after mom died, it grew. He also threw himself into his work so he wouldn't be alone in the house as much. We all worried about him, especially Viola and I because we had to grow up fast in order to take care of Julie. She is four years younger than me. While we all needed a parental figure in our lives, Julie missed out on one the most. We made sure we helped Julie with her homework and made sure she got to her dance classes and other after school activities. We were there for her when she cried in the night for our mother, choking back our own tears for her sake. Then one day, Father realized he was missing out on our lives and he became active in them once again. I am not sure to this day what triggered him to realize that."
"I'm sure it doesn't matter to you though. You had your father back and that was all that counted." He picked up her hand and squeezed it, then brought it to his lips for a quick kiss.
Elizabeth looked at him, shocked at first that he could see into her mind so quickly, then relaxed. "You're right, Jack." She smiled at him. "Enough of this. I don't want to be sad anymore. I want to have dinner with you and get to know you better." She stood from the table to get the dinner out of the oven.
"That's what I would like to." Jack replied. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"Would you mind carving the roast beef? That will save me time and I can get the rest of the meal on the table in the dining room."
"Of course." Jack said. He waited until Elizabeth had placed the meat on a platter and put the carving knife next to it. As she walked passed him to go get the sides out of the oven, he stopped her. "Elizabeth, I know we just met and have only spent the last hour getting to know each other but I would like to give you a hug and a kiss. If you think it's too soon for that, I will understand." He moved his gaze nervously down to the floor as he realized he may have just blown his chance with her. Then he felt Elizabeth's hand on his chin, moving his face back up again.
"Jack, I usually tend to move more slowly in my relationships, not that I have had too many. However, I deeply felt something between us on Tuesday when we ran into each other, literally." Jack grinned as he remembered that day. He had been reliving it since that day. "Jack, I don't mind at all if you would like to give me a hug and a kiss."
Jack gently pulled her into his arms held her for a moment. She felt so good in his arms, like they were puzzle pieces that fit together. When he pulled away, he kissed her forehead, her cheeks, then finally her lips a quick sweet kiss, one that held the promise of more to come.
Back to the present day.
Jack looked back at the church and spotted Elizabeth looking out the window. He lifted his hand to wave to her. She waved back and smiled. Jack felt his nerves leave his body and his thoughts moved towards the wonderful life he and Elizabeth were about to begin.