A month after the physical examinations, I was on a train towards San Francisco where a boat would be taking me and all my possessions to my assigned base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. A three day trek was a part of this journey but luckily my teams of nurses are along for the ride. Eva, Andrea, Beth, Kate, and Sara were the lucky five to be making their way to paradise with me.
Most of them received the luck of the draw with assignment but for me I knew the real reason why. With my father being stationed there a year before he was now commanding every ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. With this power it meant that he had some type of dealing with my placement. Probably trying to keep an eye on me was his main goal but I couldn't be sure if this was accurate.
"Did you know that over a hundred ships are stationed in this harbor? All of them are under the command of Admiral Henry Daniels of the Pacific Fleet." Kate was the studious type and was always serious about everything in her life even when she lived back in Chicago. "Addy is that your father?"
"Yes he is." My secret was out because of a god dame brochure. I knew that people knowing that my father is in command might make them look at me differently so I tried to hide the fact.
"Addy, why did you keep this information from us? I mean we could use this for our own benefit." Beth was looking at me as if I kept information that would save lives instead keeping the secret that my father was in charged. Not knowing my own insecurities about how important my father was and what that would mean in my later relationships.
"Trust me you have no pull with him, we haven't spoke in almost four years." Hearing screams from the battleships that our boat was passing seemed to distract the girls from this interrogation.
"Hey boys I'll meet you on the land." Many of them were waving their hats and shouting things back at us.
"How many men are stationed at Pearl?" Boy crazy girls were what made up most of the women in our nursing group. Beth was probably the biggest one in our group being only nineteen and escaping a small town back in Nebraska.
"Depends there are on average 2,000 men on a battleship, but if you put in account the marines, base personnel, and of course the Flyboys." Andrea answered for Kate as all of us laughed at how much she knew about the men. Beth then released a squeal that would deafen people within a hundred foot perimeter.
"Trust me girls there are enough men to go around." All of them laughed at my statement because they knew I was right and were excited to see the truth themselves.
"I think it's time for some poetry today. Look around isn't it amazing, look out at the gorgeous sun that setting into the horizon as the orange, red, and yellow all mixed together. I feel so peaceful just looking at this image." Sarah of course was our poet of the group and knew how to put a group of words into the most beautiful few sentences a person could. She always knew how to make every memory with her unforgettable.
"I can't believe we're in Hawaii!" Beth seemed like a little child in a candy shop being able to pick everything that she wanted.
"It's paradise." Looking around at all the people I couldn't help but think about not seeing my dad at all. I never wanted to fight with him but he was so stubborn and knew how to push my buttons that it was impossible to ever say you're sorry.
Darkness approached the island as we arrived at our barracks that night. Many of us were tired from the trip and finished our unpacking and went straight to bed. I was roomed with Eva, Beth, and Annabelle and that spelt no privacy.
The next day wasn't as exciting as the one before. We were given a tour of the hospital and the base. At around noon we were released and given our shifts for the rest of the week. Between eighty two nurses that were stationed here there were four shifts of six hours everyday. I was lucky because my shift started at nine and ended at four. Also I only worked Monday through Wednesday which meant a lot of resting and relaxing time. Sarah, Kate, and Samantha all got the grave yard shift from six to twelve in the morning while Beth, Andrea, and Eva received the same shifts as me.
"So girls what do you want to do now?" After coming back to our barracks we all changed back into our civilian clothes.
"Let's go to the beach." Beth was already changing her clothes at the mention of the beach.
"How about I catch up to you girls later? I have to go see a couple of people." Looking in the mirror I quickly pinned up my blond strands so it was out of my face but still let it fall down along my shoulders.
"Who are you going to see?" Eva asked as she also pulled on her suit as Beth couldn't help but pace back and forth with excitement.
"It's only my brother and his team at Hickman fields." Making sure my face was perfect and my make up was in its rightful place I started to undress.
"Is he cute?" Andrea asked from her cot as she finished dressing and was now looking at her hair and playing with her dark brown curls.
"Sorry girls he's married." Jon had married Juliette almost three years ago. At age twenty five he was making his way up the ranks and hoping this year he'd make Captain of his own crew.
"Dame it! Why do all the good ones get married?" I rolled my eyes as I pulled on my suit and a sun dress to cover it while I walked through the base.
"I'll meet up with you guys in a little bit." Grabbing my purse I made sure to bring my keys in case I had to come back here.
Running through the base I had to stop and ask for directions a few times before I found out where Jon would be. As I walked down the runway I could feel all the eyes from the soldiers.
"You know I don't mind you painting girls on the side of my planes but at least make her soft on the eyes." An older guy screamed at one of the flyers showing some type authority, so I decided to approach him to find my brother.
"Excuse me sir but do you happen to know where Lieutenant Jon Daniels is?" Trying to sound as formal as possible but I felt like I was about to fail.
"Yeah he's over there showing around a few new recruits." Following where he was pointing I could see Jon in his plain white t-shirt and army issued cargo pants.
"Thank you." Walking in his direction I tried my hardest not to disrupt the speech Jon was giving.
"Over there is the parachute hanger and last this is where we work on the planes that are out of service." He was talking in his formal tone of voice and I couldn't help but giggle at him and his little show.
"And right over there is a very beautiful woman who I have no reason why she is at our air strip." Mark was one of our family's oldest friends. Our father's served together in World War 1 and they made sure that their kids were friends also. He was a year older than me but his maturity level was closer to someone my age so we were a balanced relationship.
"Well I just came to see if any of you guys would be willing to let me fly your planes?" Pulling off my sun glasses I could see Mark smile grow.
"I don't know if you can handle the ride but if you pay me well I can maybe give you a chance." Without any control I busted out laughing at how serious all the guys looked behind him.
"What's your price?" Matching his attitude I finally got my self to stop laughing enough to reply.
"A hug and a good summary of where the hell you've been and what you are doing here?" Grabbing him in a hug I was finished with a third of my payment.
"Before you receive the rest of your payment I have to go say hi to Jon." Pulling from Mark's grasp I quickly found myself in Jon's arms.
"How are you doing Bug?" He was the only person that I ever let call me that nickname. It was suppose to represent how big of an annoyance I was to him growing up.
"I'm doing well but I don't know how long that will last." I gave him that said dad is going to do something to piss me off somewhere down the line. "How's Juliette doing after the whole hard labor with Connor?"
Juliette went through a tough pregnancy with my first nephew Connor. He's only three months old but from the pictures I've see he's just like his daddy in all categories. Their noses are exactly alike and from the description in letter that came along with the picture he was given our family's golden blond locks with hopefully Daniel's green eyes.
"Both are good and I am happy to say they are staying with mom and dad while I'm getting my training." The base only let family's of the higher ranked live on Pearl so luckily my father receive a big enough house for her to come and live with them while Connor was still young.
"Good now I'm sorry to interrupt your little tour so I'm going to leave you guys to it." Smiling towards the crowd of men neatly dressed in their army attire I caught eyes with Thomas. Eva mentioned that Thomas and Phil the cocky pilot she had fallen in love with had been stationed here but I still felt surprised that he was here.
"Don't worry we were done with showing them around. Men this is my little sister Addison and she was just stationed as a nurse on Pearl." A little bit of fear crossed their eyes.
"Jon I met most of these guys during their exams. Actually I know them a lot better than you do." Kissing him on the cheek I walked away from them but not before shooting Tommy a smile as I headed towards the beach.
Finally finding the girls at the beach we spent most of the day just relaxing. Reading a book I was quickly taken away to another world as the warm sun was soaked through my skin. The story of Jane Eyre was moving through my head as I watched the girls play in the water and soak up the sun.
"Addy come in the water it's amazing!" Distracting me from my story I watched as Beth and Andrea both fell over in the water.
"I'm perfectly fine with staying on land!" Truth was that I wasn't okay with the idea of the ocean. It was something that you couldn't control and I really didn't like the idea of that.
"You're such a bore sometimes. Do you know that Addy?" Andrea was quickly wiped out by a wave before I could reply.
Until the sun set that night we sat around talking and laughing. I could help but think how everywhere else war was roaring its ugly head and right now were having a blast and sitting in the most beautiful place in the world.
Waking up the next morning an hour before we were to be present at the hospital we had to make sure we looked nothing short of perfect. Perfect faces and our hair pinned out of our face with every piece of clothing that we wore the purest white. A Long sleeve shirts and a long skirt with a hat that really had no purpose was the proper uniform. Our uniform had been based off of the men's uniform and also receiving pins for us to attach to our collars to signal Lieutenant as that was our rank.
"I'm bored, we should do something." No one had come in all day and our day had gone by very slowly. Beth was lying on one of the beds huffing about wanting to go to a movie after our shift.
"We still have two more hours before we can leave so we have to do it inside the hospital." Andrea was sitting on the other bed singing to herself as I tried to see what Beth wanted to do.
"Uh I guess we'll just wait until our shift was over." I stood up as I saw Eva writing something on a piece of paper.
"Who are you writing to?" The day we arrived at Pearl Eva received news that Phil was going to have to stay in Long Island as he was going to be assigned to a squadron that would be fighting with the British.
"She's writing to Phil another five page letter telling him all about her day in the most boring base in the whole country!" With an exasperated sigh Beth rolled over and placed her face in the pillow.
"Stop acting like a child Beth you and I both know that once we get out on the town plenty of guys will giving you attention." With the thought of boy all they did was look at each other and giggles started pouring out of their mouth.
"I am going to restock the supplies room." I said as the girls continued their giggling fit. "I know he will come back and so don't worry about him. Plus I know if he doesn't make it his best friend Thomas would be up for the job."
After seeing her face redden with anger I quickly ran out of the room as fast as possible. If I had stayed any much longer I think I would have gotten hit with either a pen or something denser.
While the rest of the girls went out on the town that night I decided to take my sketch book and walked to the beach. I sat on a cliff over looking the beach where I could see a family playing in the sand and running around. Grabbing my pencil I started the drawing and after an hour a portrait was sketched on the paper.
"Wow you're pretty good." Feeling my heart stop as a voice scared me out of my day dream.
"You just scared the life out of me!" Seeing Thomas' face helped calm me down a little but my heart kept pounding in my ears.
"I am sorry miss I didn't mean to sneak up on you." As he apologized I watched him sit down next to me. That's when I saw that he was in a pair of shorts with a red and white Hawaiian shirt cover a white under shirt.
"It's Addison and you really didn't I must of dozed off in my own world I guess." Silence came over us as the sun started it's descent to the next part of the world leaving us in a glow of oranges that no one else in the world could experience. A peaceful hum of the waves crashing took the harshness of the silence easily.
"Well I'm starved and this base food their giving us is killing me. How about I take you out to the little café in town?" At the thought of food my stomach growled loud enough for Thomas to hear.
"That sounds good to me." Then I looked down at my clothing and saw that I wasn't dressed appropriately for town. "But do you mind if I could walk to my house and change into something more appropriate."
"Sure why don't I come walk you to your house and come back at..." looking at his watch, "seven and that gives us both thirty minutes to change?"
"That's perfect." As a gentleman he walked me all the way to my house just to make sure that nothing happened.
"I will see you at seven." After he said this I watched him walk out of my sight before I ran upstairs to get changed.
Unfortunately those thirty minutes came a little faster than I anticipated but luckily he was a little late. While I was drawing on my lipstick I could hear the knock on the Patio door. Running down the stairs and trying to put on my shoes was not my smartest idea that I've had. With almost falling down the rest of the stairs a few times I was able to luckily reach downstairs in one piece.
"Hi I'm sorry that I'm late but one of my commanding officers stopped me on the way over here wanting to discuss something."
"Don't worry about that I completely understand and the extra time wasn't bad either." Giving him a smile I grabbed my purse and locked the door.
Once we were at the café we were sat quickly and soon ordered our food. This café reminded me of the one that was in the town that we lived in when I was younger.
"So tell me something about yourself because you gave me no answers to my questions at the examinations." Ah he caught me on that fact.
"What do you want to know about me?" A grin appeared on his face as he realized that he had a little power.
"Where are you from for a start?" A ring of the bell over the door distracted my self for only a moment.
"I grew up in a small farming town outside of Washington D.C. It's called Provident, Virginia." Looking into his eyes I could tell that this really sparked his interest.
"So what does your father do?" Now this was the tricky question that I needed to get around.
"He was a naval officer during World War one and became a farmer after he came home from fighting." After avoiding the whole entire answer I was proud that the questions about my family structure were off the table. The conversation was really easy and we found out that a lot of our lives are very similar.
After a good hour of talking and laughing a smile appeared on my face that reached from ear to ear. There was something about his presence that seemed to gel with my own. Chemistry was defiantly there like the ones I've had with other men that I have dated but something was different.
My feelings were still immature towards him but something was growing between us. I really couldn't understand how we were talking about nothing important but still it all meant something. As he walked me back to the house I couldn't help but let the voice in the back of my head seep through my thoughts. I knew that one day this country would go into the war and then he'd be shipped off to somewhere far away.
Even though I like this guy I was thinking about pushing my feeling about him deep inside the darkest corners of my brain. Hopefully we'd both come out of the war unscathed and ready for a real relationship.
"I had a really good time tonight." Walking up my front porch I realized that avoiding him was going to be a little more difficult than I had planned.
"I guess I'll see you around the base." Oh thank goodness that he didn't ask for a second date because I don't know if I could refuse the invitation.
"Yeah I guess so." With that awkward conversation finished I walked through the front door leaving him still standing at the front step.
"So how was your quiet night out?" Hearing a voice through the dark room I felt myself jump as I shut the door.
"Andrea you are really strange." Only she would sit in a dark room and wait for me to get home.
"What can I say sweetie it's in the job description." Her Brooklyn accent thickened as she popped the piece of gum in her mouth.
"What's your job?" A laugh escaped my mouth as I walked in the kitchen to grab a glass of water.
"To make sure no Flyboy breaks your heart my little Addy's heart." Yes I was a virgin and Andre never let me forget about it.
"You won't have to worry about that since tonight was a one time occurrence." Taking a sip of the water I watched as Andrea's face twisted in confusion.
"I saw you both tonight and you seemed like you were having fun." I couldn't believe that she was watching me through the window at the diner.
"I didn't join the Navy to meet a guy. I wanted to do something to that made a difference on someone's life." Walking upstairs I was finally able to escape Andrea's pesky questions.
That night I fell asleep in a happy slumber, dreaming of myself sitting in the sand and watching the sunset. With the waves of the ocean stopping I could see the stillness in the water as everything became at peace. Then all of a sudden something landed in the water and a tidal wave grew so tall it made the sky black.
