Chapter Two
December 7th 1941
the world will turn if you're ready or not
When Jo woke up, Frankie was already off to work and the apartment was quiet. Normally she didn't sleep so late but she had been kept at her desk until eleven, and she had stumbled in last night so tired that Frankie had thought she was drunk. Most of the other writers who were there with her would probably all be in late too, probably later than her. She got dressed quickly and stopped at the corner diner for a cup of coffee and a donut before heading to the office. It was only 9:15 when she arrived, and everyone seemed to be in varying degrees of consciousness, which was somewhat strange. This cloud of sleepiness made William's announcement all the more jarring when he burst into the newsroom around noon, clutching a piece of paper and wearing a very frantic expression.
"We've been attacked!"
It took a minute for anyone to even look up, and it was clear that no one had really heard him. "What? What did he say?" Whispers flew back and forth and suddenly everyone was staring at the piece of paper in William's hands.
"We've been attacked; the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor!"
"Pearl Harbor? Where the hell's that?" Everyone looked around to see if someone had an answer.
"It's in Hawaii," said Lee Morris, one of the sportswriters, with a stunned expression on his face. "Most of the Navy's stationed there."
"President Roosevelt's just given a speech and we've declared war on Japan!" As he continued to speak it was clear that Will's normally calm demeanor was nowhere to be found, and that left Jo feeling more nervous than she already was given the situation.
He started to give new assignments to the staff writers and slowly more confidence crept back into his voice.
"Jones, I want you working on the speech the president gave, and Kodera I'm giving you anything you can find from the Japanese government. Strohmeyer, you're going to work on what this means for ordinary citizens, Philadelphians especially, and Brenner you can do an update on the situation in Germany. Anyone else, you can continue with your previous assignments if and until further notice. Back to work, everyone."
Jo opened her mouth to protest but instead of making a scene followed Will into his office a few minutes after he had left. She had barely gotten her head in the door when he cut her off with an exasperated sigh.
"Will, I -"
"Jo, please. I've got a lot to deal with right now and the pile of work on my desk isn't getting any smaller. I've got calls coming in left and right and -"
"I just wanted to say that -"
"Jo, if you have an idea for an article, just go ahead and do it. I'll look at it later. No promises that it'll make it to copy though, ok?"
Slightly taken aback by Will's sudden acquiescence, and despite still being somewhat annoyed at his quick dismissal, she mouthed a quick "thank-you" as he picked up his now-ringing phone. She darted back to her desk, not even bothering to sit down, grabbed her coat and put her supplies into her bag.
"Tell Will I'll be back in a few hours," she said to Corinne, the sweet society writer who sat across from her, by way of a goodbye, and left without another word.
She stood on the street corner for a few minutes, trying to decide exactly where to go. The bus that came next would decide her fate. As it pulled up she took a deep breath and hopped on. South Philly it was, then.
When the bus dropped her off Jo realized that she probably should have picked a neighborhood she was more familiar with. She could get back on the bus and head downtown again, but something inside her told her this would be an adventure. Walking over to the nearest pedestrian, she inquired as to the location of the closest recruiting center, and walked straight there with her head held high and a look of purpose on her face.
It was chaos. There were people everywhere, swarming the small group of desks at the front of the large room, the harsh December sunlight streaming in through the windows. Rising above the space was a cacophony of noises, of names and ages being given in voices of all tones, of military branches spoken and of the high, pointed, swirling sound of signatures being put onto paper.
Jo stayed off to the side for a full ten minutes, jotting down notes and observations as fast as her fingers would go, trying to figure out the most efficient way to handle the task she wanted to complete. Things showed no sign of calming down, so she figured the best way would be to dive right in. Get a few people to give their thoughts and add punch to her article. She wanted to capture this atmosphere because she knew it would only exist briefly, right at a place like this, right at this moment. People would be signing up for days but the initial rush gave off a feel like no other. Jo felt a fluttering in her chest that she often got before beginning a story that excited her. Taking a deep breath, she approached a small group of men who had just signed off and left the line. They were more like boys, Jo thought to herself. The oldest one couldn't have been more than eighteen.
It was so loud that they couldn't hear her at first, and she had to repeat herself several times before one of them turned their head to hers.
"Hi, I'm Jo Brandt, I'm from the Philadelphia Tribune. I was wondering if I could ask a few of you a couple of questions."
The oldest boy, tall with curly blonde hair, answered first. "Sure ma'am, whatcha got?"
Extremely grateful that she had not been brushed off, Jo felt a surge of enthusiasm and confidence. "Well, when did you hear the news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed?"
"This morning, just like everybody else. I was helping get my brothers and sisters around at the breakfast table 'cause my Ma was having trouble quieting them down, and then Roosevelt came on the radio saying what had happened."
"And how did that announcement make you feel?"
"It made me feel as mad as hel-" he smiled, and caught himself, the slightest, most faint blush blooming on his cheeks. Christ, Jo thought. This kid isn't even old enough to grow a beard. "It made me so mad. Those Japs aren't going to get away with it, I'll tell you that much." His buddies all nodded.
"What branch have you signed up for?"
"The U.S. Navy, ma'am."
Jo continued asking questions and made her way around the group, receiving enthusiastic answers from everyone. It made her sad to see them throwing themselves at this, even though she knew it had to be done and that the cause was just. Their eagerness combined with their youth was what made Jo's heart ache. They didn't even know where they were going to be shipped to, if at all. The Pacific was their and Jo's best guess. After about forty-five minutes had passed she thought it would be a good idea to head back to the office by lunch, even though she could have stayed all day.
She decided to get one more interview for her article, and she didn't have to look very far, because as she was leaving someone came up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Miss?"
She turned around to see a boy not much younger than herself, with large brown eyes and a sharp South Philly accent.
"Yes?"
"My friend over there told me you were doin' some sort of interview, and he told me I should talk to you."
"Yes, of course. I'm from the Philadelphia Tribune. I'll just need to ask you a few questions."
"Soitenly." Jo smiled at his pronunciation of the word.
"What's your name?"
"William Guarnere, ma'am. But everyone calls me Bill."
"How old are you, Bill?"
"Eighteen."
"When did you hear the news about the attack in Hawaii?"
"This morning, of course. I was on 17th and McKean shootin' craps when someone came out and told us what had happened. Everyone knew where Pearl Harbor was 'cause a fella in our neighborhood's stationed there. News got around real fast. I came down here as soon as I could."
Jo listened intently as she got the rest of his information. She had thanked him and was starting to walk away when she heard Bill yell from where he was standing.
"Hey Tribune!"
She turned around, smiling.
"What?"
"Maybe I'll see ya 'round."
"Maybe."
She smiled again and waved goodbye. He winked and gave her a mock salute, and she left feeling both happy and heartbroken at the same time, trying not to tell herself that the war would not prove itself to be so forgiving.
Well, there we go, Chapter Two is done! Just a note: Bill Guarnere actually joined the paratroops in 1942, not 1941 as in this chapter. I am not going to apologize for bending the facts to suit my will because hey, if I didn't want to do that, I wouldn't be writing this fic in the first place.
