"I left your mother last week."
I was sitting across from my father at one of the local cafes in New Orleans, he insisted on having a meeting with me and talking to me about something very urgent and necessary. I asked why not over the phone, but he thought it would be better for it to be face to face. Eugene couldn't come since he was at work and later that day he was going to pick up Joe Liebgott from the train station. Some more of the guys were coming over for the weekend, including Shifty, Liebgott, and O'Neal from Black Mamba. We were slowly getting used to our weekend being filled with people and instant chatters from late nights into the early mornings. It was coincidental that my father wanted to meet in the after noon, which gave me time for me to meet him and go back to the house to see it filled with my old friends. I was looking forward to that part, not this recent news.
"Oh," I recently said to him as we were sitting outside in the patio area. It was a cooler morning since August was coming to an end and September was coming on quick. The humidity was still sticky and sweet along our necks, but not as harsh as it was in July. Just seeing my father in front of me with the bags underneath his eyes, his youthfulness was lost again and the way he sagged against his chair was enough for me to see that he lost some sleep over this.
"Are you okay with that, papa?" I asked him carefully since if I said that wrong thing it would be right. He gave me a sad smile.
"I feel like it's been a long time running, dear," he explained, taking a careful drink from his cup before breathing out slowly, "She wasn't the same woman that I thought I knew and loved. You know me, I've tried to go through the notion that she would change back to who she was….but I was wrong," I could see how defeated with that thought on how things were not going to go back to the way they were. It made me sad to know that he was going through this, and not being able to go back.
"Papa," I reassured him, seeing him look at me now with his loving eyes, "If you think this is the right choice, then it is. I never saw you as someone who regretted something he's done." He gave me another smile, this one was a bit warmer now.
"I'm quite glad that you and your sister were raised to be independent. You know I talk about you all the time to my friends at work. I would say, 'Oh my daughter went off to war for her country. I've never been so proud'." he sounded light hearted when he said that, I waved him off.
"It's nothing to brag about really," I reminded him, but he shook a finger at me.
"You lady, if I know anything about what you did over there, it's that you did some good. It'll be a good long time before you can tell me what happened, and that I can live with. But from where I'm sitting, seeing how you've put yourself together, that's something to be proud of," He explained, "And Eugene's been taking good care of you too. Have I mentioned that I like him?"
"Plenty of times," I answered.
"Well good, you outta keep him. He's way more deserving of you than Elliot ever was. I never liked Elliot to begin with," he went on, taking another drink, "I would see his father from time to time around the party get-togethers. Man's as sour as his son, if not worse."
"He thought I was too plain for Elliot," I added.
"I saw him the other day, and he finally asked about you," I eyed him with big eyes as he ruffled his hair on the other side of the table, "He wondered how you were doing. As if he was really interested in your well-being."
"What did you say?" I asked him, not intrigued with what that family was up to and why they were thinking about me.
"I told him that you were far braver than his now ever was in his life, not to mention you killed at least a few dozen Germans," he replied with a smug look.
"Papa!" I said in shock.
"Is it true?" he asked in an amused tone, having me roll my eyes now as he went on, "Anyhow, he told me that Elliot read your letter that you gave him. He even said that some of the things you said in that letter were both rude and distasteful."
"Well, what I really wanted to say I would rather say it to his face than on a piece of paper. He deserved that much, though that's minimal." I reminded my father but snorted.
"Well, his father asked me if it was true what you wrote, and I just rebuke him for calling you a liar. Elliot has no spine," I said him pause and think to himself for a moment and he breathed out, "I'm so glad that I said that out loud."
I finally laughed that afternoon, the both of us smirking from his gesture and we sat there in that mood for a moment or two. Just talking to my father in his manner was uplifting in itself, a smooth sigh of relief that was what I needed with him since my mother was always in the middle of it. I finally stared at him in intrigued.
"What are you going to do now, papa?" I asked the infamous question. He saw the worry in my eyes, then tapping my hand that was resting on top of the table that was holding my coffee cup.
"You don't worry about me, Chere. I'm gonna find my own place on the other side of town that I know she doesn't go to, run the company like before, and it'll all be okay. That's what we have to do in times of change, eh? Hope for the best and know that it'll be okay."
I knew that I wanted to wait to tell him about the engagement, Eugene mostly wanted to ask him for my hand formally since it felt right. My father was being more hopeful about this, about leaving his wife and starting all over again. This wasn't the time to give him more news, either good or bad. All that I was glad for was that he told me face to face, that he wasn't going to look at this as some kind of burden or curse. That last thing he said to me stuck with me even to this day:
It'll be okay.
The drove home from seeing my father was a bit surreal. I was still reeling from what he told me and how he was willing to go through the change without remorse. Still, I wish I was just as brave as him when it came to that: being able to pick up something new and run with it. I was so reluctant in the past with things that were new that I regretted the plenty that I turned down. Sadness was not killing me from hearing that news from my parents, it felt more surreal and out of sorts.
The dust picked up while I drove the truck back onto the dirt road from the main road that would lead me to the house that was now my home. I could see my house in the distance and it was creeping up in front of the road. It felt good to know that I was out of that hellhole that used to be my home and I had a new place, a new start. My father was going through the same thing, and I was proud of him.
Finally, pulling up in front of the house, I turned off the engine as the front door opened. I could hear chatting inside of the house, a few pieces of laughter here and there and I breathed out slowly. How was I going to tell Eugene since we had guests that were there just to see the both of us? He would be able to tell something was up with me, tell everyone that was there would be able to. I wasn't great at hiding what I was feeling these days so that training in the military was now out of the window.
"She's back! Hey, captain!" I closed the door behind me as I saw none other than Liebgott walk out of the house with a beer in hand. I grinned, seeing the smirk on his face like before and his short wavy hair in flopped to the side. He flashed his smile at me as Eugene was right behind him.
"Liebgott. Long time no see," I said to him as he gave me a big hug. It felt good to hug him again, almost like he hugged back in Europe before I hopped on the ship. He was still skinny as a rail and almost bony, but none the less it was the same kind of hug.
"You looked great." he commented, looking at me up and down, "Not used to you in a dress though, but still you look good."
"Easy, Liebgott," Eugene warned him playfully as Liebgott eye him.
"Oh calm down, Doc. I know you two are together. I'd be an idiot to go against that: your girlfriend here would kill me,"
"That's true," I said in agreement.
"Oh see? Her sassiness had not left her!" he joked, I smirked back at him. Even Eugene grinned from hearing how we were already verbally sparring with each other. But once I locked eyes with Eugene, he could see that something else was on my mind and he gave me a look.
"Doc told me you were meeting with your old man," Joe said, finally laying off the bomb that would happen, "How'd that go? I've been meeting to ask him plenty of questions about you. One is definitely going to be where you got your humor—"
"My dad just left my mom," I blurted out between the three of us. No one spoke, the both of them were in utter shock from what I told him and how I delivered it. Eugene looked floored, and Joe almost looked a bit awkward about it as he shifted from one foot to another. Sure I would have said it differently and in another time of that day, but it was mostly now or never.
"Shit," Liebgott said in shock as he then looked at me carefully, "You found out today?"
"Yeah, he told me," I replied, Eugene immediately walking over to where I was standing and looking at me in the eyes carefully.
"You alright?" he asked me in concern. I even drew out a shaky breath and nodded my head.
"I think so. I should have seen this coming, but it's still a bit much. I think he was fine about it," I explained to him, seeing him then lean in to give me a secure hug. I hugged him back immediately, thinking that it would help me feel better in the end and as we hugged, I saw Joe smile from what we were doing. He knew about the both of us, maybe Luz told him in a letter or a phone call. But he was finally smirking so big at me as I eyed him while hugging Eugene, he winked at me.
Once we pulled away from each other, Joe finally spoke up for the three of us and he grabbed a cigarette from his pocket.
"Let's get some drinks," He said as he inhaled his cigarette and the smoke left his nose.
"Joe.." Eugene was about to start, but Joe shook his head.
"Oh come on. This is the same woman who basically ruined your girlfriend's life," Joe tried to explain when I once again intervened.
"Actually his fiancé…" I trailed off, seeing Joe's face get big with both shock and intrigue since I dropped another bomb. I slowly saw a large smile grow on his face and he was about to burst.
"Holy shit! Holy fucking shit!" He yelled out as he looked back and forth between the both of us. Eugene looked down at his feet and shuffled a bit as I just grinned at him. He then chuckled and almost shook his own body from the laughter.
"I knew it! I totally called that shit!" Joe said in glee as Eugene finally snapped his head up.
"That's for the nice words about it, Joe," Eugene almost scolded him, but Joe walked over to clasp him on the shoulder.
"We need to celebrate! You got the Captain to marry you, that's a huge deal," Joe explained, and now I snapped my head at him.
'You make me sound like some kind of a hermit," I explained, in which he thought about it as he inhaled once more and the smoke the rising in the air.
"I think we can agree you're far from a hermit. Anywho, we gotta have a party or something,"
"Shifty and O'Neal don't come in for about another hour or so," I reminded him, but he shrugged his shoulders.
"We can get the house ready," Joe suggested, which made Eugene and I lock eyes with one another and Eugene even shrugged his shoulders. If we were going to tell people about our lives together, now and tonight seemed like a good time to get that whole situation started and over with. It would be one less headache for me to sleep with, and who knew? It would be nice to have some kind of good news around here, nothing depressing or sad.
We needed some more good in the world anyhow.
That night we went to a bar.
One of the local bars was throwing a party for any local veterans that soldiers that came home. Eugene found out about it from another co-worker, whom apparently wanted both Eugene and I to come. Thankfully, and much to our surprise, it was the same weekend that Joe, Shifty, and O'Neal were in town just in time for the celebration at the bar.
I call it fate.
The bar wasn't huge, nor was it small. It was already filled with locals who served and the alcohol was flowing over to them thanks to the bartender. The band was playing great Cajun music, having the mood be set and ready for a great night. We made our way to the side of the bar where they had one more table left. The five of us crammed around that table, but the way we saw it: it was perfect.
Shifty got our group beers from the bar and we all took to drinks while we were watching the dancing going on. I was glad that O'Neal and Shifty got to come out. even with Joe using this place as more of an excuse to celebrate two things that came to light on the same day. I filled the both of them in with have happened to my mom and dad, and like before, either one of them were surprised. But after that news, I told them about the engagement and they were more thrilled about that than the first pair of news.
"I'm mighty glad you're doing alright," Shifty reassured me over the loud music of the band as we sat together. O'Neal and Eugene were talking to Liebgott on the other side of the table, grins on all of their faces as they were swapping stories and dirking down our first set of bottles.
"Thank you, Shifty. I'm glad to hear you're doing good too," I said back to him, another song coming through the bar as we mostly were just people watching the whole bar and the people talking to each other.
"I don't think they would throw something like this back in Virginia," Shifty commented, having me grin from hearing how innocent he was.
"Good thing you came out here then. We do know how to party were in New Orleans, and we party for anything," I explained. Shifty took a long drink from his beer as both turned to listen to the current conversation that Joe was telling both Eugene and O'Neal.
"You guys gotta come out to San Francisco! The city is amazing and I can show you around for sure! Hell, we can use my cab and I'll take you to all the spots! The ocean is perfect over there."
"I've heard great things about the place," Eugene commented in agreement, though O'Neal shrugged her shoulder.
"Eh, I think I would have seen better," I knew she was joking when she said it. She was another one that I was looking at in a new light. She grew out her hair, which was clipped to the side and was wearing women's slacks and a dress shirt that was rolled at the sleeves. Out of her army uniform, she was attractive, and even some of the locals were turning their eye over to her as she was walking in with us.
Yet she was still her typical self.
"Hey, Bellerose," Joe said to me as he hopped off of his chair and over to the front of me with his hands in his pocket, "How about another beer? You guys have alright drinks in this joint."
"Sure, why not," I said with a shrug, Shifty getting up from his chair as well.
"I'll help ya Joe." he offered, the both of them walking off as I moved to sit closer to Eugene and O'Neal. I loved the way that they would talk with one another like they've talked to each other for years.
"Thanks for inviting me to come out with you guys," O'Neal said to Eugene as I finished my beer there in my hand and listened to their talk, "Being at home already has me a bit down since it's been difficult to be back."
"I can agree with that," Eugene commented, "But I figured that Olive wanted to see someone from Black Mamba. She needed a friend."
"Well, it's a high honor that she considered me a friend," she joked, actually having Eugene grin and chuckle from her antic about me, "Hell, if she was on the other side of the Goddamn country I would go see her too. She was a great Captain and I respect her more than the people in my town." It warmed my heart a little bit from hearing that. O'Neal was a piece of work, but she was never one that was going to lie about emoting or sugar coat things.
"Plus, I kind of like you too. You were one of the very few Easy Members that I genuinely like," She added to him, which raised his eyebrows in amusement.
"I feel honored," Eugene replied as I rolled my eyes from how smooth he was handling it, Eugene then finally looking over at me. he saw me eyeing him as he was talking to O'Neal, which made him chuckle as I scooted over to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Is she being nice?" I asked him coyly, O'Neal chuckling.
"I'm always nice, Captain," She replied back to me as I snorted, "I was always the nice one in the Black Mamba group."
"I beg to differ," I argued, yet I knew she meant well.
"I was mostly making sure he's worthy of marrying you," She explained, "From what I gathered, with my intense interrogation, I think he's alright."
"It looked like an intense interrogation," I joked.
"I thought I was in trouble," Eugene commented as well, the three of us grinning as Joe and Shifty came back with fresh beer bottles.
"Here we go," Joe said as he handed one to me and one to Eugene a Shifty gave one to O'Neal, "This place is hopping. They really know how to throw a party around here,"
"You kiddin'? Every weekend they throw a party here for some reason or another," I explained as I took a drink of cold beer.
"Thankfully they have a legit reason to throw a party this time," Eugene said in agreement as the band started up a new song. This song was more folk and a hint of Irish in it, the room cheering as people were starting to dance in their spots. Joe smiled from ear to ear, taking a large swig as he looked over at me.
"Let's go dancing," He said to the group.
"Never too you to have dancin' feet, Liebgott," Eugene joked to him, but Joe waved him off and pointed to the dancing crowd.
"Oh come on. This party is for us! We deserve to raise a little bit of hell," he said to all four of us like a proclamation. I thought about it, thinking that he was right. I was already letting go a bunch of things from my past and I would just go with it, be happy for once and not care. I took one long swig from my beer, Eugene looking at me in shock.
"L'enfer avec elle!" (The Hell with it) I said to Eugene as I took him by the hand and I dragged him out onto the dance floor.
"What did she say?" Shifty asked over the music as he was being dragged by O'Neal by his sleeve.
"You don't wanna know!" Eugene said back to him as we were now in the middle of the floor, jumping up and down. The smile was never off my face, hearing Joe chuckle and O'Neal singing along with the music without knowing the words was the best thing of that night. I was just having a good time with Eugene, the both of us grinning like idiots and feeling the beer soak through our veins. I felt invincible, all five of us did. We survived.
We were invincible.