The day after the wedding, everyone was exhausted and a storm off the coast gave everyone the perfect excuse for lounging around indoors. Taking advantage of the fireplace in their suite at the Monterey Inn, Edie, and Jack curled up on the couch. They were somewhere in between reading and dozing when they heard a knock at the door. Reluctantly, Edie got up, stretched, and went to see who it was, opening the door, Nolan and Jo stepped inside.
"Well come on in and make yourself at home," said Edie with a slight hint of sarcasm.
"Hey, you are the one who told us to come up here. Trust me, when I say we have better things to do," said Jo.
"Excuse me, but exactly when did I request your presence?" Before Jo could respond, there was another knock on the door. This time it was Babe, Bill and Molly.
"What's the word kiddo," said Bill as he breezed past Edie.
"I have no idea, but maybe Jo can shed some light on it."
"Me," said Jo. "Did you or did you not have someone bring us this note," said Jo irritably as she shook the small piece of paper in her hand, which Edie snatched to read.
It was just a regular piece of paper with a typed message for Jo and Nolan to come up to her room. There was no signature. "No, I did not," said Edie. "I have been up here since breakfast, and I was about to fall asleep on the couch when you knocked on the door. I have a witness." Edie gestured towards Jack.
"She is quite right, Believe me, I would have noticed her absence." Jack got off the couch so his grandmother, Bill and Babe could sit down.
"We received the same note," said Molly while Bill held up the night.
"So, did I. The General and I were watching the races when the bellboy brought it up to my room.
Well, I did not send it." The third time the door knocked, Edie muttered, "What the..?" When she saw who was at the door, she was somewhat taken aback. Standing in the hall were not only her parents, but Jo's father. In their hands was a photograph of some sort.
"Mom, Dad, Mr. Riordan, this is a surprise. It's getting crowded in here, but come on inside and try and find a seat."
"Good luck," said Jo.
"Maybe we better leave," said Molly.
"That is not necessary Countess, said Lee Witherspoon or should I say Molly?"
Lee turned, gave Edie a hard stare, and said "Edwina before you use that clever mind of yours to create a story that is shy of the truth," said Lee. "I should remind you that we are your parents, and we deserve better."
"The truth about what," asked Edie as innocently as possible.
"About this," said Mr. Riordan who held an 8x10 photograph of the four girls taken that night in the Red Cross Canteen Mourmelon Le Grand.
"You have never kept things from us before Edie, why start now," asked her mother?
Feeling light headed, Edie made her way towards Jack and buried her face in his shirt and wept. "They are right. I have never kept secrets from them until now."
Jack rubbed her back, and kissed her cheek. "Somehow, they know enough already to come here and ask questions. Nothing good comes from a lie, isn't that what you always say."
"I wasn't lying. I just didn't tell them everything that happened."
Bill patted Edie's head, knelt down, and whispered, "The jig is up honey. You might as well fess up. Who knows they might take it better than you think."
"Take what," said Mr. Riordan.
"Daddy," said Jo sweetly. You and the Witherspoons better sit down. This is going to take a while."
Seeing Babe pick up the telephone, Bill asked, "Babe, who the hell you gonna call now?"
"I thought I'd have them send up some drinks. Those three are going to need them."
Everyone tried to find a seat on the floor, the couch, and the bed. While waiting for the drinks, Molly asked Mrs. Witherspoon how she knew.
"Countess or Molly, I don't know what to call you.
"I am comfortable with Molly. How did you know it was me?"
"Well, Molly, you don't feed someone at the dinner table as many times as I have you and not know you when I see you. Although, I have to admit it startled me at first. We thought Edward was suffering from dementia when he wrote these letters."
"What letters," said Edie? She rushed over to see, but her father quickly put it away.
"Never you mind; missy prissy," said her father.
Edie sat back down beside Jack. He gave her hand a little squeeze then kissed it, but Edie hardly noticed. She looked over at Molly then Jo. The former rolled her eyes and shook her head, while Jo sat there defiantly but she held onto Nolan's hand.
When the drinks arrived Babe served as bartender. The bellhop laid some fresh logs on the fire and tried to make light conversation. When he looked around at the stony faces in the room, he quickly made an exit, but not before Babe gave him a healthy tip for his efforts. They waited breathlessly for the door to close.
"How much do you already know," asked Molly?
"If this letter is a factual account, I know more than I wish I did," said Mr. Witherspoon. "Now Edie, I think the ball is in your court."
Edie looked at Jack, who gave her an encouraging smile.
A peaceful quiet fell upon the room as Edie found the words to describe their ordeal beginning on that fateful September day in Holland when they awoke to find themselves in the middle of Operation Market Garden. Every now and then, she stopped, sipped some water and looked over at her parents who remained calm and thankfully silent. It seemed to Edie that she had never talked so much at one setting in her life. Describing the Virginia soldier who died in the barn was hard, but she kept on talking. Leaving out the delicate portions of Molly and Eugene's affair as well as the relationship between Jo and Joe Toye, Edie described their initial shock, being separated from Katie, every combat engagement, coming off the line, working for Easy Company, meeting her grandfather, mooning Sobel, and meeting the men. Jo and Molly interjected at intervals to add their perspective. When they finished, the room grew still, then Charlie Witherspoon and Sean Riordan downed their whiskeys, stood up and walked around the room running their fingers through their hair.
Lee Witherspoon's body shook with anger. "If Edward was here right now, I would strangle the life out of him."
Molly shook her head and said, "Mrs. Witherspoon, trust me when I say, I believe I understand your anger, but it is misdirected. My father's step-brother was insane as well as determined to murder not only me, but my friends as well."
"My mind knows that Molly, but Edward knew enough that we could have protected you and put a stop to this mad man."
"No," said Edie. What do you not understand? There is nothing that you could have done to prevent what happened because I tried to stop history from repeating itself, but I failed each time. If you do not believe me then ask Bill. We tried to stop him from being hurt on a motorcycle, but despite our efforts, he still got shot off of a motorcycle."
"It's true," said Bill, who was itching for a smoke. "Edie tried to stop a man from being killed in combat, Bill Dukeman, a good man and a helluva a soldier, but I firmly believe when your number is up; it's up. Come on Babe. Let's give the girls a chance to clear the air and make peace with their families."
Molly put her hand on Bill's arm. "You do not have to go?"
"Well sweetie, as a matter fact, I do have to go that is, and I need a smoke."
"Good," said Babe. "Maybe I haven't missed the last race." The two men ambled towards the door. Then Babe turned around and said, "They hung tough out there. You should be proud of your girls. There ain't a man who was in Easy Company who didn't consider a privilege to know them. Before we go, I have a question. Do Katie's parents know about what happened?"
"No," said Lee. "Edward let us know that he did not think her parents could take the news. He was right about that. Katie's mother is not strong. I don't think she could handle or accept the serious nature of what happened to her daughter."
"Edward was a smart man," said Bill. "Now if all of you will excuse us, we have places to go." Nodding to Molly, he said, "I will see you later sweetheart."
"You bet your sweet ass," said Molly. Her attempt to lighten the mood worked on everyone but Jo's father.
Sean Riordan was a big man. At six feet five inches, he towered over everyone in the room, including Jack. He rose and walked over to the window and just stared. Placing his hands on either side of the windows, his shoulders shook as he tried to hide his emotions. Nolan nudged Jo who stood up and walked over to her father. She put her hand on his back but her father just grabbed her and tightly held her. "Do you know how much I love you," he whispered. "I promised your mother that if anything ever happened to her that I would raise you to be strong and independent. Maybe I made some mistakes by overlooking how your brothers ran rough shod over you. As God as my witness, I thought they would grow out of it. I am proud of you. Living through that, I have been on the line. I know what it is like, and to think my daughter was in one of the toughest, finest military units in World War II, well, Joanie, you're a better man than your brothers could ever hope to be, and you are a beautiful, brave woman, and thank God you are safe."
"Oh, daddy," whispered Jo.
"Am I correct in guessing that granddaddy wrote letters to you about what happened, but when did you receive them," asked Edie?
"His attorney sent them to us two weeks ago. I guess Edward thought that you would be safe by now," said her father. Sitting down on the bed beside Edie, Charles cupped the back of her head and said, "That's why you cut your hair short."
"Yes," said Edie. "It was Bill's idea to make us look like GIs so he could keep an eye on us."
"It's very becoming," said her mother, who also got up and sat down on the bed on the other side of her daughter. Edie's parents embraced their daughter.
"Oh, mama," said Edie. "I missed you both, and I was so afraid that we would not make it back, and you would never know what happened to us."
"If it wasn't for Edie, I don't know that we would have," said Jo. "She kept our spirits up, and was able to put enough of the pieces together for us to survive."
"Except for Molly," said Lee. "My dear, it just does not seem fair after everything you went through in your young life to be separated from those you love."
"Yes, but I was blessed to be surrounded by the love of my husband. We had our children and our friends. Now the three of us are together again. We never know how much time we have on this earth, so we should make the most of life, and never let a day go by without telling the ones you love how much you love them. You welcomed me into your home Lee, and I love you for that."
"Oh, Molly," said Lee. She walked over and embraced the older woman, who in her mind was still a young schoolgirl.
After more hugs and kisses, Jo, Nolan, and her dad left to go into Carmel and have dinner. Jack escorted Grand back to her room where an anxious Bill looked relieved to see her. "How are you doing sweetheart?"
"Very glad to see your face," said Molly. "Bend down Jack." Her grandson obliged and received a kiss on the cheek.
Jack kissed her back on both cheeks. "I love you Grand, and thank you."
"I love you to my dear, but I do not understand why you are thanking me?"
"I don't know for everything," said Jack with a smile.
Closing the door behind him, Jack returned to his room where he found Edie sitting on the couch, reading a letter addressed to her by her grandfather. "Dad said this was also in the envelope.
Smiling, Edie handed it to Jack, who sat down beside her and tried to read the scrawl of someone, who probably once had beautiful penmanship.
January 2000
Hello, Sweet Pea:
If you are reading this epistle, then I am one pissed-off angel. It is my hope to be there when you return from 1944 so I can tell you how proud I am of you and your friends. From the minute, I saw you when you were just a few hours old, I loved you and looked forward to seeing you grow up and become the wonderful, loving, smart, beautiful young woman that I met in Holland. The temptation to warn you about the future overwhelmed me at times, but Molly assured me that you as well as JoJo, and Katie made it back safely to your future.
I cannot tell you how sorry I was to learn that the fates prevented your dear friend from returning with you. However, true friendship transcends time, and I know that you will embrace Molly no matter her age. After a difficult time during England's shortages following the war, Molly enjoyed a life of privilege and the love of a good husband. She devoted her life to Ralph and their children. However, recently it is obvious to your Nana and I that there is a void in Molly's life. We summered with them not too long ago. At first, I thought it was the separation from you and your compadres. Later, I learned from Edna that Molly misses her daughters and being a part of their lives. They married and moved to the four corners of the globe so there is little contact between not only her daughters, but also their grandchildren as well as her great-grandchildren. It shocks me to no end, and I there are times I am tempted to track them down just to tell them how undeserving they are to have such a remarkable woman such as Molly for a mother. They have no idea the sacrifice forced upon her.
Nana Edna and I enjoyed sharing with you the history of one of the most important times of our lives. That is why she taught you the old songs on the piano; let you try on clothes that she saved for your costume parties. We tried to give you every advantage that would assist you in your journey to the past. You have a thorough knowledge of history and a great love for literature. I hope you never loose your thirst for knowledge my darling girl.
It is profoundly annoying that Molly refused to share with me whether or not I will live to see this, so I assume the worse. However, I refuse to be morose. Now, Nana and I would like to leave you with some possible insight into your future. During our last visit in England, we met a delightful, young man on the train to Somerville. Unbeknownst to us, he is Molly's grandson, Jack. Your Nana tells me that he has the potential to be quite a hottie, as she put it. He is bright, funny, athletic, and extremely well mannered, must be that Eton education. Jack made a good impression upon us. Although, romance may be the furthest thing from your mind when you return, I hope you will always be open to life's experiences especially loving and being loved by a good man. What do you have to loose? Besides his name is Jack. Remember what we always told you.
Seriously Edwina, I close this letter sending you all the love that your Nana and I can send you. Know that we thank God for blessing us with such a wonderful granddaughter as you.
Your loving grandfather,
Edward Jackson Winters
An astonished Jack sat down on the bed beside Edie. "I remember them. The way they laughed and looked at one another reminded me of Grand and Granddad. I thought to myself, I hope that I am lucky enough to meet someone and grow old with her." Re-reading the letter, Jack gave Edie a quizzical look and asked, "What did they always tell you."
"Oh, they told me lots of things, but if you are referring to this line here," said Edie as she pointed to the line in the letter. "They always told me when I bemoaned my lack of what most people call a love life that there is a Jack for every Jenny."
Grinning, Jack said, "Did they now, I knew I liked them for a reason. So am I your Jack?" He took her hand and continued smiling at her.
"Just call me Jenny," said Edie who smiled back.
