Danny had tried unsuccessfully to talk Rafe and Evelyn into staying at the house.
But his best friend was insistent that they not disrupt his and Sandra's everyday routine, so Rafe got a room for Evelyn and himself at the Haleiwa Motor Court. That was not lost on Evelyn who was even more surprised when she found that he'd gotten the same room he'd stayed in when he'd come back from England. Rafe never ceased to amaze her because even after having been married for eight years, he still remembered the small things.
He'd not told her about that until they'd gone into the kitchen for more beer. "You're just full of all sorts of surprises aren't you?"
He pulled a bottle out of the icebox for Gooz and one for himself. "I thought you'd like that."
"Of course I do. I'm just wondering what made you think to get a room there?"
He grinned at her. "It's where we started our family, or have you forgotten?"
He could still make her flush with that cocky grin of his. "You know I haven't." And she put her arms around him. "I also haven't forgotten that we had two more kids while we lived here."
"Are you tryin' to make me blush, Mrs. McCawley?"
That made Evelyn laugh. "The day I can make you blush Rafe McCawley is the day you hate to fly."
"And that will never happen." He said before he kissed her.
"It's so strange being in this house and not living here." She sighed. "I do wish the kids could have come with us if just to see this place. Every time Danny looks at the old pictures, he tries to remember living here."
"You made a good home for us Evelyn."
She smiled at him. "I couldn't have done it without you." And she kissed him back. "Thank you for coming home alive."
Rafe put the bottles down on the counter so he could put his arms around his wife. "Is it true what Red said about you never gettin' married if I hadn't come back?"
She nodded. "I couldn't see sharing my life with anyone else but you. I knew from the first time I kissed you that I would never meet anyone else like you."
From the back porch they heard Gooz. "Hey McCawley, where's that beer?"
Evelyn shook her head. "He's as bad as the kids. I'm always telling them not to shout from another room but to come and ask."
"We will bring them back here. I just want them to be old enough to appreciate it." And he picked the bottles up off the counter, took Evelyn's hand and headed to the back porch.
When they had rejoined the crowd, Gooz took his beer. "Should have known better than to let the two of you go in there alone." He grinned.
"Leave 'em alone Gooz." Red smiled. "It's like old times."
"Yea, they always did have a habit of disappearing in the middle of dinner." Barbara said with her eyebrow arched.
"He always had to help Evelyn with something in the kitchen." Martha added.
"Or the back of the house." Danny chimed in with a grin.
That got Rafe to grin self consciously. "Well, what kind of husband would I be if I didn't help my wife?" And everyone laughed.
It was then that Sandra came out with the girls. She was holding Shelby and Ann stayed very close. As everyone tried to talk to them Danny could see his oldest was getting a little overwhelmed with all of the strangers around, so he came up on the porch and picked her up. She buried her face in his shoulder and put her arms around his neck. "Not used to all these people are you punkin'?"
Ann shook her head.
"How about Mama and I take you inside and get you to bed?"
She nodded.
"Okay, let's go."
Sandra started to follow Danny into the house before she turned to them. "We'll be out in a few minutes."
When Danny and Sandra had gone inside, it was quiet. Memories were assaulting all of them being back together in this house. Evelyn remembered how she and Rafe would take Danny and Sarah to bed as everyone stayed out on the porch.
Red was remembering how he'd gotten through those first awful months after coming back from China and having to face the fact that Betty was gone. If it hadn't been for these people, he's not sure what would have happened.
"I think we're losing Red again." Gooz commented.
"I'm still here."
Danny came out from the house. "Sandra's goin' to finish puttin' the girls to bed and told me to fire up the grill."
"You're wife is a sensible woman." Martha smiled as Danny walked out to the yard.
Rafe followed him and as Danny started the fire, he smiled. "Evelyn was telling me how it was so strange bein' in this house and not livin' here. I know what she means 'cause I keep thinkin' how it should be me standin' there and Evelyn puttin' the kids to bed."
"Why'd you go back to Tennessee Rafe? You could've stayed here in the Air Corps."
"I wanted to go home."
"It ain't so bad here, you know? We have a good life here and so did you and Evelyn. Don't you ever miss it?"
Rafe nodded. "Yea, I do. We talk about it a lot and Danny tries so hard to remember anything. I don't know if he does 'cause he was barely four when we went home."
Danny stopped what he was doing and looked at his friend. "Did you ever consider that you were the only one goin' home?"
"I didn't think about it at the time. But it seems the longer I'm away," He paused. "the longer Evelyn and I are away, we miss this place more and more."
"Well you joined up again didn't you, so come back. We ain't flyin' P-40's any more, but I know you could learn to fly a jet."
"I only joined the reserves. And even if I were thinkin' about it, I'd have to talk to Evelyn and the kids. Danny thinks he remembers a little about Hawaii, but Sarah and Joey don't. All they know is Shelby and I don't know if I want to take them away from there and their grandparents."
"I know what you mean. I don't know if I could ever take the girls away from here because this is the only place they know."
"You wouldn't have much choice if the Air Force transferred you." Rafe grinned.
"Well they haven't done it yet, so I don't think about it. But I do think you should consider comin' back. We could always use another good pilot." Danny urged him.
"I'll talk to Evelyn later and see what she thinks."
Sandra came out on the porch with a platter of raw steaks and walked out to the yard to give them to Danny. "The girls are asleep." She told him.
"That didn't take long."
She smiled. "Mrs. Callahan wore them out."
"That woman is a godsend." He said and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks honey."
"Just don't burn them this time." She said with a smile and went to the bar to fix herself a drink.
