Chapter 5: Parental Worries
Ellanora Hitchcock sat at her antique writing desk in the splendor of the Manhattan mansion that had been home to several generations of her husband's family. She was busy reading her mail and writing responses. There were so many events related to the war effort and she was the chairwoman for several. One envelope stood out as she made her way through the stack, and she reached for her letter opener. She recognized the thick stationery and neat handwriting of her best friend's daughter, Isla, who was performing overseas with the USO.
Isla was dear to Nora's heart, not only as her friend's daughter but as her son's oldest and dearest friend in the world. They had grown up together and the Hitchcock's considered her a part of their family. Their last contact had been a phone call from the base in Africa where she had been performing. It was a joint call to her parents and the Hitchcocks asking for help in providing needed items for a show the base personnel were planning and gifts for the female nursing and office staff.
The younger woman had also given them an update on their son's condition following a serious bullet wound that grazed his temple and left him with a bad concussion. He had recovered completely and was even providing piano accompaniment for several acts in the scheduled show.
Reading the letter brought a smile to Nora's face and she paused with a sigh as she thought how many times she wished Mark and Isla would realize the love they had for one another would be a strong foundation for marriage. If only they could recognize their feelings might be more than friendship. She would love welcoming Isla as her daughter-in-law.
As the mother of a son serving in the army, fear was her constant companion. She knew he was part of an elite patrol that faced extremely dangerous situations. He couldn't share the details of their exploits, but she could read enough between the lines of his letters to know he put his life at risk daily. Thoughts for his safety kept her nervous and anxiety ridden. She said a quick prayer that the letter didn't include another injury to her much-loved only son and breathed a sigh of relief when it did not.
Isla reported on the show and Mark's help with the music. She thanked them profusely for everything they did in providing the appreciation gift baskets for the female personnel, the supplies for the show and the food items that were gratefully received. She wrote of how proud she was of the man Mark had become and praised his bravery, skill, compassion, and generosity. She told how he had jury-rigged an iron lung from scrap parts to save a badly injured soldier's life and how he and his team had received the Silver Star in recognition of their actions in several missions against the enemy. She commended them for raising such an outstanding young man.
Nora paused in her reading. She was so very proud of her son for so many reasons. She wished he and his father didn't clash so often. It hurt her heart when they quarreled. The problem was they were too much alike in some ways, especially their stubbornness and refusal to back down. If only her husband could have been more accepting of Mark's choice of study. Perhaps hearing about the soldier whose life was saved due to Mark's knowledge of mechanical engineering would take some of the sting from his refusal to major in business.
Returning to the letter she read with concern as Isla described being attacked by a disturbed soldier on the base who had attacked several others. She had managed to take down the attacker with her trusty Louisville Slugger baseball bat by "sweeping the knee and aiming for his head" like Mark had taught her when boys first started showing interest in her. Nora laughed as she recalled how they had included 32 baseball bats in the gifts for the female staff as requested.
Isla continued by saying Mark used some of his downtime to work on correspondence courses from Cornell and had taken three final exams while she was in Africa with them. He was anxiously awaiting the results and she just knew he did well. He was still tomcatting about with numerous women and had taught her to drive a jeep. Here Nora sighed. She was aware of her son's penchant for skirt-chasing, drinking, and driving his car way too fast but understood they were a means of defying his father's control. She didn't like or approve of his actions, but she understood why he engaged in them.
Isla reported on the other members of Mark's patrol and how well they looked after one another. She said Sergeants Troy & Moffitt were greatly protective of their men and Private Pettigrew was a good friend to Mark. They were all three exceptional men who worked well together and were very skilled in what they did. She thanked Nora for sending Mark's penny loafers to wear when they went dancing at a local bar. She shared that he could still dance well, and they had spent several evenings dancing for hours.
In closing, Isla shared she had returned to her USO group, and they were currently performing for Allied soldiers in Italy, then heading through parts of France and probably back to England. She would write again when she could and hoped to hear from her soon. She enclosed copies of some pictures she had taken while in Africa.
Nora turned her attention to the photographs and got her first glimpse of the men who made up the Rat Patrol. She could immediately put names to faces as she glanced through photos of the team posing with their jeeps; one of them with Isla; receiving their medals; Mark reading to the soldier in the iron lung he created; and a special one of Mark and Isla together.
Nora was enjoying the photographs as she heard her husband enter the room.
"Hello, sweetheart," he said coming up behind her and kissing her on the top of her head. "Anything interesting in the mail?"
"A letter from Isla thanking us for our help with her project for the soldiers on Mark's base and filling me in on what's going on with our son.
"Please tell me he hasn't been wounded again?" he asked anxiously.
"No, in fact he's recovered from the head wound he suffered," Nora explained, "but just wait till you hear about what he's been doing."
