False Pretenses
December 1946
It was two weeks before Christmas and the Rats had planned a pre-holiday celebration. They hadn't all been together since Hitch's graduation in May and decided it was as good a time as any for a reunion. They were meeting together in Cambridge, England where Moffitt was teaching and doing research. Troy was also in England visiting with his brother, having just spent a number of months at the Nuremberg Trials in Germany followed by numerous meetings regarding the future of that country. He had been serving as an aide to General Metcalf but would soon be reporting for a new assignment in Washington, D.C. Isla was in Paris rehearsing with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo for a production of a new ballet by Balanchine. Hitch and Tully had completed their fall semesters and were ready to kick up their heels and Tully's wife was ready for a break from her work as a labor and delivery nurse.
Several months earlier, Matthew Hitchcock had launched a new airline company and presented each of them with a card allowing them to fly on any of his planes anytime they wished to anywhere his planes traveled. It would prove to make such reunions much more frequent and provide more opportunities to continue their friendships in spite of the distance between them. This was their initial use of the gift, and they were all excited about meeting again. Moffitt had hinted of a surprise he was planning, and his parents, Charles, and Helen, had graciously opened their home to them.
There were many hugs and affectionate greetings when they had all finally arrived and been settled in their rooms. Moffit's friend, Pippa, joined them and over dinner, they caught up with one another's lives.
"So, how's the studying progressing, Tully?" Troy asked.
"It's been very interesting," Tully was enthusiastic, "but I don't think I would have made it through my math class without Hitch's assistance." Hitch shook his head at the thought and Tully continued, "The best part was going on the dig with Doc over the summer. It was fascinating and I learned more in those six weeks than all the time I'd spent in the classroom."
"But your classroom studies helped prepare you for the dig," Charles reminded him.
"True, but it was a lot more exciting being in the field. I received academic credit for the dig, and it supplied me with the research for several papers for my classes. The only hard part was being away from Mary Ellen for so long, although she did come visit for a week."
"How is your work in the hospital, Mary Ellen?" Helen inquired.
"We're experiencing quite a baby boom with all the G.I.'s returning home. You can almost pinpoint the day they arrived back in the States by counting backward nine months, "Mary Ellen joked. "If they married while overseas, their wives arrived here already pregnant. Some days it seems like we deliver one baby, go to the room next door, and deliver another."
"Do all those babies make you long for one yourself?" Isla asked.
"No," she and Tully answered together, and everyone laughed.
"Tully and I are waiting a bit. Maybe not until he's finished with school, but a bit further on."
"Very sensible," Moffitt spoke. "Tell us about the new ballet, Isla."
"It is so amazing," Isla said appreciatively. "Balanchine is a genius. It's called The Night Shadow and there are three main parts: A coquette, a poet, and a sleepwalker. They and a large group have been invited to a party at a castle by a mysterious Count," she wove the tale with mystery. "At first the poet and the coquette dance together and seem to fall in love. Maria Tallchief is dancing the coquette, and she is absolutely the best dancer I have ever seen. The party guests and the coquette go off to dinner leaving the poet onstage alone. Suddenly his attention is drawn to a woman carrying a lit candle and sleepwalking. That's me. I'm on pointe almost the entire time I'm onstage and the only support I get from the male dancer is by him holding onto the candle in my hand, instead of actually holding my hand. It's been very challenging, but the effect is thrilling."
"So, no wings this time?" Hitch teased, referring to her roles in La Sylphide and as Myrtha in Giselle?"
"No, and I don't die on stage. I think that's an improvement."
"When and where will you be performing?" Mary Ellen was interested.
"In late February in New York," Isla responded.
"We just might have to be in New York at that time," Mary Ellen glanced at Tully who nodded in agreement.
"How about you, Hitch, anything you'd like to share?" Tully asked, knowing there was indeed an announcement to be made.
"Classes have been good," Hitch remarked. "Carrying a heavier load so I can finish as soon as possible. Nothing new there. Some of my army training allowed me to test out of a couple of classes and I'm already considering topics for my thesis," he spoke nonchalantly. "Oh," he said as an afterthought, "Isla and I are engaged." Those drinking, choked or sputtered and silverware rattled on the plates as everyone absorbed that information.
"What?" Troy coughed and looked to Isla for confirmation. She nodded and pulled a chain from around her neck.
"I guess I can wear this opening now," she said slipping the ring from the chain and onto her finger.
"When did this happen?" Moffitt asked.
"In October. Our folks don't yet know. We're going to tell them at Christmas." Hitch explained. Everyone expressed their congratulations, and it was several minutes before normal conversation resumed.
"Do you have a date in mind?" Mary Ellen asked.
"Next Fall. We can't make any firm plans until our mothers hear the news and have their say," Isla smiled broadly.
"Your parents are going to be thrilled," Tully remarked.
"Yeah," Hitch said with a wide grin. "We're going to be hearing I told you so for a very long time. They all nodded in agreement. It had long been the wish of both their parents that the two should get married.
"It's good to see you're not as big a fool as you were at twenty," Troy commented. They raised their glasses in a toast for the couple and then Isla asked,
"What about you, Troy? Can you tell us about the Trials?"
"And I want to hear about you meeting Dietrich and becoming friends," Moffitt added.
"The trials were a humbling experience," Troy said, "and very difficult to hear about all the atrocities that took place. What we saw at Dachau was just the tip of the iceberg. It was revolting, listening to hours of testimony to the crimes committed against humanity. It's not fit for dinner conversation, we can talk about it later," Troy's face clouded.
"Anyway, I went for lunch in a local tavern and that's where I ran into Dietrich. He was giving testimony to some of the things he witnessed in North Africa when the SS was involved," Troy continued.
"Yeah, we're all familiar with their methods," Hitch commented darkly, and the table grew quiet.
"We got to talking and were able to put aside the past when we were enemies and started realizing how we are alike in many ways," Troy finished.
"We knew that all along," Tully said. "It was quite the shock meeting him when we were in Benghazi. You set it up beautifully."
"A little warning would have been nice," Moffitt stated. "I wasn't quite sure what to say or how to react. Still, it was nice just having a conversation instead of plotting an escape."
"Has your latest novel been published?" Isla asked Pippa, changing the subject. "I've read your others and can't wait to read your story about Anne Bolyn." In addition to being an authority on the Tudor era, Pippa wrote historical novels under the pseudonym Jessica McKay.
"It's hitting the bookstores next week, just in time for Christmas," Pippa answered. "I have some advance copies if you'd like one. I'll even inscribe it for you."
"That would be marvelous," Isla was excited. "It will give me something to read when I return to Paris.
"And you still haven't grown tired of this guy?" Troy jokingly referred to Moffitt.
"Not a bit," she smiled.
"So, how's Cambridge, Doc?" Hitch asked. "Anything new to report?"
"Well, actually there is," Moffitt replied glancing at Pippa and his parents.
"I've brought you hear under false pretenses. Yes, it's a Christmas celebration but I have an ulterior motive as well," he rose and stepped behind Pippa's chair, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I wanted you all here for our wedding on Saturday."
Everyone reacted at once, leaving the table to congratulate the couple and hug one another. Helen brought in champagne and glasses and toasts poured forth for the loving couple.
Two days later, Dr. Jack Moffitt and Dr. Pippa Buchanan were married at King's College Chapel on the Cambridge campus, surrounded by their colleagues, family, and close friends. Troy was best man with Hitch and Tully as groomsmen. During the service, Isla played a borrowed harp and sang a solo, accompanied by Mary Ellen on the flute.
"Two down, one in the wings, that only leaves you, Troy," Moffitt said to his friend during the reception.
"I don't know if I'll ever settle down," Troy responded. "I can't see any woman crazy enough to put up with me. Maybe after I retire from the military."
"Oh, there has to be someone out there who could reasonably tolerate you, old man," Moffitt teased.
"Well, if you find her, send her my way," Troy flashed his smile, noticing a lovely young woman giving him the eye. "In the meantime, I'll just have to fend for myself." He walked away to introduce himself.
DISCLAIMER: I took advantage of poetic license: The Night Shadow actually premiered on February 27, 1946, but that didn't fit my timeline, so I set it for a year later. The name of the ballet was later changed to La Sonnambula. Maria Tallchief did appear in the original production, but I believe she danced the Sleepwalker role. A video of the entire 30-minute ballet with Mikail Baryshnikov is available on YouTube and I highly recommend a viewing.