My breath catches at Jerald standing on our welcome mat, dressed smartly in a suit. His stance is confident and open as he looks from me to my father saying, “May tells me you’re a Navy man.”
I hurry to explain, “I hope you don’t mind, Jerald. I was telling Father how you just enlisted, since you’re nineteen-years-old now.”
Jerald blinks to my mother. “Mrs. Kearns, I’m Jerald Cocker.” He removes his hat. “You have a lovely home.”
She beams, and I can tell she finds him handsome. “Why thank you, Jerald. Would you like to come in for some pie?”
Please say no.
Please say no.
Please say no!
“I’d love to, ma’am, but I promised May a malt and I like to keep my promises. But if it would suit you both better that I stay here, then that’s fine by me, as well.“
Father says, “Oh I don’t think that’s necessary. Why don’t you kids have a good time, as long as you have May home by nine sharp.”
“You have my word, sir.” They shake hands and Father holds on a moment longer.
“You give Hitler hell, ya hear me?”
Jerald’s eyes gleam with understanding and respect. “Yes sir. That’s the plan, sir.” They let go and he dips his chin to Mother. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kearns.”
“Pleasure to meet you too, Jerald.” She looks at me as I start to walk by, and I pause, give her a big hug. “I won’t be late.”
“I know you won’t.” Surprised, my eyes widen, and she clarifies, “I trust him more than I trust you and he said he would have you back on time.”
I gasp with a smile underneath.
She wags her finger, smiling too.
I give Father a quick hug, “Thank you!”
Jerald nods to them both, dons his hat, and off we go.
17
JERALD
M ay’s awful silent as we drive away, the top up again.
I’m trying not to laugh at her lie, and if she’d just look over she’d know. But her hands are balled in her lap, half hidden by polkadots. She’s worrying her lips to a hot pink. I don’t mind that at all.
“Say, you put on a necklace. I like it.”
“You must think I’m a liar all the time! I’m not, cross my heart, but they wouldn’t have let me go had I told the truth!” She meets my eyes and sees how much she entertains me. Frowning, she asks, “You’re not sore?”
“Nope.”
She closes her eyes. “I wish my folks weren’t so terrifying sometimes!” Looking at me, May asks, “Are your parents like that? Never letting you have any fun?”
“Can’t say that they are.”
“What are they like?”
“Well, let’s see now. Pops is grounded and serious most of the time on account of what’s on his mind, you know, in Washington. And Ma, well, she’s kind as the day is long, and the most effusive person I ever met.”
“Effusive? I don’t know that word.”
Turning toward the malt shop, I pause to concentrate on the road. “Look it up.”
“Just tell me.”
“Find a dictionary,” I smirk, “And look it up.”
She gasps, faces front and pretends to be mad at me. After about a block where I don’t budge she mumbles, “My mother always says the same.”
“Smart lady.”
“Jerald Cocker!”
“Sable…whatever your last name is!” I joke, calling her Sable since that’s who uses whole names when she’s irritated.
May laughs and playfully swats my arm. “Oh alright. When I get home I’ll look it up.” She spreads her arms wide. “I don’t have a dictionary laying around!”
“We could stop by the library.”
“It’s not open, is it?”
“No.”
“We can’t even open the door!”
“We could stand outside and imagine what it says. You game?” I give her a wink, and turn the wheel to take us there.
“Sure, I’m game. Let’s see what scheme you’ve cooked up.”
“You’re the schemer, May. The way that ‘nineteen’ rolled off your tongue was something else.”
She covers her grin for a second, laughing with mischief.
Truth is, I couldn’t stomach a girl who didn’t have moxie. And May moves mountains to spend time with me, wants to fly planes, and loves tiny green bugs on top of it all. Well, she seems to have it in spades.
“The only trouble was keeping quiet about my time in the Navy. Your pop seems to understand us.”
Her smile sobers up. “He so wanted to enlist! His leg is bad, didn’t you notice his limp?”
My mind returns to meeting Mr. Kearns. So that’s why he didn’t invite me in straight away, and stood there like a barrier with his hands hidden. He seemed amiable enough, in manner, just not in stance. Probably didn’t want me to see his limp. It was only when Mrs. Kearns spoke that he backed up, and by that time I wasn’t paying attention to him.
“No, can’t say I noticed.”
“He’s awful conscious of it. People never treat him any different but it’s the fear they might, I guess.”
No cars in front of the library at this hour on a Saturday. During the week kids might still be studying, but the place is dark tonight. “Wait there.”
Hopping out, I’m thinking of Mr. Kearns until May’s smile through the window wipes him from my mind entirely. I open her door and offer my hand, palm up. She slides her fingers across it and sends goosebumps into my chest. “Thank you for noticing my necklace, Jerald. It’s my Mother’s. She loaned it to me tonight.”
“It’s awful pretty on you. But you could wear a potato sack and I’d still think so.”
May’s lips part, bright blue eyes searching mine. I grin at her, shut the door, and keep her hand prisoner, guiding her to the austere building I spent a lot of time at when I was younger.
We stare together at it. I lean toward her a little. “You feel that?”
“What?”
“All that knowledge.”
She stifles a laugh. “Why yes, now that you mention it, I can!”
“Can you?”
“Well, there was a funny sensation and I thought it was just being near you.”
My body gets hot and I turn to her.
