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  Joe

  December 12, 1942

  Dear Lilli,

  I just can't stop thinking about you! If it weren't for the war I would wish you were here right with me, enjoying these beautiful views. I hope all is well where you are, I'm staying safe, please don't worry.

  Joe

  December 26, 1942

  Dear Lilli,

  I know you may not get this for some time, but I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We were given extra rations to celebrate the holidays. I hope you were given something a great deal better than extra rations.

  Joe

  January 30, 1943

  Dear Lilli,

  How are you beautiful? I so enjoy reading all you have to say about you ife. Things are quite simple here, living in tents and eating dehydrated food. But if that's all for the good of our country, and really the world. Your letters keep me going.

  Joe

  March 6, 1943

  Dear Lilli,

  Winter is sill stomring around us here, I'm sure you are experiencing sunny weather where you are. If only there was a building with heat! The battles are beginning to become more fierce, men are dying, it's all becoming so very real. But I will come home to you, and soon.

  Joe

  April 16, 1943

  Dear Lilli,

  The men around here are growing restless around camp. The weather is beginning to get nicer, but our lives are still very much the same. I wish we could stroll through the park and talk like we did that first night.

  Joe

  Chapter 1

  May 17, 1943

  "I hope they send the Sinclair's his body." Sam Carter sighed, unable to stop thinking about the recent loss of his best friend. The image of him falling just a few feet from his eyes played over and over in his mind. It was just like Joe to be doing something ridiculous behind the line. He never seemed to understand the dangers of war, and joked about every aspect of it. And now, he was gone, forever.

  "Of course they will, they only bury unidentified soldiers here." Wes answered, lighting a cigarette.

  "That's what the tell us, who knows if it's true." Sam lifted his head from his hands, pushing a puff of air through his lips. "I need to go through his letters, I promised to write his lady friends if anything ever happened to him."

  "Yea, you didn't exactly make out in that deal. Most soldiers are only writing to one woman, which makes it easy, Joe was writing to how many? Six was it?"

  "Yes, six girls, six stupid girls." Sam heaved the box of Joe's belongings up on his cot, staring at the six distinct packs of letters inside.

  "You don't know if they're stupid." Wes said sarcastically, laughing. Sam raised his eyebrows, and began laughing too. They both know that Joe only managed to attract stupid women. Most smart girls were too in tune with his womanizing ways to waste any time with him.

  "If they fell for Joe's act, and were buying the two sentence letters he was sending them all, then yes, I'd believe them to be stupid."

  "Stupid or too kind hearted to stop communication to a soldier who might die any day. You don't know them."

  "And neither do you! Why are you playing devils advocate? It's not like you don't think the same thing I do."

  "I know, you're right, but let's face it, there's not much entertainment over here, and debating kept me occupied for...oh, three minutes? Now that you've ruined that for me, I have to find something else to do."

  "If you want entertainment, you can help me with the condolence letters."

  "No thanks! Besides, if something happens to you, I'll be doing double duty." Wes smirked. "That wouldn't be fair, would it?"

  "I don't write to any girls except for my sisters, and I'm fairly certain the two officers that would show up at my front door would relieve you of your obligation to write."

  "Lucky for me I drew you when we decided! And it's also lucky that two other guys will have to break the news to your family. Wouldn't want to be the sorry bloke that draws that straw. Katie and Annie will probably give 'em a black eye."

  Sam laughed at the truth of Wes' statement. "Alright, get out of here, let me get these done as quickly as I possibly can. I'll meet you in the canteen when I'm finished?"

  Wes turned to leave and was half way out the small opening in their rough canvas tent when he looked back at Sam. "Seriously, don't spend too much time on it, you don't need to dwell on Joe any more than you already are."

  Sam nodded in acknowledgment and pulled Joe's tin toward him. Inside were six tightly bound packs of yellowed envelopes. The first belonged to Cynthia, who had only written a few letters, she must not have been too impressed with Joe's charm. Then there was Julia and Margaret, each with an equal stack, the envelopes thick. It seemed that they had little to do at home, so they poured their souls out to a soldier they believed they could trust. He started with those three, copying identical letters for each which included the facts of Joe's death and his apology for their loss. He knew that most of these letters usually included a statement to make the girl feel special, like, Joe spoke of you all the time, it was obvious he cared for you a great deal, but he refused to lie to them.

  He carefully folded the parchment and inserted them into dusty envelopes, writing their addresses on the front. Another sigh forced it's way from his lungs as he dug back into the tin, this time pulling a pack of letters from Lilli. Lilli, he had remembered hearing about her, the one girl Joe spoke of that stayed in his mind. Joe had been grumbling about the fact that Lilli had refused to spend the night with him, Sam had been impressed, Lilli was obviously a girl of moral fiber, much to Joe's dismay.

  The handwriting on the envelopes was elegant and flowing running on a perfectly straight line. Everything about the letters was perfect, as if straight out of a handwriting book from an elementary school classroom. Looking close at the defined loops, he caught an aroma upon the envelope, it smelled like a hamburger, a greasy, wonderful hamburger. Sam seemed unable to stop himself from opening the envelope and taking out the letter, making the smell even more noticeable. He breathed deeply, as if tasting through his nose, then began to read her letter.

  November 18, 1942

  Dear Joe,

  Thank you for your letter, I was so excited to finally receive it. I was beginning to worry that you would forget to write. I suppose I didn't anticipate it taking so long to get to your first posting, but seeing as I have no experience in traveling across oceans, I don't know how I came to my conclusion. I hope it's ok for me to say I was excited to receive your letter, my mother would certainly frown upon me being so open with my emotions, and I really don't know how this letter writing works.

  I hate to end my letter so quickly, but I am completely at a loss for what to say. I've never really written to a soldier, or to any man. I suppose that's fairly evident by my babbling. It would be so much easier to talk while taking a walk in the park. Talking to a blank piece of paper is more difficult than I expected! I am glad to hear you are safe and I promise that my next letter will be much more interesting.

  Affectionately,

  Lilli

  Sam didn't hesitate, he carefully returned the letter to it's envelope and then took out the next in sequence. Her first letter had made him smile, really smile, she was so innocent and sincere, and completely unaware of her power with a pen, even when she said nothing at all. The next letter smelled like cinnamon, he could imagine her enjoying a hot piece of apple pie while she was writing.

  December 10, 1942

  Dear Joe,

  I've not received another letter from you since the first, but I wanted to make sure you received this in time for the holiday. I can't even imagine what it's like to be away from home on Christmas. I am an only child, so Christmas has not been very exciting, but I would not like to spend it alone, in a foreign country. Even though my Christmas is usually quiet, there are a few things that I look forward to every year. I love tip toeing down the stairs Christmas morning, my robe tied tightly and my hai
r still in rags, finding the Christmas tree beautifully decorated with our brightly wrapped presents sitting beneath it. There is something about that feeling, I'm not sure what it is, but I don't think Christmas would be Christmas without it.

  The other thing I love about Christmas, is playing Christmas Carols on our family piano with a warm cup of coffee on the bench beside me. My favorite is 'O Holy Night', a real original I know, but the song is so beautiful. I know Christmas is coming the Sunday we sing Christmas Carols in church. After Carols, we exchange gifts, I receive one gift each year, last year, I got a beautiful set of pearls that matches almost every outfit I have.

  As soon as Christmas is over, my mother begins planning for our New Years Eve party immediately. Every year she invites a new eligible bachelor for me to meet, well eligible in her eyes. Most of them are bores and a great deal older than me, I have no idea where she finds them year after year. I hate to admit it, but I hate New Years, but maybe it will be a little better when you are home to escort me.

  How does your family celebrate the holidays? I would love to hear about them and all of your traditions. I am so interested to hear how you grew up. Maybe our letters could be a continuation of our walk in the park. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and New Years! Stay safe!

  Affectionately,

  Lilli

  January 3, 1943

  Dear Joe,

  I just received your letter, I suppose the mail routs were jammed because of the holidays. I hope you have been receiving my letters. It's hard to tell if you are getting them because your letters don't give any evidence of having read mine. You still haven't told me about your family, or where you're from. I suppose I thought writing letters would be like dating from far away, getting to know each other in letters instead of dates.

  I don't want you to think I'm a crazy woman who has ideas about our relationship before it's even begun. That's not true at all, I would just like to get to know you, be here for you while you're fighting over there. If you need to talk about anything, I'm here. Maybe life at war keeps you busier than I imagined. As always, I'm awaiting your next letter with anticipation.

  Affectionately,

  Lilli

  "What an idiot!" Sam couldn't help but scream in frustration. Lilli's personality dripped from her perfect words on the page. All she wanted was a friend, and Joe was too selfish to even attempt to give her that. He had made her self-conscious and defensive by writing her scraps of letters. Late at night, Joe, Wes and Sam would set about writing their letters home. Wes and Sam took their time writing to their families, neither one of them having a sweetheart. Joe however, would race through his writing, scrawling a few sloppy lines to each one of the six girls he was writing to. They were impersonal and almost like a slap in the face to anyone who might believe their relationship was real. Lilli definitely believed it to be real, if Joe was still here, he would have socked him.

  March 25, 1943

  Dear Joe,

  I hope you are still staying safe, even if the battles are becoming more fierce, as you explained in your last letter. Each week at church more and more boys are added to the prayer list, their parents having been notified of them being injured ,missing or worse. You and your friends are always in my prayers, I pray that the Lord will guide each one of you safely through the fighting and then home. It is a bit of a comfort to know that you are there with your most trusted friends, I'm sure you are all keeping an eye on one another.

  If women were every allowed to fight in a war such as this one, I would never go without my best friend. Her name is Viv and she is really a pistol, she's nothing like me. I know she would never let anything happen to me. She always kept her eye out for me at Wharton, the girls school I attended for high school. Of course, keeping me out of the way of vindictive girls is much different than keeping me safe in the face of gun fire. I can't imagine what you all go through and admire your bravery and willingness to fight. I just wish you would tell me more of what is going on.

  Affectionately,

  Lilli

  May 12, 1943

  Dear Joe,

  The news seems to get worse every day. It doesn't sound like the war is going very well. And yet I can't imagine what our world will be like if Hitler succeeds in his conquest. What he is doing to the Jewish people is just disgusting. I can't imagine what they're all going through, the panic must be undescribable! I do hope the Allies are able to stop them, the sooner the better. I know you're all doing your best to end this Holocaust.

  My mother and I have been spending our nights knitting for the war effort. We are making small squares that eventually are sewn together to make blankets for you boys, or so I'm told. I hope you get one, even if it is starting to get a little warmer. I wish I knew how to get them sent directly to your company, but I have no idea.

  I believe I have the wrong idea about a correspondence between a soldier and a girl. I guess I thought your letters would be far more detailed then they have been. My friend Viv spend a lot of time at the local U.S.O. and she tells me that some soldiers write to multiple women. I had no idea, but I suppose if you're lonely, and have not offered any kind of hope to a girl about marriage or a future after the war, that would be somewhat acceptable. But you did talk to me about marriage, that night we walked in the park... I'm terribly confused Joe, would you do me the kindness of clarifying why I'm writing to you? Despite my confusion, I still hope you are safe, and that you are enjoying yourself when you can throughout this horrible war.

  Affectionately,

  Lilli

  ps. I am sorry for the syrup stain on this letter. I was writing to you while eating breakfast at the diner, and a bit got away from me!

  Sam smiled, he had noticed the stain immediately when he opened the letter, and pushed his nose into the sweet smelling stain for a lengthy five minutes before reading. Wes had been right, one of the girls Joe was writing was smart, just too sweet to break off their communication. He had always known his friend to be a womanizer, it was the reason none of the girls in their hometown would date him. Somehow their friendship had managed to survive despite that characteristic, probably because Joe knew better than to go after any of his sisters. Also because Sam had developed the ability to ignore Joe when he talked about all of his lady friends. Now Sam saw the cruelty of Joe's actions through Lilli's eyes. Why had he never reprimanded his friend for such behavior?

  How could Joe have read such heartfelt letters and not be compelled to write back with equal sentiment? Especially to Lilli, a girl that seemed amazing even on paper. Did he read her letters at all? Joe was charming and she had resisted him, which meant she was something special. Joe only went after the most attractive women, which meant she was beautiful. And she wasn't fooled by Joe's two sentenced letters, which made her smart. Yet she still continued to write, which made her sweet, and endearing, the kind of girl any man would be lucky to go home to. When Sam had finished his internal conversation, he imagined Lilli to be quite a girl, a girl he had to meet, needed to talk to. Being at war, talking was, of course, out of the question, writing would have to be enough...

  Chapter 2

  June 2, 1943

  Lilli sighed, wiping an arm across her brow, trying to avoid getting mud smudges on her cheeks. She stepped out of the freshly weeded garden into the cool green grass and inspected her work one last time. Everything was cleaned up and watered, the carefully constructed rows of vegetables sprouting from the brown earth. If there was anything she loved about the war it was the victory gardens. Somehow being outside, her fingers in dirt, relaxed her, and at least the victory gardens produced something useful, unlike all the rose bushes her mother insisted on planting. Sure they smelled lovely, but more often than not they caused bleeding, and only lasted in an arrangement for a week.

  Her toes wiggled in the grass as she smiled in satisfaction. While she stood admiring her work, Mrs. Metcalf wobbled outside, carrying a tray of lemonade and ginger cookies.

  "Here, let me g
et that." Lilli rushed to the sliding glass door and took the tray. Then waited for the unsteady Mrs. Metcalf to take her arm, and lead her to the glass table which sat under an umbrella on the porch.

  "You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

  "What trouble? The cookies are straight from the store, and the lemonade is a powder mix."

  Lilli laughed, pouring two glasses of the bright yellow brew. "It's delicious," she mumbled, pulling a hand up to cover her mouth.

  "You don't have to lie dear! It's terrible!" Mrs. Metcalf yelled after spitting her swallow back into the glass. "I think I forgot to add the sugar."

  "I'll go get it." Lilli said, unable to control the giggle that surfaced when she opened her mouth. She had never seen a woman spit out the contents of her mouth, and was likely never to forget this instance.

  "It's in the..."

  "I know where it is Mrs. Metcalf, remember, I'm the one who puts your groceries away?"

  "Of course dear, of course."

  Lilli entered the small, dimly lit house and found the kitchen in utter disarray. The package of cookies remained open on the counter right next to the powdered lemonade mix. One cup of sugar, Lilli read on the side of the canister, "No wonder it pulled my cheeks together like magnets," Lilli thought, remembering the intense pucker she had tried to hide from Mrs. Metcalf.

  She measured out a cup of sugar and picked up one of the seven sticky spoons that were now practically glued to the counters. Lilli sighed, not understanding why Mrs. Metcalf needed seven spoons to mix lemonade. "Maybe she couldn't find them again after using them, so she took out another one. Perhaps I should increase my visits to twice a week."