Radio romances (July-Dec 1945)

"I swear, honey, I'm not always this undependable, but I couldn't get back sooner. You see, most of Dad's property is in my name as well as his — " "I know," I said. "I'm glad you had a chance to go home." "I am, too." He hesitated, reached for a cigarette. "There was the family, and the business to be taken care of, and I wanted to see Mary Lou, too — " My heart stopped for a second, and then went on beating calmly. In the space of that second I'd reminded myself that John loved me, wanted to marry me, and that a Mary Lou couldn't ' come between us now. "I told you about her," he continued. "We grew up together, went around together when we were in high school and for a couple of years afterward. There never was any understanding between us, unless it was, when I joined the Army,, that we were both perfectly free. She wrote to me when I was overseas — friendly letters, and I wrote to her — friendly letters. My only reason for wanting to see her now was to tell her about you. If you'd ever lived in a small town, Beth, you'd understand. There'd never been anything sentimental between us — but the town thought there was. Her parents and my parents and all Maple Falls took it for granted that we'd be married some day. That's why I thought it was fairer to her that she should know about you before anyone else did, just in case she should be hurt — " "Was she?" I asked softly. ¥ THOUGHT that John frowned un* certainly, but the expression was gone in a moment, and he shook his head. "If she was, she's a wonderful actress, from the way she wished me happiness. Of course, there's no reason why she should be. She always was pretty and popular, and she always had more boys calling her up than she had time to see." I relaxed against his shoulder, feeling a distant envy of Mary Lou for the years she had known him, wondering if she had been in love with him, wondering how she could have helped loving him. If I were the most beautiful and sought-after woman in the world, I told myself, I would still want John. That night was the last we saw each other for weeks. The next day John and Philip and some of the other boys who had come to Corona with them were sent to a relocation center, where John remained after Philip and the other boys were returned to active duty. "They're all Pacific-bound," he wrote "and I'd give my eyeteeth to be with them. I know I'd hate it, and I'd probably be a dead loss once I got there, but I still felt I missed the boat when they went off without me. Having you to keep me company is all that makes up for it — " Having me to keep him company — that was a little joke between us, a very precious joke. Even with half the country separating us, we didn't feel far apart. There was — or we imagined that there was — a kind of telepathy between us so that each guessed sometimes what the other had been doing before a letter arrived to tell it. Once he began a letter, with loving irony, "I suppose you already know, sweetheart, that I helped out in the Quartermaster's office this morning. ..." I laughed at that, but there were other, more important things that I did know, or sense, beforehand — such as when John was going to call me long distance. The first time was the day that erber's FREMONT, MICH. OAKLAND, CAL. JvtC£ SC&tndfrfe Cereals Strained Foods Chopped Food J 5 kinds of Strained Foods, 8 kinds of Chopped Foods, 2 special Baby Cereals. Name. My baby is now months old. Please send me free samples of Gerber's Cereal Food and Gerber's Strained Oatmeal. Address City and State.. © 1945, G. P. C Address: Gerber Products Co., Dept.Wl 1-5, Fremont, Michigan 73