Liddy,
Hope you’re doing well. I’m fine. I don’t really like writing, so don’t worry about writing me.
The postmark read July twenty-third and Liddy didn’t hear from him after that. She didn’t write anymore either, but she was still sure he was going to be fine.
She was working a navigation calculation for the third time when she saw the Major enter through the front door, and she snapped the lead of her pencil. She didn’t look away before he looked back and walked toward her. Liddy dropped her head and pretended to read.
“Trainee, Hall.”
She looked up into that face and braced herself.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a gentleness that confused her.
“I’m playing Tiddlywinks.” Trent grinned, and Liddy saw a hint of the twinkle that she was beginning to think she’d only imagined. “I’m not breaking any rules or regulations, am I?”
He grabbed the back of the chair across the table, leaned forward and looked steady at her. Liddy felt challenged to return the gaze and she did. “No, Hall, Tiddlywinks is an approved activity, I think.”
His grin broadened into that smirk, and a familiar weakness ran under Liddy’s skin. She wanted to say, ‘Hi, I remember you. We met on a train once.’
“Great check the other day.”
“Thanks.” Liddy’s hands were shaking so she hid them on her lap under the table.
“Gant’s still bragging about it.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“He claims you’ll be training men for combat.”
“Why not flying combat?”
Trent looked at her a little sideways and shook his head. “Staying in one piece isn’t a priority for you, is it Liddy Hall?”
“There’s nowhere I feel safer, Major Trent.”
“Trust me, when you’re strapped into a big hunk of metal, with metal flying under, over and through you, you don’t feel very safe.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I think combat is… like I thought I could… I was just kidding. Not that I should kid about that, I just…” She wanted to reach in and grab her tongue to make it stop.
“I know, Hall.” Trent laughed softly and looked at her long and hard, moving his eyes over her face, the way he did on the train. “You could do it though, if you wanted to. I have no doubt of that. I’m guessing there’s nothing you can’t do.”
A blush rushed-up from her neck to the top of her head, and she could see from Trent’s smirk that he noticed and enjoyed it. Captain Charles entered the cantina and Trent stepped back from the table. “Well, you have fun, trainee.”
“How could I not?”
He left and sat down with the Captain. The rest of Liddy’s study session was pointless as she tried to reign in her heart and pretend Trent’s presence wasn’t consuming her. Minutes before lights out, she tore herself away. Coolly she gathered her books and left the place, and she had to sprint back to the bays to make it before ten. In the dark, she undressed and slipped into bed. She pulled the covers in tight, closed her eyes and was replaying the evening when she heard a whisper from the next bunk.
“Where ya’ been, Hall?” Louise asked.
“Studying, Parker, I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.”
Liddy had always known when a man was interested in her, until Major Reid Trent. She thought she read an interest from him on the train, then he dropped her and Liddy sensed nothing since then. Tonight it was back, she thought, but Doubt told her she was imagining it. Give it up, said Doubt, even if he was interested, you’re a trainee, so it doesn’t matter anyway. You’re making yourself crazy, all for nothing. She couldn’t keep her thinking still enough to see anything clearly, so she set Major Reid Trent’s face in front of her, listened to his voice and told Doubt to mind his own business and go to sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
When Liddy and Louise returned from a walk and talk the next night, their baymates had gossip dripping from their lips and couldn’t wait to share it. “You’re just in time ladies, wait’ll you hear this.” Joy Lynn sat on the bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, wiggling her toes with anticipation. “Tell ‘em, Uptown.”
“No way. I don’t believe it,” Bet said to Marina.
“What, no way?” asked Louise as she flopped back onto her bed and folded her hands behind her head.
Marina stood up and posted herself at the end of the room with her hands on her hips and leaned forward a bit. “There’s a rumor that Jenna Law is engaged to one of the Army Officers.”
Liddy’s chest seized, and a weight rested on her brain that filled it with a hum and rocked her head back. The girls continued with “It can’t be” and “I don’t believe it either” and “She’s gonna get kicked out.” But Liddy could only hear her friends’ muffled voices, and didn’t make out a word they were saying.
Louise had sat up on her elbows and saw the shock in Liddy’s face. “Which one?” Louise asked.
“I don’t know, no one’s saying, but it’s not exactly regulation.” Marina lifted her eyebrows. “Now is it?”
“Guess you can marry them, just not date them.” Bet shrugged her shoulders.
“Doesn’t sound like much fun to me,” said Joy Lynn.
“What do you think, Liddy Lou, how do you go about getting a proposal from a man you haven’t dated?” Bet looked at Liddy and waited for an answer. “Liddy.”
“Huh.” When Liddy looked up, Bet saw a far-off look in her eyes.
“You okay?” Bet asked her.
“Yeah, fine.” Liddy pulled her night clothes from her locker and undressed.
“And she was jumpin’ on your onion about following orders and regulations,” griped Joy Lynn.
“Might be called a ‘crock-a-coon crap’ in your neck of the woods, huh, Joy Lynn?” Bet asked.
“Why, Miss Bailey, that there’s disgustin’ talk. Miss George, your ears, are they okay, dahlin’?” Joy Lynn needled her friend and Marina stuck her tongue out at her.
“Hey, after graduation it’s open season, right? WASP date who they want?” asked Bet.
“Yes indeedy, Red. Well, with the exception of enlisted beef. We’ll be ranked as officers, although not Army officers or civilians, ranked somewhere in no-man’s land until we’re commissioned. Regardless, we’ll be some kind of officer, and the Army doesn’t like its own socializing below their rank…” Joy Lynn rolled her eyes. “… but all the officers and civilian men we want. And I’m gonna find me a man out west, or north of the Mason Dixon Line, way north,” Joy Lynn declared.
“We’ll be women again—Oh, happy day!” Marina twirled around the room.
“So Liddy, doesn’t it just chew you up?” prodded Joy Lynn.
Liddy ignored the question as she pulled on her night dress and twisted her hair into a pony tail. “Big day tomorrow. I’m turning in.”
Bet grimaced, she didn’t want to be reminded. “Solos.”
“Now that’ll be a great date, just me and the open blue—no chaperone,” said Joy Lynn.