Herbie, the mailman, walked into the diner — his eyes scanning from booth to booth, before he found me back in the kitchen. Waving an envelope, he hustled over to the pick-up window.
“Brought you a letter, Laurel. It’s from Second Lieutenant Robert L. Martin,” he grinned. “I’ll bet you’re proud he got his promotion….”
“You win that bet, Herbie! I can’t thank you enough for going out of your way to bring me my letter.”
Herbie grinned — tipped his cap and was about to leave when I added, “Please, let me buy you a cup of coffee.”
He looked over his shoulder and I could see he appreciated the invitation. “Wish I could, but the family is waiting on me for dinner. I’ll take a rain check…..okay?”
I smiled and nodded as he left.
The letter was burning a hole in my apron pocket. It was busiest time of my shift and people were lined up waiting for tables. Judging from the size of the crowd, it would be a while before I had a chance to open the envelope.
At the end of my shift, I took a cup of coffee to the last booth, slid over into the corner so I wouldn’t be disturbed, and gently lifted the flap on the envelope. I pressed my lips to the underside of the envelope’s flap — keeping in mind that Bob had licked that flap when he sealed the letter.
“Dearest Love,” he wrote. “Today I became a second lieutenant and am trying to get used to being saluted every place I go. What a difference rank can make. Wait ‘til you see me in my uniform….it fits for a change….really sharp!”
I smiled as I read those lines. How could Bob look better than he did the first time I saw him in blue jeans and a tee shirt…and he looked back over his shoulder at me? I blushed and I felt very warm all over at the very thought of him.
Returning from my reverie, I continued to read his letter. He told me about how he led his men on maneuvers and how impressed his commanding officer was with his leadership. The boasting surprised me. Bob had always been very modest about his accomplishments. Apparently it was a tough course for most of the other guys, but Bob was a seasoned outdoorsman and a likely candidate for the infantry.
Eventually, I got to the best part. He had a furlough coming up next week. I’d been worrying how we could ever spend any time together after my father‘s ultimatum. Remembering I was forbidden to see Bob again aroused great concern for the both of us. I was surprised to read that Bob wanted me to meet him at Grand Central Station in New York City next Friday afternoon and to spend Friday and Saturday nights at the Plaza Hotel. The treat was offered to him by of one of his buddies, whose father maintained a room at the hotel for the family and company VIP’s on business trips to the city. It all sounded so very exciting.
I placed the letter back into its envelope and tucked it inside my brassiere. I’d have to find a good permanent place to hide it to keep our secret safe.
I thought Friday would never arrive. When it did, I called in sick. After my mother went into town for groceries, I left her a note to let her know that I would be away for the weekend and would return on Sunday. That’s all I wrote. I’d be out of town before she returned and wouldn’t have to lie about where I was going. When I returned, I would tell her I went to New York for a change. It sounded so easy that I hoped it would work out as planned.
Bob was waiting for me when I arrived. When he spotted me, he hurried through the crowd waving. He looked so handsome in his new uniform — “How did I ever deserve such a hunk?” I wondered. He wrapped his arms around me and we laughed and kissed at the same time — a magic moment that was etched in my heart to last down through the years.
We made our way through the crowd and out onto the sidewalk, which appeared to be a moving mass of khaki uniforms, interspersed with navy blues and marine greens. The buildings towered to the sky and everything looked cold and gray.
Bob flagged a cab and in no time at all we were at the most elegant hotel, which was crowded with well-dressed visitors and celebrities. The bellhop led us to our room and as soon as he left, Bob took me in his arms. We just stood there, holding each other tightly without saying a word. It was really true — we were together again!
“You look great, Laurel. I missed you….I can’t tell you how much I missed you….”
“I missed you too….and I must say you are the most handsome soldier I’ve ever seen, and you are all mine!”
We stood by the window overlooking Central Park. “Your buddy was very thoughtful to offer us this room. How many people ever get to stay at the Plaza?”
“We’ll come back someday, Laurel. Don’t think of it as a ‘once in a lifetime’ event. When I get back, I’ll get a good job and we’ll splurge once in a while.”
He kissed away a tear that had begun to roll down my cheek. “No tears, darling. This is going to be one hell of a happy weekend for us.” As he smiled down at me, he took my left hand and slid a solitaire diamond ring onto the third finger. “It’s official now….we’re engaged.”
I wanted him to hold me forever. The engagement ring elevated our romance to a whole new plateau. I was almost married and I was so happy….“I’ll love you forever and ever, my dearest, darling husband-to-be. Oh….The ring is so beautiful….”
“The diamond isn’t real….but the setting is gold.” Bob seemed to be embarrassed when he added, “It was all I could afford right now and it beats no ring at all. You’ll get a real diamond on our wedding day…. Now, let’s go downstairs for dinner and celebrate.
The tables were set with sparkling china, silver and glistening crystal. Bob mentioned something to the maitre d’ and we were whisked to a corner table, where we could have more privacy.
more tomorrow…
Our eyes connected — as if we had exchanged a telepathic message from his soul to mine — “we will love each other forever!”
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