Helen glanced down at their arms and returned her eyes to the screen, silently cursing herself that she so desperately craved the touch of Lily, that she was unwilling to move an inch in case Lily withdrew her arm. Despite her promise to be the best friend that she could be to Lily, the circumstances were too much for her to deal with. Being around Lily was just too hard, pretending not to feel what she felt was exhausting, and she had consciously withdrawn to protect her heart. However sitting next to Lily, feeling the warmth of her skin against her own, her resolve was all but gone.
Lily heard a gasp beside her as Rick told Llsa that she was to go with her husband and board the plane. A small sob escaped from Helen as Rick lied to protect Llsa's relationship with her husband. As the movie theatre filled with the all too familiar sound of airplane engines Lily moved her arm to open her purse. She plucked out a small white handkerchief, flapping it slightly before handing it across to Helen. She gave her a small smile then returned her attention back to the screen.
Helen took the handkerchief with a look of embarrassment; she daubed her eyes and gripped the material in her hand. As the film ended, the lights came on and the six women blinked at the brightness. Lily sat forward in her seat looking down the row at the line of red-eyed women, her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“All of you? Really? You all cried?”
They stood up and shuffled out behind the other patrons. Marjorie was still dabbing at her eyes as she walked.
“You didn't find it sad?” she asked Lily's back incredulously.
Lily shrugged without turning round.
“You don't think it was romantic that they were in love but couldn't be together?” Lucy asked. Her brow furrowed as she projected her own sadness at being apart from her husband onto the images they had just watched.
Lucy's comment hit a nerve somewhere in Lily and her mind suddenly raced towards Helen who was inches in front of her as they waited for the crowd to ease their way through the exit doors.
“You can't always get what you want,” Lily said quietly, her eyes still trained on the blonde curls in front of her.
***
They checked their leather A2 jackets, hats, and purses in and straightened their uniform blouses out. Grinning they entered the Abilene USO, the swing music from the live band filled the large room, the dance floor was filled with a mix of uniformed men from the nearby Camp Berkeley and girls in short summer dresses. The WASP women looked at each other slightly unsure of themselves in their uniform white shirts and beige skirts.
A young GI approached Adrienne, “Do you wanna dance?” She turned and raised her eyebrows at her friends.
“I would love to,” she smiled, taking his hand and allowing herself to be led towards the dance floor, where they immediately started to dance energetically.
The others headed to grab a table, losing Adele and Lucy to the dance floor on the way. Helen opened her mouth to speak when a young GI came up behind her and whispered in her ear, she laughed and turned following him onto the dance floor.
“Looks like it's just me and you,” Marjorie sighed, as Lily watched Helen dance with the young dark haired man, her brown eyes darkening as she watched him grip Helen by her waist and throw her into the air.
“Looks like it,” Lily replied, tearing her gaze from Helen and her dance partner and slipping onto one of the seats.
“You girls from Avenger Field?” the waitress asked coming to take their drinks order.
Lily smiled proudly, “Yes we are.”
“I think it's just wonderful what y'all are doin’,” the waitress smiled. “What can I get’cha?”
Marjorie and Lily ordered on behalf of the rest of their friends and settled in to enjoy the music; laughing as Adele's dance partner tossed her high in the air bringing her legs down to his side. Grabbing them under his arm and holding them tight to his body, he released her upper body using her momentum to spin her round his back and flip her back into his arms. They clapped wildly at the dance move as their drinks were placed in front of them.
Moments later, an out of breath Adrienne collapsed into one of the chairs. “Did you see Adele being tossed like a doll? One of the benefits of being tall is that they don't do that to you,” she grinned, taking a long drink from a glass.
The occupants of the table changed during the next hour as each woman was asked to dance; there was particular excitement when Marjorie brought back a GI who had whiskey in his possession, which was subtly added to their glasses. During all the coming, and goings, Helen still had not returned to the table, she was still dancing with the GI that had grabbed her on her arrival.
“He's cute,” Adele remarked, puffing slightly from her last exertion on the dance floor.
“Hmm?” Lily responded absently her eyes still following Helen's every move.
“Helen's pick up, he's cute,” Adele clarified, nodding towards the dance floor, she caught the slight flicker in Lily's eyes. “Did you want to hook up with him?” she asked.
“What?” Lily asked confused.
Adele shrugged, smiling at the soldier who was hovering to ask her to dance, “I just thought that you liked him. You look kinda’ jealous. Gotta go be thrown around,” she grinned, taking a quick swig of her drink before heading back out.
“I'm not…” Lily responded to the space vacated by Adele, she tossed her hand in the air looking round at the empty table. “I'm not jealous,” she said to herself shaking her head as she continued to watch Helen dance. Her stomach clenched as the music slowed and the young GI changed his hold to bring Helen in closer.
“Would you like to dance?” a nervous blond soldier asked.
Lily shook her head, her eyes full of unbidden tears that she had no control over, “No, sorry, thank you for asking, I'm going to sit this one out.”
She gave him a small smile, which he returned, he nodded sadly and left Lily sitting watching the dance floor before putting her head back to look up at the ceiling blinking back tears as Helen's dance partner placed a soft kiss on her cheek.
***
The six women fell through the door to their bay, four of them slightly drunk from the whiskey that the GI's had been slipping them.
“Sshhhh, you'll get us in trouble,” Adele slurred falling onto her bed.
Adrienne flopped onto her bed lurching forward to remove her shoes, “You'll get us in trouble.”
The two women started to a laugh loudly.
“What, what are, are you laughing at?” Lucy asked, pursing her lips and shaking her head as she leaned against the doorframe in an attempt to stay upright.
“Nothing. They're drunk,” Marjorie answered taking her sister’s arm and guiding her towards her bed.
“We's not drunk,” Adele hiccupped. “We's jus’ happy s'all.”
Lily laughed, pulling Adele's shoes off and placing them on the floor. “And tomorrow you'll be paying for being happy,” she grinned, leaning down and placing an affectionate kiss on Adele's forehead.
“Pfft tomorrow, tomorrow is another day,” Adele laughed.
Adrienne stood up wavering slightly. “An’ frankly my dear,” she said, waving her arms as if conducting an orchestra, and on time she was joined by Adele, Lucy and Helen who was edging her way slowly and somewhat haphazardly towards the bathroom.
“I don't give a damn,” they chorused.
Adrienne nodded emphatically, the effort making her lose what balance she had and tipping her back onto her bed,
Marjorie, who was attempting to undress her rather reluctant sister, looked up at Lily as snores were now coming from Adrienne and Adele's bed. “You should check on Helen,” she nodded towards the bathroom.
Lily hesitated slightly; with a deep intake of breath, she walked towards the bathroom where Helen was standing attempting to brush her teeth.
“You okay?” Lily asked closing the bathroom door behind her.
Helen took her toothbrush out and pointed it to her chest. “I'm okay,” she pointed the brush in Lily's direction. “Are you okay?”
Lily gave a mirthless laugh. “I'm just fine Helen,” she replied sarcastically.
Helen frowned stumbling slightly, “Now why'd do you say that?” she asked sadly. “’Cause we both know that we're not okay.”
Lily swallowed the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her, “We're fine Helen, just hurry up and get to bed.”
“See, I think you're lying,” Helen slurred. “I think, I think that you're angry with me,” she lifted her shoulders up to her ears and held her hands out. “For what, I, I don't know, but you're mad,” she creased her face up into an over exaggerated scowl.
Lily cocked her head to the side and took a step forward. “You want to know what's wrong with me?” she asked, biting her top lip.
“Yesh,” Helen replied, blinking furiously trying to focus on Lily in her new closer position.
Shaking her head Lily asked carefully, “Did you have a good time tonight?”
Helen looked confused, “Yes…I had a lovely time thank you.”
“You enjoyed being pawed by that soldier?” Lily's pent up frustration and jealousy finally finding a vent. “Enjoyed being in his arms? Enjoyed him kissing you?”
The confused look on Helen's face grew. “He’s shipping out next week, hell he could be dead in a month,” she added swaying as she spoke. “It didn’t cost me anything to be nice to him. He only kissed my cheek Liliana.”
Helen felt her own anger rise, “And he wasn't pawing me and what business is it of yours if he was?”
“You're right,” Lily shook her head. “It has nothing to do with me. I'm glad you had a good time and stop calling me Liliana. It’s Lily!” She turned on her heel and walked out of the bathroom, yanking the door closed behind her as she left.
Helen stood still wavering slightly from the effects of the alcohol she'd consumed, she put her toothbrush back in her mouth. “Wha’ the hell jus’ happened?” she muttered to herself, slowly brushing her teeth, her fugged brain unable to decipher the meaning behind the conversation.
***
Helen gingerly opened one eye instantly regretting it as the bright light in the bay made her blink rapidly, her face contorted at the action. Slowly, her other eye opened and the room blurred into focus. She turned her head carefully to the side, her brows furrowing in confusion at the empty made up bed beside her. If Lily was up before her then she knew she was in trouble.
She raised herself up onto her elbows and looked across the bay. There were groans and snores coming from the other occupants depending on where they'd gotten to in their waking up process. Adele's bed was empty. However, Helen recognized the woman's snores, which appeared to be coming from the floor between Adele and Lily's beds.
Giving herself a small headshake and groaning at the resultant pounding it caused, Helen slowly planted each foot onto the floor and sat up. Looking over towards Adrienne, the red-haired woman appeared to be in a similar predicament to Helen. She was sitting on her cot, her hands flattened against the mattress at her sides. She gave Helen a bleary-eyed half nod of acknowledgement. Helen turned her head gradually towards Marjorie and Lucy's cots. Like Lily's bed, Marjorie's was empty and made. However, there were two dirty soles of feet where Helen usually would see the top of Lucy's head. She opened her mouth to speak and closed it again releasing a breath, as her brain could not seem to find the correct combination of synapses to allow words to form.
She was contemplating attempting to stand, when the bathroom door opened. Lily and Marjorie emerged fully dressed, banging the tin ice buckets used by the bay and singing a WASP marching song loudly at the tops of their voices.
Lucy sat bolt upright instantly, her hands flying to grip her head as if holding her skull together. Adrienne lifted her pillow and weakly tossed it in the general direction of Lily and Marjorie who were now parading up and down the small walkway between their beds. Helen cast them an unimpressed look through her still half-closed eyes and stood up shakily.
Marjorie and Lily stood beside the door and finished their rousing chorus of one of the songs sung during drill. They surveyed what remained of their bay mates. Helen was standing albeit she hadn't moved since getting to her feet and was swaying slightly. Adrienne was sitting cursing them under her breath, Lucy was still gripping the sides of her head as if her life depended on it and there were loud snores coming from the floor from Adele.
“Well, that didn't work,” Lily muttered to Marjorie, who grinned in response.
“Ladies, the bugle has been and you have two minutes to drag your sorry asses into the bathroom and try and disguise the fact that you smell like a distillery,” Marjorie shouted loudly as she walked towards Adrienne and gave her a gentle shove from behind to encourage her to move.
Lily walked over to the slumped figure beside her bed; poking her toe against Adele's arm. “Stotty! Wake up,” Lily shouted. Not getting any response she leaned over and pinching her nose shouted, “Mountain Momma this is Tower, you have permission for take-off.”
Adele sprang awake, “Whaa?” She looked around; her eyes not focused on anything as she brought the palm of her hand up to her face and ran it down dragging the skin with it causing her face to distort. “I'm up,” she muttered, looking at her position on the floor in confusion.
Lily straightened up laughing and noted that Lucy and Adrienne had now made their way to the bathroom. Helen, however, was still standing with a look of concentration on her face.
“Helen…you need to move,” Lily said gently walking over towards her friend and gripping her by the shoulders and maneuvering her towards the bathroom.
Helen allowed Lily to guide her, she'd been watching Lily try to rouse Adele and there was something playing in the blonde's mind; something that was there but that she couldn't quite get access to. She knew it involved Lily but frustratingly it seemed to be out of her reach.
***
After a subdued breakfast, the girls were sitting in rows facing each other in a classroom, small wooden boards separating them. Glancing over the top of the board Lily couldn't help but smile at the red eyes looking back. They had plugged their four worse for wear friends full of coffee. However, no amount of caffeine was going to help them through two hours of Morse Code training.