Fires of the Pacific: Chapter 3

Mick and the Marines go on liberty and Mick has his dinner date.

1825- Friday, March 20, 1942

Wilmington, NC

 

            Fraser and the other Marines clambered their way out of the green buses that had carried them from New River to Wilmington. Random conversations could be heard between the Marines as they all started to go their separate ways until Johnson stopped them, "Alright Marines, listen up!" his gruff voice called out over the conversations, "Meet right back here at 0800 hours, Sunday morning. Buses will be going back and forth from here to base all day tomorrow if you want to go back before then."

            "Well if we ain't here, Mac don't wait for us." Collins replied pulling a cigarette out of the pack and lighting it.

            "Have a good time Marines, you've earned it." Johnson finished, allowing the Marines to go off on their own.

            "Where you off to, Mick?" Collins asked pulling a drag from his cigarette.

            "Meetin' my sister for dinner at a hotel down the way here." Fraser said, pulling out a cigarette of his own and lighting it, "Where are you headin'?"

            "Probably right here. Booze is cheap, and the dames are cute." Collins replied.

            "I'll come find ya later then, Mac." Fraser said as he turned and headed down the street away from the Copper Penny pub. As he walked, Fraser couldn't help but snicker at the thought. Of course Collins wasn't going to leave the pub. He was a proper Irishman, wherever there was a pub with easy, and cheap beer, that's where he'd be. Fraser enjoyed the occasional drink, and even drank to excess sometimes, but he didn't enjoy the drink quite as much as Collins and some of his other Marines.

            The streets were crowded as the last light of day disappeared from the streets and the artificial streetlights began to illuminate the paths of so many people that Friday night. Mick walked down the paved streets, gently pulling drags from his cigarette observing the people he walked by, and who walked by him. A couple of Marine officers walked past him on their way to the same hotel Fraser was bound for. Navy and Army officers walked in the opposite direction, and a mixed crowd of enlisted men moved from bar to bar along the street in search of the next adventure or the prettier girl.

            Fraser offered salutes to the officers as they walked up to him. Most of them didn't care that he'd saluted him. So many of them were intoxicated that it didn't register with them that he had saluted them. He didn't let it bother him, instead he just kept walking to the front door of the hotel that all the officers were congregating around. It was clear that this was territory for officers only and that the enlisted men of the various services avoided it at all costs, but this is where his sister had told him that they would be meeting, so here he was.

            The first thing Fraser noticed in the lobby of the hotel, other than the amount of Navy, Army and now Marine officers that filled it to capacity, was the noise. Everyone was trying to talk over each other, and that just made it much harder to hear or understand anyone, and so each group would start talking louder, and before long it was just a constant barrage of noise. It didn't bother Fraser, he was used to being in the pubs with the other Marines, and that was very much the same sort of atmosphere.

            The officers gave Fraser a few strange looks as he walked through the crowd, politely excusing himself as he went, trying to find Gladys. He spotted a small group of nurses, but realized that his sister was not among them. A couple of them looked familiar, and he was amused at the obvious show for attention two of them were putting on, but after a moment he went back to his mission of trying to find his sister.

            Finally Fraser decided to check with the host to see if she had been sat. He realized, after several moments, that he should have just done this from the beginning rather than wander around aimlessly like an idiot as he had been doing.

            "Excuse me, sir." Fraser said, pausing for a moment, "Could you tell me if a Miss. Gladys Fraser has been sat?"

            The man quickly nodded, "As a matter of fact yes. I just sat her a couple of minutes ago. I'll show you to your table, Sergeant."

            "Thank you very much." Fraser replied as he fell in behind the man. The two walked through the crowds. It was amazing how much faster people parted for the host than they did for Fraser himself. Within a moment they walked up to a small table nestled in the corner of the dining room.

            It was a small table. Small, and round with a deep red tablecloth and a single candle flickering in the middle of it from atop its brass candle holder. The flatware glistened under the low lights of the room, and the china gleamed in the soft light that illuminated the spot. The chairs were made of a dark wood, and had small cushions on them. It looked as though the person ensuring the water was filled had already been to the table as the woman sitting there sipped her water, leaving a red stain on the glass.

            Fraser smiled for a moment as the host announced to Gladys that her guest had arrived. She smiled looking over before getting up and walking over to the Marine and hugging him tightly. Fraser returned the hug just as tightly as the two just held each other for a moment. The looks they were getting from several of the other officers nearby were not lost on him, but he chose to ignore them as he helped his sister back to her seat.

            "If I can assist you both further, in any way, please let me know." The host said before departing as Fraser took his own seat.

            "I was beginning to think they canceled your liberty." Gladys commented, "You shouldn't keep a gal waiting you know. People might try and move in."

            "What? Move in on you? Well they should know they have to get through the Marine perimeter first." Fraser said laughing. He may have been the younger brother but he played the part of protective bulldog very well.

            Gladys raised her eyebrows for a moment with a quiet smirk before shifting her eyes out into the crowd. Thankfully Randall was out of sight, but she knew she would have to deal with him as soon as she was back in the ward making her rounds. She took another sip of her water before speaking, "There are those who wish they could."

            "That doctor still trying to win your favor is he?" Fraser asked, with slight amusement in his tone as he took his napkin from the table and put it in his lap.

            "Unfortunately. It hasn't worked yet, but of course being my direct superior, I can't be too cruel to him."

            "You? Be cruel? You'd never do a thing like that." Fraser replied with a laugh. He knew his sister well enough to know she was typically very quiet, light hearted and caring, but he also knew that if someone were to push her the wrong way, she could be very harsh. He understood why she couldn't do that with Randall, as much as both she and Fraser wished she could be.

            "Mick you know me better than that." Gladys said with a laugh, "I learned from the best, didn't I?"

            "If you mean Dad, then yes." Fraser replied, "Because that's who I learned it from."

            The two laughed as the waiter came over and took their drink orders. After he left Fraser leaned back and took a sip of from his own water glass, "How as your trip in?"

            "Pretty uneventful, save for Eva's persistent crush on you. Oh and Frances and Jane's constant banter back and forth." Gladys replied with a laugh.

            "Poor girl." Fraser replied, "She's a sweet kid, but I feel bad for her hooking her hopes to someone like me." He paused, as his blue eyes shifted to the table, his mind recalling the fact that they were at war, "Particularly now." He forced a smile, "She should find one of these flyboys that will be stateside and never in harms way. Plus officer's pensions are better than a grunt."

            "Oh I've tried to tell her that, Mick, believe me, but she isn't having any of it." Gladys replied, "Poor girl is smitten."

            Fraser sighed slightly, "Well I guess maybe once we set off for wherever it is they send us, she'll forget about me and find someone else."

            Gladys shrugged, "Don't know, hon. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and let me tell ya... it's true." She tried to force a smile but the recent passing of her husband at Pearl Harbor still pulled heavily on her heart.

            Fraser reached over and put his hand on hers, gently rubbing hers with his thumb, "How are the girls?" He asked with a slight smile.

            "Oh..." Gladys paused a moment to collect herself, "As good as can be expected, I guess. Edith is trying to be strong, and Mary's still so young. They both are."

            "But they have the best Mom to look up to, remember that." Fraser said. He gave her a reassuring smile and gently squeezed her hand, "Mary's about to turn four isn't she?"

            Gladys nodded, "Just a couple weeks now." She replied, "And Edith will turn six in July. Apparently Edith is getting amazing grades in all her subjects. She has a bit of an attitude problem sometimes..."

            "Probably because she misses her Dad." Fraser said, "It's understandable to some extent. She'll grow out of it when it's time. When did you see them last?"

            "Last month." Gladys replied, "There's talk that they might ship us out at some point in the next month or so, but I'm hoping to get up to see them one more time before that happens. I just don't know how I'll go so long without seeing them."

            "The same as the rest of us." Fraser said with a reassuring and sincere tone, "The same as the tens of thousands of fathers and mothers who are leaving their children behind to go fight this war. How did you always tell me to get through the hard times when we were growing up?"

            A smile came to Gladys' face, "One day at a time."

            Fraser nodded, "That's right, one day at a time. And that's how you're gonna make it through this. One day and one letter at a time."

            Gladys smiled at her brother. He always seemed to know the right things to say to make her feel ok. He always knew how to ground her insecurities and be her rock when she felt herself starting to fall apart. The loss of her husband aboard the USS Nevada had shaken her and the entire family, but she had been fortunate in that her late-husband's family had agreed to take her daughters and care for them while she continued her service, which was extended to the duration of the conflict. She was also fortunate that her brother was stationed at New River, which was on the same base that she was transferred to after Pearl Harbor. They didn't see each other as much as she would have liked but they got together as often as possible and that made it better. Having him nearby to ground her helped her feel like her world hadn't completely fallen apart. Even sitting at a simple dinner like this was the highlight of her week and she was sure to enjoy it because as the world was learning, the next day is never guaranteed and if anyone truly understood that it was Gladys Fraser.

Author's Note

Just a simple filler piece that explores the relationship between Mick and his sister Gladys. It also helps establish his character before he goes to war. Constructive criticism and reviews are always welcome!