Free Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines Page B

wide and friendly. On closer inspection, I realized they were all men. They welcomed us in surprisingly good English, saying “Hello, Jane. You have cigarettes?”
    â€œHow do they know my name?” asked Jayne.
    Dotty laughed and turned to look at my pal. “They call anyone in a skirt Jane. And all the fellows are Joe.”
    I was relieved that they didn’t call them Jack.
    â€œWhere are the women?” asked Violet.
    â€œMost of them were taken to another island by the French.”
    â€œWhy?”
    He winked at her. “For their protection. Apparently the U.S. military’s reputation with the ladies precedes it.”
    We passed the natives, offering them waves, smiles, and a few cigarettes. In return, they carried our luggage, balancing the smaller bags atop their heads.
    â€œThey seem happy to have us here,” said Gilda.
    â€œThey are. The marines got the Japanese off their island. The Allies can do no wrong in their eyes.”
    It seemed impossible that the military had set up camp here. Vegetation was everywhere: eucalyptus, mahogany, and a strange tree I was told was called a flamboya, which was twice as wide as it was tall and was covered in reddish orange flowers. Instead of Manhattan’s skyscrapers, we had banyan trees with their thick, knotty roots and palm trees dropping their yield everywhere for the picking. Fruitcould be had with the mere extension of your arm: bananas, limes, oranges, pineapples, and something called the paw-paw. Where the path hadn’t been cleared, there were tall grasses that waved gently in the breeze.
    Despite its beauty, it all felt incredibly foreboding, as though nature herself were trying to warn man off. Who could blame her when we could take a place even this beautiful and turn it into a war zone?
    Dotty took us down a ragged jungle path. All of us folded into ourselves, trying to keep our arms as close to our bodies as possible. Vines threatened to grab at us, their sharp teeth glinting in the afternoon light. Enormous webs warned of the existence of frightfully large spiders. Bees and blue flies buzzed around us and the thick jungle foliage was alive with the sounds of creatures that buzzed, clicked, slithered, and sighed. Birds with eerie voices that sounded more like men imitating them than the real thing called out their welcomes. At last we reached a clearing, where two vehicles were at our disposal. After the luggage was loaded, we were forced to divide into two groups. Jayne and I ended up with Dotty and a driver named Ace in the first Jeep, while Violet, Kay, and Gilda rode in the second.
    â€œI guess she doesn’t want to ride with me,” said Dotty as we claimed our seats.
    â€œI’m sure it’s nothing personal,” I told him.
    Over a bumpy road outlined by a mishmash of rocks, Ace took us toward the military village that would be our home base over the next few months. As we moved away from the shore, the landscape changed into rocky terrain bordered by craggy hills. A sign made of weathered boards cheekily pointed out the distance to New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. For a moment, we rode in silence, Jayne and I being too awestricken by our surroundings to bat the breeze. It wasn’t just the beauty of the place that stunned me. After months of worrying, praying, and suffering, I was going to finally have all the answers to my questions. I wanted desperately to ask Dotty if he knew Jack, but given what had just transpired with Kay, I figured hehad enough on his mind. Besides, I wanted one last moment when I could believe that everything was going to turn out all right.
    â€œIt’s not as bad as it looks,” said Dotty.
    â€œExcuse me?” Had he read my mind?
    â€œThings seem primitive, but the military’s done a fine job making sure we have all the comforts of home.”
    â€œHow long have you been here?”
    He let out a puff of air that ruffled the fringe around his face.