continued to look at the floor. Em was glad because he did not want to stop staring at her.
Corby punched him in the side and asked, “What are you looking at?” Em could only look away for a moment before he had to look at her again. Corby punched him again and said, “That’s really rude, you know. Quit staring at her already. I heard her dad’s going to be the new sheriff. Sheriff Garrison enlisted in the army, and he is going to fill in while he is away. He’s from Kenton County. He is only going to be here for as long the war lasts. My dad heard it all while he was in town the other night.”
His mom elbowed him again, and he reluctantly turned around in his seat. The new family sat near the rear. Em could not wait the entire service. He wanted to look at her again. He thought he could feel her looking at him. The back of his head felt warmer. He knew it was his imagination, but the feeling was overwhelming. He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his head. He slowly turned his body in the opposite direction. He would need to turn at least three quarters of the way around to see her. His mom would undoubtedly notice and embarrass him, so he decided to wait it out.
After the longest sermon of his life, the minister finally finished with an invitation for anyone who needed to confess their belief in Jesus to come forward. When no one went to the front of the church, Em quietly crossed his fingers and wished that the preacher would pick one of the young guys to lead the benediction. Their prayers were usually the shortest. He had no plan for after the services. He only knew that he was going to get a much better look at this new girl.
The aisles filled quickly. A cluster of people kept Em from getting through. He saw the giant father shaking the hand of the preacher. The rest of the family was in line behind him with the mother and the girl at the rear. She remained close to her mother. She was, however, now looking up. She had a scowl on her face as she pointed at one of her brothers and whispered something in her mother’s ear. Even with the contorted look on her face, Em thought she was beautiful. Her eyes reflected the light coming from the stained-glass windows. She turned her head. Before Em could look away, she made eye contact. Em could not think. Should he look away, or should he smile? Should he approach her? Instead of any of these things, he grabbed Corby’s arm and headed toward the side door. He never looked back.
It took two weeks before he was close enough to her to possibly contemplate speaking to her. He had almost stalked her in school. He was sure she never noticed. He and Corby had driven Em’s dad’s tractor by her house at least a dozen times. Once, when she was outside, they both turned and looked in the opposite direction. When they looked at the road again, they were completely on the wrong side.
Now, he and Corby were sitting at a table in Aunt Mable’s diner. When Irene and her twin brothers walked in, Em felt the urge to sink underneath the table. Irene’s eyes quickly scanned the room, and immediately, she saw Em and Corby. Her and her brothers turned and walked toward Em and Corby’s table. Em tried to look invisible and mentally urged Corby to do the same.
Right on cue, Corby leaped to his feet and stuck his hand out to the fast-approaching brother. “Hi! I’m Corby, and this is Em.”
Em did not know why it surprised him, but it did when her brother just reached out and shook Corby’s hand and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Mark, and this is Matt. This here is our little sister, Irene. She thinks you two might be able to help us. We need a tractor, and she says you two have one, and you don’t have anything worthwhile to do with it. She says all you do is ride up and down the road with it. My dad bought two mules and a plow and says he wants us to plow a few acres. We was thinking that if you might be able to help us, then maybe we could think of something to help you fellas out sometime.”
Em could not believe his ears. She had noticed him. Nothing else registered. The brothers were talking, and she was looking at Em the whole time. He stared at her and could not look down. He felt his face flush but could not stop looking at her. He noticed her complexion was a little red. He still could not find the ability to speak. When Corby began to explain that it was not up to them, Em interrupted him and blurted, “Sure. We can help you. When do you need it done?”
Corby exploded into fits of laughter, and Mark and Matt just exchanged quizzical looks. To Em’s surprise, Corby finished his fit and calmed down. Irene was smiling and still blushing. Em stood up and told them that he could get it done in just a couple of hours, and as long as it did not rain, he would do it tomorrow.
The next day could not get there fast enough. Em could not sleep the entire night. He wanted to be there before sunrise. He could only manage to wait until eight o’clock in the morning. By ten thirty, he was almost finished. When he thought about leaving, he was consumed with daydreams about Irene coming out to meet him with lemonade. He wanted to sit in the swing with her. Several scenarios ran through his mind, and all of them included the two of them sitting together holding hands. With these thoughts consuming his entire mind, he almost ran the tractor over the mailbox. Then he saw her coming through the front door. She was wearing long pants and green sweater. She moved toward him and the tractor. He once again lost his concentration. The tractor slowed, and he forgot to push in the clutch. He jerked to a quick stop. The noise stopped at once. She was laughing a little. The redness he felt in his face was not due to the sun.
Then she spoke, “I want to thank you. My brothers are so lazy. You did not have to do this for them. They’re used to getting their way, and now they expect people to do things for them. I told them not to ask you. They made me come with them. I’m going to tell my dad.”
“Oh no, don’t do that. I mean, I really don’t mind at all. If there is anything you need done, all you have to do is say so. I’ll do it.” Em’s words were coming out of his mouth at full speed.
“Well, you don’t even know us,” Irene said. She was only two feet away from Em now. She looked at him and smiled again. Then she stumbled. She quickly straightened up and turned to look at the house. “Oh, I should have gotten you some iced tea or something.” She began to move toward the back door. “I’ll be right back.”
They drank iced tea and sat in the backyard talking for more than two hours. Her brothers came out and thanked him. When he met Irene’s mother, she made him feel at home. From that day forward, he slowly became integrated into their family. He and Irene became an item. By the end of the summer of 1942, they had told each other they loved each other. Corby thought he was crazy, and so did his family, but Em was certain he knew what he was doing.
*****
Right now, he had to get Jack out of here. They had to be at the dock at Pearl Harbor by sunrise, and there was a lot to do before then. He tried to end his conversation with Katherine, but another subject always came up. He also knew that this was definitely the last sunset he would watch from a beach this peaceful in a long time. Jack and Meredith were looking very relaxed. About thirty of forty yards away, they lay on a blanket and were wrapped around each other like a couple of earthworms. Em was aware that Jack was oblivious to any of his surroundings, with the exception of the five-foot-nine-inches Texan he was entangled with. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for the two of them to become too involved. I hope Meredith knows that Jack isn’t always going to be around.” Em was hoping that Katherine would offer some wisdom.
“I don’t think she’s in her right mind. She’s been saying some crazy things these past couple of weeks,” she offered
“What do you mean?” Em lowered his voice.
“I mean she’s in love. Or at least she thinks she is. I think she might do anything to make sure Jack feels the same way. I just hope she isn’t planning on going too far.” Katherine thought that she had said plenty, but Em was still feeling a little in the dark.
“Once again, what do you mean?” he asked.
