So Far From Home

Thoughts as Deep as the Ocean

The harbor was crowded, busy and filled near to bursting with soldiers heading off to war and families clinging to them, begging them to stay safe, to write often, to come home soon.

I made my way up the gangplank, trailing behind Laura, the other girls close at my heels.

I glanced down over the side and saw the deep, dark water below and felt dizzy for a moment. Then, just as suddenly as the feeling came, it passed with a touch of the cool, salty sea air.

“Name?” a young Major asked in a monotone as I stepped up to the doorway.

“Lieutenant Mae North sir,” I replied automatically.

He scanned the sheets of paper he held in his hands, and, after several minutes of searching, nodded and waved me through.

“Look at her. She’s beautiful,” Laura’s voice called out from in front of me. I was curious as to who she meant-most of the people on deck were men. I glanced to the side and only then did I realize who-or rather what-she was talking about.

The Statue of Liberty.

“Yes, she is, isn’t she?”

I’d seen pictures of the statue before, what child in America makes it through school without doing so? However, I must say she was more impressive in person than I could have ever imagined from the black and white prints adorning my grammar school government books.

“Come on,” I tugged at Laura’s hand. “Let’s put our bags in our quarters then come back up here.”

Reluctantly, she allowed me to pull her away from the metal railing and toward the inside of the ship. Our quarters were at the end of a long, narrow passageway that smelled vaguely of salt, paint and sweat. Swinging the door to the room open, two narrow cots greeted us, each with a shelf above it and a life vest on it.

“Cozy, don’t you think?” Laura commented, raising one golden eyebrow.

“I guess you could call it that,” I said with a huff of laughter.

“A few flowers here, a bit of color there….”

We both dissolved into giggles as we bantered back and forth, the mounting tension of the last several days dissipating slightly as we did so.

“Alright,” Laura said, wiping her eyes. “I’m ready to go back up top, it’s too close down here.

“Agreed,” I commented and closed the door firmly behind us. “I think I may be spending most of my time up top.”

“That’s the only way you’ll find yourself some cutie,” she said with a sly grin. “No guy’s going to find you hidden away down here. Might as well have a little fun, make the most of the trip before we get to Europe.”

I did smile, but was sighing inside. All I wanted was to be in Europe, not on this ship. I guess I figured, if we were going to be going, we might as well get there as fast as we could. Then this endless waiting would be over, at least.

“Thanks, but I’d just as rather enjoy the last few days of little responsibility I have left before we get to Europe. I’m sure there will be plenty of men there only too happy for the company if the opportunity presents itself.”

“You are no fun, you know that,” she pouted, poking me in the arm with an index finger. “Live a little. Who knows when you’ll have another chance.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I replied, brushing her fingers away and continuing up the staircase.

I was not opposed to socializing, as it may appear to some , but I was already missing home and wanted this forced downtime to do some serious thinking about what I was doing. Not that I could change anything, at this point, but some thinking about life couldn’t hurt.

We had to hunt a bit, but it did not take long for the two of us to find a vacant spot at the railing. The ship was beginning to pull away and the crowd below was cheering and calling out to us, waving flags and handkerchiefs and we began our departure.

We made slow but steady progress out of the harbor with people slowly drifting away from the railing a bit by bit, melting away into the ship. Laura had met a charming young Lieutenant and was talking animatedly with him several feet away.

For some reason, I felt more alone at that moment than ever before in my life. I closed my eyes and tried to picture my family but all that came to mind was the cheering crowd of earlier in the day, their impassioned faces and honest emotion cutting me to the very core.

I felt the sting of tears in my eyes and squeezed them shut, praying no one would see the tiny tears I failed to contain.

~samile~