Page 61 of All We Thought We Knew
His expression turned serious. “The first group of wounded soldiers from Europe arrive later this week. They’re currently being treated in English hospitals but as you can imagine, there are morewounded than England can handle. We need to be certain the hospital is well stocked and well staffed before they get here.”
For the rest of the morning, we went over supply lists, requisitions for more beds, the number of ambulances required, and dozens of other details that needed attention. I heard Bren, Stella, and Ethel in the outer office as they came through the door, chatting, but they went right to work, their typewriters singing a familiar song.
By noon, my back ached from sitting in the hard chair.
“I have a lunch appointment at headquarters.” Colonel Foster looked at his wristwatch. “Let’s meet back here at fourteen-hundred hours.”
He greeted the secretaries as he passed through the office and headed outside.
Bren turned to me after he closed the door. “Boy, whatever you’re working on must be important.”
I filled her and the others in on the imminent arrival of wounded soldiers from Europe. They would receive work related to the influx of patients soon, so knowing ahead of time would help prepare them.
“I think I’ll take a break and get some lunch at the mess hall,” I said.
We usually ate our sack lunches at our desks, but I’d been in a hurry to leave the house this morning before Ivy Lee and Gertrude came downstairs and started their chatter. I still hadn’t figured out what Ivy Lee’s job was, but her hours were different from mine, which worked out fine. It kept me from feeling obligated to share a ride with her.
As I walked outside to a breezy but warm day, guilt niggled me.
I didn’t want to be unfriendly to Ivy Lee. It wasn’t her fault Gertrude preferred her company over mine. I knew I wasn’t jealous. I’d come to understand long ago that Richard’s mother simply didn’t like me and probably never would. It hurt at first, because Ihadn’t had a mother figure in my life for a while. Mom lived with her new family in Chicago and seemed to forget me altogether. Aunt Vy once told me I reminded Mom of my dad, which wasn’t a good thing. Richard had hoped his mother and I would become friends. He’d be disappointed to see us now.
The hospital mess hall was crowded when I entered, with medical personnel, soldiers, and even patients well enough to get out of bed. The aroma of fried chicken and yeast rolls made my mouth water, and I eagerly joined the line.
With my tray in hand, I searched for an empty seat in the packed room. There, in the very back corner, was a small table with only one occupant. As I approached, however, I realized it was a man, and he wore the grass-green uniform of a DOJ detainee.
I was about to turn around when he glanced my way.
“Mrs. Delaney.” Gunther stood. “It is good to see you again.”
“And you. I must admit I’ve wondered how you’ve been. Do you like working at the dispensary?”
He waved to the empty chair opposite him. “You’re welcome to join me, and I will tell you about it.”
I accepted the offer. “Is your guard not with you?”
A slight smile creased his eyes. “Happily, I am allowed to move about without him. He takes me to the dispensary in the mornings and returns to drive me back to the internment camp at the end of the day. Colonel Foster’s orders, as I understand it.”
This news pleased me. “I imagine you’ve been kept busy.”
“I have, for which I am grateful. It keeps my mind occupied.”
His English was heavily accented but quite good. I wondered how he came to learn it.
“I have been enjoying the warmer weather,” he said.
“Yes,” I agreed, perhaps a bit too eagerly. “I’m glad winter is behind us.”
He nodded. “When I was a child, I took pleasure in the snow.We would go sledding and build snowmen. But now, I do not care for it so much.”
“Do you miss Germany?” I hoped the question wasn’t inappropriate, but I couldn’t help but be curious about the foreign man.
He seemed to ponder his answer. “I suppose there are things I miss about my homeland, like the food and the music, but I was glad to come to America. MyMutter, she wanted me to become a doctor, like her father.”
“I’m sure she’s proud of you.”
He looked down at his plate. “I fear her dream for me will never come true.”
I heard defeat in his voice. “Don’t give up.” His face lifted, and blue eyes met mine. “I don’t know what will happen, with the war or with you and the others, but I’m learning we must stay positive and hope for the best.”
