I'll Be Seeing You Page #3

you make me feel like

lm an adopted daughter or something.

Sighted Jap, sunk same.

Franklin, behave yourself.

Get up from that pavement this instant.

Youll all catch your death of cold.

Now, now.

lll tell your father.

lll tell your father, thats....

Not one Christmas present for you.

-ls the war really like that?

-l guess so.

-Thats funny.

-Why?

l mean that you should only guess so.

They have experts making those pictures.

l guess thats the way they see the war.

A beach a mile long...

and thousands of soldiers and tanks

and machine guns and everything.

l guess thats the way it is.

But it wasnt that way for you?

lts just a difference in size.

To a guy thats in it,

the war is about 10 feet wide...

and kind of empty.

lts you and a couple of fellows

in your company, maybe...

and maybe a couple of Japs.

lts all kind of mixed up.

Sometimes its all full of noise,

and sometimes its quiet.

lt all depends on

what youre thinking about, l guess.

lt depends on how scared you are...

how cold you are, and how wet you are.

l guess if you asked a hundred guys

what the war is like...

theyd all give you a different answer.

-You know what?

-What?

l mean...

usually you dont like to talk about it.

l never said anything about it before,

not to anybody.

-lm sorry, l--

-No.

No. l feel kind of good.

Lets go have a drink or something.

All right if we sit back here?

Had that booth reserved for you.

Nothings too good for the Army.

No offense, sailor.

-Okay, my friend.

-You see, lm an old Army man myself.

Yes, sir.

Whatll you have, Mary?

A cup of coffee.

Come on, its Christmas. The skys the limit.

Have a piece of pie with it.

No, lll just have a cup of coffee.

-Two coffees.

-Coming up. Two cups of java.

Sure you wont have anything else?

Not after that wonderful dinner

Aunt Sarah prepared for us.

Theyre nice people. Youre nice people, too.

Hot java for the Army.

Social error. There you are.

Hey, soldier, you certainly been places.

-Would you like some cream?

-No, thanks.

You know, l was just a boy of 18,

over in France, in World War l.

Theyre kidding themselves.

This is the same kind of war.

-Sure you wont have some cream?

-No, l dont use it.

The Navy, Marine, Air Force, theyre okay.

This ones gonna be just like the last one.

A soldier like you or me, walking out

on his own two feet and slugging it out.

l took off some weight since my time.

Used to be heavyweight champion

of the regiment.

Got a couple of funny medals. Here they are.

When this thing starts,

l try to sign up again.

l tell them l want a chance

to knock a couple of Jap heads together.

Could still do it, too.

Squash them like eggs, l could.

They wont let me fight.

Why? On account of this tick in my face.

Nothing touched me in the last war.

l got a bit of shell shock.

lt left me with this. Nobody ever notices it.

But that young doctor squirt,

not dry behind his ears...

he turns me down. l dont get it.

Thank you, Mary.

Mary, l....

l think you ought to know something.

What is it, Zach?

l wish l could tell you.

You probably think....

l bet l could do better than that.

Hello.

Hello.

-l thought you were asleep.

-No, lve been burning the midnight oil.

Heres my morale list.

lts fun to think lm the pinup girl

for at least five fellows.

And its part of the war effort.

l keep up their morale, maybe.

lt must be nice to be able to keep up

somebodys morale.

l imagine you could write to a lot of them.

They just like to get mail from anybody.

l mean, you dont have to know them

awfully well to....

What l mean is....

When l was 1 7, l had a little trouble

finding the right words, too.

ls Zach stationed here, or....

Barbara, what lm in prison for

isnt catching.

lm sorry, Mary, l....

l keep hurting you and...

l really dont want to.

l guess it is uncomfortable for you...

to meet somebody whos been in prison.

Maybe when you get to know me,

youll feel differently.

l want to know you, Mary. Really, l do.

-How much do you know about me?

-Not much.

Mother and Dad still treat me like a child.

Everythings a big secret.

l dont think it would hurt for you to know.

As a matter of fact, l think it might help.

-When l was your age, my mother died.

-l remember her.

Way back when l was young.

She used to make clothes

for my favorite doll.

Yes, she was wonderful with her hands.

And some time after that,

my father went north on business.

And then, when he died, l was on my own.

I got a very good job as a secretary...

and my job brought me in contact

with a lot of nice men...

one of whom might have turned out,

I thought, to be the one...

who would give me all the things that

you dream about when youre 20 and lonely.

One day, when I was called

into my bosss office...

he invited me to a party in his apartment.

He was single, and I started dreaming.

Bosses do marry their secretaries.

I took what money Id saved,

and I bought an evening dress.

I thought it was very fancy. I wanted to

look good in front of his high-class friends.

Hed sent me an orchid, a white orchid...

the first one Id ever had.

I was wearing it.

When the door opened, I walked

into the biggest apartment Id ever seen.

I thought it was rich and elegant.

Id wanted to impress him,

so I got there a little late.

Id wanted to make an entrance

all by myself...

but nobody else was there.

I should have had sense enough then

to get out, but I didnt.

Hed been drinking a long time before

I got there, I guess, and he kept right on.

He told me

that he hadnt invited anyone else...

and that the white orchid and all that

was just his way of getting me up there.

I tried to talk my way out...

and then when that didnt work,

I made a break for it.

I didnt scream.

I was too frightened, I guess.

I tried to get away from him, but I couldnt.

He seemed to be everywhere.

It was all mixed up,

like some terrible kind of a dream.

Once, I almost got away

when he fell over a chair.

But he caught me again

and dragged me back.

Then I pushed him as hard as I could,

and he fell back through the window.

His apartment was on the 1 4th floor.

Mary...

how awful.

-Maybe l shouldnt have told you.

-No, lm glad you did.

But its wrong.

They shouldnt have sent you to prison.

lf ld been lucky enough to get away

before he was killed...

then there wouldnt have been any crime.

But after all, a man was dead.

The jury said manslaughter.

Guilty.

Well, that meant six years.

Please forgive me, Mary.

Mary, see who that is, will you?

Hello?

Good morning, Zach.

lf its important, of course l can see you.

Do you want to come here?

ld rather not. l hate to keep barging in

on your uncles house.

Mary, l want to talk to you about last night,

and l need some time.

Well, l have the time, plenty of time.

Where do you want to meet?

l asked about here, and they say

theres a bus that goes up to the lake.

lts pretty out there,

and there arent so many people.

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