He pressed his lips to hers the minute he walked in the apartment door. She was glad she hadn't met him at the train station: their reunion would have been diluted, a shadow of what it was meant to be. Teddi squeezed him tightly, meeting his kisses reverently. Over the last few months, Calvin had been her lifeline as she struggled to get over her grandfather's death and adjust to living alone with her grandmother. He only took two courses at the university that semester, while Teddi took time off and buried herself in her work at the paper. Things had changed. If people stared at them, neither noticed. Other things mattered more now. Like having her grandmother finally on their side. Having him away from her these past two weeks had been terribly overwhelming. It was obvious from his actions that her feelings were reciprocated.

Calvin shrugged off his coat and scarf some time between the door and the sofa, his suitcase forgotten on the front stoop in the cold December air. Teddi wanted Calvin to accept his brother's invitation to California, but Calvin had been reluctant to at first. The brothers hadn't spoken in months when Riley sent Calvin a peace-offering in the form of a plane ticket. Calvin called ready to refuse but said that the sincerity of Riley's apologetic voice made him change his mind.

Teddi and Calvin sighed mutually as he settled her onto his lap and slipped his arms around her middle, reacquainting her neck with his mouth. Teddi whimpered and lulled her head to the side, reveling in the sensations coursing through her body as soft music drifted from Calvin's secondhand radio. The tempo of the jazz band's beat thumped in time with her pulsing heart and Calvin's probing fingers.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"Next time," Calvin mumbled against her skin, "you'll just have to come with me." He spread a hand along her back, gripping the material of her dress, pulling the front of it taut against her frame. Teddi placed her hands on either side of his face, wanting another kiss. The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile when he saw her eyes darken and her tongue sweep across her bottom lip.

Teddi slipped her fingers through his hair and studied his mouth. She wanted him so much more than she ever had. Before, she felt drawn to him by some inexplicable force and filled with good feelings when they finally met. Now, it was as if their hearts and souls were tangled and twisted together in a never-ending knot, securing their survival.

She loved his easy nature because it was not at all what it seemed. He was casual and relaxed in so many ways but intense and full of complexities, especially these days. She hated that she was the cause of Calvin's rift with Riley, but she secretly loved that he'd chosen her without blinking. He was making decisions based on what he wanted. They both were, but could love really make it past judgment? She was starting to believe that it might.

Teddi brushed her lips across his, warmly teasing him before they were kissing again. In ten minutes, her dress was unzipped, his shirt was unbuttoned and their fingers were touching and massaging previously hidden skin. The mutual desire to move their physical relationship to the next level brought them both to the edge of composure. Teddi wanted to wait. They would wait. It was the right thing to do. In the midst of hazy desire, it took them a long while to notice that the fat radio in the corner of the room no longer emitted the jolting jives of popular jazz but the panicked grainy sound of a man far away, reporting words that made their blood run cold.

"...the severe bombing of Pearl Harbor by air raid. The city of Honolulu has also been attacked. This battle has been going on for nearing three hours. This is no joke. It is a real war. There is significant damage in the air and on the sea. Ladies and gentleman, we are under attack."

Some time between the words bombing and battle, Teddi and Calvin had separated. Calvin's feet stalked over the living room rug, while Teddi sat facing the radio with the tips her of fingers sandwiched between her teeth.

"Oh my God," Teddi said through a dry gasp.

Calvin cursed loudly as the voice on the radio changed from the distant choppy sounding man to the clear booming voice of the local station announcer.

"Shh." Teddi frowned, hanging on the announcer's words.

"We are sorry, ladies and gentlemen. Our contact from KTU Honolulu has broken the line for an emergency call. But you heard right. The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor and have effectively declared war on the United States."

Calvin strode over to the radio and switched it off. "I can't believe this."

"What did you do that for?"

"I don't need to hear any more. You heard enough, didn't you? We're under attack. We're at war. Next, we'll be fighting those Nazi bastards. I for one can't wait to get over there and rip off..."

"Calvin!"

He sighed, the crease between his brow never dissipating, as he moved in front of her and pulled her to her feet and into a hug. "I'm sorry, Teddi."

"Please, don't do anything stupid, Calvin," she said, sniffling into his shoulder.

"Teddi, this is a war. It's bigger than you or me."

She pushed away from him, then clutched the material of his shirt in her fists. "Is this your way of getting respect or something?"

"What?"

"Who cares what people think of you?"

"I care. And it's not about me. "

"No! I couldn't stand it. You promised you'd stay with me." A slow tear began a trail down her cheek as her eyes searched his in desperation. "Didn't you?"

He placed his lips on her forehead and whispered, "Yes, I did."

But it wasn't Calvin's promise to keep. The next day, they sat together in Teddi's living room and listened to President Roosevelt announce to the country that the United States had declared war on Japan. Three days after that Hitler and his Nazi Party declared war with the U.S.

By the end of winter—March 19, 1942, to be exact—Calvin found himself woefully walking toward Ben Holliday's house with a goodbye to give and some news to break.

Before he had a chance to step on to the Holliday front porch, Elizabeth Donovan's voice cut through his somber haze from her property, just next door. "They left for the train a short while ago," she said.

Calvin startled momentarily until his eyes came to rest upon Mrs. Donovan nursing a cup of tea on the front porch swing and wearing an old but very fine housecoat to shield herself from the afternoon chill.

"Theodora is with them."

"Thank you," he sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets, trying to decide if he should run to the station. He really wanted to say goodbye to Ben. He'd promised Teddi he would, and he had a few things to say to his old friend before he went off to face the unknown.

Calvin's eyes shifted back toward the Donovan porch to see Teddi's grandmother gesturing him to come closer with a light flick of her wrist. As much as Calvin wanted to see Ben, he was curious about what she might have to say—and he really was not interested in returning to her bad side.

Calvin moved in front of the tall structure of the house, a place that no longer seemed as powerful and daunting as it had to him in the past. "He looked very brave, the Holliday boy," she said.

"I'm sure he did," he replied when he finally reached the top step of the porch.

Mrs. Donovan put her cup of tea aside, her usually stoic expression melting into a somewhat contemplative countenance. "Still," she said, "he did not want to go. I could see his fear. It reminded me of my son Richard the morning he and his brother left to enlist. They were both married at the time. Terrance had a little girl. Couldn't have been more than two years old. I rarely got to see her—Liza. They named her after me. I was very flattered though I never let on." She expelled a rather ironic chuckle. "I pretended to shun her mother, called my son Terrance a disgrace, and still... they named their child after me. I never could understand why. I never thought I deserved it."

"Your son loved you, Mrs. Donovan."

"Well, Richard," she went on with a wave of her hand as if to even contemplate Calvin's words would cause her much more pain than she was willing to share, especially in front of him. "He married a very well-bred woman from Chicago, but they never had children. I think he was always a little jealous of Terrance and his free spirit. I know this because I was guilty of the same thing. I knew Richard chose to leave that day with Terrance in order to prove he was a better, stronger man than his brother. Something he kept working to prove after his first wife died and until my youngest son was no longer with us. He married Olive, his first wife's cousin, not long after that. Always around, perhaps, waiting for Richard. Olive's docile, not like Theodora's mother. She was very much like Teddi," Mrs. Donovan said. It was the first time Calvin had ever heard Mrs. Donovan call Teddi by her nickname. "Well, that's all water under the bridge now. If you take my husband's car, you may be able to catch the Holliday boy before he leaves. I'm sure another friendly face would be welcomed on such an occasion."

Calvin smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"I'll get the keys. Don't wreck it."

***

At the train station, on the outer platform, Calvin found the usual bustling crowd. He had about five minutes before Ben's train departed. Scanning the line down the correct track, he attempted to spot either his old friend or his girlfriend. As he suspected, it was Teddi his eyes picked out first. She stood between Mr. and Mrs. Holliday with her arm over Mrs. Holliday's shoulder, who pressed a small handkerchief to her nose. Calvin looked to the left of them and found Ben, hugging Samantha Chatfield, his new fiancée—to the surprise of everyone that past Thanksgiving. Teddi joked that Ben must have thought turkeys and engagements were synonymous, since he'd asked her to marry him around the same time the previous year.

Calvin pushed through the crowd and came to stand before the still-entangled couple, begging for breath. "Ben!"

"Calvin!" Ben broke away from Samantha, who frowned a bit at the interruption.

"Could you give us a second?" Calvin asked her. "It'll just take a second."

Samantha looked to Ben, who nodded, and stepped back just a few feet, immediately tapping her foot with impatience.

Calvin started in without delay. "I just wanted to say...."

Ben raised a hand in the air, shaking his head with a smile. "Forget it, Calvin."

Calvin opened his mouth to finish his sentence, but realized there were too many words and not enough time in which to say them. So, instead, he nodded and clapped Ben on the back. "Good luck out there."

Ben chuckled through the fearful look he wore on his face. "I don't know how they got me before they got you."

Calvin's hand reached into his pocket and lifted half of a white envelope into view with a shrug.

Ben's eyes grew even wearier than they had been before. "United States Navy. When do you leave?"

"I report for duty on Monday. But, hell," he tried to perk up the situation with heart and truth, "I would have been gone long ago if it hadn't been for Teddi."

Ben nodded. "Have you told her?"

Calvin shook his head not looking so bold any more.

"Right." Ben sighed. "Well, good luck, sailor."

"Yeah." Calvin pointed a finger at his old buddy's chest, the hollow feeling of their lost friendship coloring his voice with regret. "Don't let those Army sergeants run you too far into the ground."

"I won't."

Ben hugged Calvin before returning to Samantha for another quick squeeze and a kiss. Then Ben boarded the train, leaving his boyhood behind him. Samantha and the Hollidays ran alongside the chugging car as it slid up the rails, bidding their tearful farewells.

Calvin walked over to Teddi who stood waving and smiling, eyes growing red. When Ben had disappeared from sight, Teddi turned to him with a beaten expression on her face.

"First, your brother and Mac. Now, Ben. I can't believe he's gone," she said softly, wiping back her tears.

"I know."

"Teddi, dear, do you need a ride back?" Mrs. Holliday asked, smiling sadly between her and Calvin.

"No, I have a car to take her," Calvin answered for her.

"All right then. We'll see you later on. Don't be strangers, either of you," she said before joining her husband and Samantha on the trek back toward their car.

"When did you get a car?"

"Your grandmother let me drive your grandfather's car with explicit instructions not to wreck it."

"Did I just hear you correctly? My grandmother let you drive our car?"

"She wanted me to see Ben, or rather, she wanted Ben to have another friendly face before he left. I think she was remembering what it was like when your dad and uncle went off to fight in Europe and... Well, I don't know. Would you like to get something to eat? It's almost dinner time."

"Sure."

They went to Mario's for gourmet pizza and a special wine Calvin told her was perfect. They ate in comfortable silence, letting drink and thick pizza crust settle their heads and hearts.

When the night began to wind down and only a single pepperoni sat at the center of the serving dish, Calvin swallowed a large lump down his throat, past his heart and into his stomach. What he had to say was not going to be easy, but he had to do it. He owed it to her. However, there was something else he had to do first. When the waiter finally cleared the tray and their dishes away, he reached across the puce table cloth and took her hand, threading their fingers.

"Teddi, there's something I need to give to you."

Teddi smiled crookedly, squeezing his hand. "That letter?"

"What letter?"

"The one you've been checking and rechecking since we left the train station. First, I thought it might be a kiss off letter, but why would you give it to me in person? Then maybe I thought train tickets to California. Then I remembered Riley isn't there anymore. My mind waxed over a few other things but I, well, if it's a surprise I don't have to worry then."

"The letter isn't what I want to give you, Teddi. I didn't even want you to see it."

"Why not?"

"I mean I wanted to tell you, but—"

Teddi dropped his hand. "You wanted to tell me what?" When Calvin didn't answer, she held her palm out and raised an eyebrow expectantly. She would have never normally been so invasive of his privacy, but she wanted so badly for her fears to be soothed, even though she rationally knew it was inevitable.

After hesitating once then twice, Calvin pulled the letter from the coat hanging on the back of his chair and handed it to Teddi.

He watched as she tore the cream-colored paper from the envelope, which had been crushed from the anxious twisting of his hands earlier in the day.

 Special Orders USN -- No.849

 17 March 1942

Brookhurst, New York

By direction of the President under authority contained in Public Resolution No. 96, 76th Congress, approved 27 August 1940, and pursuant to authority contained in immediate action letter from the United States War Department 20 February 1942, and with the concurrence of the Secretary of the United States Navy, the following registered names are ordered to active service on 23 March 1942 for a period of no less than one year, unless sooner relieved. On this date, each person will proceed, without delay, from the place indicated after his name to the US Naval Training Station in Newport, RI, reporting upon arrival to the commanding officer for duty.

Name- Address

Jack Olsen- 85 Sycamore Road, Brookhurst, NY

Roger Matthews- 313 Square Lane, Brookhurst, NY

Carl Rutherford, Jr.- 205 North Hill Street, Smithtown, NY

Thomas Berg- 90 Franklin Avenue, Greenport, NY

Alan Webb- 3 Smithfield Road, Greenport, NY

Daniel Johnson- 790 Washington Avenue, Brookhurst, NY

Calvin Wynne- 17 Seaside Road, Brookhurst, NY

A long list of names continued down the page, which was signed by order of the Secretary of the Navy and the President of the United States, but Teddi took no notice of them. Instead, she was trying to fight the ripping pain of the wound throbbing at the center of her chest.

She vaguely heard his voice coming from somewhere across the table, repeating her name.

"Is this what tonight was about? Getting me drunk so you could tell me you were leaving in... less than a week?"

"Teddi... I can't do anything about this. I have to go."

"You want to go. I know you've been sitting around waiting for this letter while all the while I've been dreading it."

"Teddi, please."

"No."

Calvin sighed, running his hand through his hair. "This is precisely why I wanted to show you the letter in private."

"Why? So, I wouldn't make a scene? Don't you remember who you are dealing with, Mr. Wynne? Debutante of the year—1940. The polished piece of fluff who turned out to have a mind of her own but can still manage to carry on polite pleasantries with the nastiest of adversaries when it comes to the company she keeps."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I didn't say a thing. I didn't say anything at all."

With that, she whisked away from the table and out of the restaurant, leaving Calvin to scramble for his wallet in order to pay the bill.

When he got outside, he saw the judge's car rumbling up Main Street toward the Donovan home. "Teddi, wait!" He called after her, both worried that she was driving in such a frazzled state and that she'd let him leave without saying goodbye.