Dan Wakefield - Under the Apple Tree - A Novel

The next thing he remembered was hiccuping going back home in the back seat of the car and Roy saying disgustedly, “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.”

The next day Artie apologized and Roy swore he wasn’t mad at him, so they horsed around in the backyard tossing the football and then Roy asked Artie if he’d like to learn some Marine judo tactics. Artie said sure, how did he do it?

Roy assumed a balanced stance of readiness and said, “Come at me like you’ve got a knife.’”

Artie pretended he had a knife in his right hand, raised it high and went rushing at Roy, when the next thing he knew he was flying through the air, his stomach in his mouth, and landed with a sickening thump on the hard ground.

Roy came over and looked down at him, his brows furrowed seriously.

“You all right, soldier?” he asked.

“Sure,” said Artie in a whisper that was the loudest thing he could do, and Roy reached down and helped him up.

Artie never knew if the judo was to get him for having the laughing fit at the Colbys or just because Roy wanted to let him in on the Secrets of War. Whatever it was, Artie was relieved to know that if any dirty Jap came at Roy with a knife, the poor little Nip wouldn’t stand a chance. Roy would just do the judo on him and flip him clear back to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Even though Shirley’s folks wouldn’t allow her to get engaged to Roy they didn’t try to stop her from going out with him, and every night after supper Dad would toss Roy the keys to the car and he’d take off to pick up Shirley to go to a movie or drive. Artie figured there wasn’t much driving, it was probably mostly parking, so they could neck each other up. Or maybe even do the dirty deed, except with Shirley it wouldn’t be a dirty deed, it would be because of Love and real pure. Ordinarily a girl like Shirley wouldn’t do it until she was married but now that the War was on even some nice girls did it with their boyfriends before they went overseas, since it might be the only chance they’d ever have to do it at all in case the guy was killed, which made it all right and even patriotic, since doing it would boost the fighting man’s morale.

Except for the judo trick, if you counted that as something mean, Roy was real nice to Artie all the time, like he was to everyone else, now that he was changed from a black sheep into a U.S. Marine. He got up every morning for breakfast, and instead of pacing around and glomming down peanut butter sandwiches and milk, he sat at the table and ate eggs and bacon and toast and coffee and juice and even oatmeal, even thanking Mom for the great chow. That’s what Artie called his food now, too. “Chow.” It was lots more fun to think you were “chowing down” instead of just eating. It was more like being in Wartime.

Everything went so fast Artie realized at recess one morning that Roy’s leave was more than half over and he might never see him again till he’d helped slap the Japs off the map and then knock the Nazis to kingdom come, which might take a lot of months or even years. Artie decided instead of going to Geography he would go and find Roy, so they could do some more brotherly shooting the bull. Roy walked a lot now. After sitting around and helping Mom with the breakfast dishes, he liked to just stroll through Town or out to his favorite rock at Skinner Creek, mulling things over, until it was time to meet Shirley after school. When the recess bell rang, instead of going back inside from the schoolyard, Artie just sort of slunk around the side of the building and walked on away, like it was the normal thing. If you acted like what you were doing was normal, people didn’t usually ask any questions.

Artie just meandered on out to Skinner Creek, stalking through the woods like a Marine on a mission, careful not to snap any twigs or brush against crackly bushes that might alert the enemy if any were around. He stopped when he spotted Roy’s rock, stiffening, not moving a muscle.

Roy was there but so was Shirley, too, both of them sitting under a big blanket. Evidently Shirley had the same idea Artie did, that so little time was left she’d rather be spending it with Roy, even if it meant cutting classes. Artie didn’t want to horn in on them, but he figured he might just go over and shoot the breeze for a while and then make himself scarce, when he noticed that Roy’s pants and shoes, and Shirley’s skirt and shoes, as well as her bra and panties, were lying on the ground by the blanket.

Holy Toledo!

Artie sank down to the ground and lay motionless, squeezing his eyes shut. He didn’t want to be spying on his own brother and the greatest girl in the world; on the other hand, if he got up and started walking away they might see or hear him and think he had been there spying on them and figure he was nothing but a dirty little sneak with yellow Jap blood in his veins.

He couldn’t see them now but he could hear them. He thought of sticking his fingers in his ears, but then if they got up to leave he wouldn’t even know and they might walk right into him, thinking he’d been lying there all the time spying on whatever they’d been doing while they were doing it. He figured the best thing was just to lie still and listen till a part came that sounded like they had all their clothes back on and were just philosophizing.

“I never thought it would be like this,” said Shirley.

“It never has been,” Roy said.

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I’m only saying it because it’s the truth. That’s the only thing I can say now. The truth.”

“I know there’ve been lots of others.”

“They don’t even count.”

“Not even Beverly Lattimore?”

“Don’t even mention her name.”.

“All right. Will you say mine? Will you tell me again?”

“Shirley Colby, I love you. With all my heart and soul, and the pride of the United States Marines.”

“Oh, Roy.”

There was heavy breathing now, and little moans and groans.

“Wait,” Shirley said.

“What, my darling?”

“I want you to put it on first.”

“Honey, I always put it on first, you know I wouldn’t let anything happen. I just have to wait till the right moment.”

“No, I didn’t mean that . I know you do, darling. I know you’re protecting me.”

“What, then?”

“I meant the ring. I want you to put it on my finger, before we do it. So I’ll feel engaged.”

“We are engaged.”

“I know we are in secret but when we’re together we don’t have to have it a secret, and it makes me feel better.”

“You didn’t have it on a while ago.”

“I forgot. But I just remembered.”

“Okay. Sure. Where is it?”

“I thought you always kept it in your pocket.”

“I do. Damn. I’m sorry. It’s cold out here.”

“Hurry back under the blanket!”

“Whew.”

“I’ll keep you warm, darling.”

“I know, sweet. Here. Let me have your hand.”

“There. It’s yours.”

“Damn. Excuse me. I should have got a bigger size.”

“I like that it’s hard to get on. If it just slipped on and off, it wouldn’t mean as much.”

“ There . Now. We’re official.”

“Engaged. To my fiancé”, my love.”

“Love me, Shirley.”

“I do.”

“Do!”

Now there was panting and little sighs and heavy hard breathing and then Shirley was making little yelps and Roy was sounding like the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and Artie figured this was his chance to make a run for it, they wouldn’t notice now if a panzer division roared through the woods with all guns blazing. Artie jumped up and ran, sprinted, pumping his arms and legs as hard as he could, hearing behind him a sudden high scream from Shirley and a strangled, barking roar from Roy that sounded like he’d been hit by a flying mortar shell.