Carl didn't lose interest in her, and every day Elizabeth found that a miracle. Every day they ate lunch together in the cafeteria—sometimes with friends, other times just the two of them sitting at a corner of a crowded table talking only to each other. As often as possible, they met at the South Side after school and on weekends.
Carl had taken a part-time job in his uncle's hardware store, and Elizabeth stopped in as often as she could. One slow day she and Carl were talking at the counter when she heard her father's voice say, "Elizabeth?"
Her dad didn't need to witness the blush that flooded her face to figure out why she was there. Hardware stores were his domain, not hers. She could hardly claim she had stopped in to buy a much-needed nail. She'd mumbled something about dropping a book off to Carl and hurried out.
That evening her father called up the stairs and asked her to come down. Both her parents were sitting at the kitchen table wearing their serious faces, and they told her to have a seat. She knew what was coming, and before they could say anything else, she'd blurted out, "We're just friends, that's all." Later, after she and Carl married, her mother had admitted they'd both gotten a good laugh out of that.
"Don't ever commit a crime, sweetie," her mother had said. "You'd confess before you were even a suspect."
By then, it was January, and her sixteenth birthday was three months away. After some discussion, her parents finally agreed to allow Carl to come to the house for supervised visits. She was surprised to learn that her father, on his many visits to the hardware store, had talked a lot with Carl.
"He's polite and a hard worker," her father had said, which was the highest praise he ever gave anyone.
The rest of that school year Carl came to the house every Friday and Saturday night. His family weren't regular churchgoers, but after the first couple of weeks, he started attending Methodist services with Elizabeth's family every Sunday. Dinner naturally followed. When her parents agreed to let her go to prom with him, Elizabeth was sure life couldn't get any better.
When she'd first met Carl, she'd been afraid he'd find a girl his own age and lose interest in her, but after he graduated, a new worry emerged. The North Vietnamese had crossed the DMZ in May, and with the largest battle to date resulting, the war showed no signs of ending. Carl registered with the Selective Service right after his eighteenth birthday, and from then on, Elizabeth felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over them. But as months passed and no draft call came, she started to relax.
Carl's great-uncle had no children and had always doted on Carl's mother, so as his health continued to decline, he had turned the store over to Carl's dad. After graduation, Carl went to work there full-time, but he let his hair grow to his shoulders, formed a band with three of his friends, and began playing in local bars and at festivals and other events. Elizabeth wasn't allowed to go alone to the bars where he played, but her parents took her occasionally. They seemed to love Carl almost as much as she did, and for that, she was thankful. Many of her friends weren't so lucky and had to sneak to see their boyfriends.
Carl was Elizabeth's date to her prom. Halfway through a slow dance, he had stepped back from her, dropped to one knee, and asked her to marry him. She was only half aware of the oohs and aahs of the envious girls around her and the stares of the boys. She only had eyes for the boy she loved, kneeling on the floor before her, holding the small blue box with the diamond solitaire. As the band broke into the wedding march, she had managed to nod her agreement and choke out a "yes" through the tears of happiness that flowed down her cheeks. When she got home that night, her parents pretended surprise, but she found out later that Carl had asked their permission first.
They had an October wedding, a beautiful fall affair. The reception was held in her parents' backyard under trees of many colors. After his own graduation, Carl had continued to live with his parents above the store and saved every dime he could, both from his job at the store and his weekend music gigs. They rented a small house two blocks from the hardware store, and Elizabeth began commuting to a small business college three towns away. She accompanied Carl on his weekend music gigs, they ate dinner every Sunday at her parents, and they played cards with his every Thursday night. Susannah got a job with an insurance company in Green Bay, and Elizabeth only saw her on her infrequent visits home. Two boys she'd graduated with were drafted, and two others volunteered.
While the dark cloud didn't loom as much as it had in the beginning, it was still there. Every evening as she watched the news reports of battles and anti-war rallies, she felt her heart race and dread wash over her. Sometimes she thought it was almost a premonition of something bad to come, but she told herself she was being ridiculous. She tried to talk to her mother about it, but Mom's advice was to just be happy in her new life and stop worrying so much. It was good advice, Elizabeth knew, and she vowed she would follow it. Then the next news cycle brought more pictures of flags draping coffins and flags being burned, and the worry started all over again.
In early April, just six months after they married, Elizabeth's premonition came true. Carl received the dreaded letter telling him to report to the draft board. Four months after that, he shipped out to Vietnam. Two months after that he went missing.
Carl had taken a part-time job in his uncle's hardware store, and Elizabeth stopped in as often as she could. One slow day she and Carl were talking at the counter when she heard her father's voice say, "Elizabeth?"
Her dad didn't need to witness the blush that flooded her face to figure out why she was there. Hardware stores were his domain, not hers. She could hardly claim she had stopped in to buy a much-needed nail. She'd mumbled something about dropping a book off to Carl and hurried out.
That evening her father called up the stairs and asked her to come down. Both her parents were sitting at the kitchen table wearing their serious faces, and they told her to have a seat. She knew what was coming, and before they could say anything else, she'd blurted out, "We're just friends, that's all." Later, after she and Carl married, her mother had admitted they'd both gotten a good laugh out of that.
"Don't ever commit a crime, sweetie," her mother had said. "You'd confess before you were even a suspect."
By then, it was January, and her sixteenth birthday was three months away. After some discussion, her parents finally agreed to allow Carl to come to the house for supervised visits. She was surprised to learn that her father, on his many visits to the hardware store, had talked a lot with Carl.
"He's polite and a hard worker," her father had said, which was the highest praise he ever gave anyone.
The rest of that school year Carl came to the house every Friday and Saturday night. His family weren't regular churchgoers, but after the first couple of weeks, he started attending Methodist services with Elizabeth's family every Sunday. Dinner naturally followed. When her parents agreed to let her go to prom with him, Elizabeth was sure life couldn't get any better.
When she'd first met Carl, she'd been afraid he'd find a girl his own age and lose interest in her, but after he graduated, a new worry emerged. The North Vietnamese had crossed the DMZ in May, and with the largest battle to date resulting, the war showed no signs of ending. Carl registered with the Selective Service right after his eighteenth birthday, and from then on, Elizabeth felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over them. But as months passed and no draft call came, she started to relax.
Carl's great-uncle had no children and had always doted on Carl's mother, so as his health continued to decline, he had turned the store over to Carl's dad. After graduation, Carl went to work there full-time, but he let his hair grow to his shoulders, formed a band with three of his friends, and began playing in local bars and at festivals and other events. Elizabeth wasn't allowed to go alone to the bars where he played, but her parents took her occasionally. They seemed to love Carl almost as much as she did, and for that, she was thankful. Many of her friends weren't so lucky and had to sneak to see their boyfriends.
Carl was Elizabeth's date to her prom. Halfway through a slow dance, he had stepped back from her, dropped to one knee, and asked her to marry him. She was only half aware of the oohs and aahs of the envious girls around her and the stares of the boys. She only had eyes for the boy she loved, kneeling on the floor before her, holding the small blue box with the diamond solitaire. As the band broke into the wedding march, she had managed to nod her agreement and choke out a "yes" through the tears of happiness that flowed down her cheeks. When she got home that night, her parents pretended surprise, but she found out later that Carl had asked their permission first.
They had an October wedding, a beautiful fall affair. The reception was held in her parents' backyard under trees of many colors. After his own graduation, Carl had continued to live with his parents above the store and saved every dime he could, both from his job at the store and his weekend music gigs. They rented a small house two blocks from the hardware store, and Elizabeth began commuting to a small business college three towns away. She accompanied Carl on his weekend music gigs, they ate dinner every Sunday at her parents, and they played cards with his every Thursday night. Susannah got a job with an insurance company in Green Bay, and Elizabeth only saw her on her infrequent visits home. Two boys she'd graduated with were drafted, and two others volunteered.
While the dark cloud didn't loom as much as it had in the beginning, it was still there. Every evening as she watched the news reports of battles and anti-war rallies, she felt her heart race and dread wash over her. Sometimes she thought it was almost a premonition of something bad to come, but she told herself she was being ridiculous. She tried to talk to her mother about it, but Mom's advice was to just be happy in her new life and stop worrying so much. It was good advice, Elizabeth knew, and she vowed she would follow it. Then the next news cycle brought more pictures of flags draping coffins and flags being burned, and the worry started all over again.
In early April, just six months after they married, Elizabeth's premonition came true. Carl received the dreaded letter telling him to report to the draft board. Four months after that, he shipped out to Vietnam. Two months after that he went missing.
