who looked just as uncomfortable discussing the topic as she felt hearing it, also advised her to stock up on feminine pads for her monthly periods, since the army didn’t stock those items and supplies overseas would be sporadic at best. And, by the way, becoming pregnant would get her sent home immediately, and on her own dime, so it would be best if she “kept her knees together.”
Vi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that piece of advice. While she appreciated his concern, that horse had left the barn long ago. The only way she could get pregnant now would be through divine intervention.
Finally, the army decided it was through with the troupe for the day. No more briefings on codes of conduct or the importance of military discipline or the need to keep quiet about anything they might see or hear. A hot meal and a brief rehearsal afterward were all that she had left to endure. Then it would be sweet, sweet bedtime. Vi could hardly wait.
With thoughts of soft pillows and clean sheets dancing in her head, she followed the troupe into the mess hall. Her stomach immediately growled at the smell of fried chicken and buttery mashed potatoes. She looked around to see where the line started, her frazzled nerves starting to relax, when she caught a soldier staring at her from across the crowded hall. Not staring as if she were the prettiest thing he had ever seen. No, staring. As if he thought he recognized her but couldn’t quite place the where and the why of it.
Her fingers suddenly numb, Vi tucked a strand of dyed hair behind her ear. There was no way he could have recognized her. In her modest garb, with no stage makeup, and hair recently returned almost to its natural brunette color, she was as far from Lily Lamour as she could make herself without surgery. She had to be imagining it.
Chapter 7
“Does that fellow know you?” Marcie asked, coming up beside Vi.
Vi’s hopes that she had been imagining his stare crashed and burned into complete ash. “I don’t think so.”
She ran through all the faces of fellows she’d known growing up and desperately tried to place him while Marcie cocked her head and considered the soldier with naive curiosity.
“Maybe he thinks you’re pretty. In any case, you should probably go talk to him. You know, to practice our new role of goodwill ambassador.”
Vi gave a shaky laugh. “You can. I’m too exhausted, and I don’t actually like talking face-to-face with strangers. I’m at my best when my audience is at least three feet away and speechless with awe.”
Marcie frowned. “Truly? I always thought theater people would be a more social lot, given how gregarious they are in public.”
“I think a lot of us are much shier than people give us credit for,” Vi said, a bit surprised by the girl’s use of “they,” as if she didn’t consider herself a theater person. “How many shows have you been in?”
Marcie gave a small shrug as she picked up a tray and joined the mess line. “Not many. I mean, probably nothing you’ve heard of.”
“Try me.” Not that Vi was familiar with New York theater, but there might be some overlap with the Chicago scene.
“It doesn’t matter,” Marcie said airily as one of the cooks put a scoop of mashed potatoes on her plate.
Again Vi was surprised. Most thespians loved to go on and on about their various roles. That her travel buddy kept demurring likely meant she had very little actual experience, which begged the question of how the girl had gotten a role in the show. Maybe the production wasn’t quite as top tier as Vi had expected? True, Sal had gotten her a spot sight unseen, but she was also a seasoned performer, having worked up to nine shows a week for the last two years, so the risk to the show was small.
“What does matter,” Marcie continued with more enthusiasm, “is that I’ll have a chance to help cheer up our men fighting overseas.” Then she added, with a rueful laugh, “And I’ll get away from my parents for a while. They can be rather . . . strict. Especially my father. He tries to run my life, thinking he knows what’s best for me. But he doesn’t!”
Vi could empathize. Looking back, she could definitely say the smothering weight of all her family’s rules had contributed to her recklessness with Robert. Of course,