of a carnival barker,” Marcie practically yelled in Vi’s ear as a tank rumbled by, one of many being unloaded from the cargo hold of the ship next to theirs. The whole harbor was as busy as an anthill, with soldiers and sailors everywhere shouting to one another, directing traffic and platoons of fully kitted-out soldiers.
“Well, he is our publicity agent, which is almost the same thing,” Vi said with a laugh. A passing soldier with a red beret grinned at them. Marcie gave him a little wave, and his grin got even bigger. Vi elbowed her travel buddy in the ribs, which earned her a scowl.
“We would have been here sooner,” Wyatt said, stepping forward to shake Lieutenant Guilford’s hand when Mr. Stuart didn’t immediately respond. Vi eyed the latter man curiously, trying to decide if the director, who stood to the side, staring off into space, meant to be rude or was lost in artistic reverie. “But our ship had to detour a fair bit to avoid submarine activity.”
Vi blinked and forgot about Mr. Stuart. This was the first she had heard of there being any actual danger on the voyage. Endless exhortations to be careful, yes. Repeated reminders to be alert, yes. But never a word from the captain that they were being actively hunted by submarines.
This new knowledge made her feel a bit lightheaded.
“We’re also a bit rusty, having been cooped up on the ship for so long,” Sue said as the lieutenant shook hands with her, too. “Any idea when we can get onto a stage and brush the cobwebs off?”
Lieutenant Guilford’s sparkling smile disappeared. “Oh, I do apologize. I thought you might enjoy a little R and R after your long trip, so I didn’t reserve a rehearsal space. I’ll fix that. In the meantime, the army has you scheduled for some additional training.”
The troupe groaned at this news, and Lieutenant Guilford held out his hands in supplication.
“I know, I know, but it won’t be as bad as you all are thinking,” he said. “It’s only a few briefings on the country and its customs. There will be plenty of time to relax and swim; you’ll find numerous pools available to officers and the USO. There are also a few shops I could recommend, though you ladies may find the selection a bit limited. The environs in this part of Italy are generally safe, so feel free to explore. Except the beaches. Don’t go there. Those are strictly off-limits.”
“Whatever for? The water looked lovely on the way in,” Ann said with a faint frown.
“It’s not the water, miss.” Lieutenant Guilford’s face became unexpectedly grim. “It’s the mines. The Germans buried them everywhere along the coast.”
A kind of pall settled over the group, and it was a much more subdued company that piled into the waiting jeeps, leaving the luggage and crates to be loaded onto a truck that would follow behind.
As the jeeps growled through the narrow streets of Naples, Vi’s odd sensation of having been dropped onto an entirely different planet deepened. Vi felt as if she had landed on a different planet. Much was as she would’ve expected of a busy port town. Middle-aged women with bags over their arms perused the wares of the street vendors, while tired-looking farmers unloaded battered trucks or mule carts. Old men in baggy pants stood on street corners, hands in their pockets, watching the jousting of trucks, autos, pedestrians, and bicycles as they fought for equal rights to the road. The sidewalks and streets teemed with seemingly normal activity.
And yet, eerie, blackened, and hollowed-out buildings appeared and disappeared down every cross street, their cracked and jagged facades a silent reminder of battles recently fought. Soldiers of various countries, distinguishable by the different caps and trim on their uniforms, chatted among themselves, their rifles slung over their shoulders. Most disturbing of all, though, were the frightfully thin children weaving and darting between it all and laughing as if oblivious to the devastation around them.
But then, the war was nothing new to them. For some, it was all they had ever known. It struck her then that this—this ability of the children to play and the citizens of Naples to continue living their lives despite the devastation—was the true essence of what it meant to be human. That incredible gift to rise up from the ashes, no matter how awful the circumstances, to dust oneself off and move forward. That had to be mankind’s greatest quality.