“No, you haven’t upset me,” I said, frustrated. “I know we’re a strange couple. He’s older than me and a million times smarter, and—” I waved my hand, indicating the room “—this is normal to him. I grew up in a much humbler home, and I had fallen upon hard times when we met. But it was always Calvin offering to help me, never me asking for help. Right from when we met, he was always doing kind things for me—even for my brother. Calvin just loves to look after people.”

For a while after that, I kept my socializing with those women to essential engagements with Calvin only. Although Avril seemed to be on my side, I felt unsettled around her too. I learned how to dress like them and to style my hair and makeup like they did so I’d fit in, but I knew that, deep down, I had nothing in common with those women.

Besides, bored and lonely in that great big house was vastly preferable to exposed and humiliated out of it. But friendship dramas aside, why wasn’t I content? In some ways, I’d felt better about myself back when I was struggling in that apartment, hustling for every cent and working my fingers to the bone.

Henry had transferred to Fort Benning in Georgia and was serving with the 6th Armored Division. We’d established a routine phone call on the first Sunday night of each month.

“Howdy, sis,” he always greeted me, and I always exhaled whenever I heard him say those words. The brightness of his tone reassured me that he was okay. My imagination tended to play tricks on me during the weeks between those calls, especially with the situation in Europe deteriorating.

He had a new best friend—a boy from Reno named Bobby—and I got the impression the two of them had become inseparable. Henry was saving money in case he decided to buy a house one day and dating a girl named Flora—at least periodically. She worked in the base’s administration office, and it felt a lot like every time Henry called, they’d either broken up again or were back together.

“Would you two make up your minds? Do you want to be together, or not?” I asked him one day, exasperated. Henry just laughed.

“This is a fiery relationship, Lizzie. That’s part of the appeal.”

I looked at Calvin, who was sitting on the sofa reading, and wondered, not for the first time, what was wrong with me.

“Hey, listen, sis. I have news,” Henry said suddenly. My stomach lurched.

“No. Tell me they aren’t deploying you,” I whispered.