He wanted to pay off the rest of it and I let him, so he came with me to Grace Bros to make the final payment and pick it up. I wouldn’t let him see it, of course; it was in a garment bag for the ride home. It was strangely light, being cotton. Light considering the weight of all the hopes it carried, all the dreams I’d centred around it. Was it foolish? I wondered, as Roy dropped me off and held my wrist for a last kiss. Was a single garment worthy of so much hope? But at home I tried it on, and though it needed the hem taken up and the sleeves shortened, it looked as it did in my daydreams. It was just what I wanted it to be.

Roy and I hardly saw each other in those last weeks, we were both so busy with the arrangements, but he did sneak up to my room one night after work with the news that his CO had given him permission to marry. He showed me the letter, and we sat on the edge of my bed and toasted each other with a bottle of beer he’d brought shared out between two tin mugs.

He pulled a card out of his jacket pocket then and gave it to me. ‘It’s from my ma,’ he said.

Dear Sarah,

We were awfully surprised to get the news that Roy is getting married. It wasn’t what we expected, but sometimes life doesn’t happen the way you think it will. I hope you two will be happy here in Roanoke. I’m sure that coming to America will be exciting for you. Roy sent a picture and we can sure see why he’s fallen for you, do look after him. Send us a photograph from the wedding day.

Sincerely,

Mr & Mrs Ronald Jackson

I felt my ears grow hot as I read it. She wasn’t one to mince words. And it talked about something we hadn’t: that when Roy was back safe from New Guinea and the war was over, it was expected that I would join him in America. I would go where he went: it was just what you did.

‘What’s Roanoke like?’ I asked, lying back with the letter in my hands, looking at the cardstock as if it were a map that could show me.

‘Different,’ he said, lying back beside me. ‘It’s real pretty. Mountains, and green as anything. But we don’t have beaches, and it can get pretty damn cold in the winter. It’s not got so much going on either, but there’s good times. Picnics, walking parties, potlucks, church socials. I hope my ma doesn’t put you off. She takes a while to warm to people.’