Mary waved as she drove off. A tear slipped down Jorden’s cheek. Alex put his arm around her when they walked back to her apartment.

Chapter 34: January 1970

Chapter 34

January 1970

Jorden stretched her legs as far as she could. There were two more hours of flying over the Pacific Ocean before the plane landed in Los Angeles. There would be flowers in bloom in California but not now in Georgia. She would have to wait for spring when the dogwood trees would be lush with delicate pink and white blossoms. She closed her eyes and visualized the array of colors she’d seen on her trip to North Carolina last April to see Alex.

***

Previous Year – April 1969

After a week of procrastinating, Jorden worked up the nerve to ask for Friday off. She cleared it with her principal, but she didn’t tell him the complete truth. Her grandmother in Lockton, Alabama didn’t really need help moving; she wasn’t going anywhere. The innocent white lie, pulled at her sense of right and wrong, but she considered it necessary to get the day off. If she left at seven in the morning, she could get to Alex around five.

Jorden drove off as Madison began to dress. Accompanied by a sunny day, she made three stops: the first for gas, the second to grab lunch, and the third at Stuckey’s, a chain store to get a Coke and a bag of chips. She rolled onto base at five thirty, following Alex’s detailed directions to his housing. To her delight, he was waiting outside talking with a few soldiers. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he walked toward her.

“Give me your keys. You’re a beautiful sight!”

Jorden threw her keys into the air, aiming them at the center of Alex’s palm. She couldn’t stop smiling.

After a short drive, they checked into the Sawyer Inn. Alex encircled Jorden, pulling her into him, causing quivers to run through her. She felt warmth through his fatigues and the strength of his arms. Each time she was with him, she felt her resolve weaken. But still, Alex kept his bargain and didn’t push further.

On Saturday Alex drove them to Pinehurst, North Carolina. Jorden had been to the famous golf course once before. She remembered the U.S. Open Golf Tournament had been held there several times. From there they ventured out to Morrow Mountain State Park, where they walked, talked, laughed, and savored each other’s company.

Jorden couldn’t believe it was already Sunday afternoon. Alex had suggested bowling—anything to prolong their time together. Worried, she kept looking at her watch. “It’s after two. If I don’t leave soon, I’ll be driving back in the dark which I don’t want.”

“Let’s finish this game, and then you can go,” Alex said, appealing to her vulnerable side.