The two women, as unlike as night and day, had been close friends for years. When Rhodes and Barber won the right to wear the Chief Petty Officer’s billed cap on the same day, June and Dottie had hosted a celebration for the promotions with as much pride and joy as if the elevation to the rarified atmosphere of a Chief Petty Officer in the prewar, peacetime Navy was theirs — as in a real sense it was.
“The reception committee is waiting,” Rhodes said to Barber as they walked up the pier.
“Yeah. One good thing about being married is there’s always someone there to say hello when you come in to port.”
“Didn’t know you had any trouble in that line when you were single,” Rhodes said.
“Been so long I forgot about it,” Barber said. The two men reached the end of the pier and Rhodes bent and gravely kissed June on her mouth. She hugged his arm and they both turned at Dottie Barber’s cry.
“Hoo hah! Lemme show you how to welcome a sailor!” She threw her arms around Barber’s neck, knocking his cap to the ground, and hugged him fiercely while she was kissing him. The embrace went on and on until finally Dottie stepped back, smoothing her skirt.
“There, you sex maniac! Let that hold you until we get home! June, I’ll call you tomorrow about noon if I’m able.”
“No, you drive,” Rhodes said. He walked around the front of their shiny 1938 Ford and got into the passenger’s seat.
“The boys busy?”
“They’re finishing up the housecleaning and setting the table for lunch,” June said. She sat up very straight on the thick pillow she used so she could see over the steering wheel. “When we heard, day before yesterday, that Mako was on the way in Gordy and Alan took over. They washed and waxed the car, cleaned the yard and then started on the house.”
“What brought all that on? Usually they have trouble with hanging up their clothes.”
June smiled, her white teeth gleaming in her copper-hued face. “Gordy has found out about sex and women. He told me that I shouldn’t be all tired out when you got home!”
“My God!” Rhodes muttered. “At fourteen? I was raised on a farm and I knew about breeding cows and pigs when I was ten but I never connected it with men and women until I was at least, oh, sixteen, maybe later.”
“All you people from Minnesota are backward,” she said. “I think he’s known about it for a long time. This is his way of letting me know that he knows. When you leave on the next war patrol I’ll start the sex education for both of them.”
“You think you ought to do that? It’s kind of, well, it’s a delicate subject.”
“The old Polynesian fathers taught their daughters about sex by deflowering them in front of the tribe,” she said in a prim tone. “The girls learned by doing. The boys learned by watching. After that they could practice with each other as much as they wanted to. I don’t intend to do that with my sons but I’d rather tell them what’s what and have them get it straight than let them pile up a lot of bunk from other kids.”
He nodded. “Other than that, how’s everything?”
“We’re all fine,” she answered. “I made the last payment on the radio. The car needs a new fan belt. Gordy wanted to put it on but I told him to wait until you got home so you could see what a good mechanic he is.” She looked at him and grinned. “Not such a long patrol this time, shorter than the first one.”
“Thirty-five days is long enough,” he said. “Took us fourteen days to get on station. We spent a week there and then got called home. Is Dottie okay, their girl all right?”
“They’re fine,” she answered. “We followed the same sort of routine we had when you were both on the East Coast putting the Mako in commission and all during the first war patrol. We called each other every day, got together every couple of days or so. Gloria Brannon came over to the house every Sunday after church. Except the last two Sundays.”
“Was something wrong?”
“Well, you know how it is. You’re the Chief of the Boat so if any of the wives of the crew or their girl friends have a problem they come to me if you’re out at sea. Captain Hinman’s wife is dead now,” she shuddered slightly, “so she isn’t here to give any help to the officers’ wives. Gloria Brannon has to do that and she just isn’t very good at it. She’s too sweet to deal with the problems other people have.”
“What problems?” he said softly.
She drove for a few moments without speaking and then she pulled over and parked the car by a curb. She turned to him and her words came out in a rush.
“Mary Simms is sleeping with a civilian, a Civil Service engineer they sent out here to work on the sunken battleships!”
“Who knows, who else beside you and Gloria Brannon?”
“Who doesn’t? According to what I’ve heard every officer’s wife on the Base knows about it. He’s been living at Mary’s house. He moved out two days ago when we heard you were coming in.”
Rhodes’ big right fist clenched and he began to beat his fist against his knee.
“He’s been living in Simms’ house? In his damned house? With their little girl there?”
“No,” June answered. “The little girl wasn’t there. She was staying at Gloria’s house. The Brannons’ little girl is about the same age. They played together.”
“What the hell is wrong with Mary Simms?” Rhodes grunted.
“The right question is what is wrong with her husband,” June said. “From what I hear your Mr. Simms is an all-out bastard. He’s all-Navy. Clean sweep down fore and aft twice a day. When the ship is in port he holds quarters in the front room before he leaves for the ship each day and issues his orders for the day to his wife and daughter. Then he inspects when he comes home to make sure his orders were carried out! Shape up or ship out! Dottie said that if John ever tried anything like that she’d raise a lump on his head as big as a watermelon!”
“You didn’t get involved, did you?”
“Oh, no! I’ve been married to you for fifteen years, remember? I know the Navy! Enlisted men do not fraternize with the officers. Enlisted men’s wives say ‘yes, ma’am,’ to officers’ wives and they lower their eyes when they meet the Captain’s wife in public.”
“Now wait a minute! Marie Hinman wasn’t like that!”
“No, she wasn’t,” she agreed. “Marie Hinman, may God give her soul rest and love, was a wonderful woman. She liked everyone. She spoke to everyone and it didn’t matter if it was some deck hand’s girl friend or the Admiral’s wife. Gloria is every bit as nice but she hasn’t got the steel in her that Marie Hinman had. She doesn’t know how to cope with what she calls ‘marital infidelity’ but I call it screwing all hands!”
“You’re talking dirty, woman!” His big hand touched her thigh gently as she put the car in gear. She looked at him and smiled. “I’m a vulgar woman and I’m raunchy and I haven’t had a man, not even a civilian, in thirty-six days and I’m going to kill you tonight!” She tried hard to make her soft voice growl.
“You gonna let the boys watch, old Polynesian?” He caught her back-handed slap at him and laughed.
“I shouldn’t be kidding about those things,” she said as she wheeled the car into their street. “I didn’t know if I should tell you or not. I’m glad I did.”
“I’m glad you did, too,” he stared through the windshield and then slammed his knee with his fist.
“Shit!” he snapped.
“Watch your language, sailor, we’re almost home.”