Wes folded his arms behind his head, his bare feet resting on the railing of Judd's back deck. They were signed to SunRay Records. He couldn't believe it. He'd kept asking Judd if it was real. In fact, he'd asked so many times that the last time he'd asked, Judd had frowned and threatened to take the offer back. He hadn't asked again.
The massive lake glimmered in front of him like a mirage as he pondered the biggest deal of his life. Up until a year ago, he'd never set foot outside of Jersey. In his hometown Hoboken, he'd grown up surrounded by tall, square buildings of all shades of gray that set on nothing but concrete, stretched out for as far as the eye could see.
His father was going to be so proud. He planned to phone him as soon as he set foot on the mainland. A tinge of guilt hit him as he wiggled his toes in the sun, the cold breeze blowing over him. His father would be in the steel mills right then, covered in sweat and grease, clocking out for lunch soon.
His old man had always pushed him to sing. He'd worked extra shifts and pawned most of his precious things to get him a decent guitar and a train ticket to California. He closed his eyes. The bright sun shone through his eyelids. He could see his father's face, his dark eyes bright with hope as he saw him off, his hand raised high in farewell.
The voice of his father, his lilting italian accent, rang in his head. He remembered the story he always told when he talked about the American dream, word for word.
"Aiutati che Dio ti aiutal, help yourself and God will help you. This is why I came from Italy, heaving on the bottom of a crowded steam ship, with nothing but a prayer and a pair of drawers to my name. When I saw the American flag flying on the shore, I knew it. This will be the place where we make a name for ourselves. And you my son, you will be the one to do it."
His mother would be in the diner across the street from their apartment, serving hamburgers and shakes to cuddled up teenagers in torn leather booths. She'd been worried sick when he'd set off for California nearly a year ago. She'd written him every week, the letter wrapped around as much money as she could muster in tips, which were sparse at the diner. He was sure she'd have mixed feelings when she found out the news. He often sensed she was secretly hoping things wouldn't work out so he'd come back home.
The call of a seagull shifted his thoughts to the girl on the beach, particularly the cute little line of freckles across her nose. He smiled. She was appearing in his thoughts more and more lately. Strange, since he'd only met her once and didn't even know her name. She was a mystery, and from the looks of it, she'd remain that way.
"You alright out here?" Judd plopped down in the chair next to him, snapping him back to business. His feet flew off the railing to the ground.
"I'm great." He swung around, kicking himself for losing track of time. "Where are Hank and Gene? Do you want us to get together to practice?"
Judd had given them a couple of songs to work on. He kept talking about a new style called Rock and Roll, and how it was the next big thing. "You're gonna be a Rock and Roll band," he kept saying. "You gotta come up with a name that works." So far, they hadn't come up with anything that Judd would approve of.
Judd sat back, a bottle of beer in his hand, and rested his feet on the railing. "They're inside enjoying my wife's lemon meringue pie." He took a long swig of the beer and closed his eyes.
Wes sat waiting patiently for him to say something else. When he didn't, he shifted, feeling awkward, and peered over at him, trying to think of what to do next. The man didn't move. He wondered how he'd possibly fallen asleep that fast. After much debating, he stretched and started to climb out of the chair.
"Tomorrow's our last full day here." Judd said without opening his eyes.
Halfway out of the chair, Wes jumped so high, he nearly fell over. "Yeah, I know," he said, hoping the older man wouldn't notice the pitch of his voice as he struggled to recover.
"Back in LA after that," Judd drawled.
Wes plopped back into the chair and turned towards him, brimming with excitement. "I can't wait to get back. I'm ready to get to work."
"Good for you, boy. Good for you."
Judd was silent for a long time after that. A loud snore sprung from his lips. Wes sighed. Disappointed, he once again climbed from the chair and made it unnoticed to the patio door. Judd's wife, Betsy, smiled and motioned for him to come inside.
"Is Judd asleep out there?" She gave him a knowing smile as she handed him a fat piece of pie.
"Yeah, out like a light." Wes answered, he took the pie and sat next to Hank and Gene, who were busy shoving their faces. "Thanks."
Betsy pulled out a chair and sat down, dusting off her crisp blue dress. "Don't mind him. He's very excited about you boys. He wouldn't have brought you here if he wasn't. Enjoy your free time while you're here. Judd will have you working non-stop as soon as you're back in LA."
Wes leaned forward, licking the frothy topping from his lips. "Does he bring many groups here?"
"It's been a long time," Betsy said. Her elbows on the table, she clasped her hands together. "The last band he brought here left shortly after their contract was up. I fear it broke his heart a little to see them go. He'd invested so much time on them."
"What a dirty thing to do," Hank scowled.
Betsy smiled, the corners of her eyes wrinkling. "Show business is a hard life. There are lots of hard decisions to make. I hope you boys will take Judd's advice to heart as you go forward. He's been through a lot. We both have. He only wants what's best for you."
"For sure, ma'am." Gene said, raising his glass.
"Well then." Betsy placed her hands flat on the table. Her eyes sparkled as she shot them a playful look. "Have you come up with a name?"
"Wes and the Lovers," Wes blurted out.
Hank and Gene guffawed simultaneously. Gene punched Wes in the shoulder. "Not on my dead body."
Wes shot him a stern look. "You got any better ideas?"
Gene sat back and scratched his head. "The Three Flames."
"Come on now. The lead singer is almost always named first," Wes argued. "How 'bout Wes and the Flames."
"Not bad. Not bad at all," Hank said. Dropping his fork, he stood up dramatically and flung his arms wide open. "Look out America, here comes the Rock and Roll sensation, Wes and the Flames!"
Betsy giggled as she rose and collected the dishes. "It does have a ring to it. But, you'll have to pass it by Judd first."
***
Back in the dorm, Izzy sat on Rita's empty bed, turning the little layette she'd knit over and over in her hands. Her finger and thumb ran along the crocheted lines as she pictured a baby, much like the one she'd seen in the nursery, smiling up at her. A hot lump swelled up in her throat. Tears burned behind her eyes. She forced herself not to let them loose. She was so tired of crying.
Please. Please. She prayed. Don't let Rita die. She wanted to see her. Rita needed her by her side, she had no one. It had been a little over a week since Izzy had arrived, yet she felt closer to Rita, Dottie, and even Gloria than she had to any of her friends back home. She supposed it was because they were all suffering together. They were all sad, rejected, scared and afraid.
Her hand traced up and down the tiny sleeves of the garment. Her baby could die too. She could die. Her heart sped up at thought. It would surely be a painful death. The screams of
laboring girls sprang to her mind. And those were girls who didn't die. How much more painful would it be for those who did?
"Put it down." Gloria's voice commanded from across the room. "You aren't helping anything by caressing it."
Izzy laid the little layette on the bed, smoothing it with her hand. "We need to find a way to see her."
Gloria huffed, her curls bobbing. "They won't allow it. They didn't even have the decency to tell us what happened."
"We need to try." Determination was growing inside of Izzy by the minute. "If it were you or I, or Dottie, we wouldn't want to be alone in this place. Or worse, to be in the company of one of the Sisters."
Gloria let out a defeated groan. A little spark lit in her eyes as they met Izzy's. "You know, It feels sort of strange. As if, all of the sudden the roles have been reversed. Aren't I the one who should be leading us into trouble?"
Izzy laughed, feeling a bit lighter as she came to her feet. "So, how will we do it?"
A small, cold hand touched Izzy's. "I want to go too." Dottie whispered.
They waited until it was pitch black outside of the window, and all of the footsteps in the hall had silenced. Like three prisoners attempting a jailbreak, they tiptoed out into the corridor. Huddled together, they stayed close to the wall, anticipating capture at every turn. By the time they'd reached the stairs, Dottie was quivering so violently, Izzy thought they would have to carry her down.
"Calm yourself or I'm sending you back alone." Gloria hissed at her. The little girl's eyes widened, but she nodded and seemed to pull herself together afterwards.
All was quiet as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Izzy knew that the worst part was yet to come.They'd have to pass the nun's quarters in order to get to the infirmary. Izzy prayed that none of them were up patrolling the halls, or lying awake in bed listening for footsteps. She felt every nerve in her body coil as they stepped down the foreboding hall. She didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until her head started spinning and her feet suddenly felt like feathers underneath her. She drew in a deep breath and held it, she watching the doors to the nuns quarters for any sign of movement. Her ears tuned in, straining to pick up the slightest movement behind them.
Undetected, they continued inching down the dimly lit hallway. The eyes in the painted pictures of nuns and priests on the wall followed them as they crept down the hall, their expressions condemning. Each turn set Izzy's heart racing, an apparition of Sister Mary Thomas's looming figure leaping before her in the shadows. The infirmary doors were just a few feet away. As they drew closer, Izzy's fear started to shift from being caught, to the fear of what they would see behind those looming doors.
Would she still be alive? That sudden thought made Izzy's pace slow to a crawl. She froze a few feet from the doors.
"Come on," Gloria urged beside her.
Dottie reached for Izzy's hand.
With a shaky breath, Izzy reached the handle. It turned by itself under her hand. With a push from behind, it swung open, nearly knocking the girls over.
A young woman not much older than Izzy and Gloria appeared. When she realized the girls were behind the door, her hand flew to her mouth and she let out a small yelp. "What are you doing here?" she breathed, eying them with wide blue eyes.
Izzy assumed she was a nurse by the white dress and cap. Although her eyes looked kind, Izzy's tongue froze as she searched for words. "We, uh," she blubbered.
"We came to see our friend, Rita." Gloria said, crossing her arms.
"Please don't tell the Sisters." Dottie squeaked, her grip tightening painfully on Izzy's hand.
The nurse relaxed, giving Dottie a gentle smile. "Oh, Rita, yes."
She looked both directions and motioned for the girls to come inside. When they'd filed in, she shut the door. "I'm sure you know you could be in big trouble coming here," she said. "But, Rita could really use some company. Follow me."
She led them over to a white curtain and parted it, sticking her head inside. "Rita? Are you awake? There are a few girls here to see you."
Izzy heard Rita mumble something from inside the curtain. The nurse turned to them, her hands on her hips. "I'm giving you a few minutes, alright? Then, you need to return to your rooms."
"Thank you," Izzy whispered.
The three girls pushed through the curtain into the little white space surrounded by curtains. Rita laid flat on her back, her face white as the curtains. She turned her head slowly to look at them. A smile spread on her lips, but it didn't make it to her dull eyes.
"Thank God you're alive!" Izzy gushed with relief. Despite her best efforts, tears started streaming down her face. She swatted at them with the back of her arm.
"How are you?" Gloria asked, stepping closer to the bed. "When will you be back?"
Rita closed her eyes and swallowed. "I'm in a lot of pain. I think it will be awhile before I leave."
Izzy reached forward and grabbed Rita's hand. "We need you to come back, Rita. You're the one that holds us all together. We've really missed you."
Rita smiled again, but a tear escaped and ran down her pale cheek.
Gloria leaned forward, wiping Rita's face with the sheet. "I'm sorry about the baby, Rita, I—."
"I'm really quite tired." Rita interrupted. "Sorry." She turned her head away from them.
The nurse pulled back the curtain. "Come on, girls. Let her get some sleep. Perhaps you can visit again another day?" She winked. "Don't worry, it will be our secret."
Reluctantly, Gloria and Izzy stepped away from the bed. Rita didn't turn her head to look at them.
"Goodbye. We'll come again," Izzy promised.
Gloria rushed out of the curtained room. Izzy turned to leave, but Dottie held her arm, her little body planted in place, refusing to move. Just as Izzy was about to drag her out, Dottie broke from her arm and flew to the bed, her thin arms wrapping around Rita.
"Don't be sad," she whispered into her ear. "Your baby's in heaven."
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Wes only has one more day left before he travels back to L.A. will he see Izzy one more time? Rita is quite depressed from losing her baby. Will the girls be able to help her? Thanks for reading, please vote if you'd like to support this story.