The reverend's words shocked Jack so much that she nearly fell over. The war is over. Everyone knew the Great War would have to end someday, but it had seemed eternal and never ending. But now, somehow, the end had come. The Allies and the Axis had reached an agreement, a surrender, and all the soldiers still fighting would finally come home.
"It's over," Jack repeated at a whisper, a smile blooming on her face. Julius had said that justice didn't always prevail, but hadn't it here? Donovan was free, and the war was over. The Allies had won. "The war is over," she said again, yelling it this time and letting out a whoop of triumph.
She spun around and Donovan was already there, catching her in his arms as they both laughed--truly laughed--for the first time since Titus had died. His laughter was warm in her ear as she flung her arms around his neck and he lifted her off the ground. When he set her back down, his eyes were crinkled in a smile, and everything was alright again. Better than alright--the war was over! Christina's fiance, David, would come home, and so would Donovan's nephew. The war to end all wars had ended, and Jack hoped and prayed and believed that this would be the last time the entire world would erupt in such devastating, bloodthirsty hatred.
Julius and Minnie hugged as well and Reverend Smalley let out another whoop as he climbed back in the car. "Everyone's gathering in the square for a celebration, so I have to go tell the others, but happy Armistice Day!"
"We have to go into town," Jack said, turning to Donovan breathlessly. "We have to celebrate!"
"Let's go," Donovan said, that wild spark of spontaneity in his eyes.
Jack couldn't resist reaching for him and pulling him by his shirt for a quick kiss. Her mind flitted back to the words she'd said only a few days ago after the failed execution. After the war. Now, the war was over. What was to stop them from running away together? Absolutely nothing. Jack's heart surged with more joy than it could contain, more joy than she'd thought was possible. The war was over.
Donovan ran towards the car and started it, the engine rumbling to life. "Come on!" he cried, and Jack followed him with no care for her pants and shirt combination. Nothing mattered in light of the news. The war is over.
Minnie and Julius followed them, and they all crammed into the single seat, Jack pressed between Donovan and Minnie. Even though it was a chill November day, Jack felt as if the whole world was smiling. The war had ended. Donovan pressed the gas pedal to the floor and the car took off down the dirt road, leaving a trail of dust behind them. He sped towards the town, and Jack's hair, still loose from sleep, blew in the wind, scattering over his face and behind her shoulders. A sudden blast sounded over the car's engine and Jack saw firecrackers of red, blue, and white appear in the morning sky.
As they arrived in Irvington and Jack saw the crowd gathered in the town square, she was reminded of the near-execution. How things had changed in only a few days; now they were here to celebrate together. The crowd was mixed with men and women, young and old, black and white. The town's stifling prejudice had been overcome by joy, and Jack could not repress the grin on her face. Donovan parked the car and dismounted, offering Jack his hand. She took it and leapt from the automobile, giddy and grinning like a child.
Oliver was standing before the town, waving the telegraph he'd received like a flag. "The war is over! Hooray for Armistice Day!"
As much as Jack detested Oliver, she even gave him a smile. A waving hand took Jack's attention, and she heard Christina calling, "Aunt Jack! Over here!"
Tugging Donovan behind her, Jack found her niece and wrapped her arms around her as Christina wept openly. "It's over, Jack! It's finally over." Jack held the sobbing girl in her arms, ignoring the tears that bled through her shirt. "He's coming home," Christina whispered through her tears and a lump formed in Jack's throat.
She tried to imagine how she would feel if Donovan was overseas and could finally return, but she could not even stomach the thought. It was no wonder that Christina's grief had stolen her spirits for the last few years. Jack wondered if David's return would bring her the health and recovery she so desperately needed.
"Jack, Donovan, hello!" Jack turned to see Corrie and her husband approaching, and Dr. Benjamin shook hands with Donovan as Jack hugged her niece. Her heart, full to bursting, swelled when she saw the courtesy the doctor extended to Donovan. He was finally being treated as an equal.
"What happened?" Jack exclaimed as Oliver continued to babble, walking through the crowd and shaking hands with everyone he encountered. "How did they finally arrange it?"
"I know all the details," another voice said, and Hannah joined them. "I handle all the news about the war at the newspaper, so I've seen this coming for awhile."
Jack's joy haled a little as she saw the girl in her black clothes, mourning Titus. While the rest of them celebrated and contemplated the happy future before them, Hannah would have given anything to go back just a few weeks. Still, she lifted her pointed chin and relayed what she knew with dry eyes.
"Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, and the Ottomans already signed treaties with the Allies; we've just been waiting on Germany to agree, and they finally did," Hannah explained. Jack wondered just how much she'd missed about the War in the last few weeks she'd spent preoccupied with Donovan's fate. "The Supreme Allied Commander, Foch, met in Compiègne to discuss a treaty."
"Compiègne," Christina repeated, correcting Hannah's jumbled French. Hannah rolled her eyes and continued the tale.
"Anyways. They met a few days ago to start the discussion, but it was kind of hopeless for the Germans because we've been winning, so they had to agree to all of our demands or we would obliterate them. It happened at 11:00 A.M. on November 11th," Hannah said, with a slight smile.
"So it's over?" Donovan questioned from beside Jack. "What were their terms of surrender?"
As if reciting from a newspaper, Hannah said, "Cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of German forces, surrender of weapons, and the release of prisoners of war."
"Amazing," Corrie whispered under her breath.
"So that's it? The Germans did exactly as the Allies asked?"
Donovan, his eyebrows puckered in a frown, said, "I doubt it will be that easy, but if they've signed the agreement, then it will all have to end soon."
Her cheeks flushed with excitement, Christina asked, "How long do you think it'll be until they send the soldiers home?"
No one said anything, but Jack knew it wouldn't be as soon as she hoped. They would have to arrange for hundreds of ships to bring back the soldiers, healthy and wounded alike, and with David in good condition, he may be one of the last brought home.
"Whenever it is," Corrie said, wrapping her arm around the frail girl's shoulders. "At least he's coming home safe and sound."
A trumpet sounded and Jack saw the members of the Ragtime band appear, touting their instruments and playing the Star Spangled Banner with great gusto. Everyone cheered as they played, and an American flag was raised above the town square as everyone joined in singing the lyrics together.
For the rest of the day, all work was ignored as the town celebrated together. One of the farmers decided to slaughter a pig and the townspeople built a huge bonfire right in the center of the square even though it was a chilly November day. All afternoon, the Ragtime band continued to play and the people danced around the fire: Julius and Minnie Booker, Dr. Benjamin and Corrie, Hannah and Christina, Oliver and Anita, Jack and Donovan. Everything that had troubled Jack for the last few weeks dissipated in the face of all this joy. The war was over, and Donovan's hands were around her waist, swinging her to the music.
With his lips soft against her ear, Donovan whispered, "Let's get out of here."
A blush rose on Jack's cheeks and she nodded as he took her hand in his and led her from the crowd to his automobile, parked near Julius's newspaper shop. Donovan opened the door for her and helped her inside, following her so they shared the seat. Jack leaned her head back, sliding down into the seat so her head was propped against the back and her feet propped up next to the steering wheel. Donovan slid next to her and they sat in a warm silence, pregnant with hope for the future and freedom from their troubles.
Jack leaned her head against Donovan's shoulder, and the feeling of being just a girl in love with a boy returned to her. For the moment, nothing existed beyond the two of them and this exhilarating joy at the life before them.
"I'm so happy," Jack sighed, her chest falling as she released a deep breath.
Jack could feel Donovan smiling against her cheek and his arm reached around her, his fingers brushing back and forth along her shoulder with the rhythm of a ticking clock. "Me too," he whispered, so softly Jack barely caught the words.
Jack's mind flitted to the words they'd exchanged only days before in this very spot. "Remember that promise you made to me?" Jack asked.
Donovan shifted, turning on his side and leaning an elbow against the edge of the seat so he could look down at her. The distant fire painted shadows against his warm skin and dark eyes. "I remember."
"Can we, then?" Jack said, sitting up and facing him. She touched his knee and leaned forward. "Can we run away?"
Donovan touched Jack's face, resting in the crook of her jaw. "This very instant, if you'd like."
Jack turned forward and took hold of the steering wheel. "Well, then, let's go!"
Donovan laughed as he sat up, catching Jack's arm and turning her towards him. "I have a better idea," he said, and Jack frowned. She knew that mischievous glint in his eye.
"What, exactly, is your idea?" she asked.
"Do you remember what I told you after we got out of the fire?" Donovan asked, the glint gone and replaced by the sincerity she'd come to love.
With those words, Jack knew exactly what he was about to say, and she sat up, her back straight. "What?" she whispered.
Donovan faced her, taking her hands in his. "I swore I'd marry you someday, and I meant it. Marry me, Jack, here, now, tonight. Before something else happens that pulls us apart. You know I love you. I don't know what's going to happen next week or tomorrow or tonight, but right now, there isn't anything stopping us."
Jack's heart hammered in her chest, but she knew what her answer would be. Perhaps she'd known her answer to this question from the moment she saw him watching her climb the tree outside her house.
"Well, fine, then," she said. "Let's get married."
A smile burst onto Donovan's face, and he squeezed her hands. "Really? I didn't believe you'd actually say yes."
"Why wouldn't I?" Jack asked, screwing up her nose. "I love you, don't I?"
Donovan studied her for a long moment, his eyes lingering on Jack's then dropping to her lips. "More than I deserve," he murmured, reaching for her shoulder and pulling her into a kiss.
His lips were hot on hers, and Jack tried to imagine this moment, this ecstasy, this emotion, lasting the rest of her life. It was too big an idea, too much joy for her to contain. She broke apart from the kiss and pushed him to climb out of the car.
"Let's go tell everyone," Jack said. "Reverend Smalley can perform the ceremony right in front of the fire."
Donovan laughed, the sound rich and rolling. "In front of the pig carcass?"
Jack rolled her eyes. "That wouldn't be the strangest thing we've endured so far. I am getting married in pants, after all."
Donovan frowned. "Do you mind? I mean, do you want a formal church wedding?"
Jack looked down at her faded trousers, her loose hair brushing her cheek, and laughed. "No, this is perfect. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Donovan shook his head at her, laughing again. Jack liked that sound, that easy rumbling laugh that she'd heard far too rarely. She leaned on her tiptoes and kissed him, then pulled on his hand toward the town, skipping like a schoolgirl.
In only a few minutes, everyone Jack loved stood in a circle around the two of them and Reverend Smalley. Corrie had given Jack a blue handkerchief as her something blue and something borrowed, and Hannah created a chain of paper flowers for on her hair from extra newspaper--something new. Anita gave the final gift, a hair clip embedded with three shining diamonds.
"Here, Jacqueline," she said, pressing the comb into Jack's loose blonde tresses. "Something from mother. Something old."
No one presented the bride; Jack and Donovan merely stood in front of the fire, the warm light painting shadows on their skin and their casual clothing. They held hands and stared at each other, ignoring every word Reverend Smalley said. Jack didn't need to listen to the preacher's admonitions to love and care for each other all the days of their lives; hadn't they already shown their willingness to do so in the days before? Donovan had sacrificed his life for Jack, and she'd rescued him from a burning building. She didn't listen to the vows murmured, for the buzzing of joy and anticipation in her ears was too loud. Yes, she would take this man to be her husband. Yes, she would love him all the days of her life. Yes, yes, yes.
Donovan answered his vows with a nod. "Always."
When it was Jack's turn, she'd heard the repeated words for so long that her agreement was bursting on her lips, and she finally exclaimed, "Of course I do!"
Donovan laughed and before Reverend Smalley could pronounce them man and wife or command them to do so, Donovan kissed her. His hand knotted in the loose material of her shirt at the small of her back and Jack clung to his shoulders. His kiss was familiar, the fulfillment of a promise, and Jack could have rested in it forever.
That is, until the jeering and cheers of the crowd forced them to pull away and accept the congratulations of their friends and family. Donovan kept Jack's hand securely in his, and Jack could hardly do anything but smile when Corrie hugged her and Minnie told her she was crazy. She was married. Married to Kitchi Donovan.
Finally, Donovan pulled her away from the masses and they ran to the car, and leapt inside. They would not return home; they would drive off into the distance and discover whatever they wished to. They had each other, and in that moment, Jack was convinced that was quite enough.
Donovan started the engine and smiled at her. "Well, Mrs. Donovan, are you ready for the next adventure?"
"Only if you call me Jack."
That's the end of our wonderful adventure with Jack! She is one of my favorite heroines ever and I loved telling her and Donovan's story. Thank you for reading, and be sure to check out some of my other stories if you liked Jack's!
~ Hannah