The Sky Beneath Her(61)

The chief mate’s easy manner teased some of the strain tightening my nerves. “How long have you served?”

“Since 1940.”

“The war drew you?”

“I’d always planned to go to sea. My folks wanted me to wait until I finished college, and I would have if not for the war. I’ve promised my mother that I’ll return once the fighting ends.”

He was approximately twenty-two, very close to my age, yet I felt ancient compared to him. “Was that wise?”

“I don’t know how a degree will make me happy. Maybe one day it will. It sure would make my ma happy.”

University had always been out of the question for me, but I’d longed to go. My marriage to Alfred had been my uncle’s greatest dream for me. “I’m sure they have great plans for you.”

“I suppose you’re right.” He glanced at my belly, and then his cheeks reddened a fraction, as if he’d seen something indecent. “I guess you would know.”

“Because . . .”

“You almost being a mother and all.”

“I don’t have any idea what I’m doing, Chief Mate. I don’t know how to be a mother. For most of my life, it was just my uncle and me.” I swallowed as I thought back to the coin I’d tossed into the river when I made my wish.

He eyed me as if he’d picked up a sorrow buried under the words. “Where are you going?”

“New York City.” I spoke with surprising confidence. “A distant cousin is waiting.” Again, I turned the conversation in a different heading. “Are you on duty?”

“Soon, but not yet. I was just killing a little time before returning to duty. You go ahead and drink your coffee before it gets cold.”

“Thank you.” I sipped. “What does a chief mate do?”

“I oversee all the operations on the ship. I’m in charge of the men who run the engines, maintain lifeboats, and service the big guns.”

“I saw the guns when I boarded.”

“They are .50 calibers. They are a force, and if any sub thinks it’s going to get one over on us, we’ll have a few words with them.”

He sounded so brash. So sure. Young. “Have you fought the subs before?”

“I’ve seen them. We cracked off a few rounds in January when a periscope was spotted, but we didn’t sink one. They’re sneaky bastards.” He blushed. “Excuse my language.”

I waved away his concern. “Do you think we’re in danger?”

“I’d be lying if I said we weren’t. The subs have destroyed their fair share of ships near the United States’ East Coast.”

“I’ve seen nothing in the papers.”

“Not much has been written about the sinking ships near the US coast. But we all know the North Carolina shoreline is a graveyard.” As if catching himself, he added, “It’s always been tricky sailing off that coast, but Captain Stoddard is experienced and won’t be fooled by the U-boats or the shoals.”

“Shoals?”

He drew a faint line off the Outer Banks where it elbowed into the ocean. “Sandbars under the water’s surface. They shift often, and if a sailor isn’t watching, he can get his ship caught up in one.”

“How many ships have been sunk by U-boats?”

“I don’t have an exact number. But my pa writes me from time to time. He can see ships burning on the water from the beach. Says there are nights when the skyline is all lit up. Government wants it kept quiet, so he doesn’t say too much about it beyond me and my brothers.”

“Why is this war such a secret in the United States?” It had been unavoidable in Austria and as I crossed Europe.

He carefully folded the map and placed the paper and pen back in his pocket. His gaze traveled toward the ocean and grew wistful. “Uncle Sam doesn’t want anyone knowing the Krauts are that close to US soil.”

“Uncle Sam?”

“The US government. They know if we can see the German subs, they sure can see us.”

My heart accelerated with unease.

Again, as if he realized what he’d said, he amended himself. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Werner. The Oceanus is sailing at top speed, and we’re a hard target to hit. We’ll be in New York City by the weekend.”

Time was tricky. Seconds could fly by one day and drag painfully on the next. I held up my coffee cup. “Cheers to outrunning the Germans.”

He nodded. “I second that.”

“Where will you go after this trip?”

“It’s back to Norfolk, Virginia. Normally, I don’t serve on the Oceanus, but she was shorthanded, so I was ordered to serve as chief mate on this trip.”

“And then?”

“I’ll have a few weeks’ leave to see my parents, and then I’ll be reassigned to a new vessel.”

My mother was a distant memory, and our time together felt more like a dream than part of my life. But I missed my uncle, who had smelled of tobacco and old books. “It’ll be good to see your parents.”

“Sure. I miss them something awful.”

I was glad my uncle wasn’t alive to see the war or the results of the marriage he’d put so much hope into.

“So, it’s just you and the baby?” Chief Mate Riggs said.