Audrey had a few friends at school, but there was little time to spend with them since she always rushed home after school to help her mother. The friendships dwindled away as a result. She would have liked to spend time with her old girlfriends, but her life was one of responsibility and duty, which left no time for anything else. She was an excellent student. Her mother had been startled and touched when she decided to go to nursing school. Audrey had a gentle nature and a very nurturing side, which made nursing appeal to her, even beyond her mother’s illness. Whatever her motivation for going, Ellen thought she’d make an excellent nurse one day. She had a natural gift for medicine, and caring for others.
Audrey was sad that her brother would be going away for basic flight training. She loved having him nearby. He made everything seem lighter to her when she saw him. He lived in the dorms, but came home frequently to have a meal with her and their mother, or to take Audrey out for an hour. All of that was going to change now. After basic training, he’d be stationed somewhere else. She felt as though their days as a family were over. In a sense, Will had become her only friend. His leaving was going to be a loss and hardship for her.
She tried not to think of it as she helped her mother dress for the graduation ceremony. Ellen looked lovely in her blue-gray silk suit, and sat waiting on the couch in the living room for Audrey to dress hurriedly. She was wearing a red cotton suit, and was unaware of how beautiful she looked as she helped her mother stand and walk to the front door with her awkward halting gait. She held her mother’s arm firmly, helped her into the car, and drove them to the Yard, which was what everyone called the campus. Audrey had recently gotten her driver’s license and was a careful driver. She was responsible in all things, and enjoyed driving and the sense of freedom it gave her. She felt very grown up at the wheel of the family car. Both women were smiling as they took their places and waited for the graduation to begin.
When he appeared in the procession of graduating students, Will looked as tall and handsome as their father had been: six feet four, with straight blond hair that was neatly trimmed, and broad shoulders. He was wearing his dress white uniform. He was graduating with honors, which was no surprise to either of them. The graduates marched in while the Annapolis band played. President Roosevelt was the commencement speaker, and there were several other speeches. The diplomas were handed out, after which, as dictated by tradition, all the graduates threw their hats in the air in jubilation, clapped each other on the back, and there was a brief moment of pandemonium. The ceremony ended when they all sang “Navy Blue and Gold,” and Audrey saw that her mother was crying. It was an emotional moment for both of them, and William was beaming when he came to find them afterwards.
He promised to meet up with his friends again later in the day and helped walk his mother to the car in the parking lot. He drove them to Reynolds Tavern, where there were graduates having lunch with their families at almost every table.
Ellen couldn’t believe how quickly Will’s Annapolis years had sped past them. His father had died during Will’s freshman year, and the next three years had been a blur to Ellen, and to Audrey too, while she worried about her mother and learned how to care for her and address her increasing needs. And soon Will would be a navy pilot. He was twenty-two years old, and looked every inch like what an Annapolis graduate should look like. He was the perfect all-American boy. Tall, ramrod straight, a powerful athlete with a bright mind, broad smile, and kind heart. In Ellen and Audrey’s eyes, he was the perfect son and brother, and his father would have been proud of him too.
He drove them home after lunch, and Audrey could see that he was eager to meet up with his friends again. They all had plans for that night, and she knew that Will would be seeing the girl he had been dating most recently. She was a beautiful local girl, but he wasn’t serious about her. Will loved to have fun, and he had big plans that centered more around airplanes than women for the moment. He’d always had an easy time meeting women, but he was careful not to get too deeply involved. His father had warned him about that. Will wanted a career in the navy, and he had years ahead of him before he’d want to settle down. Several of his classmates were already engaged, and there were a number of weddings planned in the next few months. Will thought that at their age, it would be more of a burden than an asset. He had no interest in marriage for the next many years. He couldn’t wait to start flight school and was excited to become a lieutenant eventually. This was only the first step in what he hoped would be a long, distinguished career like his father’s and grandfather’s. There had been talk of tensions rising in Europe, and a possible war coming, but even if there was one, they were certain the United States would never get into it. They had learned that lesson once, with the last war. Never again.