“Hi, Audrey? I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’m Tom Vandenberg.” He stuck out his hand to shake hers. It took Eve a moment for the name to register.
“Of course! Robert’s friend. One of the Famous Four. I’m so glad to meet you.”
“Me, too. Bob told me so much about you.”
Eve’s unease threatened to slide into panic. Surely Robert would have shown his friend pictures of Audrey and talked about her. She longed to run and hide but knew it would be the worst thing to do.
“And here—I brought a Christmas present for your son.” Tom handed Eve a lumpy, oversize leather glove with a red bow stuck to it. He must have noticed her puzzled expression because he quickly added, “It’s a baseball mitt.”
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”
“The glove comes with lessons from me on how to play catch.”
He seemed so earnest and genuine that Eve couldn’t help smiling. “Robbie is still a little young to throw a ball, Mr. Vandenberg—”
“It’s Tom. Please, call me Tom.”
“But it’s a lovely offer,” she said as she took the mitt from him. “Thank you.” Robbie reached for it, tugging on the bright-red bow.
“We all promised we’d take care of each other’s families after the war if anything happened to one of us. I visit Arnie and his folks whenever I can, help them out if they need it.”
This was Eve’s chance to ask about Louis, but she needed to take her time. “How is Arnie?”
“Not good. He was the last of us to come home, and he’s suffering some sort of shell shock. Barely talks, lives like a recluse.”
“Wasn’t he studying to be a veterinarian?”
“He could finish on the G.I. Bill, but he won’t leave his house. His parents say we should give him time.”
“He married a girl he met in Germany, didn’t he? I remember Robert saying I wouldn’t be the only war bride in town.”
“I don’t know what happened in Germany, and he won’t talk about it. Listen, I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you, moving so far from home. But I’d love to get to know you and Bob’s son, if you’ll let me. When he gets a little older, I can teach him to play all the sports that Bob and I used to play.” He reached out to ruffle Robbie’s hair. “So Bob had a redhead, huh? Louis is the one we always called Carrot Top.”
Eve felt her cheeks grow warm. She wanted to escape his scrutiny. Yet she was Audrey now. She needed to do what Audrey would do. “How is Louis? Does he still live in town? I haven’t seen him since we arrived.”
“He moved to New Rochelle to open a branch of his father’s insurance company. Couldn’t stand the small-town life after being abroad. I hardly ever see him. He was devastated when Bob died. We all were.”
“Would you like to come in and sit down, Tom?” she finally thought to ask.
“I can’t stay. I need to head home. But I also wanted to tell you that you’re welcome to come out to the farm whenever you want. I live in the country, just outside of town. Your son might enjoy seeing the animals or exploring the woods. Bob and I spent a lot of time playing in those woods when we were kids.”
Eve swallowed a knot of grief, longing to be a girl again, roaming the woods, running barefoot, climbing trees.
“Although maybe you don’t like the country,” Tom continued when she didn’t reply. “Bob said you were related to the king of England.”
“The king is a very distant relative,” Eve said, laughing. “And even he loves spending time in the country at Windsor Castle.”
“Well, our farm isn’t a palace, that’s for sure, but you’re welcome anytime. There’s a pond you can skate on, and we have a great toboggan hill behind the barn.”
“I would love that, Tom. Thank you.” She filed away the information for another day, knowing her soul might need the balm of forests and country hillsides.
“Well, I should be going.”
“Yes . . . well . . . thank you for coming, Tom. And for the Christmas present.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you around.” He gave a salute with his stocking cap and left. Eve closed the door behind him, able to breathe again.
27
USA, JUNE 1950
The Barretts held the party to celebrate Robbie’s fourth birthday at the country club. Eve watched her son running around with thirty other children in expensive party clothes, eating candy and popping balloons, and wondered how the past three and a half years in America could have flown by so fast. There was an enormous birthday cake, clowns doing magic tricks, pony rides in the country club’s parking lot. The extravagance overwhelmed Eve, yet Robbie seemed to take it all for granted as if it were his birthright, including the towering pile of birthday presents. Would he grow up shackled to his wealth, like Alfie?