"Not that we're married," Flo said. "But I have to let them know where I am. I'm assistant chief nurse. She knows damned well that I'm not coming up here alone to count the pineapples; she knows I'm still 'dating' Stefan. She's always making some sweet little crack, you know, 'give my regards to Sergeant Oblensky,' like that."
"I don't think she'll say anything," Charley said. "You know too much about her."
"I know more about her than you think I do," Flo said, "but now that she's running around with that lieutenant of yours, no telling what she's liable to do."
By then, she had finished making the drinks. She handed them out.
"Well, welcome to our happy home," she said.
"Thank you," Jim said.
"I'm getting really sick of the whole goddamned thing," Big Steve said, "hiding out like we're doing something wrong. I'm pretty close to telling them. 'We're married. Fuck you, what are you going to do about it?' "
"Watch your mouth, Honeybun!" Flo snapped.
"They wouldn't court-martial us," Big Steve went on. "That's bullshit."
"Maybe not. You can never tell," Charley said. "But they'd sure as hell transfer one of you. Probably you. You'd spend the war changing Yellow Peril engines at Quantico or Pensacola. You could kiss these weekends up here goodbye."
"What the hell's the difference? Here or Pee-Cola? The fuckers won't let me fly anymore anyway."
"You're too goddamned old to fly, you old fart," Charley said, laughing. "The Corps's not flying Spads any more."
"I don't know what the hell is with you two," Flo said, angrily. "Watch your mouths, there's a lady present!"
"Sorry," Big Steve said, contritely.
"Just watch it!" she said. Then, "Charley's right, Honey-bun. Be grateful for what we have. Don't do something dumb."
"Just because he's an officer now don't make him smart," Big Steve said.
"The hell it doesn't!" Charley protested, jokingly. "We officers have to know how to read and write and how to tie our own shoes. Don't we, Flo?"
"You tell him, Charley," Flo said, laughing.
"If you're so fu-smart, Captain, Sir," Big Steve said, "tell me about Guadacanal."
"About what?"
"Guadacanal," Big Steve said, triumphantly.
"Never heard of it," Charley confessed.
"Well, for your general information, Captain, Sir, it's an island. The Japs are building a fighter base on it, and the First Marine Division is going to take it away from them."
This scuttlebutt has the ring of truth to it, Charley decided.
"Where is this island?" Charley asked.
Big Steve shrugged his massive shoulders.
"It's in the Solomon Islands, Charley," Flo said, softly. "Down by Australia. And it's Guadalcanal, with an 'L.' I heard the same thing. They've been levying us for doctors and corpsmen. I heard they're going to invade this place right after the first of the month."
"You heard that too, huh, Honey?" Big Steve asked.
Charley looked at Jim Ward.
"Jim, do I have to tell you not to repeat this scuttlebutt?"
"No, Sir. Of course not."
"I don't even know where the Solomon Islands are," Charley said, as much to himself as to the others.
"Wait a minute," Big Steve said. "I brung some maps. I was going to ask Flo."
He left the kitchen. They heard him a moment later walking across the living room, and then they heard the screen door screeching.
"Straight poop, would you say, Flo?" Charley asked softly.
She nodded. "I don't know where he heard it, but I'd bet on my information."
The screen door slammed again, and then Big Steve called for them to come into the living room. They went in, to find him fastening the corners of a large map to the floor with ashtrays and a bottle.
They all got on their knees and examined the map.
"There it is," Flo said, pointing. "And those itsy-bitsy little islands near it. Tulagi and Gavutu. I heard that, too."
"God," Charley said thoughtfully. "It's a long way from nowhere, isn't it?"
There was no reply, except a grunt from Big Steve. And then Charley asked for a sheet of paper and a pencil. When Flo produced both, he laid the paper on the map and copied the scale from it.
Then he began moving the paper around on the map.
"What the hell are you doing?" Big Steve asked, taking the words from Jim's mouth.
"Ssssh, Honeybun," Flo said.
Finally, Charley sat back on his heels.
"Well, if this is the place the First Marine Division is going, they're going without VMF-229," he said.
"How can you tell that?" Jim asked, curiously, not as a challenge.
"Because it's out of fighter range from any land airbase we control," Charley said. "Which means they're going to have to use carrier-based aviation. And VMF-229 is not carrier qualified. I think only Dunn and me ever were."
Big Steve grunted again.