Farewell Kiss

Farewell Kiss

Pretty Adeline McCormick, daughter of the ranch owner Frederick O'Reilly worked for, was nice enough to offer him a ride to the train station some thirty miles from home in Hand County, South Dakota. The thoroughly modern sporty car was small but Frederick's mom, Leona, and little sister, Maggie, granted a rare holiday from their never ending duties keeping house for Patrick O'Reilly's red-headed mob of boys, squeezed in to see Fred off to military training so far away they couldn't comprehend where he would be. Then after boot camp, whatever that meant, he would be sent across an ocean to fight someone else's war never knowing if he would ever return home again.

Four long months ago the hard-working sharecropping family learned about the war declared by the US Congress against the aggressor Germany. President Wilson tried for two years to stay out of the foreign war but once U-boats started sinking cargo and passenger ships with Americans on board it was hard to ignore the threat. Unfortunately, America was ill prepared for a navel or ground war. So far casualties were extensive.

Not deterred, Frederick was anxious to prove his mettle. But first there were set backs. He needed to wait until he turned eighteen to volunteer for duty. Some claimed it would ease conditions to volunteer rather than wait to be drafted. Others thought it would simply mean volunteers would be the first to die.

More traumatic than waiting for a birthday was losing baby Harry. That nearly killed his long suffering mother. Not to mention devastating six-year-old Maggie who had appointed herself caretaker of the little guy. At age thirty-five and already the overworked mother of six, Leona had a rough time recuperating from the pregnancy and birth three months before the tragic ending. The infant suffered a recurring case of croup and that very night the family heard about the war he passed away in his sleep.

Maggie cried for weeks on Freddie's shoulder in the evenings. Leona became like a ghost lady floating her never ending work circle about the house and vegetable gardens. At least her husband, Patrick, relaxed a few of his ironclad rules concerning the four red-headed boys doing women's work in the house and assigned seven-year-old Stuart more chores around the house.

Frederick hoped his stepfather had learned a lesson and would keep his sperm worm to himself. Still, as she became more emancipated, he thought he detected another rounding bump about her middle. It infuriated Fred. One reason he wanted to better himself was so he could put his mother in a better position than slaving for that old Irishman. He hated to leave her now but truly saw the war as his means to escape the hard labor he was sentenced to himself in the ranch forge. Surely in the army they recognized intelligence and he could rise above being only a grunt. After all, he had his mother's royal blood surging through his veins and he was ready to finally prove it.

Wind whistled through all the cracks of the dust covered Buick which made hearing difficult so the four rode mostly in silence with their own thoughts racing the miles. Maggie, who had never gone further than five miles from her home in any direction, bounced on the edge of her seat eyes wide trying to take in all the wonders of this endless open country. Mostly it was crops browning in the fields awaiting harvest interspersed with great herds of cattle over rolling hills. She wore her Sunday-go-to-meeting brown velvety dress with her front row of long golden-red banana curls tied up in a crisp large bow at the crown and the rest falling around her shoulders catching the breeze.

Leona sat stoned face staring straight ahead. As usual it was hard to tell what she was thinking. Frederick was sure she was not happy about his decision to desert his family now at this most busy time of the year. Husband, Patrick, and the older three boys would be out even longer hours exhausting themselves harvesting. She was dressed in her best shirt waist dress buttoned high to her neck with her thick blond hair braided and tucked under a less than current fashion bowl type hat with rounded brim.

Adeline chewed on the corner of her bottom lip steeling furtive glances over to handsome Frederick watching a wayward fringe of dark hair that kept falling into his eyes wishing she could whisk it back into place. Why would he never pay her any mind all these years? Now sadly he's leaving. How far away? Would he ever return?

Frederick fought to contain his excitement about striking out on his own. Away from the grind of working the forge in a ranch that wasn't his own. Away from the disapproving criticism of his step-father. Away from having to watch his mother slowly succumbing to drudgery of a life beneath her destiny. He looked down at his permanently grease caked fingernails and calloused hands wishing he could reach out to enfold Adeline's delicate hand just once.

At the train platform Frederick put down his duffle bag and picked up Maggie. “I don't want you to go, Freddie. Who's going to save me from Ralphy and Hughy? “

He looked into her clear gray eyes starting to brim with tears. He knew this child would be a heart breaker someday because his was already starting to crack. He kissed her crown near her bow as she buried her face in his shoulder. “Stu and Danny will be able to help you stand firm against their bullying. You're much braver now than you used to be. Be sure that doll of yours, Angel, saves me a place at her tea party.” He hugged her tight before setting her gently down and turning toward his mother.

He put his hands on Leona's shoulders making her face him. “I know you don't want me to go but I must to survive. I can't abide watching that selfish man drain every good thing out of you. You deserve so much more. Once I've proven myself I'll come back and be able to give you some relief from these burdens. I'll at least hire a helper for you.” His arms encircled her and she clung desperately to him.

“I lost my youngest baby. I can't lose my oldest one, too. You must come back to me or I will die.” Oh, how he wished he could get her to smile!

After a long hug he peeled her away and placed her hand in Maggie's. “Will you promise to look after each other? I'll write as often as I can while still in the States then I don't know if it will be possible. Remember I love you so much. I'm doing this for you even if it doesn't feel like it.”

The young soldier picked up his bag and walked toward the steps of the train. Suddenly nervous Adeline intercepted him, threw her arms around his neck and planted a passionate kiss directly on his lips. Yielding to her unexpected ardor he molded her closer to his body tenderly kissing her lips, ear lobes, neck, lashes and back to lips.

“Oh, Frederick!” she gasped, “You must know I've longed for this forever. And now, now you are leaving. My heart may break!”

“I, I never knew. You're way out of my league. I, I...What would your father say?”

“He'd be happy as long as I was. Please promise you'll keep yourself alive. I don't understand why you want to volunteer to put yourself in the line of fire.”

“It's for them.” He nodded back toward his mother and sister. “Could you do me a favor and kind of look out for them? My Pa says he loves them but works them so hard. I want to come back and make their lives easier however I can.”

“I had no idea your family isn't happy. You have so many to love. I only have my father.”

“You're blessed in other ways. I guess we're blessed but we have bigger dreams, too.”

As steam billowed up around them the conductor cried out, “ALL ABOARD!”.

“Of course, I'll do what I can. Um, please kiss me one more time so I'll have something to remember you by?” Adeline pleaded pulling a strand of shiny dark hair away from her face.

Fred tilted her face up with a finger under her chin, caressed her dimpled cheeks in his calloused hands memorizing her green eyes and up-turned nose. “My pleasure” he smiled eagerly claiming another farewell kiss.