Chapter 57 Chapter fifty-six

No sooner had Pug left than Byron arrived. Two days after the Clipper flew to the Azores, Pag's first stop on the detour to Moscow, the destroyer Brown sailed upriver into New York Harbor.Joyful sailors huddled on the bridge, stomped their feet with their hands in the pockets of their duffel jackets, and poured out gleefully their eagerness to go ashore for leave and to have fun.Byron stood alone, in a thick blue navy overcoat, a white silk scarf, and a white top hat.He gazed up at the Statue of Liberty all around him in a clear, cold midwinter sun as the green behemoth rolled slowly by.The sailors on board all respectfully stayed away from the officer who boarded the ship.Due to the shortage of officers on the ship, he also participated in the deck duty during the voyage; but on the bridge, it was rare to hear this indifferent duty officer speak, and it was even more rare to see his smile.Joining the watch made him feel as if he were at war again, and the other officers on the Brown, for he shared the drudgery of their three shifts, were grateful and considered him one of their own.

As soon as the convoy disbanded, some of the merchant ships headed for the pier of New Jersey, some of the merchant ships headed for the sunlit skyscrapers of Manhattan, and the ships serving as cover sailed for Brooklyn. The sweaty quarters jingled. As soon as the "Brown" was set up at the refueling pier, he was the first to rush off the diving board and run into the unique telephone booth on the pier.When he got through to the switchboard of the State Department, there was already a long queue of sailors outside the booth. "Byron! Where are you? When did you get back?" Leslie.Slote's voice was hoarse, and he seemed restless.

"Brooklyn Navy Pier. Just docked. Any news from Natalie and the baby?" "Hmm—" Hearing Sloter's hesitant tone, Byron immediately felt uneasy. "—they're safe and sound, that's the main thing, isn't it? The thing is, they've been transferred to Baden-Baden with the rest of the Americans stuck in Lourdes, just temporarily, understand? It will be exchanged soon, and besides—” "Baden-Baden?" Byron interrupted. "You mean Germany? Natalie is in Germany?" "Well, yes, but—" "Oh my god!" "Look, there's something reassuring about this too. They're in a fancy hotel with first-class treatment. Brenner Park. They're still journalists, and they're still talking to diplomats, journalists, The Red Cross staff stayed with these people. The leader was our former Chargé d'affaires in Vichy, Pinckney Tucker. There was a Swiss diplomat in the hotel to take care of their rights. There was also a German Foreign Office man, A French official. We have a large number of Germans on our hands who the German government is desperate to get back. Now it's just a matter of time to bargain."

"Are there any other Jews in that party?" "I don't know. I happen to be very busy right now, Byron. If it's convenient, you can call my house at night." Slote gave him the number and hung up. The officer's sitting room was full of officers, all fully dressed and ready to go ashore. When Byron passed by, his face was pale and his expression was frightening. Everyone fell silent and stopped joking.Alone in the cabin, Byron folded his uniform and put it in his suitcase, trying to think of his next plan, but he could hardly think calmly.If meeting a German on a French train had seemed too dangerous to Natalie, how could she bear it now?Now she's in Nazi Germany, across the line, on their side!It was unimaginable; she must have been scared out of her wits.When he was in Lisbon, Sloter once talked about the experience of the Jews, which made people's blood freeze. He even declared that after returning to Washington, he would present conclusive evidence to President Roosevelt.Byron regarded the legend as unbelievable, a hysterical exaggeration of what might have happened in Germany in the fog of war.He was not worried that his wife and children would be drawn into the catastrophe on the European continent if they were in such a dangerous situation, and would be packed into a train with other Jews and transported to a secret concentration camp in Poland, where they would be gassed to death , and burned to ashes.This is a myth; even the Germans could not have done such a thing.

He did fear, however, that diplomatic protection might not help them.They were refugees fleeing illegally from fascist Italy, and their press credentials were forged.If the Germans turned their backs, they were likely to be the first to be singled out for mistreatment among the Americans detained in Baden-Baden.Louis may have been ill from the abuse, or he may have died young, he was still a newborn baby!Byron left the Brown with a heavy, dejected heart. Carrying a small suitcase, he trudged across the pier among workers who had just left work and flocked to lunch.He decided to find Madeleine first, spend the night in New York, then go to Washington, from there to San Francisco, or, if the Moray had sailed, to Pearl Harbor.But how to find Madeleine?His mother had written to say she was going to Hugh again.Cleveland's men went to work, and she gave him her address on Claremont Street, near Columbia University.He figured he could put his luggage in his old fraternity house first, and spend the night there if Madeleine couldn't be found.He hadn't heard from her since they parted in California.

The taxi meandered through Brooklyn, onto the Williamsburg Bridge, another majestic sight of skyscrapers, and then into the lower east end of Manhattan, where he saw countless Jewish Back and forth on the sidewalks on both sides, so my thoughts circled back to Natalie.When meeting her for the first time, the first impression she gave him was that she was a sophisticated and authentic American, but at the same time she had a hint of Jewish flavor, which made her even more charming.She mentioned her Jewish origin only occasionally, when she was talking to herself, or when she showed Sloter contempt for taking it as a problem.However, in Marseilles, because of her Jewish blood, she was in a state of powerlessness and unable to move an inch.Byron couldn't understand this.He had never cared much for racial distinctions; he thought they were just inexplicable prejudices.His attitude toward Nazi theories was one of disbelief and contempt.He felt that such things were beyond his comprehension, but he could not get rid of his annoyance and disappointment at his obstinate wife; his anxiety about his son was simply intolerable.

The walls of the fraternity dorms are still the same dusty pennants and trophies of old.The brick fireplace is still full of cold firewood ashes, fruit peels, cigarette boxes and cigarette butts, and there is still a portrait of an early fund benefactor on the mantelpiece, but after several years of fire and smoke, it has become More blurred and dimmer.Just like before, two college students were playing ping-pong on the ping-pong table, the ball was going back and forth, and some spectators were sitting on some dilapidated sofas to kill time; just like before, harsh jazz made the walls tremble.The place looked as if it had been taken over by a group of high school kids, surprisingly young, with fresh, acne-ridden faces, one of the most freckled of them all, who introduced himself to Byron as the president of the chapter here.He had obviously never heard Byron's name, but Byron's officer's uniform won him admiration.

"Hello," he yelled upstairs, "who's using Jeff's room? An old member is staying the night." No one answered.Chairman Freckles accompanied Byron to a back room upstairs, where Marlene was still hanging diagonally.Dietrich's already slightly wrinkled sepia photo.The chairman explained that Jeff, who lived here, had suddenly enlisted in the Marine Corps because he was likely to fail his midterms.When he revealed this inside story, the smile of a well-behaved Columbia student on his face made Byron feel very kind. It's one o'clock.There was no need to find Madeleine at this time, the staff on the radio station had already gone out for lunch.Byron was on the midnight watch on the ship and hadn't slept since.He set the alarm clock until three o'clock, and then lay down on the Xiaobian bed.The piercing jazz music was beating wildly for a while, and screaming for a while, but it couldn't prevent Byron from falling asleep immediately.

stop.Cleveland, Enterprise Corporation, 630 Fifth Avenue.The telephone book next to the telephone under the stairs was still two years old, but he tried the numbers in the book.A young girl's hurried voice came from the phone. "Office of the Program Coordinator, this is Miss Brian." "Hi, I'm Madeline. Henry's brother. Is she there?" "You're her brother? You're Byron, submarine officer? Really?" "Yes. I'm in New York." "Oh, great! She's in a meeting. Where can she find you? She'll be back in about an hour."

Byron told her the number of the automatic toll call, and then found the chairman through the smog, and asked him to write down the content as soon as he got a call, and the chairman readily agreed.He escaped from the din of jazz and walked into the windy streets, where he heard a different piece of music: "Washington Post March."On the South Playground, a group of naval cadets in blue uniforms were lined up neatly, practicing back and forth with rifles in hand.When Byron was at school, the only parade on the South Field was a raucous anti-war rally.It might take another year, Byron thought, for the cadets to go to sea, and then months before they would be eligible for sea duty.Looking at this group of reserve cadets who are still in training and not out of their childishness makes him very satisfied with his combat record; however, at the moment when he is depressed, he can't help but feel puzzled. How to die, what is there to appreciate?

Since there was nothing else to do, why not walk over to the old USS Prairie State, where he had been training in the reserves?He walked first to Broadway and then to the river at 125th Street, where the decommissioned old battleship was moored, full of cadets.The smell of the Hudson, the bosun's whistle and the announcement from the megaphone all added to his nostalgia.On the "Prairie State," during those long nights of bragging with all men, a subject that was often brought up was what kind of wife each man wanted!Back then, Hitler and the Nazi Party were little more than newsreel jokes; demonstrating students at Columbia University signed protest after protest swearing off all wars.Now, when he stood at the end of 125th Street, facing such a familiar scene, Natalie's dangerous situation seemed to be a dreamland of pancreas. It occurred to Byron that he might as well have returned to the fraternity via Claremont Street, slipping a note under Madeline's door and telling her where he lived.He found the house and rang the bell next to her name outside the gate.The doorbell inside rang an echo, so it seemed that she was home!He opened the door, ran up two flights of stairs, and rang her doorbell. To break into a woman's room without warning is a very inappropriate move under almost any circumstances: to your lover, to your wife, to your mother, let alone your sister , are not acceptable.Madeleine was wearing a fluffy pajamas, her black hair fell to her shoulders, she poked her head out and saw Byron.Her eyes were wide open, as if she was about to stare, and she exclaimed "Oops!" as if he had actually ventured in and happened to see her naked, or, as if she had seen a a mouse or a snake. Before Byron could speak, a man's deep voice came from the room: "What's the matter, dear?" Hugh appeared behind him.cleveland.His upper body was naked, his lower body was wrapped in a fluffy printed bath towel, and he was scratching the hair on his chest with both hands. "It's Byron," Madeline gasped. "Hello, Byron. Good God, when did you get back?" Like her, Byron felt uncomfortable and asked, "You don't know that I left you a message?" "What reply? No, I know nothing. My Jesus, you have come, come in." "Ring, Byron;" Hugh.Cleveland greeted with a charming smile, showing his big white teeth. "Why, are you two married yet?" Byron asked, walking into a well-furnished sitting room where on the table stood an ice cube, a bottle of whiskey, and several soda bottles. Cleveland and Madeline exchanged glances, and Madeline said: "My good brother, how long are you going to stay here? Are you living in UL? God, why don't you write a letter first, or come to A phone call, or a word?" A door to the bedroom was open, and Byron could see a messy double bed inside.Although he also admitted in thought that his sister may have misbehaved, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he was unwilling to believe his own eyes.To Madeline, he said bluntly and directly, "Madeline, answer me, are you married, or what?" stop.Cleveland was quite sensible at this moment not to open his mouth, but he spread his hands, opened his wide mouth to show his white teeth, and said with a deep and deep voice, smiling affectionately: "You see, We are all adults, Byron, and it is the twentieth century again.So, if you-" Although Byron was wearing a thick navy coat, he quickly drew back his arms and hit Cleveland's smiling face with a fist. Madeline said "Oops!" this time louder and shriller than the last time.Cleveland fell to the ground like a bull that has been struck by the axe, but he was not knocked unconscious.Because he happened to put his hands on the ground, knelt down on his knees, and lay on the ground, he immediately stood up.His towel slipped to the floor, and he stood there naked.The big snow-white belly bulged outwards, with two slender legs and genitals underneath.This appearance is obviously very unsightly, but compared with the deformed appearance, it is much inferior.He looked like a Dracule at this moment, his upper front teeth seemed to be all made of iron into small points, with slightly longer canines on each side. "My God, Hugh," cried Madeline, "your teeth! Look at your teeth!" stop.Cleveland stumbled over to a mirror on the wall, grinned at it, and let out a strange moan. "Jesus Christ, my braces! My porcelain braces. I put them in fifteen hundred dollars!" He looked around the floor, throwing a tantrum at Byron's mouth. "Why are you talking?" My fist? How could you be so unreasonable? Help me find it, find it quickly!" Madeline cried out nervously, "Put on something, for God's sake, please! Don't be so naked, jumping around like a naked sparrow." Cleveland blinked at his naked body, grabbed the towel and wrapped it around him, continuing to search the floor for his denture trays.Byron saw something white on the rug under a chair, picked it up, handed it to Cleveland, asked him, "Is this it?" and then said, "I'm sorry, I just moved my hands. ’” Byron didn’t really feel sorry, but the man looked pretty miserable now with the pointed teeth in his mouth and the towel hanging from his protruding belly. "Yes, that's it!" Cleveland went back to the mirror and stuffed the thing into his mouth with two thumbs.He turned away. "How about now?" He was back to normal now, with that national smile that Byron had seen in so many magazine ads, and with which Cleveland paid for the business. The toothpaste company that hired him to perform on the radio. "Oh, my God, that's what it looks like," Madeline said. "Byron, please apologize to Hugh." "I've apologized," Byron said. Cleveland winked at the mirror, gritted his teeth braces to see if they were secure, then turned to them and said, "Fucking luck it didn't break. I'm going to fix it tonight." The American Chamber of Commerce hosts a banquet. Ah, I almost forgot, May, Arnold hasn't given me the speech yet. What if—what should I do? Oh, God, what's the matter! Oops! It fell!" Soon, Byron really saw the tray slipping from his mouth.Cleveland dashed forward to grab it, stepped on the edge of the towel, and fell face down and naked, the flowered towel falling in a mess under him. Madeleine was startled, and covered her mouth with her hands, and at the same time glanced at Byron, those round eyes sparkled, and Byron knew that when the two of them met funny things when they were young, they exchanged glances like this.She hurried to Cleveland and said in a soft, caring voice, "Are you hurt, dear?" "Injured? Bullshit, no." Cleveland got up, squeezed his teeth tightly with his fingers, and walked into the bedroom twisting his white and fat buttocks. "It's no fucking joke, May. I've got to see my dentist right away, and I hope he doesn't run away! Hosting tonight's party will net me a thousand bucks. He's Oh shit!" He slammed the door shut. Madeline picked up the towel and said to Byron, "Look at you! How can you be so barbaric!" Byron scanned the room. "What the hell are you guys? Does he live here with you?" "What? How could he? He has his own home, fool." "Then, what kind of tricks are you guys?" She raised her mouth and did not answer. "May, are you sneaking up here to mess with this fat old man? Would you do such a thing?" "Oh, you don't know anything. You're my friend, a rare one. You don't know how well he treats me, and besides—" "You are committing adultery, May." A look of pain crossed Madeleine's face.She waved her hand, shook her head, and showed a clever smile unique to women. "Oh, you're so naive. He's in a better, better married life now than he was before. I'm a better person now. There are many ways to live, Blaney. You and I are both grown-ups." In an old-fashioned family. If I make Hugh marry me, I know he will, and he loves me madly, but—" Cleveland, still half dressed, leaned out of his bedroom and yelled at Madeline that his dentist was driving from Scarsdale to New York. "Call Sam right away and tell him to drive here in ten minutes. God, it's terrible!" "Sam?" Byron asked after Cleveland closed the door again. "Sam's his driver," Madeline replied, hurrying to dial the phone. "Oh, Byron, are you going to disown your sister? Shall I cook you a meal! Shall we get drunk tonight? Do you want to spend the night here? There's a room here. Are you going to When are you leaving? Any news from Natalie?—Hello, hello, I want Sam on the phone... Then get him, Carol. Yes, yes, I know my brother Byron is in New York. For God's sake, don't ask... It's all right, just find Sam and tell him to bring that Cadillac to me within ten minutes." She hung up and said, "Byron, I worked for Hugh for four years and I didn't know he had dentures." "You still have something to learn in this world, May." "If it hadn't been such a horrible scene," she said, "if you hadn't behaved so brutally, it would have been the funniest thing that ever happened to me in my life." It was easy to hold back the laughter. ’ I’ve been telling him for years to flatten that nasty fat belly: look at you, flat as a boy, just like Daddy.Will you kiss your adulterous sister? " Fornication, fornication; always war and fornication, nothing else is fashionable.The devil covered in flames has captured them! Janice had been informed beforehand so that she could be ready to receive Byron in a state of chastity; and if Madeline was lucky, she would certainly do the same. Her father-in-law also passed through Hawaii, and at that time concealed her and Qatar from him.Esther's relationship did not make her feel insecure.It has nothing to do with him.No man in the world can understand such things as a woman, and as for Victor.Colonel Henry, since he doesn't even play cards on Sunday, let alone.Being outspoken will only embarrass everyone and will do no one any good.But Byron's telegram made Janice think twice. Esther had told her that her brother-in-law would be reporting to the Moray.Byron is simply a weird person. Although he is also handsome and talented like Warren, his attitude towards women, although gentle and lovely, is too idealistic.This attitude may sometimes lead to a little trouble.His moral outlook was as narrow as his father's.What he said about the girl in Australia was unbelievable, but Janice still had no doubts.If he was lying, it would only make him look like an unreasonable fool, so what was the point of lying like that? But now it's war time, men are far away from home, lonely, and there are such things everywhere, and Esther makes rude remarks, and she simply calls it a "girlfriend"-Janice has to pretend to hear it Seriously, when I got angry, I actually found it interesting in my heart-why should Byron live up to such a god-given marriage?Her affair with Esther was somewhat accidental.She had a sudden bout of dengue fever after the tragedy in Midway, Qatar.Esther visits her every day and takes care of her food and medicine. Of course things will develop. Janice knew that Byron would be horrified if he found out the truth.In fact, she didn't know another side of Byron; he was indeed very different from his brother.Byron was so sanctimonious, in her opinion, it was a bit pedantic.But she definitely didn't want to disappoint him, and she didn't want to make him feel alienated from herself.She still regarded herself as one of the Henrys, whom she liked more than her natal family; besides, Byron had always seemed to her a manly man.Now he was coming to his side, which was really a happy thing. So, late one night, just as Esther was getting dressed and heading back to the sub, Janice made up her mind to get things right.She was naked, covered with a sheet, and was smoking a cigarette. "Byron will be here tomorrow morning, my dear." "Are there in the morning?" Esther stopped and asked when she was putting on a pair of jeep trousers. "So fast? How did you know that?" "He wired me from San Francisco. He's flying from Naval Air Station." "Oh, that's great! Just in time, just when the submarine needs him." It's just after midnight.Esther never stayed until the early hours of the morning.He liked being up at the sound of the reveille to take care of the sub; meanwhile, he took good care of her reputation as all the neighbors on Janice's row got up early.Janice loves Esther, at least for the time she spends with him, but she doesn't want to be with him for long.He was far less open-minded than Warren, and his reading was shallow and his conversation was pure navy.He kept reminding her of the pilots in Pensacola before she and Warren knew each other, and they only bored her.Esther is a capable naval engineer who wants to make a name for himself, kill the enemy and do meritorious service, and is a natural submariner.He was a sweet and satisfying lover, ideal for a "squat," but that's about it.Even when Esther sensed that she didn't think much of him, he didn't complain. "I mean. Honey," Janice said, "we're going to have to stop for a while." He gave her a cool, inquiring look, and tucked his shirt into his trousers. "I mean, you know Byron too. I value my friendship with him. I don't want to make him feel bad and resentful. I don't want that to happen." "Speak clearly. Are you breaking up?" "Ah, will you be sad, seriously?" "Of course I'd feel bad, Janice." "Oh, don't be so sad. Smile." "How would Byron know?" "You are mooring in the harbor. He is going to spend the night here." "He has a night shift the next day.'" Yeah, I know that too, but—" Esther walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, holding her in her arms. After they had kissed tightly a few times, she said softly, "Okay. We'll see, we'll see. But, Qatar, don't forget. Never, never let Byron know. Understand?" "Don't worry," Esther said, "it's not necessary." On the morning of Byron's arrival, he stayed only for a short while, rushing off to the submarine immediately after breakfast; Pour out the deep pain that is pressing in your heart without reservation.Janice was terrified to hear that Natalie and her children were now detained in Germany.She defended her aunt instinctively, and tried to reassure Byron that all would be well in the end.But in reality, she worried that Natalie would not survive.Watching him play with Victor in the garden before he left, it took her a lot of effort not to cry.The two uncles and nephews were born of a family relationship and loved each other. This scene really broke her heart.When Byron said he had to go, Victor wrapped his arms and legs around him in a way he had never done to Warren before. The "Moray" was still at Pearl Harbor for a few weeks, most of the time in the sea training area, and every time the submarine docked, Byron came to Janice's cabin to spend the night every other day.The first day he stayed on watch on the sub, Esther called Janice.She didn't know what to do for a while.He was called afterward, but after little Vic had gone to bed and fell asleep.It turned out to be a very disappointing meeting.Esther quickly noticed that she was uncomfortable, so after a few drinks, she left without even touching her.After that, she only saw him once, and the "Moray" went out to patrol the sea.When Byron had told her the morning before that they were going to sea, Janice said, "Ah! Well, why don't you invite Esther to dinner? He's always been interested in me and Vic take care of." "You're very thoughtful, Jayne. Can he bring a lady?" "If he wants to, of course he can." Esther didn't bring her girlfriend.The three of them ate by candlelight, everyone drank a lot of wine, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.Byron has been in a much better mood since returning to submarine work.Janice appreciates Esther's ability to be both outsider and outsider, just right.While they ate, they turned on the radio and listened to the war news. They happened to hear that the Germans had finally surrendered at Stalingrad. To celebrate, they opened a bottle of wine. "The German is finished," said Byron, raising his glass. "It's overdue." By this time he was a little bit drunk, and the news made him feel as if he saw a sign that his family could be saved soon. "Exactly. Now let's get the Japanese," Esther said. In the dead of night, Janice was alone, her head spinning from drinking too much, and she felt as if she were back in the sweet confusion of a girl again, her husband's death was a thing of the past, and her real loves were two men.