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Jean Craig, Graduate Nurse

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<h2 id="vii">7. Ralph Returns from Europe</h2> Ralph flew back from Europe the first week in May. His plane landed at Boston, and he caught the first train for Elmhurst. The day after he left Bergen, Norway, he appeared at the Craigs’ front door. Jean was waiting for him on the front porch when his taxi pulled up before the house. She tore down the steps as he opened the car door, and he jumped out and caught her in his arms. For several minutes neither said a word. “Oh, Jeannie,” Ralph muttered, holding her close to him. “Jeannie, my darling!” Jean burrowed her face against his coat and murmured. “Ralph, it’s been so long!” He held her away from him. “Let me look at you,” he said tenderly. “Gee, if anything, you’re more beautiful than ever!” She crept close to him again. “Don’t let me go,” she pleaded lightly. “I’m going to stay right here for the rest of my life!” He stroked her dark curls. “You won’t find me difficult to deal with on that score,” he laughed. Then[74] he became serious. “I’m not going away from you ever again, Jeannie. It isn’t worth it. Everywhere I went, everything I did, I kept wishing that you were with me to share it all. Jeannie, you’re with me now, and you’re here to stay!” “That’s right.” Arm in arm they walked up to the house. “How is Jack?” Ralph asked as they entered the front hall. “I was beside myself with worry when you wrote about him.” “I’m fine,” Jack called from the front parlor. Ralph dashed into the parlor where the family was waiting for him. “Welcome home, son,” Mrs. Craig said, embracing him. “We all missed you very much.” Doris threw her arms around Ralph’s neck and kissed him. “Jean’s been nearly wild waiting for you,” she cried. “Oh, Doris!” Jean cried. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, you aren’t going to be coy when you’re engaged to the man?” Doris said. “We were all wild waiting for you!” “Good to see you again,” Tommy said, holding out his hand. Ralph grabbed the hand and tousled Tommy’s hair. “Hi, Tom. It’s great to be back.” Then he went over to the couch and knelt down beside Jack. “Hi, old-timer,” he said, taking Jack’s hand. “I hear you’ve been into mischief since I last saw you. How are you feeling?” [75] “Just swell,” Jack said. “I’m getting lazy. How do you like my deal? Everyone waits on me. I don’t have to do any chores. Whatta life!” Ralph made a swipe at Jack’s chin with his fist. “Yep, some life,” he agreed. “You and I have a lot of hours to spend together. I’ve got a lot to tell you.” Mrs. Craig brought in a tray of food, and Doris set up a card table near the couch. “You must be hungry,” Mrs. Craig said as she arranged the table. “I’d take you into the dining room, but Jack probably wants you in here with him.” Ralph slipped his arm around Mrs. Craig’s waist. “Why is it that mothers always think people don’t eat while they travel?” Mrs. Craig made a face at him and said, “Very well, I’ll just take this right back to the kitchen.” “Hey, hey,” Ralph said, snatching a cookie from the plate she picked up. “I’ll eat everything in sight. I am hungry!” They all laughed, and Mrs. Craig poured out steaming cups of hot chocolate for everyone. Jean propped Jack up on the couch so that he could manage his cup. “Now, then,” Mrs. Craig said, “tell us what you’ve been doing.” Ralph stopped munching his cookie and looked at her. “Don’t tell me Jeannie hasn’t kept you posted?” They all roared. “We can practically recite your letters by heart,” Doris teased. “Not all of them, I hope,” Ralph protested. “Aw, she always left out the mushy parts,” Jack[76] said. “She just read the interesting things.” Ralph chuckled and winked at Jack. “Well, I did run into one good story that I didn’t write Jeannie about. Right in Bergen. I was working with a boy quite a bit younger than myself. He was the leader of the underground movement during the war. After Norway was occupied by the Nazis, that is.” “Oh, good heavens!” Mrs. Craig cried. “Those poor people!” Ralph looked up at her thoughtfully and then said, “Well, I don’t pity them. Not after what I’ve seen.” “Why, Ralph!” Jean cried. “Whatever do you mean?” Ralph smiled. “They don’t want our pity, Jeannie,” he said softly. “They need our help and understanding, but not pity. I wish I could honestly say I had the nerve that that boy had. I admire him, and I admire them all.” “I’ll bet he had some stories to tell,” Tommy said. “He wasn’t much older than you, Tom, when the Nazis invaded,” Ralph said. “And he went right into the Underground. Blew bridges and railroad tracks and things like that.” Mrs. Craig slipped her arm around Tommy’s shoulder protectively. “Heavens!” she cried. “A child like Tommy?” “They had quite an arsenal,” Ralph chuckled. “And you’ll never believe where their headquarters were. In the basement of Gestapo Headquarters. Two of[77] their boys were accepted into the Gestapo. Not one message went out of Gestapo Headquarters that the Underground didn’t know about.” “Mercy!” Mrs. Craig cried. “It makes me tremble just to think about it.” Ralph smiled. “You don’t need to be sorry for people who went through a war that way. Now they’re working like beavers to build up their disrupted country. Their schools are all open, their railroads are working just fine. The country looks good, and the people ... they’re wonderful.” Jean shook her head. “But all of occupied Europe isn’t like that, Ralph?” “Some countries are further along than others, of course. Paris looked pretty good to me. Of course, in the eastern countries ... well, I didn’t get a chance to see for myself,” Ralph said. “But now I have an idea of the job we farmers have on our hands. Jeannie and I are going to be pretty busy.” He swallowed the rest of his hot chocolate. “I’m going upstairs to unpack. I’ve got some things to give out.” Tommy carried his bag upstairs, and Ralph ran up behind him. Mrs. Craig smiled heavily. “He’s seen a great deal,” she said gravely. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt any of us to see what Europe is like today.” Ralph came bounding into the room, his arms full of packages. “Here we are,” he announced. “Now, let’s see. Oh yes, this is for you, Mother Craig,” he said, handing her a parcel. Mrs. Craig exclaimed as[78] she opened the package and found a Swedish linen dinner cloth. “It’s magnificent!” she cried. “Ralph, this is too much!” He kissed her on the cheek. “I’m glad you like it, dear,” he answered. For Tommy and Jack, Ralph had brought rucksacks from Bavaria, and for Doris, Ralph had a music box from Dresden. Doris handled the delicate instrument lovingly and turned it on. It played an air from <cite>Don Giovanni</cite>. “I couldn’t resist it when I heard it,” Ralph said. “I remembered how fond you were of Mozart.” “Oh, Ralph!” Doris cried, throwing her arms around his neck. “This is for Kit,” Ralph said, pointing to a package. “Maybe you can tuck it in her laundry case when you send it. It’s a Polish gypsy outfit. I found it in Paris; I think it’s probably a Frenchman’s idea of a Polish gypsy dress. But it looked so much like Kit that I had to bring it along.” He produced a chiming Swiss watch for Mr. Craig, and then he handed Jean her package. Slowly she opened it. It was a set of earrings and bracelet and pin. “It’s not the real thing, Jeannie,” Ralph explained. “Costume jewelry, I guess you call it. But it’s an exclusive Jacques Fath. I picked it up in Paris.” Jean sighed with delight as she fingered the filigreed pieces, “I’ve never had anything so beautiful.” “And French perfume for all the ladies,” Ralph announced,[79] handing out the tiny packages. Everyone squealed and exclaimed over the dainty scents. Mrs. Craig shook her head in mock resignation. “What am I going to do with you, son? You spoil us all so.” Ralph kissed her and grinned. “My family is a very special one. Oh, here are a couple of gadgets for Aunt Becky and the Judge. Well, we can see about them later.” Mrs. Craig smiled tenderly at the young man. “Now, somehow, the family seems almost whole again.” <hr class="x-ebookmaker-drop divider " /> [80] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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