Smooth Sailing

May 30, 1943

May 30, 1943

Opal Morrison found herself on the front porch of her home in Clearwater Lake, watching the waves roll onto the shore. It was a relaxing view, so she let herself lean back as the wind rustled her blonde curls.

As far as she could tell, life in Clearwater Lake was bliss. She had been skeptical when her husband Melvin had made the decision to move here, but it had all worked out in the end. Yes, she was far away from her friends on the East Coast, but New York was only a short train ride away, and Opal had made new friends here. Her neighbors were nice people, and Melvin had found a steady job making sailboats. If she could do it all over again, Opal wouldn't change a thing.

Despite all of that, Opal still felt like the house was a little bit empty. Melvin had built a three bedroom house, but right now, they were using two of them as guest bedrooms. Opal sometimes thought of the day when children's voices would fill their empty house, but for now, she was happy with just her and Melvin.

All of a sudden, Melvin came out onto the porch, and his business partner, Maurice, soon followed. "It sure is a beautiful day today, isn't it, Opal?" Melvin said.

"It is nice out," Opal said. "It almost makes you reconsider the meaning of life, the universe, and everything."

Melvin laughed and then said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Did you hear that the Army recaptured Attu Island?" Maurice asked.

"I didn't hear that," Melvin said.

"I heard all about it on the radio," Maurice said.

"Where is Attu Island?" Opal asked.

"It's in Alaska," Maurice said. "The Japanese took it a few weeks ago, and now we've got it back."

Opal rolled her eyes, wondering why she should care about something that was happening in Alaska. Perhaps she was a little sheltered, but she rarely thought about anything going outside of Clearwater Lake, nor did she want to. For Opal, Clearwater Lake was her own little enclave of order and perfection nestled within a chaotic world, and she had no desire to leave it. "How have things been going at Sterling & Morrison?" Opal asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Melvin and Maurice both responded, but there was too much jargon for Opal to understand any of it. Opal was a saleswoman, and when Melvin went off to work at Sterling & Morrison tomorrow, she would head off to work too, but she didn't quite understand much of anything that her husband did. Melvin didn't quite understand her job either - every time Opal complained about work, he just nodded along.

"To make a long story short, business is booming at our company," Melvin eventually said, and Opal briefly wondered why he hadn't just said that.

"That's wonderful," Opal said.

"Do you two have any plans for Decoration Day?" Maurice asked Melvin and Opal.

"Not yet," Melvin said. "Do you and Arlene have plans?"

"Unfortunately, no," Maurice said.

"Maybe we should all do something together," Opal suggested.

"What are you thinking, Opal?" Maurice asked.

"We should host a barbecue or something like that," Opal said. "We could invite some of our friends from Clearwater Lake. I bet that John and Sally would like to come."

"That's not a bad idea," Melvin said. "Our backyard is big enough to host a party."

"Arlene and I will definitely come if you two host a barbecue," Maurice said. "I can even help you grill some burgers."