Army Wives

~ Willow's Team ~

- Hey, Lucas, stop it. Come on. - I want a turn.

Come on, you guys. We're late.

The concert's about to start.

And I'm sorry, but there aren't enough seats for parents.

We broke our necks to get here, and we can't hear our kids sing?

I'm sorry. Come on.

Okay, it's my fault.

Oh, please. I've had to listen to Katie and Lucas rehearse all week.

I just don't like that choral director.

Well, at least we don't have any more community service for a whole year.

Yeah. That is actually something to be thankful for.

Ladies, I think the concert's starting.

- Oh, yes, yes, we know. - Escaped just in time.

I swear, if it isn't singing children,

it's puppies to pet or bingo cards to fill in.

No, thank you.

But I'm sure your children are adorable.

Yeah, most of the time.

Yeah, today I could have drop-kicked them across the parade ground.

Parade ground?

- You live in Fort Marshall then? - Yes, ma'am.

So did I, down in what used to be called "The Marsh."

That's where I live. Yeah. I'm Roxy.

- Pamela. - Elsie. This is Virginia.

- You both lived at Fort Marshall? - Yes, 66 years ago.

Y'all have been friends that long?

Well, not exactly. We hated each other at first.

- That-- that-- that's not true. - Liar, liar, pants on fire.

- She hated me. - No, I did not hate you.

I just had my doubts about you.

Oh. I'm sorry. We don't mean to argue.

No, that's okay. It's entertaing.

So what was Fort Marshall like back then?

Oh, well-- don't ask her. She can't remember anything.

Would you just stop?

Oh, it does feel like it's three or four lifetimes ago.

That's because it was.

It was the summer of 1943.

Back then there was not a soul who wasn't doing something

for the war effort, to contribute--

Soldiers, factory workers, volunteers. Now I was a newspaper reporter,

and I helped out by doing what I did best--

I covered it all for the Charleston "Daily Eagle."

Perfect.

Okay, enough with the pictures, Elsie.

Put the camera down. Dance a little.

I'm working.

Ah, don't kid me. You're prospecting.

Okay, so maybe I am.

What happened to that sailor you dug up last week?

Oh, I gave him the old heave-ho.

So go find me someone handsome, loaded, and terrified of wedding bells.

Always the romantic.

Hey, it's a new day, Lorraine.

Oh, brother.

The first time I laid eyes on Virginia,

I swear she looked like a movie star

who got off at the wrong bus stop.

Look at her-- Miss Hotsy-Totsy.

If she stuck that nose up any higher, we'd be scraping it off the ceiling.

Relax.

You know I'm not good at this, Worth.

Don't be shy. Here, let me take your wrap.

Why don't you get some coffee? I'll be right over.

Two coffees, please. One black, one with cream.

This look like a waitress uniform to you, sister?

Sorry.

It's self-serve, like an automat.

Only I bet you've never been to an automat before, have you?

Think you can figure it out?

Hey, sugar. You rationed?

I haven't heard that one in the last five minutes.

- Let's give it a whirl. - Yeah?

- Oh! What the hell? - Sorry. It was an...

an accident.

Don't worry about it, red.

But your-- your uniform. I'll-- I'll go--

- I'll go get a rag. - Hey, what about us?

You, take a powder.

You...

don't go anywhere.

Could I borrow a rag?

Here.

Thanks.

Calvin.

I got off early, thought we could go out.

Sure. I get off in a half-hour.

I'll be waiting in the parking lot.

- Evening, Mr. d'Angelo. - Evening, Lois.

- Who was that? - That's Lois collins.

She's the new cleaning woman I hired at the bar.

Dale! Hazel.

- How are you? - How are you doing?

Lieutenant, this is Dale d'Angelo.

Runs the best roadhouse in all of Charleston.

I'll make a note of it.

Worth Palmer. My wife Virginia.

Pleasure, lieutenant. My wife Hazel.

She's a w.a.s.p.

Excuse me?

A women air force service pilot.

Hazel and Dale were both pilots before the war.

I'd be in uniform, too,

if I hadn't come down a little too hard in a Jenny in '27.

- So you're 4-F? - Yeah. Yeah.

Hazel's gonna have to carry the flag for the family now.

But I can still manage a pretty decent box step.

Hey.

Excuse me.

You lookin' at something, boy?

That's my car.

How's someone like you get a car like this?

Please.

Please what?

Get off my car.

I'd watch your mouth, boy.

He didn't mean nothing by it, mister.

Best you listen to the woman, boy. Now...

let me hear you say "please" again.

I said it once.

You leave him alone!

This man is a member of our armed forces!

You treat him with respect!

Really, mister, we don't want no trouble.

You ain't half bad, sweetheart.

Maybe you and me could...

You're gonna pay for that.

- He didn't mean it. He's sorry! - You all saw it.

He's gonna hang! He sucker punched me!

No. No, he didn't.

I did.

You two are dead!

You take them on, you take us all on.

Come on. Forget it.

All right, let's all just go home

and pretend this never happened.

- You're a damn fool. - Yes, Sergeant.

Calvin...

A week after that awful incident, I ran into Virginia again.

Hey! Wait up.

Okay, listen. I was a real jerk.

I figured you for one of those Upper East Side dames

who walk poodles in fur coats, that kind of thing.

I am an Upper East Side dame, and my mom has a poodle.

But she also led the women's suffrage movement in Manhattan.

Yeah?

Yeah, and my dad fought in France.

So you got me all wrong, sister.

What I'm tryin' to say is,

what you did the other night took real guts.

My husband said it took a lack of brains.

Well, that, too. This isn't exactly fifth avenue.

So I'm discovering.

Virginia.

Elsie.

So what do you say we bury the hatchet over a cup of mud somewhere?

And I promise I won't point out which is the milk and which is the sugar.

Deal.

And that's how it happened,

and we became fast friends from that day on.

Wait, wait, wait. What about you and Paul?

Yeah. You can't leave us hanging.

Yeah, it sounded like you were meant to be together.

Did you get it on?

- Roxy? - What? I want to know.

Look at you.

66 years later, and you're still blushing.

- I'll-- I'll tell you what happened. - No, you won't.

It's my story. I'll tell.

Paul and I continued to see each other--

"See each other"? You were gaga from the moment you met.

Do you mind?

For the first few weeks,

it was hot and heavy.

And then out of nowhere, it-- it... it cooled off.

Paul seemed to drift away...

Like he was tired of me already.

So what did you do?

Well, I went to visit my cousin Lorraine at the shipyards

to ask her about it.

Hey, cuz. Feelin' better?

No. He's avoiding me. I don't know why, but he is.

Oh, Elsie, you're all wet. Paul's crazy about you.

They're in intensive training, that's all.

He could at least stop by.

Maybe I scared him off.

What, you mean the way you, uh,

put him in a headlock every time he shows up?

That was a joke, cuz. Joke.

Did you ever think maybe he's just trying to spare you?

Spare me what, happiness?

Worrying, staying attached to somebody who's not around.

Warren says the boys could be gone more than two years.

Well, all right then. Two can play that game.

Plenty of fish in the sea. I can go back to the old Elsie.

It's been a nice couple of months, Paul,

but hit the road, toodle-oo and so long.

How-- How did you--

Virginia told me you were here.