What do you do when you have clue on
whether your fiancé will be alive for you to marry him. This is what Angelica wondered to herself as she sat at home listening to the radio. Like most young women in the 20s Angelica lived at home with her parents who were sitting in the small living room with her where the only light coming in was from the fireplace and moon. Angelica was sitting on the brown worn couch that had been patched by her mother many times during the depression when they couldn't afford to buy a new couch, her mother and father were sitting on a well patched brown chair that was closer to the radio that was sitting on a table in the corner of the room. Her father was in his early sixties with short graying hair that matched his beard that was only slightly more blonde than the hair on his head. He was still in fairly good shape though he often had back troubles from working on the farm, sweat and dirt stains marked his white shirt and brown pants with overalls and she was surprised her mother hadn't criticized him for the dirt on his boots yet.

Her mother sat on her father's lap. She
was a beautiful woman even in her late fifties. She had long blonde hair that she normally kept in a bun but her father had let it down tonight when she sat on his lap to listen to the radio. Her mother's blue eyes still loved at Angelica's father with love and adoration as her deeply tanned arm gently wrapped around his neck as she sat on his lap. She was wearing and blue and white patterned dress she had made that buttoned down the front, she was feeling fancy when she made it so she had put some blue crocheted design on the collar of the dress. When reality hit her she had also added pockets to the dress that she often used to put the eggs in when she gathered them in the morning or to keep a few bills in when she went into town to buy the few things they couldn't grow on the farm.

Angelica meanwhile continued to sit on
the couch mend some of the socks her fiancé and sent to her from England where he was stationed. Angelica look very much like her parents though not quite as tan as them since she didn't work out at the farm nearly as much. Like most girls she worked in the factories helping make the ammunition the men needed for their guns and such. She had shoulder length blonde hair that she left down as much as possible since it hurt her head to put all those pins in it as work. She was a slender girl who was wearing a dress she had saved up to buy, it was white and black polka dots on the top with a knee length navy blue skirt.

Angelica didn't pay much attention to
the radio that was going on about the war that the United States had entered into just a few years back. Benjamin her fiancé had signed up to be in the army right after Pearl Harbor and had proposed to her before he left. She hadn't seen much of him since then and between letters and clothes to mend he wouldn't tell her much either about what he was seeing or going through over there.

Angelica's head snapped up when she
heard one of her friends Else pull up to the house. She sat her mending to the side and got up quickly as her tiny heels clinked against the floor as she walked over to her parents and kissed their cheek "I promise I will be home at a good hour." She told them softly before she grabbed her purse and checked the lines she had drawn on the back of her legs to look like stockings. Once she knew she was put together she hurried out to the car and hoped in with a smile as Else began to drive towards town "thanks for picking me up, I love my parents but I don't think I could handle another evening of listening to war reports." Angelica said to her friend as she applied some red lipstick that her mother would have killed her for wearing.

Else was an attractive girl as well with a
brown bob, green doll like eyes and a figure that could stop traffic, she also wasn't engaged or promised to any man so Angelica often lived out a romantic life through Else rehashing her stories of past or current flings. Else was wearing a slightly tighter and shorter dress that was red and buttoned in the front and tied in the back.

"I'm telling you Angelica you need to
move into the apartment with me, it's closer to the factory and it's in town where you can have a social life. I swear you spent more time out and about when Benjamin was here." Else said to her friend as she finally started to make her way into the town. It was a small town, the kind where everyone once knew everyone but when that the factory had been built in town in attracted many people from out of town. Angelica was still known by the locals though not many other people but Else had made a name for herself as the girl to go to if you wanted fun and now not only the locals knew her but so did everyone in town or passing through town. Angelica had once teased Else that more people stopped by her apartment then the welcome center in town 'what can I say I offer a more fun welcome' Else had simply reposed with a wink.

They pulled up to the one bar in town
and Angelica and Else got out of the car "now no making me flirt with anyone tonight, I am an engaged woman." She said and playfully wiggled her bare left hand. Benjamin hadn't had the time or money to get her a ring before he left but in many of his letter to her he had promised to do so. Else just laughed "oh come on you are my best friend you have to help me. Plus." She said drawing out the s as they walked into the bar "you deserve a man who loves you more than a war." She said to her and Angelica was silenced by the music coming from the bar.

The bar was filled with people drinking,
laughing, smoking, dancing and kissing. Most of the girls in the bar was dressed like Else in tight, short dresses as they flirted with the men in uniform. The bar seemed to be filled with a different man every night, all on leave and all looking for a story to take back to their friends. Angelica had always considered herself above that, she wanted to be more than a story she wanted to be someone's wife. She often wondered if she rushed into the engagement because it was what she wanted or if it was because she knew it was what everyone in town wanted and expected.

She shook her thoughts out of her head
and walked over to the bar and ordered two beers for her and Else as they both sat down on the bar "so tell me Else who are you going after tonight?" She asked her playfully as she leaned back in her seat and sipped on the beers that had been served to them. Else examined the room and took in each male with inquisitive eyes "let's see to tall, to short, to drunk, to... god everything." She said and Angelica laughed and shook her head "I swear you are the pickiest person." She said with a laugh but Else just shrugged "what can I say when I take someone home I don't want them to be below par." She said

Else glanced over Angelica's shoulder
blades "plus I think you need to be pickier, Mussolini is watching you." She said to Angelica who glanced over her shoulder. There was a man of Italian descent sitting at a table in the corner of the bar with some friends as he sipped on some whiskey and looked at Angelica, when they made eye contact he winked and she quickly turned away causing him to chuckle. Angelica looked at Else "he's Italian not the prime minister of Italy." She said to her as she sipped her beer but Else just shrugged "listen we are at war right now and I don't trust anyone not affiliated with our side of the war." She says simply. Else's brother had been stationed at Pearl Harbor when everything happened and while she didn't talk about it much only her family really knew how much his death had shaken her.

Angelica sighed "you don't need to
worry anyways I am engaged." She said to
her and could sense her friends mood changing "why don't you go dance with that man you said was to tall, at least he's tall right." She said to Else who cracked a small smile "ok... maybe if I drink a little more he will get shorter." She says and downed her beer before she got up and walked over to him.

Angelica sighed as she sat at the bar
by herself and took light sips from her beer. Once she was finished she considered just calling up a friend to drive her home when the guy Else had been talking about earlier came up sat down beside her "another beer for the beautiful girl and for me." He says to the bartender before flashing Angelica a smile. He was definitely a very handsome man with dark brown hair he had kept cut short, deep set brown eyes and a small bit of scruff on his neck. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt with a black and brown patterned tie, he was also wearing brown pants with suspenders and shiny brown shoes that seemed like they had never seen anything but pavement in their life.

As Angelica looked over this man she
raised an eyebrow at him "and what makes you think I want another beer sir." She said to him simply but he just smiled at her "well I don't but I figured if you don't drink it I could." He said to her as he got out some matches and lit up a cigarette "smoke?" He asks her but Angelica shook her head "no thank you." She said knowing her parents would kill her if they smelled smoke on her "so tell me do you always come to bars and then sit by yourself looking lonely?" He asked her and Angelica gave him an incredulous look "excuse me sir I don't think that's any of your business, I don't even know your name and you go off." She was saying when he interrupted her "Nicola." He said as he puffed out some smoke and took a sip of his beer "excuse me?" Angelica asked him as she looked over at him "my names Nicola... what's yours?" Nicola asked her as he sat there facing her. Angelica just looked at him baffled, she had never spoken to a man that was so forward or direct in her life "Angelica." She heard herself saying before she even realized what she was doing and immediately cursed herself for not getting up and walking out the minute he had sat down next to her.

Nicola smiled a bit "Angelica." He said
testing out the name on his tongue before giving her a devilish smile "your parents were right in naming you that, you look like an angel." He said to her. While Angelica did blush a bit she had seen men come onto Else enough to know what it looked like "well if that's the case your parents should have named you Casanova wannabe because that's what you look like." She said not knowing where this anger was coming from. Nicola simply blinked at her "well if that is how you feel." He said getting ready to get up when the bartender walked over to them "excuse me but I need you to leave." He said to Nicola.

Nicola stopped and looked at him
"what, why?" He asked as his eyes scanned
around the room "I've had some of the men complain about you being here so I need you to leave." The bartender said simply as a drunk man in an army uniform stumbled over to them "I have seen plenty of you Italians kill my friends I don't want to see you in my free time." He slurred out out and went to place a hand on the back of Nicola's shirt before Nicola reached back and quickly grabbed the man's hand and twisted it "do not touch me, the last thing I want to do is impose on your fun." He breathed out with venom in his words before he quickly let go of the man's hand and threw some money on the counter before walking out.

Angelica had sat there stunned at what
she had seen and was frozen in place for most of it but when she heard the door to the bar shut she was quickly on her feet and hurrying out the door "Nicola!" She called out to him as she hurried after him. He was stalking down the street and didn't stop until Angelica caught up to him "what did I do wrong now?" He snapped at her as he looked down at her. Angelica reared back a bit but kept her back straight "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for... for what happened back there, that was uncalled for." She said. Nicola looked at her for a moment and then once he realized she meant it his eyes softened "yeah well I normally don't react that way, I'm use to it but the beers had a small effect on me." He told her simply as she they began to walk down the street together.

Angelica nodded her head "when did
you move here, I haven't seen you around before." She said to him and gently wrapped her arms around herself "oh about a few months now, I'm an accountant and heard this town was on the rise so I thought I might have a better chance at getting a job here." He said to her as he glanced over at her as they spoke "I'm guessing you have lived here you're whole life?" He asked her casually. Angelica nodded her head to him "yep I was born here and will probably die here." She told him simply "why aren't you in the army, most men have enlisted." She said to him and his shoulders tensed up again "I tried but I'm not allowed to, the army is afraid I will be a threat, a spy because I'm Italian. It's not just me it's germans, the Japanese, Russians but I don't know Italy has been in the news a lot lately so we are getting the brunt of it right now." He told her.

Angelica nods her head "I'm sorry to
hear that... my fiancé is over there fighting and even though I wish he was here I know it would kill him to not be able to do his part." She says to him and Nicola glances down at her left hand "are you engaged to a ghost because I don't see a ring." He said to her with a playful smile that caused Angelica to laugh "he couldn't afford one but I'll have one when he gets back." She says simply.

Nicola looked at Angelica as they
walked, his mind going through the way he
imagined her life was, what her life should be "well I think you deserve more than to be engaged to a ghost." He said and Angelica looked at him "you don't even know me." She said to him but Nicola just shrugged "I know what women deserve, no matter what they deserve to know where they stand with a man." Nicola says and stopped walking "like for example we are standing in front of where my apartment is and if you wanted to come in with me, have a drink and see where the night goes you could... or if you wanted I would call a cab for you right now to drive you home and you would never have to see from me again." He said to her as he looks down at her "I can't promise marriage or a relationship past tonight but I can promise you a tonight." He told her.

Angelica looked at him in shock, not
knowing how to respond to what he said. She knew how Else would respond but she wasn't Else even though at times she wanted to be. Angelica then thought back to the socks at home Benjamin had sent to her and the one page letter that had told her that he was fine and not to worry about him. She thought back to her empty cold bed and realized she didn't want to be alone tonight and before she knew it she was on her toes lightly kissing Nicola "just tonight." She whispered against his lips.

"I think your fake stockings left marks
on my bed." Nicola said with a slightly husky
chuckle as Angelica was getting dressed. She had seen many girls come to work in their evening dress where everyone knew what they had done the night before but she never guessed that would be her. She glanced back at Nicola and chuckled softly "sorry." She said to him as she slipped her heels on. Nicola was still laying in bed and there was in fact black marks on his white sheets from where the line she had drawn on her leg to look like stockings had rubbed off "next time you can wash them off first." He said to her as Angelica got onto her knees on the bed beside him and lightly kissed him "there won't be a next time Nicola, this was fun but I'm still engaged." She reminds him.

Nicola sits up and gently wraps an arm
around her waist "I don't see the ghost around here do you?" He asks her with a playful smile as he leaned in for another kiss but Angelica pulled away "I need to get to work." She said him simply but does peck his lips one more time before she hurried out of his apartment so she could get to work on time. Last night had been for herself, Angelica thought to herself as she walked to work. She had needed a night where she wasn't worried about anything, she needed a night where she felt wanted, she had needed not to feel lonely anymore but she wasn't going to pursue anything and this was going to be the end. That was until Nicola called her that evening.