I served during the war on the Willard A. Holbrook where Richard Ney was serving. He was a Lieutenant Junior Grade like me. I had met him a few times and he and I seemed to get along pretty well. I think this was because I didn't rib him with rude comments about his famous wife like the others did. And I had helped him a few times getting his stuff on board after shore leaves, because he had a lot more stuff to carry than most of us did. Anyway, one time when one of his shore leaves was over, Ney pulls up to the ship in a limousine and then he and Greer Garson get out. The ship is almost listing because every single crewman is hanging over starboard gawking at her. And standing beside the limo is none other than the Captain himself, ready to greet her. He starts escorting her onto the ship as if she's going to be making an inspection, so I figure this is the right time to be Ney's good buddy again. I manage to manoeuvre myself over to the gangplank and offer to help Ney with his stuff, and he recognizes me and hands me his val-pack. Well, Ney doesn't go to his quarters. He just follows his wife as she and the Captain tour the ship and I'm sure not going anywhere, that's for sure. I'm right there beside Ney all the way, staring at the back of Greer Garson's head the whole time and watching whenever she turns her head. The Captain gives me a couple of looks as if to say, "Don't you have somewhere else to be, Lieutenant?" but I pretend not to see him and I try to look useful as I struggle with Ney's val-pack with both hands, pretending that it's heavier than usual. I never thought I'd ever get this close to a famous actress's face, and it's Greer Garson no less. She of course looked like a goddess. Not a flaw. I'm just walking along behind her, mesmerized by her voice and asking myself how did that young Ney manage to get his hands on a woman like this. I wasn't even listening to the words she was saying either, just the sound of her voice, when the Captain suddenly looks at me and asks, "Lieutenant, were you involved in that refit last month?" I can see in the corner of my eye that Greer Garson is looking right at me waiting for an answer, but I'm too terrified to look in her direction. I manage to blurt a dutiful "Yessir." Then Greer Garson asks me, "Do you use Worthington pumps?" My jaw just drops, because just last month we had the new Worthington pumps installed, and here is Greer Garson asking me about Worthington pumps no less. I had seen in a magazine that she's well-read, but Worthington pumps? I can see Ney standing there with a big grin on his face and I know the bugger is enjoying this as I barely manage a "Yes, ma'am." I used to consider myself a bit of a lady's man, but in the presence of Greer Garson it's hard to think on your feet. I'm just glad I had gone to the latrine a few minutes before she came aboard. A few years later, when Ney got divorced from her, I have to admit that I felt a bit superior knowing that he was in fact a mere mortal like the rest of us and couldn't hang on to a woman like that. But I also felt like I had lost a genuine connection to the most beautiful actress I've ever seen. |