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Nick & Carter Holiday #7
St. Patrick's Day, 1945
St. Patrick's Day, 1945
A Nick & Carter Short Story #3
Saturday, March 17, 1945
Nick Williams is in the U.S. Navy and working as a hospital corpsman. He was recently transferred to the Navy's Base Hospital 13 at Milne Bay, New Guinea, right on the edge of the jungle and pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
He's about to head over to Port Moresby for 24 hours of leave with his buddy, Hospital Apprentice First Class Reynolds, so they can fool around in private and in their own room at the Moresby Hotel. Nick is hoping they keep the place over there nice and clean and free of the snakes and bugs he runs into in his quarters at the base.
Friday, March 16, 1945
Carter Jones is working as a fireman at Station 3 on Polk Street in San Francisco. He's living on Turk Street in the apartment he and Henry shared before Henry, his first lover, joined the Army and shipped out to Europe.
He's having a hard time figuring out what to do with himself on a Friday before he begins his next shift. He starts the day by watching Meet Me In St. Louis for the third time at the Castro Theatre over in Eureka Valley. Then he runs into a new acquaintance he'd rather not see again. Can the day get any worse?
A Nick & Carter Short Story #3
Saturday, March 17, 1945
Nick Williams is in the U.S. Navy and working as a hospital corpsman. He was recently transferred to the Navy's Base Hospital 13 at Milne Bay, New Guinea, right on the edge of the jungle and pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
He's about to head over to Port Moresby for 24 hours of leave with his buddy, Hospital Apprentice First Class Reynolds, so they can fool around in private and in their own room at the Moresby Hotel. Nick is hoping they keep the place over there nice and clean and free of the snakes and bugs he runs into in his quarters at the base.
Friday, March 16, 1945
Carter Jones is working as a fireman at Station 3 on Polk Street in San Francisco. He's living on Turk Street in the apartment he and Henry shared before Henry, his first lover, joined the Army and shipped out to Europe.
He's having a hard time figuring out what to do with himself on a Friday before he begins his next shift. He starts the day by watching Meet Me In St. Louis for the third time at the Castro Theatre over in Eureka Valley. Then he runs into a new acquaintance he'd rather not see again. Can the day get any worse?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
100 pages, ebook
Published March 11, 2018
8 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Frank W. Butterfield
123 books106 followersFrank W. Butterfield, not an assumed name, loves old movies, wise-cracking smart guys with hearts of gold, and writing for fun.
Although he worships San Francisco, he lives at the beach on another coast.
Born on a windy day in November of 1966, he was elected President of his high school Spanish Club in the spring of 1983.
After moving across these United States like a rapid-fire pinball, he currently makes his home in a hurricane-proof apartment with superior water pressure that was built in 1926.
While he hasn't met any dolphins personally, that invitation is always open.
Although he worships San Francisco, he lives at the beach on another coast.
Born on a windy day in November of 1966, he was elected President of his high school Spanish Club in the spring of 1983.
After moving across these United States like a rapid-fire pinball, he currently makes his home in a hurricane-proof apartment with superior water pressure that was built in 1926.
While he hasn't met any dolphins personally, that invitation is always open.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 18, 2020
Dual stories
Wow! This is my fave book of Nick and Carter so far. I cried through a lot of it. We get to know them on their deepest levels and I can see why they were destined to meet.
Wow! This is my fave book of Nick and Carter so far. I cried through a lot of it. We get to know them on their deepest levels and I can see why they were destined to meet.
May 8, 2020
St. Patrick’s Day, 1945
Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2020
Five stars
At the end of eight weeks of sheltering at home during the COVID19 pandemic, I am grateful, more than ever, for the imagination of Frank Butterfield.
This episode of Butterfield’s “year of holidays” is particularly poignant and insightful. It takes us to a moment more than two years before Nick and Carter even meet, and through parallel narratives offers their fans an intimate view of a moment each of these young men’s lives when they began their journey to emotional wisdom.
Nick is in New Guinea, while Carter is a fireman back in San Francisco. St. Patrick’s Day in either place doesn’t mean as much as it would later on, especially with a war on. Both of our friends are coming to grips with being far away from the ones they love – Nick is thinking of Mike back in San Francisco, while Carter is thinking of Henry, who’s off in Europe somewhere (getting that scar we hear so much about in the series). Both boys are beginning to understand the difference between first love and forever love, and must learn to face the consequences of separation and longing. They also get small but life-changing lessons in what it means to be treated well by someone else.
Mike and Henry are the only characters other than Nick and Carter who we, the readers, know. They are all so young, and at the beginning of the long adventure all of us have come to know so well. At this very moment in history, my parents were in the same position – my mom working for a publisher in New York City, my father stationed in France as the countdown to Hitler’s final days neared. By summer that year, with Japan showing no sigh of defeat, my father would take leave, and he and my mother would plan a whirlwind wedding in August – as it turned out, just days after the bombs were dropped on Japan. Nobody knew exactly how the war would end back in March 1945, and we have to understand that both Nick and Carter were lonely and unsure of where their lives would lead them.
This is a magical little story, and we are privileged to be there as witnesses. Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it’s not truth
Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2020
Five stars
At the end of eight weeks of sheltering at home during the COVID19 pandemic, I am grateful, more than ever, for the imagination of Frank Butterfield.
This episode of Butterfield’s “year of holidays” is particularly poignant and insightful. It takes us to a moment more than two years before Nick and Carter even meet, and through parallel narratives offers their fans an intimate view of a moment each of these young men’s lives when they began their journey to emotional wisdom.
Nick is in New Guinea, while Carter is a fireman back in San Francisco. St. Patrick’s Day in either place doesn’t mean as much as it would later on, especially with a war on. Both of our friends are coming to grips with being far away from the ones they love – Nick is thinking of Mike back in San Francisco, while Carter is thinking of Henry, who’s off in Europe somewhere (getting that scar we hear so much about in the series). Both boys are beginning to understand the difference between first love and forever love, and must learn to face the consequences of separation and longing. They also get small but life-changing lessons in what it means to be treated well by someone else.
Mike and Henry are the only characters other than Nick and Carter who we, the readers, know. They are all so young, and at the beginning of the long adventure all of us have come to know so well. At this very moment in history, my parents were in the same position – my mom working for a publisher in New York City, my father stationed in France as the countdown to Hitler’s final days neared. By summer that year, with Japan showing no sigh of defeat, my father would take leave, and he and my mother would plan a whirlwind wedding in August – as it turned out, just days after the bombs were dropped on Japan. Nobody knew exactly how the war would end back in March 1945, and we have to understand that both Nick and Carter were lonely and unsure of where their lives would lead them.
This is a magical little story, and we are privileged to be there as witnesses. Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it’s not truth
October 6, 2018
I love these short stories that give us a glimpse into other parts of the story.
March 21, 2020
epub, 46 pages
An oddity - a Nick and Carter story taking place before they even meet. The narrative(s) alternate and it is interesting to see how they behave separately (Nick is on station in New Guinea while Carter is in SF as a fireman) but also how their lives match and how they respond in similar ways to the enforced separation from their significant other...
An oddity but a satisfying one.
Republished 2020 as 'A Nick & Carter Holiday #7'
As powerful as before - if not even more poignant. The Epilogue is particularly heartstring-tugging as Nick writes to Mike (on the other side of the Pacific) and Carter writes to Henry (on the other side of the Atlantic)... with their own meeting still in th future.
An oddity - a Nick and Carter story taking place before they even meet. The narrative(s) alternate and it is interesting to see how they behave separately (Nick is on station in New Guinea while Carter is in SF as a fireman) but also how their lives match and how they respond in similar ways to the enforced separation from their significant other...
An oddity but a satisfying one.
Republished 2020 as 'A Nick & Carter Holiday #7'
As powerful as before - if not even more poignant. The Epilogue is particularly heartstring-tugging as Nick writes to Mike (on the other side of the Pacific) and Carter writes to Henry (on the other side of the Atlantic)... with their own meeting still in th future.
March 14, 2022
Once again I have read an entry in the Nick & Carter Holiday series before I have had a chance to read the "bulk" or "meat and potatoes" of their journey. Once again I loved it! I think I was less "on the fringe" in St. Patrick's Day, 1945 than the others. I use "on the fringe" because "lost" doesn't sound quite right as each one seems to have a beginning and end, there are characters that I'm sure are mentioned in more detail in their full journey but I don't feel I need to know that information to fully appreciate this short.
St. Patrick's Day, 1945 is what some might call "dual narration" as it is before the two men meet and we see where each man is that March. I don't know just when they actually met but I felt a better label would be "prequel to merging of fate's intention", yeah I know that's a bit over the top but hey, what can I say? I'm still new to this universe. However you choose to label it, this is a look at the two men before they their paths crossed and I have a feeling it explains a lot into their lonely hearts leading to that future meet.
I do want to take a minute to mention how I loved the scene where we see the internal heartache of Carter not having joined up. It's not an ache we see much in fiction because I'm afraid too many people today don't realize that not every able-bodied man was allowed to join. My grandfather and his youngest brother-in-law were told they were needed more on the homefront as they were farmers. As for my grandfather, he was also 4F due to a bout of rheumatic fever as a child but his BIL carried a fair amount guilt for not having served according to one of his daughters. I just wanted to applaud the author for accurately describing Carter's internal guilt, it was spot on.
Yet again, this snippet series has bumped the men's journey up another notch on my TBR list. I doubt I'll get to it before reading further holiday gems in Nick & Carter Holiday world but each one takes me closer and closer to jumping in. I also want to say another Thank You to Frank W Butterfield for spotlighting so many holidays that rarely get touched on in fiction, that aspect alone makes this series worth exploring so to have each one be so incredibly intriguing is just icing on the cake.
St. Patrick's Day, 1945 is what some might call "dual narration" as it is before the two men meet and we see where each man is that March. I don't know just when they actually met but I felt a better label would be "prequel to merging of fate's intention", yeah I know that's a bit over the top but hey, what can I say? I'm still new to this universe. However you choose to label it, this is a look at the two men before they their paths crossed and I have a feeling it explains a lot into their lonely hearts leading to that future meet.
I do want to take a minute to mention how I loved the scene where we see the internal heartache of Carter not having joined up. It's not an ache we see much in fiction because I'm afraid too many people today don't realize that not every able-bodied man was allowed to join. My grandfather and his youngest brother-in-law were told they were needed more on the homefront as they were farmers. As for my grandfather, he was also 4F due to a bout of rheumatic fever as a child but his BIL carried a fair amount guilt for not having served according to one of his daughters. I just wanted to applaud the author for accurately describing Carter's internal guilt, it was spot on.
Yet again, this snippet series has bumped the men's journey up another notch on my TBR list. I doubt I'll get to it before reading further holiday gems in Nick & Carter Holiday world but each one takes me closer and closer to jumping in. I also want to say another Thank You to Frank W Butterfield for spotlighting so many holidays that rarely get touched on in fiction, that aspect alone makes this series worth exploring so to have each one be so incredibly intriguing is just icing on the cake.
November 23, 2022
This was an interesting little story. There are actually two stories that occur during the same time frame. I thought it was interesting that the author chose to have a WWII story with a man serving without putting him in combat. Most author's would go with that route since it would put action, danger and drama into the story. The author actually managed it without the combat. I found the writing was good. He made a good peek into the lives of these two men during that era.
August 15, 2020
There was a lot of emotion jam-packed into this one little story. Don't know how you do it but I'd consider you a master at this ... and that's a very good thing in my opinion.
September 8, 2025
War is Hell
This holiday short is quite emotional and while it is framed by WWII scenes, the impact is much more personal. Well done, sensitive and thoughtful.
This holiday short is quite emotional and while it is framed by WWII scenes, the impact is much more personal. Well done, sensitive and thoughtful.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews