by Jonathan Ferrini
“On behalf of the management and staff of the Lookout Lounge high atop the Grand Dame hotel of the beautiful ‘City by the Bay’, we welcome you to our New Year Celebration welcoming in 1942.
“We’re joined by the Xavier Cugat Orchestra whose musicians of magic are finely tuning their instruments in anticipation of the new year.
“As we celebrate, let us not forget our courageous soldiers and sailors fighting for freedom throughout the world.
“I’ll return shortly to join you in the countdown.”
“I have to speak with you, Molly.
“I know a cozy nook just off the lobby where we can talk.”
“I wish you’d allow me to accompany you to the ship in the morning, Butch.
“I want to kiss you and say goodbye.
“It may be my last opportunity.”
“Stop with the doom and gloom hooey, sweetie.
“The fellas from the ship are fetching me after the party.
“The joint is open all night and serves a great breakfast.
“You’ll be more comfortable up here and I’ll use a flashlight to signal you as my ship passes under the Golden Gate.”
“What can a flash of light say to a broken-hearted woman who may never see her beloved, again?”
“It will say ‘I love you always’.
“I’m a Signalman First Class of the U.S. Navy and will send my kisses by flashing lights.
“Look for the on, off, on, off signal flash from my heart to yours.
“Now, with my big mouth, beating heart, and every bone in body, I’ll ask you in person.
“Will you marry me?”
“Of course, darling.
“I’ve loved you ever since the Junior Prom in high school and dreamed of this moment.
“You quit college to enlist for this damn war and I pray we’ll be reunited, again.”
“Uncle Sam will wrap up this mess in the Pacific in a jiffy, and for my engineering degree, the Campanile and Sather Gate won’t be going anywhere.”
“Hold me, tight, Butch.
“I’m frightened for you.”
“Your sweet heart is racing against my chest, honey.
“I learned a trick about goal setting.
“When you write something down instead of thinking about it, the thought is now concrete and will become a reality.
“Let’s look around for a secret place to put a note.
“Do you have a piece of paper and something to write with?”
“Nothing, Butch.”
“Hey, Mister, do you have a pencil and a scratch of paper?”
“Here’s a fountain pen.
“Keep it Sailor and happy hunting!”
“Thanks, mister.”
“You brushed against the beautiful painting on the wall and it’s ajar, Butch.”
“That’s it, Molly.
“We’ll write our note on the wall just behind the painting.
“Hold the painting to the side while I write.
‘Butch proposed to Molly on December 31, 1941.
‘We’ll return to this place after the war to celebrate our marriage.’
“The note will remain our secret behind this painting until we return, sweetheart.”
“Ladies and gentleman, let’s begin the countdown to the New Year!
“Maestro, strike up the orchestra!
“Let’s all begin the countdown,
‘‘Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”
‘Happy New Year!”
“I love you, Butch.”
“I love you, Molly.”
“Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.”
Nathanael Hawthorne
“We’re behind schedule on the remodel, Jones.
“I need those paintings removed, wall stripped, primed, and painted before days end.”
“Some of these paintings look like relics, boss.”
“The term is ‘vintage’ and this entire hotel and everything inside have been historically designated as landmark’s which means handle with care!
“Notify me and an employee of the hotel if you notice anything unusual, Jones.
“I’m late for a meeting with the crew downstairs.
“Later.”
“Those works of art are masterpieces and haven’t been moved since this hotel was built over a hundred years ago.
“Be careful how you handle them, Jones.”
“What’s a kid wearing a red vest know about anything?”
“My name is Armando not ‘kid’.”
“You work here, Armando?”
“I’m a busboy.”
“I’ll start with this big painting first.
“Looks like one of those sailing ships from the Gold Rush days.
“I’ll grab it with both hands and simply lift it off the hook.
“Damn, it won’t budge.”
“Let me help you but let’s be careful ‘cause we’ll both lose our jobs if we damage the painting.”
“Grab one side from the bottom and when I count to three, lift up and help me gently set it to the ground.
“One, two, three.
“Lift!”
“We did it, Armando.”
“We got a problem, Jones.
“Check out the writing on the wall behind the painting.
‘Butch proposed to Molly on December 31, 1941.
‘Will return to this place after the war to celebrate our marriage.’”
“I’ll just paint over it and nobody will ever know.
“Besides, who cares?”
“I care because everything inside this old hotel is history and we consider it heirlooms.
“I must notify the hotel manager.
“I’m taking a photo of the inscription and YOU so don’t touch it if you want to keep your job!”
“You ain’t getting no argument from me, kid.
“Excuse me,
“Armando!”
“Welcome to the KSF Evening News.
“A mysterious love note from the bygone era of New Year’s celebrations atop the Lookout Lounge was found by a painting crew. You can see the lovely note on your screen. City officials have ordered that all work within the area cease pending an investigation by hotel management and city staff historians.
Anybody with knowledge about the note, Molly, or Butch, are urged to contact our station or city hall.”
“Get my Defense Department liaison on the phone.”
“Yes, Senator.”
“Butch and Molly, I hope it worked out for you.”
“San Francisco Tribune
“According to Department of Defense records, the only Naval vessel departing San Franciso on January 1, 1942 was the heavy cruiser, ‘USS San Francisco’ which became one of the most decorated ships of World War II.
“According to DOD personnel records, the ship manifest included three sailors with the first name ‘Butch’. All three sailors were killed in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. They included a Lieutenant, a Gunner’s Mate, and a Signalman.
“The USS San Francisco took 45 direct hits and sustained heavy damage but made it back to port in San Francisco.
“A memorial to the fallen is located within the ‘Lands’ End Park’ within the ‘Golden Gate National Recreation Area’.”
“I understand you wish to speak with me regarding the mysterious love note found upstairs, Armando?”
“Yes, Sir.
“As you may know, my mother is nearing retirement from maid service here and my grandmother was a maid here, too.”
“They were very fine and dedicated staff members, Armando.
“I look forward to arranging your mother’s retirement party in the near future.”
“My mom spoke to my grandma who lives in a memory care facility.
“She told my mother about an old man who was a resident and had a very keen memory of the past but not the present.
“When the residents watched the news report about the note, the man remembered giving a fountainpen to a sailor wearing a black ‘Cracker Jack’ sailors uniform.
“The sailor had red hair with freckles. He was inside a romantic nook perfect for lovers with a beautiful, petit, blond woman wearing a pink chiffon party dress with a corsage.
“He went on to say they looked like kids at a high school prom and barely old enough to drink. When asked why he remembered the event vividly, the old man said he mistakenly gave the sailor an expensive fountain pen gifted to him but didn’t care knowing the sailor deserved a ‘Going Away’ gift.”
“Can this man be reached, Armando?”
“He passed away just recently, Sir.”
“The old man’s description of Butch matches this photograph I received from the Navy.
“What do you think?”
“It’s Butch.”
“Ever hear of ‘Six Degrees of Separation’, Armando?”
“Yeah, but we have a better way of understanding coincidence inside my family, Sir.
“San Francisco appears to be a big city with dozens of neighborhoods to visitors but the locals know it’s a small town with a big heart and the Grand Dame is the town square where everybody meets sooner or later.”
“Your family’s understanding of coincidence is poetic, Armando.
“All of our retired employees are family and I keep contact information on them as we send them holiday and birthday tidings.
“I’ll reach out to ‘Williams’ who would have been our Matre’d in and around that time.
“Good investigative work and I was told you helped the painter carefully remove the Winslow Homer painting from the wall.
“You’re in line for a promotion.”
Dear Sir,
I’m in receipt of your inquiry about my great-grandfathers memories of working at the hotel. First, I wish to thank you for remembering his service. He loved the old hotel like it was a family member.
I’m sorry to inform you my great-grandfather passed away but every New Year’s gathering with our family, he’d speak of the lonely lady who would arrange for a table on New Year’s Eve looking out towards the Golden Gate as if waiting for a loved one to return onboard a ship. She would order two flutes of champagne and a rose.
My great-grandfather personally arranged for her table and champagne every New Year’s Eve from about 1943 until his retirement in the late nineties when she had stopped coming. He presumed she passed away. I’m sorry to report he never spoke of her name.
I hope this information helps to heal and stoke fond memories.
“I understand you wish to see me, Sir.”
“I’m promoting you to ‘Assistant Event Planner’ and I want you to arrange a memorial surrounding the mysterious love note we discussed months ago.
“The hotel has received clearance from the authorities to renovate the nook where the note was found. I want you to have the handwritten note professionally photographed, framed, and a brass placard regarding the history surrounding the love note to be placed on the wall, front and center, within the nook.
“The nook will become a ‘Love’s Lane’ and we’ll include more romantic memorabilia on the walls.
“Those fine young people were our guests, and like all of our visitors, they are family. It’s only fitting they properly be remembered and their lives shared with all guests of the hotel.”
“Thank you for the opportunity, Sir.”
“Make certain you include within the plaque’s inscription your family’s beautiful understanding of San Francisco and this hotel being its ‘town square’.
“Although our memorial is placed inside a tiny nook, it will shout ‘welcome’ to all those wishing to share romantic moments including everybody appreciating love lost, love found, and allow them to gather within our ‘town square’”
“Welcome to the KSF Evening News.
“About a year ago, our station reported a mysterious love note from the bygone era of New Year‘s celebrations atop the Lookout Lounge was found by a painting crew.
We have an update to this romantic story about young love. With the help from our United States Senator, the Department of Defense, and loyal employees of the beloved hotel, we can report a memorial to the couple has been placed inside the nook where the note was found.
The memorial includes information about the identity of the sailor, Butch, but unfortunately his beloved, Molly, was never identified.
Management of the hotel reports the memorial has become a popular meeting place for everybody celebrating love.
If the old saying, ‘love conquers all’ is true, we suspect the identity of Molly will be forthcoming in the future like the many ships returning home passing underneath the Golden Gate.”