Disclaimer: The movie isn't mine, any character in the movie isn't
mine, but characters that appear here but not in the movie are my
inventions (such as they are!). Anyway, I'm sure you aren't here to listen
to me ramble, so let's get on with it, shall we?
Historian's note: There were only twenty years between the end of WWI and the beginning of WWII. By just a minor stretch of the imagination, therefore, Colin Blythe could have been a veteran of WWI and have a son in WWII.
Colin put the kettle on the small stove. Hendley was out somewhere, so for the time-being he had their small room to himself. He was a patient man, but with nothing else to do he found himself watching the kettle, as he had on more than one occasion.
"A watched pot never boils."
His wife Ettie's voice broke in on his musings. Colin smiled at her when she entered the kitchen, but was still too lost in thought to respond.
"Have you talked to David yet?" she asked. Their eldest child and only son David was the source of Colin's preoccupation.
"I will today, as soon as he gets home."
"But he wants to sign up tomorrow!"
"I know, but there's very little we can do to stop him."
Ettie turned her back to her husband, obviously upset.
"So what you're saying is that you won't even try. You're just going to let him run off and get himself killed!"
It sounded as though she would have said more, but emotion had choked up her throat. Colin left his place at the kitchen table and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Of course I'm going to try." he replied gently, "Ettie, look at me."
She turned around, and his hands dropped to her waist. He continued, "I will try to talk him out if it, but if he's going for the right reasons nothing I can say will change his mind."
Ettie didn't respond verbally. Instead she hugged Colin, who held her in return. He waited a long moment before he spoke again, because he knew what he had to say would only upset her further.
"I may go as well."
Ettie pulled back as if she'd been stung.
"But why?"
"For the same reason I went the first time."
"I almost lost you the first time!"
Any response he would have made was cut off by the sound of a door.
"I'm home." David called from the hall. Ettie hissed, "Talk to him," before going to greet her son. Colin took his seat back at the table. He knew that Ettie would send their son to the kitchen immediately.
"Your father's been waiting for you." Ettie's voice came from the hall, "He's in the kitchen."
A moment later, David hesitantly stepped into the kitchen.
"I was just about to make some tea." Colin said, "Care to join me?"
His son sat down. They sat in awkward silence for a second, until Colin asked, "So how was your day?"
"Good." was David's noncommittal response. Another silence followed, which neither were inclined to break. Fortunately the kettle chose that moment to sound. Colin took it off the stove and poured some water into a small teapot he'd prepared earlier, then poured two cups of tea. They took a second to doctor their tea, milk and sugar for David, and just milk for Colin, before David spoke.
"Mother said you were waiting for me."
"Yes. I know you want to enlist in the war-" Colin started, but was cut off by David.
"You're not going to talk me out of it-"
Colin raised a hand and gestured for quiet. David fell silent.
"Just hear me out before you make your decision. Doubtless some of your friends think this war will be a grand adventure, but I can tell you from experience that it won't be. I was barely older than you when I fought in the Great War, and it's not an experience I would relive willingly. There's nothing gallant about being gassed or shot at. If you're going just for excitement then put any thought of enlisting out of your head this instant."
"Father," David responded, "Since I was just a little boy you taught me to do my duty, whether it be for my family, at school, or for my country. Right now it's my duty to protect Britain however I can, and if the only way to do that is by going to war, then so be it."
Colin gazed down at his tea. He didn't want his son to get hurt, but David was right. He almost cursed himself for raising such a fine boy. The silence stretched on another moment before Colin met his son's gaze.
"Be sure to write home. Your mother and sisters will want to hear from you."
"Thank you!" David blurted, "I'll make sure-"
Then he realized that his father had left someone out in his last statement.
"And you won't want to hear from me?"
Colin replied, "I won't be here. I'm going too."
Noticing his son's sceptical look, he continued, "There are many places besides the front lines where they need people."
"But what will Mother say?"
"You let me worry about that."
The shrill whistle of a kettle brought Colin back to the present. He took it off the stove got out his twenty-times used tealeaves. Not that he cared about that at the moment.
'I do hope David's all right.' he thought.
Historian's note: There were only twenty years between the end of WWI and the beginning of WWII. By just a minor stretch of the imagination, therefore, Colin Blythe could have been a veteran of WWI and have a son in WWII.
Colin put the kettle on the small stove. Hendley was out somewhere, so for the time-being he had their small room to himself. He was a patient man, but with nothing else to do he found himself watching the kettle, as he had on more than one occasion.
"A watched pot never boils."
His wife Ettie's voice broke in on his musings. Colin smiled at her when she entered the kitchen, but was still too lost in thought to respond.
"Have you talked to David yet?" she asked. Their eldest child and only son David was the source of Colin's preoccupation.
"I will today, as soon as he gets home."
"But he wants to sign up tomorrow!"
"I know, but there's very little we can do to stop him."
Ettie turned her back to her husband, obviously upset.
"So what you're saying is that you won't even try. You're just going to let him run off and get himself killed!"
It sounded as though she would have said more, but emotion had choked up her throat. Colin left his place at the kitchen table and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Of course I'm going to try." he replied gently, "Ettie, look at me."
She turned around, and his hands dropped to her waist. He continued, "I will try to talk him out if it, but if he's going for the right reasons nothing I can say will change his mind."
Ettie didn't respond verbally. Instead she hugged Colin, who held her in return. He waited a long moment before he spoke again, because he knew what he had to say would only upset her further.
"I may go as well."
Ettie pulled back as if she'd been stung.
"But why?"
"For the same reason I went the first time."
"I almost lost you the first time!"
Any response he would have made was cut off by the sound of a door.
"I'm home." David called from the hall. Ettie hissed, "Talk to him," before going to greet her son. Colin took his seat back at the table. He knew that Ettie would send their son to the kitchen immediately.
"Your father's been waiting for you." Ettie's voice came from the hall, "He's in the kitchen."
A moment later, David hesitantly stepped into the kitchen.
"I was just about to make some tea." Colin said, "Care to join me?"
His son sat down. They sat in awkward silence for a second, until Colin asked, "So how was your day?"
"Good." was David's noncommittal response. Another silence followed, which neither were inclined to break. Fortunately the kettle chose that moment to sound. Colin took it off the stove and poured some water into a small teapot he'd prepared earlier, then poured two cups of tea. They took a second to doctor their tea, milk and sugar for David, and just milk for Colin, before David spoke.
"Mother said you were waiting for me."
"Yes. I know you want to enlist in the war-" Colin started, but was cut off by David.
"You're not going to talk me out of it-"
Colin raised a hand and gestured for quiet. David fell silent.
"Just hear me out before you make your decision. Doubtless some of your friends think this war will be a grand adventure, but I can tell you from experience that it won't be. I was barely older than you when I fought in the Great War, and it's not an experience I would relive willingly. There's nothing gallant about being gassed or shot at. If you're going just for excitement then put any thought of enlisting out of your head this instant."
"Father," David responded, "Since I was just a little boy you taught me to do my duty, whether it be for my family, at school, or for my country. Right now it's my duty to protect Britain however I can, and if the only way to do that is by going to war, then so be it."
Colin gazed down at his tea. He didn't want his son to get hurt, but David was right. He almost cursed himself for raising such a fine boy. The silence stretched on another moment before Colin met his son's gaze.
"Be sure to write home. Your mother and sisters will want to hear from you."
"Thank you!" David blurted, "I'll make sure-"
Then he realized that his father had left someone out in his last statement.
"And you won't want to hear from me?"
Colin replied, "I won't be here. I'm going too."
Noticing his son's sceptical look, he continued, "There are many places besides the front lines where they need people."
"But what will Mother say?"
"You let me worry about that."
The shrill whistle of a kettle brought Colin back to the present. He took it off the stove got out his twenty-times used tealeaves. Not that he cared about that at the moment.
'I do hope David's all right.' he thought.