Her Daughter's Eyes
Summary: The wars went on for more than just a few years. How would this effect the personal lives of the officers?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. I think the title is also someone else's. I think I may have heard it somewhere but I don't remember where. Of course, Babylon 5 stuff isn't mine either.
Chapter One
By her earliest memories, the station was already marked by years of wartime shortages. All she remembered of the station were the scarred, grayed wall and floors, carpets burned and gray as ash, no matter how much they were cleaned. It was always cold, the lighting was always dim. They didn't have the energy to run these systems. Most of the time the oxygen was thinner than it should be. It didn't bother her so much, she was so used to it. But Mama's lungs were damaged from working in smoke filled burning areas after attacks so many times that the lack of oxygen made her wheeze. It was often the first sound that Hadassah woke up to. Still it didn't bother her too much. She thought that was the way things were supposed be. The room they lived in was not the room allotted to the executive officer of a military base and certainly not the second in command of the largest army ever summoned and of a new council which was in the process of being formed. Excluding the bath and closet, their entire living space was only 10 by 12 feet, a single multi purpose room. A single bed, slightly larger than a twin was pressed between the closet and bathroom doors. It was Mama's bed, Hadassah had a smaller collapsible bed which slid under her mother's, but as the child was only five, and there was so little room in their room, the smaller bed stayed put away and mother and daughter shared the larger bed. In the corner of the opposite wall was a small fridge, a stove with only two burners and a tiny oven set on a counter, a small sink and two cupboards. In the other corner was their table with four chairs, which served as a desk, dining table and living area. They didn't have any sofas, rather four large cushions to be placed on the floor as a sitting area. There was a bookshelf which held only the Torah, Hadassah's school books, Mama's ledgers and account books or those related to her work and desk supplies. Instead of a proper dressing table, there was a bed side table size table which held only two brushes, two extra clips each, deodorant and Mama's one lipstick and a tiny bottle of rose water. Their shared closet was rather bare. In each corner there was a pair of basic dress shoes, in Mama's a pair of black stilettos and in her own dressy Mary Jane type shoes. Her every day Mary Janes were as well but Mama's military boots were gone. Her sandal like slippers were in their place. Hadassah took out her Mary Janes and put her own slippers in their place. She had a navy blue dress, three tunic and loose pants sets for regular use, three skirts and blouses for school and two sweaters, one formal and one casual in her closet. All of this was clean, neatly maintained and ironed by Mama, her shoes perfectly polished. Mama no longer wore uniform, nor did anyone else. The cloth was too expensive. Mama had a full sleeved ankle length black silk dress, three peasant blouses, a black vest and ankle length skirt and a deep green half cloak and long skirt set hanging in closet, similarly ironed and maintained. That meant Mama was wearing the burgundy skirt and vest with peasant blouse set. Each skirt flared in an Eastern European way yet each was different. All their clothes were hand sown by Mama, no longer could they buy clothes or have someone sew them. Undergarments and socks, slips and petticoats were in the drawers underneath. The final of the three drawers was used to store extra cloth. Hadassah opened it, scraps of silk which if color coordinated could make them each another formal dress. There was enough fabric to make them each another skirt and blouse if necessary. Hadassah had no idea how long it would be before more cloth could be found. If she ruined her clothes there was no telling how long it would be before they could find new ones. It was a sobering thought for a five year old. She pulled on her knit leggings and skirt, blouse and undergarments by herself. She had no idea how long she had been doing this. She put on the shoes and buckled them. She had washed her face and brushed her teeth earlier. Mama never had time to remind her. She put on her sweater and made her hair. Her school bag was already packed with her books, supplies and homework. Her breakfast of toast and jam with powder milk, the only kind they ever had. Mama didn't even use it in her coffee which was more like a tree bark drink just so Hadassah would have enough. Her lunch was packed on the table. She opened the tin box to reveal a vegetable sandwich, a thermos of soup, a turnover and cookies for her snack as she would be at school a long time. The thermos was rather small, more like a soup bowl with a lid, so there was enough room for her drink bottle which held an artificial fruit drink that still had enough vitamins that Mama gave it to her and her folded up glass for water from the water fountain. She would walk by herself to the school set up for military and ranger children mostly so that they could stay after classes ended until their parents came to get them, whenever that might be. The school was run on minimal supplies, so the children had to bring food. She only ate one of the two pieces of toast with the large glass of powdered milk, so she folded up and wrapped the second piece up so that she could take it with her. She would then have enough if she rationed the food to have dinner, in case Mama did not come by that time. Luckily the soup was enough for two meals and the sandwich , turnovers, and four cookies were large. Mama saved money by buying all scratch supplies and by getting them from the end of the barrel and then working with them to make their meals, which was time consuming, but it allowed Hadassah to eat well and for that she was grateful. David, who was a year older than her existed on snacks mostly because neither of his parents could do what Mama did. Often Mama took stuff to them because they could not spare the people so that the Sheridans could have someone prepare their meals for them. Long ago, Lennier had been reassigned to more important tasks. It was time for class. She put on her cap and bag with her lunch inside and met up with David who lived a few doors down in a slightly larger room because there were three of them and he had to sleep in his own bed. She handed him a package of cookies that Mama had sent for him. The six year old looked relieved. He had only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bruised but good orange, chips and the two pancakes he had saved from breakfast to last him the day, but his Aunt never forgot him. As they got into the classroom, the station began to shake. The room was in the core of the station , the safest place from battle. The lights were flashing. Still the room was relatively calm. They were children of war in the true sense. Even the youngest child present was accustomed to the situation. No one younger than ten remembered anything else. As Hadassah finished her lessons and settled down to read as she always did as she waited for Mama, she couldn't help but wonder if Mama would make it to come back for her.