Copyright: 02/2014_
Fan-Fiction based on TV Show Combat! Copyright Selmur Production, Inc, ABC, Image Productions etc.
Disclaimer: Combat! and its characters do not belong to me, this WWII story is a piece of fan-fiction and I am not being compensated in any tangible way for this story.
REMEMBRANCE
The machineguns were blazing away. 'Oh God, can't you make it stop or just slow down a little bit? I can't think straight. What the hell did the Sarge tell me?'
He didn't even recognize his own voice when he started screaming. "Just shut the hell up for one damn minute, I can't think!"
The anxiety of the situation had become too much. He shouldn't be here. He should be back home, safe in Chicago with his Mom, Ruthie and George. But here he was and here would stay.
The Allies needed to breakout of the hedgerows but every time someone popped up their head to try and break through, the Krauts would shoot them down.
Sarge had told him and Miller to try and make their way down the trench, crawl forward and give him and Caje some cover as they tried to flank the Germans and throw in a couple of grenades. Kirby took a deep breath, he needed to calm down and concentrate on the job at hand. "Come on Miller, we gotta go now! Sarge needs us to get there by 1610."
Miller didn't move. Kirby turned around and looked at him. Miller had wrapped his arms around himself. He was rocking back and forth. "I can't Kirby, I just can't. I'm scared we're gonna get killed."
Kirby didn't have time for this. "You think I'm not scared? Hell, I'd love to be back home in my own bed but I ain't got that choice and neither do you. If you ever wanna get back home, you better pull yourself together and follow me! Now damn it, get goin'!"
By giving Miller a pep talk, it also helped him. Kirby felt much better. He grabbed Miller's jacket and began pulling him. Miller started to crawl behind Kirby.
The men finally made it to the designated area. Kirby looked at his watch, it was time. He began blasting away at the machinegun nest. The Germans swung their gun towards Kirby and Miller. Kirby looked over at Miller, he was aiming his rifle but not firing.
Kirby yelled, "Come on kid, start shootin' that damn thing, we gotta give Sarge and Caje cover."
Miller pulled the trigger and kept firing until he had emptied his clip. Kirby slowed down a bit so he wouldn't run out of ammo until Miller had reloaded. As soon as he began firing again, Kirby pulled out his used up magazine and slapped a new one in its place.
"Your doin' fine kid, just keep it up. What the hell is takin' so long?"
The Krauts were firing an MG42. "I swear that thing never runs out of bullets, Kirby! If they don't hurry up, that machinegun is gonna get you or me or the both of us."
Kirby looked in Miller's direction. That was a wonderful thought. "Hey kid, keep those thoughts to yourself!"
Finally two large explosions were heard. He saw Caje wave at them. As they headed towards Caje and the Sarge a shot came out of nowhere. Kirby turned to see an injured soldier trying to pull the trigger again. Kirby swung his BAR to his right and put another round into the man.
Kirby heard crying and looked back at Miller. He was on the ground holding his chest. Kirby was screaming for Doc, his voice came out strangled.
"You'll be okay kid. Doc is gonna fix you right up. Hey, you got one of those million dollar wounds, kid. You'll be goin' home."
He watched as Doc began packing the wound. Miller held out his hand to Kirby. Kirby grabbed it and held onto to his hand trying to will his strength into the young man's body.
He could see Doc's sad eyes. "Doc do somethin', he's just a kid."
He looked down at Miller who was losing his battle with life. Just hold on a little longer, they'll get you back."
The boy closed his eyes and took one last breath.
"It's over Kirby."
"No, you gotta help him, Doc. Don't die Miller, Miller, answer me damn it. Don't die! Miller!"
"Bill, Bill wake up!"
His wife sat up in bed and shook him slightly, it scared her. She called to him again. "Kirby wake up, you're having a bad dream!"
There were tears running down his face and his breathing was ragged. Laura lied down next to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
Ever since they had made plans to visit Europe, dreams about the war had become a frequent visitor. When they were first married he would sometimes have a bad dream but it was nothing like the dreams he was having now.
"Sweetheart, are you alright?"
"Yea, I'm fine, it was nothin'."
"Bill you aren't fine and it is something. Maybe we should forget about going on the trip. We'll tell the others that we can't go, that something has come up."
"Naw, we can't do that, I'll be okay."
Laura wasn't so sure. "Will you tell me about your dreams?"
"Laura, it's nothin'."
"Bill Kirby you know something is wrong, you can't ignore what is happening to you. Ever since we all started talking about going back to France for the tenth anniversary you have been having those dreams. If you won't talk to me, will you call one of the guys and talk to them?"
Kirby threw his arm over his eyes. He took a deep breath. "I don't know if I can explain it but you're right. Tonight I was dreamin' of a kid named Miller, I hadn't thought about him in years. He was in the squad. He was killed when we were tryin' to breakout of the hedgerows. What did the French call them?"
"You mean the bocage?"
"Yea, that's it. Anyway, Sarge told us to crawl further down the trench and give him and Caje cover. Miller was just a kid and was really afraid. Hell, so was I, we both thought we were gonna die out there. Once we got the all clear sign we got up to meet Sarge and Caje. Then I heard a gunshot, I saw the Kraut, he was off to our right. I killed him. Then I heard the kid. He was cryin'. He was a nice guy, ya know. All he ever talked about was goin' home to marry his girl. Oh God, Laura, what's happenin' to me?"
"All of you, including me have suppressed some really horrible memories. Talking about this trip is bringing all those memories back and they are invading your sleep."
"Great, so I look like hell when I go to work. People are probably thinkin' that I'm goin' out drinkin' every night. If I told them about this, they'd have me taken away in a straitjacket."
Laura needed to lighten the subject a little. "The children and I would visit you every weekend, babe."
She smiled and kissed him. "Sweetheart, promise me you'll call the guys and talk to them about it or you could talk to Dr. McDaniels, he would understand."
"I'll call the Sarge maybe he's had somethin' like this happen to him. Laura, I need this to stop, I'm gettin' to the point where I don't wanna go to sleep."
"You are so tense, lie down on your stomach."
"Why?"
"I promise you'll like it!"
"Oh, it might be better if I stay on my back, ya think?"
"Kirby, just turn over."
He turned onto his stomach and she began massaging his back. She could feel him slowly relax. Finally she could hear his breathing even out. She knew he was sleeping because his snoring always sounded like a small engine. She hoped his dreams were done for the night. It was a Saturday so he could catch up on his sleep.
Kirby got up around noon, it was so quiet. He felt like his old self, the uninterrupted sleep helped him. He just couldn't figure out why it was so quiet.
Laura had threatened the kids that if they made any noise, they could forget about going to the Saturday matinee and watching The Gene Autry Show that night. They couldn't believe their Mom, she really meant business this time. To them it was a million times worse than being sent to their rooms. So they tiptoed around the house until it was time to go to the movies.
Julie had been nominated to go and speak to their mother. "Mom, we stayed quiet all morning." Julie emphasized the word morning like it had been days instead of a few hours.
"Okay, you all have been very good, so here's $3.00 for you and your brothers. If you kids leave right now you can stop at the hotdog stand for lunch."
Julie looked at the money and yelled for her brothers. "Thanks Mom! Come on boys, let's go, we're rich! Mom even gave us money for lunch!"
Laura had to laugh, it was her fault that they were now squealing with joy.
Kirby walked down the stairs. He smiled at his kids as they said hi and bye to him as they ran out the door.
"It was way too quiet around here. I am so use to you saying, shhhh, your daddy is sleeping. What did you do? Threaten life and limb?"
"Oh, much worse than that. No matinee and no Gene Autry."
Kirby smiled and kissed his wife on the cheek, "Honey, you can be so cruel!"
Laura turned in his arms, she had her "stern mom" look on her face; Kirby knew he was in for it. "Bill, will you call Saunders or one of the other guys? Maybe they've had the same experiences that you are having."
"I think I'm okay."
"You're not all right. You need to face this. Please Bill, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me."
"All right I'll do it, just so it will ease your mind but like I said I'm all right."
Laura gave him a big bear hug. She was glad he gave in so easily. When Kirby dug in his heels, nothing could change his mind.
Kirby walked to the phone, picked up the receiver and began dialing the Sarge's number.
A woman answered the phone. "Hello."
"Barbara, this is Kirby, uh Bill, is Sarge, I mean Chip, is he home?"
"Hi Bill. He's here, just a minute, I'll go get him."
Barbara walked to the kitchen where her husband was having a cup of coffee. "Chip, Bill Kirby's on the phone for you. He sounds kinda funny, you know nervous."
"It's probably nothing. I know he was asking me the other day about the trip. He was asking how much stuff I was gonna take."
Kirby began to perspire. He felt like his legs were going to give way. He sat down next to the phone and waited.
Chip walked to the phone to pick it up. "Hey, Kirby what's up?"
"I hate to keep bothering you but if I didn't call, Laura is gonna kill me."
"You're not bothering me, what's the problem?"
"It's not a problem really, well, maybe it is. Ever since we've been planning this trip back to Europe, I've been dreamin' a lot."
He had a feeling what Kirby was about to say but he needed Kirby to say it. "What kind of dreams?"
Kirby began to breathe hard. He felt like there wasn't enough air in the room. "Sarge, ever since we started talkin' about this trip, I've been dreamin' about things that happened during the war; stuff I hadn't thought about for years. Like last night I dreamt about a kid, he was in our squad. I don't know if you remember him. His name was Miller. He was killed when we were breakin' through the hedgerows. I thought I had put all of that stuff behind me. Every night, it's a nightmare and it's gettin' worse! I hate goin' to sleep anymore. Has this ever happened to you?"
"Yeah Kirby it has, I'm surprised it hasn't happened to you sooner. When we were over there we saw a lot of things no one should have seen. We couldn't dwell on it so we pushed it away. If we hadn't we probably would've lost our minds. I think you're right though, this trip has brought it all back to you. And I do remember Miller."
"Sarge what did you do?"
"Barbara made me go see a doctor and we talked. I told him about the things we did and had to do. The doctor understood, he was with the Big Red One. Kirby, he told me to write down my thoughts and experiences; anything that came to me. Maybe you need to do the same thing. Just get it off your chest. It helped me. I stopped having nightmares."
There was silence on the other end.
"Kirby?"
"Yeah I'm still here. I don't know Sarge, I guess I could try it."
"Just get yourself a book, you know one of those theme books that we used to use in school. Start writing down your thoughts."
"I guess I can do it. Thanks Sarge I appreciate you takin' time to talk to me about this."
"You're welcome. Kirby I guarantee you'll feel a whole lot better. You take care all right? I'll talk to you soon."
"Thanks again, bye Sarge."
Kirby hung up the phone and sat there for several minutes.
Laura walked into the room when she heard Kirby say goodbye. She looked at her husband and saw tears in his eyes. Laura sat down next to Kirby and put her head on his shoulder. She didn't know how to help him. She knew he was hurting. "Can you tell me what you and Chip talked about?"
Kirby took a deep breath. "Sarge went to a doctor." The statement came out more like a surprise than Kirby intended. But to Kirby and all the other guys in the squad, Sarge was their rock.
"He told me that I should write down my thoughts about what happened over there. He said he stopped having nightmares. He told me to go get a notebook and to just start writin'."
Laura got up and walked over to their desk. She pulled open the drawer and took out a notebook. She smiled as she handed him the notebook. "Here's one. A mom is like the Boy Scouts, always be prepared. You never know when one of your kids says that he forgot to tell you that he needed a notebook that morning as he is leaving for school."
Bill looked at the notebook and shook his head. "I guess I got some writin' to do."
Laura gently caressed his cheek. "Then I better let you get to it."
Kirby walked to the desk, sat down, picked up a pen, open the notebook and began to write.
That night, Laura held her breath as they got ready for bed. Neither one mentioned the nightmares but like everything unspoken, it was there in the room like a big elephant.
As they climbed into the bed, Kirby leaned over to his wife and kissed her. "Don't worry."
"I'm not worried," lied Laura.
Laura couldn't sleep she closed her eyes but she was completely wide-awake. She waited and waited but nothing happened. She listened to Bill's breathing, it was steady. Eventually, he began to snore. She finally relaxed enough to drift off to sleep.
The next morning she looked over and saw that he was still asleep. They both had been so tired she hoped he had slept the whole night through. She turned over and went back to sleep. It was nearly 9 o'clock when she arose. Kirby was nowhere to be found. She quickly got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. When she entered the kitchen she was so surprised to see her husband and children making breakfast.
"Gee, I should sleep in more often!"
"We thought we'd make you breakfast for a change."
"Thanks you guys. I'll tell you what, why don't you let me and daddy finish up in here and you kids go clean up your rooms for a few minutes. I'll call you when were done."
The kids didn't need to be asked twice, they ran from the kitchen like it was on fire.
Laura was almost afraid to ask him but she had to know. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Are you askin' me if I had a nightmare?"
"You know very well that's what I'm asking, well?"
Kirby smiled. "It was weird, at first I was afraid to sleep but I was so tired, I just drifted off to sleep. If I did dream, it definitely wasn't a nightmare because I never woke up. I just started writin' everything I could think of. It really helped you know?"
Kirby could see the relief in Laura's face. "If it helps, you keep writing babe. I'm really glad!"
The last few days before they were to leave for England flew by. In that time, Kirby only had one nightmare but it wasn't bad and he was able to fall right back to sleep.
Not all of the squad were able to go. Billy and his wife were expecting and didn't want to travel. Doc who was now a real doctor wouldn't leave his patients. Hanley said he lived through it and once was enough for him.
Everyone had to travel to New York to catch the plane to Europe. It was 4 p.m. when they all met at the New York International Airport. With so many children in tow, as they boarded the Monarch Stratocruiser, it looked like a camp heading for England. The plane took off at 5 p.m. and the only thing the women talked about was how to keep ten children preoccupied. Laura was afraid that any minute the captain might walk by and opened the hatch and throw them all off the plane even though they were 19,000 miles high and flying over the ocean. But the kids were pretty good and they were fascinated watching out the windows. It also seemed that the stewardesses were used to handling many children. Finally, when it got to be about 9 p.m. the children settled down and one by one they fell asleep. Barbara took a cleansing breath and smiled at Laura. Caje and Littlejohn's wives were so tired that they also went to sleep.
"Hey, that wasn't too bad," yawned Kirby.
"What you mean, that wasn't too bad? You guys went upstairs to the bar and did nothing to help with the children! And I'm telling you something right now Bill Kirby there is going to be a change. You men are going to help out if it's the last thing you do."
Barbara looked over at Chip and gave him a look that would have melted steel. "This is a vacation for everyone and we weren't just brought along to be babysitters!"
"Honey I know that, I guess we were being kids too. We'll do better, right guys?"
All the men shook their heads; the men knew they had better agree, they were all in the dog house.
Kirby walked over to his wife and put his arm around her. "You want to go upstairs for a little bit?"
Laura smiled at Kirby and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "That's a great idea! Come on Barbara, let's go upstairs the guys can watch the kids."
The men just stood there and looking dumbfounded as the two women made their way upstairs to the bar area.
When the two women got to the bar they burst out laughing. "You handled that beautifully Laura, I think they thought they were coming with us."
"I know what they were thinking; even though the kids are sleeping, they can watch them for a while. They need to feel how we felt for a few minutes."
After thirty minutes had passed, the two women rejoined their husbands.
Kirby and Saunders were sitting together looking a little put out. Laura sat down in her designated seat waiting for Kirby. Barbara walked up to her seat. Kirby stood up and said good night to Chip and Barbara. He walked over to his seat and sat down next to Laura.
"Do you feel vindicated now?" asked Kirby.
Laura knew not to push him too far. She took his hand in hers and looked up into his eyes. "You know I love you," she purred.
"I felt like I was being taking advantage of; I think we all felt a little left out. Honey, I know you were all glad to see each other. I also know that there is a connection between all of you that we don't have. We felt like we were only brought on this trip to take care of the kids."
He realized he had cut her out when he and the guys all met up. "Babe I'm sorry. We hadn't seen each other in so long that it was just like old times when we were young, not that we're old or anything! I mean we've got wives and kids and we sorta forgot about that. And if I haven't mentioned it lately, I love you too."
Kirby pulled her hand to his mouth and gently kissed it. She could never stay mad at him, no matter how hard she tried; she just loved him too much. All he ever had to do was show her that goofy crooked grin of his and it always got to her. As she looked into his face, he did look like the young man she had married ten years ago.
"I think we better try and get some sleep; 10 a.m. will be here before you know it."
"What do you mean?
"Honey, 10 a.m. London time is 5 a.m. New York time."
"Are you sure Kirby?"
"Yep, I'm sure. I looked it up before we left."
Laura closed her eyes still holding onto Kirby's hand. "Good night babe."
"Good night sweetheart."
Saunders was up before any of the others. Even after all these years he still got up before the sun. He silently went from row to row waking up the guys. When he got to Kirby, Chip leaned over Laura and shook Kirby's shoulder. Not quite awake, he looked up a Saunders. "Is it my turn for sentry, Sarge?"
Saunders smiled down at him. "No unless you want to watch over your wife."
Kirby realized what he had said. "I guess I was dreamin' again but at least it's not scaring the hell out of me."
"I'm glad to hear that, you just keep writing. I was talkin' to one of the stewardesses and she said that we're gonna be landing in Heathrow in about fifty minutes. I figured you'd want to get Laura and the kids up."
Kirby lightly shook Laura. "Wake up sleepy head."
Laura stretched and yawned. "Is it morning already?"
"It's a little after 4 a.m. our time. I going to get the kids up, we'll be landing soon."
"Okay, I'll start gathering up our things."
Laura could hear all the children come alive. She smiled to herself as she heard the guys pleading with the kids in whispering tones. "No you can't sleep five more minutes, no you have to get up now.
Finally, Barbara got up and walked over to her kids. "That's enough! Now get up", she hissed.
Laura got behind Kirby. She looked at her three who were completely ignoring their father. "Excuse me honey." Laura moved in front of Kirby. "Did you hear your Dad? Put your seats in an upright position and wake up! Don't make me get up and come over here again!"
Caje and Littlejohn watched as their wives did exactly the same thing as Barbara and Laura.
Caje smiled at his sweet wife Chantal. "Mon ange, when did you learn to do that? I have never seen our two move so quickly in my life."
Chantal caressed her husband's cheek. "It is one thing we mothers all learn and that ma cher coeur, is to be a sergeant. The children learn we will not put up with their nonsense."
They all gathered their belongings. Caje thought it would be better if they waited until all the other people had left the plane. He figured that it would be less likely to lose a child if they all stuck together.
Laura couldn't believe how different Heathrow looked from the last time she had seen it back in 1945.
It took more than two hours to go through customs and collect the luggage. The children were getting restless. The porters hailed several taxicabs. Saunders told the drivers where they wanted to go. It took the cabs 30 minutes to get to the destination. As the cabs came to a stop, there was complete silence as they looked up at the Park Lane Hotel. They heard one of the children exclaimed, "Is this a castle?"
Littlejohn patted his little boy on his head. "No Pete this is our hotel. I remember when I was in the Army I came here for lunch. I thought it was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen."
The doorman motioned for the bellmen to come and take the luggage. While their husbands registered at the desk, the wives held onto their children's hands. They were afraid that something would get broke before they even made it into their rooms.
As Kirby walked towards Laura, she had a very worried look on her face. "Are you sure we can afford this place?"
"Laura we never had a honeymoon or a really big vacation. We can afford it so stop worrying."
"Well honey, if you say so that's all I needed to hear. Now that's settled, I want to go to Harrods and Selfridges!"
Laura could have sworn Kirby turned a sickly green but she decided to ignore it. She knew she wouldn't buy anything extravagant. She had everything she wanted, Bill, her kids and her home back in Chicago.
The families settled into their rooms. They decided to catch up on their rest and get re-acclimated to the time change. They would meet each other for breakfast the next day.
The following day everyone looked one hundred percent better. As they sat around the table eating their breakfast, Littlejohn stood up. "I have an announcement, I have been talking to the concierge and he told me about a man he has hired numerous times. The man is the owner of a Duck. He's fix it up and he uses it to show groups of people around London. The concierge also has recommended a tour guide to go along with us. I thought it was a great idea so I hired them."
The guys also thought it was wonderful idea.
Jean had a confused look upon her face "Honey what is a Duck?"
Littlejohn smiled. "It's definitely not a bird. It is an anachronism for DUKW. It's a six wheel amphibious truck. Thousands were used on D-Day during the Normandy invasion.
Laura looked at the guys liked they had lost their minds. The other wives and children seemed excited by the whole idea. Laura shook her head in resignation. 'If everyone was so gung-ho about traveling on a Duck, who was she to rain on their parade.'
Jean noticed the look on Laura's face. "What's wrong? You don't look too happy about it, Laura."
Putting on a smiling face, Laura decided to make the best of things. "I've been on a Duck, I am just hoping the owner has fixed it up some. I'm sure it's going to be lot of fun and educational for the children! Ladies, I suggest we go back upstairs and change into slacks."
"I think I will stay dressed the way I am, Laura. I don't like wearing slacks."
The other wives shook their heads in agreement.
"Well, if you'll excuse me I'm just going to run upstairs and change. I'll be right back."
Laura hurried and changed her clothes. She tried to warn them but fashion meant more to them than comfort. When she returned the families were waiting for her in the lobby. She noticed that Littlejohn had a worried look on his face. As they all walked outside the Duck was waiting for them. Laura was relieved to see that the man had indeed fixed it up. He had enclosed it and put in seats. The women looked puzzled. They wondered how they were going to get into the Duck.
Laura tapped Jean on the shoulder. "Come on everyone, I'll show you how it's done."
The children and the women followed Laura to the side of the boat. Attached to the side was a ladder. Laura began to climb the ladder. Once she was at the top she crawled over the side. The women looked horrified. The kids scrambled up and into the Duck like it was nothing. The women were staring daggers at Littlejohn. Laura was amused by the whole thing. She knew the women wanted to have an idea of what the men went through but their fantasy came crashing around them when they began to experience reality.
The three women turned around and ran towards the hotel. "Will be right back," cried Jean.
Kirby climbed up the ladder. The other husbands decided to wait until their wives returned.
Laura tried to look as innocent as possible. "I did try to tell them honey."
"You loved that didn't you?"
"Yeah I kinda did. They wouldn't listen to me. I know they wanted to experience what you guys went through on D-Day. But to them fashion is everything. I guess if I hadn't been a nurse I would've done the same thing."
The women returned in more appropriate clothing. Their husbands help them up the ladder and Kirby help them into the boat.
There were two men inside, one was driving the Duck and the other was dressed in a blazer and dress slacks with a blue badge attached to his lapel.(1) He welcomed everyone aboard.
"Dad did you land on the beaches using the Duck?" asked Littlejohn's son Steven.
"No we climbed off the big ships onto an LCVP but everybody calls them a Higgins boat. They were actually designed by a man named Andrew Higgins. He comes from Louisiana just like Uncle Caje."
"For what were these boats used for?"
The tourist guide by the name of Henry said to the group, "I think this is where my job comes in."
Henry explained to them that the Duck was used to transport troops and goods over land and water. Some of them were used in the Normandy Invasion. He also told them that they were going to visit some famous WWII sites, like the Prime Minister's home, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace. Eventually, he said they would take a ride down the Thames River.
A good time was had by everyone. Laura admitted this time was a lot more fun than the first time she had been on a Duck. They even hired the men for an additional day. They took them out to the country so the wives and children could see where their dad's camps had been.
"Mom where was your camp?"
Laura looked a little sheepishly at her children. "I didn't live in a camp."
Kirby egged his wife on. "Come on Laura tell the kids where you lived."
"All right, I'll tell you, I lived on an estate."
"Yea, your mom had it really tough. She was livin' on some Lord's estate."
Laura was glad that the weather had turned a bit cool and windy. Her cheeks were rosy and they couldn't tell that she was blushing. She knew she had it much easier than the guys. Laura laughed, "It's true; I did have it easier than your dad. However, once we got to France it was a different story!"
The days in London passed quickly and it was Tuesday, June 1st. It was time for them to leave for France.
The doorman hailed several taxi cabs to take them to Victoria Station. They would be taking the Night Ferry from London to Paris. The children thought this was a great adventure. They would start out on a train and the train would be put onto a ferry. Overnight the ferry would take them across the English Channel and from there they would travel across France to Paris. It was quite late when they boarded the train. The children were very tired, they were becoming cranky. The porter showed the families to their compartments.
The next morning everyone was up bright and early. They would be arriving in Paris at 9 a.m. They quickly ate their breakfast and got ready for the next part of their adventure.
They would only be staying in Paris for only a few days and then they would be heading out to Normandy for the D-Day ceremonies.
When Laura stepped out of the taxi she turned to Chantal. "Can I hug Caje? This place is gorgeous!"
"By all means but I'm first!"
Caje laughed at both of them. "I'll take the hugs but I had nothing to do with this, you girls are going to be hugging the wrong guy."
Laura looked around at the group. "Then who pick this place?"
Kirby tapped Laura on the shoulder. "You want to hug somebody? Then you better be hugging me because I picked this place. I can even say the name of this hotel, Regina. When we were putting this all together, I wrote a letter to the French Consulate. I asked them if they could recommend a hotel that wouldn't mind children. They recommended the Regina."
Laura wrapped both her arms around Kirby and kissed him hard. "Je t'aime Bill. If you don't know what that means…"
Kirby put a finger up to her lips and whispered in her ear. "I love you too. I love you with all my heart."
Laura felt like she was going to cry. Little tears glistened on her lashes. "Darn it Kirby, you're making me cry."
Kirby rolled his eyes and put on a look of hurt. "You try to do something nice and they still get mad at you!"
She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. "You know I'm never mad at you; Kirby you're the love of my life."
Once they had registered and gotten their luggage into their rooms, the families didn't want to lose any time. They wanted to see everything. Many sites were within walking distance. They couldn't decide what they wanted to see first. They finally decided to go to the Louvre Museum. They knew that the museum would take up most of their time. By late afternoon everyone was tired and hungry they decided to walk back to the hotel to rest and wait for dinner. Kirby called the Sarge and told him that they were going to order dinner in. The children and Laura were tired and to be truthful so was he. They would see everyone the next day.
The next day the guys decided to make a mission out of their visit to the Champs Élysées and the Eiffel Tower. They decided that they would allow so many hours at each place and taking a break at the Eiffel tower for lunch. They planned to stay on a strict timetable.
The women began to laugh at them.
"What's so funny?" asked Caje.
Chantal tried to stop laughing. "Paul, we are not in the Army and the children get tired and they need breaks."
"In order to see everything we have to stay on schedule. We figured in breaks, 10 minutes every two or three hours."
"This should be interesting!"
The families arrived at the Champs Élysées. The children were fascinated by the Arc de Triomphe. Caje explained to them it meant the Triumphal Arch. It honored those who had fought and died for France during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Chip's youngest child, Carol became sad when Caje pointed out the WWI Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
"Um Daddy, I got a question, okay?"
Kirby was always astonished when his youngest spoke, he was nothing like Julie or John. Michael was so quiet. Kirby would joke that they got the wrong baby. But there was no denying that Michael was his child. He looked like a carbon copy right down to his crooked smile. That's why Laura made sure they gave him Kirby's middle name, Garret.
"Sure, what's the question?"
"I saw a picture in a book where the soldiers were marching here and I just wondering if you were marching there too Daddy?"
"No Michael, somebody had to make sure the Germans were leavin' France, so that was our job."
"I think that was more important than marching, right Momma? Daddy was brave."
Laura could hear their two older children giggling. She gave them withering look and they stopped immediately. "Your Daddy was very brave, the whole squad was brave. I'm proud of what they did."
Laura turned her attention to Julie and John. "Your father and the rest of the squad fought hard so you could live the life you have now. You should be proud of your Dad and all the men who had to go to war!"
The kids had never seen this side of their mother. Julie looked up at Kirby. "Dad we're sorry, it's kinda hard for us to think of you as hero."
Kirby barely could keep a straight face. "Mom never said I was a hero."
"Honey, you and the squad were brave. Whether any of you want to admit it or not, you guys were heroes."
Littlejohn laughed. "Aw, shucks Ma'am, it was nothin'."
Everyone laughed and it lightened the conversation.
They had finished visiting the Champs Élysées and began walking towards the Eiffel Tower. The children were beginning to complain about being tired.
Chip looked at his children and tried to bolster them. "Come on kids this is fun! When we get to the Eiffel Tower we will take a rest."
Carol began to cry. "Daddy carry me I can't walk anymore."
That started a mutiny. All the children began to complain.
Chantal walked over to a gendarme and asked for help. He whistled and stopped three taxicabs for her. The women grabbed up the children and put them in the taxi. She looked over at her husband and said, "What are you guys waiting for, let's go."
The men shrugged their shoulders and got into the cabs.
Chantal told each cab driver to take them to the Eiffel Tower. When they got there, Chantal walked up to Paul. "Ma cher coeur, we must get food into these children before we do anything else. We will wait here while you talk to the maître d' about getting us a table."
Cage was surprised that none of the wives seem to be upset. He figured they'd all be mad at them.
"Guys I'm gonna get us a table so we can have something to eat I'll be right back."
Caje and Littlejohn walked into the restaurant. The maître d' walked over to them and smiled. The man waited for one of them to ask if he spoke English but was quite surprised when Caje began to speak to him in French. "Pourriez-vous m'aider s'il vous plaît? Est-il possible que vous pouvez accueillir huit adultes et 10 enfants? Je vous serais reconnaissant de bien." (2)
"Oui Monsieur, je peux vous aider. S'il vous plaît me donner dix minutes." (3)
Caje shook the man's hand and slipped him one hundred francs.
"Hey Caje, how much did you give that guy?"
"I gave them one hundred francs. That's about $20."
Littlejohn chuckled. "Gee, I can remember when a pack of cigarettes was enough for them."
The men walked outside and saw all of them waiting patiently.
Caje and Littlejohn were smiling broadly. "Hey kids," said Littlejohn in about 10 minutes we are all going to have a great lunch!"
"Hooray for Uncle Littlejohn and Uncle Caje!" cried the children.
Good to his word, the maître d' walked outside and motioned to Caje.
"Come on kids let's go eat!"
They had set up a long table near one of the windows. The maître d' handed them a menu.
Caje handed the menu back to the man. "Que recommandez-vous? (4)
The maître d' seemed pleased. "Pour les adultes, je vous recommande la soupe à l'oignon, jambon de Parme et melon salade, poulet grillé et une tarte aux pommes pour le dessert. Pour les enfants, des hamburgers et des frites." (5)
"How does onion soup, Parma ham and melon salad, grilled chicken and apple pie for dessert sound to you guys?"
Kirby was smiling from ear to ear. "Boy, it sounds good in both languages!"
Caje noticed sad faces of the children. "Aren't you children happy with the food?"
Being the two oldest, Chip's son, David and Kirby's daughter, Julie spoke up for all the children. "Uncle Caje, no offense but we don't like that kind of food."
"Yea, maybe we could just have a sandwich, could you ask him that?"
"You know what? I think that the maître d' didn't think you would like it either. So he thought you kids would prefer hamburgers and fries."
Julie jumped up and hugged Caje. "Thanks Uncle Caje. Can we have Apple pie too?"
"I think that can be arranged Julie."
When their lunch was brought to them, not a morsel was left on anyone's plate.
When the waiter brought them their bill, Kirby picked it up. Everyone began to complain and Kirby is put his hand up. "Please let me do this. You have made me, my wife and all the children very happy today. Thanks Caje. Except for one thing."
"What's that Kirby?"
"I never learned the lingo but this is even worse."
Kirby looked pitiful as he sat looking at the bill. "Can you help me figure out the money?"
"Kirby, anything for a pal."
"It's really easy Kirby," Littlejohn interjected. "Approximately, 4 ½ francs equals one dollar."
"That's not too hard, I can figure that."
"That's what I told Littlejohn," said Caje.
Chip was in a teasing mood. "Anybody up for climbing the stairs?"
Barbara smiled at her husband. "After that meal, I barely can walk to the elevator."
The day was bright and sunny. The view from the Eiffel Tower was beautiful. It was so clear that they could see for miles.
By the time they were done with the Eiffel Tower it was getting late. The men realized the children were getting very tired and if truth be told so were they.
"I don't know about the rest of you guys but I think I am going to take Laura and the kids back to the hotel."
"I think you're right Kirby. We all need to rest up."
This time there was no complaints about hailing cabs to take them back to the hotel.
As the families entered the hotel Laura turned to the rest of them. "I think we are all very tired and I'm still full from lunch. I don't know how the French do it. They must not eat like this every day. Anyway, we're just going stay in for the night. So we'll see you all tomorrow."
Everyone was in agreement and they all said their good nights and went to their rooms.
The next day Chip told the children they were going to do something really fun that day.
"Okay dad what do you have in store for us today?"
"Well Dave, I thought we would take you all to the Jardin d'Acclimatation."
The children figured it was another museum or another site for adults. Their faces all looked crest fallen.
"I guess maybe I should explain what your dad just said," laughed Caje.
"It's a children's amusement park with a zoo but if you children don't want to go there I'm sure we can find a nice museum."
The children began to giggle and laugh.
"I guess guys, the kids want to go to the amusement park. So I guess we better get on our way. Oh by the way kids, were not going to walk we'll get some taxicabs"
It was a great day for everyone. The children and the adults all had a wonderful time. As they were getting ready to leave everyone boarded the little train. The children thought that was the best part of the whole day.
Every day they were in Paris brought new and exciting things for everyone to see. Like all good things Paris had come to an end and they were getting ready to leave for Normandy.
"Kirby, are you sure everything's been taking care of?"
"It's all set Laura, we hired a small tour bus to take us from Paris to Normandy. The tour guide has arranged everything, from lodging to food, so we don't have to worry about anything. The bus will be here soon and all we have to do is walk outside, load the luggage and get on the bus. The driver will take us to Normandy. Is there anything else?"
"Nope, I'm good."
Exactly at 9 a.m. the bus waiting for the families. The tour guide greeted everyone. "Hello everyone, my name is Jacques. I just will be your guide for the next three days."
The kids were happy that the bus was big enough to walk around. The parents were also glad. They kept wondering how the children would react to being subjected to sitting in a seat for the next three or more hours.
The bus turned into a long lane with beautiful wrought iron gates. It became clear to the adults that the owners of most of the large chateaus had turned their homes into hotels. This way they would be able to keep their homes.
A very elegant middle aged woman opened the front door. Before anyone stepped off the bus Barbara ran and stood in front of the door. "Stop and be seated!" She almost lost it when everyone sat down. 'Gee, she thought, even after all these years I still haven't lost my teacher's authority voice.'
"I am addressing this to all you children and I pretty sure your parents' are going to agree with me. This is someone's home and they are allowing us to stay here. So no running, yelling or rough housing inside their home. You will be polite and courteous to these people. Did you understand everything I said?"
The children nodded. Carol raised her hand.
"What do you want sweetie?"
"You mean use our Sunday church manners, right Mommy?"
Barbara laughed. "That's exactly what I meant."
The bus driver opened the door and they descended the stairs of the bus.
The woman smiled brightly at all the children. "Welcome to Chateau Bellfontaine. I am Madame Verdier. While you are here, please think of this as your home."
Madame Verdier notice the four smallest children whispering. She walked over to the youngsters and stooped down. "What are your names?"
Paul and Chantal's little girl didn't have to be asked twice she loved telling her name. "I am Noelle LeMay and I was born on Christmas Day!"
"I'm Carol."
"Hi I'm Pete and this is Michael he's my friend."
Michael smiled his little crooked smile.
Do you children like crème glacée, oh, how you say ice cream?"
The children nodded.
"We are going to have a very special dessert tonight in your honor. It is called bombe glacée. It is made out of different flavors of ice cream."
"Oh boy!" cried Carol.
Michael had been listening very carefully each time to Caje and Chantal said thank you. In a very small voice he said, "Merci."
The woman smiled again and patted his cheek. She looked directly at Kirby. "You have a lovely little boy."
"Thank you," was all Kirby could say.
As soon as they were settled into their rooms, Kirby could not wait any longer. He had to know. "Laura how did she know Michael was ours?"
"You really don't see it do you?"
"See what?"
"Bill, you gotta be kidding. He looks just like you. You have the same coloring, his eyes, nose and that smile is all yours."
"I guess so but he ain't like me, you know? He's more like you. I was never that quiet. Julie's more like me, loud! And John he's like both of us. If we have any more kids maybe we'll get one that looks and acts like you."
"Bite your tongue Bill Kirby!"
That night, the children could not wait for their special dessert. The waiter began to slice the bombe glacée in front of the children. Madame Verdier laughed as the children clapped with delight. They had never seen ice cream made that way.
It had been a long day for everyone and they knew that the following day would be an even longer day. They decided to go to bed early.
The bus was waiting for them as soon as they walked out of the Château.
Jean asked the tour guide, "What are we going to do first?"
"The driver is going to drop us off at the D-Day ceremony in town."
The driver got as close as he could and let them all off the bus. He told Jacques he would be back in two hours.
As the families walked down the street they noticed that the Basilica which had been demolished by mortars and cannon fire had been rebuilt. Everyone stood next to the street watching as the cars and the troops, as they went by. They saw French Pres. René Coty in one of the cars. All the children were waving French and American flags. They watched as President Coty inspected the troops and laid a flag at the Memorial for the Paratroopers that had landed on that site on June 5, 1944.
There were about 4000 people there. It was a quiet and very solemn ceremony. Chip looked at the people, he could tell that to them, it was like it just happened yesterday.
Laura too scanned the crowd, all she could see were the sad faces of the men and women. She looked over at Kirby and the other men. She noticed they all had tears in their eyes. She touched her face and felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.
Bill put his arm around her and whispered, "This is hard on everyone sweetheart."
When the ceremony was over they walked back towards the area where the driver was waiting.
Jacques told the group they were going to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer. The men had been dreading this part from the very beginning. There were too many memories and too many young men that they had known lying in those graves. The drive was short so there really wasn't that much time to be thinking about what they were about to see.
As they walked towards the visitor center they noticed that it was quite cool being so close to the water. They walked inside the center, a pleasant young lady asked if she could help them. The men all shuffled their feet, none of them wanted to be the first to ask for help. Finally, Kirby got up the courage to ask.
"I'd like to find two soldiers ma'am. The first one, his name was Pvt. Obbie Larkin, he died at St. Lô. The second man I'm looking for is Pvt. James Miller he died right outside St. Lô."
"Would you like me to have someone escort you to the graves or would you like me to circle them on the map and you can find them yourself?"
"If you can give me a map ma'am I'll be able to find them."
The rest of the men eventually asked where to find their friends.
Jacques addressed at the group. "Shall we meet back here in about an hour or so? Will that be all right with everyone?"
"Yes, thank you. We'll see you all later," said Caje.
They all moved off in different directions, each deep in their own thoughts.
The children were more quiet than usual as they looked out among all the crosses. They had never seen anything like this. They also noticed that their fathers were all deep in thought.
Laura and the children were walking behind Kirby. Michael ran to catch up with his father. He pressed his little hand inside Kirby's. Kirby stopped and looked down at his little boy and smiled. He picked Michael up and gave him a big hug.
"Thanks I needed that."
"I thought you needed somebody to hold your hand, Daddy."
"Everybody says you look just like me when I was your age but you know what? You have your Mama's heart."
Michael smiled at his dad and gave him a bear hug in return. "I love you daddy."
"I love you too."
They walked a little further and they found Miller's grave. He stood there for a moment and finally touched the top of the cross. "I'm sorry you never made it home and marry your girl."
He turned and walked away. He couldn't look at Laura, he was afraid he would break down.
Kirby walked in about four rows and he saw the grave of Obbie Larkin.
"I guess we never did get to tear up Paris like I said. You know that nurse I told you about that I met back in the states? She's my wife now. Who would've thought I would have married such a sweet, kind girl like her. I got three kids now. Oh God I'm so sorry. You never got to have any of those things."
Laura could tell by Kirby's voice that he was about to lose it. Laura told the children to stay put. She walked towards him and she put her arm around his waist. Kirby couldn't control his emotions anymore and began to cry. Laura held him in her arms until he could pull himself together.
Laura handed him a tissue. "Are you okay now?"
Yeah, I'm alright. I didn't know how hard this was gonna hit me. Both of them were really just kids ya know? Both of them out of high school, then into the Army and then killed here in France. Not much of a life, was it?"
Kirby looked down at the grave. "I'll be seein' you Obbie."
As they walked away Kirby put his arm around Laura shoulder. "Thanks."
"For what, I didn't do anything."
"For being here today and for a million other things you do for me and the children every day."
"You and the children are my life and I love you all very much."
They hadn't realized that they were walking right towards the Memorial. As they looked out towards the reflecting pool, Kirby and Laura realized how lovely and peaceful this place really was. Chip and Barbara were also standing by the pool.
Barbara waived at them.
She said to no one in particular "These men who are buried here were sons, brothers, fathers, uncles and friends. The day the family received the telegram telling them that their loved one had died, time stopped. They will be forever young in their hearts and minds."
Kirby turned to look at his children. "These men here are the heroes of WWII not me."
They all walked into the Memorial. They found Littlejohn and his family reading the brass plaques.
David and Julie looked up at the bronze statue that was mounted in the middle of the Memorial. It was called "The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves." David pointed at the inscription that was circling around the statue. "It is the first line from the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
Julie was on the opposite side and she pointed at the colonnade. She began reading what was written there. "This embattled shore, portal of freedom, is forever hallowed by the ideals, the valor and the sacrifices of our countrymen. I don't understand everything it says there but it sounds so sad."
By then Caje and his family had joined them. He was standing behind Julie when she was reading it. "What it means Julie, is that the men who died here believed in what they were doing. They did not die in vain. They sacrificed their lives so we could all live in freedom."
"Dad said the men that died here were the heroes."
"Your Dad was right."
They continued walking until they made it to the bluff. There they saw the orientation table which showed where the troops had landed.
"Papa can you tell where you were when you landed here?"
Caje began searching for a landmark but he couldn't locate the area where they landed. "I'm just not sure. Sarge can you figure it out?"
"I know we are close but I'm just not sure. Everything looks different."
"Is this where you lost your friend, Theo?"
The memory was so close he felt like he could reach out and grab it. "We had landed and we're going up one of these cliffs and Theo was shot. I thought my world had come to an end. I didn't think I could go on without him."
He realized he was making everyone feel uncomfortable. "But you know what? I made new friends."
"Like my dad, right Uncle Caje? Dad always says you and him are bon ami."
"Yes Julie, Kirby and I became the best of friends and still are. We may live many miles away from each other but we will always be friends. Even if you can say bon ami better than your father!"
Kirby started to laugh. "I may never be able to say it right but you and I will always be best of friends."
They walked down the steps to the beach and began to look around. Each man was deep in thought as they looked around the beach. The memories of that day came flooding back to them.
"You and Uncle Bill weren't with Uncle Chip and Caje, right dad?"
"Yeah that's right. Billy Nelson and I were together and Kirby was with another squad."
"And then you all got together right?"
Kirby patted Pete on the head. He wasn't about to tell the little boy that both their squads had been wiped out that day and they were the only remaining members of each squad. "That's about the size of it, we all just got moved around and we ended up with Sarge or maybe I should say Sarge ended up with us."
"Kirby you were such a pain in my…."
Jean interrupted her husband. "I think you were going to say that you two didn't see eye to eye on certain things right?"
"No that's not exactly what I was gonna say but if I know what's good for me I better say it the way you said it! Like your mom said, Kirby and I sometimes didn't see things the same way."
Everyone laughed including Kirby. "Littlejohn, let's just say I drove you nuts. But I've mellowed over the years."
Caje checked his watch. "I hate to break this up but we gotta get back to the visitors center. I can't believe it, we've completely missed lunch."
"That's okay Papa. Just think of all the good food that we'll have when we get back to the Château. I think Madame Verdier likes us don't you Papa?"
"Yes I think she likes us a lot."
Jacques was waiting for them and they all boarded the bus back to the Château.
Madame Verdier had the cook prepare another sumptuous dinner. They couldn't ask for a more gracious hostess. Although, this was the saddest part of their trip, she had made it the most enjoyable.
The next day they boarded the bus for St. Lô. They had been told that the town had been rebuilt. Sarge said he was glad to know that the people were able to get on with their lives.
As they stepped off the bus, the guys were amazed at what they saw in front of them. They didn't recognize the town at all. The last time they were in St. Lô, there were barely any buildings left in the town. Mostly, what was left was rubble.
As they walked down the streets, Caje pointed out a memorial. He said that it was for all the bombing victims that were killed on June 6, 1944.
The center of town had been rebuilt as if it the buildings had been there for one hundred years.
Caje noticed the ramparts that surrounded the town, he pointed them out to everyone. "The town is built on and around ramparts. It was originally a fortified settlement that was built by the Gauls."
They decided to climb steepest rampart, it was called Tour des Beaux Regards.
"It's a really pretty view up here. Hey Caje, what does the name mean?"
"Not bad Littlejohn, you were close when you said it was a pretty view. It means Tower of Beautiful Glances."
"I speak French and I didn't even know it."
As they walked around town they came to another Memorial. This one had hundreds of names listed on plaques. Again, Caje translated. He said it was a memorial to all the resistance fighters that became victims of Nazi-ism. It was also dedicated to the widows and orphans who were war victims. In the middle of the Memorial was an urn. Above the urn it said, 'This urn contains the ashes of the martyrs who were deported to the Nazi concentration camps.
They had been walking for some time when they finally reached Notre-Dame Church. The men were happy to see that the church had been rebuilt. Much of it had been destroyed. They had to replace the roof, the façade and one of the towers.
"I hated seeing that church in ruins but I know we didn't have any choice," said Saunders.
Through gritted teeth Kirby began to tell them the story. "Yeah, I remember when they told us that we would be able to take St. Lô in three days. What a lie that was. It took us from July 3rd through July 16th. There would be nothing to it, it would be a piece of cake!"
Kirby realized he was scaring the children. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He began his story again but this time without the anger. "We had a real big problem, it was the way the farmers separated their land."
"Do you kids remember when your mom and I took you to Galena and we stopped way up on the hill that overlooked Galena?
Kirby's children nodded.
"When we looked down into the valley, mom said the farms looked like a patchwork quilt. Well, that's how the farmers laid out their land here, it looked like a patchwork quilt too but there was a big problem. To separate each farm from the next, the farmers put large mounds of dirt between each farm and then they planted lots of bushes and trees. This area was called hedgerows. The Germans would set up machine guns on the opposite side of each hedgerow and as soon as we would break through, they would begin shootin' at us. That's where my friend Miller was killed. We fought very hard for every scrap of land. We finally got help when this soldier came up with the idea of cutting up scrap metal from German roadblocks and welding them to the front of tanks. We called them Rhino Tanks because they looked like the tanks had tusks."
The children began to laugh as Kirby imitated a rhino.
"The Rhino Tanks cut through the hedgerows like butter. Boy, were the Germans surprised when they saw tanks with teeth on them. But there weren't that many of them. It took a lot of hours to build just one. They couldn't make them fast enough for us, so many guys still got hurt when they had to go out into the hedgerows."
"When we made it through the hedgerows we had to fight to take the town of St. Lô. We fought from one building to the next. When we finished all the buildings on one side of the street we'd have to do it all over again. We go from one block to the next. It took us forever to clean out the enemy."
"When people would ask me about that battle, they always wanted hear all the heroics. But I'll tell you the truth, it was a miserable battle. For a lot of young men this was their first and last action. We lost so many good men. The one thing I can tell you is that we became very close after that. If I hadn't had Sarge, Caje, Littlejohn, Doc and Billy as friends, I don't think I could've survived."
The men were quite surprised by Kirby's revelation. When he first came to the squad he always full of bravado. Eventually, he began to show his true side and that was the side they came to love like a brother.
They stopped at a small bistro to have lunch but then it was time to go. Once again, they entered the bus to return to the Château. This was their last day in France.
Madame Verdier greeted them at the door. "Good afternoon, I want to thank you all, you have been wonderful guests and I will miss you greatly."
"You have made us feel so comfortable here, as if we were at our own homes."
"I know you told the children that they must be on their best behavior. They are the most wonderful children I have ever met, you should be very proud of them. In honor of this being your last day with us we are preparing a very special dinner. I know you've had a long day so I will let you retire to your rooms and I will see you tonight."
Since it was their last night in France everyone decided to dress up.
"Good evening everyone. Please help yourself to the champagne and the gougeres. There is lemonade for the children.
I hope you like what the cook has prepared."
"Everyone loved the Salade Lyonnaise. The children recognized the Beef Bourguignon as beef stew."
When they got to desert the children were practically on the edge of their seats.
Everyone was served crème brûlée. Chantal explained that it was a custard with a hard caramel shell on top. She took her spoon and rapped her spoon on the caramel shell to break it.
All that was heard from everyone was how delicious everything tasted.
They knew they had a long trip and had to leave as soon as dinner was over. After dinner everyone returned to their rooms to change into their traveling clothes.
The bellboy came to retrieve their luggage. The families came down to say goodbye and thank Madame Verdier.
As they were leaving out the door, the four youngest children ran back to give Madame Verdier a hug. She leaned down and kissed each child. "One day I hope I have grandchildren that are just like you!"
For the last time they got on the bus for a three-hour ride to Dunkirk. By the time they reached their destination the children were quite sleepy. The train was waiting for them and there was no complaining about going to their compartments and going to sleep.
As Laura slipped into bed next to Kirby she pulled his arm around her. "I want to tell you something, this has been the most wonderful trip I've ever been on. I truly believe the children will remember this for the rest of their lives. I'm not just talking about the sites I'm also talking about the things you told all of us. I know you said you are not a hero but in my eyes sweetheart, you all will always be my hero. I love you, I'll always love you. "
Kirby kissed her cheek. "When we are old and gray I am going to remind you of what you said."
Laura giggled. "When we're old and gray, I'm not sure either of us will remember much."
"Speak for yourself little girl. I intend to chase you around the bed when I'm 90."
"Promises, promises!"
"Just way till we get home. I am gonna start practicing and you better buy some track shoes!"
The End
(1) In 1950, seven tour guides founde tod the Blue Badge Tourist Guides. They are Britain's official tourist guides. They wear a blue badge to indicate their professionalism.
(2) Could you please help me? Is there any way you can seat eight adults and ten children? I would appreciate it very much.
(3) Yes Sir I can help you. Please give me ten minutes.
(4) What do you recommend?
(5) For the adults, I recommend onion soup, Parma ham & melon salad, grilled chicken and an apple tart for dessert. For the children, hamburgers and fried potatoes.