A/N: What ho, comrades! Ahem. I don't really know what to say, but felt I ought to say something at least, so this will do. Onwards, into the unknown! Hark!

Chapter Nine.

I opened my suitcase and emptied it, before repacking it with the basic clothing that I'd need. A nice dress, for when I met Anton, my tailored jacket that I'd bought with my first pay check, a warm cardigan, dress shoes, sandals, a skirt and matching shirt, two pairs of nylon stockings and several pairs of underwear. I then headed into Sharon's bedroom and collected more or less the same out of her wardrobe and carted it back to my suitcase, folding everything neatly and did up the zipper.

I sighed when I lifted the suitcase. It was already quite heavy, and we didn't even have any food in there yet. We would have to take in turns carrying it. I touched my fingers to the simple chain I wore around my neck and felt the weight of Anton's ring dangling off it. I had felt relatively calm up until touching the ring, probably because I had been keeping busy, but when I felt its cool metal surface pressed against the skin of my fingertips a surge of anxiety ripped throughout my body and I had to sit down. Was I really game enough to do this?

Before I could change my mind the sound of Sharon's loud, energised singing came floating on the air and she skipped into view, blonde curls bouncing, grocery bag swinging. She spotted me sitting down in the shade of the house, picking at a blade of grass, and raced over.

"Whew!" she said, plopping down beside me. "This is so exciting!"

"I'm panicking," I said, sounding calmer than I felt.

"Well, don't," she said reasonably, smiling happily.

"Sorry. So, are you going to show me the loot?"

Sharon laughed her pretty laugh, and opened the grocery bag. "A new flashlight, some waterproof matches, a large candle, several tins of soup, a loaf of bread and a slab of cheese."

I laughed. "How much did that cost you? And how did you afford it?"

"I know where Daddy keeps some spare cash. I'm sure he won't miss it that much."

"Sharon!"

"What?"

We both laughed hysterically before carting the groceries over to my suitcase and arranging them neatly. The zipper only just did up. And unfortunately, it was even heavier now.

"Oh, there is no way we can carry this," Sharon groaned as she attempted to heave it along the ground.

"Stop whining, we'll take in turns. What time does the next train to Tennessee leave?"

"Five. And you calculated wrong."

"Eh?"

"You said it'd take about three and a half hours, maybe four. It's a lot longer than that, Patty."

"How long?"

"Probably about six and a half hours straight there, but half hour stops at a few major stations, plus it's not direct. We'll have to change trains at Memphis."

"I think I might just scream."

"It's not impossible. I've managed to locate enough money to get us there."

"Locate? You mean steal, from our father."

"Big deal. He owes you."

"Fair enough. So run this by me, roughly how long will it take to get to Tennessee?"

"Just an estimate, about nine and a half to ten hours."

"Oh… My…"

"Patty! Deep breath."

"This is crazy!" I leapt to my feet and began pacing in circles, cursing under my breath. "I can't do this! We can't do this!"

"Yes, we can!" Sharon said, also jumping to her feet and gripping my upper arms painfully. "It'll be fine, trust me. It's for Anton."

I burst into tears. I couldn't help it. My emotions had been through one hell of a storm and I was tired and scared and everything was just catching up on me. I couldn't take much more of this stress.

"Patty, don't you dare fall apart on me now," Sharon said warningly. "We are going to do this. Together. And I demand to be at your wedding."

"I can't marry Anton," I sobbed.

"What? Why not?" Sharon demanded, confusion on her face.

"I'm Jewish."

"So?"

"So Anton's not!"

"So?!"

"Well we can't have a Jewish wedding, or a Christian one, because we're not both the same religion. Besides, who says he'll even want to marry me?"

"I didn't realise you were intent on having a Jewish wedding."

"I'm not. I don't care about that. I haven't exactly been strictly religious since the war. All those people killed, and Anton and I not allowed to be friends, all because of stupid things like nationality and religion."

"So convert to Christianity."

"I can't. I don't want to."

"So you want to be Jewish?"

"I don't want to be anything!"

"So reject your faith!"

"But I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because," I sighed. "As much as I hate all the controversy religions have caused, I still somehow want to believe in something. I'm so confused."

"Let's not think about this now, hey? Let's just head down to the station so we can sort out our tickets. We have to be there at least half an hour before the train leaves anyway, and we can have some lunch while we're waiting. Come on."

"I want to say goodbye to Ruth first."

"Obviously."

I took a deep breath. I really, really didn't like goodbyes, and I knew this one would be awkward.

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