Prompter: Suindara

Prompt: in chapter 46 Clara asks John to come back to London and deal with their future house while she finished things in Clydebank. I wanted to know how Ms. Mcintyre and cockerel Mr. Green reacted? After all, their reserves about Clara's marriage fail by far...

Originally posted: 12 March 2017

Notes: 756 words; takes place in late August of 1946; only involves Mr. Greene, though needless to say that Ms. Macintyre's reaction when she learned of the resignation was priceless

With her train only a few days away, Clara was doing a final sweep of the flat before she packed for the last time before leaving for London. She had taken care of most everything else while John was setting things up with the new house and the publishing company. With the office now finally done, which was a chore that had taken the better part of a week, all she had to do now was the flat.

As Clara tried moving the sitting room couch, however, there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Mr. Greene standing there with complete disbelief on his face.

"Oh, hello there Mr. Greene—come on in," she said, stepping aside to allow her former boss inside. "This is a surprise, isn't it?"

"I hate to say it is, Mrs. Smith," he replied. He followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the table, watching as she put together some tea for them. "You can imagine the shock I had returning from holiday to hear that you're leaving us for good. Are you sure about this? I'd much rather hear it directly from you than through someone else."

"Positive," she assured him. "We'll still come up every so often for a visit, but right now this is going to be considered a permanent move." She put two mugs of tea and a nearly-empty biscuit tin on the table and sat down as well. "Living in London is going to overall be better for John when it comes to going back and forth between home and the publisher's, and we'll have more room for children once they come along. We'd rather not leave Greater Glasgow, but that's how it happened."

"Then that will be good for you, I guess," Mr. Greene nodded. "Terrible for us, since we have to now find someone who can dare replace you, but we'll manage."

"I'm sure you will." Clara watched Mr. Greene as he took a biscuit, a thought tugging at the back of her mind. "Can I ask a question?"

"Certainly."

"What do you think about this? I know that you and John have known one another a long time, so what is your view on the situation?"

"Honestly? It's a bit surreal," he admitted. "John was a few years ahead of me, so I never really could admit to him being a mate, yet I remember him—as you tend to remember people who grew up around you—and it's the oddest thing. He had changed after the war, you know that, yeah?"

"It's been explained to me a few different times, yes, even by John himself," she replied. "The First World War was difficult on your generation, just as the Second has been difficult on mine… maybe even moreso."

"He was alone and sulking, and then you came blustering into his life like some sort of storm. No one thought he was going to get out of the slump he had set himself into, doing odd jobs the times between when the publisher would toss some money at him, and although he had picked up that shipyard job, we didn't think that the stability would last."

"Well, it has, much to everyone's surprise, and now he has a decent contract and we will be better off than either of us have ever been in our lives. You have to at least be happy for that."

"I am, don't worry," he said. "Even if John's contract runs its course, he has a good woman at his side for support, which is less than some have to their name. If you were able to get him this far, then who knows what is in your future. He's still a sour man, but even the bitterest of us deserve someone at their side."

"Thank you," Clara said. Then a thought came to mind. "I want to show you something, actually." She stood and went into her bedroom, returning to the kitchen with John's test copy of Kittens Come Home. "I don't think I've shown this to anyone else—it's the reason for our fortunes."

Mr. Greene took the book and curiously opened it up. He browsed through it in silence, placing it back down on the table when he was done. "That's good… really good. He could have something there if he can keep it up."

"I'm certain he will."

"Make sure of it, please; he's better with you around."

"I'll make sure to quote you on that," she grinned.