Thursday, July 1st, 1954
8:35 a.m.
London Waterloo Station buzzed with activity early in the morning, either from the daily commuters coming up from Surrey or the transatlantic passengers like Carol and Therese heading out of the city on their way to Southampton's Ocean Terminal. After two months in Europe, they were ready to head back home. Back to the bubble of their sunny apartment on Madison Avenue, back to work, back to their friends. Ever since they left Italy, Carol had been increasingly homesick; missing Rindy and Abby more than she thought. Therese found that Carol needed her more when the melancholy set in, and she did her utmost to reassure and comfort whenever the mood struck.
It pained Therese to see Carol so sad at times, especially when they were on the final legs of their journey. She found herself telling Carol every couple of days how ready she was to go home and return to work, even though she didn't entirely feel that way and much preferred spending her days with Carol in the museums, gardens, and cafes surrounding them. But she did miss her friends as well, yet not in the way she Carol missed and needed Abby and Rindy.
"I'm very much ready to head home." Therese blurted out once they had found their train compartment. She sensed Carol was falling into one of those moods again, and was trying her best let her know she wasn't the only one ready to be home. Her demeanor had shifted to blank stares off into the throngs of people disembarking their trains and an overall irritability in getting her and Therese to the train station with their trunks.
"Same." Carol placed the traveling bag that sat on her lap on the seat beside her. Looking out the train window at all the last-minute travelers, her thoughts drifted into the chaos of crowds outside. "I miss her," she sighed.
Therese looked up with a sad smile. "Me too." Seated opposite, in what would be against the direction the train's movement, Therese ran her hands over the plush fabric of the soft bench seat. The red poppy pattern was dizzying to look at for too long though, and she put down one of the moquettes to disrupt some of the printed pattern that made her eyes spin.
"Do you think she got the postcards?"
"I think so," Therese replied. Carol kept nervously looking out the window, waiting for the train to move out of the station. Carol kept crossing and uncrossing her legs, tugging at the compartment curtain that seemed to catch on her arm time and again. "Carol, what's wrong?"
"Just… tense, I suppose."
Therese stood up to look down the corridor to see if anyone was still boarding in their car. A quick glance to her watch showed that the train should be departing at any moment, so perhaps they would be lucky to have the whole compartment to themselves. Therese shut the door and drew the curtains so that they could have some privacy. She blocked the door as best she could, hopefully dissuading anyone from disrupting their space, even if only for a moment or two. "Come here for a second."
Carol stood and made her way toward Therese, however backtracked once she saw that the curtains next to her were still wide open. She unbuttoned the clasp and let the curtains naturally fall, covering the rectangular glass. Once in place, Carol turned back to the door and walked the couple steps toward Therese. The palms of Therese's hands faced outward, inviting Carol to her side to hold her. Just before Carol reached her, the train lurched forward, pulling out of the station. She stumbled a step, brushing against Therese who clung to the door as she also got her bearings. "I got you." Therese muttered and let go of the door frame to grab onto Carol.
"You always do," she quipped when Therese gripped her tighter as the train slowly began moving with a more steady force. Therese easily noted their height difference in this position, especially whenever she wore flats and Carol wore heels. Carol seemed to notice as well and discreetly slipped off her heels and placed them on the seat beside them.
Therese rested her head against Carol's shoulder as she held her. She wasn't sad necessarily, but she was certainly subdued and worried. "Talk to me."
"It's just," Carol breathed, "I really miss Rindy quite a bit right now. I've never gone so long without seeing her. And I know we're going home today, but it struck me particularly hard just now."
She kept sniffling, and holding tightly to Therese. "We'll be home on Tuesday, okay?" Therese ran her hands up and down Carol's back, trying to calm her. "So maybe you can see her on Wednesday or Thursday. No school and all with summer vacation."
"Perhaps I should send Harge a telegram when we get to Southampton and tell him I'd like a visit with her. Maybe he'll agree."
"Good idea." Therese stood on her toes and kissed Carol's forehead, then made sure to not have left a lipstick smudge by inspecting the area. "Carol," Therese looked into her eyes, softly smiled, and shifted to whisper into her ear. She casually massaged her abdomen for emphasis, and said, "I think you're gonna start soon."
Carol laughed. "Damn these hormones." Carol wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and did her best to control her breathing.
"Stop, I love your hormones." Carol gave a tug to Therese's hand and led them back to their seats. She picked up her shoes from the seat and slipped them back on once she was sitting down. Therese turned her back to Carol, reaching for her travel bag on the top shelf of the compartment to pull out one of the purple-wrapped chocolate bars she'd picked up at the newsstand. She held it out to Carol whose eyes joyously widened at the sight of the candy. "Here. I know you."
"That you do." Carol grasped the chocolate bar, then Therese's right wrist to look at her watch to check the time. "Never too early for chocolate." She briefly remembered having only a slice of toast and a cup of milky tea before they checked out of their hotel and headed to Waterloo Station. Therese watched Carol open the foil wrapper and break off a strip of the candy, then another. She offered the other chunk to Therese who declined it with a shake of her hand. Carol devoured the two strips of chocolate she had broken off and packed the rest away in her satchel. Slowly Carol calmed and relaxed against her seat with eyes shut.
"Remind me when we get on the ship: I owe you more chocolate, a hot bath, and a good back rub." Therese stated as she looked at Carol, still with her eyes closed, but now with her corners of her mouth turned up into a smile.
Thursday, July 6th, 1954
4:30 p.m.
"Abby said she arranged for a driver to come pick us up. Now if we could only find Abby… " Carol remarked as they walked down the gangplank with the other First Class passengers. Therese followed behind with the camera satchel in one hand and purse draped over her left shoulder. She kept her eyes on the ground, making sure she didn't trip over her own feet or any miscellaneous debris along the gangplank. They were eager to get off the boat, get home, and start the process of unpacking their two, now very heavy, trunks.
Of all the people waiting at the dock, one little fair brown-haired girl stuck out. The little girl grinned and waved from atop the shoulders of a fellow onlooker, shouting, "Mommy!" once Carol and Therese got closer.
Carol knew that voice anywhere.
Rindy waved from her cozy spot on Abby's shoulders, unable to hide her excitement. "Isn't this a lovely surprise to welcome us home!" Carol beamed as she approached the two. When Abby knelt to let Rindy off her shoulders, Rindy immediately ran over to her mother and wrapped her arms around Carol's waist. Once Rindy let go, Carol crouched down to her daughter's level to hold her. Therese had never seen Carol so overjoyed; with tears in her eyes, she clung to her daughter and Rindy strongly held onto her mother amidst all the chaos of other travelers eager to greet their loved ones. The two of them were almost lost in their own little bubble right there on the dock.
"Aunt Abby brought me to meet you."
"She did, didn't she, sweet pea?"
Therese looked to Abby once Rindy had wandered over to Carol, and smiled at her before giving her a hug. "I see you got my telegram."
"All good. You have her through Sunday." Abby nodded and pulled her cigarette case out of her pocket. "Now let's head back: I ordered ice and restocked your bar."