...
The Barnes lived in a small but charming flat above their grocery store. They were a lovely elderly couple, who welcomed Winters and Nora into their home as if they were a part of the family. The Barnes's had many family photos of trips down to the beach or day outs with friends. Nora immediately noticed the picture of their late son, Robert – who was dressed in his Class A Royal Airforce uniform. The loss of a child was like a loss no other, nothing could come close to grief that deep. Nora had known plenty of parents who had lost their children because of war. Mr and Mrs Barnes were victims of war because of their losses. And yet, they still managed to welcome Winters and Nora into their home with a smile. After a short tour of the home, the two Paratroopers were shown to their room – which looked out onto the street. Two single beds were set up, with matching floral bedding. Just like the rest of the Barnes's home, the bedroom was charming.
Nora admired the memorial the Barnes's had created for their son. In the hallway, was a lovely, framed photograph of Robert, with a poppy wreath around him. Standing on the balls of her feet, Nora's finger gently drew a circle around Robert's face. She cast the photo a tiny smile. He must have been truly loved and admired…
"He was a good-looking lad". A voice snuck up behind Nora. She quickly spun around and stared up at Mr Barnes, who smiled at the picture of his son. "Same age as Dick, actually. I'm still very proud of him". Mr Barnes looked down at Nora, his smile softened. "Do you like to garden, Nora?"
Nora admitted, "I never had a garden back home, Mr Barnes".
He said, "I find I do most of my thinking while pulling weeds". Mr Barnes added, "Should you ever need some time to think, you're welcome to use the garden".
"Thank you, Mr Barnes". Nora sent him a small smile. "I'll remember that". She watched the older man's eyes look toward the picture of his son again and Nora felt the small smile leave her lips. She asked, "Can you survive with a broken heart, Mr Barnes?"
After a few moments, Mr Barnes smiled small and said, "I believe you can, Nora".
"Even…". Nora never finished the question. But she did look toward the photograph. Mr Barnes noticed her stare and he drew out a quiet sigh…
"Even after suffering a loss that is hard to…". Mr Barnes's eyes stared at his son again. "To process and live with on a daily basis. We don't get a break from grief, who we miss and love, is in everything. But we can live with grief, we can live together quite peacefully in the end".
There was a spell of silence, while they both stared at Robert's picture. Eventually, Nora broke that silence by speaking before thinking. "Everything looks different when you lose someone, even the clouds look different".
Mr Barnes hummed in thought. His stare looked over the top of Nora's head, where Winters stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening to their conversation. After casting the young man a smile, Mr Barnes looked back down at Nora. "I suppose you're right, Nora. We used to stare at clouds with such wonderment, we'd see shapes, people and animals in clouds. But now, it feels as if they get in the way…they block the sun, they rain…but they continue to make shapes, even when we're not looking".
After drawing out a sigh, Nora stared up at Mr Barnes. "I can't live with the grief".
"It takes time, Nora". Mr Barnes told her kindly. "You must be patient. You must see it through until it gets better".
"Yes, Mr Barnes". Nora whispered while lowering her head.
Mr Barnes set his hand on Nora's shoulder. Looking over her head again, he cast the worried-looking Lieutenant a friendly wink before asking Nora, "How about a cup of tea, Nora?" A smile met Winters's face at the kind gesture. Mr Barnes said, "Mrs Barnes would happily serve a scone or two with tea, if you'd like?"
Nora raised her head to ask, "With jam, Mr Barnes?"
Mr Barnes chuckled quietly and gave a nod. "Well, I suppose…we have strawberry jam. Do you like strawberry jam?"
Nora smiled small. "Yes, Mr Barnes".
Winters decided to make his presence known. Walking down the stairs, he sent Nora and Mr Barnes a smile. "Might I join you both?"
"Of course, lad". Mr Barnes smiled. "The more the merrier".
So, with a small fire blazing in the fireplace, Mrs Barnes served out tea, scones, and of course, strawberry jam. Sitting on a fuzzy rug close to the fireplace, Nora took a bite of her creamy and fruity scone. They were freshly made earlier that morning; Mrs Barnes had purchased four from the bakery. The scones were thick, and one was enough to fill each belly. When Nora looked over at Winters, she saw a new side to him…he was relaxed, completely at ease. Winters didn't have to give out orders, or study field manuals, he could relax and enjoy himself in a calm setting.
Nora didn't have many memories of her Grandparents, but she did remember them being as kind and as homely as Mr and Mrs Barnes. Nora lost her Grandparents when she was only ten, so, she could only remember bits of them. It's strange, Nora didn't remember things that other people would find important. She mostly remembered seeing her Grandparents after school, or when Nora had the day off school due to illness and spent the entire day lying across their sofa. They were fond memories that Nora seldom thought about. But Mr and Mrs Barnes made Nora remember, and with that, it brought a warm feeling to her stomach.
Nora finished her tea and sweet treat and was sent to the bedroom shortly after to resume her studies. Winters joined her after helping Mrs Barnes wash-up and put things away. Just like back in the schoolhouse, their bedroom had a desk by the window. Nora was hunched over the desk, as she read over a field manual and took notes. But when raising her head, Nora looked out of the window and spied George Luz and a few other men from his Platoon walking by at a casual pace. The weather was mild with a cool breeze. The sun was out, and the sky was blue. It was the perfect day for being outside.
Winters, who had been watching Nora, let out a sigh. "Go on then…before you break every heart in Aldbourne".
Looking over her shoulder, Nora sent him a tiny smile. "Thank you, Lieutenant Winters".
"Be back for lunch". Winters said, "1300 hours, Nora".
"Yes, sir – thank you, sir".
Winters smiled. "Have fun, Nora…".
…After hastily shoving on her boots, Nora left the house and raced along the street toward Luz and his friends. Luz was pleasantly surprised to find Nora by his side. And the other men didn't seem to mind having the girl tag along. One man, Denver 'Bull' Randleman, had a basketball tucked under his arm. So, Nora had invited herself to play basketball – a game she hadn't played before. She assumed it couldn't have been too hard, seeing as the aim of the game was to shoot a ball through a hoop or basket. But as it turned out, there was more to it than that…
"Just dribble – like this, Nora". Donald Hoobler gave her another demonstration. He dribbled the ball in front of him for a few moments before passing it to Nora. "Alright. You try".
Luz gave her an encouraging clap. "You've got this, Nora!" But then Luz whispered to Talbert, "She don't got this…". Talbert gave an amused snort to Luz's comment.
Nora was finding dribbling hard. Hoobler had given her plenty of demonstrations and she still couldn't get it right. After a few successful dribbles, the ball bounced and rolled away from Nora. Letting out a quiet sigh, Nora jogged toward the ball to grab it…
"Jesus, this is bad". Bull mumbled to Hoobler. "You sure got plenty of patience, Hoobs".
"It ain't her fault". Hoobler was very forgiving. "She's never played before".
Talbert made a suggestion, "Maybe Nora should sit this one out and watch?"
Luz gave a casual shrug. "Works for me".
But Hoobler disagreed. "How will she learn that way? She's 'gotta take part and try".
Bull reminded Hoobler, "We don't got a lot of time left before lunch, Hoobs. And we came out here to play…we ain't doing much playing right now".
Hoobler was about to pitch an argument, but Nora was back with the men, and she handed the ball to Hoobler. She said, "I'll watch, it's okay". To reassure them it was fine, Nora sent Hoobler a smile. "I don't mind, Hoobler".
Hoobler promised her, "We'll practice more tomorrow, okay? You'll be a pro in no time".
So, Nora sat atop a brick wall and watched the men play basketball until 1300 hours...
…
Lying in bed after dinner that night, Nora stared up at the ceiling. Two oil lamps were lit, and a dreamy orange glow was cast around the bedroom. Dinner had been beef, with boiled potatoes and vegetables. Mrs Barnes was an excellent cook. They didn't have dessert, but they did have a bite to eat before bedtime. Mr Barnes had called for bedtime at 2100 hours. After listening to the radio for forty minutes and then reading a passage from his Bible, he announced it was time for bed. It had been a long time since Nora had felt like a kid in a house…
Getting off the bed, Nora left the bedroom and walked down the corridor. Waiting outside the bathroom, the door soon opened, and Winters appeared. Sending her a smile, he stepped to the side to let Nora in. But as she stepped inside the bathroom, something startled her and caused her to stand completely still, frozen stiff. Noticing Nora was just standing there, Winters stood in front of the girl and frowned down at her.
"Nora?" He questioned. "What's…". However, before Winters could finish his question, he heard a noise coming from behind him. No matter what was behind him, Winters had to face it because he was the oldest, he was the most responsible. Whatever that was, it was now his problem. The Lieutenant let out a breath and slowly turned around, only to find the closed toilet seat come to life with a rattle. So, there was something in the toilet…
"Sir?" Nora whispered. "Did you…leave something down there, sir?"
"Uh – no…". Winters replied. "No, I did not". He cast the toilet a frown. Winters's head tilted to the side. "Did I?" He whispered mostly to himself. Winters couldn't remember seeing an animal or anything alive in the toilet before he left the bathroom. And as he was trying to come up with a logical explanation, Nora boldly stepped forward, with the intention of lifting the lid. Winters quickly took hold of Nora's arm, pulling her back.
She stared up at him. "No?"
"No". Winters confirmed with a shake of his head. He said, "This requires teamwork, Nora. I think we should…".
"Get a weapon, sir". Nora cut him off quietly.
Winters was about to protest but the toilet seat soon rattled again, causing him to quickly change his mind. "Yeah, a weapon sounds good. Why don't you do that, Nora?"
Without saying a word, Nora turned around and ran back to their bedroom. When she returned a few moments later, the situation hadn't changed. Winters turned to face her and soon sighed upon finding a rifle in Nora's arms…
"Get the baseball bat, Nora". Winters said, "It's under my bed".
"Yes, sir". Once again, Nora left to retrieve the correct weapon this time. The toilet seat began to rattle more fiercely when Nora returned with a bat in hand…
"Someone has to lift the lid". Winters said, "While the other whacks whatever's in there".
Nora thought about her options carefully. "Can I lift the lid, sir?"
"Of course, Nora". Winters said, "Hand me the bat".
However, just as Nora was about to hand Winters the bat, she changed her mind. "I will hit it, sir".
"You're sure?" Winters asked.
Nora gave a nod. "I don't want it to touch me, sir".
Winters almost looked amused. But then he realised he'd be the one lifting the lid. "Fair enough, yeah…". Taking a step forward, Winters's fingers lightly touched the toilet seat. He looked over at Nora and said, "Don't panic, okay?"
"I won't, sir". Nora promised him.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir". Nora gripped the bat tightly, prepared to hit whatever came from under the toilet seat. However, they didn't get the chance to actually see what had been causing the toilet seat to shift and rattle, because when Nora pulled the bat back to take a swing, she hit the lightbulb, leaving them in darkness…
"Oh, Nora…". Winters said with a sigh.
Nora lowered the bat, embarrassed she had ruined their plan. With the bulb smashed, glass was spread out across the floor. And without any light, Winters and Nora couldn't see where it was safe to stand. Thankfully, Mrs Barnes appeared with an oil lamp…
"Heavens…what's happened?" She gasped.
Winters explained, "We think an animal was in the toilet, Mrs Barnes. But we had a slight accident with the bat".
"An animal?" Mrs Barnes chucked and assured them, "Goodness, no…the plumbing causes the loo to rattle and shake like an earthquake. Mr Barnes has been trying to fix it for months".
Truly humbled, Winters ducked his head. "I see…I apologise, Mrs Barnes. It appears our bat has broken the lightbulb".
"Oh, not to worry, dear". Mrs Barnes smiled. She chuckled again. "Oh my, what a terrible fright you've given yourselves".
Winters cracked an amused smile, and he promised Mrs Barnes, "I'll replace the bulb tomorrow morning, Mrs Barnes".
"Not to worry, dear". She assured him. "We have spares in the kitchen. Pop yourselves to bed and I'll see you both in the morning for breakfast".
With her tail tucked between her legs, Nora followed Winters back to their bedroom. Neither of them said a word for the first few minutes, both still feeling slightly embarrassed by the entire ordeal. Nora sat on the edge of her bed and carefully looked over at Winters, who was shoving his baseball bat back under his bed. When the bat was safely back in its place, the Lieutenant rose to his feet and looked over at Nora.
"I take it you've never played baseball before?" Winters asked.
"No, sir". Nora replied.
"Would you care for some lessons?" His voice was light with a hint of amusement.
Nora's lips twitched. She gave a shrug. "As long as nobody is around, sir".
"Of course…you wouldn't want to break anyone's nose". Winters joked with a smile. "Or smash another lightbulb…".
Through a tiny chuckle, Nora groaned into her hands. "It's my first day with them, sir".
"I know". Winters said, "That's why it's quite funny, Nora".
"They hate me…".
"No". Winters walked toward the girl. "They don't hate you, Nora". He sat down next to Nora on the edge of her bed. "But they think you're a lousy pitcher".
Nora snorted out a faint laugh while her hands uncovered her face. "I never played any sports back home, sir".
"Yeah, I know…". Winters sent her an amused smile again. However, the amused smile soon dropped when asking her, "What did you do back home, Nora?"
"I was just normal, I…". Nora's eyes stared off into the distance, as she thought back to a time before the occupation of her country. Before the war. Before Hitler rose to power. Life had been fine. Normal. "We'd read a lot, sir…we would…play hopscotch and skipping rope, sir".
Winters asked, "Did you ever go to the movies?"
Nora gave a nod and stared up at him. "They played American movies every Saturday afternoon at three, sir…John Wayne". A genuine smile met Nora's face. "Blue Steel…Texas Terror…The Man from Utah…".
Winters's chuckle cut off Nora's list. "All very good movies". He said, "What else did you do?"
Nora gave a shrug and said, "We liked listening to the radio, sir. They'd broadcast American songs, and we'd learn all the lyrics, sir".
"Who was your favourite?"
Nora took a moment before answering, "Jimmie Rodgers and Billie Holiday, sir".
Winters smiled. "Sounds to me that you had an interest in cowboys, Nora".
Huffing softly, Nora rubbed the back of her head and stared down at her lap. "I always wanted to see the mountains in America, sir…like in the cowboy movies".
Winters set his hand on Nora's shoulder and told her softly, "Maybe one day, huh?"