A Broken Soldier

Chapter One

"Brenda, did your brother tell you what time he was coming home? He finished work an hour ago, his soup is getting cold. It took me all my afternoon and a bad back to get those vegetables from the garden." Carolyn spoke to her daughter as she was clearing the plates from the wooden table that had been the centre of parties since she was a little girl.

Carolyn was an ambitious mother who was full of pride and determination for her children to do well. She was a lovable lady who had all the time in the world for anybody and everybody that she loved and cared for. The cheerful lady wore colourful dresses under her household pinny. She knew that rumours of the war breaking out were getting stronger but nevertheless, Carolyn kept everyone's spirits high, and one of the ways she did this was her bright dresses. Her once brunette hair, now turning a slight shade of silver was always seen in rollers and she wouldn't be seen by anyone without a little red lipstick.

"No ma, I don't know where he gets up to these days, but maybe he is with Alice." Brenda giggled as she dried the steel pans that her mother was now passing her.

"Now, don't be making fun of your brother. I'm very happy he is fond of a girl but I wish he would have just waited till we knew what was going on with this war and Mr. Hitler finishes the things he is planning on starting with us all."

"It's not his fault ma." Brenda giggled a second time. "He didn't choose when to fall in love, just like you didn't with dad."

"Well sometimes, I wish it didn't. The way he goes out and blows all his earnings on pints of bitter and then comes staggering in, waking us all up and stinking of the stale stuff! Has he not heard about the war? We need all the money we can get." Carolyn looked almost disappointed.

"Don't look sad ma. You're such a happy person to be around. Don't let Hitler put a stop to that." Brenda tried to reassure her mother whilst drying the last pan. "You should come to pictures with us? You know Rose wouldn't mind."

Rose was Brenda's best friend and had been since they started school together. Both girls got on well as they had an eye for fashion and a hobby in sewing. They would save up their earnings, head down to the local markets, buy materials and make designer looking dresses. Brenda was a beautiful and intelligent young lady but only worked in the local paper shop. Her mother always went on at her about how much her talents had been wasted, but Brenda didn't want to rush into the career of fashion designing, the poor girl didn't know what the future was going to hold for her and she was now old enough to understand the gloom and doom that was going to be ahead of her. She was tall, slim and had the figure of a fashion model. Her long blonde hair was in sophisticated curls and she seemed such a professional in applying her perfect make up. The young lady looked just like an up and coming Hollywood star and her mother was always so proud of her.

"No, don't be silly." Carolyn's infectious laugh came back. "You don't want the likes of me cramping your style. Go get ready and have some fun dear. I will wait here for your brother and give him a clip around the ear for making me worry so much."

When Carolyn was left alone to delve into her own thoughts, she knew that her son returning home later than usual that night would be the least of her worries. Once Hitler had started to ruin families, she would need to give up her son who may not return home at all. Every time that Carolyn would run these thoughts through her head of the war and Hitler, unusual feelings of anger started to rise from deep down inside of her. Every day it seemed to get harder and harder for her to stay happy. But she knew that right now, she had a duty of care over her loved ones and she had try to stay happy to see the smiles on all their faces. And that is just what she would do. Wiping her cheeks with the bottom corner of her pinny, she set to making her son a cuppa. He shouldn't be long now.

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