THE AFTERMATH

ch. 4

Walking to work this time was surprisingly pleasant. Unlike the other times where walking to work was freezing hell for me, the weather was a bit warmer today, so that was great. I realized that I forgot to bring a jacket from home before I went over to Alex's house, so this time I got lucky.

I carelessly kicked small stones on the sidewalk as I walked. Yes, I know that's quite childish but it's pretty entertaining. I kicked more stones until I was a block away from work. I then jogged quickly to the front door of the shop.

I opened the door and stepped inside. John was sitting near the counter, reading a book. The door behind me closed loudly, making John jump up. He then saw me and gestured for me to go to him. I walked over to him, the floorboards below me creaking.

"Tommy, I just want to apologize again for yesterday, I wasn't in a good mood." John said.

"Sir, it's okay. You don't have to apologize again." I mumbled, fiddling with my fingers.

"I know, but I could see how much it hurt you when I said those awful words. Gosh, you're 2 decades younger than me, but you're more courageous than most of the men my age." John chuckled, coughing a bit after.

I looked at him in shock. He thought I was courageous? All I did was survive in that war, I didn't do anything to help. In fact, I felt as if I was a disappointment.

"All I did was try to not get bombed by German Luftwaffe planes, sir. It's not really a heroic stunt if you think of it." I confessed, feeling ashamed of myself.

"Don't say that! Countless people died during the Battle of Dunkirk, surviving was definitely a feat!" John argued.

I thought of the people I saw lying on the beach in Dunkirk, pools of blood surrounding them. Was John right? Was surviving an accomplishment?

"Alright, John. Can we talk about something else? I'm not sure if I'm comfortable talking about this right now." I requested, looking down at the floor.

"Okay, well I'm not sure if we can talk right now since people are starting to come in the store." John pointed out, pointing his hand in the direction of some customers.

Huh, I didn't realize customers were in here already. I sighed and trudged over to them. A boy that looked around 15 or so was talking animatedly to a woman, probably his mother. He laughed at something the woman said, doubling over.

I frowned a bit before I stopped in front of them. The boy reminded me of myself when I wasn't enlisted in the war yet; he looked carefree and truly happy. Gosh, those were the days.

"Hello there, how may I help you today?" I asked, putting a fake grin on my face.

The boy and woman stopped talking and turned to me.

"Hi, I would just want to kno- Hey! You're the guy that was in the article of the daily newspaper a while ago! You know, the article about Dunkirk!" The boy shrieked, tapping the woman beside him to confirm if it was me. She nodded and smiled politely at me.

"Y-Yeah I am." I stuttered, not sure of what to say next. About a year or two ago, the local newspaper wrote an article about us returning from the war. The newspaper included pictures of some of us who were in the war, and one of the people that were featured was me. I really don't know why they featured me, I didn't really do much.

"Gosh, it must have been rough to be on the battlefield! I've been telling my mom that when I turn 18, I'll be serving in World War 2, but she refuses!" The boy whined, nudging his mom on the shoulder.

"You sound a bit enthusiastic, do you really want to serve in the war?" I questioned, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Yes, I really do! I want to known as a hero and be famous all over town!" The boy exclaimed.

I shook my head. Does this kid really think that's what war is about? Does he even know how it impacts people's lives tremendously?

"I mean, it really isn't about the fame, if I'm honest. When I was out in the battlefield the only thing I was worried about was if I was going to make it out alive and when was the next boat coming to rescue us. The war altered my life for the worst, if I'm honest." I bluntly stated, trying to sound as honest as possible.

The kid and his mother's faces reddened a bit.

"O-Oh gosh I'm so sorry. George, apologize to the young man this instant!" The mother scolded, pushing her son forward.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I got a bit carried away, didn't I?" The boy murmured, looking down at the floor.

"No, it's alright. I can't blame you, you haven't really been in the battlefield yet." I said.

The boy looked up and gave me a small smile.

"George, let's go look for shoes for today's gathering at your father's house." The mom suggested, steering her son in the direction of the shoes.

I went back to the counter and sat there. I went to George and his mother time to time to help them look for the right shoes, which happened every 10 minutes.

Finally, after about an hour or so, they picked the right shoes. George and his mother went over to the counter, where John was now seated at. John told me that he'll take care of the final payments for the shoes, so I just sat beside him.

"Thank you again for helping us! George and I would've been completely lost if you didn't help us with the shoes." The mother said while counting her change.

"It's not a bother, it was a pleasure to help you guys out." I curtly responded.

"Alright George, lets go now." The mother told her son as they walked away. George looked back at me and gave me a grin. I waved at him as the door closed.

"Well, that was interesting." John commented, putting the money the mother gave into the cash register.

"What was?" I asked.

"The whole ordeal that happened between you and that boy." John replied.

"Oh, that. It's fine, wasn't really a big deal." I shrugged.

But was it really not a big deal?