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Hand in hand, Mary and Tommy entered the train station they would stay at for another hour. The young girl held her jacket tightly around her petite body, the chills she had been experiencing coming from the stress running through her veins. She took a quick glance at the people around her, some couples were crying in each other's arms, some were laughing with the jokes that they had been telling and others were sharing their last kisses, arms embracing their loves. Mary looked away from them, she couldn't see how they said goodbye to the soldiers ready to return to the war.
"Are you okay?," Tommy asked worried.
"I'm alright."
"Come, let's get something to drink. We have an hour until the train gets here."
He dragged his girlfriend through the crowd, on the hunt for a small café that wasn't too busy. He wanted and needed some peaceful time before leaving. Mary could only feel the touch of his green jacket against her skin, her attention on the clothes he needed for the army. Her eyes darted down his body, taking every piece of clothing and detail in her memories. She didn't like him in his uniform, it symbolized too many bad thoughts for her.
"Do you remember the last time we sat here?"
"Please, Tom, don't bring that up." She stirred with the spoon through her coffee and sprinkled a tiny bit of sugar in the drink she had ordered, making it sweeter than it normally was. The metal cutlery ticked against the cup, the soft sound singing in her ears.
"You have to stop blocking out the memories of Jack, it's not good that you do that." Tommy rested his fingers in the palm of her hands and made her look in his eyes. His lips curled up, trying to make her calm her nerves.
"I'm not blocking them out, I just don't want to think about it right now," Mary answered.
"I understand that you're scared, Mar. But you shouldn't think about the war like that –"
"Well, how do I have to think. You getting injured, it's only thing I can imagine at this moment."
She rubbed with her hands over her face, trying to wipe away the worry in her expression and the exhaustion she had been experiencing from her lack of sleep.
"Think about us, love. Just us two, back together after we won," he whispered to her.
Mary let a soft sob escape her lips, her shoulders moving with her breathing pattern that was interrupted by her cries.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she cried out, shaking with her head in the palms of her hands.
Tommy stood up from his chair and took place next to her, pulling the young girl in a hug. She snuggled herself in his chest, her arms strongly embracing him towards her. She didn't like the idea of crying at that moment, she didn't want this to be their last memories before they left. But Mary couldn't help herself, the last time she said goodbye to someone on this station, that someone never came back. Her boyfriend shushed her in the embrace, rocking her from side to side, his face buried in the crown of her hair. He kissed her locks repeatedly, every kiss as loving as it could be. He wanted to hold her, making sure she was fine, even though his heart was racing and his head was pounding from the pain. She had to feel better, it is what she deserves after all the help she had given every soldier that crossed her path.
"You don't have to, Mar."
She looked at him, very confused and unknowing of what he was going to say.
"Marry me. Marry me when the war is over. I need to be sure we'll be together when I come back."
"Why wouldn't we be together?"
"No, love, no more questions. Just say yes, promise me you'll marry me," Tommy begged, cupping her face in his hands.
The young girl placed her lips on his, kissing him strongly while repeatedly telling him she will. Her salty tears that had fallen on her cheeks, got brushed from her skin and replaced with a big smile. Her fingers rested on top of his, the warmth of her skin glowing on his. Her soft flowery scent filled his nostrils, it was her signature perfume she loved to wear, Tommy loved it on her. Whenever he smelled something like that, it always brought him so many memories, the scent attached to so much in his life.
"I have to go now." Tommy hugged her for the last time, ready to hop onto the train and try to find a seat, where he could wait to arrive at the war again. But Mary grabbed his wrist, pulling him back to her, she had a small present in her pocket, a little something he needed to bring with him.
"You have to wear this," she told him, while attaching the lock of the golden necklace around his neck. His eyes started to glisten as he started at the accessory he wore, his fingers feeling the texture of the small chain.
"It will protect me."
"If you believe that, yes."
"It's you, Mar. You will protect me," he stated before kissing her on the cheeks and thanked her for the gesture. A soldier that bumped into him, apologized to the young man and then reminded him that the train will be leaving, warning him so that he wouldn't be too late.
"Now you can go," she laughed, the last time he heard it escape her lips before parting from her and walking to the train, black smoke coming from the vehicle. Mary waved at the man she would soon call her husband. She had found some hope, he would return soon and the dark times would be over. He would come home to her and their lives together would start, no more war breaking them apart, no more bombs destroying their dreams.
As the train rolled out of the station, the women turned around, all of them returning home with tears rolling down their faces. Arms crossed against their bodies, pressing some heat to their shivering soul. Their hearts went fast, but the world around them moved so slow. It was as if the time stood still, holding them down in their sad states. As if the world wanted it to last, just hold onto it for a bit longer.
Mary shuffled back home, her head low and her scarf hid her inside its fabric. The thought of going through this again, but this time alone, was unbearable to her. Lonely nights at the table where she sat to eat, lonely nights in the couch with no one to talk to, only the radio making noises in the rooms. It felt so strange to her, the nightmare she had been having since he came home, was now reality and she agreed with it. The young girl didn't want to hold him back from doing something so special, something so important for the world's future. If he wanted to fight, maybe die for his country, than he was allowed to make that decision and return to France, where he would stand eye to eye with the enemy, only the thought of doing this for her, rushing through his mind.
