Field of Poppies

December 1917-March 1918

            "Did you know Alexander? He used to work down at the butcher's shop before he was drafted."

Amelia was in the betting shop working alongside Rosie, Danny Owen's wife. "I think so. Was he the one married to that Italian girl?"

"Right, she passed some time ago from the flu." Rosie nodded. "Well, he came back few months ago." She reported. "They just locked him up in the asylum last week. Martha was telling me."

"The asylum?" Amelia looked up from her ledger in alarm. "Whatever for?" From the brief time she'd known the young man, he seemed like a decent person without anything seemingly off about him.

"He went off his rocker. Had a gun and was threatening to shoot his own brother." Rosie looked concerned. "They said he still thought he was in the war. They couldn't convince him otherwise."

"Jesus." Then pen slipped from Amelia's hand a bit. She couldn't imagine what sort of horrors could change such a nice man. What could possibly cause someone to lose their mind completely? And would Tommy come back the same?

After almost four years of waiting for him, she couldn't imagine having to lock him up to protect others and himself. Because Alexander's case wasn't some anomaly. There were many stories drifting quietly around Birmingham of the men who came back. Once upstanding figures in the community came home different men. There were two men that Amelia knew had committed suicide. Their families were distraught. They had waited so long for them to return, were so happy they came home alive, and now they had to bury them.

It made Amelia so anxious. Of course, she wanted Tommy home but what could she do if he was nothing like the man that had left her that day at the train station? How could she explain that to her children?

"It's a shame," Rosie said quietly. Both the wives were thinking about their husbands. Hoping, that maybe by some sheer luck, their boys would be okay. But it seemed foolish to even hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It would be another Christmas without Tommy. It never got any easier, although Amelia tried to make do. Annie's awareness of Tommy's missing presence was becoming more of an issue. There were only so many times Amelia could explain why he was gone. The almost-four-year-old was unsatisfied with the answers. She didn't understand war, didn't understand why her father was gone, and especially struggled with why he couldn't just come home.

A week before Christmas, the Shelby household was in chaos. A loose thread on Annie's teddy bear had caught on one of the kitchen cabinet handles. Instead of trying to unravel it from the metal, the young girl pulled and pulled until her darling stuffed animal had a loose arm hanging by a thread.

Annie screamed and cried, inconsolable as she cradled her bear close.

Amelia tried to calm her down, saying it wouldn't be an issue to stitch the thing up again. But her daughter wasn't listening. She wouldn't even let go of the bear so Amelia could fix it.

"Love, please, it'll be okay!" Amelia begged for her daughter to calm down. "Mummy will fix it and he'll be as good as new. I promise."

"But daddy gave him to me!" She sobbed.

"I know, but I can fix him."

"Daddy'll know I hurt 'im!" She wailed and thrashed about on the kitchen floor. "Daddy'll hate me!"

"Annie Shelby, what on Earth gave you that idea?" Amelia asked.

"'Cause...'cause he will!" She didn't seem to have any basis for how she felt. "That's why he won't come home!"

"Now you listen to me." Amelia gathered her up into her lap. "Your father loves you very much and if he could come home, he would in a heartbeat."

Annie began to calm down in her mother's arms. She hiccupped and wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve. "Teddy'll be okay?" She asked.

"Of course, I'll patch up his arm and he'll be looking nice for Christmas." Amelia kissed her cheek. "Now go head upstairs. It's nearly bathtime."

~~~~~~~~~~~

As they always did, they got through the holidays and made it out alive in the new year. Amelia was struggling to write down the date sometimes.

1918

How could it only be two years away from the new decade? And more importantly, would she be welcoming 1920 still without Tommy. Max would be ten by the end of 1920. By then he would've spent more than half his life without his father. It made Amelia sick to her stomach to think about.

She just didn't realize good news was around the corner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Annie and Max were running around the parlor while Amelia cleaned up after dinner. The two were sick of being cooped up inside because March had brought on endless rain.

The phone started to ring and Amelia called out from the kitchen. "Quiet down, you two, mum needs to answer the phone!"

It didn't do much good. The kids were leaping off the sofa and creating a big ruckus.

Still, Amelia picked up the receiver. "Shelby Residence."

"Mel?"

For a moment, Amelia was convinced she was in a dream. There was no other explanation for why Tommy's voice would be on the other end of the phone. Her knees went weak and she clutched onto the stair banister nearby. "Tommy?" She gasped. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, love. It's me."

It felt like her heart was in her throat. There was so much she wanted to say to him and yet she couldn't find the words. "I-I don't understand."

"They're sending us home. All of the 179."

Tears began to stream down Amelia's cheeks. This was the day she'd been waiting years for. Now that it was time, she couldn't contain her happiness. "Really? Oh, Tommy...I-I don't know what to say. I'm over the moon!"

"I know, love. I can't wait to finally be back home with you. I don't have much time on the phone, are the kids there?"

"Yes, yes I'll get them." Amelia turned from the telephone. "Max, Annie! Guess who's on the telephone!"

The two rambunctious kids ran into the hallway to see what she was talking about. "Who?"

"It's daddy." Amelia knelt down and held the receiver to them.

"Dad?" Max was cautious, unsure if his mother was just pulling his leg or not. Although he figured it would be too cruel of a trick for his mother to play on him.

"Hello, Max. Your sister there too?"

"Daddy?" Annie piped up. She looked thrilled but nervous at the idea of speaking to the man she'd never met.

"I'm coming home soon, you two," Tommy announced happily. "Are you excited? I'm going to be coming home on the train next month."

"Really?" Max's eyes widened in shock. "For good?"

"For good," Tommy promised. "You'll be at the train station waiting for me, right?"

"Yeah!" Max couldn't hold back his grin.

"Alright, well, I'll be home very soon. I love you all very much."

"We love you, Tom," Amelia said tearfully before the line went dead. She hung up the receiver, her hand trembling.

"Aren't you happy, mummy?" Annie asked.

"Of course."

"Then why're you crying?"

"I'm just so happy." Amelia pulled her children in for a tight squeeze. "He's finally coming home."