The days passed painfully. The Germans were advancing and we weren't doing a very good job at holding them back. Corporal Tomlinson was on break time, but he would be back tomorrow. I realized in the few days that he was gone that he made war easier.
There was a replacement Corporal and he was awful. Even Sergeant Payne seemed to hate him.
"That bastard's plan is to let them Germans come right to us. I'm glad the Sergeant isn't listening to his ideas." Niall said angrily. I was lying on my bunk, I was hungry and tired and I missed my family, but that's what war was.
When we got back into the trenches an hour later after nightfall Sergeant Payne told us that we needed to start entrenching further along. We shouldered our rifles and crawled through the mud, hacking at the dirt to build another trench.
After three hours painful work we had made little difference.
"It's alright lads, well done. Get back inside and get some sleep." Sergeant Payne said.
I took off my coat and put it on my bunk. Niall offered me a can of half blended meat and we ate that before lying down to sleep.
---
The next morning we were back to the digging at five a.m. The corporal left at about half past eight and by ten o'clock Corporal Tomlinson arrived.
He talked with Sergeant Payne for a long time and then started to drag sandbags over to help us.
"How was your family sir?" I asked, tugging a sandbag into place.
"Alright thank you. How are you?" he replied.
"Shit." I replied.
"Yeah. It is pretty shit." Corporal Tomlinson agreed.
"Do you think we'll win the war Corporal Tomlinson?" I asked.
"Who knows. Call me Louis, not in front of the others though, just when we're talking like this." Louis said, smiling.
"Do you ask the others to call you Louis?" I asked.
"No, but you're special." Louis replied.
There was silence for a while.
"Do you know what I am?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm the same." he replied.
"How do I know we're talking about the same thing?" I asked.
"This." Louis said and he looked around and then moved closer and kissed me.
He moved away again and grinned.
"You haven't punched me so I guess we're talking about the same thing." he said.
"But - but. We can't do this." I said.
"We can do whatever we want. As long as no one else knows." Louis replied.