Chapter
17 December 1942
"Martin,
Martin the baby kicked" Ellie walked into the living room where Martin was
tending to the fire
"Are
you sure" he jumped up and placed his hand on her bump
"Of
course I'm sure, Chrissie felt it too"
"It's
true" Chrissie had followed Ellie
"Oh
my god, I felt it, I felt it" Martin gave Ellie a passionate kiss
"Ok
I don't want to see any of that" Chrissie turned and walked out of the
room. Martin sat Ellie on the sofa
"I
can't believe you're five and a half months already"
"I
know I can't wait to hold her in my arms"
"Her"
Martin looked at his wife
"Just
a hunch" Ellie smiled , Martin caressed her bump
"I
can't wait either" he kissed her bump then Ellie herself, the baby kicked
again and kept kicking,
"Wow she's strong" Ellie breather in
and out "ow, that was in the ribs, that hurt"
"She
is going to be amazing or he, I don't know, we will have to wait and see"
he kissed her again, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll
get it" Martin got up and answered the door
"I
have a telegram for Mr Martin Dinsdale" the young man who stood at the
door handed Martin a telegram
"Thank
you" he closed the door and opened the telegram, he fell back against the
wall,
"Martin,
everything ok" Ellie stood in the doorway to the living room
"Everything's
fine sweetie" Martin lied
"Good"
she went back into the living room.
"That's
it, you need to keep them watered but not too much water you don't want to
drown them" Ian was helping Lindsey tend to the vegetables
"Dad
I need to talk to you, Now" Martin appeared then ran back to the house
"I'll
be back Lindsey" Ian followed
Martin inside who stood in the kitchen telegram in hand
"What
is it son" Ian asked
"A
telegram came from the war office"
"What,
where is it, let me see" Ian took the telegram from Martin and read it
"No,
no way, no way in hell are you going to war, no way"
"Dad
there is no way out of this, no way"
"Well
I'm going to try" Ian grabbed his coat, wallet and hat and headed out of
the door
"Dad
where are you going" Martin followed him out the door
"To
the War Office" Ian replied walking up the drive
"Dad,
don't, there is no way out of it, Dad, Dad" but it was no use, Ian was
already halfway up the road. Martin watched from the top of the drive before
making his way back inside.
"What
is going on, why is your Dad off to the War Office" Ellie was stood in the
hallway, Martin looked at her
"The
War Office want me to go to war"
Ellie
stood there looking at him
"No"
she finally said
"What,
Ellie I have no choice in the matter"
"I
don't care, you are not going" she started to sound angry and upset
"Ellie
please don't get angry"
"I'm
not angry, you are not going to war, no, no, no, no ,no, no, no"
"Ellie
I wish I could get out of it but I can't, my dad's going to try but it won't do
much good, they need more men out there" they both had stepped back into
the living room
"Martin
, we have a child on the way, you can't miss any of it, she needs you"
"Still
going with 'she'"
"Don't
change the subject" Ellie was starting to cry "Martin I can't let you
go, it's not fair, it's not far" she tried to stop herself from crying
"Ellie,
please don't cry. I know this is hard for you giving what's happened a few
years ago"
"Martin
I can't lose you, I can't, I need you. When my father was killed it almost
destroyed me, I can't imagine what I'd be like if I ever lost you" she
began to cry a little more
"Ellie
you never told me that, you never showed it"
"I
couldn't, with my Mum, the farm, the shop, the family, how could I, someone had
to stay strong"
"Yes
and you have me, I would have done everything whilst you grieved"
"I
know but how can you do all that in the future if you're not here" Ellie
burst into tears and ran out of the room
"Ellie"
Martin tried to follow but caught sight of Lindsey and Jennifer standing in the
hall
"Are
you really going to war" Lindsey asked, Martin sighed
"Yes
I am" Lindsey's face teared up and she ran up the stairs as well, Jennifer
looked at him with a sad expression and followed, bedroom doors slammed. All he
could hear were the cries of Ellie and Lindsey.
Martin
sat looking out of the window, the telegram open on his lap. He didn't know
what to do, he had to go fight for his country, more men were needed and his
dad unable to go back again, he was the only other choice. He didn't want to
go, he wanted to stay at the farm with Ellie and the baby, he didn't want to
leave any of his family. The war had already caused so much heartache, so much
devastation he didn't want to be a part of it, but he knew he had to go, he
knew he would be called up to fight, just like everyone else,
"Martin"
Chrissie stood next to him
"What's
up Chrissie" he replied
"Are
you really going to war"
"Yes
I am"
"But
why" she sat opposite him
"Because
they need more men out there to fight "
"But
you don't have to enrol right, you have a choice"
"Not
really, most people get called up to take their part in the war, I hopped I
wouldn't but not everyone is lucky enough to get left out"
"I
still don't understand why you have to go" Chrissie looked at Martin
"We
are in the middle of a war and everyone has a duty to their country and if the
war office asks you to go to war you go, even
if you don't want to" Martin kept looking out of the window, he
then turned and looked at Chrissie
"Time
for dinner I think" he got up and walked into the kitchen .
Everyone ate in silence, nobody spoke a
work, Ellie didn't touch her food, she mainly played with it looking at the floor.
Later she sat in her room looking at a wedding picture she had framed,
"Ellie"
Martin stood at the door with a plate of food in his hand "Ellie you have
to eat"
"I
wasn't hungry at dinner and I'm not hungry now" she replied
"Ellie
you are carrying our baby, you have to eat" Ellie held out her hand and
took the plate Martin gave her
"Ellie
please don't be like this, don't hate me"
"I
don't hate you" Ellie looked at him "I love you so much, too much to
even think about letting you go" she put her empty plate on her bedside
table
"Ellie
I love you so much as well as our child which is why I have to go, to make sure
you two can have the best future possible, same for everyone else who lives
here" Ellie moved to the end of the bed where Martin sat and kissed him,
"It's
just not fair" she told him
"I
know, nothing ever is these days"
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