It's Time

A tall bearded man stood up, and Rosalita ran across to him, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. She turned to me, "Harlequin, this is the group leader, my brother Paolo. Paolo, this is Harlequin, he was sent by the Coronello to help us."

I noticed a wary look in his eyes, but he held out his hand to shake hands, I grasped it, and found his grip firm, giving a sense of confidence. I said to him, "As I know your name, it is only fair that you know mine, I'm Sergeant Tony Moore of the Royal Engineers. I believe I am here to teach how best to use explosives."

He smiled, "That will be useful, we have had several men injured while trying to handle them yet they would be so useful. We have just come back from an interception of a German convoy. While we were able to stop the trucks with bullets, it would have been much easier if we could have blown up the road."

"Well that is what I am here for."

"I will have to consult some people before I will fully trust you."

"That's fine, I don't mind, I think Rosalita has made her mind up already, I had lots of chances to betray your family and the Colonel before we came up here."

Paolo got my name, rank and number and after waiting until dark, he went over to a small cave that I had not seen before. I saw the flare of a lantern and he was silhouetted in the light. He was gone about ten minutes, then came back, asking me where I had lived and my parents' names. He went back to the cave, and after a couple of minutes the light went out.

He came over to where I was sitting with Rosalita, and told me he had been in contact with London, they would check that I was who I said, and contact him tomorrow, and while we waited I was not to leave the camp area.

Early the next day I checked out the supplies of explosives and arms that the group had, finding they had guncotton slabs, plastic explosives and dynamite sticks, together with primers and detonators, both electrical and manual. I told Paolo that we needed rock drills and sledges as well, so when Rosalita left to return to Sorrento several partisans went with her to bring the tools back. Their arms were a mixed bag, some shotguns, some Italian army rifles, some German rifles and pistols, and some British Lee Enfield 303 rifles, Bren Guns, and Piat anti-tank weapons that had been dropped to them. They had cases of ammunition, and Mills 36m grenades. They were all hidden in a deeper cave whose entrance had been camouflaged.

Later that night, Paolo contacted London once more; he came out of the cave and shouted to me, "What is the name of your mother's dog."

I yelled back, "Unless he died since I left, he is named Patches."

Paolo waved me over, and showed me the cave and the radio, "You gave the right answer, I trust you a lot more now, you have no reason to like the Germans." I was happily accepted by all the members of the group

I did train them and others in the use of explosives, but I also began training them on all the weapons making suggestions as I did. One suggestion was a method of firing the grenades from a rifle, so that they could be used from a distance or fired in a ballistic curve that after 4 seconds would turn the grenade into an air burst bomb. Another was that the Piat bomb when fired at a tank was not that effective on armour plate, however firing one into the engine cavity of a truck stopped it pretty well dead. As Paolo got to know me and trust me, I convinced him to appoint lieutenants and make them responsible for sections of men. Also to approach other groups and propose joint attacks on tougher targets.

To cut a long story short, that was the beginning of almost two years that I spent with the partisans. On September 3^rd 1943, the British 8^th Army, (The famed Desert Rats ) crossed the Straits of Messina and began fighting their way up the toe of the Italian boot. Then on the 9^th of September US troops landed at Salerno and a combined British and American force landed at Taranto. Opposition was fiercest at Salerno and from our position in the mountains above Salerno we could hear the sounds of the fighting. We left our encampment to harass the Germans from the rear, but we only had light weapons and they were far too well organized for us to make a big difference, so we headed back into the mountains to our camp. That night when we contacted London, I asked if I should make my way to the British forces, and the reply was to stay where I was, that I was far more value as a teacher and coordinator with the partisans.

As the Germans fought a determined rearguard action, the whole length of Italy, we fell back behind them, keeping up the pressure on their supply convoys. Occasionally I was cheered by the sight of Rosalita who had slipped through the lines and found us, bringing messages from home for the Gruppo Sorrento as we had now become known, also bringing reinforcements, as ex-soldiers from the Italian Army decided to join us. These visits were my salvation, as I got time to spend with Rosalita, so much time, that during one visit, Paolo became the protective big brother.

He called me over one night, "Antonio my friend, I see you prefer the company of my sister Rosalita, to your companions?"

I put out a hand and waved in the direction of our companions, "Honestly Paolo, do you blame me?"

He laughed, "Antonio you have a point, but seriously when Rosalita is with us, I have a duty towards her and my family. Tell me, what are your intentions toward my sister?"

"Paolo, don't say anything to Rosalita yet, but If she will have me, I intend to marry her."

"Well my friend, I wouldn't mind you as a brother, but my advice to you is that the next time you go to Napoli for instructions from your high command, you extend your trip for a few days and go to Sorrento and ask my father for permission to marry Rosalita, and his blessing."

"Thanks Paolo, I will do just that."

The next time I was in Sorrento, my first stop was the Trattoria Fellini where I sought out Rosalita's father Arturo. I told him I wished to marry his daughter Rosalita, and asked him for his blessing. He willingly gave it, not only his permission, but he also gave me his mother's engagement and wedding rings, that she had entrusted to his care for Rosalita. It felt strange to walk the streets of Sorrento in absolute safety, not to worry about a German presence. My heart quickened as I approached the Villa Fellini where Rosalita's mother welcomed me like a long lost son. I couldn't wait, and asked Rosalita to walk in the garden with me. She did, and when we sat on a bench I spoke, "Rosalita, I have loved you since we first met, and want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you become my wife?"

She blushed and replied, "Antonio, I have loved you since the first time we met, but wouldn't say so in case I lost you. Yes; I will marry you and bear our children, but first you must ask my father for his permission."

I leant forward and kissed her, "That is already done my love, not only did he say yes, but he also gave me these." I slipped her grandmothers engagement ring on her finger, and showed her the wedding ring. She looked down at the ring on her finger, and a few tears ran down her face.

"Don't worry my love, these tears are of happiness, I feel so happy, yet so sad that we had to meet because of war."

I put my arm around her, "It just shows that even from the worst, good things can happen." We kissed again, and this time the kiss was so deep I felt it to the tip of my toes.

She pulled back a little, smiled, then got up, "I must go tell Mamma, we will have lots to do," She rushed off into the kitchen to tell her mother. I followed slowly, and then suddenly Mamma Fellini grabbed me, pulled me into an embrace kissing both my cheeks.

She stood back, hands on my shoulders, "Welcome to my family Antonio, I have hoped for that for a long time, you will be a good son in law."

"Thank you Mamma Fellini."

"No No, Mamma Sophia from now on, you are family."

At 4 pm on Christmas Eve 1944, that became a reality, as clad in a stiff Italian suit, I stood before the altar of the Church of Saint Mary, Rosalita's parish church, with Paolo as my best man, looking at Rosalita walking down the aisle on her father's Arturo's arm, with Gabriela her sister and bridesmaid preceding her. A good proportion of the Gruppo was standing there in the pews, as most had travelled home for the Christmas celebrations and had joined us for the wedding. After the ceremony, we led a procession through the streets to the trattoria, where Arturo had prepared a positive feast. Given the rationing that existed then, he had excelled himself. It was the start of a great Fellini family party that lasted all night. Well that is what we were told the next morning, as the evening wore on, Sophia and Arturo prevailed on us to return to the villa and celebrate our marraige.

We climbed the stairs, and for the first time I was privileged to enter Rosalita's bedroom, someone had obviously been ahead and prepared it, it was lit by candles, the double bed was turned down and a sign that read 'Beato Notte' was in the centre of the bed. Rosalita whispered, "Blessed Night."

I turned her to me, kissing her as I did. "I love you Mrs. Moore, and as I have changed your last name, I want to change your first, from now on to me you are my Rosa, my Italian Rose, to remind me of when we first kissed in the rose garden."

"I like that, you will be my Tonio, to make sure that I call you by the right name, as our first born son is to be named Anthony, or in Italian, Antonio.

We slowly undressed each other, we had lots of time, we were to be the only ones in the Villa till the morning when Sophia would make breakfast. Naked we lay back on the bed as we slowly explored each other's bodies, getting more heated as we did, Rosa pulled my head down to her breast and I took her nipple into my lips, as my fingers rolled the other, then I slid my hand down her body, over her stomach and down between her legs as they opened, my fingers played with her until she was moving her vulva up and down against them and she was moaning my name. She slid her hand on to my hard penis, then said "Tonio, I want you in me." I moved between her legs, my penis lying against her abdomen as I raised my body above her.

I asked, "Are you sure Rosa, are you ready?"

She replied, "My Tonio, I am ready, I want you," as she took hold of me and aligned me with her vagina

I slid into her slowly, reaching a tight spot and as I pushed through she jumped a little, then she opened fully to me as I began to speed up in an age old rhythm, and she began to do the same in return, her breath like mine coming in short gasps as if we could not get enough air, My mouth went over hers, and our tongues began to reach into each other as we went on to higher peaks, then both of us shuddering, my seed flooded into her as she pulled me in tight to her body. We lay there till I began to soften, and I slid to one side to take my weight off her.

"Can we do that again?" she asked

"Once I've recovered a little." I told her

"It was wonderful, Tonio I'm going to give you lots of babies," she whispered.

"I'll help you." was my gallant reply.

Help I did, we managed to come together three times before we were so tired that we had to sleep, then again the next morning as we could smell breakfast cooking. Then reluctantly, we got cleaned up, dressed and went downstairs to celebrate Christmas.

Two days after Christmas, Paolo and I were off to the north again, our comrades with us to keep the Germans off balance. For the next three months we kept at them, harassing them and driving them toward the border with Austria. Really they were a defeated army, and were passing through partisan controlled territory, with one desire, to get home without being killed. We were even stopping German convoys, ensuring that they were not taking Italian collaborators with them. In that way Benito Mussolini, the deposed Duce, was found hiding in the back of a German lorry, taken prisoner, tried and executed.

After about three months, Paolo called me and his lieutenants together for a conference. Partisan groups were now fighting among themselves, the Communists against the Catholics, the Royalists against the Socialists, one group set against the other. He felt it was time that the Gruppo Sorrento went home, we had done all we could do, much more than he had visualized when he set the group up. It was time to rejoin our families. We all agreed with him and quickly wrapped up our camp, and started for home. Once we reached Milan we could travel by train and after turning over our weapons to an allied unit, we rode to Naples as quickly as we could. Once I was there, I had to report in to military intelligence and make my reports. The officer in charge was all set to send me back to Britain, but I explained to him that I had a wife in Sorrento.

He was most concerned as to whether I had my Commanding Officers permission to marry, and when I asked him who my commanding officer was, he said, "I suppose it was the head of your group."

I laughed and told him, "In that case we have nothing to worry about, I married his sister, and he was my best man."

The captain noted on my file that I was married, and then told me that a hospital ship would be docking in Naples the next week, then sailing for Britain. He was sure that because of Rosa's pregnancy room could be made for us on board. In the meantime he lent me a jeep to get to Sorrento and back again so that we could be back in time for military passports to be issued. I said to him, "I didn't need a passport to get here, why do I need one to get home?" He just laughed at me.

That night I parked the jeep in the street outside the Villa Fellini and went in to the garden. Rosa raced out of the house, jumped into my arms, kissing me like crazy; she had been worried that I could be sent to the front to a British unit.

I put her down, and looked at her, she looked wonderful, she had a real glow about her, and she looked a little bigger around the breasts, then I looked down and saw a small swelling in her abdomen. She smiled at me, nodding, "Yes, it is little Antonio or maybe little Angelique." As she reached her arms around my neck she whispered, "Yes; you are going to be a father, are you happy about that?"

I said to her, "I love it my love, that puts the icing on the cake, I couldn't want more. Now how do you feel about leaving for England? There is a ship leaving Naples next week that we can sail on, otherwise I might have to leave you behind and go back on military transport, then come back for you."

Her smile slipped a little, "I will go wherever you go, It will be hard to leave this beautiful town and harder to leave my home and my family, but it will be easy to remember that we won't be that far from them."

Over the next couple of days she had a little more time to get used to the idea, and by the Sunday we had the jeep packed and ready to leave after Mass. The priest knew that we were leaving and mentioned it after his homily. He thanked me for what I had done for Italy, but he also reminded me of what Italy had done for me, provided me with a wonderful wife and a new family. After the service, and some rather tearful goodbyes back at the Villa, we were on our way to Naples, as Rosa put it, on the next stage of our life together.

In Naples we were put in a hotel for a couple of nights while the documentation was finished. I really enjoyed seeing Rosa's passport, under Nationality she was listed as British by marriage. We boarded RMS Atlantis, a hospital ship that was taking wounded home to Britain and luckily had a cabin to ourselves. We ate with the walking wounded, and it was a sobering thought both to Rosa and me that we had been really lucky that in two years, neither of us had been seriously hurt.

As the submarine menace in the Mediterranean was over, the trip as far as Gibraltar was uneventful. At Gibraltar we heard that the war with Germany was over; that Germany had surrendered unconditionally, and we watched as two German U Boats sailed through the Straits of Gibraltar, and into port under white flags. The Atlantis sailed without a convoy and after a 5 day voyage she sailed up the Solent into Southhampton, where we and the injured disembarked.

Unlike the wounded who were loaded into ambulances and taken directly to hospital, Rosa and I along with a few others had to go through the Military Movements office in the dockyard, and also Customs and Immigration. The immigration office accepted the military passport for Rosa without a problem, though they recommended that she apply for permanent citizenship. The MMO had been notified that we were coming, and had made arrangements for us. I was given a 14 day leave pass, a rail warrant for both of us to Exmouth where my parents kept a small hotel on the Esplanade, and another rail warrant, single this time to Barton Stacey where I was to report to the Royal Engineers transit camp, for demobilization. They also gave us temporary ration books until permanent ones could be issued by the Ministry of Food.

We were lucky and caught the express from Southhampton to Exeter, then the local train from Exeter to Exmouth. Rosa was ecstatic with the view as we travelled down the bank of the Exe, it was clear now apart from small fishing craft, yet the last time I had seen it, when I left Exmouth after embarkation leave, the river was crowded with small naval craft that were being worked on. That was before I went to North Africa, now it looked at peace. When we arrived at Exmouth we splurged on a taxi as it was too far to carry our bags, luckily a lot of our or should I say Rosa's clothing and belongings was being delivered by rail after it was unloaded from the ship. I didn't have much; you don't acquire much in the field with a resistance group, where everything usually has to be carried on your back.

When the taxi drew up in front of the hotel where I had grown up, Rosa gasped, it was three stories high, and double fronted and had recently been re painted. The garden was in full bloom and Dad's roses were beautiful. It was totally different from Exeter where we had seen the devastation of Hitler's reprisal raids in 1942. I thought to myself that Mum and Dad were in for a shock, they hadn't heard from me since I had been in the POW camp. I had no way of posting any letters from Italy to England, even if I had had the time to write them. We walked into the hall, it hadn't changed a whole lot, the wallpaper was still green and the paintwork varnished a dark brown. The reception desk was in the same place, but I didn't recognize the girl behind the desk. I asked if there were any rooms to spare, she said no, they were full of war workers. I smiled and asked "Are you quite sure?"

"Oh yes sir, absolutely full"

"Are Mrs. and Mr. Moore around?"

"Yes, they are in their private rooms."

"Could I speak to them please?"

"Yes, I'll get them."

She walked to the back of the hallway where the family rooms were, and a moment later came back, "Mrs. Moore will be right out."

"Thank you."

Just then the door at the end of the hallway opened, and my mother was standing there, she looked at me, her hand went up to her mouth as she gasped, then she found her voice. "Dad come out here, our Tony is home, he's here." Soon I saw my dad standing behind her.

"Mum, Dad, come on out, I have someone for you to meet."

They came out, my Mum running and hugging me, and then they both saw Rosa. "Mum, Dad I want you to meet your daughter in law, Rosa and I were married in Sorrento on Christmas Eve."

Mum got over her surprise quicker and walked to Rosa; throwing her arms around her she hugged her. "Rosa, welcome to the family, even if this is this first time we've met, you are Tony's choice as a bride, and I welcome you as a daughter, I hope you will be very happy with us, and while I may be mistaken, I think the pair of you are going to present us with a grandchild before long."