Norma Rogers Ch. 08

The continued story of Norma Rogers, a young wife, mother and ATS officer, whose husband has been posted to Assam, thousands of miles away from her. She has no idea when or even whether she will see him again. She has been coping with a demanding job and, in the emergency, acted as an intelligence agent. In the closing days of the war she has been notified that her husband is listed as Missing in Action somewhere in the Far East. The characters are the product of the writer's imagination, and are not based on any person living or dead. The story is the property of the writer, and may not be used in any way without the permission of the writer. Many thanks to Yellowperil2 for his efforts in keeping me straight, but like many others I do make some alterations after he has done his best so any mistakes there are my own. .

I couldn't seem to help myself at all; somehow, in spite of my distress, with Clara's help I managed to take the children to Mum's, where I basically turned them over to Mum and spent the next few days in a black, fugue state. All I could think about was Jim being missing and maybe dead. Work and the war didn't seem that important anymore; all that occupied my waking and sleeping thoughts was that Jim was missing and could be gone forever. That he would never see the children he had raved about in his letters. That they would never have the benefit of a father who loved them, but most of all I hated the feeling that my arms would remain as empty of a lover as they had been since Jim had left.

I moved around like an automaton, doing what I needed to without really thinking about it. Thankfully, Mum and Dad kept John and Angela amused. I had a hard enough job just finding the strength to get up and change out of pyjamas in the mornings, and I cried myself to sleep each night. Even the fact that I was in my old room at home was of no real comfort. I fully felt the wretchedness that so many wives had suffered. Nothing really seemed to register until after I had been there four days and Jim's mother Mhairi arrived.

She blew in like a breath of fresh air, pushing back the walls of my despair and the life I was living. Really, living is the wrong word, it was more like existing. All I could think of was Jim, that I was on my own, and he wouldn't be there to help me raise the twins. She walked into the room, threw open the curtains and windows and came right to me, hugged me, and said, "If I was a betting woman, which I am, I'd be betting that that son of mine is alive. If he had died, I'm sure that I would know."

I didn't believe her. "How can you be so sure?" I sobbed.

Mhairi replied, "Remember, I'm the one who gave him life; there is a bond between us that will always be there. I'm sure I would know if it had been broken! Sure and didn't I know each time he was getting into trouble while he was growing up?" For some reason her words gave me reason to hope, probably because of her reputation as a fey woman.

"Mhairi, I hope that you are right. It is wonderful to see you again, even though it is because of Jim being missing. You have given me some hope, and I know the children will be pleased to see you instead of their mother, who is crying all the time."

"Norma, I know it hurts now. I went through the same thing with John in 1917 until we were notified he was a prisoner of war, and just like now, I felt that he was still alive, just missing. My suggestion is that you go back to work. Jim would want you to be brave, at least outwardly, if only for the sake of the children. Going back to work would help you keep your mind off things. Why don't we go back to London after the weekend and get back into things?"

Between Mhairi and Mum, they got me going again. I began to spend more time with the children, and when Mhairi helped me home with them, I was almost cheerful. Mhairi's insistence that she would know if anything had happened to Jim had somehow become fixed in my mind and became my greatest hope. She had made plans to stay with me for a couple of weeks, and was insisting that I try to get back to normal. That first night, after we had put the children to bed, I decided to go down the street to see Jenny.

When I rang her doorbell, I was surprised when her mother came to the door. "Come in, you're just the person Jenny needs to see," she said.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"It's Bert, he is missing again."

"Oh, no, he can't be! That is the two of them, both Jim and Bert. When did Jenny hear of it?"

"Just six days ago."

"Just a day after I heard about Jim. I bet they were together."

"Come in anyway, Norma. Jenny will be so glad to see you. She was so devastated and alone, and you were gone, Clara wasn't there, and your house was locked up tight."

I felt so guilty; my depression had been so bad that I hadn't even thought of Jenny. All I had wanted to do was get to Mum and Dad. I went in to find Jenny sitting at the kitchen table. She looked up at me, and her face was streaked with tears as she spoke. "He's gone, Norma, Bert is missing, and I don't know if I will ever see him again. When I tried to talk to you, you were gone, and Clara wasn't there either. I felt so alone till mum got here."

She tried to wipe her tears away, but her makeup, thin as it was, was streaked by her tears, making her face look older and sadder. I bent and hugged her close and explained why I had been gone. "Jenny, I wasn't there because I was looking for help, too, and I was at my Mum's. Jim is missing, too. I wouldn't be surprised if they were together. The only thing that is stopping me from breaking right down is Mhairi's faith that Jim is alright, because she would know if he wasn't. We have to keep ourselves going for the sake of the children." I sat beside her, putting my arm around her shoulders, "Come on, Jenny, we can do it."

She seemed to brighten up, "Somehow that makes me feel better, thinking that the two of them could be together. If they are, they are a pretty strong team."

I put my arms around her and hugged her, "We have to keep ourselves going. That's what our men would expect from us. They know how strong we can be, and we have to be strong, six children depend on that. They depend on us two to help them live their lives, even if their fathers don't come back. They won't be the only ones who need support, so let's you and I stick together; we can't let the bastards who started this war win."

Stick together we did as the circle tightened around the German army and the threat from Hitler and his minions was finally over. When VE day was celebrated with a street party, the pair of us worked together making party treats. Mhairi had stayed over for a while to help with the children as Clara had returned to normal duties, so when it came to the day of the party, we had lots of hands available to open up their emergency stocks and bake cakes, make jellies and juices, and help set up tables for the party. The street went crazy with Union Jacks hung from most houses. The Dog and Duck provided a couple of barrels for us, and we had a good time.

Somebody moved their piano out into the street and sat playing mostly music hall songs while another man was playing an accordion. Still another neighbor had moved out a gramophone and, in between the live music sessions, was playing records of dance music. Somehow, Jenny and I were able to carry it all off without breaking down in tears. For us there was always the chance that our men might survive, not like several women there with their children who already knew that their men would not be coming home. We managed to dance and celebrate, and I even allowed myself to think that even if Jim had been killed there was life ahead for us.

Peace had arrived in London and the brightest thing showing it, as the party became more adult when the children were put to bed, were the lights in the windows of the homes when the hated blackout curtains were left off the windows. The lamplighter raised a cheer as he rode down the street on his bicycle, raising his pole and switching on the gas street lights. We had made it through the worst; we had won the war, now we had to win the peace. Of course the day after the party, the grim reality set in as we went back to rationing, and transferring patients from the coastal hospitals to the big hospitals in and around London.

In the back of our minds of course there was still the war in the Far East. It was far from over, though the Allies were finally beginning to push the enemy back. Troopships were still loading troops to be sent to join the war against the Japanese, and still hanging over all, both American and British, was the thought of the amount of casualties that would result from attacking the Islands of Japan themselves. My job still had to be done, ambulances still met the hospital ships and transferred patients, although now, in addition to the wounded from Europe as they emptied out the hospitals, we were getting injured from Burma and Malaya; not only injured, but others desperately sick from disease and from the vicious and criminal treatment meted out to prisoners of war. Our job was still there, and looked like it would be for some time to come. I couldn't help but keep my eyes out for Jim when we met the ships returning from the east.

Nancy was in her element as a Mum. She was so happy that Hank had spent the war with her and their child. She helped keep my spirits up, calling at least once a week, and inviting me and the children over at least once a month. The children adored her, calling her Auntie Nance. She was doing really well, handling all life threw at her until one day she called in desperation, "Norma, I need your advice."

"Why? What is happening?"

"My in-laws are coming over and they will be here within a week. They have already sailed from New York on the Queen Elizabeth. How am I going to handle a US Senator and his wife? They will expect everything to be just so, and you know me, I'm all for a happy home; if something gets done, that is just fine. If it doesn't get done now, it will be eventually. I can't handle the thought of this."

"Nancy, sit still and just think for a minute. Does Hank expect everything to be just so?"

"No, you know he isn't like that. He knows better after living with two women as long as he did. He was always willing to give a hand, too."

"Well, don't you think that shows how he was brought up? That that is the way his parents taught him. It's possible they will expect everything to be just so I suppose, but I would bet you ten bob that they will be just the same as Hank is."

"All the same, I'd be much happier if my best friend was with me till I get to know them! Can you come down for a week when they are here?"

"Alright, I'll try. When are they arriving? Come to think of it, how did they get permission? Wartime rules on the Allied ships are pretty strict."

"They dock at Southhampton next Thursday. With Hank's dad being a Senator, he is coming over on the Queen Elizabeth on government business. He is checking on how the US forces are getting ready for repatriation to the US or movement to the Far East. Hank's Mum is able to travel with him as a perk of the job."

"Okay, the twins and I will try to arrive Wednesday so I can at least help you with the last minute preparations."

I made arrangements to get the week off, which wasn't hard to do as things had settled down a lot since VE day; caseloads could be predicted and routinely organised, and I was sure my deputy could handle anything that came up. The next Wednesday morning found me and my two small children on Paddington Station, boarding the early train to Cheltenham. I had bought First Class tickets, so we didn't have any difficulty getting seats and there was lots of room for the twins to get some toys out and play. There were lots of servicemen and women on the train in the Third Class carriages, and what a difference a few months had made. This time they were cheerful and smiling, and some were even in their demob suits on the way back to their homes. It was vastly different from my rail trip down from Liverpool to London with Commander Philips.

When we arrived at Cheltenham, Hank was there on the platform to meet us. He had brought a Jeep, and the twins thought it was fun being in the back with the suitcases. I was just glad that the back was covered so they couldn't be thrown out, as Hank wasn't the slowest driver on the road. He was telling me how Nancy was cleaning like crazy, trying to make sure everything was perfect. He just couldn't understand why she was like this; it was totally different from the way she usually behaved .

I decided to set his mind at rest. "Hank, you've have had 24 years to get used to your Mum, but Nancy has never met her new mother-in-law. It is like you getting ready for an inspection by the commanding general; you don't know what he wants to see, and she doesn't know what to expect from your Mum. She wants to be accepted and impress her, and it doesn't help her to know that your mother is the wife of a senator, including all the other involvements she has."

"But Mom will love her; I have no doubt of that."

"That is exactly the problem. You know it, but Nancy doesn't. Just let them meet without any pressure, and things will be fine. How do you think I was when I first met Mhairi and John, and they weren't even my in-laws then?"

"Okay, we'll do things your way. I'll meet the folks at Southhampton and bring them up to Cheltenham. I'll have to leave early as it is about a three hour trip and the ship is supposed to arrive around 7am and then start debarking by around 9am. They are on the Queen Elizabeth. When it was converted to carry troops, they kept some cabins for senior officers. The big job for her now is to begin to carry the servicemen and women back to the States where they will get leave and then be shipped out to the Pacific to carry on the fight with the Japanese. At least the submarine menace is finished in the Atlantic."

When we got to the house, Nancy gave a big sigh of relief. "Thank God you are here! I need your help really badly. Henry the third has been acting up and I can't get anything done."

I looked around to see that the house looked immaculate, far neater than mine ever did. She really had changed from the days when we shared a room, working shifts on the ambulance.

I decided to try settling her down. "Right, let's put the children in the playroom and have some tea first."

"We don't have time."

"Nancy, you are going way overboard with this. You already have Hank, so you don't have to impress anybody. Let's just sit down and have a cup of tea, because even if you aren't ready for one, after that train trip I am."

"Okay, I'll make some. Hank brought some good coffee home the other day, would you rather have that?"

"No, this is a time for good old fashioned tea, and biscuits if you have them."

"I have some biscuits, or cookies as Hank calls them. I made them the other day." She got up and put some biscuits on a plate, then poured tea. She seemed to be shaking with the effort.

"Nancy, at least when you meet your mother in law, she isn't going to ask you if you are going to get pregnant by her son without getting married first."

"Oh, come on, Mhairi wouldn't do that,'

"Not only did she, she made sure we got lots of time to practice."

"Now I think about it, that doesn't really surprise me! Has she gone home now?"

"Yes, she has it firmly fixed in her mind that Jim is going to come marching home, and I can't help but believe she's right. So, for now, no more cleaning! Lets you and I head out for a walk. I always wanted to see the famous racecourse."

"You won't see much of it for now, it's covered in vehicles all lined up for my famous father-in-law's visit, and there isn't any racing anyway."

"That's tradition for you. You'll see, he's going to be much too busy to bother you."

"That's what you say."

By this time Hank was home, so we had supper and put the children to bed, then we sat around the kitchen table playing cards. Hank complained that he was getting tired and had to be out of the house early to meet the ship at Southhampton, so he went off to bed. He had brought home a one ton truck rather than a jeep, so we teased him about it. His excuse was that his Mom had likely brought half her wardrobe just to show us how they lived in the States. We just kept on at him in mock anger until he gave up. In a way I think it marked kind of a watershed for me. If I was one of the lucky ones and Jim came home, then I would be thankful for my luck. If not, then I would have to accept that he had given his life for the country.

Next day Hank was up and away early. The ship had been due to dock in Southhampton during the night or early morning on the high tide, so Nancy and I waved him away and made breakfast for the children, who of course had woken with the noise. Then we cleared up and began to prepare lunch. Strangely enough, Nancy seemed to have quieted right down and was quite happy with things, very different from how she had been the previous day. When I commented on that she just replied, "Well I feel better because you are here." We played with the children, gave them lunch, and then we sat down to have a nice cup of tea and a chat.

Suddenly there was the noise of a truck pulling into the laneway, the slamming of doors, the clicking of high heels on the pathway and a woman's voice. "Hank! where are Nancy and the baby?" Totally foreign to the unspoken rules of English hospitality, where one would knock and wait till the front door was answered, a tall slim woman with red hair walked around to the back of the house. Opening the kitchen door, she stuck her head in and said "Hi! I'm Glenda Edwards, and you must be Nancy, our new daughter, by the looks of it you're going to give us another grandchild." Nancy blushed deeply and replied. "I don't know that for sure yet, I'm just hoping, but I'm really glad to meet you."

The redheaded powerhouse that had invaded the kitchen went on, "Not half as glad as I am to meet you! Wait till I get you to the States. You'll knock those old biddies in the Garden Club for a loop. There isn't one of them who could have done what you girls have done." She turned to me, saying, "Hi, you must be Norma. I've heard lots about you over the last couple of years, all good, including coaching my son through his first birth and helping him decide on a career path." I had no idea what she was talking about.

By then, both the Henrys had brought a lot of luggage in. Hank straightened up, looked at me quite seriously, and asked me, "Norma, have you given any thought to the future if Jim doesn't make it? The reason I ask is, I met John while I was at Southhampton; he is in transit back to the States. He is still carrying a torch for you and would be glad to take you and the children and raise them as his own."

The answer was easy, and there was no doubt in my voice as I replied, "No, Hank, there is no chance of that. John is a nice man, and one day he will make some girl a good husband, but that girl won't be me. He pales in comparison to my Jim, and besides, I'm sure my Jim is still alive and is going to make it home someday."

I was still facing Hank when I saw his face go into a wide grin. Had there been a hole in the floor, I'm sure I would have fallen through it as I heard a voice from behind me that made me almost faint with shock! "Tis right glad I am to hear that! Now, woman, would you like to take some time to show me how glad you are that I'm here, and then introduce me to my children?"

It couldn't be! I spun around, almost overbalancing. It was; there was my Jim leaning casually against the frame of the doorway from the hall as if he had been there all day. At first I didn't notice how gaunt he had become, I just ran and grabbed him, almost knocking him over, and tears were running down my face as I clung to him. "Jim, you're home! Mhairi was right! She said you would be home, and it was only her insistence that kept me from going crazy sometimes."