Over Here

***

Oliver moved swiftly through the house and found Anne and Peggy in the kitchen. He smiled as he approached Peggy.

'Peggy, thank you so much for the wonderful meal and your hospitality. Unfortunately, I have to return to Washington, I hope you can forgive me.'

Peggy gave him a puzzled look. When he turned to Anne, she too was mystified.

'What is it, what's wrong?'

'We'll talk in Washington, we can't do it here.'

'But why not, is it my Dad?'

'Things are not the way I thought they were. I really have to go.'

He looked over at Peggy

'I need to call a cab, can I use your phone?'

'I'll do it for you but do you really have to go? We've not had chance to get to know you.'

I'd like that Mrs Brockman, I really would but the circumstances don't allow it. Maybe some other time.'

As Oliver walked off in the direction of his room Peggy looked at her daughter.

Well, I'm going to call for a cab. I suggest you go and talk to your father and find out what just happened.

Oliver went to his room and picked up his bag before letting himself out to wait at the kerbside. No sooner had the cab turned up than a tearful Anne came running from the house.

'Oliver, please don't go, come back into the house and we'll talk about it.'

He put his bag down and put his hands on her shoulders.

'Anne, my darling, I love you, I always will. Nothing in the world can change that, but now the nature of that love must change. From now on, I have to learn to love you like a sister. Go back and talk to your father. I will see you when you get back to Washington.'

She was still trying to absorb what he'd said as the taxi pulled away.

***

The phone was ringing when Oliver stepped into their Washington apartment. He answered it knowing that it wouldn't be pleasant. All the way home he'd wracked his brain trying to find a way he and Anne could stay together. No one else knew so there would be no trouble getting married but every time he ran through it he came back to the same thing. She was his half-sister and it would not be right. Who knew what effect it might have on their children?

'Oliver, Oliver, are you there?' Anne's voice came to him through the telephone.

'Yes, I'm here. Has your father told you?'

'He's told us that he might be your father.'

'Might be? Is that what he said? In that case, he's adding abuse of my mother's memory to his considerable sins.'

'I don't know what you mean. Can't you come back so we can sort it out?'

'What's to sort out? Your father is my father, and it's tearing me apart. I can't come back. I couldn't be in the same room with that man without doing something I'd regret.'

'But why, he can't be the only serviceman who got a girl pregnant. I don't understand, this is so .unlike you.'

'You don't get sent home in the middle of a war just for getting a girl pregnant. Ask him to explain why he got sent back to Randolf.'

'Will that help us?'

'I don't think anything can help us. I wish it could then I wouldn't feel so empty. I'm going to move back into embassy accommodation. Call me at work when you get back and we can work out where we go from here.'

Tears ran down his cheeks as he listened to Anne sobbing into the phone.

'I don't know what to do. I love you so much.'

'And I love you, that's why I feel so empty inside.'

Oliver held the phone until the line went dead. Then went in and started packing up his stuff. By the end of the day, he had moved back into the embassy accommodation.

***

Days ran into weeks with Anne and Oliver spoke on the phone several times. Neither felt capable of having a face to face meeting. Oliver knew his work was suffering and talked to his boss about returning to England. It was three weeks after his confrontation with Karl when an aide told him there was a Mrs Brockman in the foyer asking to see him.

'Are you sure its Mrs not Miss Brockman?' Oliver asked.

'Reception definitely said Mrs Brockman. Do I tell them you are unavailable?'

'No it's okay I'll go down and see what she wants.'

When he got to reception he found that it was indeed Mrs Peggy Brockman waiting for him. As he walked over to her he tried to decide how he should greet her. Peg saved him any embarrassment by throwing her arms around him and giving him a hug. She backed off and looked at him.

'Oh my, you look awful, are you sleeping properly.'

'No Mrs Brockman, I haven't slept well for weeks.'

'I thought so, my Annie is just the same.'

'Mrs Brockman I...'

'Enough of the Mrs Brockman I told you to call me Peg. Now is there somewhere we can go to talk?'

'Yes, I'll see if there is an interview room free.'

'Ah to hell with that, let's go out and get a coffee.'

'We could go over to the Kahlil Gibran memorial garden there's usually a van selling coffee hot dogs.'

They took their coffees and sat side by side on a bench.

'How much did Karl tell you?'

'I know that you're his son, if that's what you mean. I know that he must have got himself into big trouble over in England. That's why he came home feeling sorry for himself.'

'He'll never be my father, he just provided the sperm. My father is a good man, a great man, who deserved a better life than the one fate dealt him. I'm afraid your husband was part of that.'

'Enough of all that, it's not important now. How much do you love my daughter?'

'I can't answer there isn't a value high enough to put on it. Since I've known her she's become my reason for waking up in the morning. She is the one I lie awake all night thinking about and I don't know how I'm going to live without her.'

'That's what I thought. Now you just sit there and listen, my Annie is not the only one in the family who is attracted to guys with an English accent and fine British manners. When Karl came home and was sent to Randolf he was feeling pretty damned sorry for himself. He started drinking a lot and I know that he took advantage of some of the women on the base. I found myself in a place where I knew no with a husband who was either absent or too drunk to notice me. I was all set to throw in the towel and go home to my folks. Then at the end of the war, I met someone. He was a Squadron Leader just like you and he had that wonderful accent. Not only did he notice me, he treated me like a lady. He'd been drafted into Randolf to see if there was anything he could learn from our training methods and we got together for coffee a lot. He would tell me tales of life in England. How they had to deal with food rationing and black market. I would tell him about my life growing up here. We became friends and I started to tell him all about my life with Karl. He was my shoulder to cry on.'

'Someone must have told Karl about coffee shop meetings he came home drunk and angry. He accused me of fraternising with that god damned limey officer he hit me across the face with the back of his hand and then he forced himself on me. I knew it was the drink made him do it but it didn't help when I saw my face in the mirror next day. I knew I couldn't meet Allan, that was his name Allan Roberts, from Canterbury I think. I knew I couldn't meet him with my face all bruised so I stayed at home until I needed to do some shopping. He found me in the market and whisked me off the base to Live Oak Park. We sat by the lake and I told him everything. He wanted to give Karl a damned good thrashing but I told him it would only make things worse. He took me in his arms and held me. I felt so safe in his arms and I kissed him. It was there, on the grass that we first made love and it was so wonderful. He was kind and gentle and I felt so loved. It helped, you know. I could tolerate Karl's behaviour while I had someone who really loved me. When he came to the end of his tour of duty he asked me to go back to England with him but I couldn't do it. I'd made promises before God, for better or worse, for richer for poorer. I couldn't go back on that.'

'I missed him so much. I really do know how you feel without Annie because that's how I felt without Allan but then I found I was pregnant with Annie. I wasn't looking forward to it but the change in Karl was amazing. He sobered up and became very attentive. Allen wrote to me regularly, begging me to go to England and join him but I couldn't it would have broken Karl's heart. From the day she was born Annie was always Daddy's little princess.'

A tear made it's way down Peggy's cheek and Oliver gave her a tissue to mop her eyes.

'That's a very sad tale Peggy, I feel privileged to have heard it.'

'It's not over yet,' she said. She reached into her purse, pulled out a printed sheet of paper and handed it to Oliver.

'Read this.'

Oliver looked tat the sheet which seemed to be a report from some sort of laboratory.

'I don't understand, what is this.'

'It's one of those new DNA paternity tests. Karl is subject A and Annie is subject B.'

'But it says no relation?'

'I know Annie is Alan's child. I knew there was a chance but Karl loved her so much I didn't want to know until now. I couldn't stand the thought of you two feeling as empty as I have for all those years.'

'Does Karl know?'

'He does now. He threw me out.'

'Still the hypocrite eh. Do you know where Annie is right now?'

'At your apartment I guess. I told her to take sick leave.'

'Good let's go.'

He took Peggy by the hand and rushed out of the park. Out on Massachusetts Avenue he hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of the apartment.

Oliver ran up the stairs while Peggy waited for the lift. He was hammering on the door by the time Peggy arrived.

'What's the matter with you man you've got a key don't you.'

'No, I left it inside.'

'Well I do,' she said as she reached into her purse. She was pushing Oliver out of the way when the door opened and there stood a bleary-eyed Anne dressed only in her pyjamas.

'What's all the noise about where's the fire... Oliver? Why are you here?'

Oliver took her hand in his and sank down onto one knee.

'Anne, my darling, this isn't the way I'd planned to do this but would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?'

Anne looked around in a daze unsure if any of this was really happening. Beyond Oliver, she could see her mother vigorously nodding her head and mouthing 'Say Yes.' She looked down at Oliver who was still holding her left hand.

'But I thought...'

'But nothing, will you marry me.'

Once more she looked at her mother who with tears in her eyes gave her the same signal.

'Yes, yes, of course, I'll marry you but what has changed?'

Oliver stood and put his hands on her shoulders.

'Your mum has some important news for you. It's going to be upsetting but at least we can face it together. I'm going back to get the ring and arrange some compassionate leave.'

He kissed her stepped back then came in and kissed her again/.

'I love you, Annie Brockman.'

'And I love you, Oliver Mortimer. I don't understand what's going on but I know that I love you.'

'I'll leave you to talk to your mum. I'll be back in an hour.'

When Oliver returned, he found two women with tear-stained faces. Anne ran to him and held him in a fierce hug.

'Oh, Oliver what are we going to do? He is the only father I've ever known. I'd always dreamed he'd walk me down the aisle.'

'Of course, you have, he's your father just as my father is the one back in England. Why don't you call him and tell him that?'

'Would you be okay with that, him walking me down the aisle? You don't hate him too much?'

'How could I hate a man who helped make you the woman you are? Of course, he must be the man to give you away.'

'I'll call him from the bedroom. I'm afraid I might get emotional.'

'I think that's a foregone conclusion but wait there's something else we need to do first.'

He pulled a small black box from his pocket.

'This was my mother's ring,' he said, as he slipped the ring onto the third finger of her left hand.

'Now, go call your father.'

Anne ran off to the bedroom and Oliver sat down next to Peggy. She put her hand on his.

'Well, it looks like you are the man that Annie says you are. He's not a bad man you know, Karl. He was a good father and he loves his little princess.'

'He still threw you out. Despite the fact that he'd done the same thing.'

'Yeah well, perhaps we'll have to give him time to think about that. Your father knew almost straight away, he's had time to accept it. Karl has only just found out. I would never have had the test done if you had never come into our lives, I thought it was better not to know but I couldn't let it ruin two more lives.'

'I'm not sure how Dad will take it but I guess I can get used to him being my father-in-law.'

***

One Year Later

'I still say we could have put on a better show back home,' Carl said as the hairdresser fitted the tiara to Anne's head.

'Oh stop being such a grouch, Dad. I know you think the church is small but it's beautiful and I love it. The wedding would have cost you a lot more back in the states.'

'And I would have paid it willingly to see my princess married to a good man who wouldn't take her away from me.'

'Oliver is a good man and he's not taking me away from you. We'll be coming stateside from time to time and you and Mom will always be welcome here. I know Oliver and his father have already told you that.'

'Yeah, that was good of him, considering. I'm not sure if I'd have shaken his hand if it had been the other way round. We'd better not run into that Reynolds guy while we are over here.'

'I doubt you will. I'm certainly not going looking for him. I've got my Daddy right here. Now, how do I look?'

Anne stood before him. The white strapless dress fitted her perfectly and clung to her curves. On the floor, the hairdresser spread the train out so that it looked like she was standing in a pool of white satin. The diamond tiara sparkled in her auburn hair. Karl suddenly found it difficult to breath let alone speak. Tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

'You... You look beautiful. More beautiful than any woman I've ever known. That boy just better look after you.'

'You know he will, Dad. Now we'd better get moving I know the bride is supposed to be late but we are stretching it a bit.'

Anne took his arm and they walked out of the room and down the main staircase where the pageboy picked up her train. They walked out through the big main doors and down the steps to the drive. As they turned towards the church, Karl stopped.

'What's wrong, Dad?'

'Nothing's wrong I'm just taking in the fact that my baby is going to be living in a house that has its own church.'

'We could be living in a small cottage, I'd still marry him.'

'I know, Baby. Let's go.'

As they walked into the church the organist struck up with Mendelson's wedding march. When the vicar asked 'Who givest this woman?' Karl stepped forward and placed Anne's hand in Oliver's.

He made his way back to the pew and stood beside Peggy. She took his hand and squeezed it.

'Look at it this way honey, we're not losing a daughter we're gaining a vacation destination.'