When Does Love End? Ch. 03

"On your way home soldier?" the old man in the seat opposite asked him after he had stashed his kit and sat down.

"Yes, I am thanks." Jack held out his hand to the man, "Jack."

The old man shook it, "Henry Carter. I was in the Royal Artillery many, many, years ago."

Jack smiled, "Well Henry it's a pleasure to meet you."

It was another long journey and Jack was pleased to have some company for it, certain it would be fairly entertaining to hear some of the old soldier's stories.

"Where are you headed for then Jack?" Henry enquired starting the conversation.

"Just heading back to my home town on leave. I haven't been back there since I enlisted." He answered him honestly.

Henry nodded knowingly, "Ah you've stayed away? All those ghosts of the past?"

Surprised at the old soldier's intuition Jack nodded, "Yeah something like that you could say."

He grinned, "I know that feeling young man. You're not the first one to join up to escape something."

He smiled to himself. Old Henry seemed to have more in common with him than he would have thought.

They chatted amiably for a while about the differences between their service and how things had changed over the years.

"I take it by your insignia you've serving been overseas?" Henry asked after a while.

Jack nodded, "Yeah I've done two tours in Afghanistan. I was wounded during the last one and I'm on convalescence leave now."

"Was it bad?"

"Afghanistan or being wounded?"

Henry grinned, "Both, either?"

Normally Jack would simply close up when asked about his military experiences but in the short while he had got to know the old man, he felt he had developed an affinity with a kindred spirit.

"It was hot, dusty and dangerous. The worst were the IED's, you never knew when one might get you. We lost a lot of good men to those bloody infernal devices."

"And being wounded?" the old soldier asked him quietly.

"Bad enough, I was hit in the thigh by shrapnel from a bomb and in the arm by a bullet. I was lucky though we had two killed and two others injured along with me, one badly." He didn't elaborate further and thought that he must contact Danny sometime soon.

"I lost a few friends myself during the time I was in. I know how it feels son. You wonder why you're still here and they ain't." Henry informed him knowledgably, "But believe me there's always a reason there somewhere."

"I wish I knew what it was. Personally, I'd rather it had been me." Jack told him frankly.

"We all think that way." Henry replied knowingly.

Smiling Jack thought about the comrades he had lost, his CO had been a decent bloke and Colm, he had been a good friend and real joker. He missed them both and was glad he'd been to visit their graves. He also made another mental note to get in touch with Danny Wright once he was back home.

"I apologise for asking son but are you the young man who was awarded a DSM recently?" The old soldier looked at him questioningly, "It was on the local news station."

"Guilty as charged I'm afraid." Jack grinned, obviously embarrassed by his admission.

"Well congratulations."

Jack smiled by way of acknowledgement.

"So, what are you going to get up to while you're at home? Got a pretty girlfriend tucked away I bet?" he asked him with a cheeky grin, quickly changing the subject noting how his question had obviously made the soldier uncomfortable.

"Thanks." Jack smiled at him sadly, "No nothing like that. I haven't been back in like three years so I don't even know if anyone that I knew back then will still be there."

"Really? I can't believe that a good-looking fella like you is all alone. There must be someone."

Gazing out at the passing countryside Jack paused for a moment before responding.

"There was someone... once. But that ended..." Jack answered quietly, letting his mind wander back to remember her and feeling the sudden pain in his chest that always accompanied her memory.

"And?" Henry persisted.

"And there isn't now." Was all he would say, lapsing into silence for a minute or two, suppressing the feelings that kept trying to surface the closer he got to his old home town.

The old soldier said nothing studying the young man opposite him, as he stared out of the window, feeling his pain.

"Do you know old Mrs Williams? She runs a café, The Coffee Pot" Henry asked him finally interrupting his musing.

"Yeah, I knew it well back in the day." Jack smiled glad the subject had changed again, "Is she still there?"

"Yes, she is. I normally go in there most Saturday mornings. You know to read the paper and have a coffee. If you're at a loose end and you fancy a chat sometime, I'd be happy to see you."

"That would be really great. I'll definitely be there, thanks Henry." He told him meaning it.

They passed the remaining time enjoying each-others company, in a way only men who have served in the military can do until the train finally pulled into their destination late on in the afternoon.

Alighting onto the platform the two of them shook hands with an agreement to meet on the following morning.

Henry took a few steps and then turned and walked back.

"I know it's none of my business son but whoever she is she's lost herself a good man."

Jack didn't answer him.

"I'll see you tomorrow Jack, at the cafe." He held out his hand.

"See you tomorrow Henry." They shook hands and parted company.

Watching him go Jack stood and wondered if he would ever get to be that inciteful before heading out of the station to find a taxi.

~~~~~~~~ Chapter fifteen ~~~~~~~~~~

"Fancy going for a drink before the big date?" Claire stuck her head around Debbie's office door just after five on the Friday afternoon, "Or are you heading home to get all dressed up for him."

"Firstly, there's no way I'm making any sort of effort for that jerk this time. He should just count himself lucky I'm actually going to go to bed with him at all." Debbie told her candidly.

Claire shrugged, "Ok fair enough. I'll accept that. It's a start hon. And secondly?"

"Secondly I promised my college friend Michelle that I'd have a drink with her after work, at the Royal Oak." She continued, "But you're welcome to join us if you want."

"Isn't that where you're meeting Franco?"

Debbie nodded, "Mmhhmm.... I need a quite bit of liquid courage if I'm going to go through with this."

"Ok. Sounds good to me. Let me get my things and I'll be right with you."

"Don't rush I'm going to touch up my make-up then I'll meet you downstairs." Debbie informed her.

Twenty minutes later the pair of them walked into the hotel bar to meet Michelle.

Her two friends hadn't met before so it was necessary for Debbie to make the relevant introductions before heading to the bar to buy the first round of drinks. Then, with a bottle of wine in the table chiller, the three girls finally found themselves settled around a table in the Royal Oak hotel.

"So, Deborah who's this mystery man that you're meeting?" Michelle started to interrogate her as soon as they were comfortable, "I want all the gory details about him.

She shook her head, "It's no one special. There's nothing to tell."

"We're hoping it's Mr Right aren't we Deb's." Claire interjected rather sarcastically.

"You are joking aren't you." Michelle spluttered as she took a mouthful of wine, "She found him a long time ago."

"I knew there was someone!" Claire exclaimed triumphantly, grinning at Debbie.

"Oh yes there was definitely someone, wasn't there Deb's?" Michelle looked at her friend waiting for her to respond.

"Really?" Claire butted in, "She's never said anything to me about him. Do tell."

"Oh yeah, it was a quite a few years ago though."

Debbie looked back and forth between the two of them, "I am here you know."

"It was our first day at college." Michelle ignored her friends comment and started to tell the story, "Our Deb's here had some additional paperwork to take in to the admin office...."

"Stop right there." Debbie butted straight in interrupting her.

"Don't you dare." Claire gave Deb's a look that told her to be quiet, "I want to hear this."

"Well...."

"Alright stop. If this story has to be told I'll tell it, otherwise God knows what fanciful ideas you'll put in it." she interrupted again, giving Michelle a rueful grin.

"I'll order us another bottle of wine then, we're likely to be here for a while." Michelle laughed and went to the bar.

"It all began when I was 18." Debbie watched her friend walk away and started, "Like Michelle said I had to take some missing paperwork in to the admin office on my first day at college. I was a bit late and rushing around, not really looking where I was going, when I turned a corner in the corridor and we collided."

"We?" Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Jackson and I. We literally bumped into each other, both of us went sprawling and ended up on the floor. We dropped our paperwork and it was strewn everywhere.

"I had no idea who he was and remember calling him a few choice names as we scrambled around on our hands and knees picking up our papers. That's when I glanced up and saw him properly for the very first time."

"And?" Claire was already on the edge of her chair.

"He was really cute with a mess of brown hair flopping over his eyes. He was tall, good looking and had the most intense grey blue eyes I had ever seen. As I stared at them, I pretty much forgot where I was for a moment. That was when I panicked and gave him another load of grief before scooping up my stuff and rushing off."

"More wine." Michelle put another bottle on the table, "Now where did we get to?"

"They've just bumped into each other." Claire told her.

Debbie rolled her eyes and continued, "Unfortunately I had picked up half of his stuff and he had half of mine so I had no choice but to go and find him at lunchtime."

"Unfortunately!" Michelle laughed sardonically, "It was like half the girls at college were talking about this new guy and trying to think of how they could get to meet him. While, unfortunately, our Deborah here just has to go and talk to him."

"Anyway." Debbie started again ignoring the sarcasm, "I found him alone in the student cafeteria with a bunch of girls all sitting at tables nearby. I nervously went over and apologised for my earlier outburst then explained that we had mixed our paperwork up. It was a bit embarrassing because I knew it had been partly my fault and I had been pretty rude to him."

"So, what happened next?"

"He just smiled at me, all sort of goofy, and invited me to sit down. When I did, I looked up into his eyes again and simply forgot why I was there. I even forgot to breathe. It was then, in that moment, that I realised I was in love with him. I'd never believed in love at first sight but I just couldn't help myself. It was that simple really."

"Mills and Boon or what!" Claire said breathlessly.

~~~~~~~~~ Chapter sixteen ~~~~~~~~~~~

Exiting the railway station and looking around Jack couldn't see any taxi's waiting at the rank so after giving it some thought he decided the best idea would be to walk. It wasn't that far and it would give him a chance to exercise his leg as well as having a good look around his old neighbourhood.

Hefting his bag onto his shoulder he took a deep breath and started to slowly head off towards the town centre. He quickly left the more open area around the station and entered the town's suburbs, the buildings changing from mainly retail too more residential.

Taking his time, he passed several well-remembered sights that brought back old, unwanted, memories of his past. Pubs he had frequented, friends he had known, the college he had attended and so many streets he had walked down.

Everywhere he went seemed to have some sort of recollection attached to it, a lot of them ones he would rather forget.

The thing that surprised him the most though, was that it all looked just the same as it had back then. Very little had changed and it left him with an air of despondency hanging over him and his decision to return.

Somehow, without thinking about it, Jack found himself at the end of Westmorland Street where his mother had lived and brought him up after his father had died and before he had left for the army. After he had gone, she had sold up and moved up to Liverpool to live with her sister and he hadn't seen a great deal of her before the cancer took her and she had passed away.

It was something he bitterly regretted and he desperately wished he had taken the time to see her a little more often.

The house was still there. Just as he remembered, the small front garden still with the rose bushes, the old sash windows, and he stood for a minute or two looking at it, his mind a jumble of confused thoughts. If things had turned out differently for him, he might even be living there now. But they hadn't and instead he was back trying to lay to rest all the ghosts of his past.

Turning away it was just a few more minutes to Haverford Park.

He hadn't intended going there but now he was he stared along the street down to the block of flats where she had lived.

The place was exactly the same as he remembered it and before he could stop them thoughts of her, that he had kept hidden for so long, flooded into his mind.

He stood there, for several minutes this time, just staring into nothing his mind recalling the events of his past. A lot of them were good, some were not so and one was so bad it hadn't just broken his heart it had completely shattered it.

Wrapped up in his reflections Jack failed to notice the curtains twitch at one of the second-floor flats where a middle-aged woman stood and stared, in total incredulity, at what she was seeing.

Eventually though he had to turn his back and walk away, with a sense of deep sadness, continuing his slow journey towards his destination.

Once again, he found himself wondering what was he doing back here. What had he expected to find? If it was some sort of closure, he was no longer sure about it, all he felt at the moment was a sense of utter desolation.

It took him another fifteen minutes or so to reach The Royal Oak hotel in the centre of town.

Standing outside the building Jack gazed at it, his spirits lifting a little as he studied the pub's familiar exterior with its almost traditional peeling paintwork and hand painted sign hanging above the entrance. He smiled to himself, taking every detail in, before pushing through the double doors and making his way across the foyer to the reception desk.

"Hi." He greeted the pretty brunette receptionist, "I was wondering if you had a room available?"

Immediately he asked he cursed himself for not having thought to call ahead to book.

"Hello. Let me look for you." The girl smiled, eying him with interest and taking in his uniform, before checking the hotel register, "How long will you be staying?"

"I'm not exactly sure really. Maybe a week to start with but I might want to extend it." Jack grinned back at her, his mood lifting a little more with her friendly greeting.

"It's £40 for a single night's bed and breakfast but the rate drops to £30 if you book for a week or more."

"Then I'll take a week... Jane." He replied looking at her name tag, "If that's ok?"

"What name shall I put down?" She giggled and batted her eyelashes at him in an undisguised attempt at flirting.

"Jack, Jack Maitland."

"It's very nice to meet you Jack and I finish at ten if you want to buy me a drink."

"Oh err... right, yeah maybe...." Taken aback he struggled to find an answer as the young receptionist propositioned him.

Jane grinned at him and pushed a form across the desk, "If you could just fill this in for me Jack, and I'll take a print of your card if I may. Then you'll be in room 203."

She turned to take a key from the board.

"Do you have a pen?" he enquired.

~~~~~~~~ Chapter seventeen ~~~~~~~~~

"So, what happened then?" Claire demanded to know.

"He could have been nasty or angry about what I'd said, I would have deserved it, but he was absolutely charming. I just sat there like some sort of starry-eyed schoolgirl while we talked and laughed about the stupid mix-up with our papers. That's when I found out he was a year older than me, had recently moved here and was, in fact, living just a few streets away from my house."

"And..."

"Everyone, and I mean all the girls, wanted to know about him. I remember we pestered her endlessly all afternoon. What was his name? What colour were his eyes? We wanted every minute detail." Michelle interjected.

"Including his inside leg measurement and phone number as I recall." Debbie laughed after letting her finish.

"And what was his name?" Claire wanted to know.

"Jackson. Jackson Maitland."

"Ok so then what happened?"

"We were leaving college at the end of the day and just walking out of the gates. That's when they saw each other again." Michelle continued the story, "Deb's and I had just said good-bye as he conveniently came past."

Debbie rolled her eyes "It was just a coincidence. We were both going the same way, we started chatting and he ended up walking me home."

Claire was rivetted by the story and, topping up everyone's drink, wanted to hear the rest of it.

"You started dating him then?"

"No not straight away." Debbie sighed almost miserably, "We were just friends at first, at least that's how I thought he saw me. I hoped it might be more in time so just being around him was kind of special for me."

"Like Miss Dopey here couldn't see what every other girl at college could. He was absolutely besotted with you." Michelle butted in again, "They were all green with envy and everyone wanted to date him. In fact, I know of at least half-a-dozen who actually asked him out and got politely but definitely turned down."

"Really? Who?" Debbie asked with surprise.

Michelle grinned, "Well there was...."

"Never mind that, I want to know what happened next?" Claire interrupted her eager to her the rest of the story.

"It was a couple of weeks into the term and there was a freshers dance at the college coming up. I wasn't going to attend when, quite out of the blue, he asked me if I would go with him, on a proper date. I was completely speechless and I remember he looked at me all sort of hurt when I didn't answer immediately and started to apologise for embarrassing me."

"Shit." Claire exclaimed, "That's not good."

"Fortunately. I recovered in time and managed to tell him I would love to go with him before he got the idea I wasn't interested."

"This is like a romance novel." Her workmate told her, almost spellbound by the story.

"I was a total mess as we got closer to the dance. I didn't know what to wear or anything and in the end my mum and I spent ages shopping for a new outfit." Debbie continued, "Then by the Saturday evening I was just a complete nervous wreck and sure he wouldn't turn up or something."

Claire looked alarmed "But he did show up?"

"Yeah, he actually picked me up early from my house and we walked to the dance. That was the first time he held my hand."

"And when you walked in with him hand-in-hand almost every girl there wanted to claw your eyes out as I recall." Michelle laughed.

Ignoring her Debbie carried on, "That evening was just perfect. He talked to me the whole time and then we were on the dance floor when a slow song played, he just looked at me and pulled me into his arms. That was the first time he kissed me. We were dancing and I looked up just as he looked down and it just sort of happened."

"And?" Claire demanded.

"It started out as just a kiss but, before I could stop myself, I had my arms wrapped around his neck and we had stopped moving and just stood there, kissing. Then, when we broke apart, he took my hand and led me outside telling me he had something he had to say to me."