Wish Me Luck by Dickinson Margaret

Author:Dickinson, Margaret [Dickinson, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers UK
Published: 2010-09-30T23:00:00+00:00

It was several days after the bombing before Fleur got a chance to go home for a brief, overnight visit.

‘Dad?’

‘Ssh, listen!’ Jake was sitting in his chair near the range, his head against the wireless that sat on a shelf next to the range. ‘Listen!’

Fleur bit her lip, waiting impatiently, until Jake reached and turned off the wireless. ‘They’ve got the Bismarck. Can you believe it? Our lads have sunk the Bismarck!’ Jake’s face was alight with triumph for a moment, then he sobered swiftly. ‘It’s a great victory for us, but you can’t help thinking about all those poor boys drowned or shot to pieces. They reckon there must be over a thousand men lost.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘And I bet half those young lads don’t know what they’re fighting for. You know, Fleur,’ he said heavily, ‘lots of folks wouldn’t agree with me, but I reckon the ordinary German bloke doesn’t want this war any more than we do. They’ve just been swept along in a tide of patriotism by a fanatic who’s just bent on ruling the world.’

Fleur sat down beside him and touched his arm in a gesture of understanding. ‘You’re right, Dad. And the loss of life on both sides, well, it’s just sinful, isn’t it? But what can we do? We’ve got to stop Hitler. We can’t let him achieve his terrible ambition, now can we?’

‘No, love, of course we can’t.’ He sighed heavily. ‘But it’s just so sad that all these innocent young lives are being wasted in the process. And only twenty years after the last lot. Another generation of young fellers.’

They sat in silence for a moment, until he pulled himself together and said, ‘What was it you wanted, love?’

Fleur explained about the air raid and the damaged gravestone.

‘Tell you what, love, I’ll take you back tomorrow and see what I can do.’

‘Oh, Dad, would you really? That’d be lovely – but not a word to Mrs Jackson, mind. We haven’t told her. I’m just hoping no one else does before we can get it mended.’

‘Aye, we’ll have a family outing. Mebbe your mum’ll come too. And Kenny.’

But Betsy was determined to play the spoilsport. ‘I’ve too much to do to go gallivanting about the countryside. And you shouldn’t be using petrol to go jaunting.’

‘I’ve enough petrol to take my daughter back to camp without endangering the war effort and to do a favour for an old lady,’ Jake replied, keeping his tone deliberately mild.

‘You shouldn’t be having to take your daughter anywhere. She should be here at home doing her duty. And now, because of her, I’ve likely got to put up with having strangers living here. Land Army girls, indeed. And townies! What are they going to know about life in the country, I’d like to know.’

Betsy went back into her kitchen still muttering darkly, whilst Jake winked at Fleur. ‘Well, I tried. She can’t say she wasn’t asked to come, now can she?’

It was a merry little party that set off in Jake’s boneshaker of a car the following morning.

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