Lahat ng Kabanata ng Home in a world filled with war. : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

Walking up the path towards the base gates, I could see the man from earlier, he was with another man, dread took hold of me, maybe he had been caught but then he beckoned me over. “This is a friend of mine, he will cover for me while I help you get into the truck.” Thank god! I was getting nervous for nothing. The other man eyed me up and down, I wasn’t sure if it was because he liked the look of me or because he was suspicious of me, either way it didn’t matter, I’d be gone from here within the hour. The security guard told me to stay beside him at all times, he was going to distract the driver so that I could climb into the back of the truck, then he would offer to make sure the back is fully tied down so to tie down where I had climbed in. He said to stay hidden until the truck stop, when it stops that means I’m in Toulouse, they won’t be making any pit stops unless for a wee, once the truck stops I’m to wait for the men to walk away and climb out. They won’t be stopping in a

The 20 minuets went by very quickly but it was definitely needed.Back inside the work load was lessening bit by bit as the evening came in. I had been stitching up people from head to toe, becoming quite a pro at it and was even shown how to find the vein and inject anaesthesia. Most men were too in pain to talk but there was the odd few that tried to hit on me after we’d bandaged them up, I told them all that I had someone special already and asked if they knew or fought alongside a man named Carlo but none of them recognised his name or facial description. My hope was wearing thin.One day of working in the hospital turned into two and then three, before I knew it I had been helping out there for over two weeks and still no Carlo.The work helped to distract me from my mind wandering off thinking about what might have happened to him, but come evening when we went to sleep and there was silence and stillness, the pain in my chest was excruciating, I would often cry myself to sleep

I feel warm but there is an agonising sensation by my foot, I open my eyes gradually, the space around me is dark, only a single gas lamp placed beside me, I try to sit up, I see Lisa standing by a hallow window talking to a man, her face looking concerned.I am tucked into a sleeping bag on the bare floor feeling cold and frail, we are located inside some sort of old dingy building, the walls blackened and the floor dirty, a stale and wet smell surround me, “Lisa? Where are we?” I ask, her head spins around from hearing my croaked voice, she races over leaving the man to stand alone coming towards me and crouches down onto her knees, “are you ok? How do you feel? Does your foot hurt?” She panics over me, “I’m fine, what’s going on?” I press, trying to ignore the severe pain in my right foot, she hangs her head low and places a hand on mine, “a bomb went off at the hospital, you got stuck and we managed to get you free… your foot however is very damaged, I tried to fix it up as best a

On the day of Marcels return, we spent the morning and afternoon walking around the small village, showing him around, introducing him to people and various little shops. We sat outside a quaint local coffee shop on white painted metal framed chairs, it was chilly, a little warmer than where the hospital was located but I still needed to wrap up in a woollen jumper. Even being winter now, the sun still shon down on us.I filled Marcel in on everything I had once told Nora, the sneaking away twice, the injury from the shattered glass, the working in the hospital and what came with all its challenges up to the night of the bombing and incident with my foot. “You sure know how to get yourself into trouble don’t you!” Marcel exclaims, that I can agree with. I’d asked Marcel if he knew anything about Carlos whereabouts but like myself he was in the dark. While looking for me he had also been trying to contact others within the military if they knew a Carlo and where he is located but no

The cottage I had purchased was made of sandstone much like the other houses in this village, it was small but perfect. The front door was aged oak. As you walk in you’re invited by the smell of aged wood and the faint aroma of lavender by the surrounding fields. The exterior feels cosy with a fireplace that beckons me to sit down and unwind. Sunlight streams in through the windows creating playful patterns on the floor.Downstairs is a small entrance room to put shoes away and hang coats then leading into the kitchen, the window looking out onto the cobbled streets, the cabinets and kitchen in a shaker style, painted in sage green, hard wood flooring and an island in the centre to match the cabinets, a open arched doorway opening up into the living room with the views of the lavender fields behind, I’d furnished with linen curtains, a light rug and a sofa with two matching chairs in a light warm grey tone. I’d already started on a large painting that I planned to hang on the living