Full Circle (21 page)

She saw her friends approaching and then went into the pub to get out of the annoying drizzle.

“
So,” they asked in unison “what did you find?”

“
How was the museum?” asked Becky.

“
Oh, don’t change the subject. The museum was fine. What did you find?” They both looked ready to burst with curiosity.

“
Let’s order lunch and then I will fill you in.”

It didn’t take long for Rebecca to tell the girls what she had discovered. “We will know more once we get back home. I don’t want to ask these questions over the phone.” She felt kind of melancholy and wanted to go back to the hotel. She felt a sense of closure at finding Lily and Nick, but now they were real people with real lives and there was no going back. She understood their connection to her family and it made her feel sad that she never knew anything about them growing up. It’s as if their life was a closed chapter that no one cared to re-read. Becky got up to leave. Getting ready for her date with James would cheer her up. She knew exactly what she would wear.

At 6:30pm James called from reception to tell her he was waiting for her. Becky was a little nervous, but excited. She was wearing a black mini skirt, high boots and a dark red cashmere turtleneck. The color showed off her dark eyes and bouncy, dark curls. James got up from an armchair he was sitting in as she came out of the elevator. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a fitted, charcoal grey V-neck sweater and a worn leather jacket. His blond hair was a little tousled and he looked adorable. For the moment Becky forgot all about her sad discoveries and walked up to James to give him a kiss. “Hi, James.”

“
Please, call me Jamie. All my friends do. Not as formal.” He kissed her and led her out of the hotel lobby. “I parked just around the corner.” It had stopped raining and it was a cool, October evening. The air smelled of rain and the pungent odor of rotting leaves. Jamie opened the door for her and waited to close it after she got in.

“
I hope you like Thai. There is a restaurant I want to take you to. I always go there when I am in London. It’s called the Blue Elephant.”

“
I love Thai. What’s so special about this restaurant?” Becky asked flirtatiously.

“
You’ll see when we get there.”

Becky could instantly see why Jamie liked the place. When they walked in through the door she felt like they had entered a different world. The restaurant was full of leafy plants that gave the impression of walking into a jungle. They were led through a tunnel of green to their table. There were trees and plants surrounding every table, so it felt like you were eating alone in the middle of the rainforest. Jamie suggested the taster menu so that they could get a variety of dishes to try. Becky readily agreed.

The food must have been good, but she really couldn’t remember. The atmosphere and the company filled her senses. Becky had been on many first dates in her young life, but none was like this one. The conversation never stopped. They talked about everything and jumped from topic to topic without any rhyme or reason. They had a lot in common, but most of all they had a similar sense of humor, which led to a lot of giggling.

“
So tell me, what have you seen so far? What do you think of London?” asked Jamie.

Rebecca filled him in on everything they had seen leaving out only the trip to the Archives. She wasn’t ready to share that just yet. “I kind of wanted to see Cornwall, but my friends are not really keen on going there. There is too much they still want to do in London. We actually have a day trip planned for tomorrow. We are going to see Windsor and Warwick Castles and then go up to see Bath. I am really looking forward to it. I just hope your nasty British weather cooperates,” she added with mock seriousness.

Jamie looked thoughtful for a moment. “Becky, I know that we’ve just met and it might be too forward of me to suggest this, but would you consider going to Cornwall with me for a day? I promise I will behave. I will give your friends all my contact information and my parents’ names and address so that you would feel safe. I actually own a little house in Penzance. I would love to show it to you.”

“
How far is it, exactly?” asked Becky already knowing that she would say yes.

“
It’s about five and a half hours by train, but if we drive I think I can get us there in about four. Will you come? Please say you will.”

“
Yes,” said Becky as she felt a lovely warmth spread through her at the thought of a whole day alone with Jamie. She hadn’t been this drawn to someone since she met Georg.

“
Wonderful. How about Wednesday then, since you have plans for tomorrow?”

“
Yes,” Becky answered again in a dreamy voice.

“
I hope you don’t mind getting up early. If we leave by 6am, we can be there by 10-10:30am, which would give us plenty of time to look around and come back to London on the same day.”

“
I’ll be ready. Anything I should bring?”

“
Just your adorable self,” replied Jamie. He was looking at her lips and she knew he was dying to kiss her.

Going back to her parents’ house after three weeks with Nick was torture. Lily was irritable and listless and the only thing that brought her any pleasure was spending time at the Rectory. She spent hours painting pictures with the kids, reading them stories and having tea parties. The twins were a little angry with her for not seeing them as frequently while Nick was there, but they quickly forgave her, especially when she brought them a couple of storybooks that used to belong to her when she was a child. It’s not like she had any need for them and they were thrilled.

The older children were about to start school in September and the only ones left at the Rectory during the day would be Michael and Andrew. Mrs. Stone could hardly wait for the happy day when school would finally be in session again. She would have a chance to re-claim her house from the “little heathens” as she referred to them.

Lily barely noticed as August faded into September and the smell of autumn was in the air again. She missed Nick desperately and his weekly letters did little more than reassure her that he was still alive. She wanted to be near him. She dreamt of kissing him and waking up next to his warm body. “Will this wretched war ever end?” she thought angrily. “Bloody Hitler!” She knew she was being irrational, but she had been married for almost a year and she spent a total of about a month with her husband.

Lily was so busy being furious with Hitler that by the time she noticed that she hadn’t gotten her period it was already October. She was hopeful and excited for the first time since Nick left and she made an appointment with a doctor hoping that Dr. Parks was not one of her father’s colleagues. She decided not to tell anyone until she was sure.

Lily spent the morning on the day of her appointment pacing nervously around her room until her mother finally asked her to stop. “Darling, is something wrong? Is it Nick?”

“
No, Mum. Everything is all right,” she hastily replied and stopped pacing. Sitting still proved almost impossible, so Lily took her purse and went for a walk. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining and Lily walked by the sea until it was time to go to the doctor’s office. There was only one other woman in the waiting room and Lily was ushered in and given a gown to put on while she waited for the doctor. Dr. Parks was a pleasant woman in her forties and she tried to be gentle as she gave Lily a thorough examination before confirming her suspicions. Lily was so happy, she nearly hugged the doctor, but she managed to restrain herself and having thanked the doctor walked out into the fresh October air. For a moment she just stood there cherishing the secret that would so soon come out in the open. She was due in the beginning of May. She couldn’t wait to tell Nick. He would be so pleased.

Lily hurried home. She was going to wait until tea-time to tell her parents, but she just couldn’t keep the news to herself. As soon as she ran into the house, her mother popped her head out of the kitchen where she was preparing lunch. “Lily, what’s wrong?”

“
Nothing is wrong, Mum. Everything is right. I am having a baby and its due in May.” She danced around the hallway with excitement. To Lily’s chagrin her mother did not look nearly as happy as she would have hoped. She took a moment to compose herself, then smiled and put her arms around her ecstatic daughter. “Congratulations, Darling. How are you feeling?”

“
I will wonderful. You don’t seem very pleased.”

“
Oh, I am pleased. I was just hoping that by the time you had a baby this horrid war would be over and you and Nick would be reunited.” The look of worry in Martha’s eyes put a damper on Lily’s high spirits. She knew deep down that her mother was right and this wasn’t a good time to be starting a family. Nick was God knows where and she probably wouldn’t even see him till after the baby was born. She refused to entertain the notion that he might not come back. She just couldn’t bare the thought. The war would be over. The Allies would win and Nick would come home to her and their cherubic infant. They would get a little house of their own and finally be a family.

Lily’s father had much the same reaction as her mother. He was happy about having a grandchild, but he wished they would have waited so that they could raise it in safety and comfort. “Right. A screaming kid is all we need in this house,” mumbled Edward when he heard the news.

Right after supper Lily went to her room and closed the door. She’d had enough negativity for one day. She wrote a lengthy letter to Nick telling him the happy news and then she penned a letter to Alice. She felt a little guilty about not having written to her for a few weeks. Maybe she could go and visit Alice at Bletchley Park for a little while. She missed her terribly and it would be a welcome distraction.

Lily longed to meet little Clive who was almost eighteen months and raising hell. Alice described his transgressions lovingly in her letters and Lily secretly thought that motherhood had softened Alice a great deal. Jacob was still working long hours and he devoted whatever time he had left over after work and his family to search for his parents and sister. He hadn’t heard any news of them since he left Germany and he was sick with worry over their fate. Terrible rumors were circulating about labor camps where all the Jews were sent. Some believed that the camps were really death camps meant to eradicate the Jewish people for good. Alice didn’t think this was true, but Jacob believed the worst.

In two weeks Lily received an enthusiastic reply from Nick. “Darling, I am so thrilled to hear the news. I only wish I could be there. I will do my best to come home for the baby’s birth. My commanding officer is a family man and I am sure he would give me a few days’ leave to visit my wife and baby. Have you picked any names yet? If it’s a boy, let’s not name him Adolf,” he wrote. Soon there was a reply from Alice. She filled Lily in on the latest developments in her life and gushed about the coming baby. “Dearest Lily, I can’t tell you how desperately I miss you too. Jake and I would love to have you. Please come as soon as you can. I can’t wait for you to meet Clive. I just hope you don’t change your mind about having a baby after dealing with the little terror.”

The visit to Bletchley was lovely and Lily was reluctant to go back home. Being with Alice again felt like old times, despite the fact that she went from being a chic blond goddess into a fussing, clucking mother hen who spent most of her time chasing after the very energetic Clive who seemed determined to drive his parents to distraction. Lily instantly fell in love with the little boy and tried to picture having a child just like him. He was so adorable, that no amount of mischief made you cross with him. It was impossible to be upset when he looked up at you with those huge, brown eyes and smiled revealing the dimples in his rosy cheeks. Lily was smitten. Her and Alice took walks around the village and enjoyed long chats while Clive took his afternoon naps after protesting vehemently that he wasn’t tired at all.

Jacob came home late most nights. He was doing important work and he looked even thinner and older than Lily remembered. She didn’t ask about his family, but she knew that there was no news. The Kaplans vanished into thin air and Jacob was distraught. He hoped to go to Germany after the war to look for them.

Eventually, it was time to leave and Lily reluctantly boarded the train back to Cornwall. The winter was coming and she dreaded the cold, grey months ahead. The only thing she looked forward to was seeing the children again. She missed them and couldn’t wait to call at the Rectory.

The winter months dragged on. Lily unraveled some old sweaters and was re-using the yarn thriftily. She spent her evenings knitting little sweaters for the baby and indulging in various fantasies. Her favorite one was that they would make an announcement on the radio that Germany had capitulated and Nick would come home the next day happy and whole. She rang in 1943 quietly with her parents. The news from the front wasn’t encouraging and their spirits were low. Lily hadn’t seen Nick since the beginning of August and she prayed that he would be able to come see the baby.