The Lies that Bind E-Book

Suzann Dodd

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

It is World War II and a young man is leaving England.   He has no family only a single friend from school to make that last goodbye.   A friend who appreciates that this may be the final time she will see him.

At such a devastating time,  when the world is turning upsidedown,  when what follows this moment  makes  lies  of greater benefit than the truth.   When lies do not hurt but comfort.   And become real.

Leseprobe

Suzann Dodd

The Lies that Bind

BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

Chapter One

 "Shipping out tomorrow..."

"I know..."  

Neil  paused, the rose from the chair.  He put the cup on the table, went to take his knap sack.

And Anne said; "I have loved you since we met in first form.." 

He  turned his head to look at her as if he'd not seen her before.    She took a breath, forced her eyes from her shoes into his.

"My bedroom is over there..." her voice was so soft he almost asked her to repeat, but didn't.

Neil's first thought was 'why not?'    He left his sack and moved to the bedroom. She followed him, closed the door.

He'd done this before, but never so slowly, never so gently, never without hot passion. 

 This was Anne's very first time.  

When it was over,  he went to the bathroom, washed himself,  returned to the bed. They did not speak. He lay beside her, drifted into sleep.  He woke  a few hours later, slid out of her bed.  He dressed, used the bathroom took his bag, and was gone before sun rise.

Neil had related to Anne as a friend, perhaps his best friend.  He'd never thought of holding her hand  or asking her out.     He'd come to her flat to tell her he was being deployed as she was the only person near enough to make this last good bye.

Having sex with her was an unexpected 'gift',  like finding money on the road.   It was over now, he was on his way to base, other things on his mind.

Anne awoke alone.   For a moment she wondered if it had been a fantasy,  but her body advised of the facts. She lay thinking of what had happened.  It was far too important to be filed until after work.

Putting on her robe she went into the hall and  rang the factory, told them she wasn't coming in. She began false coughing, hung up and returned to her little room, to her little bed. 

Anne lie there reliving last night.   

When Neil had knocked the door she was aware  this might be the last time she would see him.   She could not allow him to leave her life without that so important first.

Neil would always be her first.  No matter what happened, she would always have that fragment to remember.

Anne  imagined all the different scenarios.    She fantasied about being pregnant.   She thought of  Neil's return.  She imagined learning he had died in the war.   She lived every fantasy until quite hungry, then rose, put on her robe, went to make herself breakfast, although it was nearly lunch time. She ate, thinking about Neil, imagining where he was now, where he was going.

Although she should feel ashamed, she wanted to be pregnant with his child.  Wanted a piece of him, a token, for she had loved him from the day she saw him.

Maybe she was being silly, maybe stupid, it didn't matter. She was twenty and had never felt for any boy as she did for Neil.

She sat and thought,  visualising possibilities until hungry again. She ate a meagre lunch and hours later her small dinner.   

Some time later, she returned to the bed, lying on the same soiled sheets, dreaming of Neil.

She went to work the next day as if 'nothing' happened.

It was eight days later Anne sadly realised she wasn't pregnant. She cried as if she'd lost a child. Maybe not 'if', maybe something went wrong inside of her.  She decided she needed to go to church. Needed to open her soul.

During this time of war, Churches didn't close, for people needed to pray. She needed to pray.  She needed to be alone in a church, and pray.   

Ann waited until midnight, then went walking to a church she had never entered.   The door was open, the pews were empty. She took a place and prayed.

She prayed with tears rolling  down her face, alone.

Sitting in the pew, crying and praying Anne thought she heard a baby cry. She would shake it off, but it seemed real.   She came out of the church, saw a box. Inside the box was a baby. Without pause she  embraced the baby,  brought him to her heart.   Then hurried towards  her flat.

She was so afraid someone would stop her, someone would take her baby, but there was no one on the road.

Then the bombing started.

Anne ran to the nearest shelter with her little Neil, seeing other people, other mothers like her.  Women who knew how she felt, and who could help her.