It had been two months since I talked Betty and Unity's family into letting them move back to Pensville. It was a long process but the sales were finally completed and both ladies were moving in together. The smile on Gram's face got bigger and better. The house was a stone's throw from Gram's house. She could go visiting whenever she pleased. I was proud of myself; she deserved the happiness. Spending time with Ren Whish gave me a good reason to feel alive again as well. After my last relationship went down the drain with Devon, my college sweetheart, I ruled out the possible idea of falling in love like Grams and Pa and my parents. My heart was not ready for another courtship but Ren understood and was patient with me, only that I thought I had all the time in the world to be with Ren. Sadly, I didn't.
Soon enough, Grams had her friends over to the house.
"...and now, the 9:00 pm news on REATZ TV... War is brewing from Phyll..."
Grams reduced the volume on the TV while I dropped a tray of freshly baked peanut butter cookies and freshly squeezed juice in front of Betty and Unity and Grams. Betty lowered her head from the book she was reading which I doubt she was because I saw drool on the side of her lips. I blushed to avoid embarrassing her.
"How long before this war is over?" Unity asked and reached for the glass of juice, "it has been brewing since the late 60s. Remember when the first bomb dropped in Collonie? There was so much dust, dead bodies, and injured soldiers everywhere. The air smelled of blood and gun powder and oil," she sipped her juice. I sat on the single couch and bit from my cookie.
"What was it like?" I asked.
"It was gruesome," Unity's countenance changed, "I had soldier friends who lost their lives. I watched as injured friends were brought in for treatment. I should know; I was one of the caregivers."
"I too had friends in the army. There was this particular guy, Neil. He suffered for weeks in pain from a gunshot wound to his shoulder and thigh and eventually, it got him. I couldn't do anything to ease his pain," she raised her glass and Grams, Unity and I did the same. "Cheers to Neil, Raphael, Glan, Neo, John, Philips, and other people who fought a war that is still ongoing to date," she ended it sarcastically and they cheered. I watched them sulk and I felt this heaviness deep inside me. Thoughts I didn't want to project started forming in my mind. So many what if's came to play and the news of the war became a topic living rent-free in my head.
The next day was cool and breezy and but not for the inhabitants of the Pensville suburb. Neighbors had started talking about the impending war. For years, Phyll and Crakston had been at war with each other over the independence of Crakston. Now, it had hit a small city like Collonie and the fear of the neighbors was the spread of death to Pensville. I had to know more about the war from Grams. For today, my focus was on spending time with Ren. I smiled and waved at Mr Murray the mailman from across the street. Suddenly, the fear I felt the previous day gripped me so hard, I could barely breathe. It had to be my mind playing tricks on me. I shook the paranoia off and walked towards the Whish family mansion. I knocked and waited for an answer.
"Good evening Mrs Whish," I smiled at Ren's mother and hugged her. She hugged me back and stepped aside for me to enter.
"Ren will be with you soon," she turned immediately and walked toward the kitchen. I got up when she left and looked around. The shelf had books written by different authors in big and small volumes, another compartment had little shiny figurines of angels and one that had Jesus engraved at the bottom, and another had carved masks and different animals. I walked towards the compartment that had family frames. One frame of Ren when he was playing baseball, another of the family at the beach, and one frame caught my attention. It was a picture of Grandpa with another man and Pastor John, Ren's father.
"That's my grandfather, Pa Gerald," Ren said. I turned to face him. "He was good friends with your Pa too and that's my father," he smiled, so proud of Pastor John. "The war had not begun but rumors were spreading that Phyll was planning an attack on Crakston. They got drafter together."
"Grams finds it hard to talk about those times. She calls it the Devil's good days," I walked towards him.
"My father said it was a hard time for Collonie then and somehow it still is. The whole country is a target and sadly, Collonie is sharing borders with Veeyn. That's where this is starting from."
"The beach picture," I pointed to the frame beside the one with Pa in it, "who is the girl?"
"That's my sister, Judith," he walked to their picture and picked it up. "She was thirteen years old and I was seven when this picture was taken. She drowned at the beach a few hours after. We were playing in the water and the waves got stronger towards the shore. She lost her balance and the water took her and I_ I just stood there, shocked. My father was too late to get to her. It was the last time I went to the beach."
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said to him. He smiled and walked close to me and kissed the back of my palm.
"What brings you to my home, Ms Bernard?" He started playing coy and walked behind me.
"The sun is setting Mr Whish and Grams is relaxing with her friends," I smiled, "I thought you and I can take an evening walk."
"Certainly," he blushed. "Let me get my coat and an umbrella. We don't want any surprises."
COLLONIE
"What news do we have from Phyll?" Governor Jonas asked his secretary in the office. The news of war brewing disturbed him since he heard the news. The malice had gone on for so long since the last one claimed to end. He was more worried about his sons and knew they would be drafted eventually _news he was afraid to give his wife, Meredith.
"The rumors are spreading fast, along with the truth that they might be war. Phyll is so bent on taking Crakston and Collonie is the closest, then Westvine and Pensville. The list of states that would be affected is endless sir."
"How many men have been drafted so far?" He asked again, tapping his pencil on the table.
"We have at least three hundred here. You have a meeting with the President regarding the other states and their list."
"We leave this afternoon for Shores. If this rumour turns out true, we need all the help we can get or so help us God, we'll be at the mercy of General Zayne."
PENSVILLE
"We have been courting for a month and three days now," Ren held my hand as we walked towards the love fountain.
"To be precise," I smiled, "one month, three days, four hundred and fifty seven hours and twenty seconds now."
Ren stared at me and smiled again. "Okay. You know how I feel about you Grace and I want to be with you but_" he paused. I saw the despair in his eyes and the fear came back. Was he leaving me? Was I not good enough? Did I do something wrong? Was he courting someone else and wanting to come clean? I tried to stay calm.
"You have heard the rumors of impending war. You know what this entails Grace. I just want you to be prepared for anything right now."
"Anything like what?" I raised his chin so he could see my face and I his.
"Young men will be drafted Grace and that's from every state and Pensville won't be exempted. There is a high possibility that I will be one of them. My grams told me stories of my Pa being drafted and how it affected her. He was never the same when he came back. She said he changed; the man she married died in the war and the one she lived with before he died was just a shell. I don't want to be a shell to you Grace," he lowered his head again.
I didn't want to panic. I needed to stay calm for him but he was right. Pa came back from war but Uncle Waltz never did. Pa died that day and Grams had to live with his shell. He was never the same and just when things looked like they would get better, my parents died. I cursed God under my breath. If He was all knowing, He would have known this war might happen and stop it. No life need be lost and all for power and dominance. The first drops of rain began to pour and he opened the umbrella.
"Let's get you home," he covered me with his coat and we walked in silence. What had started as a wonderful evening turned sour and just like our neighbours, the rumour of the war stuck like a disease.