Another love

Part Eighteen - 1916

1916

Sarah and Ada were in the betting den sorting through everything when Ada sighed and sat herself down on the desk, "God, how do you do it all? I mean, what is the point of it all!"

Sarah rose her eyebrow in amusement at her young friend's attitude

"Because Ada my lovely, when these men come back they will need something to cling onto, something to keep them going."

"If they come back." Ada snorted under her breath, much to Sarah's annoyance, "Ada!" She snapped and shoved her,

"Sorry," Ada muttered as she looked at the floor.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her as she studied her friend's body language, "Freddie."

Ada's head snapped up as she said his name.

"What-"

"I know you have feelings for him," Sarah said as she walked around her and started organising the receipts and papers away,

"He doesn't even know I exist." She said as she pulled at a loose thread on her skirt. Sarah sighed at her and motioned for her to jump off the desk so that she could get on with work

"Well Ada, you better hope he comes back then, hadn't you? Maybe once he sees how you've handled things, he'll fall madly in love with you." She said, teasing her friend, who in return gave her an embarrassed smile. Although she had never shared her theories with anyone, Sarah had a feeling that Freddie reciprocated Ada's feelings, but she knew it wasn't her place to say anything. The girls laughed for a while, but both of them froze when Polly walked in her expression blank. Ada dug her nails into her skin, feeling sick as Polly stopped in front of them, the older woman sighed and turned to look at Sarah

"What is it?" Her heart pounded at the urgency of Polly's appearance, "Pol, tell me."

Polly's hand shook as she held out the telegram, Sarah's eyes stung from the tears as she shook her head in denial, "No, no!"

"I'm sorry." Her breath shook as she placed the telegram in her hands, her mind raced as she thought of them all; Tommy, Cain, John, Arthur, Freddie, Danny, Jeremiah....it was only once she saw her father in the doorway with a solemn expression that she realised who it was. The moment she opened it and saw his name, her knees buckled as she fell to the floor, letting out a scream as she fell-

Mr Denis Crawford
Deeply regret to inform you that Cain Crawford is officially reported as killed in action on September eighteenth in France

Ada's hand flew to her mouth as she cried for the loss of her friend who was like her brother, and watched as her best friend shattered in front of her very eyes. Polly knelt down to Sarah and held the broken girl as she shook uncontrollably. They stayed like that for hours until Pol eventually convinced her to come back home with her, Dennis came with them as they sat in Pol's kitchen. Polly poured them all tea with whisky and tried to make a comforting conversation, but Sarah just stared at the wall blankly, she felt like part of her had died with her brother. Their tea had gone cold by the time she finally said something "Someone needs to tell mum."

"We can send her a letter," Dennis told her quietly, this was the softest that Sarah had ever heard her father speak, she didn't know if it was from the grief of the loss of his son or pity for his daughter who had lost her best friend.

"Auntie Sarah!"

Sarah jumped as John's daughter Katie ran towards her and jumped on her lap, "Katie not now love." Polly told her

"Auntie Sarah, what's wrong? Is it daddy?"

"No Katie baby," Sarah cooed as she ran her fingers through the little girl's hair "why don't you go up to bed and auntie Ada will read you a story when she comes back, eh?"