The Military Boy - At War

Chapter 9 | Petrichor

Turbulent clouds stretch across the sky in forewarning. 

The morning had started out in a drizzle that quickly turned into spitting rain. Thankfully, Gabe had worn his favourite red wellies and yellow raincoat. My mind itself was clouded at the moment, and Gabe's bright colouring made it difficult for me to lose him against the drab muted colours of the city.

"Are we there yet?" This was the fourth time he had asked me in the last thirty minutes. "Didn't I promise to tell you when we're near there? Sit tight. We still have to change trains in about five stops." He shuffled a bit in his seat and then settled to play with a thread sticking out from the hem of his shirt. "Did you dress yourself this morning?" I wondered why on earth Elle would dress him in a frayed t-shirt when he had more clothing than he needed. Gabe nodded at me with a shy smile. "Why are you wearing an old shirt? Didn't your mum tell you you needed to look a bit spiffy today?" He shook his head side to side, "No, she was still sleeping until you showed up. I didn't want to be late, so I dressed myself. I'm sorry if I don't look spiffy. Are you worried that your friend won't like me?" He looked a bit uncomfortable. "Sorry, mate. You look great, and you did an awesome job getting ready." I did my best to cheer him up, ignoring the fact that he referred to Josephine as my' friend.' I also ignored the last question he asked me. Is Josephine going to like him? It was a question nagging in the back of my mind too. Right now, I wasn't even certain if she still 'liked' me.

The intricate underground rail system was a rather convenient way to get about, except you often emerged from the bowels of the city on to ground level, not expecting the weather to look so drastically different from when you hopped on. The heavens had opened up, and it was pouring rain as if washing away the grime of the city would somehow make meeting Josephine easier. The commander had sent a car to pick us up from the station, and within twenty minutes, we were sitting in his stuffy wood-panelled office as I explained Gabe's presence. Gabe sat at the coffee table busily sipping on a hot chocolate and eating a croissant rather eagerly. It was then that I realized what he had said on the train. This four-year-old boy had dressed himself in whatever clothing he could find and made his way down to me this morning while Elle was still in bed. Gabe hadn't even had breakfast. I cursed Elle internally like I always did, but my heart broke further for Gabe this time. He deserved a better mum than Elle.

"So, you aren't certain of his parentage?" The commander inquired quietly from behind his desk. "I'm not, but he's still my responsibility until I determine what's what." The commander gave me a strange look as if he wanted to say something more, but then he nodded and stood up. "Very well. Josephine is just returning from a debriefing with the intelligence unit. She's been notified of your arrival and will be out momentarily. The rain seems to have stopped. Feel free to explore the grounds at your leisure." With that, he left Gabe and me to our own devices. We waited about twenty more minutes then decided to walk around outside, becoming restless. Gabe had found snails and was busy playing with them. Kneeling next to him, I played along. Then I felt something stir inside me like one becomes aware of a heat source in the cold.

Josephine. She was here.

Slowly, I straightened my back and stood up. My heart thrummed as the rain had earlier. Eagerness to see her turned into hesitation as my mind raced. Was she alone? Was 'he' with her? My foot sloshed a small puddle as I turned around to face her.

As if the heavens above knew how pivotal this moment was, small rays of sunshine poked through the clouds catching in the mist, giving it an iridescent quality.

She stood alone.

In a deep green blouse, jeans and pink coat with her long blonde hair falling past her shoulders, there she was. Her teary eyes were red-rimmed, and her expression must have matched my own as she blurred in my vision. I let the tears stream down my face, unable to hold the waves of emotion back any longer.