Liesl stood silently in front of a coffin as a tear fell down her cheek.
Since finding out Sarah had gotten tuberculosis, she'd hoped her foster mother would recover. But sometimes things didn't end in the way people hoped.
Bucky walked up to her and asked softly, "You okay, doll?"
Instead of answering, she asked, "How's Steve?"
"Steve is managing. But I'm asking how you are."
She faced him, praying her emotions wouldn't betray her. "I'm fine."
"Liesl, don't lie to me. Please. I can see it in your eyes."
"I don't want to talk about how I'm feeling."
"Perhaps you should."
Her tone turned sharp. "Enough, James!" She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."
Bucky lifted her chin with his finger. "You have no reason to be sorry, doll."
"I yelled at you."
"You're grieving. Emotions tend to run high when people experience things like that. I don't blame you."
"Well I blame me. The yelling was inappropriate."
"Maybe a little, but you have no reason to be sorry."
Liesl sighed and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for being here, Buck."
Bucky smiled. "Of course, doll." He rested his chin on the top of her head.
He wanted to be there for her as much as he could. She was, after all, one of his best friends. But, after some brief thought, and months of prior thought, he realized she was quickly becoming a possibility of something more.
YOU ARE READING
An Epitaph to War
ActionLiesl escaped Germany with her mother before her teenage years due to her father, a man in charge and the coming future. After all, German Jews were very much at risk, as were all who shared the same beliefs. The young girl meets two boys who becom...
