You Promised

Chapter Three

Chapter 3.
  The next morning and I still feel the shock resonate deep within me. The news had left us all silent and  thinking of the men in our lives who are now in immediate danger. I cannot stop thinking about Adam and John and how they might be ripped from safety at any moment. I get out of bed and stumble to my feet. I stagger to my mirror to see what my nightmares did to me during the night. My brown hair is tangled in a messy knot above my eyes and my blue-grey eyes show that I cried during my dreams. I sigh and accept that this is going to take a lot of work to undo. I pick up my hairbrush and get to work. My hair is wavy to the point of being uncontrollable and several times, I let go of the brush and it stays in my knotted mass of hair.
   After about an hour, I go downstairs where I can smell that my mother has already gotten to work preparing our breakfast. I eat hurriedly, kiss my parents goodbye, shout though the garage door at my brother that I will see him later then I race out the door to my job at the bakery.
  I fall through the door of the shop already apologising for my tardiness. My boss, Mrs Hartly turns and looks at me. She is not a small woman with her greying hair tied back in a tight bun. She has kind toffee-brown eyes that fill with concern at seeing me. She extends her arms to wrap me in a hug of affection and icing.
   'Why child' she says kindly 'you should have slept in. You look like death on a cookie.'
    I try to think of that as a compliment and put on my apron. Then, as though in a routine, I pick up a wooden spoon and get to work making tea scones.
  Mrs. Hartly shuffles around me making, small conversation mostly about her daughter Jayne who is home from visiting her rich aunt's house. Jayne is one of my closet friends and we have been friends since we were in primary school.
'Tell Jayne she is welcome to come by anytime.' I chat amiably to her as she bustles around the kitchen.
'Why thank you dear.' She answers absentmindedly as she inspects a smudge of icing sugar. 'Could you clean the counter top for me?'
I set to work scrubbing away any crumbs or stains left by our hungry customers.
'Did Lily Green enjoy the egg?'
My lips curl up in a happy smile at the name. 'Yes. Thanks to you.' She scoffs modestly from the kitchen. 'I've never seen her happier.'
  At about eleven o'clock, the bell above the door chimes. It's the local vicar,Fr. Franks who comes every morning to chat to Mrs. Hartly. He is dressed in his black cloak with his white collar shoved almost into his chin. He looks like the Grim Reaper. He pulls his hood off of his balding head.
  'Good morning Mrs. Hartly.' He says in his monotonous voice. Father Franks is about fifty years of age but is convinced of his own eternal youth. He lives alone in a cottage beside the church.
'Good morning Father.' She replies happily. 'You're looking well today.'
  He nods his agreement and starts browsing through the goods. 
'Anything good today Mrs?' He asks.
'Always.' Mrs. Hartly replies cheerily, showing him the fruits of our labour. Fr. Franks hums to himself for a moment before deciding against our cakes.
Soon, but not soon enough, he leaves promising a fascinating sermon this Sunday.
  The rest of the day passes in a blur. I make scone after scone, all the while chatting with Mrs. Hartly. Customers come in and ask after my family, to which I continue to say that they are all well. Nothing happens until something that Mr Willson, a regular customer who always has interesting gossip for us, says to Mrs Hartly catches my attention.
    'Have you heard that some military men have come to town??' Mrs. Hartly says something in response but I don't hear it.
I immediately interrupt. 'Excuse me, Mr Willson, I couldn't help overhearing, why are the officers here??'
   'Why to recruit volunteers of course. I don't know why it took them so long.' He growls, his newspaper crunching under his arm every time he inhales through his beard. 'Each regiment is going to the villages in its shire.  The Oxfordshire regiment is doing the rounds of the locals now, I believe.' He says in his gruff voice, rolling his eyes at my ignorance. 'That Green boy will be the first to go in my opinion.' He says, with no regard of me, chatting easily with Mrs. Hartly.
  I can feel panic rising through my body like a tsunami. My heart beats so loudly that I'm sure that even the Kaiser can hear it. I can still hear Mr Willson talking but it's sounds so far away 'Oh dear. Have I said something?' My breath comes in quick gasps, I place my hand on the counter to steady myself, seeing the bakery tilting around me. I must get to him. Adam. I see the floor racing to my face, as I picture his eyes once then everything goes black.