The Boy in the Basement

Chapter 10

I woke back up to a hand shaking my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw Liesel sitting next to me. I was still sprawled out and the floor, and Max was sleeping still, holding my hand.

"You never came back up." Liesel said.

"I was helping Max, and I fell asleep I guess." I said as I began to get up. My body was sore from sleeping on the floor. My movements woke Max up, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning." I said. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Ya, I did." He replied as he sat up. "Sorry I made you sleep on the floor."

"That's alright." It wasn't so bad." I said. Max got up and silently went back downstairs, back to his small corner. "Well, I have to go to work." I said to Liesel. I got up, got ready and went to work. Surprisingly, I was the only one working. I had thought I was working with Cora, but maybe I had the wrong day. So I just began doing things on my own.

Eventually, someone came in, but it wasn't Cora. It was one of my other coworkers, Amelia.

"Hello, sorry I'm late." She said. "I was called in at the last second." She began to help me. "It's too bad about Cora, isn't it?"

I felt fear run through me; I hadn't heard anything from her. "What do you mean?"

"She didn't tell you?" Amelia asked. "She had to go to war. Well, technically, she's acting as a nurse. But she left yesterday, and she doesn't know when she'll be back."

"Oh." I said quietly, my mood automatically went from happy to hurt. Cora hadn't told me she had to do this, and now she was already gone. I wasn't sure when I would see her again. "She never said anything."

"That's strange." Amelia said. "Maybe she'll write to you at some point. I mean, why wouldn't she? You're her best friend."

"I don't know." I said softly. Hearing that had worsened my mood. But what I didn't know was that it was going to get worse.

It was near the end of shift that Peter came in. This wasn't the first time he had visited.

"Hello." I said.

"Hi." He replied. He wasn't really looking me in the eye, which was unusual. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" I nodded, and we went outside. "I'll be straightforward... I think we should break up."

"Oh." I said. I felt my heard sink even more. Why did all the bad news have to come at me today? "Why? Was it something I did?"

"No, not at all. You're the best girl I've ever had the joy of dating and I hate to do this. But I'm leaving for the war tomorrow." Peter said.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I hate to do it, but if we were still together, and... I never came back... and even if I did survive, I don't know how long I'd be away. It could be years. I couldn't do that to you."

"I understand. Thanks for being honest." I stuck out my hand. "Friends?"

He shook my hand. "Friends." We stood in awkwardness for a moment, and then he walked away. I went back inside. Even though it was for a good reason, and I understood why, this whole thing was still upsetting. Peter and I had a good, strong relationship, and I was falling in love with him. Now I wasn't even sure I would see him again.

I was glad when my shift was over, and I made it home quickly. I just wanted to relax. I was ready for today to be over already.

"Did you have a bad day at work?" Liesel asked as soon as I got home.

"How'd you guess?" I said.

"It's not too hard to tell. Usually you seem so happy." She said. "What's wrong?"