Ficlets

I hate this war! I made a promise to my beloved: “I’ll wait for you, darling. Please come back to me in one piece.” Every night after my shift at the factory, I make my way to the Air Corps base and ask about his squadron.

“No word yet, ma’am,” is the answer I always hear. There’s a lamp post nearby that’s almost become my second home. One private sometimes brings me coffee from the mess to help me stay warm.

“Why don’t you go home?” some people ask me. I want to, but I can’t. He’s expecting me, you see. I want to be the first thing he sees when he comes home. I haven’t even looked at another man without thinking about him flying over German skies, protecting our way of life.

I can’t forget him. I’ll wait as long as I have to at this lamp post, listening to the drone of planes and braving the cold until he comes back to me at last.