Chapter 1 Life In London
London, August 1940
Chapter 1
Life In London
Lucy Bennett busied herself about the kitchen, her young neighbours, Ruth and Zac Miller helping her fix breakfast, while the oldest Miller, Ezra, got ready for work. As soon as their mothers got home they would eat breakfast together before Ezra left.
Their mothers worked nights at the factory in order to be home with their kids during the day, while sixteen-year-old Ezra worked days. They had been doing so ever since their fathers had been deployed almost a year beforehand.
“Need me to reach that for you?” ten-year-old Zac teased Lucy, as he grabbed the skillet which was hanging from the ceiling. He was already much bigger than her despite being a year younger, and they were making breakfast at his house.
“I can’t wait until I’m bigger than you, too,” eight-year-old Ruth said, her blue eyes dancing.
“Well, it shouldn’t be long,” Lucy giggled. “You’re growing twice as fast as I am.”
“It also helps that our parents are twice the size of yours,” Zac smirked, gently pulling one of Lucy’s soft golden curls and handing her the eggs.
“Can we get outside and play today?” Ruth asked, “School starts up soon, again, so we don’t have very much more time to play.”
“By the sound of your grammar, it’s a good thing,” Lucy teased.
“I don’t wanna learn to talk good. I wanna play,” Ruth groused, Ezra laughing at her as he walked in.
“Only one more week of work and mum says I have to go back to school, too,” he told her. “I’m kinda looking forward to it, though. Working is hard, and I miss my friends.”
“Yeah, me too,” Lucy smiled. “When the war first began a lot of my friends went to the country. But most have come back now, since nothing came of the declaration of war.”
“Yeah… Life has pretty much gone on as usual, with the exception of our dads being gone, and some rationing here and there,” Ezra agreed, “but together we’ve been able to get by just fine.”
”I hope everything will be over soon and we can all get back to being a family,” Lucy sighed, staring wistfully out the window. “I miss Dad.”
“Me too,” Ruth agreed sadly.
“Oh, there I go being a wet blanket,” Lucy sighed, as she wrapped Ruth in a hug. “It’ll all work itself out. We’re just working ourselves up over nothing.”
Ruth nodded and leaned into the embrace.
“Go set the table while I cook,” Lucy told her, shooing her toward the cupboards. She was used to taking care of the younger kids alone, in spite of being only eleven years old. The Millers lived just on the other side of the wall of her comfortable rowhouse, and their mothers were usually just upstairs, trying to get a few hours of sleep, if she needed anything. And when Ezra came home they always ate dinner together before the mums left. It was a good life, and together they had more than enough. She couldn’t complain.
When Lucy heard the knock on the door, Zac took over breakfast while she danced to the door and opened it for the milkman. He was only a teen himself, and once again started up a conversation with her. He was always very friendly and kind, sliping them a little extra here and there, but seemed to spend far more time at her door than others. Seeing as this was becoming a regular occurrence, Ezra walked up behind her, his dark curls still loose and falling in his pale blue eyes. His shirt was only partially buttoned as he set his arm on her shoulder and greeted the milkman.
When the milkman saw the over six foot tall, broad shouldered Ezra, dwarfing Lucy’s short slight frame, he startled and stumbled over his words for a few seconds before handing her some cheese and hurrying away.
“Is he always that friendly?” Ezra asked.
“Usually,” Lucy answered, unfazed.
“Hmm, well, I don’t like that guy and I’m not sure the extras are worth it. You’re only eleven and he’s already talking you up like you’re sixteen.” Closing the door and turning to his brother, Ezra joked, “You better grow fast, Zac. Because Lucy’s teen years are going to keep us busy.”
“Oh, stop it,” Lucy giggled.
“What are brothers for if they can’t run off all potential suitors,” he smirked.
“You know you’re not really my brother,” she teased back, her soft green eyes sparkling.
“You’re disowning us?” Ezra asked, feigning being shocked and hurt.
“You’re impossible,” she giggled, handing him the milk and dancing back to the kitchen. “Now finish getting ready for work, or you’ll be late.”
“Yes, Mum,” he teased, as she rolled her eyes and shook her head, her golden curls bouncing.
~♦~
By the time the mums made it home Ezra was almost done eating and ready to leave. The mums were opposites, Esme being a little over 5’10” and broad shouldered with her dark curls tied tightly back, and Hellen being maybe 5′ 3” and slight, her golden curls tied loosely at her neck as they walked in the door together.
“Hi Mum. Bye Mum,” Ezra joked.
“I almost never get to see you anymore,” Esme argued.
“It’ll be even worse once we start school, as I have to get the others to school before I get myself there.”
“I think we can walk ourselves,” Zac said, rolling his eyes.
“After the way the milkman acted, I’m walking Lucy,” Ezra told him.
“Then it’s a good thing I start secondary this year. And you’re overreacting,” Lucy chided. “He’s just friendly.”
“Yeah, with an eleven-year-old, who’s tiny.”
“I’m not that small,” Lucy argued.
Ezra just rolled his eyes and started gathering his things.
“What happened with the milkman?” Hellen asked.
“I think he might fancy Lucy, and he’s my age,” Ezra threw over his shoulder as he walked toward the door. “Don’t worry, I took care of it.”
“You didn’t hurt him, I hope,” Esme asked nervously.
“I didn’t have to,” Ezra smirked. “Just the sight of me scared the shit outta him.”
“Language,“ Esme snapped and caught him before he made it out the door, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“See you after work,” he called, and walked out the door.
Hellen and Esme threw each other a nervous look but sat down to eat with the kids, thanking Lucy for cooking.
~♦~
They all spent the morning together baking, ensuring the kids not only had plenty to eat, but also had the skills to make something for themselves if they needed it while the mums were sleeping. They usually tried to pick up anything they needed from the grocer when they walked home from work, but there was always at least one thing they didn’t know they needed, and so the kids would walk together to buy it while the mums slept.
By the time the mums were in bed, the kids were playing on the shared front stoop, enjoying their last week of summer before returning to school. They sat talking about how different they thought school would be now that Britain had officially been at war for a year.
“I was really scared at first,” Ruth admitted, “but then nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened here, you mean,” Zac corrected.
“Even Dad’s letters sound boring,” she argued.
“I doubt it actually is. He probably just tries to make it sound that way so Mum doesn’t worry.”
“I hope it actually is that boring.” Lucy agreed. “My dad’s letters are similar, telling about the places he’s seen and the people he’s met. He almost makes it sound like he’s on vacation.”
“Yeah, your family’s weird,” Zac laughed. “But I too hope you’re right.”
“I can’t wait for Dad to come home, so Ezra doesn’t have to work no more,” Ruth pouted. “I miss him too.”
Lucy and Zac both nodded.
“But we’re lucky we have each other, and that he can work,” Lucy said. “A lot of people are struggling and alone, but with three people working and three people taking care of the houses, we’re doing just fine.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Ruth agreed and went back to playing. “I still wish Dad was here.”
“Me too, but it’ll all be okay,” Lucy chirped.
“Nothing dampens your mood,” Zac teased.
