Come Back To Us - 34. Chapter 34

That week of exams was nothing compared to the bombings they had gone through.

Well, okay, maybe he was greatly exaggerating, but still.

Jørgen had already left for his mission for a little while but hadn’t come back yet. Well, Kristian hadn’t either. He tried not to worry about him too but saying things was always much easier than doing them. He should be fine.

He was currently waiting for Arthur to know if he had managed to pass or not in the room where he had taken the written part. He hadn’t been alone to take them, of course, but it was decided like that for him to wait for the fateful outcome on his own.

Hands sweaty, nails digging into the palm and making light scratches, lips dry and chapped dampened every five seconds or so by the slow back and forth movement of a nervous tongue.

He tried to distract himself with other things to think about, but this was only a poor and reckless attempt which was bound to fail. He couldn’t think about anything positive anymore.

He’s doing it on purpose, he couldn’t help thinking. It can’t be possible any other way.
Delaying the announcement as much as he could so it would drive Karl crazy.

He wasn’t feeling like being patient in such a moment.

The door suddenly opened when he wasn’t expecting it anymore. Arthur approached him, looking as usual stern and emotionless, the sound of his step echoing through the room.

He stood up from his seat without warning once he was close to him. They made eye contact but didn’t greet each other and it was fine that way. He’d rather not say something he wouldn’t mean. The word he was looking for was the thing he hated the most.

Their intense eye contact lasted for quite a while but he wouldn’t look away. It couldn’t be necessarily a bad piece of news.He was most likely unhappy about him passing.

“Have I passed?”

His silence and the look he was giving him could only confirm it. He knew it. But he remained passive.

“To my greatest dismay, you have. I was fair with you despite my disliking towards you. But do not expect me to go as far as to congratulate you for your performance.”

Karl’s face was instantly brightened up by a big toothy grin.

“Stay humble. You are officially a pilot now,” he said as he got something out from behind his back. “Here is the written proof of it.” He paused. “And here are your wings. Take the greatest care of it.”

He stared in awe at the small emblem which he was holding. He had already seen it sewed on Jørgen’s uniform, but knowing that these were now his created a surge of emotions which was hard to control. He didn’t even dare take them into his own hands.

“Are you going to take them or not now? I am not going to wait there for you to do it all day long.”

They were so beautiful.

He took them after a few seconds with such delicacy for fear he might have deteriorated them in some way, not caring about the way Arthur withdrew his hand hurriedly.

He kept staring at them in wonder for a long while as he put them in the palm of his hand, unaware whether Arthur had left or not meanwhile. He did it.

The same big toothy grin was lightening his face again. All that hard work hadn’t been useless in the end.

He had to tell Mrs. Hopkins about that.

“Thanks!”

He was ready to leave the room but was stopped by Arthur. So he was still there. He wondered why actually.

“Where do you think you are going like that? This is not over yet. I have been simply waiting for you to calm down so you would listen to me.”

His smile faded away.

What could he have to tell him beside that? Probably not such good news…

He waited for him to proceed as his eyes were focused on his face.
“Very well. As you already know, becoming a pilot means going on missions, and not just casual missions since we are still at war.”

Of course, he knew that. He could never forget why he was there. He closed the palm of his hand as he glanced down.

“You will be assigned to your first mission quite fast. We haven’t really got time to take it slow and easy. The more pilots the better.”

His heart was beating fast in anticipation. What kind of mission would he get?

“Yet, I will not leave you and let you handle things on your own just because the tests you took proved you’ve got the required skills to do the work. While you will be on your mission, you and I will keep in touch without interruption thanks to a radio. I will be guiding you. You will not be going on a mission all alone anyway. You will be a part of a squadron with other pilots who are more experienced than you of course. Besides, the mission will not be a too complicated one. It will consist mainly of observing and reconnoitering. Nothing that is beyond your reach. But even the simplest things can quickly take a bad turn. And this is not what I want to happen. Keep in mind that I am only doing this for Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins. I saw how they care about you.”

All of his thoughts were focused on the couple now. He knew how worried they would be about him as much as they would be happy for him that he could qualify. But he didn’t want them to worry about him. Yet, he was well aware that the second he’d made that choice, them worrying about him was inevitable.

“I care about them too. They’re like a second family for me. And I will stay alive for them. I know they didn’t want me to go there.”

The look Arhtur gave him had him understand he should have shut up… Not that he cared anyway.

“Keep your tongue still. Many men who were just like you are not there anymore to speak such determined words.”

Many but not all of them. He still had a chance to keep his promise, even if it was a slim one…

“When will be that mission exactly?”

“In a week’s time. That will leave some time to brace yourself for it at least.”

He stared with an empty look at the white grayish wall. That was much more than he could hope for. Maybe he would have time to see Jørgen one more time before he had to leave.

“You may leave now.”

Finally. Their eyes met once again. He saluted the way he had been taught to before he walked away with no other sound than that of his steps being heard.

He just went back to his quarters to take some paper, a quill and an inkwell. Jørgen always kept that stuff under his bed. Then he made his way to the refectory where he had caught Jørgen writing that time not long after they had met. He took one seat in one of the corners of the room before he started writing.

Dear Margaret,

I hope everyone is going well, like everytime.

As for me, I took my exams to become a pilot last week and I’ve passed. I couldn’t wait to tell you the good news. What’s less good is that I’ll have my first mission the next week. But don’t worry. Arthur will do everything he can to keep me safe. I'm sure you trust him so please, don’t worry.
I don’t know what I will have to do precisely, he spoke of “observing and reco…something. But he said it wouldn’t be dangerous.

What else could he write about? He had no idea.

He bit his lower lip as he tapped his fingers on the part of the paper that had remained untouched.

He tried to think about something else he could tell them but nothing came to his mind. So he tried again. And he found after a few moments of reflexion.

My friend Jørgen has already left for another mission, and I’m waiting for him to come back. I don’t know if I will see him before I have to go.

My other friend,

No, this wouldn’t do. This wasn’t the right word to use for Kristian. Or… was it? He still didn’t know.

He crossed out the three words without much delicacy.

My other friend, Kristian, who had always been there for me when I needed it,

That was so long for a formulation, but he guessed this would do.

Hasn’t come back either yet, and I wonder if I can see him too before that.

Well, what else could he say now? He racked his brain but found nothing more to add this time. He sighed.

But then suddenly his heart skipped a beat. He thought way too much.

George.

His breath caught in his throat as he let his quill fall on the paper.

He wanted to ask them about him with a burning desire that could never be put out, but he had been suppressing the thought every time his brain had brought it to the surface when writing.

His hands started trembling. He bit his tongue as they fell on his lap. He was paralysed.

His mind was thinking about ways he could have prevented that from happening.

His breathing became more and more noisy as the seconds passed. He needed this to stop. He needed it for his sanity. He had to get a grip on himself. He was a pilot now. He wasn’t just Karl the poor exiled Danish boy anymore. Private and professional stuff should remain separated.

He took slow and deep breaths as he squeezed his eyes shut.

It took him some time, but he eventually calmed down after a while. He opened his eyes and took out his newly won wings from his trousers pocket where he had stuffed them earlier. He stared at them in his open palm. His heart was now beating with a new found determination. His people were counting on him. He couldn’t fail them now.

That war wasn’t over yet.

Hello everyone!
Here you go with another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Karl is finally a pilot!!
Take care and have a good day/evening/night! ❤️