November
The Parker’s
and the Wells’s had lived in Pepperstock Green for many generations and both
families had been well represented in the Downshire Light Infantry over the
years, and the latest were Sgt Joe Herriot and Lance Corporal Jade Wells.
The pair were
not entirely unknown to each other, even though they were in different
battalions and there were more than four years difference in their ages,
because Joe had briefly dated her older sister, who was also in the
Downshire’s, but Joe and Jade hadn’t seen each other since they broke up, until
the day of the King’s Birthday Parade.
The parade was
held on the same day as the Trooping of the Colour by the Household Guards, and
it was held at the home of the Downshire Light Infantry in Nettlefield.
It was
performed with less pageantry and was less grand than its London cousin, but
was nonetheless as important, especially to the Downshire’s.
He was part of
the Honour Guard, and she was a flag bearer and right out of the blue she
kissed him just before the Parade, but they never got the chance to revisit it
as she went off on a training exercise with the 3rd Battalion while he remained
at Regimental HQ.
In the time
that elapsed he endowed the kiss with immense importance but was riddled with
self-doubt and wondered if she was secretly glad that they hadn’t followed up
and even wished it had never happened.
It didn’t help
him that he had no means of contacting her except through official channels,
which of course was a non-starter.
He just hoped
that when she returned to Nettlefield he would find out straight from the
horse’s mouth and put him out of his misery.
However, four
days before she and the 3rd Battalion arrived back in Nettlefield the 1st
Battalion were deployed at short notice to cover ports and airports due to a
major security alert.
By the time the
crisis was over, and Joe was back at HQ Jade was gone again, on a special
weapons training course.
As the months
passed by and they kept missing each other Joe convinced himself that whatever
it was that prompted the kiss back in June was an aberration, nice obviously,
surprising undoubtedly, but in the scheme of things it was just an anomaly.
In November he
was part of the Remembrance Day proceedings at the Pipershaven War Memorial and
was walking towards the centre to the rallying point with about an hour to
spare and stopped by the bridge and looked down at the moving water when a
voice said
“Nothing better
to do Sergeant?”
He vaguely
recognised the voice but wasn’t sure, so he slowly turned around.
“Jade” he said,
“I thought you were away weapons training”
“I was”
“When did you
get back?” he asked unsure whether he should kiss her cheek or not, so didn’t
“A couple of
days ago” she replied
“It’s great to
see you” Joe said
There was an
indeterminate period when they just stood looking at each other as they
remembered the last time they were together and he wanted to say how tortuous
the last few months had been, but he didn’t know if she’d even given him a
second thought in that time, so the words wouldn’t come.
There was a
quiet cough from behind her and when she turned around, she saw it was another
soldier.
“I have to go”
she said
“Oh ok, urm…”
He began
“I’m flag
bearer at the Parade” She said
“Will I see you
afterwards?” he asked
She just smiled
and nodded and then walked smartly away, and he tried to read something into
the smile, but he was still none the wiser, but then she reappeared.
“I’ll meet you
back hear after the service” she said and with a sideways glance left and right
she kissed him
“They’ll be
more of that later” Jade said and trotted away at the double and he finally had
his answer.
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