The Letter (24 page)

Your
sweetheart,

Tommy

Didn’t Tommy realise she loved him for the man he was? Rank had nothing to do with it, but she wondered why he’d had to drop rank for such a dangerous mission. The protocol used by the army to determine these things was beyond her.

*  *  *  *  *

Moving easily across cultures Margaret built a reputation
as a translator. A new post was created combining nursing
with assisting Indian staff taking over British roles. Margaret enjoyed the work immensely, visiting outlying districts where she made contact with civil administrators. She was getting a feel for the politics of Independence. The best openings were going to be in Delhi or Calcutta. She intended to secure a posting, or civilian job, in one city or the other. She surmised Tommy was involved in what the papers described as ‘Mopping up Operations,’ in Europe.

She continued to write loving letters to the children without expecting a reply. Suleka wrote, although the intervals between letters were getting longer.

My
Dear
Charuni

Pavia
and
Saurabh
are
with
their
father
at
Dehra
Dun
for
a
holiday.
Ben
is
in
charge
of
the
health
of
many
Japanese
prisoners
of
war
who
are
interred
there.
However
I
am
expecting
them
back
at
Aakesh
any
day.
The
children
have
been
very
mischievous.
They
climbed
to
the
top
of
a
hill
and
could
see
the
Japanese
in
the
camp
far
below.
Then
they
crept
nearer
and
the
prisoners
saw
them.
Immediately
the
men
started
to
encourage
them
to
come
nearer.
Pavia
and
Saurabh
were
fascinated
and
amused
themselves
by
hiding
behind
trees
and
rocks,
then
bobbing
out
and
waving.
In
this
way
they
were
almost
at
the
perimeter
fence
when
an
Indian
soldier
spotted
them
and
quickly
marched
them
away.

Of
course
they
were
unaware
of
the
great
danger
they
had
placed
themselves
in.
Ben
was
very
angry
and
is
organizing
sepoys
to
bring
them
here.
He
will
miss
them.
Rajeev
continues
to
remain
at
home.
Saurabh
will
be
sent
away
to
school
and
Pavia
will
return
to
Sandyia
for
her
studies.

Your
affectionate
sister,

Suleka

It was distressing to know that Pavia was with Sandyia almost permanently but this would change when Tommy returned and Margaret gained custody of the children. Fortunately the new job was so hectic it occupied her full attention. A spell on night duty would be a break from translating. A letter came with an English stamp but, not recognising the handwriting, she stuffed it in her pocket to read in a quiet moment.

The patients settled down to sleep without incident. Every bed was full and most of the men were on the road to recovery. Devoid of their daytime personality, the slumbering men became uncanny shapes under military blankets like exhibits in a museum. She spread out the letter under the dim desk lamp.

Denaby

Dear
Margaret,

My
son
Thomas
Waters
has
asked
me
to
write
to
you
on
his
behalf.
He
has
been
very
badly
injured
during
a
training
exercise.
An
Officer
pulled
the
pin
of
a
live
hand
grenade.
As
it
landed
Tommy
threw
a
waste
paper
basket
over
it
and
was
caught
in
the
blast.

Tommy
told
me
you
planned
to
marry
and
his
army
duties
prevented
it
from
going
ahead.
You
promised
to
wait
for
him
and
he
believes
you
will
have
kept
your
word.
He
wants
me
to
tell
you
he
releases
you
from
your
promise.
You
see
he
will
not
be
much
good
now.

He
thanks
you
for
waiting
this
long
and
hopes
life
will
work
out
better
for
you
in
the
future.

Yours
sincerely,

Albert
Thomas
Waters

The careful handwriting ran with her tears. It was
some
moments before she realised the doctor was there.
He coughed self-consciously. She blew her nose and showed him the letter. “Poor chap, what rotten luck.” The stock response but then added genuinely, “Is there anything I can do?”

“It hasn’t really sunk in. I need time to think … get it in perspective or what ever one does when faced with this.”

“Be sure to let me know if I can help.” he said, conti-
nuing on his round unaccompanied. The night dragged on. Margaret’s patients became Tommy, so far away, being cared for by anonymous nurses.

At the end of the shift she escaped to her quarters. Fixed a stiff whiskey, downed it in one, and then topped up the glass. She couldn’t remember the exact moment she fell in love with Tommy. It evolved alongside their friendship and he had so many friends. Burmese, Indian and Ghurkha soldiers would do anything for him. He valued them as much as their British counterparts.

Faces of men tragically burnt and disfigured flashed before her; countless hands held through nightmarish pain. Tommy with his zest for life… the injustice replayed… perhaps she was a jinx? She flung the half empty glass across the room smashing it against the wall. Splinters flew everywhere. A wet stain baptised the white distemper.

The letter gave no details of Tommy’s injuries or the hospital name but if he told his father what to put in the letter, there was hope. She wrote,

Kohat

My
Dearest
Tommy,

I
seem
to
be
shuttling
backwards
and
forwards
always
searching
for
you.
When
I
started
to
read
the
letter
from
your
father
I
was
afraid
you
were
dead.
We
have
both
been
through
too
much
to
let
an
accident
get
in
the
way.

My
love,
fight.
Use
your
great
courage.
We
can’t
be
robbed
of
our
chance
of
happiness.
I
love
you
and
will
wait
forever.
No
one
can
take
your
place.
We
are
meant
to
be
together
and
until
that
day
comes
you
are
seldom
out
of
my
thoughts
and
prayers.

Your
own,

Margaret

She addressed the letter to Tommy’s father entrusting him to deliver it.

Chapter 30
 

Snow returned to the nearby mountains. Sepoys cleared paths around the hospital. Margaret followed their trail. At Nainital Pavia and Saurabh had competed to be the first to stamp their footprints on virgin snow. There’d be no snow at Aakesh to remind them. She was glad, for it hurt to remember. She walked on, running recent events through her mind. Going slowly with the divorce to win Ben over had been a mistake, confirmed by Suleka’s telephone call a week ago. She said that the family knew Margaret was having an affair with a Britisher. She made it sound shocking. Margaret put the phone down.

An unsigned note had arrived yesterday. It wasn’t dated and was post marked Lucknow.

Charuni,

I
tried
to
persuade
you
to
drop
the
divorce
and
now
it
is
too
late.
The
children
are
dead
to
you.
Be
on
your
guard.
There
are
those
who
would
end
your
life
for
what
you
have
done.
My
brother
has
filed
for
a
divorce
citing
your
adultery.