A Mother Forever by Elaine Everest (free children's online books txt) 📕

Wilf looked puzzled. ‘Green, you say? Are you married to one of my nephews?’

Susannah went over to Wilf and took his hand. ‘My husband is Derek Green. I am your daughter-in-law.’

Wilf looked at her for a moment, absorbing the news. ‘If only Stella could have been here to meet you,’ he said. ‘I wish now that I’d told her to forget the daft ideas in her head. Whatever injuries Derek had, he was still ours. I fear the loss of Donald changed her in so many ways.’

It was all Ruby could do not to burst out crying at Wilf’s words. ‘She wasn’t herself at that time, we’ve got to remember that. For me, Stella will always be the person who saved my life and kept me sane after I lost my baby. I’ll tell you all about it some time,’ she said, in response to Susannah’s puzzled glance. ‘For now, I reckon Wilf should see his son, don’t you?’

‘I do. Why don’t you come over to Ruby’s house? She has laid on a lovely afternoon tea as a kind of wake. I’ve just met Irene and baby Sarah, as well as Stephen, who I believe is looking after your Frank’s bookshop? We do have another surprise; but I want to be with Derek when we give you the news. Please do say you’ll come?’

Wilf nodded in agreement and reached for his tie. ‘Let me just make myself presentable,’ he said.

‘There is no need for that. We’re not standing on ceremony in my house,’ Ruby said. ‘I like my guests to be comfortable.’

‘You’re a good woman, Ruby Caselton. I’ve got a lot to thank you for. I’ve been a foolish old man keeping away from everybody since I lost my darling wife. Why, my brothers even laid on tea for the mourners, but I couldn’t face it. I came straight home. They may be family, but they’re not my close family. I just wanted to be home here with my memories . . . but I’ll gladly come over to your house, Ruby, because you are more family to me than some who share the same surname. Besides, I’ve got to make up for lost time. I have bridges to build with Derek.’

When Wilf walked into Ruby’s house and saw his son, he did not flinch. Instead he grabbed the lad in a bear hug, which Derek reciprocated. Stephen gave up his chair so that the father could sit next to his son.

‘How have you been, son?’ Wilf asked as he looked at Derek’s scarred face.

‘I’ve been better, Dad, but then I’ve been worse as well. My eyesight is not so good any more, but I’m here and I’m alive. I heard about our Donald. I just pray that Frank gets through this war and comes home safe and sound.’

The look between the younger adults present showed that all of them understood the relationship shared by Frank and Stephen.

Wilf reached out and took Stephen’s hand. ‘As a friend of our Frank’s, you are part of our family,’ he said, ‘and we owe it to Stella to stick together.’

Ruby put her arm around the shoulders of Pat and Irene. It was a touching moment to see the Green family reunited.

Susannah cleared her throat. ‘We have some more news, Wilf. Perhaps you’d like to tell him, Derek?’

‘Dad, you’re going to have your first grandchild arrive in the spring.’

‘Let’s hope the baby arrives into a world free of war,’ Wilf said. ‘That would truly be something to celebrate. However, I’ll say now: never will a child be more loved than one that’s welcomed into this family. We owe it to your mother.’

The afternoon was spent catching up on news of what had happened while the family members had been apart. Eventually Irene made her goodbyes to take her daughter home to be fed, while Ruby went to the kitchen to do the washing-up, refusing offers of help from her guests. She’d almost finished when she heard a chair scrape on the floor. Turning, she saw Derek making his way towards her and marvelled at how well he managed now his sight was limited. ‘Do you need a hand, Derek?’

‘No, I’m fine, thanks. I wanted to have a word with you, alone.’

‘Then sit yourself down and I’ll join you,’ she said, folding the tea towel and leaving it on the wooden draining board before moving into the living room to join him. She’d never been so grateful as she was then to have a separate front room and living room, because at times there was a need for privacy. ‘What was it you wanted to tell me?’

‘It’s about Eddie. I know it’s been some time since I was injured, and I wondered if you’d heard anything about him?’

Ruby felt her heart flutter as she placed her hand to her breast. ‘Not a word. I try not to think of him these days. From what I’ve read, there are many men who perished whose remains were never found. It must have been terrible over there, Derek; I can’t begin to understand what you’ve been through.’

Derek nodded thoughtfully. ‘Don’t think for one moment that we were all in the trenches fighting all the time. There was other work to be done, and we were also able to come away from the front on leave occasionally. Most of that time I spent with your Eddie, as well as Ernie Minchin. How life has changed . . .’ Derek stopped speaking to think. ‘My last memory is of when I was injured by a bombshell. If Eddie was injured, I don’t recall, as I was near to death. But during my pain and all the activity around me, I felt he was there, as someone was talking to me and trying to keep me conscious. I swear, when I look back, I feel it was Eddie – so he couldn’t have been killed, could he?’

‘But then where is he now?’ Ruby asked. ‘I would have thought that by now, if he had been killed –