**A Kind Heart**
When his first leave came, Nicholas set off for the village to visit his father, who had raised him until he was nine. Then his mother had passed. Even now, he remembered that day—her pale, gaunt figure lying on the bed, the illness having spared her nothing. He remembered weeping, how much he had missed her.
Gregory—his father—had been shattered by grief. They had been happy with his wife. Left alone with his son, he had feared: *”Can I raise him properly? A boy needs his mother.”* He had no choice but to ask his own mother, Margaret, to look after the boy while he worked. At least she lived nearby.
**A New Wife**
Life moved on. A year passed, then another. A friend introduced Gregory to Vera, a distant relative. They courted, and soon Vera moved in. She had no children of her own, though she was past thirty, and had never married—she had had suitors, even lived with one briefly, but it hadn’t worked out.
From the start, Nicholas and Vera disliked each other. At first, neither showed it.
*”What do I need this boy for?”* she thought. *”He should live with his grandmother—she’s been looking after him anyway.”*
*”Why did Father bring this woman home?”* Nicholas wondered. *”She’s nothing like Mum—her cooking’s awful, and the way she looks at me is sharp and cold.”* He was nearly eleven.
Gregory noticed none of it. He was content—both he and his son were fed, the house was clean, the laundry done. What more did he need? Vera was cunning—in front of Gregory, she spoke kindly to Nicholas, but alone, she snapped and hissed. Once, she had even said plainly:
*”Oi, you little scamp, you’d be better off with your gran.”* The boy had started to understand.
*”Gran, can I come live with you? I don’t want to stay there with that Vera. I don’t like her, and she doesn’t like me. When Father’s not around, she scolds me and calls me a scamp.”*
*”Of course, lad, of course. I meant to ask you myself,”* Margaret had replied. She saw how Vera loathed the boy.
At first, Gregory was surprised his son had left, but Nicholas never complained about his new wife. They weren’t married—Gregory hadn’t proposed, thinking it wasn’t the right time.
Nicholas stopped visiting his father, though Gregory came by often with money from his wages, knowing his mother’s pension wasn’t enough to support the boy. He denied his son nothing. Whatever Nicholas asked for, he bought. But Vera nagged him at home:
*”Why give half your wages to your mother? They’ll manage.”*
*”Don’t we have enough? You work too—we’ve no children.”* She would fall silent.
**Dreams and Choices**
Nicholas grew into a quiet, thoughtful lad. He dreamed of joining the military, captivated by the crisp uniforms and the disciplined men he saw on the telly.
*”Gran, after school, I’ll join the military academy,”* he announced one day before graduation. *”There’s one in the county—my marks are good, just three B’s on my certificate. I’ll do my best. And I’m already fit.”*
*”I’m so proud of you, lad. You’ve made the right choice. I’ll pray for you, ask the Lord to guide you,”* Margaret said, relieved he was on the right path.
**A Fine Young Man**
Nicholas was accepted into the academy. On leave, he visited his gran—never his father’s house, though Gregory often came by. Then, the day came—graduation, the rank of lieutenant, and a return to the village in his splendid uniform, tall and broad-shouldered.
*”Good heavens, lad,”* Margaret gasped when she saw him in the yard. *”You’re the image of your grandfather—just as strapping.”*
After a short leave, he left for his posting. He had no sweetheart—just fleeting flings during training, nothing serious. Back home, he’d fancied Lucy, his old classmate and neighbour two doors down, but she’d gone off to university, and they hadn’t met since.
Now, visiting Margaret again, he saw how she’d aged—frailer, though she put on a brave face despite her aches. She never complained, knowing time spared no one.
*”Gran, why hasn’t Father come?”* he asked after two days. *”He knows I’m here.”*
*”He’s poorly, love. Came by the other day, clutching his stomach.”*
*”He ought to see a doctor.”*
*”I told him, but Vera won’t hear of it. Hates doctors, says they’ll kill him. Brews him herbs instead, while he wastes away. Says he can’t eat.”*
*”Right. I’ll go to him,”* Nicholas said.
**A Reunion**
Stepping out, he nearly collided with Lucy. She was lovelier than ever—smiling, eyes bright, dimpled cheeks, slender.
*”Lucy—is that you?”* He caught her in his arms, and she laughed, wriggling free.
*”Nicholas!”* She beamed. *”Look at you!”*
They talked for ages, his heart leaping—old school feelings resurfacing. Then she dropped the news:
*”I’m getting married—this Friday, to George from the next street over. You remember him? Same year, different class. Sarah’s my bridesmaid—the one you sat next to in school.”*
*”Ah,”* he said, disappointed, but promised to come.
Entering his father’s yard, he found Gregory on the bench, gaunt and weary.
*”Hello, Dad. You don’t look well.”*
*”Hello, son. Been waiting for you—too weak to walk.”*
Vera emerged, barely glancing at Nicholas.
*”Hullo. Off to the shops—no bread,”* she muttered, then left as if he were just passing through.
**A Fishing Trip**
Just then, Thomas, Nicholas’s old friend, bounded in. They’d played basketball, skated, skied together.
*”Blimey, Nick—look at you! Army’s done you good!”*
They clapped each other on the back, laughing. Later, after Thomas left, Nicholas stood.
*”Right, Dad, I’m off—Gran’s place suits me better.”*
*”I understand, son,”* Gregory said sadly.
**Truth and Change**
The next day, Nicholas went to Thomas’s to prepare for their night fishing.
*”Nick, you know Lucy’s marrying George? Bloke’s useless—drinks, parties. Why’d she pick him?”*
*”Suppose it’s love,”* Nicholas said glumly, unable to shake her from his thoughts.
Later, lost in thought, he nearly walked past Lucy—crying on the street.
*”Lucy? What’s wrong?”* He steadied her.
Between sobs, she explained: George had claimed he was fishing with mates—but she’d found him in bed with Sarah, her bridesmaid.
*”They lied to me! Wedding’s off—I’m leaving this village!”*
Nicholas pitied her—yet his heart leapt. Thomas had been right about George.
*”Lucy—come with me?”* The words tumbled out.
*”What? Where?”*
*”My leave’s ending. Come with me—I’ve a two-bed flat.”*
*”You won’t pester me?”*
*”I will—terribly.”*
Margaret watched them, smiling. *”They’ll figure it out—meant for each other.”*
**A New Chapter**
Nicholas spent his remaining leave with Lucy. George tried to apologise, baffled by the cancelled wedding—until she snapped:
*”You left Sarah’s door unlocked. I saw you.”*
He slunk away.
When Nicholas left, he took his father too, insisting he see a doctor—the mother of a fellow officer, Dr. Eleanor Hart, a widow, ran the hospital.
Gregory recovered under her care—and something more bloomed. Nicholas saw it—the tender looks, the way she watched his father.
At discharge, Gregory looked years younger.
*”Dad, you’re glowing,”* Nicholas said.
Tears welled in Gregory’s eyes.
*”Son—you called me ‘Dad.’ Not ‘Father’—‘Dad.’”*
Soon, two weddings followed—Nicholas to Lucy, Gregory to Eleanor.
Life went on.
