A Wartime Christmas (43 page)

‘Oh, Alan,’ Kay cried, ‘having Sean back again is something I never thought would come true.’

His dark eyes twinkled. ‘You’ve not asked me about the third bedroom yet.’

‘I can’t take no more surprises!’

He grinned. ‘It’d be going spare for the occasional visitor, right? And I’ve been told there’s a certain someone needing a holiday, lives over Woking way.’

Kay’s eyes widened. ‘You know about Vi too?’ She laughed and before Alan could speak, she added, ‘But of course, your CO knows everything!’

‘One thing I’ll say for my former profession, they were thorough.’

‘Alan, I’ve missed Vi so much.’

‘So what do you say?’

‘What do you think?’ She flung her arms around him. ‘Alan, I’m frightened this will all go away. That somehow the war won’t let go of us.’

He held her tight. ‘Don’t be afraid. It’s our time now, sweetheart. Every second we’ve got is precious. It’s time to make the world a better place for our
children.’

Kay felt happiness and hope bubbling inside her. Alan was right. The war
was
over, it had finally happened. Their new lives were about to start, but with each other, appreciating each
moment as it came.

She couldn’t wait to write to Babs and Vi and to Len and Doris and most of all, she couldn’t wait to see the island again. It wouldn’t be Slater Street, she accepted that. But
one day very soon, she and Alan and Alfie and Sean were going to wake up to the familiar smell of the docks, the sight of fires belching out smoke from the hundreds of bomb-damaged chimneys and the
calls of white-winged gulls mewing and sweeping low over the curves of the river.

THE END