100 Prompt Challenge ch5

Aaron turned the page. Pictured here was a picture of a man in his finest military dress. The page was devoid of decoration. The man himself had sharp green eyes. His skin was slightly tanned. There were dimples on his cheeks, his red hair was trimmed neatly and he had freckles. He was also wearing glasses. His jacket was adorned with many medals.

"Who's that?" asked Aaron.

"You've seen pictures of him before. This is my dad," said Nicholas.

"What happened to him?"

Nicholas closed his eyes and paused. "It went something like this…"

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It was the night of October 15st, 1984, a cold London night. The fog was coming in; it was beginning to rain. Within minutes, it was a torrent. Anna Collins was sitting on the couch. The children, Nicholas, Renee and Sadie, ages ten, two and five respectably, had been put to bed. Anna had been watching the news fervently after the Brighton Hotel Bombing, trying to see if she could get any news about her husband, Sergeant Carter Collins, who had been in Brighton when the bomb had gone off. It was killing her, not knowing anything.

Anna got up with a sigh. She went into the kitchen to make her nightly cup of tea before she went to bed. She filled the kettle, and as she moved it to the stove, the doorbell rang. She set it down and pulled on her dressing gown. She opened the door. She just managed a smile. "What can I do for you, Captain Patel?"

Her smile wasn't returned. "I wish I could have brought better news to you, Mrs. Collins. May I come in?"

"Of course. Would you like a cup of tea?" asked Anna as Captain Patel sat on the chair next to the couch. "It's earl grey."

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Anna went in the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with the tea, lemon wedges and sugar on a tray, which she set down on the coffee table. They sat in silence for a few minutes while their tea seeped. Once that was done, each person added lemon juice and sugar to their cups.

"As you might have gathered, this is no idle visit."

Anna nodded.

"When we investigated the Brighton Hotel, we found very few casualties. Among those we found were your husband."

Anna turned away.

Captain Patel rested his hand on hers. "I'm very sorry for your loss. If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

Anna cried. She was completely unaware that Captain Patel left a few minutes later. She sat on the couch, her tea half drunk. Suddenly, she became aware of someone hugging her. She wiped her eyes, pulled away and was shocked to see Nicholas sitting there.

"Mum? What's wrong?"

Anna didn't respond. She simply leaned closer and held Nicholas tightly. Nicholas got the message. His mom would talk later. For now just hold her tightly and try to comfort her as best as he could.