she really would be alone, and Julia didn’t know whether she could stand that.
6
All the way home, Julia contemplated the position they had offered her, knowing everything that had been said to her was the truth. Her children weren’t safe here in London. But would she be capable of putting them on a train as well? She stepped down off her bus and took her time making her way home. There was no rush because each day, Agnes, who lived next door, picked the children up from school while Julia was working and would watch them at home until she got back.
Julia meandered through streets that were experiencing a light drizzle, which was refreshing and seemed to clear away the dust of what had been an unusually warm day for the time of year. All at once she had an idea of who to ask for advice. She couldn’t think why she hadn’t thought of it before. But she wouldn’t make any rash decisions until she had spoken to her favourite aunt on the telephone.
As they didn’t have their own telephone at home, she picked up her pace and made her way to the corner of her street and pulled open the red metal door of the telephone box. Dialling the number, she deposited the right change and heard the strong, self-confident voice of her auntie on the other end. When she told her the dilemma, Aunt Rosalyn was just the comforting voice she needed.
‘Darling, you must put them on the train. It’s the most sensible thing to do. And who knows? Maybe this rotten war won’t last forever, and it would be like a summer holiday for them down here in the Cotswolds. I have this big empty house with just me knocking around in it on my own, and we have the dearest country village school with lots of children Maggie and Tom’s age. And you can come down and see them any time you want. The earlier they come down, the sooner they can settle and be ready to start the school year right here. Things are only going to get harder for you there in London, even if you don’t take this job. And besides, it sounds like a wonderful opportunity, Julia darling. Let me know what you decide, but I will look forward to seeing them towards the end of the week. On Sunday we have the village fete. If the children make it before, then I can take them there. There’ll be pony rides and fun and games. They’ll have a wonderful time.’
Julia smiled at the picture and the charming world that her aunt was a part of and even though it was so different from her own she wouldn’t change a thing, she loved the buzz of London. But maybe right now for the children it was the best place.
Julia hung up the phone and wondered why she’d been so worried about it all. Her mother’s sister made it all sound so sensible and obvious and by the time she pushed open the telephone box door, it had stopped raining and a sweetness greeted her. The smell of spring flowers in full bloom drenched by the rain, scenting the air.
Striding down the street, she opened up her front gate and made her way down the path. As she put her keys in the door, she could hear the children in the front room already arguing about something. In a way, it made her happy. They’d been so forlorn just that morning, that to hear them in their usual evening discourse reminded her how resilient children were and how they knew how to live in the moment.
Agnes was putting the kettle on, sour-faced in the kitchen. ‘I can’t believe he’s gone,’ she said as she shook her head vigorously. She hadn’t moved on from John’s departure. ‘This wretched war is taking all the best people and I can’t help but be angry about it all.’
Julia stifled a deep sigh. She was glad she hadn’t asked Agnes to help her make the decision. She knew she was John’s mother, but she was always very negative and quite a difficult person to be around.
After they’d had a cup of tea, and Agnes had left, she decided to broach the subject with the children over supper. ‘My aunt Rosalyn has invited you down into the Cotswolds for a bit of a holiday.’
They both continued eating, obviously not realizing the significance of this.