Little English Boy
(The author does not wish to receive feedback)
Copyright 2021 by Little English Boy, all rights reserved
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* * * *
This
story is intended for adults only. It contains depictions of forced
nudity,
spanking, and sexual activity of preteen and young teen children for
the
purpose of punishment. None of the behaviors in this story should be
attempted
in real life, as that would be harmful and/or illegal. If you are not
of legal age in your community to read or
view
such material, please leave now.
Mum had me and Liz take all the tea things out. Ed
offered to help, which was baffling to me as guys don’t do women’s
work. Mum looked equally puzzled and just told him washing up was for
women. He said he had some homework to do, but I was surprised when mum
said he could leave it until tomorrow as he would have to stand up and
it wasn’t due in till Wednesday. She never let me off doing homework
straight away. After we got all the dishes in the sink, mum told Liz to
do her homework as I had volunteered to wash the dishes. That was news
to me!
“OK Gloria. You wash, I’ll dry.”
She then smiled at me.
“You seem to have taken quite a shine to young Edward.”
Where was this heading?
“Err… Well, he is staying with us, and we always have to give our guests a proper Cornish welcome, don’t we mum?”
“Indeed we do Gloria. He is very cute, don’t you find?”
I’d better be a bit cagey.
“Err… I suppose he is, but I can’t say I’d really noticed mum.”
She gave me a funny look, then she smiled.
“He certainly likes you. We could all see that after you dealt with his
sore bottom… and elsewhere… or was that just more of your proper
Cornish welcome? When you tucked everything into his underwear this
morning, was that your Cornish welcome? And what about when you washed
his boy parts after getting back from the stream Sunday morning?”
I went scarlet, but she looked right into my eyes and grinned.
“I was the same age as you when I met your late father. He was Edward’s
age then. He made me tingle all over when I looked into his eyes. Hazel
they were. We often used to go swimming together up at Fisher’s Cove.
There is a secret way down via an old mine adit and the entrance is
obscured by bushes. Very few even know about the adit. It was so
private, and we could swim there just like Mr Richardson does now.”
I was stunned.
“You and dad? O natural?”
She gave me a sweet smile and nodded.
“When I saw Edward on the beach with Mr Richardson, he reminded me so
much of your father at Fisher’s Cove with those same eyes and that cute
willy flopping about. The head told me that Edward just missed the last
strike of the school clock and was late. He said Edward was
deliberately tripped up by that worthless Rupert Mitchell. He was
impressed Edward took full responsibility and said nothing about being
tripped. That was unlike Mitchell, who, despite being given ample
opportunity to admit his role in Edward being late, was happy to let
him get punished for something that was not entirely his fault. I was
relieved when Mr Richardson told me that Edward wasn’t going to be
caned, but said he needed something to make sure he got to school
earlier. I agreed, so Mr Richardson said he would get one of his
‘little reminders’. He said he was going to test Edward’s character
further before deciding the full extent of his slippering. Did Edward
acknowledge there was no reason why he should not get 12 strokes of the
cane for being late?”
“He did mum. Was that why he only got six slippers? I wondered why Mr Richardson wasn’t going full on with them.”
“Edward could take 12 slippers, but he is a good lad Gloria, and I knew he was certain to pass the head’s test.”
Mum gave me a big grin.
“Besides, I was sure there was a young lady who would be happy to help
soothe his sore bottom. The previous head was worse than Mr Richardson,
and if your father got punished at school, your gran would invite me
round for tea, just so I could rub his bottom. She always laughed as
everything stood up while he ate his tea. Your father went just as red
as Edward did when me and his sisters grinned as we watched it
twitching.”
She smiled at me.
“I
know you and Edward will be together a lot now, and you are both at
that stage when you find the opposite sex more interesting than you did
when you were younger. You will no doubt want to have fun together,
just as me and your father did when we were your age. You are getting
your periods now, and when I made the beds this afternoon, I noticed
there was a small stain on Edward’s sheets. We saw he was leaking as he
stood for his tea, so his puberty is advancing. I have already
explained to you and Elizabeth about boys and sex, so there are limits
to the fun you can have if you do not want to become pregnant. There
are other fun things you can do together but keep it private. Do you
understand?”
I nodded. She then began to tell me some
of the things she and dad got up to before they were married. It was
probably too much information, but I held on to her every word. She
ended with a smile.
“I’m glad we had this talk Gloria. Edward is a fine boy and will understand the limits.”
When we went into the living room, Ed was on the couch and Liz was
doing her homework. I really didn’t want to do mine, so suggested to Ed
we join Robert and Pauline for a swim. Mum could always see right
through me.
“Have you got any homework Gloria?”
“Err… Mr Richardson gave us some algebra homework.”
I tried to get out of it so I could have fun with Ed.
“Can I do it tomorrow? You said Ed could.”
That didn’t work.
“Ed has got a sore bottom and can’t do homework standing up. Do you have a sore bottom?”
Mum gave me a stern look.
“I can give you one now if you like.”
Was she threatening me with a spanking? In front of Ed! Why did I get a tingle in my pussy? Ed rescued me.
“I can help Gloria with her homework Mrs Dalby. Maths is my favourite subject.”
Wow, that would be great, but mum was not happy.
“Hmmm. Gloria does her homework at the desk in her room. I’m not sure about having a boy in a girl’s bedroom.”
I had a good idea.
“Perhaps mum I could do my homework in the boys’ bedroom. Ed could lay down on his bed while he helps me.”
It didn’t look like she was ruling it out, so I gave mum my special smile.
“Pretty please mum.”
I thought I detected the most fleeting smile, then she gave a loud tut and agreed. Whoopee!
“Oh, I suppose so. Don’t forget it is school tomorrow Gloria, so you need to be ready for bed by 9. You too Edward.”
She then laughed at Ed as he didn’t have a stitch on and was ready for
bed now. She told him she wanted him washed and dressed for breakfast
by 7 and off to school by 7.45. He grinned at mum as he gave his sore
bum a rub and agreed. I didn’t want my Ed getting caned and would make
sure he did. I grabbed his hand and we shot off upstairs.
“You go on up Ed, while I get my school satchel and join you.”
I got my satchel, then thought of what mum had said in the kitchen and
popped something inside for later. Ed was a marvel at algebra,
explaining what I needed to do. I was hoping he would do my homework
for me, but I guess he was right that Mr Richardson would soon rumble
us, and we would both get punished. It was five to nine, and, with Ed’s
guidance, I had finished. I could never have done it without him, and
got him off his bed for a big, long, kiss, which felt wonderful. As I
released his lips, I looked deep into those dreamy hazel eyes.
“Mum told me I had to be ready for bed by 9.”
I gave him a big grin as I delved into the satchel to pull out my nightie.
“Do you mind if I get ready here?”
Silly question now I think about it. He grinned as I unbuttoned my
blouse and slipped it off. I then turned round and reached behind me to
unclip my bra and drop it on the bed. As I turned back to him, his eyes
went wide, and his willy started to rise. I was a bit worried as my
boobs were still quite small. My fears were groundless as his eyes were
filled with wonder. My nipples were so hard as I unzipped my dress and
let it drop to the floor. His willy was rigid and leaking as I put my
fingers in the elastic of my knickers and slid them down, then gave Ed
a twirl. I was as naked as Ed but not a jot of embarrassment did I
feel. Putting my arms around him, it was everything mum said it would
be as we cuddled and kissed. I was tingling from head to foot feeling
his bare skin against mine. My hands were gently rubbing his sore bum
as I rhythmically pressed his rigid willy against my tummy. I got that
fabulous feeling and pushed hard against him. Ed grunted and my boobs
suddenly felt warm and wet.
“I’m so sorry Gloria, I made a mess on your… err… breasts.”
Mum said dad did that the first time they had a naked cuddle. I put my
fingers on my wet nipple and put two drops in my mouth, then picked up
another drop and held it out for him. He smiled and accepted my fingers
in his mouth.
“Err… It tasted sweet. Err… I wasn’t expecting that Gloria.”
“Would you like to clean me up Ed?”
“Err… I haven’t got a cloth.”
I grinned at him then locked my mouth on his and flicked his tongue with mine. That felt great.
“Who needs a cloth? Use your tongue Ed.”
My nipples were tingling so much as his tongue went all over my boobs,
and soon had them clean all over. He didn’t stop, and I groaned as he
began kissing my nipples. It was now well after nine, and I heard
someone on the stairs. Quickly stuffing all my clothes in the satchel,
I slipped my nightie over my head and gave Ed a quick kiss.
“I’d better go. Goodnight Ed.”
Stepping onto the ladder, I saw it was Robert.
“Err… Ed was helping me with my algebra homework.”
He looked up. His eyes went wide, and that huge willy rose. Oh my God,
I’d forgotten I had no knickers on! I could feel my face going scarlet
and quickly slid down the ladder. He gave me a big grin as he put his
foot on the bottom rung.
“Goodnight Gloria.”
**********
Helping Gloria with her algebra homework was a joy for me. Not just
because I liked maths, but simply being with her made me feel so happy.
I think she wanted me to do her homework for her, but I told her the
head wasn’t stupid and reminded her he had already rumbled what she had
been doing with her dress this afternoon. She went red, then giggled.
“It was so funny seeing your willy rise and knowing it was me that was causing it. The look on your face was priceless.”
“Well, on the one hand I was enjoying it, but on the other I was certain the head was going to punish me.”
“I did that to Rich once to cheer him up after he got caned, but Mr
Richardson is well aware that getting stiff is quite natural for a boy
and just told him to turn round, so I knew you were safe. You’re right
of course Ed, he’d soon work out that a dunce like me couldn’t suddenly
turn in perfect algebra homework. OK professor, teach away!”
Gloria looked over at me laying on my stomach, then she grinned and gave me another giggle.
“I’ve never had a naked teacher before.”
To avoid distractions, I flipped the blanket over my bare butt as she
got out the head’s questions. I didn’t want Gloria to tackle them yet
and went through them with her first in order to see what she already
knew, which was not much. I then explained the concepts to her and I
began to see she was starting to pick things up. We’d been going for
almost an hour when she smiled and said she wanted to try them on her
own. I studied the intense concentration on her beautiful face as she
quietly worked away, only asking for the occasional bit of help. How
lucky I was to land in Polkerry with this fine family. It was almost
nine when she finished and put away her books.
“Thanks Ed. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
She rose off Bob’s bed and reached out her hand and got me up. As we finally unlocked lips, Gloria gazed into my eyes.
“Mum told me I had to be ready for bed by 9.”
Her face then broke into a grin as she reached into the satchel to pull out her nightie.
“Do you mind if I get ready here?”
Oh my God, she wasn’t, was she? My willy had been fast asleep while I
was teaching her, but now it jolted wide awake. She undid her blouse
and I could see her bra. She turned away from me, then reached behind
to unclip that intimate garment and slid it down her arms to drop it on
Bob’s bed. Her bare back looked so white, then it got even better as
she turned round. Gloria was showing me her breasts! They were the most
perfect things I had ever seen. After slipping off her skirt and those
navy blue knickers, she gave me a naked twirl. I had gone so stiff, but
then she pulled our bodies together. The feeling of her warmth with
those hard nipples pressing into me was wonderful. She began to fondle
my sore bum, as well as rubbing against my stiff willy and that
incredible feeling began to surface. She moaned and pushed hard against
my willy. I grunted as I could not stop it pulsing. I felt the wetness
as she looked down. I had squirted half a dozen clear drops over that
perfection. What would she think of me doing that a second time?
“I’m so sorry Gloria, I made a mess on your… err… breasts.”
She looked down and picked some of my stuff off her right nipple and
popped it in her mouth with an appreciative ‘Mmmm’, then she grinned at
me as she took some off her left nipple and held it out for me. I
opened my mouth and sucked her fingers clean, surprised how sweet it
tasted. She asked me to clean it off, but I didn’t have a cloth. She
said nothing, but gave me a big kiss, thrusting her tongue inside to
fence with mine. I took the hint as she pulled away.
“Who needs a cloth? Use your tongue Ed.”
I was actually licking those so smooth breasts. She gave out a low moan
as I sucked her hard nipples. This was fantastic. I had cleaned every
square inch of her front and was reaching up for another kiss when we
heard someone on the stairs. She quickly slipped her clothes in the
satchel and dropped her nightie over her naked frame, then gave me a
quick goodnight kiss and slipped out the door and down the ladder.
I heard Bob’s voice say goodnight to Gloria and a few seconds later his grinning face appeared at the top of the ladder.
“Hey Ed. As Gloria came down, I looked up and she had no knickers on. I saw her bum. What was she doing in here?”
I didn’t want Bob to know everything so told him the truth, but definitely not the whole truth.
“Her mum agreed I could help Gloria with her algebra homework.”
“Didn’t you notice she had nothing on under her nightie?”
Technically, AFTER she had put it on, I hadn’t seen what she had under her nightie. I crossed my fingers as I replied.
“Err… No Bob… err… but a gentleman wouldn’t look there anyway. I’m sure
it was an accident that you saw her, so please don’t mention anything
in the morning that would make her embarrassed.”
He grinned and nodded.
“You certainly missed out there Ed, but I guess you’re right. Tomorrow I’ll act as if nothing happened.”
In the morning, despite Gloria’s smile, I declined her offer to help me
get washed and dressed and went straight to the outside tap. Bob came
down a bit later and politely greeted Gloria as usual. I saw her blush
but he was true to his word and just went out to get himself washed. My
bum was still throbbing so I stood for breakfast. Gloria sneaked a
fabulous kiss when she found me all alone as I was putting my coat on.
At 7.40 on the dot, and now with a spring in my step, I was out the
door. The school clock said 7.50 as I went through the gate to get a
nod from the head.
“Keep that up Anderson.”
“I will sir.”
I was surprised when he gave me a slight grin.
“There is a cushion on my chair. Our old benches are a bit hard, and you may find it helps your concentration today.”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
Perhaps he’s not such a bad old stick after all. The morning’s lessons
passed uneventfully, and after lunch I did my homework. I was able to
help Gloria with hers that night, but Bob was around so we had to make
do with a goodnight peck on the cheek. Wednesday morning I was in
school by 7.50 again. The head looked serious as he called me over.
“Anderson, I marked Miss Dalby’s algebra homework last night. Did you help her?”
Oh no, he must have thought I did her homework for her. The truth was the only option.
“I went through the concepts she needed sir, but she then insisted on doing the homework by herself sir.”
“I flicked through her answers yesterday afternoon and discussed them
with her before she left. It was clear she had a grasp of the
principles, which I could never seem to get in the young lady’s head.
You taught her very well Anderson. She only made one silly slip, so I
will be giving her a B+.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, then he smiled.
“Have you ever thought of becoming a teacher? You are clearly good at
it if you can teach algebra to Miss Dalby. Look, I have some pupils who
need extra tuition in maths. Would you like to help them out?”
“I would be happy to sir… err… if you think I’m up to it sir.”
“I’m sure you are Anderson. If you pop back here after the girls’
classes this afternoon, I can give you more information on what I need
you to cover. It won’t take long. Is that OK?”
He gave me a grin and another chuckle.
“I’m sure Miss Dalby will be happy to wait for you to escort her home. She seems to have taken quite a shine to you.”
I felt myself going red.
“Err… Yes sir.”
**********
Ed helped me with my homework every night, but Robert always seemed to
be around. He was going for a swim with Pauline on Saturday, so I
suggested to Ed we could go for a walk along the cliffs. Jennifer
overheard and asked if she and Rich could come with us as her sister
Dawn was going into town on the bus with Rebecca and Samantha. I would
have preferred to have been alone with Ed but could hardly refuse. We
went along the cliff path to end up at Fisher’s Cove. I was hoping to
lose Jennifer and Rich on the way, but they were still here. I was
surprised when Rich spoke.
“There’s an old mine adit somewhere around here that can get us down on to the beach.”
Mum’s secret place was obviously not so secret. I saw him wink at Jennifer.
“It’s ever so private Jen.”
She gave a laugh.
“Well you’d better hurry up and find the old adit then Casanova.”
He went off the path and it was quite a while before he returned.
“I found it. Follow me.”
The descent was a bit of a tight squeeze and very dark with just a
pinpoint of light at the far end. Ed held my hand all the way down,
which gave me such a tingle. Finally we got into the light to step onto
a pristine beach. We wandered along the beach and came to a cave.
“Hey Ed, I fancy a swim. It’ll be great for me to swim in the buff.”
Ed began to strip off when Jennifer gave out a giggle.
“Oh dear Rich, I forgot to bring my costume.”
Rich had been hurrying and was now naked. He looked at Jennifer with a big grin all over his face.
“Well, if you want to swim too, I guess you’ll just have to skinny dip.”
Jennifer grinned and began to get undressed. Ed had just dropped his
underwear and looked shocked. I hadn’t brought my costume as I was
hoping for a private skinny dip with Ed. I saw both boys begin to rise
as Jennifer looked at me.
“How about it Gloria? It’ll be fun.”
Oh well, in for a penny in for a pound I suppose and undid my blouse.
Jennifer was naked before I was. Ed seemed embarrassed and had turned
round so he wouldn’t see her changing. She grinned at Rich with that
very thick willy as stiff as a rod bobbing up and down, then she called
over to Ed.
“I said on the train that I’d let you know when I want you looking at what I’ve got. Well now’s your time Eddie boy.”
Ed was blushing as he turned round. His stiff willy told me he was
liking what he saw, but I was OK with that. I smiled at Rich as I
dropped my knickers, and he gave me a wink. I went over to hold Ed’s
hand as I whispered in his ear.
“It’s OK Ed. I don’t mind if you look at Jennifer. She has such a gorgeous body.”
He still kept his eyes lowered and seemed embarrassed to look at her. She came alongside me and giggled.
“OK guys. Which of us has the best tits?”
Rich laughed.
“We’re not stupid Jen. No guy would ever answer a loaded question like that. Isn’t that right Ed.”
Ed lifted his eyes and studied Jennifer’s boobs. He then looked at mine. I got his beautiful smile.
“Sorry Rich. It will always be Gloria to me.”
Jennifer came over to Ed and put her arms round his neck.
“You always speak the truth Ed, even when it would be easier to fib. Gloria’s a lucky girl.”
He went scarlet as she pulled him in for a big kiss. I think I saw her
tongue, but I’m not sure if Ed let her in, not that I would have
minded. She finally let go to look deep into his eyes for a few
seconds, before making her quiet response.
“A very lucky girl.”
She smiled at me and gave a nod that said Ed was all mine, then she laughed at Rich.
“Come on lover boy. You can go in first so your built in sensor can let us know how cold the water is.”
He laughed back.
“Your nips make good thermometers too. They stuck out like coat hooks that first time we swam.”
“OK Rich, we’ll leave these two lovebirds here while we check out the water first.”
They both gave out a shriek as they dived in the cold Atlantic Ocean. I gave Ed a sweet peck on his cheek.
“Thanks Ed.”
He looked puzzled.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“Just for being perfect Ed. Now come here so I can give you a proper kiss.”
He never needed to be asked twice. Eventually we separated and Ed
suggested we join the others. God that water was cold. When we got out,
the freezing water had had the expected effect on us all. I was
surprised that it was Ed who drew attention to this difference between
boys and girls.
“It’s odd that the cold water makes our guy bits shrink in, while your girl bits pop out.”
Jennifer looked at Rich as he lay alongside her.
“I know how to warm you up.”
She just bent down between his legs and sucked his willy right into her
mouth. Mum had said she and dad did that, but it had sounded gross to
me. Those two seemed to enjoy it, so I smiled at Ed and slipped between
his legs. He was soon warmed up and it was incredible to feel it grow
in my mouth. Ed grunted and I swallowed as his drops shot out. Moving
up, I clamped my mouth on Ed’s lips as I heard Rich grunt and Jennifer
cough, but was too busy to care. When we stopped for breath, we were
surprised to see Rich with his mouth sucking on Jennifer’s pussy. Ed
smiled and asked, ‘May I’. Mum had said that was great, so I opened my
legs and nodded. Wow… mum was not wrong. I felt nothing like it before.
Ed came back up and gave me a big kiss, so I tasted my own stuff.
Eventually the four of us were just laying back to catch the autumn
sunshine. We must have nodded off when I was awoken by a voice.
“Good afternoon Miss Dalby, and good afternoon to you too Miss Garland.”
Oh my God, it was Mr Richardson! Jennifer woke and realised it was the
head. All our clothes were by the cave, so we had nothing to cover up
with and just froze. Then Ed and Rich stirred. They immediately saw who
it was and jumped up to stand rigidly at attention as we all awaited
our imminent terrible fate. I saw Mr Richardson’s eyes give me and
Jennifer a quick appraisal but was surprised when he then smiled.
“It’s such a lovely day, and it’s so nice to see you young people
enjoying the autumn sun. When I taught in France, boys and girls going
‘au naturel’ on the beach was the norm and I’m glad to see the practice
can be found here in Cornwall. Have you all been swimming Miss Dalby?”
As he was talking, I saw his willy growing. Ed and Rich glanced down and then their willys joined in. I had to reply.
“Err… Yes sir.”
“How’s your swimming Blake? Still reckon you’re the fastest in Polkerry. How about a race to Black Rock and back?”
I was shocked as Rich gave the head a cheeky grin.
“My swimming’s fine sir, and I’m pretty sure I’m fast sir. A race with you would be fun sir.”
Mr Richardson then looked at Ed.
“You seem to be getting on well with your swimming. Why not join us Anderson? You could use the practice.”
Ed could only nod. Mr Richardson was now fully erect, some 8 inches
long. He looked at Rich’s boner, and I saw Ed go red as he looked over
at his, then the head glanced down.
“Well boys, it
seems we could all do with getting in the cold water. Will you excuse
us Miss Garland and Miss Dalby? Ready boys? Perhaps you would be so
kind as to count down the start of the race Miss Garland.”
“Err… Yes sir. Err… Three… err… two… err… one… err… Go!”
It was so surreal that our naked headmaster and us four naked pupils
were chatting as if this were all perfectly normal. We both stood up to
watch the race. The head and Rich were neck and neck as they rounded
Black Rock, with Ed a good way behind. As they got closer, I thought it
might be prudent if Rich let the head win, but he put on a spurt and
got to the beach a full five seconds before Mr Richardson. As they both
got out I saw they now had very shrunken willys.
“Well done Blake. You ran me a good race and the best man won.”
“Thank you sir.”
Ed came in about two minutes later, completely out of breath and wheezing. Mr Richardson looked over at him.
“You’ve only been swimming a week Anderson, but you’re improving all
the time. Well done for staying the distance. When you’ve been swimming
in Polkerry for as long as Blake, I’m sure you’ll give me a good run
for my money.”
Poor Ed could barely speak and just nodded. Mr Richardson looked me and Jennifer in the eyes and smiled.
“Well, it’s been my pleasure to meet you girls here at Fisher’s Cove.”
He turned and gave the boys a nod.
“I’ll see you all on Monday.”
We were so relieved and gave him a chorus of ‘Yes sir’ as he walked away with his dangling willy back to normal.
We could not believe our luck at suffering no consequences and decided to call it a day and return to Polkerry for tea.
Winter was soon upon us, so we never went back to swim in Fisher’s cove
until the spring. Me and Ed were inseparable but, with the cold wet
weather, going out by ourselves for any length of time was a rare
thing. Mum did try to help by taking the girls for a walk when Robert
was out with Pauline. She always raised her voice as she entered our
alley to give us some advance warning of her return. We managed with
those few bits of alone time and the occasional quick kiss when no one
was around. Through spring and summer, we regularly went back to
Fisher’s Cove with Jen and Rich. Occasionally we met the head, who
always politely ignored our lack of attire as we all chatted away with
him.
Evacuee’s parents were given a rail ticket to
see their kids every six months, so I was able to meet Ed’s mum. He had
obviously mentioned me in his letters home, as she was always so nice
to me. Some evacuees returned, to be replaced by new ones coming down
to Polkerry. Robert had to go back in spring 1942 as his dad was
seriously ill. Our changing community were continuing to get along, and
then it happened. In March 1943, the post boy arrived with a dreaded
telegram. They never brought good news, but we had no one close in the
fighting so weren’t sure what it was about. It was addressed to mum, so
she opened it. Her face fell and she called Ed into the kitchen.
“Edward, I have some terrible news. I’m afraid that your mother has been killed.”
Me and my sisters were shocked. Ed’s face went ashen.
“How did it happen? Was she killed by a German bomb?”
“No Edward. It seems there was a terrible accident in the air raid
shelter at Bethnal Green Station. There was a raid approaching and as
everyone rushed in, someone at the bottom of the stairs tripped and
those coming down fell in on top. There were so many people killed the
government has clamped down on releasing any details. I’m so sorry
Edward.”
Ed was silent then walked out. Mum sent me after him, and I found him on his bed sobbing.
“I’m all alone Gloria, mum was my only relative alive.”
“What about cousin Robert, and Jennifer and Dawn are still here.”
“They’re not my real cousins. We made up that story so us evacuees wouldn’t be separated from our friends.”
“You’re not alone Ed. You’ll always have me… and mum and my sisters.”
It was the ultimate irony that a bomb shelter built to protect lives
ended up killing so many. I wondered if his mum had a premonition on
what was coming, as she said to me on her last visit to look after
Edward if anything happened to her. That was a promise I would never
break.
I just hugged him until he was all cried out.
When he was presentable, we went back down. The house seemed so quiet.
After just pecking at his tea, Ed said he was going up to his room. Mum
called me into the kitchen.
“I don’t think Edward
should be left alone tonight. You have my blessing to spend the night
with him but try and remember the limits. You’re 16 now, and he’s 17,
so I’ll understand if you don’t. God, this bloody war is a bugger!”
I had never heard mum swear, but if this wasn’t a time for swearing I didn’t know when would be.
“Thank you mum.”
I went upstairs and Ed was in bed. I slipped off all my clothes and
crawled in beside him. I could feel him sobbing and just held him,
letting my body give him all the warmth he needed right now. When we
woke up it was light. I was glad nothing had happened as it wouldn’t
have felt right when he was so vulnerable, but the night we are married
will have no limits. Mum came in with a pot of tea. She must have seen
all my clothes were on Robert’s old bed, including my knickers on top,
but pretended not to notice we were both in bed naked.
“I thought you might like some tea, Britain’s universal panacea for all ills.”
She gave Ed a stoic smile.
“You may have lost your mother Edward, but you will always have me as
your second mum. When your mother was last here, she asked me to look
after you if anything happened to her. I hoped it would never be
necessary, but my promise to your mum is sacred and will never be
broken. You will always have a home with us in Polkerry.”
“Thank you Mrs Dalby. You have been much more than a second mum to me
for the last 4½ years and you and the girls have shown me every
kindness. I hope I can repay you all someday.”
“Just
be the same fine boy you have always been Edward. That will be all the
payment we need. I’m sure Mr Richardson will understand if you need
some time to get over losing your mum. I’ll have a word with him.”
“Thank you Mrs Dalby, but when we lost dad to TB two years before war
started, mum sat me down and told me that however hard the setbacks
seem, life must always go on. I think she would expect me to adopt the
same philosophy. I’ll be getting up and off to school after this cup of
tea Mrs Dalby.”
I saw mum surreptitiously wipe away a tear, then she nodded.
“Breakfast will be in fifteen minutes.”
1943 moved into 1944 and Jennifer and Dawn returned to London in
February. Ed was hoping to get into college to become a teacher. His 18th
birthday was this summer and he had been talking with us about
deferring his college as he felt it was his duty to fight for our
country. Then in June came the news that D-day had arrived and we were
attacking the Germans on the soil of mainland Europe. We all knew the
two people from Polkerry who were killed in the early days of the
offensive, which crystallized his mind. Ed had decided to join the
Coldstream Guards and would be leaving on his birthday in July. It all
came in a rush as so many wartime weddings did. I married the love of
my life in Polkerry church with Uncle Frank giving me away. Our
honeymoon was three nights in a hotel in Plymouth. At last we were
without limits. It was so wonderful to feel Ed inside me, and in those
all too few nights we made love many times. As I saw him off at the
station in his smart new uniform, I just knew we’d made a son.
**********
“It’s a sad day Mr Anderson. She was a fine woman, and we are all gratified at what she did for our village.”
“Indeed it is Reverend. Your words gave her a fine send off. Please
excuse me, but I have to get off to the new school. It is our grand
opening on Monday and there is still much to do before we have the
children in.”
He smiled and nodded at me, as I walked towards the door where several people were congregating.
“Are you OK dad? Who was that lady I saw you talking to?”
“She is just visiting the UK from New Zealand with her son. She and her
husband moved there from London in 1949. Sadly, he was killed in the
Korean War in 1951 and she raised her son alone. He retired a few years
ago and is now able to bring his mother back here on what she reckons
will probably be her last trip to see her English roots. She knew my
father, and I’ve invited her to tea to tell me all about him. Will you
be there with Mary and the boys?”
“I’ve got several
things to do at the new school but should be finished by four. The boys
always love to come to tea as you both spoil them something rotten.”
Dad gave that so familiar chuckle.
“What are grandparents for son if not to indulge their grandkids?”
“Did you catch the lady’s name?”
“Err… I forgot her surname, but I think she said she was Jennifer. I’m
sure her son was called Richard. You’ll find out when we meet them
later. Your grandmother told me it was the proudest day of her life
when she heard last month you had been made head of our brand new
school. She knew she would not live to see you actually teaching our
children, but her philosophy was always that life must go on. See you
all at the house Ed.”
Nodding to several other
mourners, I left the church and hurried to check everything was coming
together for Monday’s opening. The old school with its playground
overlooking the harbour is being demolished to make way for a hotel.
Dad went there, as did I, little imagining I would one day be
headmaster here, and now on a much larger site at the edge of the
village. Stepping through the entrance doors, there right in front of
me was what would soon be the only remnant of the old Polkerry school.
I proudly read the plaque, as I had on every day I entered the old
school hall.
Over 75 years have now passed, but grandmother and grandfather are finally together again.