FLESSELLES, FRANCE
1918
The news came early in the morning, that on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, the Great War would come to an end.
That was four hours away now.
Kapadia pulled another crate from the corner of the dusty storage room, and looked at the name and date scribbled on the front. ‘Swinbourne case. & Cieres. (1916)’
She thought for a moment, then took the box over to the desk Evans was sitting at.
“Look what I found,” Kapadia smiled, “their very first case.”
Evans took a break from all her paperwork to look up at what Kapadia had presented.
“Wow,” she said, “where did you find that?”
“By the corner.”
Evans would have liked to have looked inside, but it was dusty. Far too dusty.
They both looked at the crate for a moment. Surprisingly, Kapadia made no move to open it.
“Those two were really something.”
“They were.”
“… Do you think we’ll ever see her again?”
“I don’t know. Parker’s furlough will be over months before we can even think about leaving France.”
“She’s not going to come back,” Kapadia said. “No one in her situation would.”
Kapadia picked up the crate again, and placed it on one of the stacks by the door. “What are you going to do? You know, when this is all over?”
Evans leant back in her chair. “I haven’t really thought about it,” she said. “Even when the fighting stops, my work won’t. So long as there’s a military, there will be a military police.”
Kapadia retook her seat across from Evans.
“Though, I am looking forward to seeing my husband again.”
Evans looked up at Kapadia. “Do you have something in mind?”
Kapadia sighed, and risked a glance at her superior, her mentor, her friend.
“I think I’m going to resign.”
Evans blinked. “I see.”
“I’ve never disliked my job,” Kapadia said, “and the years I’ve spent with you have been amazing. Being with you, and Parker, and Hickit, it’s made hell bearable. But now that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, I see the way out. It’s a chance to live, to do things I’d never have even thought about doing before the war.”
Evans nodded. “I understand,” she said. “What are you planning on doing?”
“I’m going to go to India. I have family there I’ve never even met. Family who’s children are in this war. Family who’s died alongside my brother. I really want to meet them, and the ones I can’t, I want to hear about.”
Kapadia looked at Evans until she made eye contact. “I won’t be in India forever. I’ll come back to Australia eventually; we’ll meet again. Okay?”
Evans nodded, and gave a faint smile. “Okay.”
Kapadia sniffed. “I really want to hug you right now.”
Evans held her hand out to her.
Kapadia looked at it, then met Evans’ eyes. She saw sincerity.
Slowly, she reached out, and put her hand in hers.
Her hand was cold, but soft. Evans gave her hand a light squeeze, then, with a smile, she pulled away.
That was the first time she’d ever touched her. It brought Kapadia to tears.
“You know I love you, right?”
Evans smiled. “I know.”