Evelyn's Tale

-Nine-

15th February 1944

It was raining. Again. Evelyn looked out of the small window of the supply store and sighed. The weather was miserable. She was miserable. It had been almost seven weeks since she and Liebgott had fallen out, and they hadn't spoken one word to each other in that entire time.

"You keep sighing like that and you ain't gonna have any breath left inside you," Eugene commented.

Evelyn looked at him and threw down the bandage she was rolling in frustration.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I'm just not in a particularly great mood today."

"I've noticed," Eugene smirked. "You've not been in a particularly great mood for the last few weeks actually."

"Yeah well, I've had a lot on my mind," she answered, hoping he wouldn't push the issue further.

"It wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with Liebgott would it?"

Evelyn glared at Eugene, who just gave her a knowing look. She should have guessed he wouldn't have just accepted her lame excuse.

"No," she scowled, picking the bandage back up to continue rolling it so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze. "Why would it have anything to do with him?"

"No reason," Eugene shrugged. "It just seems strange to me that the pair of you haven't spoken in, what is it, six, seven weeks? And in that time, both of you have been walking around as miserable as sin. Do you see how I might have come to this conclusion?"

"Move over Sherlock Holmes, huh?" Evelyn snorted. Then sighed. Again. "Fine, you're right. It's Liebgott."

"Is that it? It's Liebgott. But you're not going to tell me what it is about Liebgott that has you so upset?" Eugene exclaimed exasperatedly. "It's like getting blood out of a stone. Usually I have a job getting you to shut up."

"I'll shut you up in a minute," she narrowed her eyes at him, but they both knew she was joking. "Remember that night I came to the pub after, uh, what happened?" Eugene nodded so she continued. "Well, Liebgott was sitting alone at the bar the whole time and nobody knew what was wrong with him. So, I went over to speak to him and he was pretty nasty. In fact, very nasty. He said I was a liability to the company because I couldn't look after myself, and that I'd all but invited that guy to attack me because I'd been dancing about with the guys from the other companies at the party."

"And you haven't spoken to him since?"

"Would you?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Probably not," Eugene admitted. "But did you ever stop to think that perhaps he didn't mean what he said?"

"Well if he didn't mean it, why hasn't he apologised?"

"Because he's about as stubborn as you are," Eugene answered. "Don't look at me like that, you know I'm right."

"Well, if you are right, and I'm not saying you are by the way," she pouted. "Then why did he say it in the first place?"

Eugene wasn't a betting man, but if he had to he would be willing to stake a hundred dollars on the fact that Liebgott had only said what he had due to his feelings for Evelyn. Heck, Eugene himself had been enraged when he had found out about the assault, and his feelings for her went no further than those of friendship. He could only imagine how incensed Liebgott must have felt.

"I have no idea," he lied. "But if you don't talk to him you won't ever find out, will you?"

Evelyn launched the bandage at Eugene's head, sending it unravelling. He caught it and shook his head, grinning.