BLUE DRESS

“Aunty Jane is that you in that painting. Why are you in  that painting?” said little Suzy. “The reason I am in that painting because I was scattering the ashes of your uncle and my fiancé.” I said as I picked up little Suzy and headed in to the kitchen to make us some dinner. “ What happened to uncle James any who?” Suzy said as she grabbed the bread to make sandwiches. “My dear James was killed in action. He was a fighter pilot and was shot down over the sea but they found his body washed up on the shore of the next town over from haven main, john shore.” Can you tell me the story of it all please Aunty Jane?” Suzy said as she ran to get the milk. “Sure thing my little flower.”

“ Where to start? I know from the beginning.”

This is where me and James meet he was walking his dog and so was I, our dogs decide that it would be fun to play with each other, but they were still attached to the leash, so when Mary (my dog) and jack (James’s dog) ran they pulled us with them. I let go of the leash just before I smashed it to the young man but I was a little late, we both crashed into each other and the dogs ran off in the water to play. “Oh I am so sorry about that, I tried to let go but I was a little late, Mary never does this ever.” I said as I stood up and brushed myself down. “Oh that is ok. I was going to say the same thing about Jake.” He said as he stood and grabbed my hand to help me up. “ My name is Jane, what is yours?” ii said as I yelled for Mary. “ My name is James.” He said as he too yelled for his dog. “ What is your job James?” I said as we both walked with our dogs to one of the benches on the beach. “ I am a fighter pilot for the navy. And you my dear where do you work?” he said as we sat down looking out over the ocean. “I work at the primary school for sick children. And that is a dangers  job.” It was a long time before I saw him as someone I liked, but I will never forget the way he said he loved me. “ How did he ask you to marry him Aunty Jane?” Suzy said as she started to eat her toast with jam and glass of milk. “ He asked me on the beach while I was wearing that deep blue dress that he liked so much.” I said as I took a bite of my toast. “ How long till you found out that he was dead?” “It was a good year till that time, but it was a happy year till the war.”

I got a letter in the mail from James’s commander stating that James had been shot down from his plain while fighting for his home. A couple of weeks later I got another letter from James’s commander and a doctor stating James had been found but when they found him he was badly burned they could only tell him by his last name on his suit.They sent him to me a long time ago, I got him cremated 2 days later from when he got home.

That was 4 months ago, he has been sitting above my fire place, so I can feel his presence whenever I walk into the room. But  my best friend ( Katie) convinced me that is was not good for me to be holding on to James for so long.  

So I took him to his favourite place in all of haven main, the beach. I was there to spread his ashes as that was his last wish. That was over 4years ago

“ Oh Aunty Jane I am so sorry for making you tell me that story!” she said as she crawled up on my lap and cried into my arms, “ It is alright Suzy, that was not your fault, I wanted to tell you that story. How bout we change the subject, how is your 5 birthday going so far?” I said as I her picked up and carried her to the living room to sit on the floor in front of the fire place. “ It is going ok now.” She said as she jumped from my arms and grabbed the nuts to roast in front of the fire. “And why is that Suzy?” I said as I grabbed the metal container (that James had made her for her 31 birthday) and the tongs (James made too) “I made you feel sad Aunty, I love you Aunty Jane, were you wanting kids?” she said as she through one of the roast nuts in the air and caught it in her mouth. At the sight of that I laughed. “Nice shot Suzy let’s see if I can do that.” I threw up 2 in the air and caught both of them. At that moment there was a knock at the front door, Suzy got up and ran to the door yelling she could get there quicker than I could. I proved her wrong when I picked her up. There was another knock at the door.” Yes I am coming just wait a minute. I wonder who it is Suzy. Could it be your carer?” I said as I pulled the door open and put Suzy on the floor.

The person at the door was James, my fiancé he was alive, and he was standing in my front door with his pack. “James you are alive, where have you been all these years?” I said as I tackled him and kissed on the lips and the all over the face. “Ouch, that hurt. I have been a prisoner of war. And they just let me go as I was not needed any more.” He said as I pulled him up and in to my arms. “I have missed you so much. I waited every day, until I got a letter saying you were dead.” I said as I helped him in to the house, that was when I noticed that he had a large scar across his face. “Tell me how you’ve been?” I said as I helped him in t a chair in front of the fire. “I have been great, is this our daughter? And how have you been?” “No she is not our daughter she is my sister’s daughter, Mary lost her life in the fields when she was working, and I lost the baby a long time ago due to all the stress of having you missing. I have been great now that Suzy is allowed to come around once in a while and stay the night.” I said as I picked up Suzy and gave her a spin. “We thought you were dead Uncle James, Aunty Jane cremated you and scatted you at the spot you two meet.” Suzy said as she scrambled out of my hands to grab some roast nuts from the fire. “Is that true Jane?” he said as he got up and gave me a great big hug. “ yes it is true they said it was you, they said you so badly burned that they could not tell who it was, only by the last name.” I said as I fell to the ground rapped in James arms. At that time Suzy crawled over and huddle close to me I rapped my arms around her and kissed her head. “I have a question, who did you cremate Aunty Jane?” Suzy said as she started to fall asleep. “I don’t know Suzy but I think you need to go to bed. We will talk tomorrow morning.” I said as I picked her up and carried her to her room next to mine. “Same here, who did I cremate?” I thought as I headed back to the fire and James. “So who did I cremate?” I asked James as I sat beside him. “I have an idea, I think it was my friend jack crane, he was a distraction for all of the prisoners to get out but I guess he did not get away.”  James said with a sad face. “ So I cremated another person, a person with family, a loving mother/farther maybe a wife and kids. I’m a monster how could I do that to someone.” I yelled. I shut up as soon as I heard Suzy waking up. “ No you are not a monster. He had no family. His mother died during child birth and his father was never around, he never liked his farther as his farther would beat him when he came home from the pub drunk and he had no wife or girlfriend  as he was not a person that most woman liked he said but I told him that you would like him .”  He said with a small smile on his face. “ But I still cremated him, how did I know that he would not want to be buried somewhere else.” I said as I tear rolled down my cheek. James wiped my face and told me that jack would not have cared if he was cremated or buried but that he was up in heaven with his mother. So after nearly 4 hours of talking me and James went to bed.

The next morning there was a knocked at the door, Suzy and James was already up so they went and got the door.” Aunty Jane there is a man here to see you about some papers.” Suzy yelled as she leads the man to the lounge room and sat down. I came out of my room in my deep blue dress. “ Yes how can I help you Mr…” “ It is Mr Chanson, and you can help me by filling these forms out.” Mr Chanson said as he handed them to me. “What are the forms for Mr Chanson?” I said as I went through them. “It is so you can adopt Suzy and have her as your own child.” He said as he handed me an pencil. “ Are you kidding me, is this for real?” I said as I stared at Suzy who was gob smacked and then stared at James who was shocked. “No this is not a joke Miss, this is defiantly for real, and Miss, can you just sign the papers so I can be off.” He said as he grew impatient of sitting there. I sign the papers as fast as I could then shuffled him out the door. When he was gone I chased Suzy around the house when I had caught her, we fell on to the ground and started to laugh. “ So she is your daughter now?” James said in a happy voice.” No silly, she is our daughter.” I said as I got up off the ground and grab Suzy and the walked over to James and gave him a big kiss then and huge hug that squished Suzy between us. “Can we go to the beach please, mummy and daddy?” Suzy said with a big grin on her face. “Sure thing Suzy, but first we need to go and get your stuff from your old home and bring it to your new home.” I said as we all left the house. “Ok then mummy, come on daddy. You’ll be left behind if you don’t hurry up.”

The end

By Brooke Butchart