Never Say Goodbye

Chapter 17

"Judy" She turned around and I saw a slight frown on her face. Oh man, was I in trouble for leaving without her. I didn't even think about waiting for her, which was the worst part. Everything went completely out of my mind when Nadi told me Charles came to see me.

"Well, well look who it is. It is my long lost friend who was supposed to wait for me so we could make our last trip to see Luca together. Don't look at me with that apologetic look, you traitor."

"I am so sorry, Judy. I did think of you though. I brought you your favorite. Please don't be mad at me! Please, I have a perfectly, not so good, reason for leaving you behind, but I have one."

"No need, I see it and Nadi told me." She said softer and winked at me. "Come on, we need to go we just got a whole new wave of men from an evac hospital. Tell lover boy your goodbyes. It was good seeing you Charles."

"Same to you Judy."

She made an uneasy look "Yeah, sure."

After I made my farewells to Charles I ran to Judy. "What was that about?" I asked.

"What?"

"You were rude to Charles. What was that about?"

"I didn't mean to be. It's just weird, and I am a little miffed you decided to ditch me and go with him alone."

"I'm sorry Judy, truly sorry."

"It's alright, it's just fun to ruffle your feathers sometimes. I didn't mean to be rude to Charles. To be honest I don't know how you do it. He is like a completely different person with the same face. He has no inclination to who you are. I could tell that right away. His face has a sort of blankness about it, doesn't it? It's as if he doesn't even know what he is doing. It would drive me absolutely mad if that happened to Joe. To be honest I don't know how I would cope. I would feel so weird, like I was with a complete stranger with a familiar face. I wouldn't even know what to say, or what not to say."

"It is different. And it has been making me feel nostalgic lately. Judy can I tell you something?" I caught her arm she stopped walking and turned to me.

"Of course."

"I'm scared. It's almost as if I have to start from scratch and it is weird. I mean I have all these memories and he doesn't. For all he knows he just met me. It is almost as if I have to make him fall in love all over again, or at least help him remember. What if he decides he doesn't want me anymore?"

"That'll never happen. As much as his memory is gone, he is still Charles deep down. And I know for sure that Charles loves you, a love that goes down deeper than you realize."

"I hope that is true Jude. I honestly do."

***********

It felt bittersweet as our last weeks were coming to and end. I was sad that I had to leave all the wonderful people that I had grown to love, all of us were from different places and yet there was a strong bond between us. Through all those long nights and traveling we made a lot of memories. I knew I would cherish them for the rest of my life. On a happier note Milena said that she was traveling with us back to London. Benedict proposed to her not long after the dance and since her contract was up she was headed home to organize the wedding. Nadi decided to volunteer for one more year of service and would be staying behind with the rest of the girls.

Judy found out that Joe wouldn't be back by the time we returned. It was still undetermined when he would be able to join us. Judy was holding out better than I thought. I guess it was due to the fact that Joe said most of the fighting was over and that after D-Day there wasn't much action. I was proud of her. She kept a stiff upper lip about it all, but I could see the loneliness in her eyes when she looked at Charles and I.