June 9th 1945, WW2
"Mama, it's okay. Papa will return" my eldest child and son Ryan tells me as he puts his hand on my shoulder, we got the news that my husband and my children's father as been taken prisoner by the Germans.... he's been fighting this hell of a war since us Americans chose to get involved and of course growing up looking up to his father who heroically passed fighting for our country in the first world war so long ago decided to join in this war in honour of his own father. Peeta's mother was pregnant with Peeta when his father went off to war, only three months later he was born into a world of hate and chaos and for most of the war he grew up not knowing who his father really was, only that he was a brave and kind man fighting for his country but mostly his family which is what my husband as been doing for the pass four years... leaving me at home to look after our twelve year old son and our four year old little girl.
I sit in my garden with my son as we watch my daughter play around chasing every butterfly she finds, her blonde hair laying past her shoulders as her grey eyes light up with happiness, my son on the other hand sits next to me his long dark curls sitting on his head but unlike my daughter he has the bluest eyes anyone could ever imagine and just by looking at him you can tell that he's my husbands son
"I'm scared for him.... the Germans, they could be doing anything to him and I can't do anything about it other than sitting around and waiting" I sigh looking at my strong boy
"You have to be ready, Mama. You must prepare for the worst, I've accepted that he might not come home and you should as well, I know our papa, he'll always be with us even if it's not all him" my loving son tells me
"I know.... it'll just be hard, for Willow. I don't want her growing up without a father like I did.... it's not a good feeling Rye" I admit wiping an unwanted tear away
"You can't make it easy, Mama. She'll find out sooner or later" he replies, I look at my soon and into his broken eyes, I know he doesn't like talking like that but he's the only one who has the amount of willpower to stay strong but it's hard for me.... Peeta saved me when I was starving on the streets alone, my dad had passed away with an illness when I was just my daughter's age and then to make things worse my little sister died when she was only twelve by men who had taken advantage of her and murdered her afterwards, she was coming home from her first day out running errands by herself which left my mother and I alone but of course for my mother... it was too much, losing her husband then her daughter, she shot herself when I was out side gardening, seeing as I was eighteen I wasn't put in a home, only thrown out in the streets.
It wasn't till I was on the verge of death when Peeta found me, he's mother was wealthy with their bakery but not like most wealthy people she was kind and put a roof over my head for the time being. I stayed with them for quite sometime but they started to grow on me and it wasn't till the night I lost myself to my Peeta that I knew that he was my home and it wasn't till the day I found out I was carrying his child was when we decided to do the right but best decision... we got married and I never felt happiness like it although every happy ending has a twist to it and once we heard on the radio at home, spending family time together and teaching our six year old son to read and write was when we heard about the war that had started but for a moment it felt like we didn't have to get involved but we did just when our little girl was born.... nothing was the same when he left but in a way nothing changed.
+
+
+
August 31st 1945, WW2
"Did you hear on the radio today?" My best friend Madge asks as I rock little Willow who sleeps on my lap
"You know I don't have that on. Willow and Ryan already have too much at stake, I don't want all that junk going into their innocent heads" I reply brushing Willows blonde hair from her sleeping face
