War Torn

It was raining when their plane touched down in the UK. As the men disembarked they felt its soft patter on their faces and the coolness of the breeze in their hair. The weather here was kind and forgiving. It didn’t want to pin you to the ground or whip you into exhaustion or scrape at the inside of your throat or fry you all day and then freeze you all night. The damp air of Brize Norton was the climate of home and it welcomed them.It took a long time for their baggage to come through. Dave watched his men’s faces as they waited and waited by the circling carousels. They hardly moved. They were expressionless. He’d personally switched himself off, like a TV, to make the journey bearable. He wanted to be at the FOB. And then he wanted to be home. He didn’t want the bits in between. He hadn’t even wanted a few days in Cyprus.The carousels sprang into life and so did the men. There were a few goodbyes. CSM Kila was saying a fond farewell to the monkey woman. And the boss was all over the other one, the Intelligence Corps girl.Kila caught up with Dave when they were loading the last bags onto the bus and a few lads were having a quick cigarette before boarding.‘Think you’ll see her again?’ asked Dave.‘She’s gone up to Edinburgh. And guess what, I’ve got family in Glasgow. So we’ll be meeting next weekend!’Kila raised his eyebrows suggestively. Dave laughed at him.‘Good luck, mate.’They boarded. Everyone was given a can of beer. They drank it in silence. The bus started to go and Dave sensed how restless and worried the men were. People had been phoning and writing to their loved ones for six months, yearning for their families and the luxuries of home and now, thought Dave, after all that longing, it was about to happen. And it was terrifying.‘I told Shaz not to meet me at the camp,’ said Dean Somers, the sergeant of 2 Platoon, who was sitting next to him. ‘I’ll get a lift and hook up with her and the kids at home.’Dave turned to him.‘Can’t handle it, eh?’Somers reddened. He dropped his voice: ‘I’m not fucking crying in front of my men, mate.’‘They’ll be too busy trying not to cry to notice you.’‘All right, I’ll put it another way. I’m not fucking crying in front of the missus.’Dave said: ‘I’m allowed to cry. I’ve got a baby I haven’t even met yet.’‘Who you going to kiss first, then?’ asked Somers. ‘That’s the other fucking problem, innit? They’re all standing there, you can’t hug them all at once.’‘Jenny,’ said Dave decisively. ‘Jenny is definitely first. And she’ll probably be holding the baby so that’s two birds with one stone. Then I reckon I’d better make a big fuss of Vicky before I take the baby . . .’‘You’ve got it all worked out, then?’ said Somers. ‘See what I mean? It’s better to go home and ring the doorbell and walk into your own hall and do the shit there.’‘I haven’t got it worked out really. Because my mum and stepdad might be there too. And maybe my mother-in-law.’‘Well, the mother-in-law goes right to the end of the line!’ said Somers. ‘Mine would.’‘Yeah. But we’ve leaned on her a lot lately, and she’s been there for us.’‘If she’s anything like mine, she’ll make sure you know it. Is it true you’re leaving?’‘No,’ said Dave. ‘I just have to pretend I’m thinking about it.’As the bus neared the camp the atmosphere was as tense as before any fire fight. Everyone stopped talking. There was complete silence. They turned into camp and then it seemed like a long time before they finally arrived in the square. It was crowded with people in bright colours, holding banners and placards, smiling and waving. Everyone strained to pick out their own family group. On the bus, men’s faces broke into smiles. Dave felt a thousand tiny strings from all over his body pulling at some knot behind his eyes. Oh, shit. Get a grip on yourself.