War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 288

Chapter 7: Tom

T

om was starting to lose hope. He’d been flying the combined supply and rescue missions for weeks now, but he still hadn’t set a foot into Berlin.

Stalin turned out to be the arsehole everyone had known him to be. He broke his part of the bargain and didn’t allow the Western Allies access to Berlin as stipulated in the Yalta Conference.

Tom wanted to pull out his hair in desperation. Without a British stronghold in Berlin, there was no chance he could ever get there and find out whether Ursula had survived the war. In his heart, he felt she was still out there, waiting for him to return. Like he’d promised. Like she’d promised.

But right now he couldn’t even make inquiries about her whereabouts. How would he even explain his interest in a German woman to the Soviet authorities?

Thankfully, neither Churchill nor Truman seemed willing to sit back and watch Stalin get away with his attempt to keep the coveted capital for himself. It would only be a matter of time until their armies forced their way into Berlin, whether Stalin liked it or not.

He decided to talk to Willie, who was not only his superior, but also his best friend. The two of them went way back to the public school they’d both attended. Later they had absorbed the pilot training together and even managed to fly in the same unit for most of the war.

Willie was the only person he’d ever told the truth about Ursula and how much he loved her. Everyone else knew she and her resistance organization had smuggled him out of Germany. Full stop.

“Hey, Willie. Can I talk to you for a minute?” he said.

Willie gave him a scrutinizing stare. “What’s up?”

“Not here.”

Willie rolled his eyes. “Alright, let’s go to check on our kites. There shouldn’t be anyone around right now.”

As soon as they reached the airfield with the parked planes, Tom broached the delicate subject. “You remember Ursula?”

“You still pining for her?”

“It’s more than that. I love her. And now that the war is over, I want to find and marry her.”

Willie’s mouth hung agape. “You can’t be serious old chap!”

“I am.” Tom ran his hand through his cropped dark hair.

“Even if the bloody Soviets finally let us take possession of our sector in Berlin, you can’t just go looking for her, much less marry her.”

“I know.” Tom grew ever more despondent.

“You’re in deep shit. The bosses are not joking about the anti-fraternizing rules. Haven’t you listened to the Air Commodore’s speech last week?”

Tom had, and he recited the rules that applied in interactions with all Germans. “In streets, houses, cafes, cinemas etcetera, you must keep clear of Germans, man, woman, and child, unless you meet them in the course of your duty. You must not walk out with them, or shake hands, or visit their homes, or make them gifts, or take gifts from them. You must not play games with them or share any social event with them. In short, you must not fraternize with Germans at all.”

“If you’re caught, that could mean the end of your military career and possibly even prison time.”

“But men break the rules all the time and the commanding officers turn a blind eye.”

“Yeah… right… the bosses know our men have needs. But a secret hanky-panky with a German Fräulein is entirely different to a bloke crazy enough to plan on marrying a German. They would not be amused.”

“First, I have to find her, but how?”

“Have you tried the Red Cross?” Willie suggested.

“I thought about it, but wouldn’t it look suspicious and get me into hot water with the Old Man?”

“Probably.” Willie slapped him on the shoulder. “The way I see it, you’re driving yourself crazy thinking about her non-stop. Go and find yourself a nice girl from London.”

“You don’t understand. I don’t want just any girl. I want her. Only her.”

“Then you must wait until you can ask to be transferred to Berlin. I’ll sign your request, if that helps.”

“Thanks, old chap. I appreciate it.” A sliver of hope remained in Tom’s heart. As soon as the British arrived in Berlin he’d hand in his transfer request and with Willie’s signature, how could the Air Commodore not approve?

Then he’d go after the woman who owned his heart. There was nothing or nobody who could stop him. He owed it to her to never stop trying to find her.