“Would either of you like another bun, and a little more tea?”
“I think we’d both enjoy that,” Mr. Moore said, lifting an eyebrow when Sassy’s stomach spoke up. “Maybe a little meat and cheese on Susan’s? She must be hungry after her day at work.”
“Ham, dear?”
Sassy nodded gratefully, and Mrs. Moore headed to the kitchen area. Every movement she made was fluid and easy, almost as if she wasn’t looking at what she was doing.
“May I help?” Sassy asked.
“No, no, dear,” Mrs. Moore said, reaching for the whistling kettle. “I have it all under control.”
She tucked an errant grey curl behind one ear and slid her gaze to her husband as if asking a question. Sassy saw him smile slightly and give a gentle nod.It’s all right,she read in his eyes.
“You were asking about Italy,” Mr. Moore said.
Now that he’d brought it up, Sassy was dying to know. There must be a reason it hadn’t been spoken about before. She bit her lip, unsure. “Is it all right to ask?”
Mrs. Moore cast a glance over her shoulder, reading her husband. “Maybe Jim doesn’t want her to know.”
“Maybe not,” he replied, “but I was there, too. He can’t keep my story to himself.”
Mrs. Moore brought over their tea and sandwiches, and Sassy did her best to eat slowly. Mr. Moore left his food on his plate and waited for his tea to cool a little, his gaze wandering slightly past her.
“It was after the Battle of Sicily. Do you know your history?”
His wife settled in the third armchair in the room, keeping to herself but always there if he needed her. From the little table beside her, she pulled out a crochet needle and a skein of thin white yarn.
“I wasn’t a great history student,” Sassy admitted, “but I know about some of the major battles. I know about that one. You were there?”
“We all were. Me, Jim, and Marcus. That’s the third guy in the photo.”
It was interesting, being able to put her father in an actual physical location in the war. The concept of his fighting had always felt so unclear.
“Our platoon was in the initial landing, then we were sent to liberate some of the small villages beyond. The Germans and other fascists fled the scene. Most of them, anyway.” She watched his face soften, going back in time. It was as if his eyes got younger, but the rest of him aged. “That’s where all this happened,” he said, gesturing to his partial leg. “It happened so fast. Jim and I were clearing out an alley. It all looked good, so we, well, we forgot to be cautious, I guess. I recall very little except it was a hot, gorgeous day,and your dad and I were laughing about something. It was a good time in our lives. We were young and free, and we were living, at least for the moment, in Italy. The war was almost over. We had the enemy on the run at last.”
From the corner of her eye, Sassy saw Mrs. Moore’s needle slow. She knew what was coming, it seemed.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “Did you want to tell her about Mr. and Mrs. Romano?”
Mr. Moore glanced up, and they held each other’s gazes, then he nodded.
“You go ahead,” he said.
“Our neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Romano, you know them?” she asked Sassy.
“Of course! They’re wonderful. What about them?”
“Your father and Mr. Moore helped liberate their village. They never forgot that. When they came to Canada, your father helped them find this apartment. He—” She glanced at her husband again, but he did not stop her. “He helped us as well. Really, your father has taken care of all of us.”
Me too, Sassy thought, smiling as she thought of the Romanos like that. She’d had no clue they were somehow connected. Wait until she told Marion. What an amazing thing, to know her father had taken care of all of them.
“I had no idea. That’s such a beautiful story.”
“Your father is a hero in many ways,” Mrs. Moore said.
Sassy nodded, a little overwhelmed. “He’s a great dad.”
“I’m sure he is, but there’s a lot more that you don’t know,” Mr. Moore said calmly, resuming the conversation. “On that beautiful, sunny day, as he and I were walking down the street, completely oblivious, there was an explosion. That moment ruined my life, but your father saved it.”
