Do You believe in fate?

Home for christmas

At Christmas time I was called into the colonel's office. To my surprise, my father stood waiting for me. The Colonel looked up at me from a piece of paper he had in his hand. He set it aside and took a blank sheet of paper.

"Nate, you'll be given leave for eight days. Your father will take you home and come with you again." I nodded and received my order, made honors and got ready to go.

"Greet Bill when you see him!" I gave him an affirmative nod and waited. The Colonel looked upside down at me.

"Yes, I will not give orders to resign if that is what you are waiting for! You have received your papers, it is your order. But that greeting is private, so you are not in service anymore!" With those words he waved me off and I left the office with my father.

I hurried to my room and packed my clothes bag. When I came out to my father, I saw my comrades standing and looking at the cart. I went and threw my sack up on it, then I set course for them.

"I've been ordered to take leave until after Christmas!" I said with a shake of the head. The others looked around at each other. We never got more than two days' leave, so this was unusual.

"That recommendation must really come from someone important!" Said Liam, the big guy I was sitting next to at meals. It gave a scattered laughter among the others.

"Get of you! After all, nothing ever happens at Christmas time, all the important people are busy being at home with their families! You will not miss anything!" I nodded with a grateful smile. It was not often that the difference between us came up, but I had no doubt that it was there. Fortunately, the others never made it difficult for me to be part of their group.

So with a quick nod and a goodbye, I went back to my father and the carriages. When I sat down, my father surprised me by sitting down next to me. He used to sit with the driver.

"It's not the Earl's carriage!" I commented and he shook his head.

"It's a rented mail van, it drives straight home. It changes horses at the post offices and then there is the possibility of food for a while. But you have to sleep in the cart on the journey!" I nodded and leaned back, I might as well sleep while I had the chance.

"Next stop is in 3 hours!" Said my father before I closed my eyes completely.

My mother was standing on the stairs by the front door when we arrived at the estate. She received me with kisses and hugs. When I went to boarding school I had been home one weekend every month, but this time I had been away for half a year, I thought she had missed me. She dragged me down to the kitchen while my father carried my clothes bag up to my room for me.

After greeting the chef and her cooking girls, I sat down at the table and soon my mother came with both tea and a bun.

"You must be hungry son, the food at those post offices should be awful I have heard!" Said my mother, she sounded outraged at the thought that I had been forced to eat that kind of thing. I failed to tell her about the food we ate in the canteen.

I had to stay at the dining table and tell all about the academy and soon dinner was served. I had been so busy answering everyone's questions that I had not noticed what was being done in the kitchen.

After dinner I apologized and withdrew early, I was tired after the trip, it was not exactly comfortable to sleep in a mail van.

I also fell asleep, once I put my head on the pillow. The next few days went by going to the library, I helped the Earl as in the old days, talked to him about the academy and played several games of chess.

The day before I was to return to the barracks, the Earl asked me to stay after a game of chess in the afternoon. I was otherwise going to leave him so he could get ready for dinner. But stayed nicely seated.

"It has ben told to me that you are doing well!" The earl sounded well pleased, so I nodded to him with a small smile. The earl looked at me inquisitively.

"It was well said that you are too humble. They suspect you of being able to do much more than you show!" I shrugged.

"It's not the worst tactic. I see you know how to take advantage of your opportunities." I nodded once more, I saw no reason to tell him I was not doing it out of tactics, but out of consideration for my comrades, whom I would rather not separate more from than I already did.

The earl leaned back comfortably in his armchair.

"You will be glad to hear that I have already signed you up for next year and paid the usual!" I straightened up from the chair.

"One more year?" I inquired. He nodded,

"In order to become a captain, in order to use your tactics skills, you must at least be a captain." I nodded, I had not expected to have another year on the amadamiet.

"I am the lord very grateful, I will do my utmost not to disappoint them!" He looked at me for a moment in surprise, I thought I saw a glimpse of something hurt in his eyes before making them hard.

"I do it for the army, the country and the king! Not for you boy. Run out to your mother again, I know she has missed you!" I got up and nodded politely before leaving the library.

I told my mother about our conversation when I found her in the kitchen where she was having a cup of tea with the housekeeper.

My mother nodded,

"The lord had told us, I'm proud of you, and so is your father!" The latter she said quietly and with a mournful smile. I looked at her questioningly.

"Is he very disappointed that I chose the academy?" She looked at me in surprise.

"Why should he be, though?" I heard the housekeeper cough discreetly and send my mother a quick glance before leaving the table. My mother sighed and smiled lovingly at me.

"Every father wants to see his child follow in his footsteps, but even more he wants to see his child do well! You make us both proud son, never doubt it!" I nodded to her with a smile.

"I'm leaving early tomorrow, do you think the chef will mind me finding something easy to eat and going to bed early?" I interrogated my mother. Before she could answer, the chef came over to us.

"I heard that Billy! Yes, you can believe I have!" I, who was otherwise getting up, was surprised and sat down on the bench again.

"As if I want to let you eat something light and even let you make it yourself! Now you just sit and relax with your mother, and I'll make sure you have a proper meal!" Without waiting for my answer, she turned around and started making something to eat for me. However, I heard her mumble something about her being able to guess what kind of lousy food they forced me to eat in the army. I smiled to myself at how right she was.

The next morning there was a mail van by the front door. My mother gave me a hug to say goodbye, handed me a large packed lunch and smiled lovingly at me.

"Keep writing, I'm always looking forward to your letters!" I nodded to her with a smile before rushing into the carriage where my father was waiting for me.

"You did not have to travel with me, I can travel by myself!" I said to him but he shook his head.

"The earl and your mother would never let me be, and if anything happened to you, they would stand in line to tear my head off!" I shook my head laughing.

"Aren't you exaggerating now?" My father looked tired at me and shook his head severely. I did not know how to answer it and the journey went more or less in silence.