Coffee Shop Soundtrack

“Good morning Maryland, it is the eighteenth of October 1954 and it is a fine fall day, any news is good news and progress has stalled on the front in Libya with rebel forces causing soldiers to retreat. An attack in the south has killed fourteen soldiers from the Nevada and Arizona areas, names are not yet known.”

Blair sighed unsure of what to think, no news was good news right? They didn’t mention any Maryland soldiers, but what if they were mistaken? The USA wasn’t even meant to be in this war, this war over nothing. Armies were at an all time low and now, because the government had continue to stick their noses in other countries business the USA had another war on their hands. Of course, who’s going to enlist into a war with no cause: no one so conscription was enforced.

Luck and fate, life or death, that’s what it came down to now. Every day in the year for every man over the age of seventeen’s date of birth was placed in a barrel and just like lotto; numbers, dates were pulled from the barrel. Death lotto as Blair liked to call it. The men who had their numbers chosen were all sent to the Nevada desert where they trained for three months until they were deployed into duty. Nick’s number had come up just over a year ago; in fact, it was going to be thirteen months to the day next Tuesday. Nick was born on the 13th of January 1926, Blair will never forget the fear that overtook her body when the day was read over the radio.

But everyone loved soldiers, even if they were fighting a war with no cause. Everyone was so proud of him, so honoured to have known him, everyone except Blair. She hated him but of course, she never said that. She hated him for leaving her when they had just gotten married. Three days into the doomed honeymoon when he was called up, they didn’t even have time to move into their new home, to unpack all the brand new furniture, in just two days, he was gone.

“Don’t forget me alright!” she yelled as he loaded his pack onto the truck “I’m your wife now...remember!” she pointed her right ring finger at him which was adorned with a stunning 2 carrot white diamond on a white gold band.

“You’ll never let me forget it will you” he laughed.

“Of course not! You better write or something!”

“Everyday love, everyday.”

The letters stopped coming three months ago and Blair had no idea of what was going on. Had he been captured, were the letters being blocked, had he died? Every night Blair listened intently to the radio, waiting for news on Maryland district or January 13 soldiers. So far, seventeen Maryland men had been murders four men from places other than Maryland who were born on January 13 had also perished but Nick had never been mentioned. Every day, the paper would print the names of the dead, Nick O’Conner was never there.

“Hello m’am, what can I get you today?” a voice, of a waiter no doubt asked from above her.

“How about a new life,” she grumbled as her eyes scanned down the death page of the newspaper.

“Sorry m’am, we’re fresh out of those but the egg and bacon muffin with a hint of sweet and
sour sauce goes down like a treat, the salty bacon couple...”

Blair looked up at the man Jack, his nametag read, surely, no older than she herself was. He was of an average height, probably just over 6ft with short black hair and long bangs. She felt her eyes automatically narrow at him. Why hadn’t his number been the one called out, why wasn’t he out fighting and Nick was serving her coffee at home, why was he so lucky?

“Sorry,” he said quickly “Bad joke, I’m guessing you’re not a fan of sweet and sour?”

Blair tore herself from her thoughts “Oh umm... I’ll just have a bacon and egg muffin, no sauce thanks.”

“Sure,” the man smiled “Be right back with that.”

Blair nodded and stopped for a few minutes to think of how different life could’ve been. Minutes turned into hours and before she knew it, she had spent the whole day in the cafe store, just sitting there, thinking reading and at times, wondering.

“Gee” the waiter grinned coming out from behind the counter “you women, you have it good don’t you?”

“You have it good yourself” she replied bluntly “Why aren’t you up there fighting?”

“Number hasn’t been called up yet.”

“Must be one of the few that hasn’t.”

“Too right” Jack said quickly “Everyone’s gone, I’m the only one left in town under 50!”

Blair laughed quietly for the first time it three months, “That’s true, anyway, I’d best be off, I’ve wasted a whole day in here.”

“Do you want me to walk you home, I’m knocking off now anyway plus, you shouldn’t be walking around alone at night.”

Blair laughed again “Don’t you mean you shouldn’t be walking home alone, there’s a surplus of women and what did you say, you were the only guy in town, gee, that must be pretty dangerous” she laughed flinging her handbag loosely over her shoulder.
“I’m Jack by the way” he said quickly when he noticed her notion to leave.

“Blair” she replied shortly.

“Wanna go out with me.”

Blair smiled flashing her diamond ring “I’m married” she said.

“So?”

Blair got home that night, still thinking of the man she had met at the cafe, Jack. He was one of the few people she had spoken to all year and the only person to make her laugh. But all thoughts of Jack were erased when she spotted a letter on the front porch.

She rushed outside and tore open the paper viciously but it was just another welfare payment. All the women received monthly payments when their significant other’s were away on war and Blair was no different. Again, no letter from Nick, she’d be lying if she said her hope wasn’t fading.

Blair didn’t know Jack’s middle name but she assumed it was persistence. Every day when she arrived at the cafe he would bring her her meal and then proceed to ask her out. He was rejected every time. Jack’s theory was, that if she really disliked him that much then she wouldn’t come to the same restaurant day after day, but she did.

After three months of constant hounding on Jack’s part, Blair finally gave into him, his begging wasn’t the only reason why she had said yes, it had been six months since Nick’s last letter. She had all but given up hope.

Dinner was pancakes from the local parlour and then a movie at twelve thirty that night. They were lucky to get tickets, even this late at night. Ever since the war had started so many businesses had to close down due to the lack of workers, the Lutherville cinemas were one of six left in the state.

“To be really honest, I think we so should’ve seen The Horror on Fouth Street” Jack grumbled as they got into the car, he had found Passions, The Movies rather unsatisfying, quite shocking isn’t it?

“Hey,” Blair smiled “you were the one who couldn’t make up your mind, so I chose for you...so stop complaining.”

Jack rolled his eyes “I really wanted to see the Blair Witch Myth, it’s you life story right?”

“Prick!” she pushed him lightly causing him to swerve across a few lanes of road. Now days, the streets were ghostly empty so any near death experience was easily avoided but that didn’t stop the two chil-adults from bursting out into fits and giggles. Their generation was known as the lost children, the war had been going for the past fifteen years, and most had lost at least one parent and fifteen years of their lives.

Fifteen years seemed like a lifetime ago. Fifteen years ago, Jack and Blair were only thirteen, although they didn’t know each other, at that stage in life, most teenagers lives followed the same pattern, school, being incredibly immature and getting grounded by parents, colouring their hair different colours, getting told off at school, having their first kiss in a game of spin the bottle.

However, when the war broke out, everyone had to mature up, the boys were taught training exercises and about life in the army, navy or air force. Women on the other hand were taught on how to live without a man in their lives. The joking stopped, the acting out, everything became sombre. A thick oppressive air descended onto them draining all the life, all the energy from their lives, causing one day to fade into another with no clear definition making days slip into weeks, months and years. Before long their teenage years had passed them by, conscription was enforced eight years ago, Jack’s older brother Matt was one of the first to be called up. After two years on the front line he was sent back home, missing half of his right leg.

“Thanks for tonight Jack” Blair smiled shyly as they pulled into the drive of her suburban home.

“No problem” he grinned.

The next few moments passed awkwardly as Blair sat awkwardly in the car unsure of what to do. She had had a great night, the best night in over a year. She had forgotten what it was like to have someone with her, a companion, she missed the feeling.

Jack leant over to peck her cheek. As he did she turned to say goodbye, catching his lips with hers. It was the first physical contact she had had with another man all year. Her hormones were going wild and her whole body exploded with passion and within seconds Jack was on top of her in the front passenger seat.

Her hands slid under the waist band of her jeans and Jack asked “are we even going to go inside?”

“Nope.”