I've Got Your Back

I’ve just got back from working at Manor farm but I had to write this down immediately. It’s now been five days since I got the letter and I’ve been waiting to see Master Stevenson since then, curiosity I suppose you could call it. Today, I was mucking out the stables when he walked in, muttering a discordant, somewhat unnerving tune. “Hello Luke,” he said politely, “Would you mind getting Maple ready for me please?” “Yes Sir,” I replied with a smile as I fetched a saddle and a bridle off the rack and began to tack up Maple. She was a lovely bay horse, about 14’2, whose coat shined in the sun. She liked sugar cubes, before the rationing of course, but she also had a strange thing for cabbage.

It was if Master Stevenson had read by thoughts because he said, “Yes, I’m going to miss her rather a lot as well.” I checked the girth, adjusted the stirrups and questioned “What do you mean Sir?”

“I’ve been sent to war too Luke,” he muttered as he mounted Maple. “Come on, why don’t you ride out with me? I could very much use someone to talk to?” Well, as you can imagine, I could hardly believe my ears – being asked to ride out with a gentleman! But I said yes, curious to know what it was he wanted to share with me and so after quickly tacking up another horse, Monty, we were trotting off into the fields together as if there was no difference between us at all.

“I know this isn’t the proper thing to say Luke but I feel I need to tell someone and I thought you would understand. The thing is: I’m scared.” He admitted before dropping the pace slightly. I didn’t know how to reply. I was amazed that someone like him had told me that and, whilst I felt the same, I wasn’t really sure if this was just a test. “Oh Sir,” I began, “It will be fine. Think of it like an honour, think of it like we will be defending our families. That is what I have been doing and it’s helping me.” We had slowed right down to a walk now and he smiled at me nervously. “So, are you frightened too?” he questioned, sounding like a small boy and not like the gentleman that he was. I breathed in, prayed this wasn’t a trick and responded honestly, “Yessir I’m bloody petrified!”

And then he laughed. I’m not sure why but I started laughing too. Great belly laughs that shook our frames and once we had started it was hard to stop. Eventually we regained or composure and I looked at him, embarrassed at what had just happened. He beamed at me though, “I’m so glad I’m going into this war with you” he said kindly. I agreed with him and for a while we rode on together, in companionable silence.

Fancy that then! Me riding out with someone like him – maybe this war really is a good thing after all. Maybe it will move me up in the world. It gets odder too because he said he wants to ride with me every day until we leave. Like me I think he understands how hard it is going to be to leave behind our current tranquil life in the beautiful countryside and swap it for violence and barbed wire.