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Roy Hilligoss
Even after a year Chad still called us Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill. But we thought our job had become that of mother and father – until that letter arrived from the 6th Artillery headquarters in North Africa in our mailbox in East Orange New Jersey.
Chad had come to us as an English refugee. He was supposed to stay until they had put “Mr. Hitler in the bag” as he expressed it and he could go back to his adored father Major Jollison of the Royal Artillery. In other words he had been sent to the United States like many other English children to live with an American family for the duration of the war after which time he planned to return home to London.
But Major Jollison had been killed while resisting a Nazi tank attack in the North African desert.
Chad had taken the news without the slightest show of emotion. Probably Pat and I alone realized the sharp pain that must have torn through his young heart when he learned that his father was dead. He was English and his people were fighting a desperate battle so he could not let his own individual tragedy show.
England meant much to him but when he had recovered a little from the shock he seemed resigned to living with us and becoming an American. He had had no one else but his father.
“I shall try very hard” he told us seriously in that thin rather sharp voice of his “to be as you would want your own boy to be. I shall get onto your American ways as quickly as I can and try to make you quite proud of me.”
He smiled. “I shall even admire your Revolutionary patriots.”
So we could not help loving him you see and hoping he really wanted to stay with us forever even after the war had ended.
He did brilliantly and an early problem – the way the other boys at school kidded him about his English accent and manners – had disappeared. Everyone in town knew how bravely his father had died and this gave Chad a certain romantic interest.
In fact everything had gone beauti¤¤¤¤y – till that letter came from a member of the 6th Artillery Captain Burroughs. The 6th Artillery had been Major Jollison’s military unit.
Pat held the letter out to me one evening the moment I came in the door. But she was too upset emotionally to wait until I read it.
“He was terribly fond of Chad’s father Bill” she said. “And he’d like to offer Chad a place to live – with his mother in her home just outside London.”
I looked up from letter. “He says he recognizes the danger.”
“But he’s like all Englishmen I suppose” Pat said. “Rain or shine bombs or no bombs they think that England is the only place in the world to live. And of course he thinks Chad will be company for his mother. She’s old and alone…. Oh Bill do you think he’ll go?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. But I’ve been afraid he would some day.”
“But he has no relatives there. Surely he’d rather be with us….”
“It’s like you said – rain or shine. And he’s not really our boy Pat; we just hope he would be and he’s tried to pretend.”
She sighed. “I know I was only hoping not talking sense. Well…” she took my arm “ – let’s go up to his room and tell him.”
Chad was lying on his small stomach reading when we entered his room. He got quickly to his feet and shook my hand – he always did that when I got home evenings. “How’d the stock market go today Uncle Bill?” He was picking up our ways fast.
I handed him the letter.
I watched his blue eyes move quickly back and forth across the page and when they reached the bottom they stayed there. He was thinking rapidly. Suddenly I knew he’d made his decision because his face lost all expression: a habit of his.
“Are you going dear?” Pat asked softly.
He nodded. “I must Aunt Pat.”
“They’re raining bombs on London son” I said.
“I know” he said. “That’s why I’m going.”
“I don’t understand” I said.
“I mean…” for a moment he paused” – well when your country’s having its most difficult times that’s when it needs you most.”
That sounded a bit too grown-up too like something he had read somewhere. I looked suspiciously at him but his eyes met mine bravely. “All right son” I said. “I’m sorry but if you….”
“I’m sorry too” he said quickly. “Really Uncle Bill. But I must go.”
“I’d better finish getting dinner” Pat said in a queer voice and left us.
“And I have to wash” Chad said steadily.
I was left staring down at the letter from Captain Burroughs already missing these strange youngster as if he’d been all our own from the very start.
We didn’t talk much about his going. But we might as well have discussed it constantly; it certainly was with us every moment. From that first night on through the week following there were few signs of cheerfulness in our house.
But the evening I came home with final details about his trip to New York where a friend of mine would take charge and get him safely onto the boat…well that about finished it. Chad’s quiet unrevealing face didn’t change a bit but Pat looked at me as if I would struck her. I knew how she felt.
Late that night I woke up frightened sure I had heard Chad crying in the next room. But it was Pat.
“You are crying darling?”
“Of course” she said shakily. “Oh Bill it hurts to lose him.”
I held her close. “I know so well” I said. “He’s like our own boy.”
And then so quickly it was the day for Chad to leave us. I had stayed home to drive him to the station but Pat wasn’t going alone. She said she simply couldn’t take it.
The three of us were standing in the doorway just standing there with little to say. Chad was wearing the same clothes he had come to America in – he had wanted to wear them – the short coat the small cap the wool stockings that left his knees bear. But when we had first seen him on a dock in New York he had been looking about him defiantly with his chin out trying to hide his fears; now his face was serious his lower lip pulled slightly in.
“I’ve been happy here” he said.
He was interrupted by the mailman who handed a letter to Pat. She passed it on to me.
“Goodbye Chad” she said weakly. ”Always remember that we….”
Even after a year Chad still called us Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill. But we thought our job had become that of mother and father – until that letter arrived from the 6th Artillery headquarters in North Africa in our mailbox in East Orange New Jersey.
Chad had come to us as an English refugee. He was supposed to stay until they had put “Mr. Hitler in the bag” as he expressed it and he could go back to his adored father Major Jollison of the Royal Artillery. In other words he had been sent to the United States like many other English children to live with an American family for the duration of the war after which time he planned to return home to London.
But Major Jollison had been killed while resisting a Nazi tank attack in the North African desert.
Chad had taken the news without the slightest show of emotion. Probably Pat and I alone realized the sharp pain that must have torn through his young heart when he learned that his father was dead. He was English and his people were fighting a desperate battle so he could not let his own individual tragedy show.
England meant much to him but when he had recovered a little from the shock he seemed resigned to living with us and becoming an American. He had had no one else but his father.
“I shall try very hard” he told us seriously in that thin rather sharp voice of his “to be as you would want your own boy to be. I shall get onto your American ways as quickly as I can and try to make you quite proud of me.”
He smiled. “I shall even admire your Revolutionary patriots.”
So we could not help loving him you see and hoping he really wanted to stay with us forever even after the war had ended.
He did brilliantly and an early problem – the way the other boys at school kidded him about his English accent and manners – had disappeared. Everyone in town knew how bravely his father had died and this gave Chad a certain romantic interest.
In fact everything had gone beauti¤¤¤¤y – till that letter came from a member of the 6th Artillery Captain Burroughs. The 6th Artillery had been Major Jollison’s military unit.
Pat held the letter out to me one evening the moment I came in the door. But she was too upset emotionally to wait until I read it.
“He was terribly fond of Chad’s father Bill” she said. “And he’d like to offer Chad a place to live – with his mother in her home just outside London.”
I looked up from letter. “He says he recognizes the danger.”
“But he’s like all Englishmen I suppose” Pat said. “Rain or shine bombs or no bombs they think that England is the only place in the world to live. And of course he thinks Chad will be company for his mother. She’s old and alone…. Oh Bill do you think he’ll go?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. But I’ve been afraid he would some day.”
“But he has no relatives there. Surely he’d rather be with us….”
“It’s like you said – rain or shine. And he’s not really our boy Pat; we just hope he would be and he’s tried to pretend.”
She sighed. “I know I was only hoping not talking sense. Well…” she took my arm “ – let’s go up to his room and tell him.”
Chad was lying on his small stomach reading when we entered his room. He got quickly to his feet and shook my hand – he always did that when I got home evenings. “How’d the stock market go today Uncle Bill?” He was picking up our ways fast.
I handed him the letter.
I watched his blue eyes move quickly back and forth across the page and when they reached the bottom they stayed there. He was thinking rapidly. Suddenly I knew he’d made his decision because his face lost all expression: a habit of his.
“Are you going dear?” Pat asked softly.
He nodded. “I must Aunt Pat.”
“They’re raining bombs on London son” I said.
“I know” he said. “That’s why I’m going.”
“I don’t understand” I said.
“I mean…” for a moment he paused” – well when your country’s having its most difficult times that’s when it needs you most.”
That sounded a bit too grown-up too like something he had read somewhere. I looked suspiciously at him but his eyes met mine bravely. “All right son” I said. “I’m sorry but if you….”
“I’m sorry too” he said quickly. “Really Uncle Bill. But I must go.”
“I’d better finish getting dinner” Pat said in a queer voice and left us.
“And I have to wash” Chad said steadily.
I was left staring down at the letter from Captain Burroughs already missing these strange youngster as if he’d been all our own from the very start.
We didn’t talk much about his going. But we might as well have discussed it constantly; it certainly was with us every moment. From that first night on through the week following there were few signs of cheerfulness in our house.
But the evening I came home with final details about his trip to New York where a friend of mine would take charge and get him safely onto the boat…well that about finished it. Chad’s quiet unrevealing face didn’t change a bit but Pat looked at me as if I would struck her. I knew how she felt.
Late that night I woke up frightened sure I had heard Chad crying in the next room. But it was Pat.
“You are crying darling?”
“Of course” she said shakily. “Oh Bill it hurts to lose him.”
I held her close. “I know so well” I said. “He’s like our own boy.”
And then so quickly it was the day for Chad to leave us. I had stayed home to drive him to the station but Pat wasn’t going alone. She said she simply couldn’t take it.
The three of us were standing in the doorway just standing there with little to say. Chad was wearing the same clothes he had come to America in – he had wanted to wear them – the short coat the small cap the wool stockings that left his knees bear. But when we had first seen him on a dock in New York he had been looking about him defiantly with his chin out trying to hide his fears; now his face was serious his lower lip pulled slightly in.
“I’ve been happy here” he said.
He was interrupted by the mailman who handed a letter to Pat. She passed it on to me.
“Goodbye Chad” she said weakly. ”Always remember that we….”