“Well then, I’m off.”
Sarah gathered her belongings before heading out the door.
“Take care, Mama!” Daisy energetically waved her hands in farewell, prompting Sarah to giggle and reciprocate before turning to Henry.
“You can reach me at my workplace number if any issues arise. For now, it’s best for you two to stay indoors. I’ll acquaint you with the neighborhood when the timing is right.”
Henry nodded, and Sarah bade him farewell. He and Daisy watched from the window as Sarah ventured into the woods.
“Papa, can I play? Daisy wants to play housie.”
“Just do whatever you want, but mind that you don’t make a racket or a mess.”
But then, Henry recalled some of Sarah’s advice before she left. “Please ensure that she takes a bath and brushes her teeth before doing anything. She often forgets to do those when not reminded.”
Right. That’s just a simple task. As a lieutenant, his expertise lies in commanding, and he can surely handle a five-year-old child.
“Hey, before you play with your toys, take a bath first and brush your teeth,” he ordered her in a manner reminiscent of commanding his troops.
“But papaaaaaa!” she whined, kicking her feet. “Daisy wants to play first!!”
“No,” Henry said firmly, but the kid continued to kick her feet vigorously.
“But Daisy doesn’t want to take a bath, there’s no school!”
“Look, kid, you can play after,” Henry reasoned, his voice still authoritative. “Now off you go, little miss.”
“But Daisy is not dirty! Why does she have to take a bath now?”
Henry tried his best to maintain his patience. Remember, this is a child, not a junior soldier. It wouldn’t be right to yell at her for compliance. He had to try another approach.
“But there are unseen germs in your body, and those germs can cause unpleasant odors. If you don’t bathe now, they might spread until they cover your entire body, and they will multiply and multiply-”
He stopped talking the moment her eyes welled up with oncoming tears at the corners.
Great. He still ended up making the child cry.
Turns out it’s much more challenging to discipline a little girl than a battalion of soldiers.
“I’m sorry,” he immediately apologized, the unexpected gentleness in his voice surprising him more than anyone. “That wasn’t true. But you really have to take your bath first. You don’t want to feel sweaty and sticky later, right?”
Daisy shook her head, and it seemed like she finally understood.
“But Daisy’s playtime…” She still worriedly whined.
“You can play with your toys longer if you start your bath now,” Henry replied. “So no more crying, and go to the bath, alright?”
Henry sighed in relief when Daisy nodded in understanding.
She started to make her way to the bathroom when Henry worriedly asked, “Can you do it yourself?”
She turned her face toward him with a determined look. “Yes, papa, Daisy’s a big girl now.”
A chuckle escaped from Henry without his permission. It was amusing for her to claim she’s a big girl when she barely reached his hip.
“Alright, I just need to do something in my room.”
“Okay, Papa!”
Henry retreated into his room, albeit temporarily. He didn’t plan to sit idly while waiting for the right moment to execute Sarah’s plan. He needed to find a way to communicate with his fellow soldiers in Consehannon, confirm their safety, and perhaps devise a plan for his own extraction without involving Sarah and Daisy.
However, his radio was still malfunctioning. Despite turning on, it failed to receive any transmissions. Fixing the radio became a priority.
He disassembled the radio components and discovered that several wires needed repair. Some components, such as tubes and capacitors, were damaged and required replacement.
The question loomed: would he be able to locate the necessary components? Perhaps an old radio in the house could provide what he needed.
He embarked on a search of the room, hoping to find anything that could help fix his portable radio. Every drawer and closet in Sarah’s bedroom underwent scrutiny, but it yielded no results.
He then delved beneath her drawers, hoping to discover something useful. Instead, he found mementos: small, old, and broken dolls, dried flowers pressed in frames, loosely woven straw hats, and a dusty photo album. Amid these items, he stumbled upon a broken picture frame featuring Sarah’s familiar features on a younger face. She appeared no older than ten in the photograph, standing beside an old, weary-looking man he assumed was her father. They shared similar features, and Henry noted the same gentle expression on their faces. There was also a little girl hugging Sarah, estimated to be about three years old. Strikingly absent was a motherly figure in the photo, suggesting she might have passed away prematurely.
“PAPA!”
A high-pitched scream from the little girl jolted Henry, prompting him to hastily return the framed photo to the box. He placed the box back where it had been before rushing to the bathroom, the source of the commotion.
His instincts kicked in, fearing something might have happened to Daisy, only to find her reaching her little hands towards the sink, completely out of her reach.
“I can’t reach, Papa.”
Henry sighed in relief that no real danger was afoot. Sarah would probably be furious if anything happened to Daisy under his watch. He might die on her hands, no one should underestimate a mother’s wrath as they say.
Approaching the little girl, now dressed in her usual day dress adorned with floral patterns, Henry lifted her into his arms with ease. He carried her like that until she finished brushing her teeth.
Looking around, he noticed no stool available. It would be helpful if she could stand on something, allowing her to brush her teeth without assistance from Sarah.
After brushing her teeth, she eagerly made her way to the living room, switching on the radio. The air in the house resonated with the jolly tunes of somewhat vexatious nursery rhymes, causing Henry’s ears to smart. Nevertheless, he bore it stoically; after all, it was a far more agreeable soundscape than the disconcerting echoes of gunfire and cannon blasts.
Once Henry ensured she was settled, he set out to search and scan the entire house for old electronic equipment he could use to repair his radio.
Fortunately, on one of the bookshelves, he found a box filled with small, vintage radios that seemed to be no longer in use. He carried the box to his room and began searching for the tools he needed.
Did this house have a shed outside?
Venturing into the backyard, to his relief, he discovered a shed. Upon opening it, he found screwdrivers and wrenches that would prove useful.
Henry noticed some scraps of wood in the shed as well, recalling the earlier scene when he had to lift Daisy to help her reach the sink.
An idea sparked in his mind.
Setting aside the screwdrivers and wrenches, he opted for some nails, a saw, and a hammer instead. Making a stool was a simple task.
In just a few hours, Henry was almost finished. However, he decided to add a small staircase to the stool, considering the height was too much for Daisy to climb on her own. It would be safer this way.
Just as he was about to add the finishing touches to the stool, he felt a presence behind him. It was as if someone was closely observing him.
Maintaining composure, Henry didn’t let on that he sensed their presence. Could it be a military officer? Had he been discovered?
He continued working, ignoring the feeling of being watched. Acting normal was crucial; appearing frantic would only raise suspicion.
After completing the stool, he stood up and carried it inside the house.
Trying to discreetly peek through the window curtains, he saw the observer emerge from his hiding spot. The man appeared to be a wealthy gentleman, dressed in a finely pressed suit made from obviously expensive fabric. Henry sighed in relief; at least it wasn’t a military officer.
The gentleman continued to wander around the house, as if searching for something or someone. Could he be acquainted with Sarah?
After a few minutes of pacing to and fro outside the house, the gentleman eventually walked away.
Henry made a mental note to inform Sarah about the visitor once she returned home.