Ghent Railway Station.
The air was filled with the burnt smell of coal, and travelers were bustling among the crowd. Some were lining up for tickets, others were dragging heavy luggage. Men, women, young, and old—all had faces written with the excitement and anticipation of returning home. Some even raised their hands in cheer as soon as they got off the train.
They were the people who had fled the city before it was occupied by the German Army.
They thought they might never return to their hometown in this lifetime, but one day, when they opened their eyes, they suddenly heard that the Germans had surrendered and Shire had recaptured this land.
So, they could return to the place they constantly thought of.
(The picture above shows Ghent Railway Station, the third largest railway station in Belgium)
Lucia struggled to carry her suitcase out the station’s gate. She stood tiredly at the entrance for a moment, then took a deep breath with her eyes slightly closed, a smile of relief and anticipation spreading across her face. She quickly walked toward the taxi waiting at the front.
Lucia had taken leave to return home. Although the three hundred kilometers trip wasn’t far, it took over ten hours for the poor, who could only travel by train.
Even so, Lucia decided to make the trip.
After all, she and her family were fortunate enough to reunite on Belgian soil as Belgians, alive.
The taxi stopped on Veldstraat Street. Lucia carried her suitcase out of the car. Before she could steady herself, a few people burst out of the Gothic-styled house by the roadside, exclaiming in surprise.
Lucia hugged them, overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down her cheeks as she kept repeating, "Mom, Dad, it’s so good to see you. And Stein, you’ve grown up!"
Lucia reached out to pet her brother’s head affectionately as usual but was blocked by Stein.
"Hey, Lucia," Stein protested. "Like you said, I’m grown up now, I’m not a kid anymore!"
Lucia looked confused. "But you’re only seventeen, Stein!"
"Don’t mind him," Madam Jilard said while wiping her joyful tears, leading Lucia into the house. "His head is filled with Shire now. He’s trying to be like him."
Lucia’s steps faltered.
Madam Jilard asked in confusion, "What’s the matter?"
"Oh, nothing," Lucia realized her gaffe immediately and forced a smile, "Shire is a great role model."
Stein got excited immediately, "See, Lucia supports me too..."
Mr. Jilard, carrying Lucia’s luggage, interrupted Stein, "Shire is indeed a great role model, no one denies that. But it doesn’t mean you should lie about your age to join the army."
Lucia turned towards Stein in shock, "You lied about your age to join the army? Are you crazy?"
"Shire joined the army at seventeen," Stein replied defiantly, "Now he’s only eighteen and already a brigadier general."
"But he’s a genius, Stein," Lucia said, "You can’t expect to be like him..."
"If I don’t try, how will I know I’m not a genius?" Stein cut off Lucia without hesitation.
Lucia was speechless and looked to her mother for help.
Madam Jilard shrugged her shoulders. She had tried to dissuade him many times, but nothing worked.
Once inside, Lucia and Mr. Jilard quickly formed a united front against the ’stubborn’ Stein. Madam Jilard went out to buy groceries, planning to cook Lucia’s favorite pan-fried sole fish.
Although money was tight, Madam Jilard believed this was a day worth celebrating.
On her way back with the grocery basket, she ran into her next-door neighbor, Madam Flix, who was also carrying a grocery basket.
"Madam Jilard!" Madam Flix greeted her with a smile and even bent slightly in a respectful gesture.
This surprised Madam Jilard. They usually had some disagreements and didn’t see eye to eye. Today, she was unexpectedly courteous.
Madam Jilard snorted, not intending to respond. She thought it must be a pretense.
It seemed that Madam Flix had noticed the fish in Madam Jilard’s basket. She followed a few steps and asked solicitously, "Are you having something special today, Madam Jilard?"
Not wanting to seem rude to someone so polite, Madam Jilard nodded, "Yes, Lucia has come back."
She thought this would end the conversation, but Madam Flix exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, Lucia is back? Then... then Shire, did he come too?"
"What?" Madam Jilard stopped and looked at Madam Flix in confusion, "Shire? Why would Shire come too? Are you joking?"
"No, of course not," Madam Flix smiled awkwardly, "It’s a misunderstanding, Madam Jilard. I just thought Shire would..."
Suddenly realizing something, Madam Flix continued, "You don’t know yet? Oh, God, I spoke out of turn. I... I’m sorry, truly sorry, Madam Jilard!"
With that, Madam Flix turned to leave.
But Madam Jilard didn’t let her go. She caught up with her in a few steps and blocked her way, demanding, "What don’t I know? Or are you planning some trick?"
"No, no." Madam Flix was flustered, "Please forgive me, Madam Jilard. I, I sincerely apologize for the earlier disrespect, truly!"
Madam Jilard was more puzzled than ever. She examined Madam Flix and thought she didn’t seem to be pretending, especially since tears were nearly falling from her eyes, which were filled with panic.
Madam Jilard hesitated for a moment and then said, "Unless you tell me the reason, Madam Flix, I won’t forgive you."
"Really?" Madam Flix’s eyes lit up. "You really would forgive me?"
Madam Jilard nodded firmly, "Of course, I keep my word."
Madam Flix sighed in relief, her whole body relaxed. Then she hesitantly said,
"This, this may be a secret, Madam. I’m not sure if I should tell you, but..."
Seeing the determined look in Madam Jilard’s eyes, Madam Flix gathered her courage and answered, "It’s Lucia. She’s Shire’s girlfriend. They are dating."
Madam Jilard was stunned for a moment, then started laughing, "Are you mad? Shire and Lucia dating? My God, you must be joking again!"
"It’s true, Madam," Madam Flix hurriedly clarified. "Proton came back yesterday. He works in Paris too now. He said everyone in Paris knows about it and that he’s proud of Lucia!"
The smile on Madam Jilard’s face gradually froze. She recalled Lucia’s strange expression and subconscious reaction earlier when Shire was mentioned. Slowly, she began to believe it might be true.
"Oh God, how could this happen!" Madam Jilard’s mind went blank for a few seconds before she started running madly towards home. Read full story at novel~fire~net