Something To Look Forward To, Part Ii
...Emmet just sat down on a bench,
And gratefully took his boots off,
Just stretched himself out there to rest,
for the moment it was enough.
The woman seemed confused by this,
it was clear she expected rape,
but when the Yankee did nothing
she quietly made an escape.
She found herself outside the houses,
looking over at the old barn,
seeing the kid and her niece there,
and what she saw caused her alarm.
Abner had put no hands on her,
done nothing to cause a disgrace,
Instead, her niece flirted with him,
a woman’s smile on her face.
She cried, “April, get over here!”
The girl just pouted. “Aunt Sophie!
How’s a girl supposed to court these days?
Abner has been real nice to me!”
But Sophie would not be denied,
and the young pair came trudging in,
Emmet awoke to Sophie’s words,
all of this was quite new to him.
“You won’t let me do anything,
and I am nearly seventeen!
My ma had me when she was this age,
Why must you always be so mean?”
Sophie blanched at young April’s words,
said, “Don’t you know what young men want?
If your become some soiled dove
it will be endless jeers and taunts!”
Normally Emmet would agree
with the words that Sophie did say,
but three years of blood, grime, and death
had turned his mind to other ways.
He said, “Girl, take him someplace nice.
If you want it, then go have some fun.”
April’s eyes widened in delight,
it was clear she was a wild one.
She grabbed young Emmet by the wrist,
and dragged the young man towards her room,
Sophie moved to interrupt them,
Emmet said, “Now just leave those two.”
The woman turned with angry eyes,
said, “He’ll make my young niece a whore!”
Said Emmet, “Just let the young enjoy
one moment in this horrid war.
“Half of us are our drenched in blood,
those at home are hungry, and lost,
What have we to look forward too?
What good amidst all the high costs?”
But Sophie did not look convinced,
then shuddered under Emmet’s stare,
and glanced back towards her own bedroom,
fearing this man would take her there.
Emmet seemed to read her despair,
then said, “Please, do not fear old me,
I’m thirty-five, my family’s dead,
I’ve no time for frivolity.”
Sophie looked confused, and then said,
“You are not here looking to take?
He shook his head, “I just want rest,
I’m a soldier, not some young rake.
“But if you have some food to spare,
I’d pay you, if you’d deign to cook.
Salt pork and hardtack wears thin quick.”
Sophie stood there, with an amazed look...
CONTINUES IN PART III.
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