Love and Loss 

After WWII a lot of men never made it home leaving wives without husbands and kids without fathers.  One of the men lost was Samuel Young, he died in the Pacific Theater during the the Battle of Iwo Jima.  He had been drafted in the beginning of the war  Lucy his wife was nearly stricken dead when she received the news.  She has not had a job in her life she only helped on her parents farm when she was young.  How was she supposed to help provide for her three children: Beth, Tommy, and Charlie, pay for her house and a car. In 1944, she began looking for jobs, she had got a job on an assembly lines for tanks.

It was the summer of 1945; the troops on both sides had were on the attack.  In Europe the troops made it into Germany and in the Pacific the troops were off the mainland of Japan.  The factories had started to slow the production of war supplies.  With men returning the jobs women had once held, were being filled by man. 

At Lucy’s factory women were starting to get laid off.  She was worried if she would be next.  She felt she wouldn’t how could they do that to her after she lost her husband to this war. 

“Lucy will come up to my office?” asked her Boss. 

“I will be right up after shift,” she yelled over the sound of the power equipment.

After she finished her shift she went upstairs to his office. 

“Hello Sir,” she said apprehensively, “you wanted to see me.”

“Yes Come sit, get comfortable” he said with a hint of sadness

“I am fine standing, what is it that you wanted?”

“I am sorry to say, but with the reduction in production we are having to eliminate a shift” 

“How could you!” she began to yell “I have no husband and need to support my kids.”

“I am sorry a lot of these women have lost their husbands and sons to I am sorry but we can no longer employ you,” he said in a sad voice. 

She collected all of her belongings and went home sad and wondering how she was going to support her kids.  She didn’t have anything saved, she was going to have to sell the house.  She was walking with her head down when she ran into something she looked up with tears in her eyes.  It was a man tall a stern face, with a disillusioned smile.  Looking down and seeing her tears.

“I am sorry I hit you” he then added, “What is wrong?”

She looked up at him and noticed he looked a lot like sam did.  “I don’t want you to worry about my problems Sir.”

“I insist, let me help. I am Richard, and you are?”

“I am Lucy, I am sorry I’m a mess: I just lost my job, my husband died last year, and I don't know how i am going to support my kids.” 

“I am sorry about that; you are beautiful, do you know that? I know this may not help right now, but would you like to go for lunch real quick?”

“Yes, I would really enjoy that!”

They went to lunch at an amazing diner.  Lucy had forgotten how much fun she could have the last year had been sad and dreary for her.  They chatted for a long time, him about his war experience in Europe and her about her kids and the hardships of the year.  When Lucy checked the clock it was four and her kids were getting home from school she began to worry she was always home before her kids. Would they worry?

“I am sorry Richard I must go home my kids will be arriving any minute I must go, they will be expecting me,”  she expressed with sorrow in her voice.   It had been her first human conversation in months she was sad to be leaving Richard.

“You better get going.  Can I walk with you?” Richard replied with excitement.  They walked to Lucy’s house, both delighted how how their days were ending.  Lucy was so happy she had forgotten about the morning and the stress that would come.  

“I am sorry I couldn’t help with your problems this afternoon, but this might help for the future.  My company is hiring receptionist and you're the perfect candidate, and we would see each other a lot more. Would you like the Job?” he exclaimed. 

In the winter after six months of working together and dating Richard proposed.  They had a fall wedding.  The kids liked Richard and things were on the up and up for Lucy.  Had she found another true love?  One day in their new house Tommy Lucy’s eldest son was exploring he had never been in such a wonderful house.  He was looking around Richard’s office when he had found something.  He ran out horrified at what he saw it would devastate his mom and destroy his new family.  He had found Beth and told her what he had found.  He found services record for Richard, but he was surprised the country they were from.  Russia.

Tommy had to tell his Mom now if he didn’t and she found out a different way it would be even more devastating.  She was Dumbstruck how could this happen could he Richard really work for the Commies.  She would no longer be an American, an American that Samuel faught and die for. 

  A week past and Lucy really wanted to know if he Richard was a part of the Soviet union or if he was still part.  She confronted him in the office.  She bursted into a meeting he was in she felt if he was aiding them it was safer to do it in public with witnesses. 

“Are you a Commie!” she blurted.

“Honnie don’t ever burst into a meeting and yes who do you think you work for.” he interjected.

Lucy fell on her knees how could she be so blinded by Richard; to fall so low to be aiding the enemy.   Asking “why would you do this to me and my kids.  To drag us into the a backwards society.”

“You needed a job and the communist gave you what social couldn’t!  Where would you be if it wasn’t for me I am the who risked so much to help a poor American girl. Don’t you see I did it for you,” Richard Passionately exclaimed.  

After her public outburst at the office Lucy fell into a state of depression knowing she went against her beliefs and the beliefs her first and true love had fought and died for.  But she couldn’t tell what would happen to her she was helping, her kids were safe and they had a roof over their heads.  What would happen if their neighbors found out they might mob.  She was scared what should she do?  Protect her family for the future or let them be safe for now?

She made a dash for the door needing to tell someone of the horror, but she couldn’t make it out the front door.  Richard had stopped her grabbed her by the neck.  She was to late, the decision was out of her hand.  He threw her on the ground and tired her up.  Waiting for the kids to get home so the news could not be spread.  He attacked them as soon as the shut the door so there screams would not be heard next door.  He had them all tied up in the living room there was only one act to complete so know one would know the identity of the rest.  He pulled a pistol from his belt and put it in Lucy’s hand. 

She yelled, “Please don’t do this, you can’t do this!”

He pulled the trigger aiming at Charlie, then Beth, last to die was Tommy.  He forced the gun into lucy’s skull, the gun still in lucy’s hand at her to make it look like a suicide.  He pulled the trigger.  All of his family was dead there was one act he still had to do he found the gas line on the stove then lit a match and the house went up in smoke.