World's Apart

The Love Of Two Hearts

When Ali arrives at the airbase her heart is racing. Her hands tremble with nerves as her head whips from left to right. She remembered the base from a few months back, but it felt different now. Nervously she chews at her lip and the familiar sickening feeling deep in the pit of her stomach returns. She brings the car to a halt and glances at herself nervously in the rear view mirror.

Stepping from the car Ali adjusts the wide brim hat on her head and smooths out the wrinkles from her navy blue and white polkadot dress. She makes a start towards the old dormitory building where Jack used to be. Her heeled shoes crunched over the stiff grass, a sign there'd been no rain for several long days. The hot summers sun was relentless and it glared hard and bright overhead. Ali removed her dainty white gloves and tucked them neatly into her purse as she teetered across the grass and slipped between the narrow dormitory buildings, desperately trying to keep to the shade.

After a few minutes Ali arrived at the building she remembered to be Jack's dormitory. The sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach had returned and Ali found herself hesitating in the doorway. Ali clasped her hand around the door handle but then let go almost immediately. Taking several quick deep breaths, Ali spun on her heels turning away from the door then turning back to it and gripping the handle once more.

"Come on Ali," she whispers forcibly to herself. "You can do this," as if by assurance Ali felt the baby kick and she felt the corner of her mouth twitch up into a faint smile.

Just as she moved to pull open the door, the door swung open by its own accord. Ali quickly sidestepped out of the way as several soldiers bustled out, completely unaware of her presence. Alis eyes were wide and hopeful as she desperately searched their faces. She knew it was in vain but her heart sank deeply when she didn't see him. He wasn't there.

She stared after the men longingly for a few long seconds, her hand resting casually on the door handle to the building. Her mind was deep in thought and so when she heard her name called out Ali didn't expect it.

"Ali,"

The voice was closer now. She moved from the doorway and out onto the grassy space laid out before the building. She searched for the voice, shielding her eyes from the blazing sun.

It was at that moment a small framed woman with dark hair emerged from between another building. Her hair was pinned in a bun underneath a light coloured wide brim hat and she wore a white dress with pink and red floral embellishment.

Erica.

Ali knew her face immediately. She'd only witnessed her from afar but her dainty features were easily recognised and her beauty was even more striking than Ali wanted to admit. As Erica came closer, Ali noted the dark heavy set circles under her eyes and the slightly bloodshot tinge to the whites of her eyes.

Erica hesitated as she came to a halt about three meters away from Ali.

"You're her aren't you, you're Erica?" Ali says alreading knowing the answer.

Erica nods slowly. "I know I'm the last person you'd want to talk to right now but if you'd let me I'd like to explain everything to you,"

There was an intense sadness to her voice and Ali couldn't help feel sorry for the broken woman in front of her. Ali found herself nodding and in a silent agreement she followed Erica away from the dormitories.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. Erica was in front and Ali followed behind her, drinking in her figure and appearance. Ali hated this woman, she did. She was the one who had ruined her relationship with Jack. She was the one Ali had cried about for weeks on end. She was the one she pictured laying in Jack's arms, the images had taunted her endlessly and drove her to despair.