How I am to find any sort of future without you here?

Tonight before I sleep, I shall raise a glass of wine – do you remember the bottle we put aside the night you proposed? – toast the end of the war. I need to search for a new beginning.

I miss you, my dear, so very, very much. May the world now know peace so that your sacrifice was not in vain.

Forever yours,

Ivy

She read the letter again, letting the sadness and joy wash over her in turn. One line in particular stuck with her.

For them, things will become normal again, over time, perhaps, and perhaps a different kind of normal, but it will happen.

A different kind of normal. Nicole never would have guessed making soufflé and going to trivia nights would be her normal. But look where she was.

She checked her watch. Damn it. She was going to be late.

Ten minutes late wasn’t too bad, she figured as she rushed into the pub. She took quick stock and discovered she’d only missed three questions. And two of them were about sport, so that wasn’t too bad.

Danny went to get her a drink and Jason asked the next question.

‘Which novel, a story within a story, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize?’

‘Not fair,’ shouted Cheryl and she pointed to Nicole. ‘They have an unfair advantage.’

‘Pipe down,’ Jason grumbled. ‘There are questions here for everyone.’

Danny returned with drinks and looked at the answer Nicole had written, and shrugged.

‘Was it any good?’ he asked as he sat down.

Life of Pi was one of those books that tended to polarise readers. ‘Not one of my favourites,’ she admitted.

Danny nodded. ‘I saw the movie. Man, the loneliness of that boy!’

There was something in his tone that caught Nicole’s ear. Something … sad.

‘Would you two stop talking? You’ve missed the next question.’

‘Sorry, Mandy.’ Danny grinned and looked at Nicole.

Oops, she mouthed back to him. She took a potato wedge from the bowl in the centre of the table. It was cold. That would teach her for coming late.

That night it was Cheryl’s team that took home the prize – a bottle of red wine – and she didn’t mind one bit showing it off to the group as they all sat together after the game.

‘So, how’s Jack’s little quest going?’ Cheryl leaned across the table, her breasts threatening to spill from her shirt.

Mandy shook her head. ‘He won’t tell us anything. He won’t even admit he has a crush on Katie Lewis. He’s just like his father. It took Trev eighteen months to work up the courage to ask me out.’

‘It’s true,’ Trevor said sheepishly, hanging his head. Everyone laughed.

‘And I’m pretty sure Katie feels the same way about him, but they’re both too scared to do anything about it.’