Fall 1917

Corrie set aside the newspaper with a heavy sigh. It detailed the casualties the Allies and Central Powers were inflicting on each other and the potential difference the support of incoming American troops could make. Though the United States was not yet engaged in the war, the draft had called most men between 21 and 31 into service, and even more were preparing to be shipped overseas. Corrie was selfishly grateful that Dr. Benjamin had not been drafted due to his integral work as a doctor for injured soldiers. She was less grateful for Edwin's cowardice in buying his way out of the draft.

Reaching into the bin of letters she'd received from the train that morning, Corrie continued to sort through them. Every letter marked as air mail from France or England indicated another man writing to a sweetheart or a family member. Though these letters saddened Corrie, she could only imagine how much worse it would be to receive the inevitable missives announcing a soldier's death or imprisonment. The thought of those letters was almost enough to encourage Corrie to resign her position as postmistress, but the appointment had provided her with much needed distraction over the past several months.

"Miss Walker?"

Corrie looked up from her position behind the desk of the post office to see Dr. Benjamin standing in the doorway, the very reason she needed a distraction. He smiled at her, one corner of his mouth tugged upwards.

"Good afternoon," Corrie greeted him.

"You've missed our daily lunch for the past few days," the doctor said, referencing the lunch she usually took every day with him, Hannah, Jack, Christina, and Mr. Fletcher. "I was coming to make sure you weren't drowning in mail."

Corrie laughed uneasily; she didn't want to tell him that she had been avoiding him in an effort to suffocate every rebellious thought. Despite her best efforts, her mind seemed to wander to Dr. Benjamin even when he was not present.

"I assure you I am alive and well."

"Perhaps I can convince you to join us for lunch today?" Dr. Benjamin asked, leaning onto the desk and offering her that devastating boyish smile.

"I suppose I can spare a few minutes," Corrie said, a smile crawling across her features.

Leaving behind the unsorted mail and grabbing only her wrap to ward off the fall weather, Corrie fell into step beside the doctor. Orange leaves danced with their invisible partner the wind across the cobblestone streets in front of them, hinting at the change of seasons. The skies were gray and overcast, threatening storms swept from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Corrie sighed and pulled her wrap closer around her narrow shoulders.

"How is my sister?" Corrie asked, directing the conversation to a safe topic.

"She is much the same," the doctor answered. "She's gained some strength but still struggles with labored breathing. She seems to really enjoy helping Hannah with the newspaper."

"I've noticed," Corrie answered.

"And you, Miss Walker? How have you been?" Dr. Benjamin asked, his gaze inquisitive. "We still haven't had a chance to talk about that poem you let me read. You need to provide me a chance to laud your work."

Corrie blushed and wondered if he realized just how carefully she'd avoided him. She regretted letting him read her poetry.

"I'm well," Corrie answered, keeping her eyes on the ground as they neared the practice.

What else could she say? That she was forced to avoid him for the sake of her loyalty to Edwin? That she was afraid she'd already given him too much of herself? No, he could know nothing of this. Corrie was grateful when Hannah waved to them from the doorway and their conversation terminated.

Inside the practice, Jack, Hannah, and Mr. Fletcher, now Sheriff Fletcher, were already seated next to Christina who could now sit in a chair with support for her dysfunctional leg. Corrie went to Christina's side if only to avoid Dr. Benjamin's company. Christina had a sandwich in one hand and a newspaper in the other, her seaglass eyes scanning the page ravenously.

"What's new on the Western Front, Chris?" Corrie asked as she squeezed her sister and looked over her shoulders.

Christina had become an expert on the Great War, mapping every offensive and explaining the significance of every victory or loss to the readers of the Irvington Times. "The Third Battle of Ypres has finally ended," Christina said with a heavy sigh.

Corrie tried to remember what the battle was, recalling something about Belgium. The battle had been a major offensive by the Allies, primarily the British. Thousands had already died throughout the several months of the battle, the third in Ypres.

"What happened?"

"It failed," Christina explained, her voice dropping a notch and her eyes wide. "They estimate 200,000 Allied soldiers have died."

At Christina's words, they all fell silent. Two hundred thousand men had died in one long battle. Thankfully, the American reserves had not yet been drawn into battle, but Corrie could only imagine how many letters would be sent to American families, leaving them with missing members of the family portrait.

"Who won?" Dr. Benjamin asked, Christina now drawing everyone's attention.

With haunted eyes, Christina murmured, "The Germans."

Not only had 200,000 men lost their lives, they had also lost the battle. Internally, Corrie asked herself the question they were all thinking: Is it worth it?

~~~~~

With a shaking hand, Corrie hung the receiver onto the telephone and drew in a whistling breath. His words echoed in her ear. "I'll see you soon, Cornelia!" Edwin was coming to Irvington this very weekend to visit her and her family. Corrie could not imagine why he had decided to visit after barely speaking to her for months; perhaps it was the letter she had written detailing their trip to Richmond and her subsequent work at the post office.

She knew she should be elated that she would see her beau for the first time in months, but Corrie instead felt an unidentifiable sense of dread. One of only two events could occur when they reunited: Edwin could reaffirm his feelings for her and move their courtship towards marriage, or he could end their courtship and leave her in disgrace. Perhaps more frightening, Corrie could not decide which alternative she favored. During the last few months, their courtship had been at a standstill which Corrie found she preferred as it did not force her to make any decisions about her future. Edwin and Corrie enjoyed each other's company but had not spent time envisioning their future.

The hiatus, however, was over, and in just a day, Edwin would be arriving at her front door. Corrie berated herself for her indecisiveness, blaming it on her as of yet unfaltering feelings for Dr. Benjamin. Perhaps marrying Edwin and moving away from Irvington once Christina recovered would be best for everyone.

"Corrie? Is everything alright?" Anita asked, unseen at the doorway to the sitting room. "You look quite pale."

Corrie summoned a tight lipped smile. "Yes, um, Edwin is coming to visit this weekend. He'll be staying at the bed and breakfast. Perhaps you would be willing to have him for dinner one night while he visits?"

Anita's face brightened. "Oh, darling, that's wonderful! I'll have Emmaline prepare a fine dinner for us. We want to show your young Mr. McAlister that we belong in his circle."

"That sounds fine, Mother. If you'll excuse me." Corrie evacuated the house, feeling as if she were suffocating.

The fall night air was brittle and cold and she wished she had thought to grab her wrap before escaping her mother. Edwin's arrival and her internal conflict filled her chest until there was barely room for her lungs to expand, and all Corrie wanted was someone in whom to confide. She'd held everything inside of her for so long that she was nearly bursting.

With a mind of their own, her feet drew her towards the doctor's office. She couldn't tell Hannah or Jack and certainly not Dr. Benjamin of her internal dilemma, but perhaps she could confide in Christina enough to relieve the tension that threatened to break her.

The practice was dimly lit with a few candles when Corrie let herself in and went to Christina's room at the end of the hallway. She opened the door softly and found Christina with her nose in a French novel lit.

"Chris?" Corrie asked, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

"Corrie, is everything okay?" Christina exclaimed, setting aside her French novel at the sight of Corrie's drawn features.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine," Corrie stuttered. "Do you have time to talk?"

Christina rolled her eyes. "I always have time to talk. I'm an invalid. What's going on? What has upset you so?"

With a deep breath, Corrie began, "Edwin's coming to visit this weekend."

Christina's slender eyebrows raised. "Why aren't you more excited?"

Corrie felt the panic rising at the back of her throat. She couldn't reveal to Christina the true source of her mixed emotions. "I...I don't know what's next for us. Mother and Father are, of course, excited to meet him, and part of me wants to see him, but I'm afraid this will decide our future."

Realization dawned on Christina's face. "You're afraid he'll propose."

"Well, not afraid, exactly," Corrie stalled though the prospect of a proposal terrified her. "I just...I feel as if this is my crossroads: New York or Irvington, my career or my family."

A shadow fell on Christina's wan face. "If it's because of me..."
"No, of course not. I'm staying here until you've recovered regardless. After the war and your recovery, however, I'll have to decide what I want next."
"You don't want to return to finish your degree?"

"I...I want a degree," Corrie explained, realizing her conflict went beyond her doubts about her courtship. "I just don't know if I want New York anymore."

I don't know if I want Edwin.  

~~~~~

Edwin's coming to town! I'm so excited to share this part of the story with you. So. Much. Drama. Any thoughts on what'll happen? 

In other news, Sharing Corrie won 2nd place in the fiction category in the Elimination Awards! My other novels won awards as well, so that's pretty exciting news. Plus, Sharing Corrie is at 850 reads, not far from 1000! 

Stay tuned for the next updates; I promise they'll be entertaining! Happy Monday!

~ Hannah