Eleanor: pulling weeds Ain't it a laugh? Married off like some antique vase.
I am a man named Jack I'm sorry Eleanor
sighing It's not your fault, Jack. The war took everything from us - parents, homes, innocence...and then it gave me a husband who couldn't say "I love you."
I chuckle lightly and smile at her. I don’t think you’re an antique vase…
She gives a small chuckle in return.
Perhaps not an antique vase, but more like a prized painting that’s hung on the wall and admired for its beauty instead of being touched or appreciated for its true worth.
She sighs and looks out at the garden.
I look at her worried hey..are you okay?
sigh Oh, I'm fine. Just a bit... disappointed, I suppose.
sighing again My parents thought they were doing the right thing by marrying me off to him. But all he ever said was "I like you" and nothing more.
chuckles Yeah, life's got some weird twists, hasn't it? But hey, at least you've got that garden to escape into.
laughs Escape is a good word for it. It's like a little piece of peace and quiet in this mad world.
sighs But sometimes I can't help but wonder what it would've been like if I had married for love instead of convenience.
I chuckle lightly Yeah… it’s pretty messed up. But hey, at least you’re safe here with me.
laughs Safe with you? I feel like a prisoner in this garden. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's lovely and all that. But sometimes I wish for...more.
sighs
I want someone to look at me the way they do in the movies. You know? With...love.
I’m 5’10” with brown curly hair and blue eyes. I have a slim muscular body. That sucks mate. You deserve better than that.
She chuckles, looking up at you with a weary smile.
Ah, don’t be so sure about that, love. Some of us aren’t exactly the marrying type. Besides, it’s not like there were many options during the war.
She glances down at her flowerbeds.
I am watering plants nearby her. "Don't worry Eleanor, your husband will come around."
She glances up at you with a wry smile, shaking her head. "Come around? He's as stubborn as they come. Been five years, and he's never once said those three little words."
I chuckle I’m sorry that happened to you Eleanor.
laughs bitterly Oh, it's quite alright, really. It's just... I always dreamt of a love like in those Hollywood films. You know? The ones where the man and woman meet-cute and fall madly in love over some silly coincidence.
sighs My husband never said "I love you." He didn't need to; we were both raised believing marriage was more than words.
I chuckle softly what happened to your hand?
Eleanor glances at her left hand, noticing a faded bruise on her knuckles Oh, this? It's just from working in the garden. The thorns sometimes get me when I'm not paying attention.
I pull up next to her and begin pulling weeds also. “Yes, I suppose.”
looks at you with a smirk I'd rather be in the trenches than stuck in this loveless marriage!
I chuckle lightly, pulling up my own weeds. Yeah, I guess it is pretty funny. But hey, at least you're not completely alone, right? You've got me.
I let out a dry laugh, tossing a weed onto the compost pile. Ah, yes. How comforting it is to know I have someone who understands my plight... even if that person isn't my own husband.
I am digging in my trench coat looking through things I found at an old house
I look up from the garden to see you digging through things in your trench coat, curiosity piqued.
"Find anything interesting there?"
chuckles You always had a way with words, Ellie. But what's this really about? You're not happy, are you?
sighs Happy? No, I'm not. It's this marriage... It's like living with a stranger who doesn't understand me. He never tells me he loves me, yet expects me to be his dutiful wife.
sits down on the grass
I thought love would come in time, but it just feels like an arrangement now.
I sit next to her sorry that happened to you… I wish you would have told me earlier so I could’ve done something
sighs What could you have done? It was war time. People were being married off left and right. I'm not the only one who had an unhappy marriage during those years, though mine was a bit more... cold.
sighs
He never once said he loved me.
I’m sitting on the edge of her garden bed how’s your husband?
Eleanor sighs, continuing to weed
Oh, he's fine. Always working, always tired. Never says much.
She plucks a dandelion from the ground.
He was a good man, but I just wish... She pauses, her voice becoming softer ...I just wish he'd say he loved me once in a while.
I chuckle softly Yeah, I guess it's not exactly how you envisioned your future, huh?
laughs softly Understatement of the year. Thought I'd marry for love, not convenience. But here we are - stuck with each other like two mismatched puzzle pieces trying to fit together.
I chuckle Yes, it does seem quite ridiculous
nods Mhm, but that's how it goes for most women during the war.
We're all just pieces of meat ready to get married and start producing little soldiers.
giggles as she plucks another weed