Childhood Love: A Sweet and Innocent First Romance

**Childhood Love**

“Mum, can I wear my blue shirt to nursery tomorrow?”
“Blue? Why’s that?”
“Because Katie Evans said it suits mematches my eyes!”
“Well, if Katie said so, of course you can wear it.”

Little Tommy, pleased, ran off to play with his older brother, James, who was already in school. That evening, Mum told Dad about the blue shirt and how it brought out Tommys eyes. Dad chuckled and ruffled his youngest sons hair.

“So, lad, you like Katie, then?”
“Yeah, Im gonna marry her.”
“Is that so? Well, first youve got to finish school, get an education, then think about marriage.”
“Blimey, thats ages away…” Tommy frowned.

“Dad, can I marry Katie tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Where would you live, son?”
“At home, obviously,” the boy replied, puzzled.
“Whose home? Katies?”
“No, Dad!” Tommys eyes widened. “Katie at hers, me at ours.”
“Doesnt work like that, son. When you marry, you take your wife homeyoud have to work, while Katie keeps going to nursery, then school, then uni.”
“And me?” Tommys eyes filled with tears.
“Youd have to work, lad, to look after your family.”

“Whats wrong? Whyre you crying?” Mum knelt before him.
“Mummy, I want to marry Katie, but I dont wanna work yet! I wanna go to nursery, then school, and Dad said” His voice wobbled.
“No need for tears. Grow up first, then marry her.”
“But by then, someone else might take her!”

“Who would?”
“Dunno… maybe Jack or Ben.”
“Well then, shes not the one for you if someone else can steal her away.”

The next morning, Tommy marched up to a girl in a red velvet dress, a big bow in her long blonde hair, took her hand, and declared, “Im gonna marry you, Evans!”
Katie stared at him, then turned away. “No!”
Tommy stomped his foot. “I said Im marrying you! Just not yet, alright, Katie?” He peered into her eyes. “Later, yeah?”
“Why not now?” she asked. “Jack and Lily got married yesterday.”
“Thats pretend. Oursll be real!”
“Okay!” She nodded, and hand in hand, they ran off to play.

At school, Tommy demanded the teacher sit him next to Katie.
She refused, placing Katie with another pupil. Undeterred, Tommy plonked himself beside her.
“Im marrying Evans when I grow up.”
The class erupted in giggles. “Tommy and Katie, sitting in a tree!”
“Quiet!” the teacher snapped. “Whats your name?”
“Tommy.”
“Youre too young for such thoughts. Back to your seat.”
“No! Katie, tell her!”
Katie just smiled.
“Well, miss, whats your answer?” the teacher asked.
“Were marrying properly when were grownnot like Jack and Lily. Theirs was just nursery pretend.”
The teacher studied them. “Very well. Sit together.”

Katie was the queen of his heart. He carried her bag, shielded her from dogs, bullies, even teachers. Once, when she scraped her knee, he hauled her to the nurse.

Years later, in secondary school, he confessed properly.
And Katie? She smiledthen walked away, head high.
“Ill still marry you, Evans!” he shouted after her. “Hear me?”

Then Ben, a boxer with a flash car, started hanging around her. Tommy took bruises but never backed down.

One evening, he spotted three lads loitering. Trouble.
“Oi, kid,” one sneered, peeling off the wall. “Come ere.”
“You want me, you move.”
“Cheeky little sod.”
“Got a name, mate. Anyway, listenback off our mates girl.”
“Your mates scared to say it himself? Tell him if he doesnt leave my girl alone” Tommy stressed *my*”hell regret it.”
He turned, walking calmly home, sensing their rage.

They jumped him later, cowardly, from behind. Outnumbered, he heard a cryKatie, swinging a fence plank, charging like a fury. She walloped them left and right while Tommys brother and mate sprinted over, alerted by Lily, Katies friend.

That night, cleaned up under the tap, they slathered each other with antiseptic, laughingTommy loudest, though it hurt. Walking Katie home, she paused at her door.
“Hurt much?”
“Nah,” he lied.
She rose on tiptoes, kissed himthe lads tactfully looked away.
“Sorry, Tom.”
“For what? Youre my hero. Swing that plank like Bruce Leescares me, Evans. Howm I meant to marry you if you fight like that?”
She laughed.

Then came his army send-off. Katie didnt cling or cryjust stayed close.
“Remember, Ill marry you when Im back, yeah?”
For the first time since nursery, she said, “Yeah.” Blushing, she whispered, “Tom… dyou love me?”
“Are you daft? Ive spent my life saying Ill marry youcourse I do.”

Letters flew back and forth, each hiding *love*. Thennothing. The telly showed boys, dirty but alive, fighting somewhere far.

Three letters arrived at onceto his parents, Katie, and James. His to Katie was full of daft stories about penguins up north, making her laugh and cry.

That night, James found her. “Penguins dont live up north, Katie.”
Only he knew the truththeir childhood code hidden in one word.
A word that kept mothers awake.

James wept, fists in his mouth, helpless.

Tommy came home at dawn, dumped his kit, savoured the quiet.
James stepped onto the balcony, smoking.
“Smokings bad,” Tommy called up.
“Sos being a pain. Welcome back, little brother.”

A few hours later, slightly tipsy on joy, Tommy yelled up at Katies window:
“Evans! Im here to marry you!”
No one told him offthe whole street knew a soldiers joy.

“Mum, Dadcan I marry her now?” he asked, preening in the mirror.
“Get dressed, groom. Bride might change her mind.”
“Over my dead body!”

**Years later…**
“Mum, Im getting married.”
“Oh? When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Really? And whos the lucky girl, Michael?”
“Emily Evans. From my class.”
“Evans? Dad know?”
“Yeah. He said talk to Grandad first, so Im marrying her tomorrow.”

**Later that evening…**
“Well, Grandad, did you talk some sense into him?” Mum laughed.
“Aye. History repeatsanother Evans stealing our boys hearts.”

And so it goes.