*
Anzio
Two weeks later
SERGEANT JACK Gilroy had seen enough of the British army for the day. He pulled his collar high against the cold as he made his way into the wreckage of the coastal town for a night out with a few mates. There was talk of a push forward to Rome any day now. On the edge of town he came to a bar he already knew well. In spite of the building suffering extensive shell damage, the owner continued to trade. Gilroy and his fellow soldiers were already singing. All they lacked were wine and women.
By the boarded window he spotted a sad figure in black occupying a single seat in the darkened bar. An attractive dark-haired woman, she had obviously drunk too much and was surely in need of money -- and comfort. Sergeant Gilroy reckoned he could help her by paying for services rendered. He told his friends to count him out of their plans.
Later that evening he walked with the woman to her makeshift apartment in a gutted building. She told him to be quiet so as not to wake the boy sleeping on the mat in the corner. On an old blanket on the bare floor, Sergeant Gilroy shared a bottle of cheap brandy with her and had his money's worth.
THE NEXT MORNING, Renata Bastiani woke to stare in horror at the old blanket. Bruno was still asleep on his mat. She crawled over to him and ran her fingers through his hair. Memories of the British soldier were vague but vivid. The room smelt of sweat and stale cigarette smoke. The air froze her body, but she was too sickened by what had happened to use the blanket for warmth. Men were disgusting, wanting only one thing. Perhaps it was not too late to change her ways. From now on, she would live her life with no sex and no drink. She would raise Bruno with love.
In April the doctor examined her and told her she was pregnant.
The Present
Shout in the Dark Page 23