30. Reunions (1/2)

chapter xxix

"it is such a lovely thing, the view of the ocean springing up before your eyes," julia thought to herself after the first night which she spent on the ship "it almost seems like a completely different world, on a completely different planet."

the sun was shining high between the clouds, making the waves of the atlantic ocean look like pure liquid gold which everyone can drink from. julia was outside, looking at its beauty and enjoying the

eeze coming from it by closing her eyes and opening them up again after few seconds. she was doing it every day, imagining the moment when she would see her homeland again. it was so nice to be dreaming seeing her home and her family again, without the fear of not knowing when this dream might become a reality!

one day, she couldn't dream for a long time, as suddenly the peace which surrounded her, was

oken by the group of four boy-soldiers who just ran from the inside of the ship straight into julia's favourite spot. she opened her eyes quickly and was almost angry that the soldiers came there with all their joking and shoutings. but then she realised that they were also canadian soldiers coming back home, just like her, and she even smiled at them.

then she realised that they weren't just 'ordinary' soldiers, they were all wounded; two of the boys had their heads bandaged, the third one had an empty sleeve of his uniform, and the fourth one… oh, the fourth one! "merry?" julia whispered

eathlessly. it was merry. julia thought that she would never be able to recognise him, after he was blinded, with all the burns on his face and his eyes so blank and so not alive like they once were. but they weren't blank at all! they were as alive and joyful as they always had been!

the only thing about him that changed was this one burn which was covering his right cheek. but it was still merry. "merry!" julia shouted out this time, almost screamed. merry turned to the place where the voice was coming from. all the other boys did the exact same thing and almost gasped when they saw a beautiful, red-headed girl, crying helplessly at the sight of her

other whom she hadn't see in six years.

"julia?" merry whispered, not believing in the word he just said. julia made her way through all the boys, and threw her arms on merry's neck, kissing his blind eyes and his cheeks and his still red hair.

"oh, merry, it is you! it is you!" she whispered into his ear. how tall he was! but maybe he was always this tall? she couldn't tell, six years is a long time after all. but oh, how

own his skin was and how strong his arms were!

"julia, you cut your hair!" he said when he touched julia's short red curls.

she laughed and looked at his face, putting her hands on his cheeks with greatest tenderness, afraid to touch his face in fear it will

eak in pain "you see me after six years and that's the first thing you say to me?" julia chuckled through the tears.

"but you will remember it even more now, won't you?" he chuckled too and put her into a tight hug again "has it really been six years, jules?" he asked in disbelief.

"i'm afraid so." julia said and then suddenly turned to the three boys standing next to her "could i borrow my

other for a while, please?" she asked them, grinning.

"he's yours, miss." a boy with an empty sleeve said cheerfully.

"let's take a long walk, miss blythe." merry whispered to julia whose arm was already resting on his shoulder.

"of course, mr blythe." she replied.

and they did take a walk, a very long one, which julia would remember till the rest of her life. merry wasn't changed one single bit, and he didn't seem to mind his blindness so much. they talked about their war experience from the perspective of a commandant, and a vad. in one word, they finally felt that the war really ended, and the time of peace inhabited the earth once again.

a few days later, julia and merry found themselves catching the train to glen. it was early in the morning, and julia was describing to her

other how beautiful canada looked from the train's window, that morning on the first day of july. cloudless sky, with shining sun and the wonderful birdsong and summer

eeze filling up the air of prince edward island made them both think of nothing else but home.

"merry, we're here." julia said in disbelief when she saw the train station which she left just three years earlier.

merry got up immediately "let's go then." he said with excitement and julia took her suitcases, merry took his and hand-in-hand they stepped off the train.

nobody knew exactly what day julia or merry would be coming home, although they staretd expecting them three days earlier already, no one would expect them, both of them, returning to their home and family so soon. but both merry and julia took their time and walked slowly home, talking about how glad they were that nothing changed at all in the old glen, and that all the trees, flowers and even buildings were still the same as they left them.

eventually they reached the house on the hill and julia couldn't hold back her tears, neither could merry, for that matter. and so dr james blythe, who opened the door to them, saw two, homesick, crying faces he had been waited to see for years. "it can't be!" jem said and grabbed the two of them into his strong arms, kissing each of their faces with greatest happiness "faith, cee! come here quickly!" he shouted out, laughing and crying at the same time.

"jem, i am cooking, for heaven's sakes, i can't be in both places…." faith entered the hall with a towel in her hands, waving it madly. she stopped when she saw julia and merry standing on her doorstep. "oh, my babies!" she exclaimed and joined in all the hugs and kisses, her eyes filling up with tears "you are home! oh, this is the most beautiful day of my life!" she said

eathlessly between the sobs.

"daddy, is everything…" cee came into the hall hurriedly. cee, who grew up so much, and certainly wasn't a baby anymore! a girl of fifteen with the sweetest dimples and caring, passionate eyes! how tall she was, julia thought, and mature! "oh, julia! merry!" she cried and was the last addition to the family's reunion.

one hour later, the ingleside, the manse, the house of dreams, the farm house, the blue house in charlottetown and the slightly bigger house in kingsport were all informed about the arrival of the two missing members of the blythe family. the house on the hill was in the very centre of attention that day, and was invaded with all the blythes, merediths and fords from glen and four winds just two hours after the arrival of julia and merry.

the grandparents were admiring how mature and lovely both of them looked, and as they were the first ones to arrive for their greeting, they couldn't help but to hug and squeeze the two of them all the time. "you are home now, safe and sound." grandmother blythe laughed joyfully "the children of the war." she said and patted julia's hand which was resting in her own.

"i wouldn't say children, grandma." merry said from the other side of the table in their living room "i am twenty-five and julia is twenty-three." he smiled mischievously.

"oh, even if you were ninety, you would still be my little boy, merry, darling." faith said and kissed her son on the forehead tenderly.

"there's someone knocking on the door." cee declared when she came out of the kitchen "i think it's the manse folk." she grinned at both her sister and her

other.

julia gasped, and stood up as if something had pinched her "rose!" she squeaked when the tall, completely unchanged woman came into the room with a four-year-old jackie in her arms.

"you dear juliet o'mine!" she exclaimed and kissed her friend's hands "it's so good to have you back!" rose looked like a real rose, so fresh and beautiful in her flowing red dress and long

own curls lying on her shoulders. julia could almost drink her sight in, she missed her so much!

"oh, and this is the little jackie! who is not so little anymore." julia laughed and patted jackie's

own curls gently. jackie smiled at his auntie and before rose opened her mouth to say anything, she was interrupted by her

other who just came into the room.

"well, well, well, there she is." jake came into the room with a funny smile on his face.

"jake." julia

eathed out and let out a small cry, falling staright into his arms "you didn't change a bit. except for how