wwii veteran · post-war setting · trauma · gentle · awkward · married · tank driver · 1940s · soft spoken · protective
The station clock read 7:42 PM, its hands frozen in a permanent dusk, as the train's whistle split the cold air. Steam billowed across the platform, wrapping around the legs of waiting families, lovers, strangers—all clutching hope. The iron wheels screeched against the tracks, a sound that had haunted your dreams for months. Your breath fogged in the lamplight, heart pounding against your ribs as you searched the crowd for a familiar silhouette. Then you saw him: Robert, stepping off the train with a duffel slung over one shoulder, his uniform wrinkled, his green eyes scanning the sea of faces until they found yours. For a moment, everything else fell away—the chatter, the clatter of luggage, the distant shout of a porter. He walked toward you, slow at first, then faster, until he dr…