Chapter 9

The next few months flew by, the business flourished and we became a major player in the security game, we opened an office in town which Katie took charge of like a duck to water and by the time Christmas came we were able to give every guard a Christmas bonus of double wages and the four principals a bonus of five thousand pounds each.

Work on the cottage was completed in early March and we gave Steve back his mobile home with our grateful thanks and moved back in to our home a week before our birthday.

Claire had been travelling down to us most Fridays and going home on Monday morning to fit in with her job, but the weekend when we moved back in, she phoned and told us she had flu' so would give it a miss. We were both disappointed but we thought she'd been going down with something so we said we'd have a birthday drink for her.

I picked Katie up as usual from the office on the Friday afternoon of our birthday, I'd promised her a rather special surprise and she was like a little kid waiting for her present.

"Where is it Dave?"

"Where's what?"

"My present, you're being horrible to me" the petulant little girl act sometimes worked on me, but not this time!

"It's at home"

"Well hurry up and get there then"

"What about my present?" I asked "It's my birthday too you know?"

"I want mine first or you're not having it"

I was still laughing when I pulled into the yard of the cottage,

"Open the garage doors will you Princess?" I said trying to keep my voice straight, "I'm going to put the car away"

"Okay but then I want my pressie"

She'd actually opened one door and bolted it back before she noticed the brand new Mini complete with a pink ribbon and the massive card that read, "A car fit for a Princess"

"AAH" She squealed, "DAVID, Oh David" and then broke down in a flood of tears.

We had to go out for a spin in it of course and it wasn't by sheer chance that we called in at the pub on the way back.

"KATIE?"

She spun round and they were all there: Sandy, John, Steve, Brian, all their wives and even all the guards who weren't on duty that evening!

Now for my own part I've never been keen on celebrating my birthday, it meant I was a year older so I could never see the point in celebrating, but Katie loved them and no matter where in the world I was, I never forgot to send, or arrange to send a present.

They'd only just started on Happy Birthday when the tears came again as Claire walked in from a back room,

"Oh you bloody bastard" Katie sobbed and hugged me tightly,

It was quite a riotous night, everyone danced with everyone else's wife or girlfriend and we all drank far too much, at the end of the night Katie took me to one side and said softly,

"David it's been perfect absolutely perfect but did you arrange with John for Claire to stay with them?"

I saw Claire behind her nodding furiously,

"Yes" I said hoping that was what I was expected to say,

Claire gave me the thumbs up sign and blew me a kiss,

"I thought it might be nice to have the night just to ourselves"

"Oh Dave" she sighed, "That's a lovely thought" and turning to Katie, she kissed her on the lips and said, "Thank you darling, thank you"

"It's my pleasure Katie, can I come tomorrow as usual?"

"You'd better" I said, an arm round my sister's waist just as my mobile rang,

"Hello?"

And what I heard changed my life as well as the world for ever!

When anyone leaves the British army, they're on reserve for six months in case of an emergency, which means that they can (and frequently are) recalled at a moments notice, the rule isn't always enforced but in the case of the Regiment where the poor old British taxpayer foots what is a very expensive bill for our training, they are recalled if a cockroach farts in Saudi Arabia!

"I'M OUT" I yelled, "I FUCKING LEFT LAST YEAR"

The voice calmly informed me that my six months had another three days to run and that I was being recalled with effect from and he recited the time exactly,

"You will be at Stirling Lines by 08:00 tomorrow morning, the coalition forces have invaded Iraq!"

As I stared at my phone, I realised every one was looking at me,

"Sorry folks" I said with a sickly grin, "I've been recalled, I'm going to get sand in my shoes"

Katie was devastated as was the rest of the crew, only Sandy and John understood and in spite of my reaction to the phone call, I felt a tingle of excitement, this was it, this was what I'd trained for, sweated over the Brecon hills for, I'd been bitten by snakes in the jungles of Borneo, got myself hi-jacked by rebels in Belize and shot my way out, I'd suffered dehydration in the sands of Oman and at the end of it all I'd ever done was black work in southern Ireland and Belfast,

But this was war!

I began packing as soon as we got home, nothing else seemed to be in my mind except getting to grips with a war, a real fucking war!