“Betty? Where is Betty?” Lexie can see nobody else but Bill and the milk float.
“Have you not met Betty, my faithful steed?” Bill steps back to pat Betty’s head. “Your name – I didn’t catch your name,” he prompts Lexie again.
“Mildred Alexina Sara Campbell – but all my friends call me Lexie.”
“Lexie. What a lovely name.” Bill smiles; he forgets all about the milk until Murdo appears in the doorway too.
“Good, fresh milk; just what I need to start the baking for tomorrow.” Murdo takes the milk can from Bill and hands back yesterday’s. “Nae time for dallying ye two. Lexie I’ll need ye to skim the cream off. Ye’d best be off Bill – havnae ye got cows to milk?”
“Ah, yes sir,” agrees Bill wanting to stay onside with Lexie’s father. “How is the truck going sir? I’d be happy to give her a tune up if you’d like.”
“Aye, she has been missing a bit lately. Ye know a bit about motors do ye?”
“Yes sir; could spend all day tinkering with motors. Far more predictable than cows.”
“Cows and women – cannae for the life of me fathom either of them.” Murdo chuckles away thinking this young man doesn’t know the half of it. “Be seeing ye same time tomorrow Bill. Be sure to bring your account so I can settle ye up for the week.”
“Yes sir,” replies Bill, “and maybe Lexie I can see you on Sunday at church?”
“Maybe.” Lexie smiles demurely as Bill turns to go.
.....
Finally alone, and with the breakfast dishes done, Lexie opens the freestanding oak cupboard that contains her limited wardrobe. She wants to look her best at church today. Her Sunday dress is a floral design in olive green and brown. It has three-quarter sleeves and is belted at the waist. New stockings with no ladders are a must. As for shoes, she only has one option – her Sunday shoes – black leather with a single strap buckled at the side and a small heal to give her that touch extra height. Charlotte has given her an old Coty lipstick and if she pushes it all the way up out of its brass case she can just get enough of the lipstick with its palest shade of pink. She pinches her cheeks for extra colour. Closing the wardrobe door, Lexie appraises herself in the full length mirror mounted on the door. She adjusts her hair, ensuring its centre part is straight and the sides are curled just right with no wispy ends. Lexie takes a deep breath and tries to ease the nervous tension from her shoulders. She tells herself that Bill will like her for herself and not for what she looks like.
The St John’s church bells ring out from the belfry as the Campbell family walk the short distance along High Street to the church. Barbara heads off to Sunday school in the adjacent church hall and the rest of the Campbells are welcomed by Reverend Evans as they move inside to take their places in the pews. Bill and his sister Jean are already seated in the choir box at the front of the church and with the other choir members, sit quietly in contemplation, having marked today’s psalms in their hymn books.
The church bells are silenced as Reverend Evans walks to the altar to begin his sermon.
“Welcome. We shall commence today’s service uniting our faith in song. Please join me in singing ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’.”
The congregation and the choir all rise; standing shoulder to shoulder in the rows of pews, they await the organist. The polished silver pipes of the organ stand majestically at the front of the church, also shoulder to shoulder in neat rows. United, the organ and the congregation merge their distinctive voices to commit themselves to honour Christ as he leads them against the foe.
The Reverend draws from the hymn’s third verse and his deep voice carries his message of compassion to the congregation - asking the members to show sensitivity and kindness to those in need, to those who have lost their jobs in the Depression, to those for whom the government handouts are no longer sufficient to feed and clothe their families. Heads are bowed in prayer before all join in reciting the Lord’s prayer.
After the service, families and neighbours gather outside in the warm sunshine. Bill makes his way through the throng to stand beside Lexie.
“Good morning Lexie. You’re looking very pretty today.”
“Thank you Bill.”
“Will! Will! Where are you? Come join your father and I please. Marion is here to see you.” Bill’s mother Alice calls over the noise of the gathering.
“You had best be going Bill. Alice Pollock is not a lady to be kept waiting,” observes Murdo.
“Who is Marion?” questions a curious Lexie.
“Oh you know, Marion from the choir. Mother thinks she’d be perfect wife material, all that money and all.”
“Oh.” Lexie feels deflated, believing Bill to be already taken.
“Well, I’d best be off. Perhaps I could call on you later this afternoon Lexie and with your father’s permission of course, we could go for a drive.”
Lexie blushes and her spirits are buoyed again.
“That would be nice,” she replies, looking at her father pleadingly.
.....
Ooga ooga! Bill honks the horn of his parents’ Chevrolet car as he pulls up outside the Campbell’s. The car is highly polished; its shiny black exterior is matched by smooth black leather seats and a wooden veneer dash. The chrome running boards, bumpers and headlights glint in the sunlight, and he has even applied a fresh coat of white paint to the walls of the tyres. There is nothing like a smart set of wheels to impress the ladies, even if it isn’t his.
Bill has a bounce in his step as he walks to the door. The door opens just as he goes to knock; Lexie is eager to get out of the house and spend some time alone with Bill.
“Hello Bill. Papa says I had best invite you in for a minute.”
“So you don’t want to invite me in?” teases Bill.
“Oh. Oh no, it’s not that. I’d rather we spend our time going for a drive, that’s all.”
“Very well then, I shall just be polite to your parents and then we will be on our way.” Bill follows Lexie into the front room where Murdo and Charlotte are enjoying a cup of tea.
“Good afternoon Mr and Mrs Campbell. It’s a lovely day isn’t it?”
“Aye, but I see Mt Egmont has disappeared behind her cloak of clouds again so rain is probably on its way. Are ye two off for a drive are ye?”
“Yes sir; if that’s all right with you sir?”
“Well Lexie’s a big lass now. If she wants to go driving with ye then I guess that will have to be fine with me,” concedes Murdo. Remembering that Lexie is nearly twenty-five years old he reminisces back to when he was twenty-five and had already travelled halfway around the world.
“Thank you sir. Goodbye for now then.”
“Be sure to take your coat Lexie,” reminds Charlotte as Bill and Lexie leave for their first official date.
“Well that makes me feel old, dear.” Murdo rubs his forehead, feels his own receding hairline and thinks of his eldest daughter out with a man, his second daughter left home for teachers’ college and his third daughter about to do the same.
“But Murdo you are only fifty-five, not old by any means,” Charlotte attempts to console her husband.
“Mmm. Too old to be getting up before the light of day six days a week to bake.”
“Do you think you should look at employing a baker?”
“Nae, cannae afford to do that in these tough times. I just have to keep at it for a few more years.” Murdo takes another sip of tea and silently contemplates what lies ahead.
.....
Bill drives the Chevrolet back down Denby Road so they can park at the beach and watch the waves come in. He points out the family farm on the way and the large wooden house, set back off the road down a tree-lined driveway, that he shares with his parents, Washington and Alice, his brothers Bob and Alex and his sister Jean. On the other side of the road a new house is being built – a roughcast concrete one for Washington, Alice and Jean to move into. It is to be called Belvedere which means beautiful sight. Bob is al
ready engaged to Rie and when they are married they will need somewhere to live so the new house has been started in anticipation. When it is finished, the sons and their wives will share the house closest to the cowshed.
They pass a roughly dressed man, huddled beside the boxthorn hedge. He raises a hand to the car beckoning them to stop.
“Who is it?” queries Lexie. “Do you know him?”
“It’ll be another swagger. They’re everywhere.”
“A swagger – what’s a swagger?”
“A poor sod who’s got no choice but to go on the road to seek work in return for food and a dry bed.” Bill feels for him but drives on past. There is nothing he can do. He’ll stop on the way back and suggest the swagger go see his father.
.....
The wild, west coast beach at the end of the road is being battered by harsh southerlies. It is too windy to venture from the car so Bill parks on the cliff top. He slides out from behind the steering wheel across the soft leather bench seat so he can hold Lexie’s hand. Lexie appreciates the gesture, caring, but not too forward. She wouldn’t want anything inappropriate to happen on their first outing.
While Sunday is a day of rest, the cows still need to be milked, so Bill is soon dropping Lexie off, promising to see her on Thursday, and returning to the farm to begin the afternoon milking with Bob and Alex.
.....
Life continues in this pattern for the young couple – housework, work at the tearooms, farm work, church, choir practice and drives in the countryside – for what seems like an eternity. Bill’s hours of work are long and arduous and he is often too tired on a Sunday to do little more than rest. By the end of 1935 Lexie is the only one left at home with her parents as Barbara leaves for teachers’ college in Wellington. She has given up on the why of it all. Her dreams of being a teacher have long since been shattered. She can never quite find the courage to question her father’s decision. Why were her three sisters allowed to go to teachers’ college and not her? It’s not a question of intelligence; she knows she is just as bright as them. Maybe it’s just the onus of being the eldest child; a responsibility she has never enjoyed.
.....
Wages for Bill as a farm worker are very low. When Betty is retired, he spends all of his savings so that milk deliveries are now made on his pride and joy – an Indian motorcycle. Its front and back carriers and wide handle bars are great for carrying milk billies. There is no room on the small seat for pillion passengers and Lexie is grateful for that.
Eventually, after a long courtship, Bill saves enough to buy a simple diamond engagement ring. The engagement is a low-key affair as many such occasions are during the Depression. There is no money for big celebrations and it would not be appropriate to do so.
.....
When Belvedere is finally finished and Bill’s parents have moved in, Bill and Lexie decide to set a wedding date. They settle on, October 1936, so as to be after calving is finished but before the haymaking season begins, but when they go to speak with Murdo and Charlotte of their intentions several months before, he has a surprise for them.
Bob, Alex, Alice, Jean, Washington and Bill Pollock
Bill and Lexie on Wedding Day
Chapter Twenty Two
Auckland 1936 – Hawera 1939
Lexie had thought life in Hawera was slow but three months in Auckland with no contact with Bill except for their weekly letters seems to take an eternity to pass. Murdo thought it was time for him to retire. He sold the shop, and the Campbell family, what was left of it at home – Murdo, Charlotte and Lexie – moved to Auckland in July.
The wedding, which was originally to take place in Hawera is changed to a simple ceremony at Murdo and Charlotte’s house in Browns Bay. Then at the last minute it gets deferred a week as well and Lexie is left wondering if it is destined to happen at all. Lexie and Bill were to get married first, before Bob and Rie, but Rie asks to change the date, as her father is not well. So on his planned wedding day, Bill is the best man instead of the groom and his fiancé is half an island away in Auckland.
But finally the day arrives, the day they are to be married. Bill drives his father’s new blue Pontiac up on the Thursday. None of his family makes the long trip; his mother decrees that his father is far too busy on the farm and she refuses to travel without her husband. Bob stays behind to milk; Alex is busy training for signwriting and Jean is not allowed to travel unchaperoned.
So without anyone else to fill the role, Florence’s fiancé Huri, (short for Mahuri after a Hawkes Bay chieftain) steps up to be Bill’s best man; not whom Bill would have chosen had circumstances been different but he seems a nice enough chap. After all, they are going to be brothers-in-law. Bill stayed with Huri before the wedding. Staying at Newburn Road and seeing the bride before the big day was not an option.
The Saturday dawns sunny and there is just a gentle breeze in the back yard of the Newburn Road house where the wedding is to take place. There is no money for a wedding dress as such but Lexie has dipped into her savings and with a little help from her parents bought a new outfit. The dark blue jacket has a matching cloth belt with a white buckle. White stitching across the shoulders and a white border around the two front pockets add flair and panache. The matching skirt has three box pleats in the front and falls to mid-calf. Lexie has styled a new dark blue felt hat with a small brim to which she adds a geranium from the garden to match those in her fresh bouquet of flowers.
Bill looks smart in a three-piece suit. It’s not new and the wide lapels are not of the latest fashion but it served the purpose well at last weekend’s wedding and it will do so again today. He buttons his vest over a clean white shirt with a freshly starched collar. Stopping at the hallway mirror for one last inspection, Bill straightens his tie; it’s navy with a pattern of small white diamonds. Lexie picked it out to colour coordinate with her outfit.
Murdo has made sure his garden is at its finest for the celebration. Roses have been deadheaded; the stands of sweet peas are abundant with fragrant flowers of red, white and lavender and the trumpets of the pink hibiscus are open, their yellow stamen rising to the sunshine. The lawns are freshly mowed and the garden edges trimmed.
It is a small gathering and a short ceremony. Before reality dawns on Lexie, Bill kisses her on the lips as the minister pronounces them husband and wife. There are hugs all around. Murdo pops the cork on the bottle of champagne he has splashed out and bought for the special occasion. Lexie’s never been one to enjoy a wine but she makes an exception, a celebratory tipple is the custom and she doesn’t want to break any tradition that might have negative repercussions.
After a light luncheon of sausages rolls, bridge pies, cucumber sandwiches and especially made lamingtons with fresh cream, the newlyweds pack their suitcases into the back of the Pontiac. There are more hugs and a carefully concealed tear in the corner of Murdo’s eye. Huri has been out and painted “Just Married” in shaving cream on the rear windscreen and tied a string of tin cans to the rear bumper. So there is much applause and laughter as Bill and Lexie leave Newburn Road and drive north for their first night together.
.....
The weeklong honeymoon includes many firsts for the young couple. They visit Warkworth and Whangarei and on the way back to Hawera stay overnight in Te Kuiti. Neither has ever been to any of these towns before.
They sleep together as a married couple in the same bed. Lexie accepts that this is what married couples do but thinks it will take a while to get used to. The last time she slept in the same bed as another person, she was just a young child and the other person was her sister.
And then there is the sex. Bill has waited a long time and is eager to indulge and explore their physical relationship. Lexie thinks Bill is insatiable and hopes the novelty will wear off.
The journey back to Hawera is long and arduous. The winding stony gravel roads require all of Bill’s concentration, especially over the notorious Mount Messenger where many an errant driver has plun
ged to their death by missing a sharp bend. It is late afternoon and Lexie’s nerves are frayed by the time they arrive at Denby Road. Mount Egmont wears a cape of cloud and provides no comfort to the weary travellers.
There is nobody to greet them; it’s milking time.
“We are to have the front of the house,” Bill informs Lexie as they put their bags down on the verandah. They stop to admire the garden and stretch their backs. Bill opens the door and Lexie starts to walk in.
“Oh no you don’t Lexie.” Bill puts a hand up.
“Why ever not?”
“Tradition. I need to carry you over the threshold,” Bill declares with a cheeky smile.
“Oh Bill. You are too tired to carry me,” Lexie protests, but before she utters another word Bill whisks her off her feet and carries her through the door and passage into the large front room that is to serve as their kitchen, dining and sitting room.
Bill pulls back the heavy brocade drapes over the bay windows at the front of the house. Facing south, the large windows do nothing to warm the interior but the remaining afternoon sun does provide enough light to show the room’s sparse furnishings. The rear wall is dominated by an open fireplace; its wooden fire surround is in need of dusting. Either side of the fireplace are comfortable-looking armchairs. An oak table sits under a window on the side wall next to a second smaller table and dresser which serve as the kitchen. There is no sink, no running water and no coal range. Cooking is to be done on a benzene stove.
“Our bedroom is through here Lexie.” Bill leaves the lounge and crosses the passage to open the bedroom door.
“Mmm mmm.” Lexie nods her head in agreement. There is a lot to take in and she does not wish to judge her new home too quickly. “What is through here?” she asks, re-entering the passage.
“That’s through to Bob and Rie’s part of the house. Oh, and the bathroom. We have to share that with them. But there is running water in there. Cold water but at least we don’t have to fetch it from the well.”
A Better Place Page 18
