by Joan Jonker
‘How did you get on with him?’ Julie asked. ‘You’re a lucky blighter, you are. You got the best. I would rather have gone out with Peter, but you beat me to it.’
Poppy stopped in her tracks. ‘I did no such thing! I’ve never run after a feller in me life, and I’m not going to start now. Peter did all the running, not me.’ They had been friends since schooldays, but only now, looking at Julie’s pouting lips, did Poppy realize her friend had always wanted her own way, and would sulk if she didn’t get it. ‘I’ll tell you what I’ll do, Julie. If you think you’d have a chance with Peter, I’ll swap partners with you a few times and see if you can work your charm on him. I’ll have the first waltz with Jim. Okay?’
Julie’s smile was more of a smirk. She’d show Poppy she wasn’t the only one the blokes fell for. But she tried to play down her excitement. ‘Yeah, if that’s what yer want. It doesn’t bother me who I dance with.’
As soon as the pair walked into the dance hall, Peter left the friend he was talking to and made a beeline for the girl he thought the most beautiful he’d ever seen. And the nice thing about her was she didn’t realize the effect she had on men. On him, anyway, and he couldn’t help noticing the way all the blokes looked at her. He took her arm. ‘You’re a little late. I was beginning to think you were going to stand me up.’
‘I don’t stand blokes up, Peter. If I don’t want to go out with them I tell them straight.’ Poppy stepped back a little so Julie could join them. ‘I think you know my friend Julie?’
Peter nodded. ‘Hello, Julie.’ His eyes returned quickly to Poppy. ‘Come on, let’s dance. This slow foxtrot is my favourite, and it’s nearly over.’
‘I can’t dance with my bag over my arm. Give me a chance to put it down.’
‘Here, give it to me,’ Julie said. ‘I’ll put it under a chair with mine.’
Poppy was already in Peter’s arms on the dance floor when she said, ‘Here’s Jim coming, Julie, and he looks eager. You said he was a good dancer, so put a smile on your face.’
Peter was a wonderful dancer, and it was a pleasure to be led by him. Long sweeping strides, body swaying to the music, and footwork quick and in perfect time. Poppy was enjoying herself, for she too was an excellent dancer. She was blessed with a sense of rhythm, was light on her feet, and being led close to her partner, she never faltered. They were a well-matched couple, and the envy of many on the floor who were not so accomplished.
When the music faded, Peter took Poppy’s hand and led her off the floor. ‘Tonight is the first time I’ve ever met a date inside the dance hall, and it will be the last. Never again, Poppy, not even for you. Let your friend do what she wants, but she’ll not spoil my date again.’
Poppy’s eyes sparkled with laughter. ‘You are being very optimistic, Peter. Who said there was going to be another date?’
‘You wouldn’t break my heart, would you, Poppy? Of course you wouldn’t. You’re too nice to go around breaking hearts.’
Poppy was about to answer when she saw Julie coming towards them, followed by Jim. ‘Here’s my friend coming now, Peter, and I want you to do me a favour. I’ll say it quickly and explain later. To please me, ask her for the next waltz and I’ll dance with the bloke she’s with. Please?’
The next dance, by coincidence, was a waltz, and Poppy made eyes at Peter. He didn’t look very happy, but he made Julie more than happy when he asked her to dance. However, it had to be said that the happiest person by far was Jim. He was quite shy, and couldn’t quite pluck up the courage to ask the best-looking girl in the hall if she would do him the honour. So Poppy did it for him. ‘Come on, Jim, we can’t stand here like wallflowers. Let’s show them how it’s done.’
Poppy enjoyed the waltz, and she liked Jim. He was a nice bloke, not as good a dancer as Peter, but better than most. And he talked and laughed, certainly not as dull as Julie made him out to be. In fact, Poppy reached the conclusion he was too good for her friend.
Peter wasn’t enjoying the partnership at all. Julie wasn’t a bad dancer, but they did more walking around the floor than actual dancing. He found himself uncomfortable with her, as she pouted her lips, fluttered her eyelashes and held him too close to be comfortable or respectable. He was glad when the dance came to an end. It had not been a pleasant experience.
The next dance was a tango, and although Julie looked hopeful and told them it was her very favourite dance, Peter looked through her as he led Poppy on to the floor. ‘Did you not tell me that Julie was your very best friend?’
Poppy nodded. ‘At school, yes, she was. Why?’
‘Some friend she is, Poppy. She’s a man-eater! Don’t ask me to dance with her again because I will flatly refuse.’
A smile and a delightful chuckle had Peter holding Poppy close. ‘Why did you put me through that ordeal, you little minx? Was I set up by the two of you?’
Poppy was serious now. ‘I would never do that, Peter, and I’m sorry. She was talking in the cloakroom about something I’ve no intention of repeating, but I don’t regret asking you to dance with her, for now I can see her for what she really is. I should have seen it years ago, but I didn’t. She’s vain, jealous, and selfish. I hope Jim sees through her before he gets hurt. He’s far too good for her.’
‘Thank heaven you’ve seen sense,’ Peter said. ‘Now I can have you to myself and not share you with a friend who isn’t a friend. I can make a proper date with you if you’ll come out with me again. Please say you will.’
‘Yes, I would like that. But I won’t be free every evening because I’m taking shorthand lessons two nights a week. However, I’ll tell you about that on the way home. You will be seeing me home, or am I taking too much for granted?’
‘I’m seeing you right to your door, my dear Poppy. And without sounding forward, or rushing you into something you’re not ready for, I’m hoping for a goodnight kiss.’
When the last waltz finished, Poppy waved to Julie but didn’t speak to her. They’d been good friends at school, but they were not right for each other as grown-ups.
Later, standing outside her house, Poppy finished the tale she’d started on the bus coming home. She’d told Peter how she wanted to find a better job which would pay a good wage. He heard about her mother’s job, and her brother, David, almost out of his time. ‘My mam has worked to keep the house going, and to see we were fed and clothed. And now me and David want to pay her back for all she’s done for us. We want her to stop work and have an easier life. David comes out of his time in a few weeks, and that will help. But I don’t want him to be burdened with too much responsibility, that wouldn’t be fair. So, now you know why I’m taking lessons twice a week. And I’m very determined, Peter, so don’t try to coax me into skipping lessons, because you wouldn’t be doing me any favours.’
‘I won’t, love, I promise.’
‘Right, well now you know all there is to know about me, I’d better get in before me mam sends for the police. I’ll see you on Saturday, as we’ve arranged.’
‘But can’t I call for you?’
Poppy shook her head. ‘Not yet, Peter. I haven’t known you long enough.’
‘Can I at least have a goodnight kiss?’
‘Of course you can. But only one.’ Poppy closed her eyes. She felt his lips on hers, and while it was quite pleasing, she found herself being a little disappointed. And when she’d let herself in and closed the door behind her, she leaned back. Had her mother really felt a tingle down her spine the first time Poppy’s father held her hand? And was she telling the truth about her legs turning to jelly when he first kissed her?
Poppy hadn’t felt any such sensation. Mind you, it had been a fleeting kiss. Perhaps next time, eh?
Chapter Eight
‘Why don’t you bring this Peter in to meet us, sweetheart?’ Eva asked as they were having breakfast on the Sunday morning. ‘Yer’ve been out with him three times now, so yer must like him. And me and yer brother are nosy enough to want to see him for oursel
ves.’
Poppy shook her head. ‘Not yet, Mam. It’s too soon. If I brought him home to meet the family, he might take it as a sign I’m serious about him. And I’m not sure how I feel about him meself. Oh, he’s a lovely bloke, and I’m sure you and David would like him. He’s always well dressed, well spoken, and he must have a good job to be able to afford to go out every night.’ Poppy shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’m saying he goes out every night, but that might not be true. Although if he had his way he’d date me every night.’
‘He sounds too good to be true, sis,’ David said. ‘Why have you got doubts about him? He hasn’t got bad breath, has he?’
Poppy poked him in the arm. ‘No, he hasn’t, clever clogs. He hasn’t any faults that I can see, but nevertheless I’m not getting serious with him. It’s too soon. What I’m going to be concentrating on in the next three months is my shorthand lessons, and trying very hard not to strangle my boss before I have another job lined up. The light at the end of the tunnel is giving my notice in to Mr John. I can’t wait to see his face. He is so smarmy, he makes my tummy turn over.’
‘Well, it won’t be for long now, sweetheart,’ Eva said. ‘Let’s hope everything turns out as yer hope it will.’
‘I’m going to say a prayer every night, and I’m not being a hypocrite ’cos I do say a little prayer every night. Only this time I’m going to put me heart and soul into it.’
David was watching his sister’s face, fascinated by the changing expressions. She was beautiful, and he was proud of her. No wonder this Peter wanted to see her every night. If he could find a girl like Poppy, he’d want to see her every night too. He wouldn’t let her out of his sight. ‘Ay, sis, this bloke yer’ve been seeing, Peter, where does he work, d’yer know?’
‘I don’t know where he works, no. And he doesn’t know where I work, either! I’ve only been out with him three times, David. Yer don’t expect me to know his life story, surely? Next yer’ll be asking me what he has for his breakfast.’
‘I’ll ask him that myself, if I ever get to meet him. No, I was just wondering, with you saying he was always well dressed, nicely spoken, and didn’t seem short of money. I’m just curious, that’s all. You are my only sister, after all, so it’s only right and proper that I look after you, and care about your well-being. We can’t have you going out with every Tom, Dick and Harry.’
Poppy’s infectious laughter filled the room. ‘Don’t be giving me ideas, David. I’ve never been out with a Tom, Dick or Harry yet, but I’ll try to get round to it ’cos I’d hate to miss out on anything. Any other names, so I can make a list?’
‘Take no notice of him, sweetheart, ’cos he’s a fine one to talk,’ Eva said. ‘He’s out every night, and he can’t fool us by saying he’s playing cards. Yet he’s never brought a girl home to meet us.’ She gave some thought to her next words before she spoke. ‘It’s different with men, though, sweetheart, ’cos they’re more able to look after themselves. Not that you can’t look after yourself, but I think you should know a little about the boys you go out with. At least where they live and work. I’d feel happier in my mind if I knew who you were dating. When are yer seeing him again?’
‘On Tuesday. He wanted to meet me outside the school tomorrow night, but I told him it wouldn’t be worth it. And I might not be in the best of moods if I can’t make head or tail of what the teacher is telling us. I couldn’t last time. I just couldn’t get the hang of it.’
‘That’s because you’ve no patience, sweetheart. Just take it nice and easy, and anything you don’t understand ask the teacher to go over it again with yer. Everyone has to learn, and I’m sure the teacher will understand. You won’t be the first to pluck up the courage to ask for help.’
‘Mam’s right, Poppy. Everyone has to learn. When I first started as an apprentice, I was as thick as two short planks,’ her brother told her. ‘I’d never even had a screwdriver in me hand before. But after a few weeks everything started to slot into place. Just keep a picture in yer mind as an incentive. You standing in front of the stuck-up snob of a boss you’ve got, and telling him where to put his job.’
Eva chuckled. ‘In the nicest possible way, of course.’
‘Ay, Mam, you saying that has reminded me of something the woman I work with in the office told me. Jean, Mr John’s secretary. She said, in a nice way, that my English would have to be good. I couldn’t write as we Scousers speak. For instance, I call you me mam, when I should say my mother. We had a good laugh over it, but she was trying to say, without hurting my feelings, that I should concentrate on losing my accent. So, in future, ye’re not me mam, Mam, you’re my mother.’
‘I’m sure she was only trying to help yer, sunshine. I can understand that if yer want to be a private secretary, than yer’ll have to live up to it. Neatly dressed, hair always tidy, and well spoken,’ Eva said, her head nodding in agreement. ‘I imagine that in the course of a job like that, yer’d be dealing with well-educated people. And yer wouldn’t want to have them looking down their noses at yer.’
David added his view. ‘You don’t speak with a thick accent, Poppy; in fact you have hardly any accent. It’s just the way most people in Liverpool speak, and it’s what we’re all familiar with. When your friend in the office mentioned it, she didn’t mean that you were as common as muck, she was just being helpful. I often say things like “where’s me coat”, or “is me dinner ready”. It’s habit, but all it needs is a little thought before speaking. I’ll do it with you, when we’re in the house. You can correct me, and I’ll correct you. It would soon make us more careful, and I’m sure neither of us would get a cob on over it.’
‘All I can say is, leave me out of it,’ Eva told them. ‘I’ve spoken like this all me life, and I’m too old to change. Besides, I wouldn’t want to. I’m comfortable when I’m talking to anyone, and I would hate to have to think every time I opened me mouth.’
There came a heavy pounding on the front door and the family looked at each other with surprise. ‘Who can this be at ten o’clock on a Sunday morning?’ Eva’s eyes went to the dirty dishes on the table. ‘Whoever it is, they’ve got a ruddy cheek! Just look at the state of the place.’
Poppy pushed her chair back and made for the hall. ‘Don’t be such a worry, Mam. I won’t let them in.’
The woman standing on the step grinned up at Poppy. ‘It’ll take more than you to keep me out, queen,’ said Marg Boden, their next door neighbour. ‘I’ll go through you like a knife through butter, ’cos this is an emergency.’
Poppy quickly stepped aside to let their neighbour pass. ‘What on earth has happened, Marg? Is somebody sick?’
Marg was having great difficulty keeping her face straight. ‘It’s my feller, queen. He’s doubled up with pain in his tummy. You’re the only ones I could think of to come to for help. All the other neighbours are miserable buggers.’
‘If it’s an emergency, sweetheart,’ Eva said, her face showing concern, ‘then it’s a doctor yer want.’
Marg’s face split into a wide grin. ‘I don’t think the surgery will be open on a Sunday morning, queen. And even if it was, I don’t think he’d let me have a cup of sugar.’
‘Sugar!’ Eva’s voice was shrill. ‘Yer mean yer nearly took the front door off its hinges for a cup of sugar? You’ve got some nerve, Marg Boden, disturbing a family’s breakfast on a Sunday morning.’
‘I know, queen, and I agree with every word yer’ve said. If I was in your shoes I’d say I had a bleeding cheek. In fact I’d go further, and call meself a cheeky cow.’
‘You are a cheeky cow, Marg, and ye’re looking for trouble, too! Telling us poor Ally is doubled up in pain, well, that’s tempting fate, that is. For there’s many a true word spoken in jest. It would be the price of yer if yer get back home to find him really ill. Then yer’d be laughing the other side of yer face.’
‘Oh, he’ll be doubled up, queen, I’m sure of that. But it won’t be with pain, and it won’t be because he’s ill. It�
�ll be after I’ve told him how yer fell for me cock and bull story. He’ll enjoy that, ’cos my Ally loves a joke.’
Eva raised her brows. ‘And he’s got a sweet tooth, your Ally, if I’m not mistaken?’
‘Oh, yeah, he’s got a sweet tooth all right,’ Marg said, her two hands resting on the back of a dining chair. ‘He bought me a box of chocolates for me birthday a few weeks ago, and after I’d made a big fuss over him, and given him a big hug, I opened the box to find he’d eaten half of the bleeding chocolates on his way home from work. And to add insult to injury, he’d only gone and eaten the Turkish delight ones, what are me favourite.’
‘Well, yer can get yer own back on him now, sweetheart,’ Eva said. ‘Tell him he’ll have to drink his tea without sugar in, ’cos I’ve none to spare.’
David opened his mouth to say there was a sugar basin full to the brim in the kitchen, but he kept silent when he saw the look on his mother’s face. Their neighbour’s joke was about to backfire on her.
‘What d’yer mean, yer’ve got no sugar?’ Marg’s eyes had lost their gleam. ‘I was with yer yesterday when yer bought a pound bag from Irwin’s. Yer can’t possibly have used it all so soon.’
‘Oh, I know I bought a pound yesterday, Marg. I haven’t lost me memory. But I made a batch of fairy cakes for after our tea last night, and they take a lot of sugar.’ Eva didn’t look at her two children, for she knew if she did she’d give the game away. ‘And I was up early this morning and heard the milkman putting my two pints of milk on the step. Then d’yer know what, sweetheart? I suddenly got the urge to make a rice pudding to have after our dinner today. So I did no more than put the rice in a basin, covered it with milk, added plenty of sugar, a knob of butter and some grated nutmeg. And I’m sure yer can smell the tasty aroma it’s giving out. I certainly can, and me mouth is watering. By the time we’ve had our dinner, it will be ready to eat, with a lovely brown skin on the top.’ Eva shrugged her shoulders. ‘So I’m afraid I can’t oblige, sweetheart. Yer should have knocked before the milkman came, then I wouldn’t have made the rice pudding and yer could have had the sugar for your feller.’
