by Joan Jonker
Dot had the grace to blush as she moved from the couch to one of the dining chairs. ‘We did knock for her, girl, but she was busy filling the dolly tub. She said she’d be over as soon as she could.’
Beth was the first to see the humour in the situation, followed by Dot who howled with laughter. And the poor chair Flo was sitting on got a real hammering as her enormous body shook with mirth. ‘Ye’re a nosy pair of beggars,’ Beth said. Then she asked, ‘By the way, what colour was the car?’
‘I couldn’t tell yer, girl, ’cos I didn’t see much of it.’ Flo was doing her best to keep her body still. It always gave the game away. ‘I could ask Dennis for yer tonight, he’ll know ’cos he saw more of it than I did.’
Beth’s voice was shrill. ‘Dennis saw it!’
‘Yeah, I called him over, and I was sorry afterwards ’cos he pushed me out of the way. By the time I’d pushed him back, the bleedin’ car had gone.’
‘Well, that takes the cake, that does. I was probably the only one in the street who didn’t see me daughter coming home in style. Just wait till I tell Andy.’
But Beth was to tell Hannah before her husband. She called for the old lady after she’d finished shopping with her mates, and it was while they were sitting on the bus to Huyton that she told the tale. They had a darn good laugh about it because Beth liked nothing better than to impersonate Flo. ‘I can just see her jumping up and down, waving Dennis over. And I can see her getting her dander up when he wouldn’t budge and she missed seeing the car drive away. I bet he got a right earful off her then.’
‘And who was the person who owned the car?’ Hannah asked. ‘Not many people we know could afford one.’
‘Yer’ve heard Ginny talking about Miss Meadows? Well, it was her nephew’s car. Ginny said he’s only seventeen, and his dad bought it for him for his birthday.’
‘Seventeen and owning a car?’ Hannah looked as though she didn’t approve. ‘They must have more money than sense.’ She folded her arms and looked out of the window at the passing fields. Then she asked, ‘Is Ginny seeing him again?’
‘Oh, I couldn’t tell yer that, sunshine, but I shouldn’t think so. Anyway, she’s got her head screwed on the right way, has Ginny.’
‘I know that, sweetheart, but a car is a big attraction. None of the boys round our way could offer her anything so glamorous. And I know one boy who would be upset if he thought Ginny had got herself a boyfriend.’
‘Oh, aye, who’s that, sunshine?’
‘Our Bobby. He’s never said anything, and he’d go mad if he knew I was telling yer this. But I’ve got eyes in me head, sweetheart, and I’ve seen the way his face lights up when she’s around.’
‘She’s only fifteen, Hannah, too young to be thinking of boys.’
‘Bobby’s two years older and on the threshold of becoming a man. My husband was two years older than me, it didn’t make any difference.’
‘Andy’s two years older than me, as well, sunshine, but I can’t live Ginny’s life for her, she has to do that herself.’ Beth stuck her arm through the old lady’s and grinned. ‘I’d be over the moon if she picked someone as good as your Bobby.’
Hannah patted her hand. ‘Yer know how fond of her I am, sweetheart, and I’d love her to be a member of my family. So while Ginny does her growing up, I’ll do my praying.’
It was on the Wednesday that Alicia Meadows came into Woolworth’s. She had to talk to Ginny over the heads of customers. ‘I won’t keep you, Virginia, I can see how busy you are. But did you ask your parents about the theatre?’
‘I did, and they said they had no objection as long as I wasn’t coming home alone in the dark. But can we leave it until after the holidays, Miss Meadows, when me head’s a bit clearer and me feet aren’t so tired?’
‘Yes, of course, my dear. Have a lovely Christmas with your family.’
‘And you have a nice Christmas, too,’ Ginny said, feeling a bit mean knowing the woman had no family of her own. It must be awful to be alone at the time of the year when every family in the country would be together, rejoicing. ‘I’ll look forward to the theatre.’
It was Thursday morning and Ginny and Marie were on the tram heading for the city centre. Tonight was the big night, when they went to their first dance with the boys. Eight of them were going, four girls and four boys. But while Joan and Amelia had their dance shoes, Ginny and Marie hadn’t bought any yet. ‘Have yer got enough money on yer, Marie,’ Ginny asked, ‘so we can dash out in our lunch break?’
She nodded. ‘I’ve got five bob on me, they shouldn’t cost any more than that.’
‘I’ve got the same. Miss Sutherland said there’s a shoe shop in Whitechapel and they’re quite cheap. And she said there’s loads to choose from.’
‘Ooh, er, I’m getting all excited.’ Marie gave a little shiver as her smile widened. ‘I’m not going to worry about making a fool of meself, ’cos me mam said everyone’s got to learn sometime. And we’ll only be dancing with our friends, won’t we?’
‘I certainly hope so, ’cos I’ll tell yer something for nothing – if I saw a stranger coming towards me I’d make a bee-line for the door.’ Then she chuckled. ‘Chance would be a fine thing, wouldn’t it?’
Marie’s eyes slid sideways. ‘Would yer ever ask this Charles to come to the dance?’
Ginny doubled up. ‘Marie, yer don’t know how funny that is! We’re going to a tuppenny hop at a church hall, and yer can take it from me he wouldn’t be seen dead in such a place. Not that he’s not a nice bloke, ’cos he is, but he’s been brought up with money and doesn’t know any different.’
‘Joan was a bit sarcastic about it, wasn’t she? There was no need for what she said.’
‘That’s Joan all over. I’m used to her, Marie, and I don’t take no notice of her.’
‘Well, if yer ask me, I think she was green with envy.’
‘No, yer don’t know her as well as I do. The only thing wrong with Joan is that she doesn’t think before she opens her mouth. I’ve told her her tongue will get her hung one of these days, but she’ll never change. I hope when she gets a boyfriend, he’ll be someone who can keep her in check, ’cos that’s what she needs.’
Marie jumped to her feet. ‘Next stop ours, kiddo. Another hectic day of being rushed off our feet and trying to keep a smile on our faces to make the customers happy.’
Ginny followed her down the aisle of the swaying tram. ‘Never mind, we’ve got something to look forward to. And don’t forget we’re going for our dancing shoes, so get away on the dot.’
When the lunchtime break came, it was a rush for the two friends. They had to get their coats and bags from the cloakroom, then dash like mad along to Whitechapel. They found the shoe shop easily enough, and there was a wide selection of dance shoes in silver, gold and black, but as both had their hearts set on silver, they didn’t bother trying any of the others on. They decided that the very high heels wouldn’t be suitable for learners, so they opted for cuban heels instead. And so they wouldn’t get mixed up, they chose different styles.
Outside the shop, the friends looked at each other and burst out laughing. ‘We did very well, I think,’ Ginny said. ‘Yer couldn’t fall out with them for two and eleven.’
‘I’ll say! I wasn’t expecting to get change out of me five bob.’ Marie gazed up at a huge clock over one of the shop fronts, and grabbed Ginny’s arm. ‘We’d better put a move on, kid, or we won’t have time to eat our sandwiches in the cloakroom.’
‘Let’s run, then.’ Ginny tucked the shoe bag under her arm and took to her heels. ‘I’ll have to have something to eat or me tummy will be rumbling all afternoon. But I feel pleased with meself over the shoes, we got a bargain.’
The gang had arranged to meet at eight o’clock outside the Baileys’ house as it was on the way down to the main road. It wasn’t far to the church hall, only a five-minute walk, and the four girls walked ahead, chattering away, while the boys were behind, discussing either their w
ork or their workmates. They were completely unaware that they had an audience. Beth had come to the door to watch her daughter going to her first dance, and Dot, who had the same idea, soon joined her. They’d been seen through the window by Lizzie, who reckoned that with two of her sons involved, she had a perfect right to join them.
‘It doesn’t seem that long since I was taking Ginny to school on her first day,’ Beth said. ‘The years have just flown over.’
‘I can remember that day as though it was yesterday.’ Dot let out a deep sigh. ‘I can even remember what the girls were wearing.’
‘Life is a journey, so it is,’ Lizzie said. ‘And the road the children are on now, we were on some eighteen to twenty years ago. Let’s pray to God that they enjoy what we enjoyed, and when the time comes for the darlin’s to settle down, may they have the good fortune to choose decent, upstanding young men as their parents did.’
‘Whoever Ginny chooses will have to go through me first,’ Beth said. ‘If I don’t think he’s good enough for her, I’ll be showing him the door.’
‘Ooh, I think I’ll be giving our Joan to the first one what comes along,’ Dot said, pulling a face. ‘She’s one holy terror who thinks she knows it all. I feel sorry for any boyfriend she has ’cos he’ll have his hands full with her.’
‘If she falls hard enough for a lad, then she’ll be putty in his hands,’ Beth said. ‘Me mam was only saying on Monday that I was a handful at Ginny’s age. She said I used to give her cheek and would never do as I was told. But from the day I met Andy, apparently I changed so much me mam and dad thought I was sick.’
‘But your Ginny doesn’t give yer cheek,’ Lizzie said. ‘Sure, she’s a very well-behaved young lady, so she is.’
‘I know, she’s an angel.’ Beth began to chuckle. ‘That’s why I’m not going to tell her what me mam said about me. It might give her ideas.’ She turned when there was a rap on her window, and there was Andy beckoning to her in no uncertain terms. ‘Oh, lord, he’ll think I do nothing all day but gossip. Yer know what men are like – he said I was a nosy beggar for coming out to watch the kids. Anyway, I’d better get in ’cos there’s a play on the wireless he wants to listen to. It’s a murder mystery, so me and Joey will have to breathe quietly in case he misses finding out who the murderer is. So while my dear husband sits with his ear glued to the wireless, and Joey gets his nose stuck in a comic, I’ll be sitting quietly darning socks. And they have the nerve to say men have a hard life! I’ll tell yer what, I’d swap places with them any day.’
The dim light from the street lamp cast a glow over Beth’s blonde hair and anyone would be forgiven for thinking it was Ginny standing there. The girl was the same height as her mother now, and had the same slim figure though as yet hers hadn’t blossomed into womanhood. ‘My feller wouldn’t know what hit him if he had to do the shopping, the cooking, washing, ironing and all the other things, including darning socks. I’d give him a week and he’d be begging for mercy.’
‘A week!’ Dot huffed. ‘I’d give my feller two days at the most. Anyway, yer’d better go in, your Andy’s going red in the face. We’ll see each other in the morning.’
‘Yeah, we can swap tales about what our kids tell us, without a man with a red face shaking his hand at us.’
‘Ah, sure, the man isn’t doing no such thing, so he isn’t.’ Lizzie smiled and nodded her head at Andy. ‘He’s got a grin on his face as wide as the River Mersey.’ She started to cross the cobbles to her own house. ‘I’ll see yer tomorrow.’
‘D’yer know where the hall is?’ Marie asked. ‘Because we could run ahead and pay for ourselves, save embarrassing the boys. Me mam said they won’t be earning much money and it wouldn’t be fair to expect them to pay for us.’
‘There’s the church,’ Amelia said, nodding her head. ‘And I believe the hall is next to it. Come on, we’ll find it.’
The boys saw the girls take flight and looked at each other in surprise. ‘What’s got into them?’ Mick said, scratching his head. Then he suddenly put a spurt on. ‘I know why they want to be there first – so they can pay for themselves.’
Three of the lads, Bobby, Mick and David, were all nearing their seventeenth birthday, and by their reckoning that made them old enough to pay for any girl they took out. It made no difference that the girls were neighbours and mates, they’d been invited to come to the dance.
The girls were huddled together in the entrance hall, their tickets clutched in their hands, eyes wide with apprehension. This was their first grown-up adventure and they were filled with a mixture of excitement and fear.
David marched straight up to his sister. ‘That wasn’t very clever of yer. We asked yer to come, and we were going to pay for yer.’
‘Don’t be shouting at me, it wasn’t my doing.’ Joan’s eyes flashed. ‘If yer want to blame anyone, blame Marie’s mam, she said we should pay for ourselves.’
‘There’s no harm done,’ Mick said, thinking it was a good start to the night. ‘And don’t be so quick to flare up, Joan Flynn. It’s never your fault, yer’ve always got to blame someone else.’
Seamus, the quietest of the lot, bought his ticket from the man sitting at a small card table near the entrance. Then without a word he took Amelia’s elbow and led her through the main door into the dance hall. ‘Come on, leave them to it.’
‘Well, I like that!’ Joan said. ‘Cheeky beggar!’
Mick strode to the man selling the tickets, bought three and handed one each to David and Bobby. Then, he didn’t just take Joan’s elbow, he grabbed it. ‘And will yer keep quiet for a change? We came to dance, so let’s do it.’
Ginny giggled. ‘That’s put her in her place.’
‘And shut her up.’ David jerked his head. ‘Shall we follow them in?’ He took Marie’s arm. ‘Don’t expect anywhere posh, ’cos it’s only a church hall, but we like it.’
When Bobby reached for Ginny’s hand, she thought nothing of it. After all, they were mates, were’t they?
There was no band there, just a gramophone playing records. But the music was good enough to dance to and the floor was crowded. There were no experienced dancers or show-offs. In fact most of the couples on the floor were raw beginners. But that wasn’t sufficient to entice the girls on to the floor. The first dance was a quickstep which had them shaking their heads vigorously. The second, a tango, looked even more complicated. But when they announced a waltz, Mick said, ‘Joan, are yer going to try this?’
‘Huh! Wild horses wouldn’t be able to drag me on to that floor to make a fool of meself.’
‘In case yer hadn’t noticed, I’m not a wild horse so that lets me out.’ With that he literally dragged her on to the floor while the others looked on with interest. ‘Now behave yerself, Joan Flynn, or I’ll be forced to put yer across me knee and spank yer.’
Joan, a sharp retort ready on her lips, looked into his dancing Irish eyes and forgot what she was going to say. ‘As long as they don’t laugh at me. If they do, I’m off.’
‘My kid brother’s having a go with Amelia so ye’re not on yer own.’ He took one of her hands in his, lifted it into the position for dancing, and said, ‘Now put yer other hand on me shoulder. And when I say “go”, step back with yer left foot, like we showed yer the other night.’
Bobby took his courage in his hands. ‘Come on, Ginny, don’t be frightened. Yer’ll never hear the last of it off yer mate if yer don’t try.’
His heart went thump when she smiled. ‘It’s not what me mate might say that would worry me, Bobby, it’s buying a new pair of dance shoes and not even going on the floor in them. I’d kick meself tomorrow if I did that.’
He looked down, and although it was dark and he couldn’t really tell, said, ‘The shoes look nice on yer, so does yer dress.’ And when she took his hand and he led her on to the dance floor, he added, ‘But then, yer always look nice, Ginny.’
It was David’s turn now. ‘How about it, Marie? We’ll never learn standing here.�
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‘I thought yer’d never ask.’ She allowed herself to be led on to the floor. ‘I thought I was going to be a wallflower, all on me own.’
While David manoeuvred them both into position, he was thinking she would never be a wallflower. Not with that wonderful smile and happy nature.
When the waltz was over and the group met up again, it was the general opinion that they’d all done very well. Not brilliantly, but that was asking too much. At least no toes were broken and no one had ended up on their backside in the middle of the floor. So congratulations were the order of the day until the next dance was announced: a slow foxtrot. The girls didn’t wait to be asked but shook their heads and said they’d watch from the sidelines. The boys didn’t try to coax them because they weren’t very good at the slow foxtrot themselves and they’d look stupid trying to teach something they hadn’t mastered yet.
The four couples took to the floor when the next waltz was announced, and it was as they were doing their best to keep to the three steps that Bobby remarked casually, ‘What’s this I hear about yer having a boyfriend with a car?’
Ginny’s concentration was interrupted and she stood on his toe. ‘That’s yer own fault for saying daft things, Bobby Bailey. And, if yer want to know, I haven’t got a boyfriend with a car, nor have I a boyfriend without one.’
Bobby knew his toe was hurt, but he ignored it. What Ginny had said more than made up for any pain he may feel. ‘I’m glad yer haven’t got a boyfriend, Ginny, ’cos I was going to ask yer to come to the pictures with me one night. That’s if yer mam says it’s all right, of course.’
Ginny could feel herself blushing. ‘Ooh, I don’t know. I think me mam will say I’m too young to be going out with boys. Perhaps it would be better to leave it for a while.’
‘If I leave it, yer might find yerself another boyfriend and forget about me.’
‘Don’t be daft, I’m not going to find a boyfriend. And anyway, how could I forget about you when I see yer nearly every night?’ Ginny’s face broke into a smile. ‘Ay, just look at Mick and Joan, they’re going round the floor really well. She’s doing better than me, so can we stop talking and let me concentrate on learning this flippin’ waltz? At this rate, I’ll be twenty before I get as far as the tango.’
