Taking a Chance on Love

by Joan Jonker

  Alicia’s face lit up. ‘Wonderful! I’ll look forward to it. Shall we say I’ll meet you off the bus at four o’clock?’

  Ginny nodded. ‘But I could find my own way, I know where your house is. Save you coming out in the cold.’

  ‘No, dear, I’ll meet you.’ Alicia nodded to Dorothy who couldn’t pretend she wasn’t listening. ‘Goodbye, Miss Sutherland.’ Then, with a big smile for Ginny: ‘I shall look forward to seeing you on Sunday, my dear.’

  ‘You’re certainly a blue eye with her,’ Dorothy said. ‘It’s funny how she made friends with you simply through shopping on your counter.’

  ‘That’s the only good thing Miss Landers ever did for me. If she hadn’t been rude to me Miss Meadows would probably never even have noticed I was there.’

  Going home from work on Thursday, conversation between Ginny and Marie was animated. It was dance night, and if they’d been going to a dinner dance at the Adelphi, they couldn’t have been more excited. ‘I’m going to put me pink dress on,’ Marie said. ‘I haven’t worn it for a few weeks now.’

  ‘I’m going to have to wear the blue because I’ve only got one other decent dress and I wore it last week.’

  Marie giggled. ‘We go through this every week, and I bet the boys don’t even notice what we’ve got on. Although David always says I look nice.’

  Ginny glanced sideways at her friend. ‘I’m really beginning to think yer’ve got a soft spot for David.’

  ‘I have, yeah!’ Marie would always be truthful, it wasn’t in her to be any different. ‘I don’t want yer to tell anyone, Ginny, but last Thursday he asked me if I’d be his girfriend.’

  ‘Go ’way!’ Ginny’s jaw dropped in surprise. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘That I’ll have to ask me mam.’

  ‘Yer mean, yer want to be?’ Ginny sounded even more surprised.

  ‘Oh, yes, I do! I’ve liked him from the first time I saw him. And me mam said it’s all right as long as I take him along to meet her and me dad. She said if they don’t like the look of him they’ll soon tell me.’

  ‘Yer’ll still be coming to the dances though, won’t yer? And the card games? Yer won’t be breaking the gang up?’

  ‘No, we wouldn’t do that, we enjoy being with the gang. It won’t make any difference, except we might go to the flicks on one of the other nights.’

  It was time for them to get off the tram then, and as they stood on the pavement they agreed to meet at eight outside the Baileys’ house, as usual.

  Ginny was thoughtful as she combed her hair in front of the mirror in her bedroom. She knew Amelia and Seamus were sweet on each other, it stuck out a mile. Ever since the Christmas party whenever you saw them they were holding hands and laughing at their own private jokes. But Marie and David, now that was a surprise.

  Beth was in the kitchen when she heard her daughter coming down the stairs. ‘Let’s have a look at yer before yer go out, sunshine.’ She eyed Ginny up and down. ‘I see yer’ve changed the parting in yer hair.’

  ‘Yeah, I felt like a change. I’ve parted it down the middle since I started school so it’s about time I did something different. Don’t yer like it, Mam?’

  Beth rested her chin in her hand. ‘I can’t make up me mind. That’s because I’m so used to yer having a centre parting, but I’ll get used to it. It’ll grow on me with time.’

  ‘I’ll see what the girls have to say. If they don’t like it, I’ll comb it back.’

  It wasn’t one of the girls who passed comment, though, it was Bobby when he asked her up for the first dance. ‘Yer’ve done yer hair different, Ginny, and it suits yer.’

  Now that they were more experienced dancers, they no longer needed to leave a space between them and he was holding her close. Ginny looked up into his face, intending to ask if he liked the new style, but when their eyes met, she felt a strange tingling running down her spine and the words were left unspoken. She felt him pulling her closer until his breath fanned her cheek. All sorts of emotions were running through her body and she didn’t know what to make of them. Then she felt a soft kiss on her cheek and the tingling down her spine made her shiver. She pulled back to face him. ‘What did yer do that for?’

  ‘Well, yer see, it’s like this, Ginny. Yer cheek looked so pretty and attractive, just like a peach. Now if it had been a peach, I would have taken a bite out of it. But I didn’t think yer’d take kindly to me biting yer, so I kissed yer instead.’

  ‘In the middle of the dance floor, with everybody watching?’ But Ginny wasn’t really annoyed. In fact, she was quite enjoying herself. ‘If this gets back to me mam, what’s she going to think?’

  Bobby’s eyes were sparkling with laughter. ‘Well, if yer tell her about the peach, and how I couldn’t take a bite out of it, I’m sure she’ll understand.’

  ‘Oh, yeah, she’s very understanding is my mam.’ Ginny kept her face straight but she might as well not have bothered because her eyes gave her away. ‘She’ll probably send me to bed at six o’clock every night for a week with no dinner.’

  The dance came to an end and Bobby took her hand and led her back to where their friends were standing. They soon found that the brief kiss hadn’t gone unnoticed. ‘Did yer have jam on yer cheek, Ginny?’

  She didn’t twig at first, and when she faced Mick her face was blank. ‘I didn’t have any jam on me face. What made yer ask that?’

  Of course she’d walked right into it, hadn’t she? Mick’s eyes were full of devilment. ‘Oh, I saw Bobby licking it off.’

  Ginny’s face went the colour of beetroot and she was lost for words. But aid came from a very unlikely source. ‘Take no notice of him, Ginny,’ Joan said. ‘He’s a fine one to talk when he’s always pinching kisses.’

  Mick was unabashed. ‘It’s yer own fault, droopy drawers, for having a face that looks so kissable. Now if yer’d been ugly, I wouldn’t want to kiss yer.’

  Joan’s hands went to her hips and she wagged her head at him. ‘And what about me, Michael O’Leary? Am I not supposed to mind being kissed by an ugly feller?’

  As Ginny watched, she couldn’t help thinking that Joan and Mick, both friends since childhood, were ideally suited to each other. Same as Amelia and Seamus, they made the perfect couple. Funny how she’d never noticed this before. But then she’d never noticed anything between Marie and David until her friend told her today. Now, of course, she could see how David’s eyes never left Marie, and he looked so happy to be with her.

  Bobby pulled on Ginny’s hand. ‘Stop daydreaming and have this slow foxtrot with me. And I promise the thought of peaches will never cross my mind.’

  They were halfway through the dance when the evening was spoilt for her. ‘How about coming to have a game of cards on Sunday night, Ginny?’ Bobby asked. ‘Me grandma, me mam and me. And we only play for matchsticks.’

  Ginny’s heart sank. He looked so happy and hopeful, she was wishing the ground would open and swallow her up. ‘I’m sorry, Bobby, but I promised to go to Miss Meadows’ for tea on Sunday. I didn’t know yer were going to ask me to yours for a game of cards, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to go.’ She could feel his body stiffen. ‘I’m sorry, Bobby, but I can come next week.’

  ‘I suppose her nephew will be driving yer home in his fancy car, will he? Well, that sure beats a game of cards, Ginny, so good luck to yer.’ Bobby was disappointed and hurt, and he wanted to hit out at someone. He knew he was being childish, but he felt a strong dislike for a seventeen-year-old boy he didn’t know, just because that boy had a car. And for the rest of the night, although he still danced with Ginny so the others didn’t notice anything unusual, he was very offhand with her.

  Ginny felt terrible. She’d do anything to put the smile back on Bobby’s face, but the only way she could do that was to say she wouldn’t go to Miss Meadows’ for tea on Sunday, and she couldn’t bring herself to do that. She would never let anyone down, particularly someone who had befriended her and was so kind.

/>   Ginny was relieved when the dance was over because the tension between her and Bobby made her want to cry. She only managed to keep the tears back until her mother opened the front door to her and then the floodgates opened.

  Beth held her daughter close and rocked her gently from side to side with her. ‘What on earth is the matter, sunshine?’ She looked over Ginny’s head to where Andy was sitting on the edge of the couch, ready to sympathise, and shook her head to tell him not to get involved. ‘Come on, tell me all about it?’

  Between gulps and sobs the whole sorry tale came out, leaving Beth more amused than worried. ‘But that’s nothing to get yerself in such a state over, sunshine! It’s a storm in a teacup. Bobby will have forgotten about it by next week.’

  ‘It’s not that, Mam, it’s just that I felt I was being a snob, saying I’d rather go out to tea at a posh house than have a game of cards with the Baileys. Bobby was upset by it all, I could tell. He said being driven home in a posh car beat a game of cards any day.’

  Beth couldn’t help but smile. It seemed there was a bit of jealousy here. ‘Yer like Bobby, don’t yer, sunshine?’

  ‘Yes, of course I do! And I don’t want to fall out with him! But I can’t let Miss Meadows down, either!’

  ‘Oh, I think we can find a solution to this problem.’ Beth put a finger under her daughter’s chin and raised her face. ‘Go and swill yer eyes with cold water, sunshine, and then we’ll sit down and find some way where Miss Meadows doesn’t get hurt, and neither does Bobby.’

  And by the time Ginny went to bed she was feeling a bit better. If she did as her mother suggested, if she had the nerve, then everything should turn out fine.

  Miss Meadows was waiting by the bus stop and greeted Ginny with a smile. ‘I timed it nicely and haven’t been waiting long.’ She linked the young girl’s arm and pulled her close. ‘There’s a nice big fire ready to warm you up.’

  She was so kind, and looked so pleased to see her, that Ginny wondered whether she could do as her mother said. She didn’t want to hurt her, or make her think she didn’t want to be her friend, but every time she conjured up a picture of Bobby’s face, looking so dejected, she was torn between them.

  ‘Hang up your coat, Virginia,’ Alicia said, ‘and then sit by the fire while I make us a nice hot drink.’

  Ginny’s tummy was churning. On the bus coming along the Drive she’d rehearsed what she would say, but when it came down to it, it wasn’t so easy. But it was something that had to be done. So, after giving a nervous cough, she said, ‘Miss Meadows, would yer mind if I leave about a quarter to seven?’ And then she found herself pouring her heart out and telling the woman the whole story. ‘Yer see, I don’t want to hurt either of yer.’

  ‘Oh, if only I’d known, Virginia, you could have brought Bobby with you! I’d have been delighted to meet him.’

  Ginny’s brows shot up. ‘You would? Really?’

  ‘Oh, yes, I love to have young company. And I’d like to meet your boyfriend.’

  ‘Well, he’s not exactly me boyfriend, not yet anyway. I do like him, though, and I know he likes me.’

  ‘Then you must bring him with you next time you come. And I think I’d better set the table now if you want to be away early.’

  ‘You are very kind, Miss Meadows, and you’ve been really good to me. I was worried on me way here, in case yer thought I didn’t want to be friends with yer, but I really do.’

  ‘Then I am a very lucky woman, and I hope you will always look on me as a friend you can come to if you ever need help.’

  There was something else Ginny had to get off her chest. ‘Miss Meadows, I don’t know if Charles is coming, but if he is, would he mind if I got the bus home?’

  ‘Of course not. I will ring him now and ask him to leave his visit until another day. You are not to worry your pretty little head about anything.’

  On impulse, Ginny left her chair to plant a kiss on Alicia’s cheek. ‘Thank you for being so good to me.’

  Alicia was very moved and felt quite emotional. ‘It is I who should be thanking you. It is not very often I get a kiss.’

  Relieved now of her worries, Ginny grinned. ‘Then I shall kiss you every time I come.’

  Hannah opened the door to find Ginny standing on the pavement outside. ‘Hello, sweetheart, come on in out of the cold.’

  Ginny shook her head. ‘Is Bobby in, please, Mrs Bailey?’

  Ah, thought Hannah, I wonder if this call has anything to do with my grandson being down in the dumps for the last few days? He’d been like a bear with a sore head. ‘I’ll get him for yer, sweetheart.’

  The old lady opened the living-room door and tried to look and sound casual. ‘Ginny’s outside, Bobby, she won’t come in but she wants a word with yer.’

  His chair was pushed back with such force it toppled over, causing Claire to say, ‘Ay, just watch what ye’re doing, it’s yer grandma’s furniture, not ours.’ But she was talking to herself because he was out of the door like a shot and didn’t hear a word she said.

  For three days Bobby had sworn to himself that he’d never give in first with Ginny. If she preferred her fancy friends, then let her have them, he didn’t care. It was easy thinking these things, but not so easy when the girl he’d fallen for nearly a year ago was standing in front of him looking so pretty and so shy. He just wished she’d say something and that his heart would stop thumping. ‘Did yer want me for anything, Ginny?’

  She nodded. ‘I’ve come to see if yer still want me to have a game of cards with yer? But before yer say anything, I want yer to know I came home from Miss Meadows’ on the bus, and the next time I go I’m to take yer with me ’cos she wants to meet yer.’

  His eyes widened. ‘Did she say that or are yer making it up?’

  ‘I am not making it up, Bobby Bailey! She said the next time I went for tea she’d be delighted if I took me boyfriend with me.’

  Bobby’s heart was thumping faster than ever. ‘And are yer me girlfriend, Ginny?’

  She nodded. ‘If yer’ll have me.’

  ‘Oh, I’ll have yer right enough, Ginny Porter.’ Bobby stepped down on to the pavement and cupped her face between his hands. And Ginny’s first ever kiss on the lips had her feeling giddy with happiness. But she still managed to stutter, ‘Me mam will kill yer if she finds out yer’ve kissed me.’

  ‘I’ll walk yer home after we’ve finished playing cards and I’ll tell her.’ He took her hand and pulled her up the two steps. ‘Come on in.’ Once inside the living room, he said, ‘Ginny’s going to have a game with us.’ He lifted his hand to show Ginny’s was clasped tight within it. ‘Oh, and she’s me girlfriend now.’

  Claire looked pleased, if a little bewildered, but Hannah was over the moon. This was what she’d secretly hoped for because she loved Ginny and knew her grandson would be getting a good, decent girl. ‘Yer’ve made an old woman very happy.’

  Bobby grinned. ‘Well then, yer may as well have all the news, Grandma. I’ve just given me girlfriend her first kiss and she told me her mam will kill me when she knows. So as Mrs Porter’s a friend of yours, I’d like yer to put in a good word for me.’

  One Saturday in August, Miss Mary Halliday married Mr Clive Sanderson. It was a quiet wedding as Mary thought she was too old for a white dress and veil. She wore a lovely beige silk dress with a wide-brimmed hat of the same colour. She looked so happy, Clive never took his eyes off her during the short service. As the bride and groom had no families of their own, Miss Ormsby was Mary’s matron of honour, and Clive’s best man was a member of Woolworth’s Board of Directors.

  The small congregation consisted of colleagues who had been given the day off to attend the wedding. And sitting in the two front pews on either side of the aisle were Miss Harper, Dorothy Sutherland, Helen Bleasedale, Virginia Porter and Marie Whittaker – all the people who had been in some way instrumental in bringing the happy couple together. With the two junior assistants were their boyfriends, Bobby and David, bo
th feeling very proud of themselves in their new suits, bought off the peg from the thirty-shilling tailor. The girls looked very pretty in floral summer dresses and straw hats.

  And sitting in a pew further back were four women who didn’t know the bride and groom, but had heard so much about them they just had to come to see them married. And what were Beth, Flo, Dot and Lizzie doing? They were crying, of course, ’cos what else do women do at weddings? And between sniffs, Flo could be heard saying, ‘She looks bleedin’ lovely.’