Rosie Goes to War (21 page)

‘Why not? He's lovely.'

‘But I've known him all my life. He's like a brother.'

‘Well I certainly don't want him for a brother. Maybe if you started thinking about him as Bill, and pretended you've never met him before you might start seeing him differently.'

May shakes her head. ‘God help us, you are the strangest person I've ever met, Queenie. How can I do that?'

‘Just try, May. You might surprise yourself,' I say as I walk out of the room, leaving her standing there looking totally baffled.

CHAPTER TWENTY

‘He's a nice boy,' says May following me. ‘Don't you go messing him about, Queenie.'

‘Of course I won't,' I say. ‘I really like him. I'm surprised he hasn't got a girlfriend already.'

May frowns. ‘I dunno. I never thought about him like that. He's always been a mate.'

‘My Gran says the best husband is the one who's your best friend too.'

‘Huh, I'll bet she never met someone exciting like Harry. Why would you settle for someone like Jock –'

‘Bill,' I interrupt.

May rolls her eyes. ‘Like Bill,' she says, ‘when you could have Harry?'

I don't like the sound of that. ‘Well I know she did meet someone just like Harry, and he wasn't half as good as my grandpa.' Before she can asked me how I know I say ‘Where is Harry, by the way? I thought you were going to see him.'

‘I did. We had tea up town.'

‘And?'

‘And, what?'

‘Come on, May. Spill. I want all the gory details.'

‘Mind your own business,' May giggles. ‘A girl's gotta have some secrets.'

Yeah, right. Secrets. Spoilers and secrets. Actually I don't want to know what May got up to with Harry. But I've got to make sure that Bill ends up marrying her, end of.

Nelly yells from the kitchen, ‘Has he gone?'

‘Yes, he's working tonight,' I call back. ‘He said the forecast is for clear skies, so there'll be a raid.'

‘Right. We'd better get ready to run down the shelter. Turn that heater off in there, now he's gone. We can't afford to burn paraffin if we don't need to.'

May turns it off, which is just as well, because I still don't have a clue how to use the thing. We join Nelly in the kitchen. It's hot and humid in here, as our clothes steam on the racks. It reminds me of our holiday in Thailand last year. I'd never known such soggy heat. It's funny to think, if I'd been born before the war like May and Nelly, I'd never have holidays like that, ever. I just hope I get the chance to have more, but it all depends on whether I can get home or not. And stay there.

‘So where's Harry, then?' asks Nelly. ‘Didn't he see you home?'

‘He had some business up town,' says May.

‘He's not getting you involved in no funny business, is he?'

‘No, he ain't. Jesus Christ, stop going on, Nell. I ain't a kid, and you ain't my mother.'

Nelly looks stunned. I doubt if May has ever spoken to her like that before. Before the conversation can descend into a full blown row, I step in. ‘Whoa, chillax.'

They stare at me, then at each other. May laughs, and Nelly shakes her head.

‘Chillax? What's that when it's at home?'

I roll my eyes. It's like speaking a different language sometimes. ‘Yeah, chillax. It's Latin. It means calm down and relax. Don't argue, OK?'

‘I'm not arguing,' says Nelly. ‘I'm worried about her, that's all.'

May opens her mouth, and closes it again.

‘Did you want to say something, May?' I ask.

‘Get if off your chest,' says Nelly, arms crossed. No way is she chillaxing.

May sighs. ‘There ain't no need for anyone to worry about me. I'm all right. And if you'd give him a chance, you'd see that Harry's all right too.'

‘That's as may be,' says Nell. ‘But we know enough about him to know he ain't earning his money in no proper job, and he ain't showing no signs of joining up like the decent fellas around here, so if you don't mind I'll reserve judgement.'

May shrugs. ‘Suit yourself. But while you're fretting over me and Harry, I'll bet you didn't know Queenie here was canoodling with Jock in our front parlour.'

‘We were not … whatever that word is,' I gasp, feeling myself go red.

‘Canoodling. Kissing. Wrapped round each other, they were,' May tells her sister. ‘They looked right shifty when I walked in there and caught 'em at it.'

‘You and Jock?' said Nell. ‘But I thought you said he …'

‘He was helping me up. Your sofa swallows you up, so he gave me a hand. I told you, he's really nice, and anyone would be lucky to go out with him,' I say, wishing they'd both shut up.

Nelly frowns. I give her a wink and look at May. Nelly looks from me to May and back. ‘Oh, yeah, so you did. But that don't mean you can carry on like that in my front parlour.'

‘I won't do it again,' I say, trying to keep a straight face. ‘Oh, I left our tea cups in there. I'll get them.'

When I get back to the kitchen, Nelly was alone. ‘Where's May?' I ask.

‘She's in the lav,' says Nell. ‘So you've got about thirty seconds to tell me what the bloomin' heck is going on.'

‘Nothing is going on,' I say. ‘She just saw me give Bill a hug.'

‘
You
gave
him
a hug? Girls round here wait for the fella to make the first move, or they get a bad reputation.'

‘It wasn't that sort of a hug. I was just being friendly. I wasn't coming on to him.'

Nell shakes her head. ‘I don't know what you get up to in the country, but hugs is hugs round here. If you ain't asking for trouble, you don't go round giving fellas reason to think you are.'

I laugh. ‘Bill is cool. We both know it's May he wants.'

‘So, why all the canoodling?'

‘Maybe to make May jealous? If she sees me with Bill, she might start to see what a nice guy he is.'

‘Well, that ain't going to work while she's walking out with flash Harry, is it?'

‘No, I suppose not. We'll have to find a way to get rid of him.'

The air-raid siren starts wailing in the street.

‘Blimey, they're early today.'

We go into the hall to collect the coats. ‘If these raids go on much longer,' says Nelly, ‘we might not have to worry about it. Hitler's set on killing the lot of us, I reckon.'

‘He'll try, but he won't succeed,' I say, feeling pretty smug. ‘We'll beat him in the end.'

‘Let's hope you're right, Queenie. I just wish our boys would get on with it. I hate that bloody Anderson shelter.'

It is one of the longest and scariest raids so far. We try to keep our spirits up by playing cards and games. The girls have to teach me most of them because I've never heard of half of them before. We talk about Christmas and plan to make some decorations – paper chains out of old newspapers and magazines, things like that. I remember the lovely tree we have every year at home, with decorations in gorgeous colours, and the lights, and the angel on the top. It seems like another life. Every explosion seems to be getting closer, and the shelter shakes as bombs destroy buildings just a couple of streets away. When the all clear finally sounds hours later we are exhausted.

We stumble out into the frosty night, wanting nothing more than to get inside the house and crawl into bed.

The cold air is filled with the smell of burning. The sky is orange, reflecting the fires that still rage across London. In my room, I leave the light off and peek out through the blackout curtains. God, it's awful. I can see ruined buildings silhouetted against the flames. Beams of light keep searching the sky for stray bombers.

I notice a crack in the window-pane. The glass is held together by the tape criss-crossing it, but I reckon another blast will shatter it completely. I shiver, wondering for the millionth time whether I'll ever get home again. I don't want to die here. I want to see Mum and Dad, and Gran and Great-aunt Eleanor, and my friends, even Jessica.

I wish I knew why Jess did that to me. I mean, she's always saying Simon just plays around with girls. I reckoned he was waiting for me to grow up, but after seeing how stupid May is getting over Harry I can't help wondering if Jess was doing something mad like trying to show me what a tart he is. I mean, what idiot would play around with his best friend's sister? He's either got to be madly in love with Jess, in which case I don't stand a chance anyway, or he's just having a laugh and doesn't care that Luke might not want him messing with his little sister. Oh, I don't know. Am I thinking this way because I'm trying to get May's attention away from Harry and onto Bill by trying to make her see that Bill is sexy? I've known Jess all my life and I reckon she might just be mad enough to think she's doing me a favour by snogging Simon in front of me, knowing how I'd react.

I try to conjure up a picture of Simon in my mind, but can't. He doesn't seem real any more. He's about the same age as Bill, but he seems like a kid compared to him. Actually, come to think of it, Jess's brother Luke is more like Bill. He's a nice bloke. I haven't taken much notice of him because he's Jess's brother. I was so shocked when he asked me out, I've never thought of him like that. Maybe I should take a closer look when I get home? But then again, I'd better sort things out with Jess first. I can't believe I might lose my best friend because of a boy. After the week I've had here, I reckon I'd better get my priorities right.

The next morning there's a knock at the door. It's Bill. He's still in uniform, but it's filthy, covered in soot and grime.

‘Bill! What happened? Are you all right?' I ask. ‘Come in.'

‘No, I won't. I'm just on my way home. I popped over to see if Nan's place was all right. I promised her I'd keep an eye on it while she's gone. A couple of her windows have gone. I'll have to board them up.'

‘Do you need any help? We can come over and give you a hand, if you like.' Nell says, as she and May come down the stairs towards us.

‘Thanks, but I ain't got enough plywood. I'll get some and come back after I've cleaned up and had a kip. I just wanted to see if you're all alright.'

‘We're fine. But you do look tired. Are you sure you don't want a cup of tea or something?' says May.

‘Nah, ta anyway. I've been helping fight the fires down at the docks. The WRVS van came down and kept us going with tea and buns all night.'

The Women's Royal Voluntary Service run a fleet of vans which station themselves in bombed areas as soon as the all-clear sounds. They provide food and drink and moral support from street corners. People say the WRVS is a life-saver, and I have to say they were the best thing about coming out of that cellar the other night. That mug of tea they gave me was like nectar – strong and sweet.

‘I'm glad they were there for you,' I say. ‘Was it awful?'

For a moment, all he can do is shake his head. He looks so tired and miserable. ‘It was like I imagine hell is,' he says quietly. I feel my heart squeeze. Poor Bill. ‘There's not much of the docks left, that's for sure. Bloody Jerry. They dropped a load of incendiaries on houses, too. God knows how many civilians have been killed. A few of my mates copped it n'all. One of the gun emplacements took a direct hit. Poor sods.'

‘Oh, Bill. I'm so sorry,' I say, trying not to cry.

‘It ain't your fault. Mine neither. Can't help feeling bad, though.' He takes a deep breath and looks at us. ‘Anyway, I'll rest easy knowing you girls are all right.'

‘We're fine, Bill,' says May. ‘Thanks for thinking of us.'

He hesitates, looking pleased that she remembered to use his name. ‘Um, would you mind if I have a quick word with Queenie?'

I glance at the sisters. May looks surprised. Nell looks annoyed.

‘Uh, yeah. Of course,' says May. ‘Come on, Nell.' She grabs her sister's sleeve and pulls her down the passage to the kitchen. ‘See you later, Bill. Don't forget, if you need anything, give us a shout.'

We stand looking at each other, unwilling to talk until the girls shut the kitchen door behind them. The sound of it closing makes Bill flinch.

‘Sorry,' he says. ‘I'm a bit shell-shocked this morning. Me ears are still ringing from all the noise.'

‘That's understandable. You look ready to drop. Why don't you go and get some rest, Bill?'

‘I will. I just wanted … no, needed, to talk to you first.' He pauses, rubbing the back of his neck. His face, under the soot, looks grey with fatigue. ‘I meant to tell you yesterday, I tried to talk to Nan about you again. I wanted to get her to tell us how you manage to get home, but I don't reckon she knows anyway. She just said you'll finish what you came here for, then it will all be all right.'

‘But what am I supposed to finish? I don't have a clue. God, this is so frustrating!'

‘I know. Try not to fret. Here, maybe you're supposed to get May to go out with me,' he grins, but I can see he's dead on his feet, so I doubt if he means it.

‘Did you ask her what I'm supposed to do?'

‘Yeah, but she keeps muttering on about spoilers. I'll bet that's what you told her before.'

‘Well that was particularly stupid of me, wasn't it?' I sigh, resting my head against the door jamb.

‘Don't fret. You're a clever girl. You'll work it out. You must do if you've already met Nan before.' He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head as though trying to get his brain working again. ‘Jesus, I never imagined I'd ever be having a conversation like this. Is this really happening, Rosie? Are you really from the future?'

‘Yes and you're really my grandpa, so you've got to make sure you marry May. Don't blow it, Bill. Promise me.'