Together Under the Stars

by Beryl Matthews

  ‘I told him it was too expensive, Dad, but he insisted, and I liked it so much.’

  ‘Even so …’

  ‘I can afford it, Harry. We have hardly spent a thing since we’ve been over here, have we, Steve?’ His expression was asking for support.

  ‘Quite true. Our payments have been building up and we are loaded,’ he joked.

  ‘Well, if you are sure.’ The frown disappeared and he beamed at his daughter. ‘This calls for a right old knees-up at the pub!’

  Two days later the two pilots arrived at the Daltons, looking forward to a more restful couple of days. They were welcomed enthusiastically, as always.

  ‘Where’s Nancy?’ Steve asked immediately.

  ‘Gone to do a bit of shopping, but she won’t be long. We’ve managed to rake together some clothing coupons and there are a few essentials she needs,’ Sally explained. ‘She’s been in uniform for quite a while and hasn’t much in the way of civilian clothes.’

  ‘Is she putting in for demob already?’ Sandy asked.

  ‘Not just yet, but she won’t stay on for too long, and I must admit it will be good to have her home again,’ Tom told them.

  ‘Do you know when you will be able to go home?’ Sally asked, handing round cups of tea.

  ‘Not at the moment, but it can’t be soon enough for me. My girl has been waiting patiently, and we will be married once I am home for good.’

  ‘That’s lovely, Sandy, you have something to look forward to.’ Sally turned her attention to Steve. ‘I expect your family are waiting eagerly for your return as well.’

  He nodded. ‘My father will be relieved. He’s been running things on his own, and it really needs the two of us.’

  At that moment Nancy arrived back and put her shopping bags down so she could pour herself a cup of tea.

  ‘Did you get all you needed?’ her mother asked.

  ‘As much as I could with the coupons I had. They were soon used up, though.’ She sat down and smiled at the boys. ‘Did you have a good time at Harry’s?’

  Sandy then told her about Sybil and Luke’s engagement and the celebration that followed in the evening, making everyone laugh.

  Sally stood up and beckoned to her daughter. ‘Give me a hand with dinner, and then the boys can relax and sleep as much as they like. It sounds as if they need it.’

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The next few weeks dragged by as they lounged around waiting for an opportunity to fly. They began to feel useless.

  Sandy threw the newspaper he had been reading onto the table. ‘They don’t need us any more. We’ve done what we came here for and now it’s time to go home.’

  The four Canadians nodded agreement. Now the danger and stress had gone their days felt aimless, and separation from their families was being keenly felt.

  ‘Can we ask to be sent home?’ Ricky wanted to know.

  Steve shrugged. ‘I really don’t know, and I am sure they will tell us when we can leave.’

  Luke stood up and stretched. ‘If we knew how much longer we are going to be here, then we could sort ourselves out. I want to marry Sybil before leaving, and as my wife she will be able to join me quicker.’

  ‘Yeah, same here.’ Ricky sat down. ‘Go and find out for us, Steve.’

  He hauled himself out of the chair, quite used to being asked to discover what was going on. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

  They waited and waited.

  ‘What’s taking him so long?’ Luke was studying his watch.

  ‘Perhaps he’s got fed up and gone for a walk.’

  That remark from Sandy made the others smile.

  ‘I wouldn’t put it past him,’ Luke chuckled. ‘Anyway, why do we always ask him to do everything?’

  Ricky shrugged. ‘People listen to him.’

  It was over an hour before Steve returned. ‘We need to put in an official request for a transfer back to Canada.’

  ‘It’s taken you all this time to find that out?’

  ‘No, Ricky, it took me five minutes, and as it is a nice day I went for a walk.’

  ‘Told you,’ Sandy said smugly. ‘So how do we go about this transfer?’

  Steve pulled some forms out of his pocket and handed them to each one. ‘Fill that in.’

  After scribbling something quickly, Ricky held it up. ‘Done.’

  Luke peered at the form. ‘What have you said?’

  ‘I want to go home. What else is there to say?’

  ‘How about – “Dear Sir or Madam, I have served Bomber Command and survived thirty missions. Now the war is over can we please go home to Canada? Yours faithfully,” then just sign it at the bottom.’

  Everyone found that hilarious, and Steve pointed out that it was forty-three missions, not counting the food drops.

  ‘Ah, you’re right. “PS, sorry, it’s forty-three missions.”’ They were roaring with laughter now, their lethargy for­gotten.

  ‘Hey, with everything that’s been going on, our return match with the girls has been forgotten,’ Ricky reminded them. ‘Let’s challenge them to a match tonight.’

  ‘That’s a good idea. A few drinks and a bit of fun is just what we need. Find Jean and throw down the challenge,’ Luke told him.

  ‘Before you do that, how many of us will be playing? Andy has a girl in the village now, so he won’t be available, nor will the rest of the crew who have wangled a forty-eight-hour pass.’

  ‘It will just be the four of us, then, Steve.’

  Sandy grinned. ‘That should be interesting. We couldn’t beat them with eight of us, so what chance do we stand with only four?’

  ‘We’ve been practising and they won’t find it so easy this time,’ Ricky said with confidence. ‘What are we going to demand as a forfeit from them?’

  ‘There speaks the man who couldn’t even hit the board,’ Luke teased. ‘I think we should decide what we are going to do when they beat us again.’

  ‘Pessimist.’ Ricky headed for the door, turned back and winked. ‘I can hit the board now and don’t intend to lose.’

  Jean leant on the counter and beckoned Nancy over. ‘The four boys have challenged us to a darts match tonight.’

  Nancy’s face lit up with devilment. ‘How do they think they are going to beat us on their own?’

  ‘Ricky is sure they can because they’ve been practising. See you in the NAAFI.’

  As Jean left, Colin came over. ‘Did I hear right? You’re taking on the Canadians at darts again?’

  She nodded, laughing softly.

  ‘Oh, this we will want to see. I’ll tell the boys.’

  ‘Who are you going to support?’

  ‘The winning side, of course.’

  The girls were already warming up when they arrived for the match.

  ‘Damn, they are good,’ Ricky murmured as they watched the darts flying to the target.

  Nancy grinned at them, turned back to the board, and threw three darts in quick succession, landing expertly on one hundred and eighty.

  ‘Show off,’ Sandy called. ‘Come and sit down and I’ll buy you a drink before we start.’

  They sat round a table and Steve asked, ‘What are we playing for?’

  ‘Silk stockings,’ Jean replied at once.

  ‘That can be arranged – if you win.’ He turned to his friends and gave a sly wink. They had already discussed this, but they were going to have a bit of fun with the girls. ‘And what will be our prize when we win?’

  Ignoring the girls’ amused smiles at that remark, they stood up, walked a few paces away so they couldn’t be heard and went into a huddle.

  After much whispering and waving of hands they sat down again and, as usual, Steve was the spokesman. ‘We are going to play as two teams, Sandy and Ricky, Luke and myself. It will be the best of three matches for each team, so if you beat any team your prize will come from them. However, if either of our teams should win, then you will need to grant them a wish.’

  The girls looked
at each other, highly suspicious at this strange set of rules. ‘And what will the wish be?’ Nancy asked.

  ‘Whatever we decide.’

  ‘Oh, come on,’ Jean exclaimed. ‘You can’t expect us to accept that without knowing what you are going to ask for.’

  ‘We wouldn’t ask for anything improper,’ Luke assured them. ‘Perhaps just a small favour when we need some­thing.’

  One look from the girls told them quite clearly that they didn’t believe that for one minute.

  ‘Suppose we give you the right to refuse any wish you consider impossible or inappropriate.’

  ‘We’d want that in writing,’ Nancy declared.

  ‘Hey, they don’t trust us.’ Ricky was trying hard not to laugh.

  ‘You bet we don’t.’ Jean gave him a wallop on the shoulder. ‘If we agree, when would this wish be claimed?’

  ‘Any time – or never.’

  ‘What are you up to, Steve? This is ridiculous.’

  He appeared totally innocent when he said, ‘We are not up to anything, Nancy. We didn’t know what to claim as a prize, and this was the only thing we could think of.’

  ‘Come on, girls, you’ve known us long enough to trust us, surely?’ Luke picked up the darts and handed them to Sandy. ‘Take a chance and think of all those silk stockings you might win.’

  ‘What do you say?’ Jean asked her friend. ‘It doesn’t matter, because they are not going to win.’

  ‘You’re right. Let’s show them how experts play the game.’

  Ricky was already on his feet. ‘It’s me and Sandy first.’

  As soon as they walked towards the dartboard everyone in the room stood up and gathered round to watch the fun. There was much calling of encouragement, urging them on to beat the girls.

  They played well – but not well enough, and the girls won by two games to one, although it had been much closer than anyone expected.

  Luke said quietly to his partner, ‘They are not unbeatable, and they don’t know how good we have become.’

  Steve walked over and cleaned the scoreboard ready for their match. After throwing a few practice darts, making a hash of it on purpose, the match was on.

  The first game went to the girls, and they had smug expres­sions on their faces, absolutely certain this was going to be easy.

  ‘Okay,’ Steve murmured, ‘time to up our game.’ From then on nearly every dart hit the desired number, and they won so quickly their opponents were silent with shock. The decider wasn’t quite so easy, but eventually Luke threw the winning dart.

  The place erupted with cheers at finally seeing these demons of the game being beaten. Many of those watching had tried in the past and been thoroughly thrashed.

  ‘You really have been practising, haven’t you?’ Nancy said as they all sat down again. ‘Ah well, we will still get stockings from the losing team.’

  ‘I’ll send right away, but it might be a while before they arrive,’ Sandy explained.

  ‘That’s all right.’ Jean sipped her drink and eyed Luke and Steve. ‘So, we both owe you a wish. Have you any idea when you might claim them?’

  ‘We don’t know yet, and are banking that privilege until needed.’

  Ricky arrived with more drinks and patted Jean on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry about them. I’ll make sure they behave themselves.’

  That caused comments of disbelief that had everyone laughing. The rest of the evening turned into a party, and the girls relaxed. The rare defeat soon forgotten.

  Back in their quarters, Luke asked his friend, ‘What are you thinking of asking for?’

  ‘No idea. As I said, I am banking that in case I need it in the future. What about you?’

  ‘I’ll have a word with Sybil, but I thought it would be nice to have them as our bridesmaids.’

  ‘They’d like that, I am sure. When are you planning to get married?’

  ‘The application has already gone in and we hope it will be in four weeks. You will be my best man, of course.’

  ‘I’d be delighted to be your best man. It is going to be a church wedding, I take it?’

  ‘Yes, Sybil and Harry are seeing to all that, and the reception will be at the Jolly Sailor. They’ve got a private room upstairs we can use.’

  ‘What about a cake? How will that be possible with the strict rationing?’

  ‘Gladys is going to make that, and as for a wedding dress, Sybil has asked me if I can get hold of a parachute.’

  Steve thought for a moment, and then stood up. ‘Let’s go and have a word with Sarge.’

  ‘Good idea. If anyone knows how to get things, it’s him.’

  They left the room and nearly bumped into Ricky. ‘Where are you two off to this time of night?’

  ‘Sybil wants a parachute and we are going to find Sarge.’

  ‘What does she want that for? Is she going to jump out of a plane?’ he joked.

  ‘No, you fool; she wants to make a wedding dress out of it. What about Jean, does she want a white wedding?’ Luke asked.

  ‘She said no fuss, so we are going to have a simple ceremony and in uniform.’

  ‘Right, see you in the morning.’

  ‘I’m coming with you.’

  ‘So am I.’ Sandy appeared then and raised an eyebrow in query. ‘Where are we going?’

  Steve explained the purpose of their mission. ‘We are beginning to look like the four musketeers. Where one goes, the others follow.’

  ‘I thought that was three.’ Sandy rested his hand on Steve’s shoulder. ‘We came here together, and we stay together, so we will all go for a parachute.’

  It didn’t take long to find Sarge. He was standing outside the airmen’s quarters smoking a cigarette, and when they reached him, he ground it out. ‘I can tell by the look on your faces that you are up to something. What can I do for you, gentlemen?’

  ‘We need a parachute,’ Luke said, ‘and thought you would be the man to ask.’

  ‘You’ve all got parachutes.’

  ‘Luke’s getting married soon and his girl wants one to make a wedding dress,’ Sandy told him.

  ‘So you want me to steal one for you?’

  ‘No, no, I only want one that can no longer be used,’ Luke told him hastily. ‘Do you know if that is possible?’

  ‘Anything is possible.’ Sarge lit another cigarette and drew on it deeply. ‘I know where they keep the decommissioned items, but it will take a bribe, of course.’

  ‘Of course.’ Steve chuckled. ‘What do you need?’

  ‘A small bottle of whisky will do the job.’

  ‘We’ll get that and one for yourself,’ Luke offered.

  Sarge winked. ‘It’s as good as done. You leave this with me.’

  ‘Thanks, and as soon as you can.’

  ‘I’ll have it for you by tomorrow evening.’

  Luke was delighted, and as they began to walk away, Steve stayed behind and leant against the wall next to Sarge. ‘What do they do with parachutes that are damaged and can’t be used again?’

  ‘Some are sent away for the material to be used for some­thing else. We have learnt not to waste anything in this war, and I am told they make nice underclothes for the girls.’

  ‘They also save lives, and it will be good to see Sybil walking down the aisle in one.’ He pushed away from the wall. ‘Thanks, Sarge.’

  ‘I’m always happy to help my crew in any way I can – and I’ll drink to the happy couple with a fine whisky.’

  Steve was laughing softly as he ran to catch the others up.

  The next afternoon Sarge found them kicking a ball at a makeshift goal. He ran to the ball, kicked it into the air and then headed it straight in the goal.

  ‘Good shot,’ Luke called. ‘I can see you’ve played this game before.’

  ‘I used to be quite good, if I say so myself. I’ve been checking your Lancaster and there seems to be something wrong with your seat, sir,’ he said formally in case anyone was listening. ‘Would you ha
ve a look at it? There’s something stuck under­neath.’ He gave a crafty wink and walked away.

  ‘Ah, thanks, Sarge.’ He gave him a thumbs-up sign. ‘I’ll check it right away.’

  They all went and climbed into their Lancaster, and tucked underneath the flight engineer’s seat was the material from a parachute, neatly packaged.

  They took it straight back to their quarters, and Steve asked, ‘How are you going to get that to Sybil? We can’t leave base for any length of time at the moment.’

  ‘I’ll write and ask if she can come and meet me at the pub. If we are flying, I will ask Sarge to go and give her the package.’

  ‘That will cost you several rounds of drinks.’

  ‘I know,’ he smirked. ‘I wonder what he does in civilian life?’

  ‘Goodness knows, but he’s a fine mechanic.’

  Sandy appeared at the door. ‘Just heard, there’s a briefing tomorrow morning. Supply run for someone, I expect.’

  ‘Who cares as long as we can fly.’ Steve’s smile was one of pure pleasure.

  His friend came in and sat beside him. ‘Why don’t you stay in the RAF, Steve? You would make a damned fine instructor, and I’m sure they would jump at the chance to keep you.’

  ‘It’s tempting, but not possible. I have to go home.’

  ‘I suppose there is no way round that.’

  ‘There isn’t, and, anyway, we’ve all put in our transfer requests to return to Canada. That’s where I belong.’

  ‘Where we all belong,’ Luke added. ‘We’ve done the job we came here for, and now it’s time to go home.’

  With deep sighs they all nodded agreement, and Steve knew he was soon going to have a serious talk with Nancy. His time was getting short.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The group was thrown into the excitement of planning the two weddings. Sybil, now demobbed, arrived two days later and met them at the local pub.

  With drinks in front of them, Luke turned to Nancy and Jean. ‘You owe me a wish, and I’m going to claim it now. Sybil and I would like you both to be our bridesmaids.’

  They didn’t hesitate and agreed immediately, excited by the offer, and also rather relieved that one of their wishes had been fulfilled so easily.