The Docklands Girls

by June Tate

  ‘Well?’ asked Belle.

  ‘Well what?’ Cora answered.

  ‘Oh for God’s sake! How was it seeing Simon again and is he coming back? And by the way – I think he’s lovely!’

  Cora had to laugh at her friend’s direct approach. Belle never did mince her words.

  ‘Yes, it was good to see him – after I got over the shock. For one moment when I opened my eyes and saw him, I really thought I was going to faint.’

  ‘How do you feel about him now?’

  ‘To be honest, Belle, I don’t know. I really loved that man and I guess I still do, deep down. But I was so hurt when we broke up. However, I have to say, he’s softened a lot. Before, everything was either black or white in his eyes, but now … he seems more sensitive, which is strange really.’

  ‘I don’t think it’s strange at all!’ Belle exclaimed. ‘You were hurt, but so was he – you seem to forget that and I can tell you that man is still in love with you. To me, it was as clear as day.’

  ‘Well, I’m not rushing into anything. He asked to come again and I said yes. We’ll see what transpires.’

  Simon sat out on the deck of the ferry in the evening sun, feeling happy and relieved. When he arrived in Shanklin, he wasn’t at all sure if Cora would even see him and then when Belle let him in the house and told him to find Cora in the garden he didn’t know if she’d tell him to leave. He could see how shocked she was to see him and he held his breath for a moment until she spoke. Thankfully the afternoon went well and he was going to see her again.

  He leant back in his seat and closed his eyes, remembering the happy days when they were together. The places they visited, the shows they saw and the times they slept together and were intimate. He longed for that relationship again. Her past didn’t matter any more. He loved her and wanted to be with her, care for her … love her. Although he was still on shaky ground and he knew it. But she had said he could visit again. He could hardly wait, but he had the sense to know he’d have to step carefully and slowly.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Hildy climbed off the bed where the army doctor had examined her, got dressed, and sat facing him as he smiled at her.

  ‘Congratulations, Mrs Miller, you are about ten weeks pregnant by my calculations. When did you last have a period?’

  She could hardly cope with the excitement she felt and told him the date.

  ‘That’s pretty conclusive. Congratulations! Have you told your husband your news?’

  ‘No, I wasn’t sure. You know, what with all the excitement of coming to the States, a new life, new husband, it could have been any of those things, but when I missed my second period, then I began to hope.’

  ‘Well, now you can tell Sergeant Miller he’s going to be a father.’ He handed her a pile of leaflets and a small handbook. ‘Here, take these home and read them; it’ll give you lots of information about pregnancy. Come back and see me in a month, unless you’re worried about anything.’

  As she walked out of the clinic, Hildy was so happy she wanted to shout out her news. But there wasn’t anyone around and she didn’t know any of the wives well enough to want to share her news before she told her husband. It would have been lovely if she and her mother had been closer, but Olive would be the last person to be pleased for her and that was sad … but not for long. Milt was on leave from tonight and they’d planned to go to the Appalachian Mountains, where they’d hired a log cabin to spend a week up there, relaxing, walking, fishing and spending time together away from the base and the army. It was tonight when they’d settled in the cabin that she would tell him her news, she decided, and went back to their house to finish packing.

  Later as she and Milt drove out of the base, Hildy let out a sigh of relief. Army life was all consuming and she could never get away from it with living there. Had they lived elsewhere, it would have felt so different. It was the only thing that Hildy regretted about her move.

  ‘You alright, honey?’ asked Milt, patting her knee.

  ‘Yes, I’m fine. Oh Milt it’s so good to get away, leave the army behind. To feel like a normal married couple.’

  Laughing, he said, ‘But we are a normal married couple!’

  ‘Yes, I know, but you know what I mean, without the army intruding. Even having our own place to live, it’s on the base, you open the front door and all you see are uniforms and jeeps. If we lived outside then it wouldn’t feel that way.’ Then she felt guilty, after all she married Milt knowing he was a military man.

  ‘I’m not complaining, I guess I’ve not got used to it yet.’

  ‘Never mind, darling, we have a week to put that life on hold. You’ll love it in the mountains. I’ll teach you how to fish. Eating freshly caught fish tastes so different you wouldn’t believe.’

  Hildy sat back enjoying the passing scenery, secretly hugging herself, knowing she had such news to tell this lovely man whom she loved even more with each passing day. He would be a great father. Strict if they had a son, teaching him to be a man, and kind and gentle if they had a daughter – as he was with her.

  They eventually drove up through tall pine trees into the mountains and Hildy marvelled at the view. It was like being in another world, one she’d never seen before and one that took her breath away as she became aware of the force of nature.

  Milt drew up in front of a log cabin, like those Hildy had seen in American movies, hardly able to believe she was actually there and, as they entered the huge sitting room, she was delighted to see the huge open fire, comfortable settees with colourful throws, a big basket of logs and another with fir cones, ready to put on the fire if they needed it.

  The bedroom had a large double bed already made up with a patchwork quilt on the top of it. There was a big wardrobe and chest of drawers and bedside light either side of the bed atop of two small bedside tables.

  ‘Oh Milt! This is wonderful. Just like all the old cowboy movies I’ve seen with the homesteaders living in the woods.’ She looked at him and grinned broadly. ‘Just tell me there aren’t any marauding Indians around.’

  He laughed at her delight. ‘No, Hildy. Only bears.’

  She looked horrified. ‘Are you kidding?’

  ‘No, I’m not. They are hereabout so we shouldn’t leave any food outside, but don’t worry; we could be here all week and not see one.’

  They walked through to the kitchen which was well stocked with china, cutlery and cooking utensils. Milt put down a cardboard carton of food he’d bought at the army stores and Hildy started to put it away in the fridge in the corner. Then while Milt brought in the suitcase, she filled the kettle and made some coffee.

  They sat outside in the fading light drinking the coffee and admiring the scene before them. There were other cabins in the area, he told her, but they were not in sight, which made the privacy for Hildy extra special. On the base the houses were all so close together, at times, Hildy felt everyone was living with her, part of her household.

  As they sat together, Hildy asked, ‘Would it be possible to rent or buy a place of our own outside the base?’

  He looked surprised. ‘I guess so, why do you ask?’

  ‘It’s just that I’d like to bring up our children in a house with a garden, little private shops, a civilian life. Don’t get me wrong, Milt, I know that the army is your life and, although you did at one time think of leaving, it’s what you were born to do and you do it so well. You wouldn’t be happy away from it.’

  He leant back in the chair. ‘You’re right, honey, it’s what I do best, but if you want to move, we can certainly think about it when we have a baby.’

  ‘Well, darling, I’m afraid we’ll have to start thinking about it right now. We don’t have time to waste.’

  He nearly choked his coffee.

  ‘Hildy, are you saying you’re pregnant?’

  ‘Yes, you are going to be a father sometime in December!’

  He leant forward, took her in his arms and kissed her. ‘Hildy, that’s marve
llous!’ He kissed her again. ‘Are you alright? Did the doctor say everything was fine?’

  Chuckling, she assured him she was. ‘Pregnancy isn’t an illness, Milt. It’s quite normal, you know.’

  He just looked at her. ‘You have made me the happiest man alive,’ he said. ‘Come on inside, it gets chilly in the mountains at night. I’ll light the fire and we’ll cook a meal, then we can sit and decide on a name for our child.’

  ‘For heaven’s sake, darling, there’s plenty of time.’

  ‘I know, but just indulge me here. We can both make suggestions. After all, we may have quite different ideas.’ He was like a child who’d been given a new toy she thought and was amused by it.

  After consuming steak and a salad, they settled by the fire, nestling close and started discussing names. At the end of the evening they still couldn’t agree and decided to do the sensible thing and buy a book of names and try again.

  As they lay in bed, Milt placed his hand gently on her stomach. ‘If it’s a boy or a girl, I promise you, I’ll take care of it and you for the rest of my life. You want to move out of the base, then that’s what we’ll do.’

  Hildy didn’t know she could be this happy as Milt made love to her, whispering how they would spend the rest of their lives together with the family they planned. The house he would buy for them, the holidays they would take, how they would bring up their children and eventually in the twilight of their years, how they would sit on their porch in the evening with their grandchildren and reminisce.

  The following morning after taking a shower and eating a hearty breakfast, Milt drove her to a nearby lake and tried to teach her how to cast a fishing line. It took a while, but eventually she managed and was delighted.

  They put their rods in special holders and sat drinking coffee from a flask until Hildy saw her line jerk. ‘Oh my God! I’ve caught a fish!’ She jumped to her feet. ‘What do I do? Help me, Milt.’

  He stood behind her showing her how to let the fish run and to suddenly tighten the line until they pulled the fish to the shore and Milt caught it in a net.

  ‘Well done, darling! I’ll make a hunter out of you yet.’

  He, too, soon had a bite and by the afternoon they had a nice catch to take home. On the way, Milt slowly stopped the car.

  ‘Look,’ he said, ‘over there.’

  Hildy looked in the direction he was pointing and to her dismay and eventual joy, she saw a brown bear and two cubs, walking among the trees. They sat and watched, Hildy fascinated by the sight. This was something to write and tell the girls about.

  ‘The most dangerous thing for anyone who comes across a bear and her young is to get between them, you remember that.’

  She looked at him in surprise. ‘Milt Miller, I will never ever be in that situation – that I can promise you. I make sure I look out of the cabin window every time you or I go outside. If I saw a bear, you wouldn’t see me for dust!’

  He laughed. ‘I guess we have some time to go before you become at home in the mountains.’

  ‘Not true! I feel perfectly at home … in the car or in the cabin.’

  Their week in the Appalachians was idyllic and when it was time to pack up and go home Hildy let out a deep sigh of regret. It had been so good to have Milt to herself twenty-four hours a day, but duty called. However, now she had something to plan for, but when she was unpacked the first thing she would do was write to Belle and Cora. They were the closest thing she had to a family and she could hardly wait to share her news.

  What a shame they weren’t here with her. They would have had such a good time together. Hildy started to chuckle. She couldn’t imagine Belle living in the woods for one moment, she loved being surrounded by people. The solitude of the mountains would drive her crazy. Now Cora would probably settle better, she was so very resilient.

  With those thoughts, she sat down to write to them.

  Chapter Thirty

  Both Cora and Belle were delighted to receive a long letter from Hildy and when they read she was going to have a baby, they were thrilled for her.

  ‘How bloody marvellous!’ Belle said. ‘I did hear in the factory she had a difficult time with her mother and they didn’t part friends. Shame. But she’ll be a superb mother.’

  They read on about her trip to the mountains and seeing a bear and her cubs.

  ‘It’s a different world out there,’ Cora remarked as she poured a cup of tea. ‘Think back to our earlier days when we all worked together, all our lives have changed and who would have thought it. Hildy married, you and I here … and you too, with a man who’s interested in you.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Tom the butcher, of course. He fancied you from the moment you walked into his shop. I reckon you could be on to a good thing there.’

  ‘Now you’re being ridiculous!’ Belle retorted, but her cheeks flushed as she spoke.

  Cora noticed but decided not to tease her friend further. Tom seemed a decent bloke and Belle could do worse.

  It was the next evening that Tom and Belle had a date for dinner. He’d booked a table at a restaurant in Cowes which had been recommended to him by a customer, and, as he showered and changed, he hoped that Belle would approve. He straightened his tie, put on his jacket and walked downstairs.

  Kev was sitting in an armchair, reading the evening paper and he looked up as Tom walked into the room.

  ‘Going somewhere special?’ he asked.

  Tom put his keys in his pocket, walked to the door and said, ‘Yes, I’m taking Belle Newman out to dinner so don’t lock up before I get back.’

  Kev’s eyes narrowed as he watched his brother leave. The last thing he needed was for Tom to get cosy with that woman. He had plans of his own for her. Perhaps it was time to put a bit of pressure on her. Stop her getting cocky.

  Completely unaware of the situation between his brother and Belle, Tom called at the house to collect her and Cora invited him in to wait.

  ‘She won’t be long,’ she told him and they chatted away until Belle came downstairs.

  Tom got to his feet. ‘Belle, how lovely you look.’

  ‘Well, thank you. You scrub up pretty well yourself!’

  ‘Sorry, Belle, that I have to take you out in my butcher’s van in your finery, but you understand with petrol rationing and all …’

  ‘Don’t be silly!’ was all she said.

  Cora looked at the pair of them and hid a smile. ‘Now remember, Belle, home no later than eleven o’clock or I’ll lock the door on you.’

  Belle grinned broadly at her. ‘Yes, mother! Let’s go, Tom, before she gets completely carried away.’

  Cora watched through the net curtains and saw Tom hold the door to the passenger seat open for his companion, him fussing, making sure she was comfortable. What a nice man and she hoped that something would come of this. She deserved a happy future just as much as their friend Hildy. She crossed her fingers as she watched them drive away.

  The evening in Cowes went well. The restaurant was comfortable, the food was good and Tom and Belle were at ease with each other. He told her how he’d worked with his father and taken over the business when he retired and how consequently, it was left to him in his father’s will.

  ‘I think the old man would have been proud of me to see how well we’re doing,’ Tom said.

  ‘How did your brother take the news that you inherited the business?’ Belle asked.

  ‘He wasn’t around much and he had no time for our father. In fact, the only times he came to see him was to ask for money.’ Tom’s eyes flashed angrily.

  ‘Yet you took him in when he was demobbed.’

  ‘I thought I’d give him one last chance. He could be a fine butcher if he wanted to be, but he just does as much as he has to, to keep his job, if I’m honest. We have never had anything in common even as youngsters.’

  Belle didn’t question him further.

  After they ate, they decided to take a stroll along the f
ront. The evening was reasonably warm and there were other people walking too. Tom took her hand, which to Belle felt quite natural. They sat on a bench overlooking the sea, talking about the coming Cowes Week in August which would find the town crammed full of yachtsmen and the crowds who came to watch the races.

  Belle confessed that she’d never been on the island at that time and Tom suggested they come together. ‘It’s quite a sight, Belle, you must see it at least once. The place is buzzing. It’s quite a festival.’

  As they walked back to the car, Tom said, ‘I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you came to Shanklin, Belle. You’ve certainly made my life more cheerful. I so look forward to you coming into the shop, but it would be nice to continue meeting away from business. What do you say?’

  She smiled at him and said, ‘I would love that, Tom. It’s nice to get away from work and spend time in good company.’

  ‘My sentiments exactly!’ he said.

  When they arrived back at Belle’s house, Tom walked round to her side of the van and helped her out. He looked at his watch.

  ‘Five minutes to eleven. You just made it in time!’ They both laughed. Tom drew Belle into his arms and kissed her gently. ‘Thank you for a delightful evening. It’s been a long time since I took a beautiful woman out to dinner.’

  ‘It was quite a change for me too,’ she replied, ‘and I look forward to the next time.’ She reached up and touched his face. ‘You are a good man,’ she said as she leant forward and kissed his cheek.

  Cora was sitting in the kitchen drinking a cup of cocoa, when Belle walked in.

  ‘No need to ask if you had a good time; you have a glow about you,’ she said.

  Belle dismissed her remark. ‘It was the brandy and the sea air, but we did have a nice time. Everything alright here?’