‘I’ll get in touch very soon,’ he said. ‘Don’t suppose you’ve got a phone, have you?’
‘No, we haven’t … but I’ll give you my address.’ She scribbled it down on a page from the notebook in her bag. He grinned and tucked it away in his wallet.
‘We’ve got a phone,’ he said. ‘Not ’cause we’re posh or owt like that. Me dad’s got his own business, y’see. He’s a sort of odd job man and does all sorts of odds and sods for folk. A bit of painting and decorating, and joinery and plastering. Here y’are; that’s the number. But make it early evening if you call me, then I’ll be back from work. But I’ll get in touch with you before you ring, that’s for sure.’
Cissie put the paper with the Bradford number written on it into the back of her purse.
‘Come on, let’s have a stroll on the prom, shall we?’ He stood up and pulled her to her feet. She felt rather wobbly and dizzy. It was hot and stuffy in the pub but the fresh air brought her round, to some extent.
They crossed the tramtrack to North Pier, then went down an incline that led to the middle promenade, to the part known as the Colonnades, a series of shelters looking out on the sea with stone pillars supporting the roof. They passed a couple sitting on a seat, closely entwined, but apart from that the place was deserted.
Jack led her to a bench and when they sat down he started to kiss her. She responded eagerly to his touch and to his further advances. She found that she did not mind anymore, she was willing to go along wherever he led her. He was gentle with her, surprisingly so she realized, as she looked back on it later. At the time it seemed inevitable that it should happen, and she offered no resistance. She was vaguely aware that Jack was not inexperienced, and if he gathered that it was, for her, the first time, he made no comment.
She said very little afterwards as she straightened her clothing and rose, rather unsteadily, to her feet.
‘I’d better get back,’ she murmured. ‘It’s late, isn’t it?’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get back safely,’ he said.
There was a taxi cab parked in Talbot Square. Jack opened the door and helped her to get inside.
‘Make sure this young lady gets back alright,’ he said to the driver as he handed him some coins. ‘I won’t come with you,’ he said to her. ‘My digs are quite near, so there’s no point. This man’ll take care of you.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘I’ll be seeing you soon, Cissie. ‘Bye for now. Look after yerself …’
‘Bye, Jack,’ she answered dazedly. ‘Yes … see you soon.’
‘Where are we going, luv?’ asked the driver.
She told him the street. ‘The Florabunda Hotel, it’s just off the prom, near the Carlton.’
‘Oh aye; I know it. I’ll have you back in a jiffy.’
He helped her out of the cab and up the path, then waited while she found her key.
‘Quite a night, was it?’ he asked.
‘Yes … you could say so,’ she replied bemusedly.
‘Well, you take care then, luv. You’ll feel better in the morning.’
She made sure the door was locked, then staggered up the stairs to the bedroom. She guessed that Val would be back, and so she was, fast asleep it seemed, so Cissie did not put on the light. Val stirred as she undressed quietly in the dark.
‘I tried to wait up for you, but I was too tired,’ she said. ‘What time is it?’
‘I don’t know. Go back to sleep, Val. I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘It’s late, isn’t it? Where’ve you been till now?’
‘It doesn’t matter. I’m … OK. I don’t want to talk now, I’m tired.’
‘Alright, then, night-night …’
‘G’night, Val … Sleep tight.’
TEN
Cissie woke up the following morning feeling slightly dizzy and with the sense of something there at the back of her mind, something that was troubling her. She lay still for a few moments, gathering her thoughts together. She knew she must have had too much to drink and it didn’t take much for her to start to lose control of her senses.
She recalled the pub near to the cinema, Yates’s Wine Lodge, and Jack plying her with gin and limes in quick succession. She remembered the walk on the prom, the secluded shelter behind the stone pillars … She gave an audible gasp of horror as it all came back to her. Jack kissing her and fondling her in such a persuasive way, and she had been like putty in his hands, not protesting at all, just going along with him. She sat bolt upright in bed. Oh, dear God in heaven, whatever had she done! The thoughts in her mind were not really blasphemous. Cissie just felt that she was badly in need of some sort of help right now.
Val, in the next bed, sat up too, awakened from her sleep by Cissie’s cry.
‘Whatever’s the matter, Cissie?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know,’ answered her friend. ‘I’m … not sure. I must have been having a bad dream.’ She couldn’t tell her friend what had happened, she would be so shocked. They had talked about such matters, and they had both agreed that they would never go so far. She shook her head in bewilderment.
‘I’m not feeling too well,’ she said. She gave a shaky laugh. ‘Too much to drink last night, I’m afraid, and I’m not used to it, am I? Silly me, it’s my own fault.’
‘Yes, you were rather late back, weren’t you?’
‘We went for a drink after we’d been to the pictures. I had three gin and limes, so no wonder I’m feeling woozy. I’ll happen feel better when I’ve had some breakfast, though I don’t think I can face bacon and egg.’
Val gave her an odd look, hoping that that was all that had happened. Cissie had been out so late, and she didn’t really know that Jack. You don’t know Sam all that well either, whispered a little voice inside her, yet she did feel certain that he meant every word he said. Whereas that Jack, he was a real wide boy, unless she had got it all wrong. There was something about the fellow that Val did not trust.
Cissie tried to pull herself together and act normally. She didn’t want Val to suspect that anything was wrong. She could not face the cooked breakfast, but after a bowl of cereal and a slice of buttered toast with marmalade she began to feel much better, in body if not in mind.
She answered Val’s questions regarding Jack. Yes, she had said goodbye to him for now, because he was spending today with his friend. ‘But I’ve got his phone number,’ she said, ‘an’ he wants me to ring him. It’s his dad’s number, actually, ’cause he’s got his own business. Jack’s got my address, an’ he’s going to get in touch soon after we get home. He’s really nice, Val,’ she added, a shade defiantly. ‘I really like him … a lot. What about you and Sam? Will you be seeing him again?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Val smiled serenely. ‘I like him a lot, just as you said about Jack. It might be complicated with Sam’s family and everything, but he’s sure it will work out alright. Now, the important thing is what we’re going to do today, our last day.’
‘Nothing too strenuous,’ said Cissie. ‘I mean, we don’t want to walk miles along the prom, do we?’ She could not tell Val that she was feeling rather achy and sore, but she did need a breath of fresh air to make her head feel clear again.
‘The sun’s still shining,’ said Val. ‘And, d’you know what? We’ve never worn our bathing costumes, have we?’
‘We can’t swim,’ said Cissie. ‘I can’t think why we brought them.’
‘To sunbathe, that’s why. It’ll be a waste of money if we don’t wear them. What about getting deckchairs and sitting on the sands for an hour or two? We can have a paddle in the sea if we feel like it, or just sit and read and soak up the sun.’
‘That suits me,’ replied Cissie. ‘Then p’raps we could have a last look at the shops after we’ve had some lunch. I want to get a present for me mam and dad. She’s so hard to please, though, is Mam. And Walter an’ all. I suppose I’ll have to get something for him.’
‘What are you going to do about Walter … if you’re going to s
ee Jack again?’
‘I’ve promised I’ll see Jack,’ said Cissie, sounding quite definite about it. ‘An’ I’m going to, an’ all! I don’t know what I’m going to tell Walter … But it was never really an engagement or owt like that. He might’ve thought so, but it wasn’t.’
Val thought that her friend sounded very anxious about it all. ‘Well, never mind all that now,’ she said. ‘Let’s get ready and go to the beach.’
They put on their bathing costumes with their clothes on top, then put one of their own towels in a bag, just in case they decided to dip their toes at the edge of the ocean. They walked along to North Pier, then hired a couple of deckchairs which they had to carry down the slope to the sands. The tide was well out so they should be able to sunbathe for a while, provided the sun kept it’s early promise.
Cissie put on her sun glasses and tried to read her Woman magazine, but found that she could not concentrate. The happenings of the previous night were looming large in her mind. The problem page and the replies of the Agony Aunt only served to make things worse. There was, as usual, a girl who was pregnant and did now know what to do, and a woman whose husband was unfaithful. It seemed that everyone had problems one way or another. She cast a glance at Val who looked very contented, reading her True Romance magazine and smiling to herself. But things didn’t always work out the way they did in romantic stories.
The sun disappeared behind a cloud and Cissie gave a shudder. She put on her cardigan, which was not the thing to wear with a bathing costume, but it was turning rather chilly. Val looked across at her, then up at the sky.
‘Oh dear! What’s happened to the sun? It looks as though we might be unlucky with our sunbathing. I’d better put my cardy on as well … That feels better,’ she said, pulling the woolly garment round her shoulders. ‘Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all … Cissie, what’s the matter?’
Cissie had taken off her sunglasses and Val could see the blank expression in her eyes, so unlike her normal cheerful self. She looked distraught, and as Val regarded her in concern she gave an intake of breath, a sort of sob, then she began to cry.
‘Oh, Val … I’ve done something dreadful. I wasn’t going to tell you ’cause I knew you’d be shocked, but I can’t keep it to meself any longer.’
‘Cissie … whatever is it?’ Val went over and knelt on the sand beside her friend. She put an arm round her. ‘Come on now, you can tell me. I’m your friend, and we share everything, don’t we?’ She did have an inkling as to what might be troubling Cissie. After all, what else could it be? She had been very strange when she woke up, and she had admitted that she’d had too much to drink …
‘It’s Jack … Jack and me,’ said Cissie, her voice shaky and indistinct between her sobs. ‘What we did … Oh, Val. I know it’s awful, an’ I shouldn’t have done it, but I let him … you know … we’ve done that!’
‘Oh, Cissie …’ She held her friend close to her, not knowing what to say. There was no point in being shocked and horrified, as that would only make her feel worse. ‘Don’t get upset about it. It’s not the end of the world. I expect he … well, he knew you’d had too much to drink, and he made the most of it, didn’t he?’ She, Val, had had the feeling all along that Jack was not to be trusted.
‘No … no, it wasn’t like that,’ Cissie protested. ‘He didn’t force me. I did it because I wanted to, and now … I feel so dreadful. I know I shouldn’t have done it.’
‘But you did, and that’s that,’ said Val, possibly more bluntly than she intended. But to think that Cissie could have been so stupid as to let it happen after all she had said, after the way they had both talked about it and said that they never would. But then she, Val, had never been tempted, had she? If it had been herself and Sam … She knew that she was falling in love with him. Who could tell how she might behave if ever …?
She put an end to her rambling thoughts. ‘I can see why you’re worried,’ she said, ‘but it was the first time, wasn’t it? And I don’t think it can happen the first time … that you could … be having a baby. But time will tell, won’t it?’
Cissie had stopped crying now, but she looked fearfully at her friend. ‘But I won’t know, will I? It might be ages before I know …’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Val. Then she remembered. ‘Oh yes, you told me once, didn’t you, that you have problems with … all that?’
‘I never know when I’m going to start,’ said Cissie. Like most girls of their time, Cissie and Val had been brought up to keep such matters as monthly periods to themselves. It was considered unseemly to talk about such private things. Cissie’s periods were irregular, but her doctor had said there was nothing to worry about. She was perfectly healthy, and it would probably sort itself out in time.
‘I can go six weeks or even longer,’ she said now. ‘I just never know when it’ll happen. I had one the week before we came away, so it’ll probably be ages before … Oh, Val, what am I going to do?’
‘It won’t have happened, not the first time,’ said Val, with more conviction than she was feeling. ‘Anyway, you’ll be seeing Jack next week, won’t you? You must tell him that it mustn’t happen again. And if he really likes you, as you say he does, then he’ll listen to you, won’t he?’
Cissie nodded numbly. ‘Yes, I hope so. And then there’s Walter …’
‘Don’t think about it now,’ said Val. ‘It won’t do any good to keep talking about it. Come on, it’s turning really chilly now. Let’s go and have some lunch, then we’ll have a look round the shops.’
Cissie stood up. ‘OK, I’ll try to forget about it for now. But I’m glad I’ve told you. It was driving me mad, keeping it to meself.’
When they had put their clothes on they decided to go back to the hotel to get changed. Their bathing costumes were proving to be impractical as well as unnecessary now that the sun had disappeared.
They took a bus back into the town and had lunch at the cafeteria in Marks and Spencer’s, before looking round at all the tempting merchandise that the store had to offer.
‘I think I’ll get a headscarf for my mum,’ said Val. ‘There are some really colourful ones here, see. Do you think your mum would like one?’
‘Goodness knows,’ said Cissie. ‘She might or she might not, there’s no pleasing her sometimes. Yes, I suppose it’s as good as anything. She usually wears one when she goes shopping.’
Val chose one with a pattern of autumn leaves and Cissie one striped in red, white and blue. It was rather bold in design, but she thought her mother might like it as she had been a staunch royalist since the young Queen Elizabeth had come to the throne. They chose ties for their dads, discreetly patterned, to be worn with their best suits on a Sunday.
‘I’d better get a present for Walter,’ said Cissie. ‘A tie, do you think, or a scarf? It gets cold when he’s out cycling.’
‘Do you really think it’s a good idea?’ said Val. ‘I mean … if you’re going to start seeing Jack, perhaps it might be better not to bother. If you give him something he might think that everything’s alright.’
‘But he’ll probably bring summat back for me,’ said Cissie. ‘I can’t say Walter’s not generous. He’s always buying me chocolates. I don’t know what to do, honest I don’t. I know I’ll have to tell him, ’cause I do want to see Jack again. Oh heck! Why does it have to be so bloomin’ complicated? I’d better get him a present anyway, then I’ll just see how it goes when I get back.’
She chose a plaid scarf for Walter; then they window-shopped and wandered round RHO Hills department store until it was time to go back to the hotel. The good weather they had enjoyed all week had come to an abrupt end. There was a chilly breeze blowing and a feeling of autumn in the air.
They decided not to go out after their evening meal. As was the custom in many hotels, Mrs Butler had prepared fish for the main course because it was Friday. Today it was freshly caught haddock in bread crumbs, with chips and garden peas, with her special sherry
trifle to follow.
They packed their suitcases, apart from the items they would need the following morning.
‘It’s rather sad, isn’t it?’ said Val. ‘But we’ve had a great time. And we’ve met all sorts of people.’
‘Yeah …’ said Cissie doubtfully. Then, ‘Yes, ‘course we have,’ she agreed. ‘Who’d have thought we’d each get a new boyfriend?’ There was a touch of bravado in her statement.
Val knew that her friend was worried, as well she might be, but she was trying to put a brave face on things after unburdening herself of her feelings of guilt.
Janice joined them in the lounge later that evening. She wrote down their addresses, promising that she would keep in touch.
‘You’ve got my address here,’ she said, ‘and I’ll write to you when I get settled in my digs in Leeds. Not that I expect us to exchange letters every week, or even every month, but we mustn’t lose contact with one another now that we’ve met and got on so well. I’ve had a lovely time with the two of you.’
‘And now there’s Phil, isn’t there?’ said Val.
‘Yes …’ Janice smiled happily. ‘He’ll be demobbed before I go to college. He’s only here for another three weeks or so, but it’s nice to know we can meet up again when I go to Yorkshire. And you’ll be seeing your new friends again, Sam and Jack, won’t you?’ she added.
‘Yes, I hope so,’ replied Cissie, sounding not all that sure.
‘She’s got the problem of Walter to sort out first,’ said Val. ‘That’s what she’s worried about … isn’t it, Cissie?’ She didn’t want her friend to go blurting out the full extent of her problem. ‘But she’s bought him a nice present to soften the blow.’ Val was trying to make light of the situation.
‘Oh yes, you told me about Walter,’ said Janice. ‘Life’s complicated sometimes, isn’t it?’
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