Far From Home

by Anne Bennett

  ‘Oh, you’re on,’ Susie said as they alighted from the tram. ‘I love choosing presents for people. Anyway, see you later.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll be up about half seven,’ Kate said, and with a wave they went their different ways.

  Kate had planned what she was going to wear that night, having bought a dress from the Rag Market the previous week. She’d tried it on at home so that Sally could see it. She valued her sister’s opinion because she knew all about fashion from watching all the stars on the screen. Sally was really enthusiastic about the full-length silk dress in the softest pink. Apart from the ruffles at the neck, the dress was plain and sleeveless; it fell in shimmering folds to the floor.

  ‘Oh, Kate, that’s so gorgeous,’ Sally enthused.

  ‘Do you really think so?’

  ‘I know so.’

  ‘Susie thought I should have something with a fuller skirt to accentuate my waist. She had one like that with little grey and black flowers all over it, with big butterfly sleeves. It’s ever so pretty.’

  ‘So is that,’ Sally said. ‘You look like a Grecian goddess – only someone as slim as you could wear a dress like that.’

  ‘That’s what the woman on the stall said,’ Kate said to Sally. ‘She said she thought she might have had it left on her hands.’

  ‘I’m not surprised,’ Sally said. ‘It would look awful on someone my shape, and I don’t think even Susie could carry it off.’

  ‘If you’re sure then?’

  ‘I am,’ Sally said. ‘The only thing is – unless you are dancing every minute – your arms might get very cold.’

  ‘Oh, no, I’ve got this to wear after I’ve taken my coat off,’ Kate said, and withdrew a silver fur stole from another bag. ‘It’s artificial,’ she said. ‘But in a way I prefer that.’

  ‘Yeah, I know what you mean,’ Sally said. ‘But that settles it really. Kate, you will be the belle of the ball.’

  ‘Don’t be so silly,’ Kate said, colouring at the unaccustomed praise. But it did mean that that night she could dress with confidence, knowing that she looked good, and she did cause a bit of a stir when she went into the dance and she saw David’s eyes widen in appreciation. She smiled at him as he approached and put two hands on her shoulders as he said, ‘Kate, you look beautiful, absolutely stunning.’

  She couldn’t be anything else but pleased, any woman would feel the same, but the gesture did not go unnoticed. It was like a stamp of ownership – many of the other men were aware of this and so gave Kate a wide berth. She noticed, but she liked David too much to want to upset him, and he had made no secret of how he felt about her. So David got his heart’s desire as Katie danced almost exclusively with him. He knew she would rather dance with him than not dance at all, and especially as the band were playing much of the swing music seeping over from America, performed by people like Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and, of course, Glenn Miller.

  And David was a superb dancer and a proper gentleman and very attentive, and it was as they were taking a well-earned breather that he said, ‘Nick and Susie seem to be getting on all right.’

  ‘Yes, yes, they do.’

  ‘We could do the same.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know, get on better,’ David said, and Kate heard the tentative eagerness in his voice.

  ‘I don’t think we could get on better,’ Kate said, looking into David’s deep brown eyes. ‘We get on very well now, but that isn’t the same as loving someone.’

  ‘I know that,’ David said. ‘But I have enough love for both of us.’

  Kate smiled a grim smile and shook her head. ‘I don’t think it works like that.’

  ‘Look,’ David said, deciding to lay his cards on the table. ‘Tomorrow night, Nick is taking Susie with him to see the pantomime of Sleeping Beauty at the Hippodrome in the town.’

  ‘Oh,’ Kate said – she loved pantomimes. They were such fun and very Christmassy. Susie had taken Kate to see Cinderella the first Christmas she had been in England, and she had been amazed because she had never seen anything like it. Plays of any sort were sparse in Donegal, but plays where the Prince Charming that Cinderella falls in love with is actually a girl and the old stepmother really a man was out of her understanding. When she found that the audiences were encouraged to boo the baddies and cheer the goodies, she had been astounded. She had soon got into the spirit of it, however, and had been as vocal as everybody else. She had a sudden longing to do it again.

  ‘Point is,’ David continued, ‘I will be at a loose end and so will you, and it is Christmas Eve, so I was wondering if you wanted to see the pantomime as well. As friends,’ he said, holding up his hand. ‘Scout’s honour.’

  A smile dimpled Kate’s cheek and David felt as if his heart had stopped beating. ‘You are a fool, David, and I’d love to go with you, but I’d better say no,’ she said, but had to bend her head so that she couldn’t see the disappointment that flooded his face.

  ‘Kate,’ David said, ‘I’ve never asked you this before, but is there someone else?’

  Kate thought of Tim, the man she had given her heart to but who would soon belong to Maggie Mulligan, and she shook her head. ‘No,’ she said quietly.

  ‘Then, why not come out with me?’

  Why not indeed? said the little inner voice inside her head. I’m not agreeing to marry him just because we watch a pantomime together. ‘All right then,’ she said. She saw relief light up his eyes as she added, ‘Though I doubt we’ll get tickets for tomorrow night’s performance at this late stage.’

  ‘No,’ David said. ‘So it’s a good job that Nick and I bought the tickets a fortnight ago.’

  Kate stared at him in shocked surprise. ‘You were very sure of yourself,’ she remarked

  ‘Oh, no,’ David said with a heartfelt sigh. ‘I wasn’t sure at all. I just hoped you’d agree.’

  ‘What if I’d refused?’

  ‘Then I would have given them away,’ David said. ‘I mean, I could hardly go and sit beside Nick and Susie on my own. I’d have felt right awkward.’

  Kate knew he would and she thought she had made the right decision. She was even more certain of this when David took her hand and led her on to the floor for the Last Waltz. She went willingly and felt they fitted beautifully together, but when David held her close and she felt his heart banging in his chest, she felt quite protective towards him and didn’t fully understand why.

  It was when she went to retrieve her coat at the end of the night that she saw Susie again, and then she took in her friend’s slightly dishevelled appearance and she knew what she had been doing with Nick. Susie, however, was more interested to learn that Kate had eventually agreed to go out with David. ‘At last you realize that the man hasn’t got three heads.’

  Kate laughed. ‘I never thought he had,’ she said.

  ‘And maybe when you go out with David you will find yourself bowled off your feet,’ Susie continued.

  ‘And maybe I won’t.’

  ‘Well, you do as you please,’ Susie said, ‘for I intend to enjoy myself; and, so far, this Christmas is shaping up to be one of the best I have ever had.’

  Kate had never actually been on a date before and she dressed with care. She seldom bought much for herself, but she had seen another snip of a bargain in the Rag Market earlier that day when she had gone in with Susie, who urged her to buy it. And so she was wearing a calf-length dress in muted shades of blue when she opened the door. The dipped neckline was edged in lace, the skirt was full from the nipped-in waist and the butterfly sleeves were the height of fashion; again David thought she looked stunning and knew he would be proud to be seen walking out with her.

  He had also made an effort, and he too looked incredibly smart. Kate noticed the cuffs of the pure white shirt peeping from the sleeves of his tailored overcoat and the smart tie at his neck. She also saw his light brown and rather unruly hair had been tamed and darkened with Brylcreem. His smile was so wide it lit up his whole fa
ce and made his eyes sparkle for he was hardly able to believe that Kate had at last agreed to go out with him and he held out the flowers with hands that shook slightly.

  Kate blushed as she took the flowers from him and that just made her ever prettier. ‘Oh, David,’ she said, ‘what a lovely surprise!’ and she asked him in while she found water. When she disappeared into the little kitchenette, he took the opportunity to look around the room. ‘You have it nice,’ he said when she returned with the flowers in a vase.

  Kate wrinkled her nose. ‘Bit small now,’ she said. ‘Though it was all right for one, it’s cramped now my sister lives here too.’

  ‘She must be company for you, though.’

  ‘Not really,’ Kate said. ‘She’s seldom here in the evenings because she works as an usherette in the Plaza. And to be honest, I never envisaged her living here at all.’

  ‘Oh?’ David said, his eyebrows arched in enquiry.

  ‘Oh, I’ll tell you the whole tale as we go,’ Kate said. ‘We’re meeting Susie and Nick at Stockland Green and we had best be off now or we’ll be late.’

  So, as they walked together that cold, frosty night, Kate didn’t object when David linked her arm and pulled her tight against him as she told him of Sally’s flight from their farmhouse in Donegal. ‘And she had told you nothing about what she intended?’ David asked.

  ‘No, not a hint of it,’ Kate said. ‘She was waiting for me when I came home from work. I thought our parents would have her back because she wrote and said how sorry she was, but they won’t.’

  ‘So you’re stuck with her?’

  ‘That’s about the strength of it,’ Kate said.

  ‘You must get on all right,’ David said. ‘I do nothing but fight with my brother, Lawrence. There would often be wigs on the green if we shared a place.’

  ‘We don’t argue much,’ Kate said. ‘But then with different work patterns we don’t see that much of each other.’

  ‘And does she like Birmingham?’

  Kate nodded. ‘She loves it,’ she said. ‘She loves her job and the fact she has money in her pocket, which in itself is quite a novel experience, and she can’t get over all the entertainment there is for her to enjoy when she does have time off. But I think, most important of all, she’s become very friendly with the trainee projectionist at the cinema, and I definitely don’t think she would like leaving him.’

  ‘Isn’t she rather young for that?’

  ‘Probably,’ Kate said. ‘But what can I do about that?’

  ‘Not a lot,’ David agreed. ‘What about her elder sister?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Kate said, though she knew full well what David was getting at. And then, with relief, she saw Susie and Nick waiting at the tram stop and she said, ‘Come on, let’s hurry. It’s too cold to stand for long in this weather,’ and the opportunity to talk further was lost.

  In the interval, Susie and Kate headed off to the Ladies’, and Susie barely waited till the door shut behind them before saying, ‘Well?’

  ‘Well what?’

  ‘Come on, Kate. I‘ve been dying to ask you.’

  ‘Ask me what?

  ‘Don’t be stupid,’ Susie snapped. ‘You and David, of course.’

  ‘What about me and David?’

  ‘You know,’ Susie said. ‘You looked ever so lovey-dovey to me when you arrived at the tram station earlier.’

  ‘It seemed sensible. It was cold, that was all.’

  ‘And was it sensible of him to buy you a whole box of chocolates?’

  ‘No,’ Kate said. ‘That was far from sensible. I didn’t expect him to do that and he is very generous, but I know what it is to truly love someone.’

  ‘D’you know?’ said Susie. ‘I’m not sure that you do. It might not be love that you feel for Tim Munroe at all, but infatuation, probably made all the sweeter because you knew from the start he was unobtainable.’

  Kate stared at Susie and Susie knew she had hit home. For the first time she saw doubt flit across Kate’s face as she digested Susie’s words and wondered if there was an element of truth in them.

  ‘I mean, you have never been courted by Tim – walked out together or anything, have you?’ Susie asked, knowing they hadn’t. ‘The most you two have done is gaze at each other. You don’t know anything about him really.’

  ‘Don’t be daft, we nearly grew up together.’

  ‘I know that. So you know Tim the child, the boy, but nothing at all about Tim the man. I bet when you got to a certain age, your mother at least made quite sure you were never left alone together.’

  Kate nodded, because that had been true.

  ‘Well, here there’s a man that you have admitted you like and who more than likes you. I mean, you’ve really enjoyed yourself tonight, haven’t you?’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Kate said. ‘And the pantomime is great, but we should really be getting back because the first bell has just gone.’

  ‘I know,’ Susie said. ‘We’ll go now, but you will think about what I said?’

  Kate nodded. ‘I will,’ she promised, and she would because – quite apart from anything else – she felt she owed her friend a favour, and knew it would make life easier for the budding relationship between Susie and Nick if she agreed to go out with David.

  SIX

  The next morning, Kate got up in a really good mood, remembering how much she had enjoyed the previous evening. The day before, as well as getting the dress for herself, she had bought Sally a lovely Fair Isle-patterned hat, gloves and scarf set for Christmas. They had never got much in the way of presents in Donegal, and any they did have they left until after Mass to open, but the weather was so raw that morning that Kate decided to give Sally her presents before they left for church because she knew it would keep her a lot warmer, especially as they couldn’t have a warming cup of tea or a bite to eat as they were both taking communion.

  Sally had really sad eyes that morning and Kate thought she was probably thinking of their home. She knew that her younger sister had really hoped that her mother would write to say she had forgiven her, especially as she had paid back nearly all the money she had taken, but she had received nothing. When Kate gave her the present, Sally was so overwhelmed with sudden love and gratitude for her sister that tears stood out in her eyes. Kate was so moved by Sally’s response that she said, ‘You might as well have the other things as well,’ and gave her the set of lace hankies and a little bottle of California Poppy perfume.

  ‘Oh, Kate, you are so lovely,’ Sally said, dabbing the perfume behind her ears immediately. ‘I have things for you too.’

  ‘You shouldn’t have spent money on me,’ Kate said. ‘I told you not to. You don’t earn that much.’

  ‘I know I don’t,’ Sally said. ‘But I owe you so much that I would buy for you if I couldn’t afford even a card for anyone else. And ooh, I can’t really wait until after Mass to give them to you either, so you must have them now.’

  Kate was thrilled because the silk stockings were of the best quality and the slippers were fur lined, and she exclaimed in delight, ‘My feet will be as warm as toast in these.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I saw your others were thin and very raggedy looking.’

  ‘It was one of the first things I bought when I came to Birmingham three years ago,’ Kate said. ‘Because my feet used to ache so much after standing all day on the factory floor and I have never thought to replace them. In fact, I like these new ones so much I will take them with me to Susie’s house and wear them all afternoon.’

  ‘Good,’ Sally said with a large grin on her face. ‘But hadn’t we better be making our way to Mass now, or we’ll be late.’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Kate said. ‘You’re right, and it might be hard to hurry because I think it’s quite icy out there.’

  It was. The cold was the sort that almost burnt the back of the throat and the frost sparkled and crunched underfoot, and they linked arms for greater warmth. The streets were quiet and the only ones out were p
eople like themselves making their way to a church of some kind. Many of them greeted the two girls as they walked past.

  When they had gone a little way, Sally, her voice slightly muffled because of the scarf wrapped around her mouth, said to Kate, ‘So, who were the flowers from?’

  ‘Tell you later; too cold now,’ Kate said, puffs of white spilling from her mouth as she spoke.

  ‘That’s not fair,’ Sally protested. ‘When I got in last night, they were sitting there in the vase and there was no sign of you. And when you did come in you said you were too tired to discuss it. Then this morning when I asked again you said we haven’t time. So, what’s the big mystery?’

  Kate looked down at her younger sister and decided she might as well know. It wasn’t as if she was doing anything wrong. ‘They were from a friend,’ she said.

  ‘I guessed that much,’ Sally said with a grin. ‘Not many enemies would give you a bunch of flowers.’ And then she put her head on one side and asked in mock innocence, ‘Was he male, this friend?’ Then she exclaimed, ‘Oh, Kate, he must have been because you’ve gone all red.’

  ‘No, I haven’t,’ Kate protested. ‘That’s just the cold reddening my cheeks, and, yes, Sally, a male friend gave me the flowers. His name is David Burton, and last night he took me to the pantomime.’

  ‘Thank heaven for that,’ Sally said. ‘I thought you were turning into a right old maid.’

  ‘Whatever gave you that idea?’

  ‘Well,’ said Sally, ‘in your letters home you told us of all the things you and Susie got up to and all the places you went to. Never once did you mention any men you might have met, never mind go out with. And since I have been here it’s been the same.’

  ‘Maybe I’m choosy,’ Kate said. ‘And don’t go out with the first man who asks me.’

  ‘Is that a jibe at me and Phil?’

  ‘Not especially, no.’

  ‘Because I do like him, you know,’ Sally said. ‘I didn’t just go out with him because he asked me. Anyway, what’s this David like?’