“So he agreed to tell you?”
Eunice looked smug and nodded. “Yes, he did.”
“Well, go on. Stop drawing it out. I feel as though I’m a dentist pulling teeth!”
Eunice giggled. “Don’t be so dramatic! I’m getting there.”
“Well, I wish you would!” Hazel pressed her friend’s arm. “We’ll soon be in town and I still won’t know what your Ray said. Spit it out!”
“He said he would only tell me because he didn’t want me getting into trouble.” She huffed. “Not that there’s any danger a lad would want to do something like that with me.”
“Something like what?” Hazel asked, beginning to feel frustrated with her friend. “I know we joke about lads getting into our knickers, but what do they do when they get there?” She knew how her body responded to Glenn’s kisses and tender touches, but he’d never gone as far as reaching inside her clothing. Her private parts tingled and her small breasts throbbed sometimes, and it felt exciting, but she had no idea what the next steps would involve.
Eunice leant close to whisper in her ear. “You know what lads have between their legs, don’t you?”
Hazel nodded. She had a little brother and had seen him naked in the past when they were younger. “I’ve seen Norman’s thing, but I never thought about it much. Girls and boys are different. Everyone knows that.” She didn’t like admitting she didn’t know anything more than the basics when it came to the differences between the sexes.
Eunice lowered her voice to a whisper. “Well, our Raymond said that a lad’s thing grows a bit and gets hard after he’s been kissing a girl for a while, and that’s when he wants to put it between her legs. If a girl lets a man do that, she could have a baby.”
“Oh, my!” Hazel couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was too much to take in. “Is that how all babies are made?”
Eunice nodded. “Not easy to think about, is it? Imagine your mam and dad did that to get you and Norman!”
Hazel put her hands over her ears. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear any more.” She was giggling despite the unsettling images in her mind. “What a strange thing to do!”
“Our Ray said it was natural and I shouldn’t be afraid if a lad wanted to do that with me, but I should tell him to wait until we get married.” Eunice chuckled. “Ray said he only agreed to explain everything to me because he knew Kenny was sweet on me.”
“Does Ray think Kenny will want to do that with you?”
Eunice nodded. “Ray said all lads have it on their minds all the time. Dad would batter our Raymond if he knew what we’d talked about but I’m glad he told me.”
“Me too. Imagine if I’d let Glenn do that awful thing with me. I don’t want a bairn. I’ll certainly be careful not to let that happen.”
“Might you have let him, if I hadn’t told you?” Eunice asked in a small voice.
“Well, I’ll never know now, will I?” Hazel admitted. She didn’t know what Glenn’s intentions were, but the feelings he aroused in her were overwhelming. Perhaps she wouldn’t have had the willpower to resist him if he’d asked to do that to her. Now she knew the consequences; she had good reason to refuse to go along with his encouragement. “I’m glad you told me, Eunice.”
They went through the gate at the end of the footpath and rounded the corner into the town hall square. When Hazel saw the crowd of young people, she gasped.
“Oh, I didn’t realise there’d be all these people here!” Hazel clutched her friend’s arm tightly. “Town is as busy as the market on a Saturday afternoon.”
“Exciting, isn’t it?” Eunice pulled her along, and they entered the throng of young people. “Where did Glenn say he’d meet you?”
“On the town hall steps, but the place is mobbed! I’ll never find him.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll find you, especially dressed as you are. That dress is getting some attention already!”
Hazel began to feel unaccustomedly self-conscious. Lots of eyes were on her. Most of the young men were grinning and giving her the glad-eye, but the young women were pointing and making comments to their companions behind shielding hands. Hazel didn’t take much notice of any of them. She had grown used to the jealousy of other girls. Many were envious of her good looks, and not all were as gracious as Eunice. Most responded with snide comments and meanness that she’d learned to ignore over the years. She heard a few nice comments from the crowd, but many were unkind and she tried to rise above the petty envy.
“Who does she think she is?” was one comment that reached her.
“What a lovely dress,” was another.
“How could a mere waitress afford a dress like that?” was another comment that was closely followed by a reply, “How do you think? Bet she opens her legs for money. I heard about women like that.”
Hazel quickly scanned the crowd to see who had spoken so maliciously, but it could have been made by anyone in the gathering. The one to mention she was a waitress must know her, she thought, or at least, would have recognised her from where she worked.
“Ignore the lot of them!” Eunice spoke loudly. “They wouldn’t recognise class if it jumped up and bit them on the arse!”
Hazel grinned and linked her arm with her friend. “Let’s try to find Glenn.”
They started out toward the steps of the town hall, and the crowd parted to allow them through. She peered over the heads and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw him watching her approach. He was surrounded by other men, and all their eyes were on her. Glenn was taller than his pals by inches, and his handsome face was the only thing she was looking at.
She lifted her head and tried to look confident despite the quaking in her tummy. She hoped Glenn would like the dress. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought. It was Glenn’s response she was interested in seeing, but his face seemed blank. She smiled at him, hoping to receive an answering smile, but he remained impassive. Her legs began to shake as Eunice drew her forward. The first encounter with Glenn in public was nothing like she’d imagined it would be.
Chapter 10 – Disappointment
Hazel’s eyes locked with Glenn’s but she still couldn’t read his expression. Her feet faltered. She had planned to sashay up to him and boldly kiss his cheek, but her confidence deserted her, and she clung desperately to Eunice’s arm.
After what seemed long minutes, but would only have been a few seconds, he swaggered down the stone steps and came to stand in front of her, blocking her progress. She was barely aware of Eunice releasing her arm and slipping away.
“What have we here?” Glenn slowly looked her up and down, taking in everything from her neat golden waves, down the length of her slinky, rose-coloured dress, to her shiny black shoes. He circled, cat-like, around her and came to a stop facing her.
Hazel’s insides quivered as she watched him, but she lifted her chin and stayed silent while he concluded his examination. She was acutely aware of the crowd of young people watching his movements too.
“Cat got your tongue, my lovely?”
She shook her head, a small smile now playing around her mouth. She could see the glimmer in his green eyes and knew he was teasing her. She could tell he was enjoying the attention she had attracted from the crowd.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, that’s the truth!” Glenn took a step closer and pulled her into his arms.
She tipped back her head, and when his lips closed on her mouth, astonished gasps could be heard erupting from all around the watching young people.
She only worried about the shocked crowd for an instant. Her focus was on Glenn and his embrace. His strong arms claimed her and pressed her close to his firm body. His lips pressed hers open, and his tongue delved into her mouth. She tasted cigarettes and beer. She was surprised he’d been drinking before he’d come to meet her. He was pressing her closer, demanding a response, but she felt embarrassed and exposed. The eyes of the whole town were watching her, or so it seemed, and the close scrutiny
had frozen her insides for a few seconds.
She knew Glenn would be expecting her to return his passionate embrace in kind, but they were in a public place. They were surrounded by strangers, and some of them knew where she worked. She held herself stiffly while Glenn’s hands stroked the soft fabric at the lower back of her dress. Her insides were beginning to respond with shudders of suppressed passion, and she struggled to hold her composure.
Eventually, he drew away and held her at arms’ length. “I needed that.”
She could hear subdued laughter and nervous giggling from the lads and lasses surrounding them, but she didn’t feel part of the crowd. Glenn had lifted her into another realm. She felt she was dreaming.
She smiled at him nervously and took his proffered arm. She glanced around at the many faces, looking for Eunice, but her friend was gone. She hoped she hadn’t gone far. She didn’t like to think of her being alone in this crowd. Nevertheless, Glenn was leading her, taking her away from the square and into the darker streets of the town.
“Did you see where Eunice went?” she asked him, looking over her shoulder.
“She’ll be with her brother and that Kenny Sidebottom. She usually goes around with them.”
“Are you sure?” Hazel couldn’t help feeling guilty about leaving Eunice alone. “I want to make sure she’s all right.”
“No, I can’t be sure, but she’s a big girl. I can be sure she’ll be fine.” He took her hand, guiding her across the road.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see when we get there!” he quipped. “We wanted to spend some time together, didn’t we?”
“I suppose so,” she agreed reluctantly. Eunice’s words of warning came back to her. Would Glenn be thinking about doing that thing to her? Raymond said lads thought about it all the time. She didn’t want to dwell on it and tried to think of something to distract him.
“Do you like my dress, Glenn? Mrs Wilson said this style is all the rage in London.”
“She would know, I suppose,” he said, but didn’t sound too interested.
She tried another subject. “I’m to begin the rehearsals for the modelling show on Monday evening. My dad is insisting on picking me up afterwards, but I’m planning to ask Mrs Wilson to have a word with him.”
“What about?” Glenn asked, with the same disinterested tone.
“I thought, you know, that if my dad were to let me walk home alone, that, well, you know… perhaps someone else might like to come to see me home…” She left the suggestion hanging, hoping he would understand what she was hinting at.
They passed another young couple walking arm-in-arm in the opposite direction. The girl smiled at Hazel, and she returned the smile, wondering where the couple might have been and what they might have been doing.
“That’s nice, Petal.” Glenn seemed distracted as he swayed to the side.
“Are you listening to me, Glenn?” She chuckled but couldn’t shake a feeling of unease. His attention didn’t seem to be on her conversation, and his footsteps were unsteady. “Have you been drinking?”
“I’ve had a couple of pints with my pals. We always have a drink before coming into town to loosen us up a bit. You should try it sometime.”
“I don’t need to loosen anything.” Hazel was beginning to worry about where they were going. The streets were quiet and darkly shadowed. “I’m not old enough to go into a public-house, so I couldn’t have a drink, anyway.”
“You could easily pass for twenty-one. I’ll take you with me one of these days, eh?”
“I’d prefer to go to the pictures or a dance perhaps,” she suggested.
“Do you dance?” he asked, his interest seeming genuine this time.
“I’ve only danced with my dad in the parlour, and with friends at school and at birthday parties, but I can do the waltz and some other steps.”
“I like dancing.” Glenn took her in his arms and began to waltz her down the street.
She giggled in his arms. “Oh, Glenn, you make me laugh!”
He stopped and held her at arm’s length. “I didn’t mean to. Don’t you like dancing?”
“I do like dancing.” She was still chuckling. “But I’ve never danced in a public street with no music!”
“My mam said I have music in my soul. Can you imagine the violins playing?” He cupped his hand around his ear. “Listen. Isn’t that, ‘It must be you’, I can hear?” He began to hum the tune as he guided her along the street, waltzing her in his arms to the rhythm, and then he began to sing, “It must be you who carries me away, through golden skies above. It must be you who haunts me night and day…”
She put her head on his chest and thought she might be in heaven. Glenn was singing to her and dancing so lightly she felt she was dancing on air with him. The words were so romantic and so fitting. She felt he was confiding his deepest feelings for her through the words of the song.
When they reached the end of the road, he twirled her around before catching her in his arms.
“That was wonderful, Glenn!” she was breathing heavily, and her heart was beating to a faster rhythm. “Where did you learn to sing and dance like that? I felt I was Ginger Rogers to your Fred Astaire!”
“Full of surprises, aren’t I, eh?” He clasped her to him and kissed her deeply.
She couldn’t help responding to his passion, and when his lips left hers, she was breathless.
“Come on; we’re wasting precious time.” He took her hand and pulled her into a side street.
“Where are you taking me, Glenn?” she asked, feeling a knot of nerves clench in her tummy.
“Somewhere quiet where we can finish what we started.”
“I’m, err; I’m not sure I want to.” She wanted to give him a good reason for her rapid change of mood. Up until now, she had encouraged Glenn to kiss and caress her but had never let him do so in public. It seemed, this evening, he wanted to take things further. Eunice’s warnings echoed in her mind. “I have a reputation to think of, and everyone already saw us kissing in the square!”
He stopped and turned to her. “Are you going coy with me?”
She couldn’t meet his eyes. She knew if she looked into their dark depths she would be lost. “I do want to be close to you, Glenn, but not like this. Not in the street where anyone can see us.”
“We’re alone! There’s nobody around for miles!” He raised his shoulders and sighed heavily. “You’re not going to be a tease, are you, Hazel!”
“No!” she cried defiantly. “But I didn’t think you’d want to treat me like a common strumpet. Not in public where anyone can see us.”
He turned on her, his face close to hers, his beery breath invading her nostrils. “You can’t turn up dressed like that and expect me to keep my hands to myself. What’s a man supposed to think?”
“I expected you to compliment me on my dress, not treat it as an open invitation to take liberties!” she protested. She was shocked to think he would say such a thing to her. “This dress cost me a pretty penny. It’s the latest fashion. I thought you would like it. I hoped you would appreciate the effort I made to look nice for you.”
His attitude flipped, and he returned to his familiar, charming self. “I do appreciate it, Petal.” He touched her shoulder, stroking the soft fabric of her dress. “This bit of frippery makes you look very sexy.” He reached for the paler pink bow on her chest and used the material to pull her close.
Hazel felt a seam tear at the shoulder and grabbed his hand. “Please be careful. You’re tearing my dress.”
“I’ll buy you another one, Petal.” He leant to kiss her cheek. “You don’t need to make such a fuss!”
“Would you really buy me another one like this?” Her heart lifted to think he might be generous enough to buy her another dress like this one. She’d already told him it was expensive.
She felt the weight of his arm around her shoulders as he guided her into the shadows of a back-street and remembered
her friend’s warnings. “Can we go back now, Glenn? I’d like to check on Eunice.”
“You worry too much. That girl has been to town every Saturday for weeks without you and managed just fine on her own.”
“How would you know?” Hazel wondered why Glenn would take such notice of her friend’s movements.
“I like to keep track of you, and when I saw your friend, I thought you might be with her. Imagine my disappointment when you weren’t there.” He nuzzled her throat and then planted a row of tiny kisses along her jaw.
“But you knew I wasn’t allowed to come to town until tonight!” Hazel pulled away from his caresses, hoping to halt his amorous intentions.
“I know that’s what you told me, but I had to make sure, didn’t I?”
“Did you hope my dad would change his mind at the last minute?” She laughed. “It’s clear you don’t know my dad!” She tried to pull away again.
“Strict, is he?” Glenn took the hint and lifted his head from her throat.
Hazel sighed with relief as they continued walking through the backstreets of town. “I’ll say he is. What my dad says, goes, in our house, no argument!”
“Well, that’s how it’s meant to be, isn’t it. A man should rule the roost.”
“Perhaps.” Hazel hadn’t thought about it, but now she did, she realised that most homes were ruled by the man of the house. Then she thought about some women on her street who’d been widowed in the last war, like Mrs Wilson. “But things have changed for some families since the Great War. I know of a few households without a man at the hearth. What about those women who were left to bring up their families alone?”
Glenn shrugged and stumbled over a loose cobble. Hazel pulled on his arm to help keep him upright.
“Bloody council should fix the roads before someone breaks a leg!”
“Glenn!” She was shocked to hear him swearing. She glanced around quickly to see who else might have heard his outburst, but there was nobody on the street but them.
Happiness for Hazel Page 9