Authors: Ellie Dean
‘At least we’ll be left in peace for a bit,’ said Ruby. ‘Do you want a cuppa before you set off?’
‘I’d better not,’ replied Cordelia as she checked in her handbag for her door key, handkerchief and purse. ‘It’s not wise at my age to drink anything if one is about to spend several hours on a charabanc.’
Ruby glanced at the clock, shocked at how early it still was. ‘Is there any shopping to get? I could do it while Rita’s still asleep.’
‘That’s very kind of you, dear. We’re forever out of something, and I see that Doris has left the list behind as usual.’ Cordelia plucked the scrap of notepaper from beneath the empty fruit bowl that sat on the table. ‘The ration book is up there on the mantel. Peggy gets extra because of the number of people living here – and of course because of Daisy. We’re registered at the shops in Camden Road.’
Ruby took the list and ration book, found the shopping basket and housekeeping purse, and gave Cordelia a peck on the cheek. ‘Have a lovely day out and I’ll see you later,’ she said, before hurrying out through the back door and down the garden path.
It was almost nine-thirty and the queues stretched right along the pavement outside nearly every shop. She looked at the list, realised most of it could be found in the grocer’s, and joined the queue.
Standing there in the warm sunshine of this late May morning, she listened to all the gossip as the time ticked away. She was quite amazed by the goings-on in this posh little town, what with girls going out with a different Yank every night, and the French Canadians causing trouble in one of the pubs, and someone’s daughter getting pregnant while her husband was away in North Africa. But as interesting as it all was, she knew she couldn’t afford to stand about for too long. Rita would soon be up and about and they’d planned to be at the race circuit before lunchtime.
As the queue slowly shuffled forwards along the pavement, a large saloon car pulled up. Everyone turned to look at it, for there weren’t that many civilian cars about these days because of petrol rationing.
Ruby’s pulse shot up as Michael climbed out of the car and walked towards her. He’d caught her out in the lie about going to work this morning, and now she was trapped and could do absolutely nothing about it.
She became aware of the envious looks and the muttered comments and oohs and aahs of the women around her, and tried to appear nonchalant, despite the panic fluttering in her midriff. ‘Hello, Mike,’ she said with what she considered to be admirable calm. ‘How on earth did you know where to find me?’
‘I didn’t,’ he admitted with a smile. ‘Not after I went to the tool factory, anyway. Since then, I’ve been driving round the town hoping to spot you.’
‘Oh.’ She could feel her face getting redder by the minute.
‘I wanted to ask if you’d like to come for a run out into the countryside. I’m off duty today, and my buddy lent me his car.’
He towered over everyone and was so much the focus of attention that Ruby could almost hear the ears tweaking and the eyes coming out on stalks. ‘Thanks ever so,’ she stammered, ‘but I got things to do today.’ She dared to glance up at him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she finished lamely.
The queue shuffled forward and Ruby followed it, only to discover that he was still at her side. ‘Have you made plans for the end of next week?’ he asked, as aware as she that every word was being listened to. ‘Only there’s a dance in the mess on the Saturday night, and I wondered if you and your friend Lucy would like to come? You can ask any other girlfriends as well if you like,’ he added hastily.
Ruby felt the colour deepen to a blazing heat in her face as she inadvertently caught the inquisitive eye of the woman standing behind her in the queue. ‘I’m not sure,’ she hedged, not daring to look at him, ‘but I’ll ask the girls when they get back from work.’
‘Okay, that’s great,’ he said cheerfully. He dug into the pocket of his scarlet tunic and handed her a slip of paper. ‘You can reach me at the barracks on that number to let me know how many are coming and where you want to be picked up. I hope you can make it, Ruby,’ he added, his blue eyes glinting with humour, ‘because I happen to know you’re not on shift that particular weekend.’
Ruby stood like a stunned mullet on the pavement as he climbed back into the car and drove away.
‘Blimey, love, if you don’t want him, I’m free that weekend.’
‘Yeah, you lucky thing. Who is he?’
Ruby looked at the curious faces all around her and wished the pavement would open and swallow her up. ‘He’s just someone I met a couple of weeks ago,’ she muttered.
An elbow nudged her arm. ‘He’ll not be on his own for long,’ said the middle-aged housewife with a wink. ‘I’d grab him quick, if I were you.’
‘I’ve already got an ’usband,’ said Ruby as she flashed her wedding ring.
There was a snigger of laughter from one of the younger women. ‘Don’t you know there’s a war on, love? What the eye don’t see, and all that.’
‘Yeah, you have a bit of fun, love. You’re only young once.’
Ruby giggled, despite her uneasiness at the whole thing. ‘Sounds like you’re all trying to lead me astray,’ she said.
‘I wouldn’t mind being led astray by that one and no mistake,’ said one of the younger women with a deep sigh. She grinned at Ruby. ‘Don’t mind us, love, we’re just having a bit of fun. Life can get too serious these days, and we were only teasing.’
The queue seemed to move faster and the time went quickly now everyone was chattering to her, and before she knew it, she had a basket full of groceries and was heading further along Camden Road to buy bread and any kind of meat the butcher might have. Within the following hour she was on her way back to Beach View.
‘Blimey, you must have got up with the lark,’ said Rita cheerfully as she tucked into egg and toast. ‘Are you ready for our ride out to the racing circuit?’
Ruby put the basket on the table. ‘I could do with a cuppa first,’ she said. ‘Queuing and listening to gossip is thirsty work.’ She put away the groceries and then poured the tea and sat down. ‘It’s very quiet. Where is everyone?’
Rita scraped the last mouthful of egg out of the shell and ate it with a bit of toast. ‘Grandma Finch left about an hour ago. Suzy’s upstairs asleep, having gone straight on to her night shift after seeing Anthony; Fran’s meeting a friend at the Lilac Tearooms before she goes on duty this afternoon and Doris is still out with Daisy. Sarah and Jane are at work and Ron’s disappeared to woo the wondrous Rosie at the Anchor,’ she finished with a naughty grin.
Ruby drank her tea while Rita explained about Ron’s ongoing pursuit of the Anchor’s landlady as she washed up her breakfast things and tidied everything away.
‘I met this Canadian bloke a couple of weeks ago, and me and Lucy bumped into him last night at the pictures,’ Ruby said in a rush once Rita had finished talking. ‘I saw ’im again this morning, and he’s invited us all to a dance in the officers’ mess at Wayfaring Down Saturday week.’
Rita turned from the sink, her eyes sparkling with delight. ‘Well, you’re a dark horse, Ruby, I must say – and you being a married woman and all.’ She grinned and sat down at the table. ‘Come on, Ruby, spill the beans and tell me everything about him.’
‘He’s tall, good-looking and far too sure of his flamin’ self,’ she said abruptly. ‘He even had the cheek to go to the factory and find out what me shifts were. There ain’t nothing going on between us, Rita, and I don’t want you getting any funny ideas about it.’
‘He sounds very keen on you, though,’ she murmured, ‘and it could be fun if it’s anything like the parties the Yanks put on up at Cliffe estate. I’m not sure what Fran and Suzy’s shifts will be, but Sarah and Jane are sure to want to go, and I’m up for it as long as there isn’t a raid or anything – what about you?’
Ruby shrugged. ‘I dunno,’ she admitted. ‘I’d like to go, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea. It would only encourage him, and I don’t want him to think I’m keen on him or anything.’
Rita folded her arms and huffed with impatience. ‘It’s just a dance, Ruby, not a marriage proposal – and you should be flattered that some nice Canadian is taking an interest in you.’
‘It’s all right for you,’ she muttered. ‘You ain’t married.’
Rita took her hand. ‘Look, why don’t we drop in and see your friend Lucy, and ask her if she’d like to go too?’ She grinned. ‘Peggy always insists that there’s safety in numbers, and why turn down such an offer when it could be fun for all of us?’
Ruby was torn. If she refused to go then the others wouldn’t feel right about going without an invitation – but if she did go, then she’d have to be very careful not to let Mike Taylor think she was in any way interested in him. ‘All right,’ she said with a sigh. ‘But I ain’t got nothing to wear to such a posh do.’
‘With so many girls in the house there’s always something to wear,’ said Rita firmly as she rammed her feet into her sturdy boots and tied the laces.
Ruby felt a flutter of excitement at the thought of going to a proper party, but she determinedly ignored it and turned to more practical matters. ‘I didn’t have time to get everything on the shopping list this morning,’ she said, ‘but perhaps we can get them on the way to the racing circuit?’
Rita grinned back at her. ‘Fine by me. But are you sure you want to go on the back of my bike, Ruby?’
‘I’m game if you are,’ she replied, despite the tingle of apprehension.
Rita picked up her fleece-lined flying jacket – a relic of the First World War – and gathered up her goggles, leather helmet and gas-mask box. ‘Right, come on then, before you change your mind and Doris gets back and finds other things for us to do. The bike’s at the fire station.’
They set off down Camden Road and managed to get the washing powder, toothpaste and formula milk without too much hanging about, and Rita stowed it all in her locker at the fire station. Having introduced Ruby to her boss, John Hicks, and the rest of her colleagues, Rita gave her a guided tour and proudly showed off the gleaming red fire engine which she drove during her shifts.
‘And this,’ she said triumphantly as she flung back the tarpaulin, ‘is my bike. She’s a Norton ES2, and me and my dad rebuilt her.’
Ruby was impressed. ‘You built it?’ she asked in awe.
‘Yeah. Dad found it abandoned amongst the rubbish and weeds at the back of an empty house. We had to strip it right back and start from the beginning, but we managed to get it finished before he was called up. He taught me everything I know about mechanics, and I passed all me exams with flying colours,’ she said wistfully.
Ruby noticed the light dim in her friend’s eyes as she lovingly stroked the rather ugly piece of machinery, and knew she was missing her dad, just as much as she was missing her mum. She swallowed the tearful lump in her throat and broke the awkward silence. ‘Are we going for a ride on it then? Or do we just stand about admiring it?’
Rita shook off the solemn moment with a wavering smile, and unhooked a fleece-lined jacket from a nearby peg. ‘This is for you,’ she said. ‘It belongs to one of the other firemen, but you’ll need it ’cos it gets cold on the bike even when the sun’s shining.’
The jacket swamped her, but she fastened it to her chin and pushed back the sleeves while Rita wheeled the bike out through the side door and then kick-started it into a thunderous roar. At Rita’s beckon, she hooked her leg over the seat and settled behind her friend, determined not to let her nerves get the better of her.
‘Put your arms round my waist and hang on,’ shouted Rita above the noise. ‘I don’t want you falling off.’
Ruby hung on, gripping even tighter as the motorbike shot off the forecourt, leaned dangerously into a left-hand bend and then a sharp right until they were roaring up the High Street and towards the humpback bridge.
As the bike left the ground altogether and sailed into the air before thumping back down again on the other side of the bridge, Ruby felt no fear, but a great surge of excitement. This was like flying, and she’d never experienced such a thrill.
She leaned against Rita’s back and watched over her shoulder as the wind whipped the hair from her face and made her eyes water. They were going very fast now, weaving their way through the back streets of Cliffehaven and further up the steep hill until they reached the top and Rita drew the bike to a skidding, stomach-churning, exhilarating stop.
Ruby’s pulse was racing, her heart thudding with excitement. She could see the whole of Cliffehaven spread beneath her on one side of the hill and a broad valley on the other. The sea sparkled with sun diamonds, fields of green rippled like a great ocean in the warm wind and the air was fresh and clean.
‘Hold on,’ shouted Rita.
Ruby hung on and the motorbike leaped forward and soon they were hurtling down the hill, past a huge forest and into a country lane. Rita leaned the bike into the long bends, still going at some speed, the hedgerows and cottage gardens flashing past as chickens and cats scattered out of the way.
Ruby was grinning broadly as they passed a five-bar gate and turned off the lane to head down a narrow dirt track and then through a narrow opening in a tall hedge. She felt a wave of disappointment as Rita drew the bike to a halt and switched off the engine. Their journey was at an end, but she could have happily spent all day racing through the countryside.
‘See, I told you it was fun,’ said Rita as she took off her helmet and goggles and grinned back at her. ‘Do you fancy giving it a try?’
Ruby was very tempted. ‘Let me get me breath back first,’ she replied. ‘That were the best thing ever.’
Rita giggled and helped her climb off the bike. ‘Come on, I’ll show you round. Then if you want, I’ll give you a driving lesson.’
Ruby saw that the centre of the field had been cleared to accommodate a cinder track. This track didn’t just form a loop, but dipped into hollows, arced left and right into long bends and then into a sharp hairpin halfway round. Heaps of worn old tyres had been placed beside the bends to protect the riders should they fall off, and there were wooden stands erected by the finishing post.
‘I got a couple of the men from the fire station to help me get the stands and the track back into good order, and when we have the races there’s always a refreshment tent, a spare parts tent, which is always popular, and of course a beer tent. It’s two bob to get in and ten bob to enter a race. The boys love it, and there’s a lot of rivalry between the services – especially now the Yanks are here. The girls come too, and families bring picnics and deckchairs and enjoy a good afternoon out. All the profits go straight to the Cliffehaven Spitfire Fund, and when we have enough, the name of the town will be painted on the side of our very own plane.’