Authors: Maureen Reynolds
Molly handed her a card. ‘It all depends on your school grades, Maggie, but call in any time and have a chat.’
Mary was getting ready to go out with her friend Norma. It was the usual Saturday night dancing at Kidd’s Rooms. Norma had recently moved into the next close at Moncur Crescent and Mary was pleased to have her as a pal because Rita, who used to go out with her on a Saturday, had started to go out with a new crowd – people she worked with at the Vidor battery factory at the Industrial Estate.
Norma had bought a new dress and she looked great in it. It was a full-skirted, woollen one with autumn-coloured checks and a black velvet collar, but Mary wasn’t envious because she was wearing her favourite black taffeta skirt with a black and white blouse. Her flat ballerina shoes and belt were red and she always felt confident when wearing this outfit. She would have a laugh with Norma, saying they were the Rock ’n’ Roll Generation and the world was their oyster.
Norma worked in Birrell’s shoe shop in the Overgate and she was complaining. ‘What a day I’ve had. The amount of women who come in asking for size four shoes when they need a size six. They look at me as if I’m to blame. One customer told me that the shoe shop was making the shoes far smaller than before the war. No wonder I need a night out.’
The dance hall was busy by the time they reached it. In fact, they were no sooner in the door when they were both whisked up for a dance. The two young men were regulars and knew Mary well. Although Norma was a newcomer, she had soon got to know the crowd. At the end of the dance, Mary made her way across the floor to where a crowd of people were standing on the fringe of the dance floor. The young men were pulling out cigarette cases and lighting up their Senior Service cigarettes. In their sharp suits or new sports jackets and corduroy trousers, they thought they were men of the world instead of being barely out of their teens. It was a heady atmosphere and one that Mary and Norma loved, feeling comfortable with the surroundings. In fact, Mary often thought it was like being with a big familiar family.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Phil and he was making his way over to her. Quite a few of the girls turned around to look at him and Mary noticed some of the lads were also following his movements. He looked even more handsome in his dark-coloured suit and Mary was both delighted and apprehensive.
In all the time she had worked at the agency, there hadn’t been a job she disliked. Oh, there had been some that were boring and others that were hectic, but this past week at the sweetie factory had been an unhappy experience, all because of Linda and her pals. Not to mention the effect Phil was having on her emotions.
When he reached her side, he asked her for a dance and soon they were sweeping across the floor in a quickstep. He was an accomplished dancer and not for the first time did she wonder if there was anything he wasn’t good at. ‘I didn’t know you liked coming here,’ she said, raising her voice against the music from the band.
‘No, I usually don’t but I came here to see you. I didn’t see much of you yesterday and you had gone when I got back to the office. So here I am.’
Mary knew that was true. She had worked all day in the office, typing up all the quality reports from the past week, while Phil had accompanied the new arrival for the job. A young and good-looking woman called Beth. ‘How did you get on with the new woman?’
Phil grinned. ‘Oh, she’s all right I suppose. She talks all time, which is a bit of a nuisance. I much prefer you.’ Mary felt like turning somersaults but she didn’t know how to deal with this devastating man. She had only known him for a week but he had turned her world upside down and inside out. She kept this warm feeling as the dance ended.
Phil still had his arm around her waist when, out of the fringe of onlookers, appeared Linda and two chums. They all glared at Mary while Linda went up to Phil and put her arm through his. ‘I was looking for you at the Palais, Phil, but I couldn’t find you.’
Phil disengaged her arm. ‘That’s because I wasn’t there, Linda.’
By now, Norma had joined them and Mary introduced her. Phil was charming to her and Norma was almost goggle-eyed over him. ‘I came here with someone and I better find him. He only came as a favour, so I don’t want to abandon him,’ he said, leading Mary by the hand, while Norma tagged along behind. ‘Ah, here he is. This is Stan.’
Mary and Norma said hello but when he spoke his voice was very quiet and Mary thought he was shy. He was taller than Phil and although he was nice looking, he wasn’t in the same league as his friend. He had a shock of blonde hair that looked a bit unruly and his eyes, which were shielded by a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, were blue. He was dressed in a grey sports coat with navy blue corduroy trousers and he looked so out of place in the hall. Mary thought he should be working in a library or studying at the university, but apparently he didn’t as he said he worked in a quantity surveyor’s office.
The four of them went to sit down. ‘Stan has just finished his National Service and I’m waiting for my call-up papers.’
‘Service life isn’t too bad, Phil,’ he laughed. ‘The first six months are the worst but after that, it’s all right and you get to see a bit of the world. I was in Hong Kong.’
Mary and Norma said in unison, ‘Hong Kong!’ But Stan just smiled shyly.
‘I’ll probably get sent to Germany if I have to go into the army,’ said Phil, but he didn’t seem concerned about it. ‘Let’s have another dance, Mary.’
After they were on the floor, Stan turned to Norma. ‘I’m sorry but I can’t dance so please go and join your usual crowd.’ Norma was hesitant. Good manners said she shouldn’t leave him sitting all alone but the decision was taken out of her hands when a young man asked her to dance and she leapt up.
Mary had kept a beady eye out for Linda but they were nowhere to be seen, so she began to relax. Then it was the last dance and Phil said, ‘Can I see you home?’
Mary said no. ‘I’ve promised Norma’s mum that we’ll stay together and come home on the same bus. She’s a bit younger than me.’ But she made it sound like a regret and not a relief.
‘Well, can Stan and I walk you both to your bus?’ That was fine by Mary. After all, the Shore Terrace bus stance would be crowded with people and she could say goodnight surrounded by the crowds.
A short while later, she was standing outside with Norma, waiting for Phil and Stan to emerge when, suddenly, Linda and her two pals appeared. ‘Just you keep away from Phil,’ said one of the girls. ‘He’s been going steady with Linda and he just wants to make her jealous.’
‘And another thing,’ said one of the other girls, ‘if you think you’re something special, think again. You better watch out for Beth. We’ve seen how he looked at her yesterday.’
‘That’s right,’ Linda said, finally breaking her silence. ‘His tongue was nearly hanging out of his mouth.’
Norma had moved slightly behind Mary while this was going on, but Mary was annoyed by all this drama. Fortunately, the two men appeared on the pavement and the girls disappeared into the darkness like surly ghosts. At the bus stance, Norma and Stan tactfully stood a few feet away from Mary and Phil.
‘Next week will be your last week with us. What about coming with me to the pictures next Friday night?’ Phil asked.
‘I can’t. I’ve to go with my parents to my Gran’s house as it’s her birthday. We always go at this time of year.’ Once again Mary felt relief and disappointment and wondered what was wrong with her.
‘You haven’t been coming in to the canteen. Is something wrong?’
Mary was going to tell a lie but then decided the truth was better. ‘I can’t take all the glares and comments from Linda and her gang.’ She turned and looked him straight in the eyes. ‘Tonight one of her pals said you were going steady with her. Is that true? Because if it is, I don’t want to stand in the way if you’ve both just had an argument and you’re trying to make her jealous.’
Phil gave a huge sigh. ‘Yes, we did go out for about three months in the summer, but I found her too bossy and possessive. I mean, she was looking at engagement rings after a few weeks of just going out to the pictures or the dancing. Then there were those pals of hers. No matter where we went, they would be there, sitting at the back of us in the cinema or mooching around the Palais. And she told them everything we talked about. It was like I was dating a mass band.’
Mary gave him a sympathetic look. ‘Oh, I see.’
Thankfully the bus appeared. ‘Well, I’ll see you on Monday, Phil. I’ve enjoyed tonight and I’m sorry about next Friday.’
‘I can’t make it next Saturday or else we could have gone out then,’ he said sadly.
The two men stood at the stance until the bus moved away, then made their way to catch their own bus for Barnhill. ‘Two nice girls,’ said Stan.
‘Yes they are.’
All the way home, Norma had gone on and on about Phil and how good looking he was but Mary had just nodded. When she was in bed, she mentally kicked herself for acting like a wee naïve girl. She was a bit frightened of getting too close to him but also a bit exhilarated as well. She had stopped using the canteen on the Wednesday because of Linda and her chums. Instead, she had taken sandwiches and a flask of tea with her to work and had sat on the cold bench in the museum gardens. The week had been cloudy and grey with cold winds and she missed the warmth of the bright canteen. Before she fell asleep she thought, just one more week, then she would be on a new assignment and everything would be back to normal. After all, he was going away for two years with his National Service training, so that would be the end of all these stomach churning feelings. Wouldn’t it?
Molly was waiting outside the SCWS shop, hoping to catch Vina when she finished work. She didn’t want to bother the woman again, especially as she would have to get the evening meal ready for her family. Molly looked at her watch. Just five minutes to go, thank goodness. It was a cold day as the wind whipped around the corner of North George Street and whistled into all the open shop doors on the Hilltown. The shop was busy with last-minute shoppers buying their groceries for the weekend and a stream of people, mostly women dressed in thick coats and wearing headscarves, hurried into the wind with their message bags.
A few minutes later, Vina appeared. She looked surprised when she saw Molly standing there. ‘Hullo, are you waiting for me?’
Although she smiled, her voice sounded harassed. Molly said, ‘I’ll walk with you as far as your close. Here, let me carry one of those bags.’
Vina gratefully handed over a heavy bag, which seemed to be filled with tins. ‘I like to stock my cupboard up every month. What a difference it makes now that we don’t need our ration books. Bob and Barbara eat like horses, so you wouldn’t believe the amount of food I buy every week now. Thank goodness I’ve got my job in the shop.’
Molly explained the reason for standing waiting on her. ‘I just wanted to tell you that the farmer at Sidlaw Farm is called Eck Barr. Apparently it’s short for Alexander but please thank Barbara for telling me, I was hoping it was the man I was looking for but it isn’t.’ She sighed. ‘This case won’t be solved I’m afraid. I keep coming up with dead ends.’
Vina sympathised. ‘Etta, if she’s still alive, could be anywhere and Vera will just have to accept that. She obviously doesn’t want to contact her mother.’
They were almost at the close. ‘Vina, have you thought any more about this Pedro? Any clues that will help me find him?’
Vina shook her head. ‘No, I’m sorry. Etta just called him Pedro but she never mentioned a second name or anything about him. One small thing, though, that I’ve remembered. At the time, I got the impression that Robert and Michael McGregor had never been Etta’s boyfriends, but this Pedro certainly was. The look on her face when she mentioned his name was enough to convince me she was in love with him.’
Then why had she not mentioned his full name or where he lived, Molly wondered, but she remained silent. ‘Well, I’ll say cheerio, Vina. Remember and thank Barbara.’
Vina laughed. ‘She’ll be thrilled to think she’s helped a wee bit in a mystery. She used to love reading the
Famous Five
books when she was younger.’ She became serious. ‘You’ll let me know how things go, won’t you? I mean, if you do succeed in finding Etta?’
Molly promised she would but said it looked highly unlikely. She wasn’t looking forward to going back to her flat. She never realised how much she missed Marigold’s company … and her parents. They would be basking in the warm sunshine in Australia with Terry, Nell and Molly. She was a year old now and Molly had only seen photographs of her. But then she realised that was her own fault. She could quite easily have gone out with her parents. Feeling a bit sorry for herself, she let herself into the flat, walking through the empty office. Jean had left all the invoices on the desk but Molly thought she would deal with them tomorrow.
Upstairs, she put on the electric fire and the table lamps and everything suddenly looked cosy. In the kitchen, she opened a tin of soup and carried it over to the armchair. She had toyed with the idea of buying fish and chips when she passed Dellanzo’s chip shop on the Hilltown but hadn’t felt that hungry then. Now she wished she had but thought she could always nip out later and get something. She switched the wireless on and looked at the
Radio Times
. There was a dance band playing on the Light programme or a play on the Home Service. She settled for the play but half way through, she fell asleep. Outside the wind strengthened and it started to rain heavily.
Vera stood outside her door, immediately regretting accepting the invitation. Last Monday, Mrs Jankowski had sent a letter to her via Maisie, saying two new neighbours would like an evening playing bridge and she hoped Vera could manage on Saturday night. Gina had said they couldn’t manage in the afternoon because they both worked, so the regular afternoon session would still be held.
Vera had her umbrella but the wind kept turning it inside out, so she rolled it up and pulled up the collar of her coat. It was all right for Gina Jankowski, she thought bitterly, she was in the cosy house and didn’t have to climb the Hill in this awful weather. Water was running down like a miniature river and her shoes were soaked long before she reached Ann Street. The Hilltown, which was normally abuzz with people, was deserted, although the low murmur of conversations was heard as she passed the brightly lit pubs.