Rising Summer (19 page)

‘Look, I went in search of some fresh air and Min came with me. Then I fell down and that was that. I prefer falling down to having unlawful relationship with a minor.’

‘Don’t use them there French words, Tim. Makes it worse, that does.’

‘Well, hard luck,’ I said, but I was having sudden
uneasy
feelings about that night, especially as Min had said more than once that I’d been loving to her. ‘Listen, if it had been me and Minnie is pregnant, she’d say so, wouldn’t she?’

‘Won’t say nothing,’ gloomed Jim, ‘only that she’d like to do grievous bodily ’arm to yer American lady sergeant.’ He gave me a long look. ‘Tim,’ he said, ‘I’m askin’ yer man to man, did you get to Minnie or didn’t yer?’

‘Didn’t. Couldn’t. Wouldn’t.’

Jim sighed. ‘So who bleedin’ did, then?’ he asked.

‘Point is, did anyone? If Minnie’s not admitting she’s pregnant, it’s all in your mind, Jim.’

‘Well, son,’ he said, ‘Missus bein’ a woman and sharp-eyed accordin’, an’ me bein’ Minnie’s dad, it’s a bit more than that. Missus an’ me both reckon Minnie’s moods and ’er bit of mornin’ sickness add up to an ’ighly suspect condition. Missus wants to see yer. She’s upset, I tell yer.’

‘So am I. I’ll come and talk to her.’

‘I’d better go first,’ said Jim, ‘or you might cop the chopper. Missus is given to choppin’ first and askin’ later when she’s as upset as this. I’ll put a word in, lad.’

‘Yes, tell her I’m feeling ill. I’ll be along.’ I went back into the public bar and told Kit I had to go, that Jim was having trouble with a young chick.

‘You amaze me,’ said Kit, ‘you can fix sick chickens too?’

‘I don’t know, this is my first time.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ said Kit, ‘I’ve never seen a baby
chicken
being treated by an enlisted guy filling in as a vet.’

‘No, stay there,’ I said. Fortunately, she was too wedged in to spring free and I departed at speed.

Jim let me in and took me into the parlour. The parlour meant serious business. Missus was present. She was on her feet and for once she was looking stiff and starchy.

‘So here you are,’ she said.

‘Yes, good evening, Missus.’

‘Nothing good about it,’ said Missus.

‘Where’s Min?’ I asked.

‘Out. Jim told you she’s expectin’?’

‘He told me you think she is, but that Minnie won’t say.’

‘It don’t matter that she won’t say,’ said Missus, ‘it’s my belief she’s expectin’ all right.’ She sighed and her stiffness eased a little. ‘Now you know, Tim, there’s no-one Minnie would’ve give in to except you, she can’t look at no-one except you. But I never thought you’d take that kind of advantage, I don’t know when I’ve felt more sorrowful.’

‘Well, I feel sorrowful myself,’ I said. ‘I don’t know how you can even begin to believe I’d take that kind of advantage. Look, if Min won’t say she’s pregnant, there’s got to be a reason for it. Perhaps she’s having trouble growing up. In any case, if you’re thinking about me and Min on rising summer night, I can tell you I was incapable.’

‘Incapable of rememberin’, perhaps,’ said Missus and I gritted my teeth at that.

‘Well, Missus,’ said Jim, ‘I asked our Tim straight
out,
man to man, and ’e answered me straight out. Said it wasn’t ’im. Good enough for me.’

‘I dare say,’ said Missus, ‘but all that cider and all. Like I just said, it’s maybe he just don’t remember. Now, Tim, I’m not sayin’ you had it in mind to do wrong by Minnie, only that when risin’ summer got you heated up and you found yourself alone with her, you let it ’appen. And I don’t suppose she wasn’t willin’. All I’m sayin’ is that I hope you’ll do right by her now she’s in trouble.’

‘Pardon?’ I said.

‘Any decent young chap’s that’s done a girl wrong ought to do right by her,’ said Missus.

‘I’ll fall over in a minute,’ I said. ‘You’re talking about me marrying Min?’

‘What else?’ said Missus.

‘If you don’t mind, I’ll wait till Minnie’s seen a doctor and I’ll wait till she says it was me,’ I said.

‘Tim can’t say fairer,’ mused Jim.

‘I’ll talk to Minnie again,’ said Missus.

‘I’d like to have a talk with her myself,’ I said.

‘Got to be careful ’ere,’ said Jim. ‘Min was under age when it ’appened. The doctor won’t like that. ’E might ’ave a duty to tell the coppers. They’ll come round. Best keep this quiet, Missus.’

‘Well, I’ve got to make ’er see a doctor,’ said Missus. ‘I’ll take her to one in Sudbury but I won’t give our right address or our right names.’

Minnie arrived home then. She came in through the open front door and put her face round the door of the parlour. ‘Oh,’ she said.

‘Tim’s here,’ said Missus unnecessarily.

‘That’s a change,’ said Minnie.

‘Listen, Min,’ I said, ‘your mum and dad have been talking to me.’

‘That’s nice,’ said Minnie, ‘but you can talk to me now, we can go for a walk, it’s still a nice evenin’ and fancy you not bein’ out with that ugly American sergeant.’

‘Stop actin’ up,’ said Jim, ‘let’s get things straight. Yer mum’s goin’ to take you to a doctor’s in Sudbury—’

‘Oh!’ Minnie was in a paddy then. ‘She’s not takin’ me because I’m not goin’!’

‘Now look, Minnie,’ I said, ‘are you in trouble or not?’

‘Who said I was?’

‘Your dad and me’s not blind,’ said Missus, ‘so you’d better speak up, my girl.’

‘Won’t,’ said Minnie, ‘ain’t goin’ to.’

I felt then that if she was pregnant, it had to be somebody else, not me.

‘I’m lookin’ at you, Min and I’m thinkin’ things,’ said Jim. ‘I’m thinkin’ some geezer ’elped ’imself to what ’e wasn’t entitled to and yer maybe don’t even know ’is name.’

‘Oh,’ gasped Minnie, ‘me own dad sayin’ a thing like that to me!’

‘Now see what you’ve done,’ said Missus to Jim, ‘you’ve been and upset your own flesh an’ blood. I never ’eard anything more upsettin’, specially when we all know Min wouldn’t ever go with no-one but Tim. That’s right, isn’t it, Minnie love?’

‘I’m not sayin’, I’m not talkin’,’ said Minnie. ‘I been
insulted
rotten by me own dad and I’m goin’ to bed. So there.’ She disappeared. I heard her running up the stairs.

‘It’s ’er condition, poor lamb,’ said Missus, ‘it’s put her in a terrible upset state. I just hope you’ll be a nice understandin’ chap, Tim.’

‘I still ain’t sure we can lay it on Tim,’ said Jim.

‘Now don’t you get more upsettin’,’ said Missus, ‘you’ve done more than enough of that. Tim knows how Minnie feels about him and that she wouldn’t go with any Yank. Oh, lor’, I never thought I’d suffer this kind of worry. Still, I hope you can make up your mind and not take too long, Tim. You take too long and Min might be about due. I wouldn’t be able to ’old me head up if Min got to be a bride and a mother all on the same day.’

‘Get in all the papers, that would,’ said Jim gloomily, ‘an’ maybe on the wireless too.’

‘All right,’ I said, ‘I’ll go away and have a good long think about it.’

‘There, I thought you’d act decent, Tim,’ said Missus and was kind enough to see me out and down to the gate. ‘I’m not givin’ you hard blame, love, I expect it was bein’ tiddly that done it. That risin’ summer cider’s special, Jim should’ve told you.’

‘Special? Lethal, more like,’ I said.

‘I’m not one to keep on,’ said Missus, ‘and not to say you got to marry Min. It’s up to you, Tim. Doin’ right because you ought to isn’t the same as doin’ right because you want to. You wantin’ Min for a bride is a lot better than bein’ sorry for her. She’s a handful, but better than you maybe think. She’s got loyalty, Min has, love. You marry her and she’ll stick to you through thick
and
thin. Mind, I know she’s a mite young, but she’s grown up quick. That’s ’er trouble.’

My trouble was that I was thinking about what Aunt May and everyone else would say about me walking down the aisle with a pregnant schoolgirl. ‘If you’ll excuse me, Missus, I’ve got a headache.’

‘I dare say you ’ave, love. So has poor Min.’ Missus sighed at events. ‘Still, off you go now. I know you’re a decent young chap, likin’ to do what’s right.’

A jeep passed by. In it were Kit, Cecily, Cassidy, Frisby and Top Sergeant Dawson, all getting a lift back to BHQ. Kit gave me a wave. I was too numb to ask for a lift myself. I said good night to Missus and walked back to BHQ in a frail state of mind.

I HARDLY SLEPT
that night. I kept thinking of the night in question, racking my memory in a mental search for something that would give me a clue to exactly what had happened. I told myself I’d have known if I’d had Minnie. I’ve never had any girl, so if I’d gone over the top with Minnie, surely not even the cider would have blanked it out. But might she be prepared to say I had, even if I hadn’t? The gnawing uncertainty kept me awake most of the night.

In the orderly room the next morning, I felt haggard. Deborah Watts asked about my health. I said it was feeble. I left most of my midday dinner uneaten and wandered around a bit, thinking about how Aunt May would react if I told her.

‘Hi, Tim, old boy.’ It was Kit. The sun was shining on her as she came out of the ATS quarters.

‘Hello,’ I said.

‘You’re looking sick,’ she said.

‘Large headache,’ I said.

‘Oh, jolly bad luck,’ said Kit, trying out an English accent.

‘Fancy an alcoholic time at the pub this evening?’

‘Love to,’ said Kit, ‘but I’ll be busy.’

‘Overtime? That’s for civilians. Ask anyone. Even ask Major Moffat.’

‘It’s Major Moffat I’ll be busy with.’

That’s against the regulations,’ I said, although I was past caring, of course.

‘How did the ailing chick make out?’ she asked, as we walked a path together.

‘It’s pregnant,’ I said in a mad moment.

‘A chick?’ Kit laughed. ‘Who’s responsible?’

‘Some old rooster, I suppose.’

‘You kill me,’ she said. ‘Have a ball at the pub, but don’t fall about, it’ll hold up your promotion.’ She disappeared at a brisk pace into the house.

Cassidy and Cecily caught me up. Cecily gave me a smile as she followed Kit. Cassidy stayed for a friendly word. ‘Getting nowhere fast, Tim?’ she said.

‘I think I’m still stuck on the starting line,’ I said. It hardly mattered now.

‘I guess you picked a tough one,’ smiled Cassidy. ‘Try being a forceful guy.’

‘How forceful?’

‘Take a turn at being boss,’ said Cassidy, ‘answer her back. Have fun, old buddy. See you.’ Off she went.

Duty Sergeant Harrison took her place, plonking himself in front of me. He had a roster book in his hand. ‘Gunner Hardy, I presume?’

‘I think so, sarge, but in several ways I wish I wasn’t.’

‘I feel the same,’ said Sergeant Harrison. ‘Right, then, where was I? I know, Gunner Poole’s gone sick. You’re next on the roster. Guard duty tonight.’

‘Gunner Poole, you said? No, look, sarge, that twit is
always
going sick. It’s about time he passed permanently on and saved the rest of us all the inconvenience he causes.’

‘I’m not inconvenienced,’ said Sergeant Harrison.

‘No, well, you’re not next on guard duty roster, are you?’

‘Tck, tck, cross, are we?’ he said. I hardly cared. ‘Well, save it for Adolf. Get yourself blancoed for guard duty. All over.’

There were millions of Germans and Russians making mincemeat of each other around some place in Russia called Byelgorod and thousands of Allies and Germans at each other’s throats in Sicily and I was on quiet guard duty in rural Suffolk. All done up in full kit, my webbing thick with Khaki Green Blanco No. 3. I supposed I ought to be feeling fortunate. But I didn’t feel like that at all. I had Minnie’s condition on my mind and also the possibility that I might be definitely responsible.

Guard was mounted at eighteen-hundred. Four of us each had to do a spell of three hours. I drew from twenty-one-hundred to midnight. After that, I might get six hours kip in the guardroom as long as Bombardier Weekes, the guard commander, didn’t keep walking about and treading on me.

Nothing much happened for my first two hours, except personnel coming in after an evening out. I was supposed to poke my best friend at them and ask them to declare themselves and show their passes. I didn’t bother very much, unless they had stripes. I wasn’t in the mood to bother. Then Jim stole up on me. How he knew I was
on
guard was a mystery, until he told me he’d got the information from Frisby in the pub.

‘Thought I’d come an’ cheer yer up, son,’ he whispered to me outside the gates. ‘Missus, of course, is dependin’ on yer to do right by Min. Well, Missus ’as got principles, like.’

‘Oh, you reckon, do you?’

‘Now, now, Tim, it ain’t ’er fault she dotes on Min, Min bein’ our one and only. Women is made to be dotin’, specially if there’s a one and only. Me, I’m wonderin’ about the real whacker, the geezer that really put Min in the fam’ly way.’

‘Wait a bit, is that definite now, that she’s pregnant?’

‘Well, Min still ain’t sayin’ and still won’t go to no doctor’s, but Missus knows all right, ’er bein’ a woman, like I said before. Keen to ’ave you in the fam’ly, yer know.’

‘Nice of her,’ I said, ‘but isn’t there any good news?’

‘Nothing good about this mess, Tim lad, only that you’re me friend and a man don’t ask ’is friends to be what they ain’t. I ain’t askin’ you to be a husband to Min if you ain’t acted like one. That ain’t friendship. One thing I will say, though, which is that Suffolk’ll suit you, like it’s suited us. Come yer do wed Minnie, she won’t say no to livin’ ’ere.’

‘Stop pushing me,’ I said.

The dark night sighed. In the Pacific, the high and most honourable Japanese sea lords were engaged in titanic ocean battles with the American fleets, but I still wasn’t having a very good time.

‘Ain’t goin’ to push yer, Tim. Goin’ to look for some
Yank.
I’ll lay it was some Yank that got to Minnie some’ow. No wonder she ain’t ’appy. That’s it, yer see. If it ’ud been you, she’d be proud and ’appy. But it wasn’t you, so she don’t even want to admit it.’

‘Poor old Min,’ I said.

‘You leave the geezer to me, son, I’ll find ’im. ’Ere, Missus sent you some eggs.’ Jim slipped a cardboard box into my hand. ‘Wants you to know she don’t blame you all that much. Car’s comin’, lad, I best be off.’