ingredients.’
‘You make me sound like a cake!’ Daisy laughed, trying to stem the tears in her eyes.
‘You must make your looks work for you, Daisy,’ Joan smiled. ‘The way you looked out there on that little catwalk, it was obvious how you felt. There’s no reason why you
shouldn’t always feel like that.’
Daisy didn’t reply.
‘Everything go OK at home last night?’ Joan asked lightly.
‘Oh, as well as could be expected, I suppose,’ Daisy said quietly. ‘The big star couldn’t turn the gas on and when she did she burned the stew, and before I got there she
had announced that she was pregnant.’
Joan sat down beside Daisy and drew in a shocked breath. ‘Little Kay Sheridan
pregnant
?’ she asked in a hushed voice.
‘Somehow I think we’ll have to drop the “Little”, if not now, certainly soon,’ Daisy replied. ‘Before I even got there it was all arranged that she’d
marry her horrible boyfriend and they’d move in to our bedroom. I’m to sleep on the couch from now on, apparently. I don’t think my father had much rage left to waste on me, but
he had enough. He accused me of deliberately exciting every male in the world with what he called my “woman’s bits”, to which I’d added my harlot’s hair.’
She looked up and found Joan with her hand covering her mouth, laughing as she imagined the scene. Despite her mood, Daisy smiled too. ‘Do you think that’s funny?’ she asked in
an aggrieved tone.
‘Well, not funny exactly,’ Joan giggled. ‘I’m sure it was all awful, Daisy, it’s just the picture it paints in the mind. I’m sorry, honestly.’
‘Well,’ Daisy said wryly, ‘here’s the punch-line. When the baby arrives, the big star will continue with her career, because it will only be a very little
baby.’
‘But they all take the same amount of looking after, big or small. Who’s going to do that?’
Daisy kept looking at her, holding her gaze as the penny dropped. She nodded. ‘That’s right: me!’
‘Oh, Daisy, you’ve got to be kidding!’
‘It was all worked out before I got home,’ Daisy said.
‘You’re not going to do it, are you? I mean, it’s impossible!’
‘No, I’m not going to do it, and I agree, it is impossible. The question is, what happens now? I walked past a new recruiting office for the WAAFs this morning, and for a mad moment
I thought of walking in and signing up.’
‘No, no, you can’t do that, there has to be some other way out, surely?’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Daisy said, grinning. ‘It seemed just the thing, off into the wide blue yonder, leaving all your cares behind.’
‘Yes, well,’ Joan replied, ‘I think we’ve all felt like that from time to time. Mind you, women were sent to work in the factories last time, so if it’s war again,
Daisy, you could still end up in the ropeworks!’ she teased.
‘Wouldn’t that be just like it?’ Daisy said, pulling a vexed expression. ‘Avoid it now, only to be
sent
there because of some war,’ and they both
laughed.
‘So what are you going to do?’ Mrs Johnstone asked. ‘About things at home, I mean.’
‘Nothing for the moment,’ Daisy sighed. ‘All I can think of is waiting to see how things work out. Even if it isn’t the solution, it’ll buy me some time
now.’
The joyful union of Dessie and Kay took place at St Theresa’s in Heaton Road as quickly as possible a few weeks later. Kathleen, whose health seemed to have taken another
dip, wasn’t well enough to be at the church for the nuptials; but Michael was there, looking stern and embarrassed, sure that everyone in the community knew and disapproved – either of
Kay or of Daisy, which one wasn’t clear. The bride wore a white dress made for her by her sister, the bridesmaid, which had to be let out surprisingly early in her pregnancy, but then Kay was
no genius and had no real idea of how far on she was.
Dessie’s belongings had already been moved into Kay and
‘You make me sound like a cake!’ Daisy laughed, trying to stem the tears in her eyes.
‘You must make your looks work for you, Daisy,’ Joan smiled. ‘The way you looked out there on that little catwalk, it was obvious how you felt. There’s no reason why you
shouldn’t always feel like that.’
Daisy didn’t reply.
‘Everything go OK at home last night?’ Joan asked lightly.
‘Oh, as well as could be expected, I suppose,’ Daisy said quietly. ‘The big star couldn’t turn the gas on and when she did she burned the stew, and before I got there she
had announced that she was pregnant.’
Joan sat down beside Daisy and drew in a shocked breath. ‘Little Kay Sheridan
pregnant
?’ she asked in a hushed voice.
‘Somehow I think we’ll have to drop the “Little”, if not now, certainly soon,’ Daisy replied. ‘Before I even got there it was all arranged that she’d
marry her horrible boyfriend and they’d move in to our bedroom. I’m to sleep on the couch from now on, apparently. I don’t think my father had much rage left to waste on me, but
he had enough. He accused me of deliberately exciting every male in the world with what he called my “woman’s bits”, to which I’d added my harlot’s hair.’
She looked up and found Joan with her hand covering her mouth, laughing as she imagined the scene. Despite her mood, Daisy smiled too. ‘Do you think that’s funny?’ she asked in
an aggrieved tone.
‘Well, not funny exactly,’ Joan giggled. ‘I’m sure it was all awful, Daisy, it’s just the picture it paints in the mind. I’m sorry, honestly.’
‘Well,’ Daisy said wryly, ‘here’s the punch-line. When the baby arrives, the big star will continue with her career, because it will only be a very little
baby.’
‘But they all take the same amount of looking after, big or small. Who’s going to do that?’
Daisy kept looking at her, holding her gaze as the penny dropped. She nodded. ‘That’s right: me!’
‘Oh, Daisy, you’ve got to be kidding!’
‘It was all worked out before I got home,’ Daisy said.
‘You’re not going to do it, are you? I mean, it’s impossible!’
‘No, I’m not going to do it, and I agree, it is impossible. The question is, what happens now? I walked past a new recruiting office for the WAAFs this morning, and for a mad moment
I thought of walking in and signing up.’
‘No, no, you can’t do that, there has to be some other way out, surely?’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Daisy said, grinning. ‘It seemed just the thing, off into the wide blue yonder, leaving all your cares behind.’
‘Yes, well,’ Joan replied, ‘I think we’ve all felt like that from time to time. Mind you, women were sent to work in the factories last time, so if it’s war again,
Daisy, you could still end up in the ropeworks!’ she teased.
‘Wouldn’t that be just like it?’ Daisy said, pulling a vexed expression. ‘Avoid it now, only to be
sent
there because of some war,’ and they both
laughed.
‘So what are you going to do?’ Mrs Johnstone asked. ‘About things at home, I mean.’
‘Nothing for the moment,’ Daisy sighed. ‘All I can think of is waiting to see how things work out. Even if it isn’t the solution, it’ll buy me some time
now.’
The joyful union of Dessie and Kay took place at St Theresa’s in Heaton Road as quickly as possible a few weeks later. Kathleen, whose health seemed to have taken another
dip, wasn’t well enough to be at the church for the nuptials; but Michael was there, looking stern and embarrassed, sure that everyone in the community knew and disapproved – either of
Kay or of Daisy, which one wasn’t clear. The bride wore a white dress made for her by her sister, the bridesmaid, which had to be let out surprisingly early in her pregnancy, but then Kay was
no genius and had no real idea of how far on she was.
Dessie’s belongings had already been moved into Kay and
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