Soldier Girl by Annie Murray

each other a long time, just because each was a familiar face. ‘What was you up to with that big spade then?’
    ‘Oh – I’m one of the coke shovellers,’ he laughed. ‘Us blokes have to do the heavy work around here. How d’you think you get any warm water first thing of a morning?’
    ‘I thought I heard a racket first thing,’ Cath said.
    ‘Yeah, well that’ll be us stoking up.’
    Molly took a sip of her strong, sweet tea. ‘Ah – I needed that.’ She looked deep into Billy’s eyes. That always worked well. She knew how to hook a man. ‘It’s ever so nice to see yer.’
    They talked about camp life for a bit, and when Cath had finished her tea, she tactfully got up and left them to it. ‘See you later, Molly!’
    Soon after she’d gone, Billy asked casually, ‘D’yer want to come out one night, Molly?’
    ‘Yeah – you’re on!’
    ‘You’re not allowed out of camp this week – first week and that.’
    ‘Oh, I don’t know as I’d let that stop me!’ Molly laughed, leaning closer to Billy. ‘D’you know of a good place to go? It’d just be nice to see yer. You know – spend a bit of time together, like.’ She could feel herself working on him, as if she was programmed to do it.
    ‘You’re all right you are, Molly,’ Billy laughed. ‘What about tonight? We could come in here if yer want . . .’
    Molly leaned even closer. ‘What about we sneak out – just you and me? I’m sick of being stuck in ’ere.’
    Billy sniggered. ‘Like that is it? But what if we get caught . . . ? We’ll get a roasting.’
    ‘We won’t. We’ll work it out somehow.’
    Molly told herself she couldn’t care less about army authority – so what if she got caught for sneaking out? What was the worst they could do? This was not the whole truth though. Over her days so far working under Phoebe Morrison, the woman had begun to get under her skin. She found in herself a childlike desire to please her, to try and win her praise. When it came to kit inspections, she had been outstandingly successful. She found wearing uniform a relief – she didn’t stand out because of her old make-do clothes, and she kept herself as smart and clean as possible. When Phoebe Morrison came round to inspect their hut one morning and said, obviously surprised, ‘Very good, Fox, keep it up,’ the glow of those words lasted all day, as well as the startled looks on Win and Ruth’s faces. When she put her mind to it and didn’t fool around, she was good at drill. And she thrived on praise, starting to look out for ways she could please Corporal Morrison especially.
    But there was another side to Molly that railed childishly against the rules, that felt she’d never amount to anything so she might as well spoil it all now. By the time she met Billy in the evening she was in that sort of defiant mood, all ready for naughtiness and daring. God, she wanted to get out of there and get some drinks inside her!
    They’d arranged to meet near the NAAFI canteen again. Molly made sure she was a bit late. She wanted Billy to be waiting, not her, wanted him to see her walking towards him. Even in the unbecoming ATS uniform she knew that with her figure, her belt pulled nice and tight, she could make quite an impression. She knew the moves, walking sinuously as if along a tightrope, swaying her hips; she’d seen her mother do it often enough, though many men were too scared of Iris to come near. But the two of them had the same curving figure.
    The effect was marred somewhat by the fact that as well as being bitterly cold and slippery underfoot, it was already dark, and she was only able to be sure Billy was waiting for her once she got really close. She saw the tip of his cigarette glowing in the gloom.
    ‘That you, Billy boy?’ she called softly.
    ‘Over ’ere, Molly.’ Billy pushed himself off against the wall.
    She came up close, smiling, breathing in the rough tobacco smoke. ‘Umm, that’s nice,’ she said.
    ‘Want