prodded Mary with a crooked finger and waited while the laughter died down so she could hear Mary’s response.
‘It’s the jitterbug, Gran,’ Mary told her. ‘The Americans invented it.’
‘Jitterbug! I thought that was a creepy crawly that you stamped your foot on.’
‘Well, it certainly has people stamping their feet,’ Mary laughed, feeling her whole body react to the fast, cheerful music.
But even the jitterbug couldn’t hold Mary’s concentration for long. Her thoughts were too distracted, swinging between Walter and Dr Craig, and that kiss. And Walter still wasn’t here, as he should have been. And neither was Alex Craig’s wife. And Alex was sitting there at the other side of the hall, all alone at a tiny table for two, staring into his empty glass. She looked across at him, her heart thumping hollowly in her chest, her emotions tying themselves into knots.
‘Eeh, Mary, love!’ Jenny reached across the table and tapped Mary’s hand. ‘Just look who’s here at last.’
And there was Walter, apologetic and flushed, making his way clumsily through the dancers on the floor. She gave him a wave, wondering why she should feel so flat, but put it down to the fact that she was not exactly pleased with him for letting her down like this.
‘Where have you been, Walter? The night’s almost over.’
‘Sorry, pet, but I met up with some of the lads and we got talking, and …’ Walter took a deep breath. ‘I’ve decided to join up.’
‘You’ve what? Mam! Dad! Walter’s going to join up.’ Mary turned back to Walter and caught a whiff of stale beer on his breath. ‘You’ve been drinking, Walter Morgan!’
‘Aye, I have. Just a couple of pints.’
‘Oh, Walter! What’s your mam going to say when she finds out?’
‘That’s the reason I’m so late. I went home first to tell them.’ Walter took out his handkerchief and mopped his perspiring brow. ‘Dad was all right about it, but Mam nearly had kittens. It’s taken us all this time to calm her down. I think she might have liked it better if I’d joined the Royal Air Force, but you know me and heights. Those planes fly very high.’
Mary blew out her cheeks. She wasn’t sure what to say, what to think.
‘I won the talent competition, Walter,’ she said and he looked at heras if she had spoken in Chinese before it registered.
‘Oh, I forgot about that. You won it? Well done, pet. What did you get as a prize?’
‘Ten guineas and …’ she hesitated, ‘and a kiss from Dr Craig.’
‘Oh!’ Then his heavy brows came down as he studied her closely. ‘Mary, now that I’m probably going to be sent away overseas … well, away from the north-east, anyway ….how about us getting married? We can get a special licence and …’
‘What? Oh, Walter, I don’t know … I …’
Mary had never felt so flustered, or so pushed into a tight corner. She stared at him, her tongue flicking in and out, as she tried to moisten her dry lips.
‘We can get hitched before I have to go to Catterick training camp. Come on, lass. We’ve waited long enough.’
Mary glanced around the table, glad that nobody else had heard. They were all too busy watching the gyrations on the floor, laughing hysterically at the antics of some folk who threw themselves around and called it dancing.
‘Not here, Walter … please …’ Mary said as the music changed and Jack Langley was introducing the last waltz. ‘Let’s dance, eh? It’s the last waltz and I haven’t had a dance all evening.’
‘Aw, bloomin’ heck, Mary. Give over, will you.’ Walter pulled his arm away from her grasp as she tried to haul him up on his feet. ‘I hate dancing . You know that. Why don’t you get up with somebody else, eh?’
‘Who do you suggest, Walter?’
She hadn’t spoken the words too loudly, but one or two heads turned and she felt her cheeks burn. However, it wasn’t the head-turning that she found disconcerting. It was the fact that Dr Craig was
‘It’s the jitterbug, Gran,’ Mary told her. ‘The Americans invented it.’
‘Jitterbug! I thought that was a creepy crawly that you stamped your foot on.’
‘Well, it certainly has people stamping their feet,’ Mary laughed, feeling her whole body react to the fast, cheerful music.
But even the jitterbug couldn’t hold Mary’s concentration for long. Her thoughts were too distracted, swinging between Walter and Dr Craig, and that kiss. And Walter still wasn’t here, as he should have been. And neither was Alex Craig’s wife. And Alex was sitting there at the other side of the hall, all alone at a tiny table for two, staring into his empty glass. She looked across at him, her heart thumping hollowly in her chest, her emotions tying themselves into knots.
‘Eeh, Mary, love!’ Jenny reached across the table and tapped Mary’s hand. ‘Just look who’s here at last.’
And there was Walter, apologetic and flushed, making his way clumsily through the dancers on the floor. She gave him a wave, wondering why she should feel so flat, but put it down to the fact that she was not exactly pleased with him for letting her down like this.
‘Where have you been, Walter? The night’s almost over.’
‘Sorry, pet, but I met up with some of the lads and we got talking, and …’ Walter took a deep breath. ‘I’ve decided to join up.’
‘You’ve what? Mam! Dad! Walter’s going to join up.’ Mary turned back to Walter and caught a whiff of stale beer on his breath. ‘You’ve been drinking, Walter Morgan!’
‘Aye, I have. Just a couple of pints.’
‘Oh, Walter! What’s your mam going to say when she finds out?’
‘That’s the reason I’m so late. I went home first to tell them.’ Walter took out his handkerchief and mopped his perspiring brow. ‘Dad was all right about it, but Mam nearly had kittens. It’s taken us all this time to calm her down. I think she might have liked it better if I’d joined the Royal Air Force, but you know me and heights. Those planes fly very high.’
Mary blew out her cheeks. She wasn’t sure what to say, what to think.
‘I won the talent competition, Walter,’ she said and he looked at heras if she had spoken in Chinese before it registered.
‘Oh, I forgot about that. You won it? Well done, pet. What did you get as a prize?’
‘Ten guineas and …’ she hesitated, ‘and a kiss from Dr Craig.’
‘Oh!’ Then his heavy brows came down as he studied her closely. ‘Mary, now that I’m probably going to be sent away overseas … well, away from the north-east, anyway ….how about us getting married? We can get a special licence and …’
‘What? Oh, Walter, I don’t know … I …’
Mary had never felt so flustered, or so pushed into a tight corner. She stared at him, her tongue flicking in and out, as she tried to moisten her dry lips.
‘We can get hitched before I have to go to Catterick training camp. Come on, lass. We’ve waited long enough.’
Mary glanced around the table, glad that nobody else had heard. They were all too busy watching the gyrations on the floor, laughing hysterically at the antics of some folk who threw themselves around and called it dancing.
‘Not here, Walter … please …’ Mary said as the music changed and Jack Langley was introducing the last waltz. ‘Let’s dance, eh? It’s the last waltz and I haven’t had a dance all evening.’
‘Aw, bloomin’ heck, Mary. Give over, will you.’ Walter pulled his arm away from her grasp as she tried to haul him up on his feet. ‘I hate dancing . You know that. Why don’t you get up with somebody else, eh?’
‘Who do you suggest, Walter?’
She hadn’t spoken the words too loudly, but one or two heads turned and she felt her cheeks burn. However, it wasn’t the head-turning that she found disconcerting. It was the fact that Dr Craig was
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