Free Chocolate Girls by Annie Murray

side of Edie and wrapped her arms round her.
    They tried to persuade Edie to stay in Glover Road that night, or at least to go to her mom’s in Charlotte Road, but she was adamant.
    ‘I want to go home.’ She got up and paced around the room, ready to walk straight out of the door. ‘I want to sleep in my bed – Jack’s and my bed, in our room where we live . . .’ She spoke distractedly, her eyes glassy with shock.
    Ruby tried arguing that it was pitch black out there, that she was in no fit state, but it was no good.
    ‘We can’t leave her like this,’ Ruby whispered to Frank. ‘We’ll have to go with her.’
    She went to her mother, who was shocked and tearful.
    ‘Mom, Frank and me are going to take Edie home and stay with her. You and George’re going to have to see to everything for tonight. I’ll ’ave to go straight to work from there tomorrow.’
    ‘It’s all right, sis,’ George said, his fragile features pale and serious. ‘We’ll be awright, won’t we, Mom?’ He looked appealingly at Mrs Bonner, who struggled out of her chair.
    ‘Course we will.’ Weeping, she gathered Edie into her arms for a moment. ‘Edie love, I don’t know what to say. I couldn’t be more sorry for yer.’
    Edie nodded. ‘It hasn’t sunk in, Mrs Bonner. I just can’t . . . I just need to get home . . .’ She trailed miserably into silence.
    ‘I’ll run home and let our mom and dad know what’s happened,’ Frank said.
    While Frank went round to Heeley Road, Ruby made another cup of tea.
    ‘Get this down yer, kid,’ she said to Edie. Edie sipped obediently. When Frank was back and the tea finished, they put on coats and hats and set off into the damp, cold darkness. Frank had a tiny torch which shone a pencil of light at their feet, and he and Ruby walked either side of Edie, each with their arms linked with hers, in grief-stricken silence. Afterwards Edie could never remember walking back there that night. There was almost no traffic on the road except for a last bus of the night, crawling slowly along, lights shaded. The streetlamps were blacked out and gave off the barest sheen of light. They passed the darkened Cadbury works and just as they were turning off an ARP warden loomed out of the darkness, holding a tiny torch of his own.
    ‘On yer way home?’ he asked importantly.
    ‘Yes,’ Frank said. ‘Nearly there.’
    Edie let them into the house, all moving as quietly as they could so as not to rouse Miss Smedley. When she opened the door of their two little rooms, Edie moved about for a few moments, automatically pulling the curtains and blacks, lighting the gas mantle, poking at the dead remains of the fire.
    ‘Come on, love,’ Ruby said. ‘I’ll bunk up with you tonight. Can you manage in the chair, Frank?’
    ‘Course,’ he said wretchedly. He would have slept naked on a bed of nails if it would bring Jack back.
    Edie pulled away from Ruby and walked slowly to the door of her bedroom. She leaned against the doorframe in the dim light, looking in at the unmade bed. The bed where she and Jack had made love last night and talked about the unborn life that was growing in Edie. The bed with the covers open on Jack’s side, thrown energetically back as he got up this morning, full of the vigour and expectancy of his twenty-year-old body. The body which would never now lie beside hers again.
    Unsteadily Edie went to the bed and lay down in his place, burying her head in the dip where Jack’s head had lain, to muffle the howl of anguish which broke from her.

 
Eight
     
    ‘Don’t forget your gas mask, dear!’
    Frances Hatton dangled the battered box on its piece of string out through the door as Janet reached the gate, and she turned back to fetch it.
    ‘Blow it! Do we really need to carry this stinking thing about all the time?’ she said impatiently. ‘We haven’t needed it once yet.’ There were so many things to remember now the war was on. Gas masks, her identity card, which was