Free Lover by Laura Wilson Page B

doesn’t appear. She’s clawing at this chap’s arm, hissing at him, ‘Listen! Listen!’, and screeching out this song, and he’s trying to shake her off and at the same time keep hold of Lily, and Lily’s walloping his arm with her gas mask case, trying to make him let go… I’ve pulled Lily right out of the door and into the street, thinking that’d put a stop to it, but all four of us end up out there, lurching along like a conga line with me in front and Mary hanging on at the back. For two pins I’d have left them and gone off back to Frith Street to fetch my things for the night, but Lily’s only round the corner from me and I thought, I can’t leave her in the blackout with this idiot—anything might happen—I’ll get her home and Ted can do some work for once in his miserable life and sort him out.
    The man’s saying to Lily, ‘You come over to the Swiss and have a drink with me,’ because they don’t close till eleven over there. Lily said, ‘Oh, go home,’ and I was about to tell him the same when Ale Mary suddenly said, ‘I know you,’ and she leaned over and gave Lily a great shove in the chest so she fell back against the railings. ‘I know you,’ she said, ‘And I don’t like you.’
    The man pushed Mary away from him and said, ‘Come and have a drink, come on ,’ and he must have got hold of Lily again because they were scuffling and I got an elbow in the stomach which knocked the breath out of me, and then Lily said, ‘You can go to hell, both of you!’ She must have kicked him, because he said, ‘Bitch!’ and we heard him hopping about on one leg. Lily said, ‘That’ll teach you, now leave me alone!’
    By the time I’d got my breath again—I was doubled over, wheezing away, with Lily rubbing my back—he was off down the street with Mary alongside, quoting from the Bible, no doubt. We could hear her singing and the footsteps getting fainter as they got towards the corner, and he suddenly shouted out, ‘Dirty whores!’
    I straightened up and Lily and I leant against the railings, side by side. ‘Rotten bastard,’ she muttered, then, ‘You all right?’
    â€˜I’ll do.’
    â€˜Thanks, Rene. You’re a pal.’
    We didn’t say much on the way home. I left Lily at her door and went home to collect my blankets and cushion for the shelter.
    I felt a bit fed up so I tried to take my mind off it by looking round at all the people in the shelter. There were one or two I hadn’t seen before: a young chap with big eyes and buck teeth, and a couple of soldiers. Then a pilot came in, with a girl. I noticed him first, because he had one of those faces you can’t help gazing at: bright blue eyes and golden hair that most women would kill for. Early twenties, I suppose, but he seemed older, not because he looked it, but he had something about him, a sort of presence. Tall, too, and a lovely build, broad shoulders and slim hips—all the women were staring at him, wondering who the lucky girl was, no doubt. He didn’t stay long, just got her sat down and went away again. Lovely to look at, but you wouldn’t want a man like that. Far too dangerous—women round him like flies on a honey-pot. You’d never get a moment’s peace, and that sort usually get above themselves from all the attention. She was quite a bit younger than me, but the same coat—blue wool. Suited her, and it would have been smart if it hadn’t been for the marks. Whereas he’d been very tidy, she had all mess, dark, like soot, round the shoulders, and her hat, too. Looked like it was singed. Dirt on her face, all streaky, made me wonder if she’d been crying. Probably been in a raid, poor thing. She looked all in, slumped on the bench with her eyes shut, but she came to after a bit. Looked a bit flustered, like