Free One Rainy Day by Joan Jonker

by the light from the street lamp, she was even more beautiful than he’d imagined. ‘I’d almost given up, but I’m glad now that I waited that little bit longer.’ He cupped her elbow. ‘You are well worth waiting for. A sight for sore eyes, a vision to delight the eye.’
    ‘Don’t overdo it, Pete. I can’t stand false flattery.’ Poppy grinned, ‘Don’t take any notice of what I said, ’cos there isn’ta female alive who doesn’t like to be flattered. By the way, is your name Pete?’
    He shook his head. ‘I get Peter at home. Only a few of my friends call me Pete, and never within earshot of my mother, who says, “His name is Peter. Had I wanted him called Pete, I would have had him christened Pete.”’
    ‘I’m on your mother’s side,’ Poppy said. ‘Peter is a nice name.’
    He cupped her elbow. ‘Where would you like to go? Dancing or the pictures? Mind you, we would have missed all the shorts at the cinema.’
    ‘Let’s go to the pictures,’ Poppy said. ‘Myrna Loy is on at the Odeon, and I could do with a good laugh. We’d be in time for the big picture. Unless there’s somewhere else you would prefer to go? I’m easy.’
    ‘It’s what you want, Poppy. I asked you out.’ He turned his head, ‘There’s a tram coming now, or would you prefer to wait for a bus?’
    ‘No, I love the trams. They’ll all be gone soon, they reckon, and there’ll only be buses. I’ll be sorry, ’cos they’ve always been part of Liverpool and I’ll miss them.’
    ‘Then let’s make a run for it.’ Peter grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. ‘Make the most of them before they disappear.’
    Seated by the window on the tram, Poppy said, ‘You’re nothing if not a man of action, are you? You really pulled me off me feet then. For a while I had visions of being flat out on the ground for the second time today.’
    Peter paid the conductor for two tickets to Lime Street, then turned to ask, ‘What did you mean? Have you fallen over once already?’
    A smile hovered around Poppy’s mouth. ‘I didn’t fall, I was pushed. And that was the reason I was late meeting you. Mymother had to wash the dirt off this coat and make it presentable.’
    ‘Who the heck pushed you over? Were you larking about?’
    ‘I wasn’t larking about, I’m too old for that. No, some bloke pushed me over with his umbrella. He couldn’t help it – he didn’t see me because he was opening it up. But I landed on the ground looking ridiculous.’
    ‘I don’t believe you could ever look ridiculous, Poppy. And by the way, is Poppy your real name? I’ve never known a girl with that name before.’
    ‘I’m not the only girl in the world called that, it’s just that there aren’t many in Liverpool. It was my dad who chose the name for me, and my mam gave in to him. I’m glad she did ’cos it means I’ll never forget him. I was eight or nine when he died, but I can remember him telling me one day that him and me mam had gone for a walk in the country with my brother David in his pram, and they came across a field full of poppies. My mother was expecting me at the time, and that’s why my dad chose the name. So there you have it, Peter: my life story on the tram going into Liverpool.’
    ‘It’s a nice story, and I’m on your dad’s side. I think it’s a lovely name and it suits you.’ Peter glanced through the tram window and saw they were passing St George’s Hall. He jumped to his feet, saying, ‘This is our stop.’
    Poppy stood in the foyer of the cinema and waited for Peter as he went to the kiosk for the tickets. When he came back, he handed her a box of Cadbury’s chocolates. She felt embarrassed, hoping he wasn’t leaving himself skint. ‘You shouldn’t have bought them, Peter. I’m quite happy coming to the pictures.’
    ‘I have a fairly decent job, Poppy, so you don’t have to worry your pretty head about me. And now, if we don’t wantto miss the beginning of the big picture, I