Far From Home. Anne Bennett

almost feel Mammy’s relief because that’s it, really, isn’t it? When you walk out with someone in Ireland you are almost committed. Maybe you remember that?’

      ‘A little bit, I do,’ Susie said, with a brief nod. ‘But really—’

      ‘And added to that,’ Kate said a little bitterly, ‘Maggie is a farmer’s daughter, like me, but her father has no sons and Maggie is the eldest and so, once married, Tim will eventually have control of the Mulligan farm as well as his own. That will be the reason he has behaved like this.’

      ‘Like what?’ Susie said. ‘In all fairness, he has done nothing wrong.’ And then as Kate made no response, she went on, ‘Ah, come on, Kate, you accepted that you had no future together when you came to join me in Birmingham. And I can quite understand your mother’s relief, can’t you?’

      Kate sighed and nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Course I can, because it is so final now. Mammy said that Aunt Bridget is very relieved too, because he had shown no interest in any of the girls around until now. But he did say to me once that he wanted to get married one day and have children, ideally a son to take over the farm after his day.’

      ‘Oh, farmers set great store by that,’ Susie said. ‘You wrote and told me how cock-a-hoop your father was when James was born, and I saw that for myself when I went on holiday that year. He was only a few months old and you would think him the greatest child that had ever been born.’

      ‘Oh, yes, our parents were very like that at first,’ Kate agreed. ‘And I understand that Tim might have designs that way too, but do you think he has forgotten already the passion I know we shared.’

      Susie had never really known Tim well, and she only had Kate’s version of the forbidden love that they had never even spoken of. So she didn’t really know whether with Tim it was ‘out of sight out of mind’, or that he still had a lingering love for her best friend, but she knew what she wanted to hear. So she said, ‘I doubt either of you will ever forget that, because for both of you it was a heady first love, but you could do nothing about it. Tim has accepted that and moved on.’

      ‘As I must do,’ Kate said. ‘That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?’

      ‘What I am saying, Kate,’ Susie said firmly, ‘is I want you to take life in both hands and learn to live it to the full, or else you will exist in some sort of half-life, wishing things had been different.’

      Kate had no time to answer because the tram had pulled up at their stop and they were soon surrounded by workmates. It was as they made their way home that she had any free time alone with Susie again and, as if there was some sort of tacit agreement between them, Susie kept off the subject of Tim Munroe and asked Kate instead about her sister and Phil, the trainee projectionist.

      ‘Did you mention this “Great Romance” to your mother?’

      ‘I did not,’ Kate retorted. ‘I said not a word about it because that would have blotted Sally’s copybook right and proper. I’m sure Mammy thinks that she is about seven years old, certainly not old enough to have an eye for the boys.’

      ‘Be fair,’ Susie said. ‘It is only the one boy she has the eye for.’

      ‘I know,’ Kate said. ‘And maybe I am worrying unnecessarily, but it is very intense at the moment, I think.’

      ‘But they are working nearly every night.’ Susie protested.

      ‘Ah, but you see they have two days off in the week, don’t forget, and they do their level best to try and wangle to have the same days off,’ Kate said. ‘And another thing, one of the girls upstairs said she was sent home from work bad last week, and as she was going up the stairs a young man passed her. I mean, we know everyone in the flats, and knowing that Sally was probably on her own, she watched where he was going. And he knocked on our door and she said Sally was obviously expecting him because the door opened very quickly and she said Sally greeted him very affectionately.’

      Susie smiled. ‘I suppose you asked her about it?’

      ‘I surely did,’ Kate said. ‘And she freely admitted that Phil called for her most mornings. She had not a whit of shame or embarrassment about it at all, and said that she hadn’t bothered to mention it to me because she didn’t think it was important, and then went on to say that in case I had any other spies in the streets that this Phil walks her home at night too. In fact, she said he will not allow her to walk home alone.’

      ‘He has a point,’ Susie said. ‘It could be dangerous for her because it’s late when she finishes and you get all types on the streets these days.’

      ‘Yeah,’ Kate said. ‘I agree that could be dangerous, but being alone with a young man in the dark of the night is just as worrying, in my opinion.’

      ‘She is a young woman with needs of her own,’ Susie said. ‘And it isn’t bad to want someone special in your life. It’s what everyone wants deep down, isn’t it?’

      Kate didn’t answer and Susie went on: ‘Don’t you want a home of your own, a family of your own one day?’

      ‘I suppose.’

      ‘Well, why don’t you get to know other men? Give them a bit of encouragement. You might be pleasantly surprised.’

      ‘You’re talking about David Burton, aren’t you?’

      ‘Not particularly,’ Susie said. ‘But at least you like him a bit, don’t you?’

      ‘Course I like him, but liking isn’t loving, is it?’

      ‘Maybe not, but it’s a good starting point,’ Susie said. ‘And I dare say with a bit of effort on your part you could grow to love David Burton.’

      ‘I thought we were discussing Sally,’ Kate said.

      ‘Well, if you ask me, Sally is doing all right,’ Susie said. ‘She has certainly grown up a lot in the short time she has been here and she is having fun and enjoying herself and where’s the harm in that?’

      ‘I know but—’

      ‘But nothing, Kate,’ Susie said. ‘Look, we are only young the once and you are letting your life float past.’

      ‘I’m not,’ Kate protested. ‘We’re out tonight, aren’t we? And it’s a Christmas dance, with spot prizes and everything. So how can you say I am letting my life float past? And I never seem to be short of partners at the dances – you have to agree with that.’

      She was right too, but Susie said, ‘I know, Kate, but sometimes it is nice to have someone special.’

      ‘I don’t feel the need for anyone special just now,’ Kate said dogmatically. ‘But if David Burton asks me up, then I will dance with him.’

      ‘He’ll ask you all right,’ Susie said assuredly. ‘But you won’t dance with him exclusively, will you?’

      ‘I doubt it,’ Kate said.

      ‘If he asked you to just dance with him, or to dance with him most of the time, then would you?’

      ‘Give over, Susie.’

      ‘What’s the matter with you anyway?’ Susie demanded. ‘The way you are going on you’ll end up a crabbed old maid.’

      That made Kate smile, and, as the tram pulled up at their stop, she said, ‘All right then, I’ll think about it, now stop nagging me. Anyway, how about going down the Bull Ring tomorrow?’

      Susie knew that Kate was trying to change the subject. She was a dab hand at doing that, and she could be aggravatingly stubborn at times. ‘Well, do you or not?’ Kate demanded. ‘Surely you’re not sulking because I can’t be filled with lustful passion at the mere mention of David Burton’s name?’

      Even Susie had to smile at that, and Christmas Eve in the Bull Ring was not to be missed, especially if it fell on a Saturday as this did,