Far From Home. Anne Bennett

had also made an effort, and he too looked incredibly smart. Kate noticed the cuffs of the pure white shirt peeping from the sleeves of his tailored overcoat and the smart tie at his neck. She also saw his light brown and rather unruly hair had been tamed and darkened with Brylcreem. His smile was so wide it lit up his whole face and made his eyes sparkle for he was hardly able to believe that Kate had at last agreed to go out with him and he held out the flowers with hands that shook slightly.

      Kate blushed as she took the flowers from him and that just made her ever prettier. ‘Oh, David,’ she said, ‘what a lovely surprise!’ and she asked him in while she found water. When she disappeared into the little kitchenette, he took the opportunity to look around the room. ‘You have it nice,’ he said when she returned with the flowers in a vase.

      Kate wrinkled her nose. ‘Bit small now,’ she said. ‘Though it was all right for one, it’s cramped now my sister lives here too.’

      ‘She must be company for you, though.’

      ‘Not really,’ Kate said. ‘She’s seldom here in the evenings because she works as an usherette in the Plaza. And to be honest, I never envisaged her living here at all.’

      ‘Oh?’ David said, his eyebrows arched in enquiry.

      ‘Oh, I’ll tell you the whole tale as we go,’ Kate said. ‘We’re meeting Susie and Nick at Stockland Green and we had best be off now or we’ll be late.’

      So, as they walked together that cold, frosty night, Kate didn’t object when David linked her arm and pulled her tight against him as she told him of Sally’s flight from their farmhouse in Donegal. ‘And she had told you nothing about what she intended?’ David asked.

      ‘No, not a hint of it,’ Kate said. ‘She was waiting for me when I came home from work. I thought our parents would have her back because she wrote and said how sorry she was, but they won’t.’

      ‘So you’re stuck with her?’

      ‘That’s about the strength of it,’ Kate said.

      ‘You must get on all right,’ David said. ‘I do nothing but fight with my brother, Lawrence. There would often be wigs on the green if we shared a place.’

      ‘We don’t argue much,’ Kate said. ‘But then with different work patterns we don’t see that much of each other.’

      ‘And does she like Birmingham?’

      Kate nodded. ‘She loves it,’ she said. ‘She loves her job and the fact she has money in her pocket, which in itself is quite a novel experience, and she can’t get over all the entertainment there is for her to enjoy when she does have time off. But I think, most important of all, she’s become very friendly with the trainee projectionist at the cinema, and I definitely don’t think she would like leaving him.’

      ‘Isn’t she rather young for that?’

      ‘Probably,’ Kate said. ‘But what can I do about that?’

      ‘Not a lot,’ David agreed. ‘What about her elder sister?’

      ‘What do you mean?’ Kate said, though she knew full well what David was getting at. And then, with relief, she saw Susie and Nick waiting at the tram stop and she said, ‘Come on, let’s hurry. It’s too cold to stand for long in this weather,’ and the opportunity to talk further was lost.

      In the interval, Susie and Kate headed off to the Ladies’, and Susie barely waited till the door shut behind them before saying, ‘Well?’

      ‘Well what?’

      ‘Come on, Kate. I‘ve been dying to ask you.’

      ‘Ask me what?

      ‘Don’t be stupid,’ Susie snapped. ‘You and David, of course.’

      ‘What about me and David?’

      ‘You know,’ Susie said. ‘You looked ever so lovey-dovey to me when you arrived at the tram station earlier.’

      ‘It seemed sensible. It was cold, that was all.’

      ‘And was it sensible of him to buy you a whole box of chocolates?’

      ‘No,’ Kate said. ‘That was far from sensible. I didn’t expect him to do that and he is very generous, but I know what it is to truly love someone.’

      ‘D’you know?’ said Susie. ‘I’m not sure that you do. It might not be love that you feel for Tim Munroe at all, but infatuation, probably made all the sweeter because you knew from the start he was unobtainable.’

      Kate stared at Susie and Susie knew she had hit home. For the first time she saw doubt flit across Kate’s face as she digested Susie’s words and wondered if there was an element of truth in them.

      ‘I mean, you have never been courted by Tim – walked out together or anything, have you?’ Susie asked, knowing they hadn’t. ‘The most you two have done is gaze at each other. You don’t know anything about him really.’

      ‘Don’t be daft, we nearly grew up together.’

      ‘I know that. So you know Tim the child, the boy, but nothing at all about Tim the man. I bet when you got to a certain age, your mother at least made quite sure you were never left alone together.’

      Kate nodded, because that had been true.

      ‘Well, here there’s a man that you have admitted you like and who more than likes you. I mean, you’ve really enjoyed yourself tonight, haven’t you?’

      ‘Oh, yes,’ Kate said. ‘And the pantomime is great, but we should really be getting back because the first bell has just gone.’

      ‘I know,’ Susie said. ‘We’ll go now, but you will think about what I said?’

      Kate nodded. ‘I will,’ she promised, and she would because – quite apart from anything else – she felt she owed her friend a favour, and knew it would make life easier for the budding relationship between Susie and Nick if she agreed to go out with David.

      SIX

      The next morning, Kate got up in a really good mood, remembering how much she had enjoyed the previous evening. The day before, as well as getting the dress for herself, she had bought Sally a lovely Fair Isle-patterned hat, gloves and scarf set for Christmas. They had never got much in the way of presents in Donegal, and any they did have they left until after Mass to open, but the weather was so raw that morning that Kate decided to give Sally her presents before they left for church because she knew it would keep her a lot warmer, especially as they couldn’t have a warming cup of tea or a bite to eat as they were both taking communion.

      Sally had really sad eyes that morning and Kate thought she was probably thinking of their home. She knew that her younger sister had really hoped that her mother would write to say she had forgiven her, especially as she had paid back nearly all the money she had taken, but she had received nothing. When Kate gave her the present, Sally was so overwhelmed with sudden love and gratitude for her sister that tears stood out in her eyes. Kate was so moved by Sally’s response that she said, ‘You might as well have the other things as well,’ and gave her the set of lace hankies and a little bottle of California Poppy perfume.

      ‘Oh, Kate, you are so lovely,’ Sally said, dabbing the perfume behind her ears immediately. ‘I have things for you too.’

      ‘You shouldn’t have spent money on me,’ Kate said. ‘I told you not to. You don’t earn that much.’

      ‘I know I don’t,’ Sally said. ‘But I owe you so much that I would buy for you if I couldn’t afford even a card for anyone else. And ooh, I can’t really wait until after Mass to give them to you either, so you must have them now.’

      Kate was thrilled because the silk stockings were of the best quality and the slippers were fur lined, and she exclaimed in delight, ‘My feet will be as warm as toast