Read Online All the Days of Our Lives by Annie Murray - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Annie Murray
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over the noise. Katie kept seeing her friend Pat’s blonde head in the crowd, dancing with a huge, stocky bloke she’d met that evening. Once they danced past quite close, and Pat gave Katie a cheeky grin and a wink.
Terence told her he worked at the Austin. They got on well that evening, and as they were leaving, he asked if Katie would like to go out with him again. Shyly she agreed, though with misgivings as to how she was going to explain this to her mother. Vera was so fiercely over-protective that she didn’t like Katie doing anything.
‘Who was he?’ Pat asked as they left the dance hall. ‘He looked nice – all puppy-eyes!’
‘He’s called Terence Flowers,’ Katie said.
Pat snorted. ‘Good job his first name’s not Colin – Collie Flowers, get it?’
‘Ha-ha,’ Katie said. ‘Anyway, what about that hulk you were dancing with?’
‘Oh . . .’ Pat wrinkled her nose. ‘I shan’t see him again – he smelt terrible.’
Katie laughed. ‘Well, I s’pose that’s as good a reason as any!’
It was difficult going about in the blackout, but she did see Terence a couple more times. One evening they went out to the Alhambra Cinema on the Moseley Road. Katie loved going to the pictures and the Alhambra was very exotic, with a big glass bowl lit up against a blue ceiling to look like the sun, and pretty-coloured tiles. They watched a funny film called The Man Who Came to Dinner and she found herself laughing as much at Terence’s infectious chuckles as at the film itself. She came out of the Alhambra feeling very fond of him.
Another night they even went over to Selly Oak and met his mom, a nice, welcoming lady from whom Terence had clearly inherited his brown eyes and dark arched brows. They sat and drank cocoa together and chatted, until Katie was horrified to realize how late it was.
‘Oh, my word!’ she leapt to her feet, heart thudding. ‘I must get home. My mom’ll be having a fit!’
‘Don’t worry,’ Terence said, seeming puzzled. ‘It’s only just gone nine. I’ll see you home.’
It took them quite a while to get from Selly Oak to Sparkhill. The bus across from the Bristol Road was running late and, standing in the dark Edgbaston street, Katie found she was getting more and more wound up. She could never relax, where Vera was concerned.
‘I’m not half going to get it in the neck when I get home,’ she said miserably.
‘It can’t be that bad, surely,’ Terence said. ‘Here, I’ll come in and explain that we were at mine and we forgot the time.’
‘Don’t you think I can manage to explain that for myself?’ Katie snapped sharply. She was immediately ashamed. ‘I’m sorry, Terence – but the last thing you must do is come in. You don’t know my mother. She gets herself in a right state.’
‘Don’t you want me to meet her then?’ He sounded hurt.
‘Course I do – but not tonight. She’s bound to be all mithered about me being late and she’s just as likely to snap your head off as anything.’
She and Terence said goodbye at the bus stop.
‘It was really nice of you to come all this way,’ she said. ‘I hope the buses behave for you, going back.’
‘That’s all right,’ Terence said easily. ‘See you soon, eh, Katie?’
She wondered if he would try and kiss her or anything, but he didn’t. He was a nice, friendly person and she enjoyed his company. But perhaps he walked out with a lot of girls on just a friendly basis? She was so ignorant about how it all worked – men and women, courting and all that went with it – that she didn’t know what might be normal at all.
The house was quiet, and dark. As she crept along the hall, Katie realized with surprised relief that her mother had gone to bed. Thinking she might as well go straight up herself, she didn’t bother to turn on the light in the hall and felt her way along the wall to the stairs. She had stepped onto the first stair when the voice came from the dark back room.
‘And
Terence told her he worked at the Austin. They got on well that evening, and as they were leaving, he asked if Katie would like to go out with him again. Shyly she agreed, though with misgivings as to how she was going to explain this to her mother. Vera was so fiercely over-protective that she didn’t like Katie doing anything.
‘Who was he?’ Pat asked as they left the dance hall. ‘He looked nice – all puppy-eyes!’
‘He’s called Terence Flowers,’ Katie said.
Pat snorted. ‘Good job his first name’s not Colin – Collie Flowers, get it?’
‘Ha-ha,’ Katie said. ‘Anyway, what about that hulk you were dancing with?’
‘Oh . . .’ Pat wrinkled her nose. ‘I shan’t see him again – he smelt terrible.’
Katie laughed. ‘Well, I s’pose that’s as good a reason as any!’
It was difficult going about in the blackout, but she did see Terence a couple more times. One evening they went out to the Alhambra Cinema on the Moseley Road. Katie loved going to the pictures and the Alhambra was very exotic, with a big glass bowl lit up against a blue ceiling to look like the sun, and pretty-coloured tiles. They watched a funny film called The Man Who Came to Dinner and she found herself laughing as much at Terence’s infectious chuckles as at the film itself. She came out of the Alhambra feeling very fond of him.
Another night they even went over to Selly Oak and met his mom, a nice, welcoming lady from whom Terence had clearly inherited his brown eyes and dark arched brows. They sat and drank cocoa together and chatted, until Katie was horrified to realize how late it was.
‘Oh, my word!’ she leapt to her feet, heart thudding. ‘I must get home. My mom’ll be having a fit!’
‘Don’t worry,’ Terence said, seeming puzzled. ‘It’s only just gone nine. I’ll see you home.’
It took them quite a while to get from Selly Oak to Sparkhill. The bus across from the Bristol Road was running late and, standing in the dark Edgbaston street, Katie found she was getting more and more wound up. She could never relax, where Vera was concerned.
‘I’m not half going to get it in the neck when I get home,’ she said miserably.
‘It can’t be that bad, surely,’ Terence said. ‘Here, I’ll come in and explain that we were at mine and we forgot the time.’
‘Don’t you think I can manage to explain that for myself?’ Katie snapped sharply. She was immediately ashamed. ‘I’m sorry, Terence – but the last thing you must do is come in. You don’t know my mother. She gets herself in a right state.’
‘Don’t you want me to meet her then?’ He sounded hurt.
‘Course I do – but not tonight. She’s bound to be all mithered about me being late and she’s just as likely to snap your head off as anything.’
She and Terence said goodbye at the bus stop.
‘It was really nice of you to come all this way,’ she said. ‘I hope the buses behave for you, going back.’
‘That’s all right,’ Terence said easily. ‘See you soon, eh, Katie?’
She wondered if he would try and kiss her or anything, but he didn’t. He was a nice, friendly person and she enjoyed his company. But perhaps he walked out with a lot of girls on just a friendly basis? She was so ignorant about how it all worked – men and women, courting and all that went with it – that she didn’t know what might be normal at all.
The house was quiet, and dark. As she crept along the hall, Katie realized with surprised relief that her mother had gone to bed. Thinking she might as well go straight up herself, she didn’t bother to turn on the light in the hall and felt her way along the wall to the stairs. She had stepped onto the first stair when the voice came from the dark back room.
‘And
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