blind.â
âOoh, thatâs horrible.â
âIt is, I couldnât agree more,â Kate said. âSusieâs dad gets really mad about it. He says they laid their life on the line for Britain and now the government should look after them better. But they donât. They are like thrown on the scrapheap and surely no one wants to risk that sort of thing happening again.â
âIâd say not,â Sally said. âBut Susie was just talking about getting ready, wasnât she? Maybe it was sort of in case.â
âUm,â Kate said pensively. âIâd like to believe you are right. Whatâs more, I know that even if I talk and worry about this from now till doomsday I will not change the outcome one iota.â She gave a sudden shiver and said, âLetâs hurry, this is a foul day. Good job this sleety rain wasnât falling last night. Anyway, looks like itâs setin for the day so itâs a good job we have that film at the cinema to see.â
âOoh, yes,â said Sally. And then she added, âThanks ever such a lot for taking me out yesterday. I really did enjoy myself, but I was so overawed I donât know if I ever said thank you.â
âThatâs all right,â Kate said good-naturedly. âI always like going down the Bull Ring, and I know how much it was appreciated because your face was a picture.â
âYes,â Sally said with a sigh. âDonegal will seem dreadfully dull after this.â
They walked in silence for a minute or two and then Sally said, âI understand the reason you came to Birmingham now Iâve seen it myself, though I couldnât see the attraction at the time.â
âI could take you to see more of it if the weather is kinder to us,â Kate said.
âOoh, yes,â Sally said, âIâd like that.â And then she added: âIs Susie coming with us tomorrow?â
âNo,â Kate said. âShe would like to, especially as she hasnât seen The Lady Vanishes yet either, but she has to go with her mother and sister to visit her fatherâs mother. She isnât that keen on the old lady, but she has just come out of hospital and her mother has insisted that they all go and see her.â
âShame,â Sally said. âI really like Susie. But I suppose weâll meet her at Mass.â
Kate shook her head. âIâm afraid not,â she said. âThe Masons all go to St Margaret Maryâs on Perry Common Road â itâs much nearer to them.â
âGosh, there seem to be plenty of churches,â Sally remarked.
âWell, there are plenty of people.â Kate smiled.
Sally gave a sudden shiver and Kate said, âNot much further now.â
âIâm not really shivering because Iâm cold,â Sally said. âItâs just ⦠Oh, what Iâd do to be able to put the clock back.â
Kate knew exactly what her sister meant. âThereâs not many of us that havenât wished that a time or two,â she said.
âOh, I know,â Sally said disconsolately. Kate didnât blame her: she knew she wouldnât be in her sisterâs shoes for all the tea in China. It was no good saying that, though. She gave her sisterâs arm a squeeze as she said, âIf I were you I would pray as you have never prayed before â and maybe light a candle for good measure, too, and I will do the same.â
Â
The only thing that spoiled that magical afternoon was the weather: a buffeting wind that attempted to wrest the hats from both their heads and had their coats billowing out around them, and a lashing rain attacking them, despite the umbrella, as they scurried arm in arm up the road.
Sally was astounded by the queues forming all down the side of the cinema when they arrived, and by the sight of the commissionaire standing on the steps. He was the smartest one she had ever seen,
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