Johnny me lad. Well the exit is over here.’ Old Mr West caught up with him and ruffled Johnny’s hair.
‘I know, Mr West, but it’s quicker this way. Anyhow, I got me ticket. I’m not getting a free ride.’
‘Where you been?’
‘London. Back home to me brother’s wedding.’
‘Oh yes. You were best man, I suppose?’
‘No I wasn’t. Me other brother was though. He got special leave. It was a smashing do.’
‘Go on, off you go, and mind you go straight there.’
Johnny hurried down the slope and set off for Kerry Avenue. It had been wonderful to be home again, and he’d got some even more marvellous news to tell Annie. Buthe’d pick his time, and it wouldn’t be when the Dovers were listening.
They all seemed pleased to see him. Strange, that, he thought. Even Mr Dover talked a bit over the meal. Johnny winked at Annie, and she grinned back at him. They both knew they would catch up with each other’s news when they went upstairs to bed that night, but Johnny’s excitement was such that he couldn’t wait that long. He passed a note to Annie saying, ‘Something to tell you, can you escape?’
After a while she left the room saying, ‘Will you excuse me for ten minutes, please? I have some work in my satchel to sort out.’
When Johnny rose a few minutes afterwards, Mrs Dover asked where he was going.
‘To unpack my case.’ He was careful to say ‘my’ and not ‘me’ and he kept his face sober and his voice quietly pitched.
‘Gosh’, he said, when he and Annie were alone, ‘it seems as if I’ve been away for longer than a weekend.’
‘It went off all right then?’ she said.
‘Oh yeah, smashing. And I’ve got a sister-in-law now. She’s a bit of all right too. Jim can certainly pick ’em.’
Annie turned away.
‘What’s up?’ he said.
‘Oh nothing.’
‘Yes there is. I can tell.’
‘All right then. It’s the way you said that. As though your brother picked a wife like – like buying a pound of potatoes. I expect they got married because he loves her.’
‘Well ’course ’e does, silly. But she’s a looker too. You should have heard what me other brother was saying about her. He got a thirty-six-hour pass to be best man, but Jim got a week ’cos he was the groom.’
‘You enjoyed it all then? The wedding and being home?’
‘Yep. Mind, I nearly didn’t bother to come back to this dump.’
‘Why did you, then?’
Johnny shrugged. ‘You really want to know?’
Annie nodded, watching him.
‘Well it was you. I didn’t want to never see you again.’
He swung his case on to the bed and started whistling ‘Run, Rabbit Run’, as he undid it and scattered the contents about. Annie sat on the edge of the bed and watched him.
‘I’m glad you did come back, Johnny,’ she said after a few minutes.
‘Here.’ He took a bulky-looking shape wrapped in a teacloth from his case. ‘I got you something.’
She undid it carefully. Inside was a piece of wedding-cake, a silver shoe and some rose-petals.
‘That’s what they used for confetti,’ Johnny said offhandedly, ‘real rose-petals. Thought you’d like a bit of the wedding seeing as how you missed all the excitement. And it was a proper wedding-cake. My mum and Doris’s mum got together and saved all their coupons for months to get the stuff.’
‘Gosh, thanks Johnny. I kept wishing I could come with you. It seemed a long weekend with only the Dovers for company. They’re ever so dull.’
‘That’s the other exciting news, Annie. Me mum saysyou can come for the weekend when I have me birthday treat next month. We’re going to a show and we’ll probably eat out too, seeing as how it’s a special occasion.’
‘Come up and stay with you?’
Johnny sauntered as nonchalantly as he could over to the door.
‘Of course. It’d be too late to come back here after the theatre. Mind, there’s danger in London, the bombs falling, you’ll probably want to think about it first.’
‘Oh no,
‘I know, Mr West, but it’s quicker this way. Anyhow, I got me ticket. I’m not getting a free ride.’
‘Where you been?’
‘London. Back home to me brother’s wedding.’
‘Oh yes. You were best man, I suppose?’
‘No I wasn’t. Me other brother was though. He got special leave. It was a smashing do.’
‘Go on, off you go, and mind you go straight there.’
Johnny hurried down the slope and set off for Kerry Avenue. It had been wonderful to be home again, and he’d got some even more marvellous news to tell Annie. Buthe’d pick his time, and it wouldn’t be when the Dovers were listening.
They all seemed pleased to see him. Strange, that, he thought. Even Mr Dover talked a bit over the meal. Johnny winked at Annie, and she grinned back at him. They both knew they would catch up with each other’s news when they went upstairs to bed that night, but Johnny’s excitement was such that he couldn’t wait that long. He passed a note to Annie saying, ‘Something to tell you, can you escape?’
After a while she left the room saying, ‘Will you excuse me for ten minutes, please? I have some work in my satchel to sort out.’
When Johnny rose a few minutes afterwards, Mrs Dover asked where he was going.
‘To unpack my case.’ He was careful to say ‘my’ and not ‘me’ and he kept his face sober and his voice quietly pitched.
‘Gosh’, he said, when he and Annie were alone, ‘it seems as if I’ve been away for longer than a weekend.’
‘It went off all right then?’ she said.
‘Oh yeah, smashing. And I’ve got a sister-in-law now. She’s a bit of all right too. Jim can certainly pick ’em.’
Annie turned away.
‘What’s up?’ he said.
‘Oh nothing.’
‘Yes there is. I can tell.’
‘All right then. It’s the way you said that. As though your brother picked a wife like – like buying a pound of potatoes. I expect they got married because he loves her.’
‘Well ’course ’e does, silly. But she’s a looker too. You should have heard what me other brother was saying about her. He got a thirty-six-hour pass to be best man, but Jim got a week ’cos he was the groom.’
‘You enjoyed it all then? The wedding and being home?’
‘Yep. Mind, I nearly didn’t bother to come back to this dump.’
‘Why did you, then?’
Johnny shrugged. ‘You really want to know?’
Annie nodded, watching him.
‘Well it was you. I didn’t want to never see you again.’
He swung his case on to the bed and started whistling ‘Run, Rabbit Run’, as he undid it and scattered the contents about. Annie sat on the edge of the bed and watched him.
‘I’m glad you did come back, Johnny,’ she said after a few minutes.
‘Here.’ He took a bulky-looking shape wrapped in a teacloth from his case. ‘I got you something.’
She undid it carefully. Inside was a piece of wedding-cake, a silver shoe and some rose-petals.
‘That’s what they used for confetti,’ Johnny said offhandedly, ‘real rose-petals. Thought you’d like a bit of the wedding seeing as how you missed all the excitement. And it was a proper wedding-cake. My mum and Doris’s mum got together and saved all their coupons for months to get the stuff.’
‘Gosh, thanks Johnny. I kept wishing I could come with you. It seemed a long weekend with only the Dovers for company. They’re ever so dull.’
‘That’s the other exciting news, Annie. Me mum saysyou can come for the weekend when I have me birthday treat next month. We’re going to a show and we’ll probably eat out too, seeing as how it’s a special occasion.’
‘Come up and stay with you?’
Johnny sauntered as nonchalantly as he could over to the door.
‘Of course. It’d be too late to come back here after the theatre. Mind, there’s danger in London, the bombs falling, you’ll probably want to think about it first.’
‘Oh no,
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