Home Front Girls

her loneliness. The imaginary characters she created were all beautiful, exciting people, nothing at all like herself, and sometimes she got so involved with them that they actually became real people to her, like the family that she had never known. Her English teacher and Miss Timms had always encouraged her and had urged her to carry on with it when she left school, but of course she didn’t have so much time now, although she still tried to write a few pages each night before she went to sleep.
    Dotty had become so engrossed in the latest plot growing in her mind that it was almost a shock when she found herself at the bus station. She paid her fare and climbed aboard, then sighed sadly. This being independent wasn’t turning out to be quite as satisfying as she had thought it would be. In fact, if she were to be honest with herself, she was lonelier than ever.

Chapter Three
     
    Lucy Ford sat with her handbag balanced primly on her lap as she discreetly glanced at the other girl in the waiting area. The girl was positively beautiful and so well dressed that she might have been a model. Surely she couldn’t be here for a job interview too? She certainly didn’t look as if she needed a job, but then who was she to judge? The world seemed to have turned upside down since Hitler came to power.
    She gulped as she thought of her older brother, Joel, who had joined up only the month before. He had been sent to a training camp on the shores of Lake Windermere, but other than a brief letter from him that had arrived the previous week, that was all she knew. The letter had been heavily censored and she had a terrible feeling that once he had completed his training, Joel would join the other forces that had entered France. In September the British Expeditionary Forces had been taken by troop trains and lorries to ports in the south of England where ferries and transports escorted by destroyers had taken them across the Channel to take up position alongside the French army. Poor Joel, she thought, he must be finding it so difficult. He had always been such a shy, reserved sort of chap, although he had been her rock since they had lost their mother and father almost five years ago following the birth of Mary, the youngest family member. They had moved almost immediately to a smaller house on the other side of Coventry and Joel had worked hard to support them all, until his call-up papers dropped on the doormat; after which Lucy knew that, from then on, it would be down to her to earn a living to keep herself and Mary until, God willing, Joel returned.
    Now, as she peeped at the other girl again, her heart dropped. If it were a choice between her and this girl, she would never stand a chance. At that moment the girl glanced up, and seeing Lucy looking at her, she asked, ‘Here for a job interview, are you?’
    She was very well spoken, which made Lucy feel even worse. ‘Y-yes,’ she stammered, suddenly feeling very dull and dowdy.
    ‘Hm, so am I,’ the girl said, sounding none too pleased about it. ‘I must have been here for hours already. I wonder how much longer they’ll keep us waiting? I’m Annabelle Smythe, by the way. How do you do?’
    Lucy managed to flash a weak smile. ‘I’m very well, thank you, and I’m Lucy – Lucy Ford.’
    The conversation was stopped from going any further when the office door suddenly opened and a middle-aged woman with a tight bun on the back of her head and a sour expression called out, ‘Miss Smythe.’
    As Annabelle rose, Lucy noted that she didn’t look the least bit nervous, whereas her own heart was thumping so loudly that she was certain everyone within a mile radius would surely hear it.
    Annabelle straightened her skirt and followed the woman without a qualm as Lucy swiped her sweaty palms down the side of her dingy navy-blue coat. I may as well go home now, she thought despondently. I stand no chance against that one if there’s only the one job going, but she forced herself to carry on sitting there. The savings that Joel had left behind to tide her and Mary over were dwindling fast now, and Lucy knew that she would have to find a job – any job, even cleaning public lavatories if that was all she could get – or how were they to live? Her thoughts moved on to Mary – poor little scrap. Already it was apparent that there was something not quite normal about her. The health visitor at the clinic had told Lucy quite callously that Mary was ‘backward’.