21
SAM
28th May
‘You OK?’ I asked Ruby.
‘Yes, of course.’ She pushed a curl of hair out of her face and smiled at me. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’ Turning away, she busied herself looking through the stack of records next to the gramophone – I’d bought some over from the camp. ‘What would you like to listen to next? There’s Glenn Miller, or Mozart—’
‘I don’t mind,’ I said. ‘You choose.’
It was the first time we’d seen each other in three weeks. Our time off was being cancelled left, right and centre as our training ramped up, and although the high-ups weren’t saying as much, word around the camp was that the invasion of Europe was imminent. A lot of the guys were excited about it. I wasn’t sure how to feel. Part of me wanted it over with; mostly I was dreading it, wondering what was waiting for us on the other side of the English Channel and knowing that when it happened I’d have to leave Ruby behind. And I was scared what would happen to Meggie and Ma if I got killed.
I watched as Ruby picked up a record, put it down again. ‘Look, you sure nothing’s bothering you?’
‘I said, I’m fine.’
Her sharp tone stung me. ‘Well, you’re not acting like it.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘What I mean is, you’ve been like a bear with a goddamn sore head ever since I got here. I thought you’d be glad to see me.’
She put the record down with a sigh. ‘I am. It’s just – oh, I don’t know.’
‘So tell me.’
‘This.’ She waved a hand around. ‘Us. Everything.’
‘What about us?’ A cold finger was tracing down my spine. We’d been apart for too long – she’d been thinking – changed her mind.
‘What’s going to happen to us, Sam? After you go to Europe, I mean?’
‘Well, I dunno. I guess I’m gonna try my best to make it back over here to you. And then we can make plans, if that’s what you want.’
‘I do want that – of course I do – but then what?’
‘What do you mean?’ I said.
She sat down, her shoulders slumping. ‘How are we going to make it work, Sam? With Father, I mean? I’ll have to tell him about us, and—’
‘So what’s he gonna do? Tell you you can’t see me? Ban us from getting married?’
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Ruby’s face kind of froze. But I’d said it now; there was no going back. ‘I mean, is that what you want? For us to get married? Because you’re nineteen. He can’t stop us.’
‘He can. You have to be twenty-one here to marry without parental permission. You’ll be all right – on paper you’re old enough already – but—’
I got up and went over to her, crouching down in front of her and taking her hands in mine. What had only been a vague, unspoken thought – a hope for some distant time in the future – was suddenly real. ‘We’ll find a way,’ I said.
‘When? How?’
‘I dunno, but we will. If you can sort something out, I can make arrangements with the camp chaplain. Some of the other guys have done it already. They’re giving us special dispensation because of us going off to war. It would only take a few days.’
She looked kind of dazed, as if she couldn’t quite take in what I was saying.
‘Is there any way – any way at all – you can get round having to ask your pa if we can marry?’ I said. ‘If you can, we don’t even have to tell him. Not until I come back. And then I could take you to America with me – find a job and someplace for us to live, if you don’t mind my ma and Meggie staying with us for a while.’
‘Of course I don’t,’ she said.
‘So could you?’
‘I don’t know. There might be a way – I’ll have to think. But do you really mean it?’
‘I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to spend my life with,’ I said.
I searched her gaze, praying I hadn’t overstepped the mark.
A smile spread across Ruby’s face, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, and a dimple appeared in one cheek. ‘I’m not doing anything unless you ask me properly,’ she said.
I climbed out of the window. Underneath it, in a spot of shade, there was a patch of white flowers with narrow white petals shaped like elongated hearts, nodding on slender stems. I picked one and fashioned the stalk into a ring, clambering back inside.
‘Ruby Mottram,’ I said, going down on one knee in front of her chair. ‘Will you marry me?’
*
Back at camp, I headed for the canteen. I wanted to whoop, holler, punch the air. She’d said yes. Mrs Ruby Archer! I could hardly believe it.
As I went in, I tripped over a strategically stretched-out leg; Freddie Gardner. He grinned nastily at me. I ignored him, grabbed a coffee and a slice of pie from the counter, and headed over where Jimmy and Stanley were sitting with Davy Manganello and a couple of others, playing a game of Crazy Eights. There was a pile of notes and coins in the middle of the table.
‘Feeling lucky, Sam?’ Stanley said with a grin as I sat down.
I grinned back. ‘You could say that.’
‘Don’t. He’s cleaned me out already.’ Davy looked at the cards he was holding in disgust.
‘Yeah, I’m out too,’ Jimmy said.
‘Nah, I’m OK.’ I shovelled the pie into my mouth, suddenly realising how hungry I was.
‘Lookit him.’ Davy narrowed his eyes. ‘There’s something he ain’t telling us.’
‘You been with your girl?’ Jimmy asked.
My mouth was still full of pie, so I just nodded.
‘You look like you asked her to marry you and she said yes,’ Davy said.
I shrugged.
‘You did, didn’t you?’ A grin spread across his face. ‘Shit, Sam—’
‘When?’ Jimmy demanded.
I swallowed the pie. ‘Dunno. Soon as we can. I was gonna go and talk to the camp chaplain.’
Stanley frowned. ‘You can’t marry her here, in town. Not if her family are as bad as you say they are.’
Crap. I hadn’t thought of that.
‘I know a guy in Ilfracombe, though,’ Stanley went on. ‘Reckon he could do it, if you got the right papers.’
‘Yeah?’
‘I’ll get in touch with him, see what he says.’
Grinning again, I clapped Stanley on the arm. ‘You’re a pal.’
‘Bagsy I’m a witness!’ Jimmy yelled.
‘You can all be witnesses,’ I told them. ‘So don’t start quarrelling like a pack of goddamn kids.’
By the following afternoon, thanks to Stanley and his contact, it was all organised. Ruby and I had an appointment at the registry office in Ilfracombe at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning. I sent a message to the Herald offices, and she sent one back saying Vera had agreed to be her witness and that she had got around having to ask her pa for permission – she didn’t say how.
Now all I had to do was pray she didn’t change her mind.
On Saturday night the camp was busier than usual, jeeps everywhere. As Jimmy and I went to get dinner I saw a group of top brass, stripes on their sleeves and medals across their chests, walking from the officers’ mess hall to one of the big recon huts.
I turned, watching them go. ‘Huh, why d’you reckon they’re here?’
‘I dunno,’ Jimmy said, frowning after them. ‘Maybe Stanley will. If anything’s happening he’s usually the first to know about it.’
But he shook his head. ‘No idea, sorry. A meeting or something, I guess.’
‘Or they’re gonna bust your chops for being a goddamn card cheat!’ Davy said. Laughing, Stanley swiped his hat off his head.
As we ate, I tuned the rest of the guys out, thinking about Ruby again. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d be my wife.
‘Sam. Sam.’ Someone nudged me sharply in the ribs.
‘Huh?’
Jimmy was looking at me. ‘I said, when do you think they’re gonna send us over there?’
‘Over where?’
‘Holy mackerel, he’s got it bad,’ Davy said. ‘France, you knucklehead.’
‘Oh, I dunno.’
‘Reckon it’ll be soon.’
‘You do?’ Stanley mopped his plate with a hunk of bread. ‘I heard the weather’s gonna be pretty bad over the next week or so. Reckon they’ll hold off for now.’
The conversation turned to other things. I went back to thinking about Ruby, and that house we were gonna live in – that one with the roses and lilacs in the yard.
Despite Stanley’s gloomy predictions about the weather, Sunday dawned fine and clear. I was too nervous to eat, so I skipped breakfast and headed for the camp gates. Stanley, Davy, Jimmy and I were leaving for Ilfracombe in an hour or so and I wanted to take a walk to clear my head. My uniform was clean and pressed, my boots polished to a shine.
I saw a group of soldiers coming towards me. They looked pissed off.
‘Don’t bother,’ one of them said to me, shaking his head. ‘They’re not lettin’ anyone out.’
My stomach lurched. ‘What?’
But he and his pals had already gone past.
I ran down to the gates. ‘Sorry, Private,’ the guard said. ‘Camp’s closed. No one in or out. Orders came last night.’
‘But I’ve gotta go – I’m getting married!’
He shook his head. ‘Sorry. There’s nothing I can do.’
I went back to my hut and slumped onto my bunk, staring at the floor. Soon, Ruby would be at the registry office – and I wouldn’t. What was she gonna think? Jimmy, Stanley and Davy came in and I watched their faces fall as I told them what had happened. ‘I’ll try and get hold of Vee,’ Stanley said, turning on his heel and rushing out again. Before long, he came back, looking ashen. ‘They won’t even let us make phone calls,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, Sam. There’s nothing I can do.’
Shortly afterwards, we were all called to the parade ground, and given our orders.
We were leaving for the embarkation camp at Portsmouth tonight.