beautiful but for her size. She was like a good-looking girl seen through a magnifying glass. She was wearing a black satin skirt, a white nylon blouse through which a pink brassiere was just visible, gipsy-dangle ear-rings, a jewelled Juliet cap and chunky wedge-soled sandals. She carried a red plastic handbag and exuded a musky scent which reminded Derek of magnolias and a heavy head-cold. She made herself at home at once.
“Oooh, this is nice! This is cosy. Womb -like, ain’t it, Rita?”
“Yes,” said Rita shortly.
“Are you the captain?”
“No,” said Derek. “I’m the engineer officer.”
“Oooh, I bet you’re a clever chap. I’ll have a drop of the Pope’s telephone number, if you don’t mind. With splash.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Vat 69, dear. You mustn’t mind me, it’s listening to Jimmy and Harry every night, you start to talk like them. Two shows a night, six nights a week, it’s enough to send you screaming up the wall. It took my old man like that. He’s in a home now, you know. What’s the captain like?”
“He’s a very nice fellow,” said Derek.
“Where’s he now?”
“Having dinner with the Mayor.”
“Ooooh, posh ”
Derek and Moira were left to carry on the conversation by themselves. The Midshipman and Sarah gazed at each other. Rusty said nothing. Gavin kept Rita under a steady predatory stare. Rita ignored everybody.
“I don’t know how you find your way about one of these things, really I don’t.”
“It’s all quite logical when you know what to look for.”
“You clever thing! “ Moira gave Derek a playful tap on the wrist which left him numb to the elbow.
“What do you do in the show, Rita?” said Sarah, suddenly.
“I pose in the nude,” said Rita, coldy.
“Oh.”
“Don’t you mind her, dear.” Moira bent to whisper confidentially to Sarah. “It’s the draughts' .”
When the taxi stopped outside her lodgings, Rita jumped out quickly.
“Thank you very much, Gavin,” she said. “I’ve had a lovely time.”
“Will I see you again?”
Rita shrugged. “Possibly,” she said distantly. “Good night.”
Gavin watched her run up the steps, open the front door, and disappear.
“What happened, sir?” said the taxi-driver. “Somebody bite her?”
When Moira’s taxi stopped outside her door, she leaned over and kissed Rusty on the cheek.
“You’re sweet. Are you married?”
“No.”
“Come up and have a cup of coffee.”
“Oh well, I don’t. . . .”
“Come on , I’m not going to bite you! “
Moira’s room was at the top of the house. As they crept up the stairs, Moira said: “Shush, don’t wake my landlady. I call her Exide. She keeps on after all the rest have stopped. Oh dear, there I go again.”
There was only one chair in the room and it was covered with clothes.
“You sit on the bed and I’ll go down and get some coffee.”
Rusty sat down on the bed. After a few minutes’ thought, he lay back and closed his eyes. It had been a long day. Rusty drew the counterpane up to his chin and fell asleep. When Moira came back, only the top of Rusty’s head was visible above the counterpane.
“Cor Blimey O’Reilly, wakey wakey!”
Rusty stirred.
“Come on, just because you’re a submariner you needn’t stay submerged all the time! “
The night before Seahorse sailed from Oozemouth the wardroom gave a cocktail party to return hospitality. The Steward marshalled rows of bottles and glasses on the chart-table and donned a white coat himself. The Chef resumed his tall hat and fried six pounds of chipolatas. The Petty Officer Electrician and his party rigged coloured lights along the casing. Miss Elizabeth Warbeck came during the afternoon and decorated the wardroom and the control room with flowers. The Mayor and Corporation attended with their wives and were followed after the last performance by the cast from the Intimate Theatre. The Midshipman and Sarah sat quietly in a corner of the wardroom.
“Oooh, this is nice! This is cosy. Womb -like, ain’t it, Rita?”
“Yes,” said Rita shortly.
“Are you the captain?”
“No,” said Derek. “I’m the engineer officer.”
“Oooh, I bet you’re a clever chap. I’ll have a drop of the Pope’s telephone number, if you don’t mind. With splash.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Vat 69, dear. You mustn’t mind me, it’s listening to Jimmy and Harry every night, you start to talk like them. Two shows a night, six nights a week, it’s enough to send you screaming up the wall. It took my old man like that. He’s in a home now, you know. What’s the captain like?”
“He’s a very nice fellow,” said Derek.
“Where’s he now?”
“Having dinner with the Mayor.”
“Ooooh, posh ”
Derek and Moira were left to carry on the conversation by themselves. The Midshipman and Sarah gazed at each other. Rusty said nothing. Gavin kept Rita under a steady predatory stare. Rita ignored everybody.
“I don’t know how you find your way about one of these things, really I don’t.”
“It’s all quite logical when you know what to look for.”
“You clever thing! “ Moira gave Derek a playful tap on the wrist which left him numb to the elbow.
“What do you do in the show, Rita?” said Sarah, suddenly.
“I pose in the nude,” said Rita, coldy.
“Oh.”
“Don’t you mind her, dear.” Moira bent to whisper confidentially to Sarah. “It’s the draughts' .”
When the taxi stopped outside her lodgings, Rita jumped out quickly.
“Thank you very much, Gavin,” she said. “I’ve had a lovely time.”
“Will I see you again?”
Rita shrugged. “Possibly,” she said distantly. “Good night.”
Gavin watched her run up the steps, open the front door, and disappear.
“What happened, sir?” said the taxi-driver. “Somebody bite her?”
When Moira’s taxi stopped outside her door, she leaned over and kissed Rusty on the cheek.
“You’re sweet. Are you married?”
“No.”
“Come up and have a cup of coffee.”
“Oh well, I don’t. . . .”
“Come on , I’m not going to bite you! “
Moira’s room was at the top of the house. As they crept up the stairs, Moira said: “Shush, don’t wake my landlady. I call her Exide. She keeps on after all the rest have stopped. Oh dear, there I go again.”
There was only one chair in the room and it was covered with clothes.
“You sit on the bed and I’ll go down and get some coffee.”
Rusty sat down on the bed. After a few minutes’ thought, he lay back and closed his eyes. It had been a long day. Rusty drew the counterpane up to his chin and fell asleep. When Moira came back, only the top of Rusty’s head was visible above the counterpane.
“Cor Blimey O’Reilly, wakey wakey!”
Rusty stirred.
“Come on, just because you’re a submariner you needn’t stay submerged all the time! “
The night before Seahorse sailed from Oozemouth the wardroom gave a cocktail party to return hospitality. The Steward marshalled rows of bottles and glasses on the chart-table and donned a white coat himself. The Chef resumed his tall hat and fried six pounds of chipolatas. The Petty Officer Electrician and his party rigged coloured lights along the casing. Miss Elizabeth Warbeck came during the afternoon and decorated the wardroom and the control room with flowers. The Mayor and Corporation attended with their wives and were followed after the last performance by the cast from the Intimate Theatre. The Midshipman and Sarah sat quietly in a corner of the wardroom.
Similar Books
