Dream On
mums.’
    Ted didn’t let his disappointment show. ‘Where’s this office o’ your’n? Up the City?’
    â€˜No, down the docks. I do the paperwork for the bonded warehouses.’
    Ted could feel the happiness spreading through his body like warm treacle dribbling over a spotted dick.
    When their bus finally arrived, Ginny was, for once, delighted to see that it was really crowded and that she had to sit by herself. She had been shown up quite enough for one day by Dilys and her big mouth.
    Dilys, on the other hand, wasn’t very happy at all, though her increased displeasure had nothing to do with losing her job or how many people were on the bus. It was the idea that Ginny was thinking about having a baby that had
really
upset her. That was the last thing she wanted to happen, because Dilys had been thinking very seriously about her future with Ted. Despite all the servicemen being demobbed, good-looking blokes with a few bob in their pockets were still very thin on the ground and Dilys wasn’t getting any younger. She was nearly twenty-three, for goodness sake, and Ted was getting to be a bit of a last resort. All right, he was already married, but the papers were full of stories about people getting divorced. Once it had been something only the rich and famous could do, but nowadays it seemed as though every Tom, Dick and Harry could get shot of his wife if he wanted to. All you had to do was spend a couple of days down in Brighton with some willing tart or other, have a quick snapshot taken leaving your love nest, and Bob appeared to be your uncle. So why not Ted? Well, maybe it was a bit more complicated than that, but if Ginny went and got herself up the duff, it probably wouldn’t matter anyway, as Dilys had seen how funny blokes could get when their wives got pregnant.
    They came over all stupid and loyal, and started staying in and holding their old women’s hands and talking about whether it would be a boy or a girl, and if they should name it after Auntie Flo or Uncle Harold. No, Ginny getting herself pregnant was definitely not a very good idea, not a very good idea at all. Dilys had to get the thought right out of Ginny’s stupid, curly blonde head, and she had to do it soon, before it got out of hand and Ted got to like the idea of becoming a daddy. And a little thing like the three rows of people sitting between her and Ginny certainly wasn’t going to deter Dilys from putting her plan into action.
    To Ginny’s alarmed embarrassment – but to the obvious interest of the press of passengers surrounding them – the moment she sat down, Dilys started firing a barrage of questions at her. ‘Oi, Ginny! So what’s Ted got to say about all this baby lark then?’
    Ginny took a deep breath, twisted round in her seat and mouthed very quietly, ‘I haven’t mentioned it to him yet, Dilys.’
    That wasn’t exactly true; she had tried to raise the subject once or twice, but Ted wouldn’t even discuss it. In fact, he had forbidden her to talk about it. But now she had no job and the war was over, maybe he’d feel differently. She would have to be careful how she brought it up, of course, as she didn’t want to aggravate him, and Dilys opening her big gob certainly wouldn’t help matters.
    â€˜And I’d appreciate you not mentioning it either, Dilys.’
    Dilys could have kissed the silly cow. She hadn’t even talked to him about it. Perfect!
    Suppressing the urge to burst into laughter, Dilys carried on – her face now arranged into a concerned frown. ‘Well, he won’t like it, you know.’
    â€˜I don’t agree.’
    â€˜I’m telling you.’
    â€˜Dilys, please, d’you mind?’ Ginny pulled her coat collar tighter around her throat and tried to shrink down into her seat.
    â€˜And how about Nellie? What’s she gonna say?’
    â€˜I’m sure Nellie would love a

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