then to the other girl, ‘Kath, this is Brownie.’
‘Hell, I’ve heard plenty about you,’ said Kath.
Lola moved around to the wall side of the table, where the seating was a long settle-type bench covered in red velvet and running the length of the room. Brownie moved in beside her and they sat very close, holding hands. Kath said:
‘Look, I think I’ll go over and collect your bottle, otherwise some thirsty bum will whizz it off.’
When she came back Lola introduced her:
‘This is my girl friend Kath Thomson.’
Brownie smiled politely and surveyed her with distaste. She was the type he particularly disliked, big and hard-faced, with square hands like a man.
‘How did you get down this far?’ he asked Lola.
‘I followed the fleet,’ said Lola, which Kath seemed to think extremely funny.
‘Not Pussas, I hope,’ said Brownie.
‘Pussas! We wouldn’t have them on our mind,’ said Kath.
Lola leaned one arm on his shoulder and sipped her sherry with her body pressed against his.
‘Are you a big merchant-service sailor now?’ she asked and he heard with delight that the sing song had not quite gone from her voice.
‘That’s right.’
‘You’re just about Captain now, I suppose.’
‘In two months time I’ll be a bucko.’
‘J.C. a bloody deck boy,’ said Kath. ‘I thought you were older.’
‘He’s old enough to take care of me, aren’t you, Brownie?’ said Lola. ‘Look I’m real warm now.’ She wriggled happily in his arm. ‘That’s the first time I’ve been warm since I came to this lousy hole.’
It was small wonder that she was not finding the Melbourne winter very snug, for she was most unsuitably dressed for it in a narrow black skirt of a very light woollen material and a not very fresh-looking embroidered blouse, with a draw string through the neck. She wore the drawstring loose, and quite an amount of breast was disclosed. Over this she wore a fawn duffle jacket with no hood. It was somewhat too large for her, but it was a good warm jacket; however, in a Melbourne winter one warm garment is no more than a daisy in a bull’s mouth. The ensemble was finished off with bare legs and ankle-strap shoes, and a huge shoulder-strap bag of black patent leather with a plastic clasp that was vaguely heraldic.
‘I’ll look after you and keep you warm too,’ said Brownie, ‘if you still want me.’
‘Oh, Brownie,’ she put down her glass and looked at him in astonishment.
‘Why wouldn’t I still want you? Haven’t you always been the only one I ever loved?’
‘Yes,’ said Kath, ‘she’s always talking about Brownie.’
She poured out another drink all round.
‘Have another drink on the happy occasion,’ she said.
Brownie looked down into his glass.
‘I don’t need it now,’ he said.
‘If you two want to go off to bed or somewhere, don’t mind me,’ said Kath. Brownie looked at Lola.
‘What about a meal—it’s nearly five o’clock? You too, Kath,’ he added in the tone of voice which means ‘accept if you dare.’
‘I’m not leaving all this lovely liquor,’ declared Kath. ‘Now run along, kiddies, and be happy.’
Lola hesitated.
‘How will you get on, Kath, for a meal?’ she asked.
Kath eyed three National Servicemen who were drinking at a nearby table.
‘If those guys haven’t the price of a feed between them,’ she said, ‘then I’m slipping.’
Out in the street Lola shivered and pulled the duffle jacket around her.
‘Food!’ she said with glee. ‘Wacko! Come on, Brownie. Tonight we eat. Let’s go to the “Crown”, I want to show you to a few people.’
Seated in the ‘Crown’, Lola ate her way through chicken soup, steak and oysters, pineapple fritters and finished off with coffee and toast. She seemed to know every second girl in the place and hailed them all excitedly, telling them all: ‘This is Brownie!’ And everyone seemed to have heard of him.
As she ate, her face lost its pinched and exhausted look
‘Hell, I’ve heard plenty about you,’ said Kath.
Lola moved around to the wall side of the table, where the seating was a long settle-type bench covered in red velvet and running the length of the room. Brownie moved in beside her and they sat very close, holding hands. Kath said:
‘Look, I think I’ll go over and collect your bottle, otherwise some thirsty bum will whizz it off.’
When she came back Lola introduced her:
‘This is my girl friend Kath Thomson.’
Brownie smiled politely and surveyed her with distaste. She was the type he particularly disliked, big and hard-faced, with square hands like a man.
‘How did you get down this far?’ he asked Lola.
‘I followed the fleet,’ said Lola, which Kath seemed to think extremely funny.
‘Not Pussas, I hope,’ said Brownie.
‘Pussas! We wouldn’t have them on our mind,’ said Kath.
Lola leaned one arm on his shoulder and sipped her sherry with her body pressed against his.
‘Are you a big merchant-service sailor now?’ she asked and he heard with delight that the sing song had not quite gone from her voice.
‘That’s right.’
‘You’re just about Captain now, I suppose.’
‘In two months time I’ll be a bucko.’
‘J.C. a bloody deck boy,’ said Kath. ‘I thought you were older.’
‘He’s old enough to take care of me, aren’t you, Brownie?’ said Lola. ‘Look I’m real warm now.’ She wriggled happily in his arm. ‘That’s the first time I’ve been warm since I came to this lousy hole.’
It was small wonder that she was not finding the Melbourne winter very snug, for she was most unsuitably dressed for it in a narrow black skirt of a very light woollen material and a not very fresh-looking embroidered blouse, with a draw string through the neck. She wore the drawstring loose, and quite an amount of breast was disclosed. Over this she wore a fawn duffle jacket with no hood. It was somewhat too large for her, but it was a good warm jacket; however, in a Melbourne winter one warm garment is no more than a daisy in a bull’s mouth. The ensemble was finished off with bare legs and ankle-strap shoes, and a huge shoulder-strap bag of black patent leather with a plastic clasp that was vaguely heraldic.
‘I’ll look after you and keep you warm too,’ said Brownie, ‘if you still want me.’
‘Oh, Brownie,’ she put down her glass and looked at him in astonishment.
‘Why wouldn’t I still want you? Haven’t you always been the only one I ever loved?’
‘Yes,’ said Kath, ‘she’s always talking about Brownie.’
She poured out another drink all round.
‘Have another drink on the happy occasion,’ she said.
Brownie looked down into his glass.
‘I don’t need it now,’ he said.
‘If you two want to go off to bed or somewhere, don’t mind me,’ said Kath. Brownie looked at Lola.
‘What about a meal—it’s nearly five o’clock? You too, Kath,’ he added in the tone of voice which means ‘accept if you dare.’
‘I’m not leaving all this lovely liquor,’ declared Kath. ‘Now run along, kiddies, and be happy.’
Lola hesitated.
‘How will you get on, Kath, for a meal?’ she asked.
Kath eyed three National Servicemen who were drinking at a nearby table.
‘If those guys haven’t the price of a feed between them,’ she said, ‘then I’m slipping.’
Out in the street Lola shivered and pulled the duffle jacket around her.
‘Food!’ she said with glee. ‘Wacko! Come on, Brownie. Tonight we eat. Let’s go to the “Crown”, I want to show you to a few people.’
Seated in the ‘Crown’, Lola ate her way through chicken soup, steak and oysters, pineapple fritters and finished off with coffee and toast. She seemed to know every second girl in the place and hailed them all excitedly, telling them all: ‘This is Brownie!’ And everyone seemed to have heard of him.
As she ate, her face lost its pinched and exhausted look
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