hospital in Orkney and, although the skull fracture had been diagnosed as a hairline fracture, he was still recuperating. Rosie was beside herself with worry. As the days passed, she became more fretful and I began to worry about her. I couldn’t believe we had finally got rid of one worry only to be confronted with another one.
She said, ‘I wish he could get home to recuperate. He’s miles away with no visitors.’
Maddie came to tea on the Sunday and, while I was setting the table, Rosie was telling her all the worry over her husband. ‘What a pity he couldn’t get transferred back here, Maddie. It would make such a difference to us all.’
Maddie nodded sympathetically and Rosie seemed to cheer up. ‘Still, I’m not as badly off as you, Maddie. At least Johnny isn’t in a prisoner of war camp in some foreign country. Mind you, as far as I’m concerned, with all the restrictions on travel, he might as well be in a foreign country – after all, Orkney is practically in Norway.’
That wasn’t true but Maddie hid her smile. She knew Rosie was unhappy about her husband’s health.
Later on, as Maddie and I walked back along the road, she said, ‘I think I’ll ask the Red Cross if they can help to get your dad home. Maybe if there’s another training group coming up then your dad could get a lift in their transport.’
I was overcome with gratitude. ‘That would be great, Maddie – especially for Rosie. She’s just got over one hurdle and now she’s faced with another one.’
Maddie said she would help all she could and she hurried towards the house to see to Daniel. Her mother was looking after him to give her a couple of hours off.
I didn’t mention Maddie’s suggestion when I got home. After all, it was only a thought and Maddie’s plan might not succeed. There was no sense in upsetting Rosie. I didn’t want her getting her hopes up only to be dashed at the last moment.
Rosie decided to buy a maternity smock. ‘Just something bright for when Johnny comes back,’ she said.
I went with her to Hunter’s department store in the Wellgate. It was a lovely hot summer afternoon at the end of August. We were glad to be out of the heat and inside the cool, dim interior of the store. Long wooden counters ran the full length of the walls and everything was hushed. It was like being in a cathedral.
I spotted Kathleen at the far end of the hosiery counter. She didn’t see us but I decided to try to see her before leaving.
There wasn’t a huge selection of smocks due to the wartime shortages but Rosie didn’t seem to mind. She had spotted the one she wanted right away. It was a lovely deep-blue cotton one, very plain but it suited her complexion and also made her seem slimmer.
The assistant put the money in a small tin canister and pulled a wire. The container then shot across the store to the cash desk before returning with Rosie’s change.
We made our way towards the front door but I still wanted to see Kathleen. I stopped. She was deep in conversation with an elderly man who looked very aristocratic with his well-cut and expensive clothes. He had a small, well-trimmed white beard and he looked like the late George V.
Rosie stood waiting for me but I didn’t want to interrupt Kathleen’s conversation so we left.
‘Who was that man talking to Kathleen?’ asked Rosie. ‘He’s really handsome in an old kind of way, if you know what I mean.’
I was thinking the same but at the back of my mind I felt I knew him. I just couldn’t think where or how I knew him.
We stopped at the grocer’s shop to get the weekly rations and were dismayed to see a large queue.
Rosie gave a huge sigh. ‘I wish we were back in the days before the war when there wasn’t all these queues. And this smock cost me some of my coupons which I’m trying to save up for when the baby comes. He or she will need baby things and I’ll have to start again from scratch. Quite a lot of the families in the street have
She said, ‘I wish he could get home to recuperate. He’s miles away with no visitors.’
Maddie came to tea on the Sunday and, while I was setting the table, Rosie was telling her all the worry over her husband. ‘What a pity he couldn’t get transferred back here, Maddie. It would make such a difference to us all.’
Maddie nodded sympathetically and Rosie seemed to cheer up. ‘Still, I’m not as badly off as you, Maddie. At least Johnny isn’t in a prisoner of war camp in some foreign country. Mind you, as far as I’m concerned, with all the restrictions on travel, he might as well be in a foreign country – after all, Orkney is practically in Norway.’
That wasn’t true but Maddie hid her smile. She knew Rosie was unhappy about her husband’s health.
Later on, as Maddie and I walked back along the road, she said, ‘I think I’ll ask the Red Cross if they can help to get your dad home. Maybe if there’s another training group coming up then your dad could get a lift in their transport.’
I was overcome with gratitude. ‘That would be great, Maddie – especially for Rosie. She’s just got over one hurdle and now she’s faced with another one.’
Maddie said she would help all she could and she hurried towards the house to see to Daniel. Her mother was looking after him to give her a couple of hours off.
I didn’t mention Maddie’s suggestion when I got home. After all, it was only a thought and Maddie’s plan might not succeed. There was no sense in upsetting Rosie. I didn’t want her getting her hopes up only to be dashed at the last moment.
Rosie decided to buy a maternity smock. ‘Just something bright for when Johnny comes back,’ she said.
I went with her to Hunter’s department store in the Wellgate. It was a lovely hot summer afternoon at the end of August. We were glad to be out of the heat and inside the cool, dim interior of the store. Long wooden counters ran the full length of the walls and everything was hushed. It was like being in a cathedral.
I spotted Kathleen at the far end of the hosiery counter. She didn’t see us but I decided to try to see her before leaving.
There wasn’t a huge selection of smocks due to the wartime shortages but Rosie didn’t seem to mind. She had spotted the one she wanted right away. It was a lovely deep-blue cotton one, very plain but it suited her complexion and also made her seem slimmer.
The assistant put the money in a small tin canister and pulled a wire. The container then shot across the store to the cash desk before returning with Rosie’s change.
We made our way towards the front door but I still wanted to see Kathleen. I stopped. She was deep in conversation with an elderly man who looked very aristocratic with his well-cut and expensive clothes. He had a small, well-trimmed white beard and he looked like the late George V.
Rosie stood waiting for me but I didn’t want to interrupt Kathleen’s conversation so we left.
‘Who was that man talking to Kathleen?’ asked Rosie. ‘He’s really handsome in an old kind of way, if you know what I mean.’
I was thinking the same but at the back of my mind I felt I knew him. I just couldn’t think where or how I knew him.
We stopped at the grocer’s shop to get the weekly rations and were dismayed to see a large queue.
Rosie gave a huge sigh. ‘I wish we were back in the days before the war when there wasn’t all these queues. And this smock cost me some of my coupons which I’m trying to save up for when the baby comes. He or she will need baby things and I’ll have to start again from scratch. Quite a lot of the families in the street have
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