Dressed in his vest and pants, Bing studied his freshly shaven jaw in the half-mirror hidden behind a leafy green aspidistra his mum had given him. The plant stood beside a kitchen of sorts: a large chipped china basin flanked by two old wooden draining boards and a neglected gas stove. He didn’t bother to cook much because he was never here. He ate all he needed at the Cubby Hole or in the canteen at work. This place could hardly be called a palace, but he wasn’t looking for luxury. He just wanted somewhere to lay his head, somewhere cheap, if not cheerful. His mum and dad had offered him lodgings, but their gaff was all the way up at Aldgate, too far from his work in the docks and his social life at the Cubby Hole.
Bing squashed his hair with the flat of his hand, but it only stood up again. The remains of the brilliantine that he’d slapped on last night for his visit to the Queen’s made it look a mess. He didn’t like the sticky stuff. Hair oil smelled a bit fancy for his liking. But it was time for him to improve his image. Merely saying hello to Marie every day and making a joke to cover up his true feelings was wearing a bit thin.
Quickly he bent and put his head under the tap. The cold water ran over his scalp. Using the bar of Sunlight soap, he managed to wash out the worst of the hair oil.
Pushing aside the piles of sheet music that were under the window, he leaned out. It was a wonderful summer’s morning. The sea of grime-covered rooftops and tenement buildings was all around him. The smells from the factories weren’t so strong on a Sunday. This morning he had a date with a beautiful girl who had been on his mind for so long.
Marie was the best-looking girl he’d ever seen. She had lovely tumbling blonde waves and big eyes that looked as blue as the sea. He had found the courage to ask her out at last but would she come out this morning? He’d feel a drip if she turned him away.
‘Snap out of it,’ he ordered himself. ‘A bloke’s not supposed to have nerves, don’t you know that?’ He turned round in the two feet of vacant space by his bed, a contraption made up of a solid steel frame that weighed a hundredweight. The new feather mattress was his own purchase. He liked a good night’s sleep.
Bing drew back the curtain that hung across a recess and peered at his clothes. Ten minutes later, he was dressed, a spotted blue tie at his throat and white handkerchief in his top pocket.
Inspecting himself in the mirror, he tried to flatten his hair, but with no success.
By the time the mantel clock struck ten, he was ready. He was early, but he snatched up his key and let himself out. The dirty, smelly concrete passage stretched endlessly to his right and left. A rabbit warren of similar doors and passages ran four floors down. The tenement block echoed with the shouts of kids and arguments brewing. Averting his gaze from the shabby walls, he tried not to breathe in the smell of the blocked drains.
How would he ever be able to bring Marie back here, he wondered as he ran down the stone steps to the street. As he strode towards Sphinx Street, he thought of his plans to buy his own gaff, a piece of turf to call his own. Not somewhere the landlord called the tune and could kick him out at any minute. No, it was a chipper little terrace on the island he wanted. With a painted front door, a white step and a decent back garden. Well, a yard would do, but he wasn’t going to share the lav with the rest of the street. On that fact, he would not be moved!
Bing knew he wanted to have something solid behind him. He’d saved hard since starting work in the docks and his Post Office account was healthy. One day he would be able to give his wife all she wanted. Would that wife be Marie?
He could think of no other. She was beautiful and bright and her smile always lit up his heart. She was also a really decent girl, a family girl who, like him, had grown up with values of home and hearth, as his mother would say. Still, he didn’t even know if she really liked him. Had she agreed on the spur of the moment to see him because he had been too pushy?
‘Time you did some serious planning,’ he told himself, straightening his shoulders. ‘And don’t blot your copybook this morning.’ If he messed this walk up, he wasn’t likely to get another chance.
The thought scared him. He’d never felt this way before: all fingers and thumbs and hot around the collar. It was a unique experience. He just hoped it wouldn’t be the only experience he had of taking out the girl of his dreams.
Marie rushed to the door. She had looked from the front window and seen Bing’s tall figure coming down the street. Calling goodbye to her family, she hurried out. She was afraid Ada or Hector would invite him in, and they’d be there talking for hours.
Before that happened, she wanted to get to know a bit more about Bing. What did they have in common? Did he ever stop joking? What were his dreams in life? Up till now, it was just a few minutes of flirting on the way home from work.
At least if she was out this morning, she wouldn’t have to listen to Vesta going on about Teddy. Her sister hadn’t stopped singing his praises since the moment they’d woken up!
When she opened the front door, both Bing and Nina Brass stood on the step.
Nina smiled. ‘Did you have a good time last night?’
‘Yes, thank you. It was lovely.’
Nina looked very pretty, dressed in a long, belted summer frock and a small beret-type hat.
Nina stepped past Marie into the hall. ‘Nice to meet you, Bing.’
‘You too, Nina.’
‘Bye, Marie.’ Nina hurried up the stairs.
‘It didn’t take you long to introduce yourself to the neighbours,’ Marie said as she closed the door behind her.
‘Now, now,’ he teased as they went down the steps. ‘I don’t want you getting jealous.’
‘Don’t flatter yourself.’ Marie tossed her head. ‘Why would I be jealous?’ Though secretly she was annoyed to find herself wondering if he liked Nina.
‘Right, shall we go?’ Bing said quickly. ‘Before you change your mind.’
‘I thought about it,’ she nodded, ‘but decided to get seeing you over and done with.’
‘Blimey, the girl don’t mince her words,’ Bing muttered, holding out his arm. ‘Now, as we’re racing along as if our lives depended on it, I’d suggest you put your hand over this and hold tight.’
Marie curled her hand over his arm. She took a slight breath. It felt very solid and strong.
‘Am I allowed to say you look nice?’ Bing asked as they went.
‘If it’s true.’
‘In that case, I’ll say it.’
Marie grinned, pleased she’d decided to look her best. Nina always looked lovely with her long blonde hair and smart clothes. But the dress Marie had chosen to wear was not particularly smart, as it was quite old. However, the colour was a soft dove grey, and it had a pretty white collar and white cuffs on the sleeves. The full skirt swirled around her legs and accentuated her small waist. Purchased cheaply at the market, it had ironed up well and seen at least three summers. She’d thought about wearing white gloves too, like Nina did, but for a walk that seemed a bit overdone.
Marie glanced at Bing. He was wearing a good suit and discreetly patterned tie. And unlike last night, when his golden mop of hair had been plastered down with hair oil, it now stood up on end, back to its old self.
For a moment, she felt a little dizzy.
He must have felt her looking at him and he turned to frown at her. She realized how brown his eyes were. They had a gentleness under the mischief. What kind of man was he really?
More to the point, Marie thought, with a little start, did she really want to find out?