Molly
Life Changes
Molly stood on the corner of Sebastopol Road and Osman Road waiting anxiously for David’s car to appear. The morning had a cold feel to it. Rain threatened, but she didn’t care. She was rejoicing because the overnight bombings had missed her street for three nights in a row now. But she was mindful of those who might have suffered elsewhere in London. Each day brought news of horrific losses, but also of tremendous courage.
She just needed to know if David was safe. Every morning, since a couple of days after the time she’d ventured to his house, the handyman he’d employed had driven him this way so that he could reassure her.
Five weeks had passed since that fateful night that had brought them together. Now her life centred around the times she could meet up with him. David had filled part of her with a happiness that somehow made life bearable.
Though his leg was still encased in plaster, the rest of his injuries had healed. Not those inside him, though, and that was the same for her. The trauma they’d experienced and the loss of Hettie would take a long time to heal, if ever.
They spent what time they could together. But every second was fraught with fear, for Molly.
She longed to tell David what was going on at her home, and what she had been forced to be a party to. But she daren’t. She knew that David, being a lawyer, would take action against what was happening, and she needed to protect him.
‘Say a word to anyone about our involvement, or what goes on here, and you’re dead meat, Missy – and that goes for whoever you tell.’
Remembering those words from Eva sent a shiver through Molly. But the real fear had been planted by Gus. He’d come into the kitchen, where she had been preparing supper, and had tried to maul her. He’d picked up the knife she’d been chopping onions with and held it at her throat. ‘One day, my girl.’ He’d lowered the knife and pressed it into her breasts. ‘Like these, don’t you? Well, I’d slice them off in an instant and eat them for me tea. You just make one bad move. Just one.’ She’d pushed him away, telling him that she’d scream if he touched her again. He’d slinked off back into the parlour, and Molly had known he’d been afraid of Eva finding out what he was up to.
Molly didn’t know why Eva was protective of her in this way, but realized from her attitude that there was a hidden reason, and this frightened her almost as much as Gus’s persistence. When Molly thought of how Eva constantly threatened to put her on the game, the mystery deepened. If that is what she had in mind, then you would think she wouldn’t care what Gus did.
At least Molly had her dad to help her, as whenever the subject came up and he was around, he’d not allow any such talk. She could see, though, that her dad was getting more and more afraid of Eva, Gus and Lofty. He did their bidding now, no matter what. How soon before he gave in and sold her to them?
Molly’s life had changed drastically and she missed going out to work, but had decided not to go away to do war work. She wanted to stay near David.
Feeling more anxious as time went on, she looked in the direction that David would come from, but he still wasn’t in sight. She thanked God every day for David coming into her life. He’d kept her sane and helped her experience a happiness that overshadowed everything.
Though she had to admit that the happiness she harboured inside her was mixed with a nightly dose of terror, as the sirens droned their warning. People would scramble for shelter. Crashing, ear-splitting explosions would begin. And it would seem that surely this time the world would end. This time one bomb would have her name on it and would take her into oblivion – or, worse, take David from her.
Though times were hard, a feeling of hope mingled with that of hopelessness among the people. It was a strange mixture, but a fair description, as it seemed that there was never going to be an end to the bombardment, and yet the terrifying experience had brought out the best in all the folk of London. Molly found that she no longer walked along the streets outside her immediate neighbourhood with her eyes forward, passing but not seeing anyone she encountered. Now those in the next street and further afield were no longer strangers, and she hoped each time she walked towards their houses that they were all right.
At last David came in sight. His smiling face, as he lowered the window when he came alongside her, lifted her heart. Bending her head into the window at the back where he sat, she gave him a light kiss.
When she looked into his face she saw that his smile was fixed. ‘What is it? Has anything happened?’
David opened the car door. ‘Get in, Molly. We have to talk.’
Her heart lurched.
Once she was settled next to him, he pulled her to him. Ignoring the cold and unwelcoming feel of the dark-green leather seats of his Wolseley, she snuggled into his warm body.
‘Drive around the park, please, Wilson.’ The old man obeyed without a word.
‘David, what is it? You look so pensive.’
‘I’ve been called up.’
‘B-but why? I mean, you haven’t been called up before, and yet you are of the right age.’
‘My work had an exemption to it. But now more fighting men are needed and there are women lawyers who can take our place. I knew a week ago, but didn’t like to say anything until I knew it was final. I went for a medical and, as my leg is healing well, it hasn’t barred me. I’m to report for another medical in six weeks. I’ve decided to opt for pilot training.’
‘Oh no, David, I can’t bear it.’
His arms pulled her closer. ‘Darling, I want you to know that I love you. I know I have said so many times before, but now I want to do something about our love. I just don’t know if we can, because of the differences in our faiths. I wanted to give you time before I discussed our future. But we don’t have time now. And so I need to find a way to resolve our differences. I want us to be married.’
The strength of the happiness that assailed her was something she’d never experienced in her life. It took away all the fear, pain and loneliness that had been her lot. And it filled her with courage. ‘I love you, too, David. And I will do whatever I have to, to be worthy to become your wife.’
‘Not “worthy” – don’t say that. You are the worthiest woman in the world. It is I who am going to denounce my faith for you. Not the other way round.’
‘No, you mustn’t. It means so much to you. I am a believer, and so are you. But I don’t practise my religion, and you do. I will convert to Judaism and will be proud to.’
His lips sought hers. The pressure of the kiss was gentle and sweet at first, but gradually it deepened and awoke in her a passion that shocked her.
‘Come to my house with me, my darling.’
‘I can’t, David. I have to get back; my dad will be up soon.’
His look held disappointment, and she knew that her response to his words had given him false hope. Until now she had been the one to try and keep their feelings from going too far.
David’s next question surprised her, as she’d thought he would try to press the point of her going to his house. ‘Will your dad be a barrier to us marrying?’
‘Yes, he will. But I will run away. I’m old enough to make any legal decisions myself, so there won’t be any problems, but we have to plan it. We’ll have to move to another area. Oh, there’s so much to talk about. To plan. And I can only get out of the house for a few minutes a day, or for the odd evening.’
‘Meet me tomorrow, as usual, and I will have worked something out. I don’t understand why your father has such a hold on you, but I can see you are afraid, my darling. I will put our marriage plans into action as soon as I can. At least a civil wedding. The Jewish one can come later, when you are ready. Oh, my Molly. I bless the day that brought us together, even though it was one of the most horrible days in our lives. I love you beyond anything.’
His lips were on hers again. His tongue probed gently until she opened her mouth. The sensation awoke urges she didn’t want to deny, and she knew she wouldn’t, the next time they were alone in his house or wherever they went together.
In that moment she also knew that whatever it took, she would follow her David. She would always be his. It took all her strength to leave him, when the time came. Her heart wanted to go with him, right there and then.
As Molly lay later that night in the dank cellar of her home, the silence surrounding her was fraught with fear. Her own fear eclipsed that of the other four occupants of the cellar, whose alcohol-fuelled breath putrefied the air as they lounged around her, sleeping at intervals and swigging drink at others. The presence of Eva, Gus and Lofty in the cellar terrified Molly. The stench of them had her swallowing down the bile that rose to her throat, causing her to release an involuntary cough as the stinging aftermath threatened to choke her.
The candle they kept lit had extinguished itself. The blackness clawed at and disorientated Molly.
She felt for the box of matches she kept nearby, hating being unable to see the others. While she had her eyes on them, she could be ready if they tried anything.
The air raid that had caused them all to descend into the cellar had ended. The bombing had started earlier than usual and had been close by. Too much so for the three people Molly despised most in the world to have made their way home in safety. Her dad had insisted they took shelter with them.
The sound of the match scraping on the flint strip grated on her tense nerves. Its light showed her dad asleep on a makeshift bed.
Lifting the match higher, she saw Gus. The bottle in his hand had very little whisky left in it. His eyes travelled along her body. The knot that held her chest so tight she could hardly breathe threatened to strangle her. It was the burning of her fingers that at last helped her to gasp air into her lungs, and shaking the match vigorously left them in darkness again. The sound of a movement had her scrambling for another match and striking it. Gus was closer to her than he had been. He stopped his progress as the lit match took away his element of surprise.
This time Molly reached for a candle from the shelf above her and lit it. Its flame gave her sight of the smirk on Gus’s face. Her fear intensified.
She kicked out at her dad, hoping to rouse him. His body wobbled and his snore rattled around the cold, dank cellar. ‘Dad, Dad, come on. It’s over. DAD!’
‘He’s dead to the world, girl. So it’s just you and me. And I intend to have some fun.’
‘Leave it out, Gus.’
This, from Eva, brought Molly instant relief. When trying to arouse her dad she’d been afraid of waking Eva and Lofty, too, in case this time they might help Gus, rather than deter him.
‘What’s up, Eva – it’s our plan, ain’t it? She’s wasted here. We need her ready and put to work where she can bring in good money.’
Eva nudged him and gestured towards her dad.
Molly opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her eyes fixed on the bottle. As Gus raised it above his head, beams of light danced around it, glinting off the remaining golden liquid.
Gus’s movement was swift, and the bottle smashed down on her dad’s head, his moan releasing a breath she thought he would never draw in again.
‘Bleedin’ ’ell, Gus. I didn’t mean that hard. Yer could have killed him.’ Eva scrambled over to Alf, pawing at him in her distress. Molly felt disgust as she thought of the growing relationship between her dad and Eva. It had repulsed her to see them fawning over each other these last few weeks. More than once she’d met them coming out of his bedroom.
Aunty Bet had moved up to the Midlands and was working in a munitions factory. Her last words before leaving had been to tell Molly to get out. ‘Come with me, me little darling,’ she’d said. ‘We can be happy together. I don’t like leaving you here with him and those new cronies of his, what with these air raids going on.’
If it hadn’t been for David, Molly knew she would have gone, and willingly.
Eva was feeling for her dad’s pulse. Molly held her breath and could only stare at the trickle of blood seeping from his forehead.
‘He’ll be all right, Eva. If I’d wanted to kill him, I would have. He’ll be useless for a couple of days, but he’ll survive.’
‘You can count your lucky stars that his pulse is still strong, mate – that blow were too bleedin’ heavy. As it is, he’s sleeping like a bleedin’ baby. Come on, get her out of here, but you can forget having your fun. I’ve got a good customer who’s looking for a virgin. He pays high, if I get him one.’
‘No, Eva, I’m having her. I’ve wanted a piece of her since we first saw her.’
‘You can bleedin’ want on. Yer not going near her.’ Eva’s voice held authority before she sneered, ‘Besides, the size of you, no virgin can take you. On top of which, you’ve caused me to put more of our girls through abortions than I like to think of. You’ve got no control, and she’s got no protection in place. I promise you can have some fun with her, once she’s broken and she’s fixed up with a Dutch cap.’
‘And me, Eva. I wanna do her, too.’
‘None of you are touching me.’ Molly had been searching for and found the bread knife that she’d hidden beneath her sack-bedding. Wielding it, she rose to her feet and backed towards the stairs. Climbing them backwards, she kept her eyes darting from one to the other of their shocked faces, swishing the knife in front of her as she went.
When she reached the cellar door, she groped behind her with her free hand and found the latch. Every limb shook as she turned to open it, but the door didn’t give when she pressed the latch and pushed. She tried again, shoving with all her might. Anguished tears ran down her face and a screeching noise came from her as she drew in a fearful breath. Her body became weak; her arm fell to her side. The knife slipped from her grasp, echoing as it hit the step. Hands grabbed at her. Her legs scraped on the stone steps as Gus dragged her back down. At the bottom, he lifted her onto her feet, then twisted both of her arms behind her.
‘Get up there and open that bleedin’ door, Lofty.’
Forced upstairs now, Molly tried to struggle free, but the pain of twisting against the strength of Gus’s grip was too much to bear. She begged them to let her go. Spittle ran down her chin and her tears of despair mingled with her snot.
‘Take a look outside, Lofty – see if the bleedin’ car’s still in one piece.’ Eva rummaged through the kitchen drawers as she said this. Finding some string, she held it aloft. ‘Help me to tie her up, Gus.’
Molly kicked out. ‘No . . . no. Leave me alone. Me dad’ll kill you all.’
‘Ha, he might not see the light of day again, let alone come to your aid.’ Gus tightened his grip on her. Terror seared Molly more deeply than the burning feeling that rasped the muscles of her shoulders.
Lofty came back in. ‘We’re good to go, but there’s a lot of folk milling around. Looks like there’s been a hit in the street. Someone shouted about me taking a bloke to hospital in me car.’
‘Bleedin’ ’ell. Right, we’ve got to make it look as if me and her are injured and need to be taken to the hospital. Otherwise they could come at us like a bleedin’ lynch mob. Lofty, you’ll have to carry me out. Gus, make her unconscious and then carry her out. Right, let’s go.’
Molly fought for all she was worth, but made no impact. Nothing she could do would stop Gus. She felt the pressure of his fingers on her neck. Saw the room go into a shadowy place, as the voices and all noise around her faded. She tried to hang onto the thought that had brought David into her head, but she couldn’t. The last things she saw were the licking flames where a bomb had struck, and the last things she smelt were the smoke and dust that enveloped her street.