‘And one, two, three, four…’
It was the third rehearsal for the ARP show and Jim was in his element, bossing us all about and encouraging us to get our bit of the show just right.
It was the first time we’d rehearsed in the picture house. Being there with no film on the screen felt strange, even though I’d worked in one before. But then, the show had always just started or finished and I’d had a job to do. Our voices echoed round the auditorium, but I knew when the place was full it would sound different.
David tried out some jokes on me. He stood straight and saluted: ‘Hitler and Göring stood on top of the Berlin radio tower. “I want to do something to put a smile on the faces of the people of Berlin,” Hitler said. “Then why don’t you jump?” Goring replied.
‘A Nazi official is driving in the countryside when he runs over a pig. He can’t see the owner so he goes to a nearby beer house to enquire. He opens the door, makes a Nazi salute and shouts, “Heil Hitler, as swchwin ist tot.” There is a moment’s silence then a loud cheer and the bar owner says drinks are on the house.’
After five more jokes, I was clutching my sides from laughing so much. I’d learned a couple to tell, but most of our time was doing a short sketch about living with bombing every night. After all, it had its less serious side too. People were much more open-minded about all sorts of things they disapproved of before the war started.
We watched as Jim called out to the dancers. They high-kicked as they linked arms like Busby Berkeley girls. ‘Come on girls, SMILE!’ Jim shouted. Two of the girls poked their tongues out at him, but he pretended not to notice. They looked pretty good to me.
‘Only one more rehearsal after this,’ David said, ‘you feeling ready?’
‘Well, I know the words, but whether I can say them in the right order in front of an audience is another matter.’
He put his hand on mine. ‘We’ll keep practising. Once we’ve done it often enough it’ll be easy as pie, just you wait and see. You just have to remember to pause if the audience is laughing. No good saying the next bit if they can’t hear you.’
I put my head on one side. ‘Won’t that look odd, just pausing?’
‘No, they’ll be too busy laughing and you can always pull a face or something. By the way, there was something I meant to tell you.’
‘What’s that?’
‘I was in the Devonshire Arms the other night and I could hear this bloke boasting about robbing things from people’s houses. I couldn’t see him properly, but I think it was that bloke you know. Your friend’s brother.’
‘Alun? You mean he’s stupid enough to boast about something like that in public?’
‘You’re not joking. For all he knew, I could have been a policeman. He’d be locked up by now if I was. Didn’t you say you and your friend lived near him?’
I nodded. ‘Yes, we’ve got two rooms opposite his girlfriend’s. Mind you, he’s not there much. I think he’s probably got another girl on the go as well. He’s such a creep I can’t think why anyone would want him.’
David got out his cigarettes and lit one. ‘Perhaps they like the stockings and things he gives them.’
‘I suppose so, but it’d take a lot more than that for me to go anywhere near him.’
His hand tightened on mine. ‘I’m glad to hear that, Lily. You’re a very special girl.’
Just then, the music stopped and Freddie, a postman, came on. He was a natural comedian. We stopped to listen.
‘I say, I say, I say, have you heard the one about…’
‘My wife’s gone mad in Venezuela. “Caracas?” Yes, blooming nutty.’
‘My wife’s gone to the Botanic gardens. “Kew?” Yes, there were rather a lot of people there.’
He had a joke a minute and we laughed so much I got a stitch in my side again.
‘I hope our audience will like us more after the show,’ I said when Freddie had finished.
David paused. ‘Well, even if they don’t, we’ve had a good time and I’ve got to know you better. That’s the main thing as far as I’m concerned.’
It was harder and harder to remember Edward, the man I was engaged to. And with David being so kind and attentive, it was difficult to keep my thoughts in some sort of order.
When I got back to our rooms, Bronwyn was there, curling her hair. ‘How did the rehearsals go?’ she asked, twisting her hair into a rag roller.
‘They were good, Freddie told a lot of good jokes. And David…’
She stopped what she was doing, ‘David? What are you going to do about him, Lily? He’s been keen on you for a long time.’
‘But Edward…’
She pulled a face as she picked up another rag. ‘I’m not being funny or nothing, but I’ve said it before and I’ll report it again. Times are different now. Who knows if Edward will ever come home. Even if he does you may have gone off each other. And any of us could get killed tonight in the bombing. Live while you can, that’s what I say.’
I bit my cheek. ‘Thing is, Bron, David’s not like your married men. He’d want a proper relationship, not a quick bit of how’s-your-father.’
She glanced at herself in the mirror, checking her rollers were even. ‘Sounds like a good one to me.’
‘That’s the trouble, he is a good one. If Edward comes back, I’d have to let one of them down. That’d be horrible.’
‘Sounds to me like you need to keep your knickers on firmly then. When the show is over, you could try to avoid being on duty with him.’
The trouble was, I didn’t want to.