Page 16 of The Ship of Brides
‘But where will we sleep?’
‘Dunno. On the deck with the planes?’
Avice’s eyes widened.
‘Strewth, Avice, you’re even more gullible than I thought.’ Jean cackled, stubbed out her cigarette, stood up and began to walk on.
It might have been her imagination but Avice thought she sounded increasingly coarse.
‘They’ll find some way to fit us on. Got to be better than sticking around here, anyway. We’ll get a bed and our food, and the Red Cross will look after us.’
‘Oh, I don’t think so.’ Avice’s face had clouded. She walked briskly. If she rang now she might catch her father before he left for his club.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I can’t possibly travel on something like that. My parents wouldn’t have it, for a start. They thought I’d be travelling on a liner. You know, one of the ones that had been requisitioned for transport. That’s almost the only reason they let me go.’
‘You take what you’re given in times like these, girl. You know that.’
Not me, said Avice silently. She was now running towards the hotel. Not a girl whose family owned the biggest radio manufacturer in Melbourne.
‘They’ll be providing us with engineers’ uniforms too, just in case they need us to do a little scrubbing down.’
‘I don’t think that’s very funny, actually.’
‘You’ve got to laugh.’
Go away, you horrid girl, Avice thought. I wouldn’t set foot on the same ship as you for a trip round Sydney Harbour, even if it were theQueen Mary.
‘Don’t worry, Avice. I’m sure they’ll be able to fix you up with a first-class berth in the boiler room!’ She could still hear Jean’s unpleasant cackle half-way down the street.
‘Mummy?’
‘Avice darling, is that you? Wilfred! It’s Avice!’ She could hear her mother yelling down the hallway, could picture her on her telephone seat, the Persian rug on the parquet floor, the ever-present vase of flowers on the table beside her. ‘How are you, sweetheart?’
‘Fine, Mummy. But I need to speak to Daddy.’
‘You don’t sound all right. Are you really fine?’
‘Yes.’
‘Has Ian sent any word yet?’
‘Mummy, I need to speak to Daddy.’ Avice struggled to keep her impatience out of her voice.
‘You would tell me?’
‘Is that my littlest princess?’
‘Oh, Daddy, thank goodness. There’s a problem.’
Her father said nothing.
‘With the transport.’
‘I spoke to Commander Guild myself. He promised me you’d be on the next—’
‘No, that’s not it. He’s got me on a boat.’
