"Yeah I suppose it is sort of one of you has to be the man." said Anne.
"But neither of us want to be men..." Patsy's face looked horrified.
Delia, meanwhile was looking around the room. The couples seemed to be dressed in a particular way. One in skirts, blouses with make-up, the other with more masculine attire: jeans, t-shirts, button-up shirts or even suits.
"Pats I can get some jeans, shirts and maybe a hat to tuck my hair under..."
"But why? I would have thought women together would have been above that kind of thing. Why impose these restrictions?" Patsy looked quite sad.
"I agree with you Patsy but it will be easier for us this way. We'll fit in."
"I suppose, it's just that I've rejected one structure society tried to impose on me and I don't see why I should accept another."
Anne and Peggy looked on sympathetically. They remembered having similar conversations.
Patsy glanced at her watch. "Oh Lord we've missed the last tube."
"You don't want to go home yet do you?"
Patsy smiled "No, I don't. Well I didn't until Jan..."
"Oh, not going to let her spoil a lovely evening are you? Neither of us are working tomorrow. Come on – let's dance!"
They got onto the dance floor. This time it was a slow number. Along with other couples they danced close to each other bodies touched and swayed together to the slow rhythm of the music.
About 4am Delia decided to join the club too. So she went to the receptionist to ask what the procedure was. She was joined up straight away.
They waited till 5am with the other stragglers and then got the bus and tube home. As they approached their building they spotted Trixie's bicycle leaning against a wall.
"You two obviously had a good night, I don't know what could have been better than a dance at the Hand and Shears though!" Not only was Trixie's bicycle in the vicinity, Trixie was too!
"Morning Trixie, yes we had a lovely time actually!" said Delia.
"Don't tell her that: she'll want to come." whispered a still tipsy Patsy.
"Dead right I want to come!" said Trixie.
Patsy groaned.
"I'd better put her to bed." said Delia with a glint in her eye that made Trixie wonder.
Patsy and Delia went into their flat. Trixie went back to Nonnatus House.
Later that day Trixie and Barbara are in the room they now share.
"I saw Patsy this morning. She was with Delia."
"Oh? Well they share a flat don't they?"
"But they were coming home..."
"Wow, must have been quite a night!"
"Yes, thing is, I am actually quite jealous." Then the penny dropped in Trixie's head. She went to the door and peered out. Seeing the coast was clear she continued: "Do you remember when the expectant father got done for gross indecency and she stuck up for him?" Barbara nodded. "I said it wasn't my fight. Well maybe it is hers, and Delia's."
"But not ours!"
"Actually if we are her friends it is ours too. If people could live openly it'd be so much better."
"All right but what do we do?"
"Well the first stage will be getting her to understand that we are on her side."
"So where do you suppose they were... Oh I see!"
"Yes, and the only place I know of is in Chelsea!"
"How do you know about it?"
"Let's just say that whilst I was providing cover for that doctor at the London I got to know a few things..."
A thought struck Barbara: "Patsy went through Delia's memory loss alone! Awful! Absolutely awful!"
"Yes, it was but we are going to have to be discrete. Imagine if one of the Sisters had heard you?" hissed Trixie.
"Oh!" said Barbara.
"Yes, OH!" said Trixie.
Meanwhile in Patsy and Delia's flat.
Delia watched Patsy sleep. She wondered not for the first time about memory, specifically where hers had gone. Whether it would come back one day, and whether she would like it if it did. She was content with life, well sort of. She really wanted to let the world know about her relationship with the girl sleeping next to her. Wished the world wasn't so ignorant and small minded.
Patsy stirred, stretched, and woke with a smile on her face. She turned to look at Delia. What a night! She loved how Delia wanted to fit in at the club, even though she wished the club, or more particularly its clientèle, would just accept them as they were.
"Come on sleepy, we've got some clothes shopping to do. Jeans, shirts and a hat or two!" Delia was horribly bright for someone who had been up all night.
"Ugh, what time is it?"
"2pm, you've had seven hours, so rise and shine! I'll make breakfast."
Patsy stretched.
An hour later they were out shopping together. They found everything except the hat.
"Don't worry, Anne gave me her and Peggy's telephone number, I'll ring her and get advice." said Patsy to a disconsolate looking Delia.
"OK, but be quick. I so want to go back there soon."
"I'll ring now." Patsy got up to leave.
"I wish we had our own telephone..."
"Have you seen how much those things cost? We'll just have to wait a bit."
"I know..." Delia sounded like she hated the knowledge.
"I'll be back in a couple of minutes, OK?"
"Yeah."
When Patsy came back she had a broad smile on her face.
"I got Peggy. She asked us to dinner with them in Chelsea and to stay the night. Oh and she suggested a visit to Portabello Road for the hat." Patsy was clearly excited about having friends with whom they didn't have to hide.
"Oh, right! That's kind of them. Just so long as one of them hasn't got their eye on you!"
"I think it'd be more likely they'd have their eye on you, you're by far the better catch."
Delia blushed. "Oh I don't know about that."
They both burst out laughing.
