I'll Be Seeing You
Chapter 8
"Hello Morag. Its Charlie...Yes everything's fine...No, I stayed with my friend, Joey, over night. I was having such a wonderful time that I missed the last bus...I'll be home this evening sometime. Tell Dad not to worry...No, don't worry about a meal. I'm fine...Yes, alright. I will. Bye for now."
Charlie put the telephone receiver down and pressed button 'B'. She smiled at Joey who was leaning against the red telephone box door looking in. Joey blew her a kiss and Charlie blew one back. Joey opened the door and stood looking at her girlfriend.
"God! I love you!" She said.
"You're only saying that because I'm treating you to lunch at Lyons." Charlie laughed.
"How did you guess?" Joey said, pulling Charlie out of the box.
"You know," Joey said, threading her arm through Charlie's. "I never thought this weekend would be so bloody marvellous. I never thought of all the people in the world, it would be you, Charlie Buckton, who I would meet and spend so many blissful hours with. Even though I didn't deserve a second chance."
Charlie looked down, her conscience pricking her once again, about Canterbury and Hugo.
"Joey. There is something I need to tell you, about Canterbury."
Joey looked up sharply.
"Canterbury?" She said, frowning.
Charlie nodded.
"I didn't lie to you Joey, I didn't sleep with Hugo, but I nearly did."
Joey felt the blood drain from her face. She swallowed hard.
"You nearly did?"
Charlie bit her bottom lip.
"I want you to know, Joey, because I don't want any secrets which might bite us on the bum in the future."
Charlie paused, trying to collect herself before proceeding. She looked down at her hands.
"Hugo and I had dinner together. He'd heard gossip about us and kept going on and on about me being the 'L' word. I was getting tired of the incessant innuendo and I told him I was going back to my hotel. He accompanied me and then saw me to my room only then telling me, he'd booked himself in to the same hotel! He kept on and on about 'my change in direction' as he put it so I flatly denied it." Here Charlie took a breath. "He told me to prove it."
Charlie looked at Joey and then down at her hands again.
"So I kissed him. I couldn't admit to him about us, it was too dangerous, but I had to do something. It all got a little bit frantic after that. He pulled me into his room and started to..."
She felt Joey shift uncomfortably and glanced at her. She couldn't read her expression.
"Hugo started to unbutton my dress and – Oh! Joey! It was horrible. I couldn't stand his hands on me! It made everything so tainted. I panicked and pushed him away. I burst into tears. I think he was annoyed at first, but then he just accepted that it was you I loved and was a complete lamb about it." Charlie said; glad to be rid of her secret.
She put her hands up to her neck and hunched her shoulders; the memory making her feel cold.
Joey said nothing and Charlie began to fear that she might reject her again.
"I'm sorry Joey. I would have told you months ago, when it happened, but..."
"But I wouldn't listen, is that what you were going to say?" Joey said, stiffly.
Charlie nodded, frightened to look into Joey's eyes.
"I only did what I thought best at the time." Charlie said, breathing hard. "I couldn't take the risk of confessing about us after the Police enquiry and all that. I've thought a thousand times since that I should have just told Hugo to go to hell. But it all got muddily."
Charlie stole a look at Joey.
"So, you nearly slept with Hugo to protect my honour?" Joey asked, emotionless.
Charlie looked at Joey and swallowed.
"If you like." She said in a small voice. "Mine too, I suppose. That makes me a bit of a coward, doesn't it?"
Joey sighed.
"I really don't care about the past anymore, Charlie. Of course I would've preferred it if you'd smacked Hugo's face and slammed the door on his manhood, but maybe what you did had the same effect? His love spurned by you for the love of another woman?" Joey chuckled.
"So, do you forgive me?" Charlie asked tentatively.
"I will if you forgive yourself – and me too for misunderstanding everything and not giving you a chance to explain. We need each other too much to let something as silly as a quick snog and a grope come between us again, Charlie."
Charlie smiled anxiously.
"And take that anxious look from those pretty blue eyes!" Joey said grinning.
They stood side by side and their fingers touched momentarily.
"So, we're alright?" Charlie asked.
"We're alright." Joey smiled. "But if I see that Hugo Austin again, I swear I'm gonna boot him so hard, up the arse, that he'll never be able to sit down again, let alone try and get my best girl into bed!" She said with a grin.
They laughed. Charlie checked her watch.
"Come on. The Corner house will be serving now."
And they headed off for lunch.
***
Joey put her knife and fork down and sat back in her chair and yawned.
"Am I keeping you up?" Charlie grinned.
"No, but you did last night!" Joey said cheekily.
"Shhh..." Charlie said, blushing.
"That was scrumptious! Thank you for lunch. I suppose we better be heading back to the hotel now."
"What time train are you catching later?" Charlie asked, feeling a black cloud spreading over her horizon.
"The four thirty five. I wonder if Helen is all set." Joey pondered.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could stop time?" Charlie said looking deeply into Joey's eyes. "We'd never have to part again."
"We'll write, Charlie. At least we can do that this time. It won't be like seeing you every hour of everyday, but at least I know that every few days I'll have a little bit of you on paper to cry over."
Tears filled Charlie's eyes.
She took out a note book from her bag and scribbled down her Father's address.
"Write to me here until I let you know I'm back home."
Joey scribbled down the address of her billet.
"There." She said, handing the scrap of paper to Charlie.
"I just hope the letters aren't censored!" She grinned.
"Maybe we should come up with our own code. London could be 'Bright Lights' and when we talk about 'us', it could be..."
"Lovely grub?" Joey interrupted, smiling.
"Perfect!" Charlie said, laughing.
"Next time you get leave, will you come home or let me come to see you maybe?" Charlie pleaded. "Please?"
"My leave will always be with you, my love; whether it's home or away."
Charlie smiled and collected her things. They left Lyons Corner House and headed back to the hotel.
***
They ran up the stairs to Joey's room and opened the door. Helen had been there and read Joey's note. She scrawled three lines in reply telling Joey that she'd see her at the station just after four and would she mind not shouting as she had a 'hum-dinger' of a headache.
Joey grinned and gathered Charlie to her.
"Were you jealous of Helen when you first met her?" She asked.
"Yes, I was!" Charlie said, grinning. "Especially when she told you to 'Ge' ya 'and off 'er knee!'" Charlie laughed.
"I love you Charlie Buckton."
"I love you too, Joey Collins."
They collected Joey's luggage and turned to leave the room.
They stole one more kiss and Joey closed the door behind them.