I'll Be Seeing You
Chapter 15
"Ugh!" Joey cried as she bumped straight into a Naval Officer walking with a young woman.
"Hey! Look where you're going!" The Officer yelled.
"Sorry Sir!" Joey called but continued to run after Helen.
"God knows what's going on!" Hugo complained. "That's the second Wren within ten seconds to bump into us. You know, that last one looked incredibly like..."
"Hugo! Stop nattering and let's get going!" Charlie urged; her face had paled and she felt sick.
Charlie knew exactly who the second Wren was; she thought she'd recognised the first as she ran past almost knocking Charlie over. Her heart was beating rapidly. What if Joey had recognised her? She couldn't have or she'd have stopped, surely?
Hugo and Charlie stopped walking when they saw a tall, red-headed Sailor running towards them. As he neared, Hugo called,
"Mind Charlie! Hey! Jack! Where's the fire?"
"Sorry, Sir. Can't stop!" Jim Wetherby called, saluting the officer and his pretty lady and continued to run after Helen and Joey.
Charlie listened intently for footstep pursuing her, but they never came. She signed with relief.
***
"Helen! Stop!" Joey shouted again.
This time, Helen slowed and stopped; she bent her body from the waist looking down at her feet, half panting, and half crying.
Joey caught up with her friend. She too, stood puffing and panting.
"Helen, why did you run? It probably hasn't done you any good!"
"I've let 'im down! I've let m' whole family down!" Helen cried.
"Helen!" Shouted Jim as he caught up with the girls. "Sorry lass, I 'ad nor reason to lay into ya like thart. It'll be alright, love. It'll be alright." He said, as he hugged his sister.
Joey smiled.
The three sat in a nearby bus shelter; Helen explained to her brother about Chuck and his absence. Jim though still annoyed, was much calmer. Joey leaned back against the back of the shelter and briefly closed her eyes.
"Hey Josie, did you see your pal Charlie, just now?" Helen said, turning to Joey. "What's she doing op 'ere?"
"Charlie?" Joey said, frowning at Helen. "Where?"
"She were coming 'round t'bend wi' that Officer fella."
"No, it couldn't have been Charlie." Joey said with a smile. "She's away working at the moment. Some special work for the Police."
"D'ya mean that young woman who wos walking along wi' Lieutenant Austin just naw?" Jim said, indicating with his thumb. "Coz I heard him call her 'Charlie'. Thought it an odd name fur a lass."
"How d'ya naw 'is name is Lieutenant Austin?" Helen asked her brother.
"Coz, 'ees t'fella whose been lecturing us these last few days on diving." Jim answered.
Joey's face paled. Her head began to swim and she felt faint. She leaned forward and put her head in her hands. Could it really have been Charlie?
"I'm sure it were Charlie, coz I bumped rart into 'er and I saw 'er face quiet clear." Helen said, "and I'm sure she recognised me, coz she stared at me for a moment or two."
***
Hugo took Charlie up to his quarters in HMS Ganges. They heard merriment from the dance which was still going strong. The band was playing "The Very Thought of You", Charlie and Joey's song, and Charlie gasped inwardly. Could anything else happen tonight to make matters worse?
They entered the main building and Hugo pushed Charlie against a wall and started to kiss her again. She didn't want him near her after such a close encounter with Joey. She tried but failed to blank her mind out to what Hugo was doing. She began to tense. Hugo stopped kissing her and looked at her questioningly.
"You okay, Charlie?"
"Yes, yes of course." She said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I can hardly believe I'm here, with you, that's all." She said, truthfully.
Hugo smiled and took her hand and led her to his door. He opened it and he escorted her in, closing the door behind them.
***
Joey hadn't spoken for some time, while the brother and sister chatted on about the baby.
"Where would Lieutenant Austin and...his companion, be going, do you think?" Joey asked, breathlessly.
"I tell thee, love, it were Charlie!" Helen said, once again.
"Well, I assume if they weren't going t'dance, they'd be going back to 'is for..." Jim stopped short; not wishing to continue with his chain of thought in front of the two girls.
"To his bed, you mean?" Joey said, feeling quite ill.
Jim was silent. He didn't know who Charlie was, but he assumed from his sister, that she was a good friend of Joey's.
Joey stood up and her body rocked back and forth slightly as the blood rushed to her head.
"Jo, you alright, love?" Helen asked, with concern.
"Yeah, fine. I think I'm gonna take a little walk."
The others stood to follow, but she refused their company, telling Helen she must rest after her exertions and telling Jim to look after his sister.
***
Joey wandered back along the route they had taken earlier. Her heart had been shattered in thousands of pieces. She felt cold as a cool breeze whipped up, catching her open jacket. She did the buttons up and folded her arms across her chest trying to keep warm.
After a few minutes, she began to hear the band playing in the hall and made towards it. She entered the building and walked from the entrance to the dance floor. She looked around in hopes of seeing Charlie or Hugo, but saw neither.
A young Sailor walked slowly up.
"Fancy a dance, love?" He said, with a fresh faced smile.
Joey shook her head.
"No thanks."
He shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk back to the wall where he'd been leaning. Joey watched him and with an idea, approached him.
"Have you been standing there long?" She asked.
"All bloody night!" He said, raising his eyes. "Not enough skirt in, damn it!" He complained.
"I wonder; did you happen to see a Lieutenant Austin walk in a while back with a very pretty brunette on his arm?"
The young sailor didn't have to think for long.
"No." He answered straight away. "No one's come in or gone out since you and your mates left about half hour ago."
Joey looked at him and smiled sadly.
"Thanks for your help." She said.
"Sure you won't have that dance?" The Sailor asked hopefully.
"No thanks. I've got to try and find someone." She said, turning and leaving the floor.
***
Hugo had successfully removed most of Charlie's clothes and was kissing her breasts after pushing her onto the bed.
"Have you got something to put on?" She asked nervously, trying to catch him before he got too carried away.
"It'll be alright." He said, cupping her breast.
"I'll help you on with it." Charlie suggested, using another tact.
This appealed to Hugo and gladly obliged. He produced a French Letter and Charlie closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to get focused upon something other than Hugo torpedo.
Charlie, you fool at least get the information! She scolded herself.
"Hugo," she moaned as his lips found her throat. "Do you have to go to Oxford?" Can't you stay with me instead?"
"No." He breathed. "I've got to see someone."
"The only people in Oxford are dusty old professors! Surely you'd rather be with me than some boring old man?"
"I'll have you know that Miss. Sheer is no dusty old professor!" Hugo said, chuckling.
Charlie breathed a sigh of relief having got the name she wanted and quickly wondered if she could push Hugo off and get the hell out of there.
But Hugo was at the point of no return. He made himself ready and was on top of her.
"Stand by to repel boarders!" He whispered, with a wicked grin.
Charlie closed her eyes tightly and waited for the inevitable.
Was this all worth it?
***
Oh my gawd! :-O ~S&L~