Obligation
There weren't many things for the people of Walmington on Sea to smile about these days, Ivy reflected, what with so many of the young men going off to fight and dreadful news coming back from Europe, but something that did cheer people up was the little sweet treat they were allowed every so often. It was mainly children, who were keen to push the coupons their mothers had saved up across her counter as they waited for a couple of pieces of toffee or the like to be weighed out and handed over in a little paper bag, but adults too.
Ivy had always been a shy girl, and growing up above a shop hadn't really changed that. What with her father gone now though, and losing her mother at a young age, she didn't have much of a choice but to keep their shop running – maybe it was her bit of war service, in a way. Wasn't that what the ENSA types did, helping to keep morale up? Ivy doubted she'd have been much good in the Army, unless she'd got into the sort of the job that involved keeping secrets. Sometimes being quiet was a good thing, but unfortunately, it had never helped much with boys.
Until one day. There was just one other newsagents in the town, which had received an indirect hit from a German plane a week ago, presumably lightening its load on the way back from London. The owners had been in the shelter, but their stock was ruined. This meant that all the townspeople who usually stayed down at the other end of the town to get their papers, cigarettes and sweet rations (when available) were now coming to Ivy's shop instead. She appreciated the extra business, but wished it was under different circumstances.
It also meant a young man she hadn't seen or thought about much since – maybe primary school? – was drawn to her shop rather than the one further down in the town that he usually went to.
He hadn't thought about her much since then either, but the way her dark hair curled around her ears, and the wraparound pinafore across her chest, along with a shy smile caught Pike's eye that day. She was really quite pretty, he thought, with some surprise. He'd never really noticed before.
'Can I have it in Hundreds and Thousands, please?' he asked, giving her a quick smile. Ivy nodded, smiling back and looking up at him under long eyelashes. She leaned on the counter to watch him go and felt a bit hot. Surely, she thought, as the day turned to evening, that wasn't all it took? Had it really been so long since she'd seen a man in here under 40 that the first one who turned up had her thinking about him all day? She hardly even remembered him before.
She'd made an impression too. Pike himself didn't really understand it. After losing Violet, he'd thought he'd never notice any girl ever again…until he next went to the Pictures, anyway…but real-life ones were different. He knew that now and had (or so he thought) decided that he wasn't going to get married, wasn't going to have a girlfriend, but as it turned out, that was a hard promise to keep. The servicewomen that popped into town on various errands or visiting family were pretty, nearly all of them, and he half fell in love with most of them anyway, but they weren't here.
This girl, though, Ivy, he thought her name was, was here, and it didn't matter that she was quieter than most he liked, she was here, and she looked up at him with those lovely dark eyes when he chatted to her. It made him feel, well, proud, to have a girl's interest again, and it didn't take long for him to start falling in love.
Ivy too, looked forward to seeing him. He came in most days now, and her imagination was starting to take control to the point that it was hard to concentrate sometimes, on what she should be doing. He was attractive, and young, and hopefully not being called up any time soon. She knew he would be though, and she also knew what a lot of the boys wanted to happen before they were.
She didn't think it would take a lot of persuasion, but if Ivy was honest with herself, there were a few things she wanted to happen before all the nice-looking boys were taken away, and with him, she was starting to plan how they would. A little extra on the scale, here and there, that should do it. Not to mention a few other things she was keeping back if needed.
Who didn't like sweet treats, after all? Especially ones in such short supply.