Episode 9. In Which Alice's Dad Remembers Young Love, Alice Gives Advice and Everyone Goes to Bed Very Early!

Episode 9

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Back at her home her mother was sitting gazing unseeingly out of the window. Thirty-one endless hours her daughter had been missing. Strangely enough when the police had told her that Pete was also missing she had felt slightly relieved, even though he was the cause of all this confusion. At least she knew Alice was not wandering around England alone, open to all kinds of dangers.
A night had passed; another one was beginning, the boy had probably had his evil way with Alice by now – maybe he would leave her once he had got what he wanted, defenceless and alone in a lecherous world. She did not blame herself for what had happened, nor even Alice, but told herself that Pete had persuaded her to go way with him until he forced her to have sex with him. It had all been his idea, she convinced herself. Alice would never do a thing like that of her own accord. She was just infatuated with the boy and was probably now realising what he was really like and wishing she had taken her mother’s advice.
Her poor baby was being seduced, maybe at that very moment, by that monster. He was probably keeping her against her will. Alice was probably crying out for her mother. Softly she began to cry to herself.

Lizzy was ten years old. She was frightened about her sister. She was not quite sure what had happened but knew that Alice had run away. She was scared of the policemen who came so frequently to the door. She kept looking out of the window to see if by any chance her sister was coming up the hill. Alice had often bossed her around and been very high and mighty with her, but under all that she was often generous and loving to her younger sister. This was what the little girl remembered now.
Debbie was only four but even she knew something was wrong. Her mother had told her that Alice had gone away for a while and would be back soon. Debbie loved Alice and, being the baby sister she was not bossed around but petted and cuddled. Alice and Debbie were very alike, in fact her mother had said that if anything had ever happened, such as Alice dying when she had had whooping cough at five years old, she would have sworn that Debbie was a re-incarnation of her sister.
The little girl’s chubby, pink arms closed tight around her sister on the nights she was in and able to kiss her goodnight. Alice had only been gone for a couple of days but she was beginning to miss her. And Pete hadn’t come. She liked Pete, he gave her ‘whizzies’ and piggy backs and picked her up so her head touched the ceiling. She lay there in her bed, wondering in her baby mind until she fell asleep.

Alice’s father was extremely worried. Even more than her mother for he had suddenly remembered that when he had first seen his wife he had been fifteen – and he had fallen in love with her. Alice was a year older, maybe she really did love Pete. How was it possible to judge? She had been with him a whole year now without a single hitch. They had had a few arguments but had come through them all right which was surely even more proof that perhaps they were in love. When he had first seen Pete he had thought him to be a real good-for-nothing but as the weeks drew on and he had got to know him better he realised that he was a nice boy underneath, and that he was genuinely fond of Alice.

Although he did not have a very good job the boy had five O’levels, could talk intelligently and took an interest in things. He said he wanted to write books – a wild dream but nevertheless most of Alice’s past boyfriends were barely capable of writing a letter, let alone a book. He had overheard the row between his wife and daughter but had thought it best not to interfere. If anyone had accused him all those years ago of not really being in love , and had laughed at him and barred him from seeing her, he would have hated them and maybe done as Alice had done. He wondered if she would ever love her mother again, She had said some very cruel things to the girl. At least his daughter was not alone, she was with Pete – somewhere. If only they knew

where.

Pete’s parents were not so worried. After all he was nineteen and could look after himself and Alice. To say they were completely free from worry would be a lie but it was not so bad for them as he was a young man and independent. They were, however, very hurt and angry to hear that Alice’s mother had forbidden her to go out with their son any more. Did she think he wasn’t good enough for her daughter? They felt sorry for the girl, and in a way proud that she had chosen Pete rather than obeying her parent’s orders. She had shown them. Maybe they had gone to Gretna Green and were going to get married – good luck to them thought Mrs Wheeler. She’d give them her blessing even if Alice’s parents wouldn’t.

At ten o’ clock Alice and Pete went up to bed. Colin and his girl had gone up at about nine. The girl was called Linda and she and Alice became immediate friends. She was quite small with medium length brown hair and to Alice’s amazement she was scared. Alice had thought that Linda would have been a much more ‘well-travelled’ girl than herself but she was still a virgin. She had learned this when they were both in the kitchen making supper for the boys. Alice looked at her in surprise.
"I thought you and Colin slept together quite often," she said "from the way he said you were coming over for the night – so casually, you know."
"Well, I’m still a virgin, but I love him and he persuaded me – we got engaged a week ago so I thought there would be nothing wrong in it – but Alice, I’m so scared. What if I don’t like it?"

"This time yesterday I was a virgin," Alice told her solemnly. "I don’t know if Colin told you about me and Pete, but I was forbidden to ever go out with him again and so we ran away and came here to the party. Then Colin said we could stay. My mum said I was too young to be in love so I thought I would show her how much I loved him. It wasn’t just that though. I‘ve been thinking of sleeping with him for ages now – and I did and it was the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I was a bit scared too, but if you love Colin and he loves you everything will be all right – don’t worry. – Hey!" she exclaimed suddenly laughing. "Don’t I sound experienced? I was the same as you yesterday."

Later in the evening when Colin and Linda went upstairs. Alice winked at her and mouthed ‘Good Luck’ across the room which gave the girl heart – if she loved Colin and he loved her – that was what Alice had said. She wondered why the loving was so important – she soon found out.

That night for Pete and Alice
was, if anything, even better than the night before. Firstly neither of them were drunk and secondly love improves with experience. Afterwards they slept, deeply and contentedly in each other’s arms throughout the velvet night.

The rest of the week passed in the same manner. Alice and Pete stayed in the house, not daring to venture outside, where the police, or even a civilian, might recognise them and break up their paradise. For that was what the house had become to them. Their love had grown a hundredfold since their hurried escape and now was as deep as the earth, molten hot in the centre. It had also matured and was almost unrecognisable from the sweet, innocent love they had shared all year.

If the thought of losing their former love was unbearable, the idea of losing this new, awakened love was impossible and unthinkable. Neither of them could remember ever being so happy. Alice found that everything she did, she was doing to please Pete. She cooked, cleaned, scrubbed and loved all in a haze of happiness. He, too, enjoyed helping her and as for love, they were in complete harmony.

The days drew slowly on until suddenly it was Saturday morning and Colin’s parents would be returning home on the 4.50 train. For the first time they would have to go outside the haven of the big, friendly house. Their photos had been in the papers and on the regional television news but so far they had not been found, mainly because they had not let anyone see them.

They had washed through all their underclothes, shirts and jumpers that were even slightly dirty as they did not know when they would get another chance. They had also bathed, and washed their hair. Now, feeling very clean and scrubbed, they stood with their belongings at the door, saying goodbye to Colin and Linda. They felt a little awkward because they did not like to show how upset they were at leaving the house, to go they did not know where.

"Well, cheerio and thanks very much. We would have been lost without your help," said Pete to Colin. Alice said much the same thing to the boy and then turned to Linda. The girl had the same glow about her as Alice now had. Alice forced down a lump in her throat.

"G – Goodbye – and thanks," she said simply.
"It’s me who has the thanks to say," replied Linda, smiling a little. Alice turned to go and then suddenly and impetuously put her arms around the girl, hugged her quickly and then ran down the steps hiding her tears. Pete was starting up the scooter. Eventually it choked into life and they moved off down the drive, Alice waving for all she was worth to the two receding figures standing at the door. Then they turned a corner and were lost from view.

The little blue scooter crept cautiously out from between the two big, black gates. They were alone.