18. In Which a Baby Goes Missing and is Found and We Meet Dave and Sally and Wish We Hadn't......

In Which a Baby Goes Missing and is Found and we Meet Dave and Sally and Wish We Hadn't......

Episode 18

A week went by and Jane slowly but surely began to recover physically but not mentally. Alice worried about her a great deal, for once when she had gone to visit they had been alone.

"Alice," Jane had said. "I wanted my baby so much, so very very much. It was just before the crash that it all became real. I suddenly knew that I loved it and wanted it – and now it’s dead. I just don’t know what to do. I am so sad. No-one realises, they think it’s a good thing to happen."

It was difficult for Alice to know what to say, as she also found it difficult to understand how Jane was feeling.

"When you get married you can have lots of babies," she replied sincerely. That one would have had an unhappy life, it really was for the best." But the words sounded wrong and she knew they gave no comfort.

"No! You don’t understand either. I loved it, I loved it." Jane cried out and a nurse came in and asked Alice to leave as the patient was getting disturbed.

***

Alice saw Pete three times that week and also started at the Art College. Now life was much easier. They could meet every dinner time whenever they wished and occasionally for a short while after college.
The days seemed to fly past. She loved the Art College with its free and easy atmosphere that was so different from the stultifying school days she had been used to.

One day they met as usual in The Clarence coffee bar where all the mods went. As they finished their egg and chips Pete suddenly caught hold of Alice’s hand.

"I’ve got something for you," he said excitedly and she felt the ring slip onto her finger. She took her hand from his and looked at the sparkling engagement ring nestling there.

"Pete," she breathed. "We really are engaged. I love you so. I really love you. It’s beautiful, thank you so much."

"I bought it this morning," he told her happily. "Yes, we really are engaged. Not the most romantic place, but I couldn’t wait." He leant over the Formica topped table and gave her a quick kiss. "Soon it’ll be a golden one." He reached for both her hands and held them tightly between his.

***

Jane was walking around the town. She had come out of hospital a week ago and was still convalescing. She bought some mascara and a hair colour shampoo and then decided to go home, as she was still feeling tired. As she walked down towards the bus station she passed a tiny baby lying in its pram. She stopped to look at it and its big dark eyes stared at her, fringed by long black lashes. It looked so soft and warm that she longed to pick it up and hold it, just for a moment. She looked around, the mother was in the shop somewhere, nobody was watching her.

She leaned over quickly and with a quick scoop of her arms lifted the baby from its pram and ran down the street with it. She crossed the road and vanished into the church park where she left the neatly spaced flower beds and mown lawns, hiding among the bushes and trees which stood at one end against a high stone wall. She could hear people shouting and running but she ignored them and turned her attentions to the baby she was holding so tightly. He was not crying, but lay quite peacefully in her arms. She started talking to him and he began to chuckle and gurgle gleefully.

"Oh, you lovely, lovely baby," said Jane happily. "You’re coming to live with me now because you’re so sweet." She crooned gently to it and then the shouts grew louder and louder in her ears and were all around her. She clutched the baby to her, trying to protect it and then a large policeman loomed over her. She looked hopelessly around for a way of escape and then began to cry.
                                                 ****

A month passed. Jane grew completely well again under treatment by a psychiatrist. Alice and Pete continued seeing each other as often as possible without their parent’s knowledge. Alice was very happy at Art College and enjoyed the work immensely. The girls and boys she worked with were very friendly and everyone got on with everyone else.

She was especially noticed by a boy called Dave. He was a mod, quite tall and good looking. His hair was brown, matching his deep-set, serious eyes, which often gazed at Alice as she worked.

She never wore her engagement ring in college as she did not want it to get spoilt or lost so she wore it on a chain round her neck, underneath her clothes. Dave often wondered if she had any boyfriends or went out with anyone seriously but he had never seen or heard of her being with anyone. He often talked to her and she seemed to like him. He decided to ask her out and to tell her how he felt and waited impatiently for a time when he could catch her alone.

Alice came back from lunch in a bad mood. She and Pete had just had a row over some trivial matter. She couldn’t even remember what had started it now. She sighed unhappily, they had been rowing a lot the last few weeks, over nothing in particular. She supposed it was the tension of having to creep around like criminals and having to keep everything, even their engagement, a secret. They had not been able to sleep together for over three weeks now and they longed for each miserably.

She went up the stairs until she reached the Display Studio where she was working on a window with one other girl. The place was deserted as she had come back early because of the row. Idly she began to drape some silver cloth in the window and then suddenly she became aware of someone watching her. She looked up into the serious eyes of Dave Jefferies.

"Oh Hi Dave," she said, "you gave me a fright appearing like that." He moved forward, still looking at her.

"Sorry," he said, "I didn’t mean to scare you."

"It’s okay," she replied, wondering why he was acting in such a strange, awkward manner. She soon knew.

"Er – I’ve been wanting to talk to you for ages. I was wondering if – well – if you’d go out with me tonight – or another night." He stopped and looked anxiously at her. She started when she heard his words. She had not realised that he had felt that way about her.

"Oh Dave, I’m sorry Dave but I am already going out with someone – steady – in fact I’m engaged." She pulled at the chain around her neck and showed him the ring.
"I should have realised – but I never saw you with anyone - ." He stopped lamely and stared at her.

"No you wouldn’t," she explained. "He lives in Gloucester, he’s a mod of course. We’ve been forbidden to go out with each other so we have to keep it very quiet."

"Wait!" Dave broke in. "Aren’t you the girl who ran away not long ago? I thought I’d seen you somewhere before."

"Yes, that’s me!" admitted Alice. "Quite famous."
They talked for a while longer and then he looked at her seriously.

"You’re sure then – you won’t go out with me. Not even just for a quick coffee?"

"I love Pete," was all she said and he sighed.

"If you ever change your mind, just let me know won’t you?" he asked, before he left her and went back to the picture he was painting. It was of a girl with blond carefree hair and laughing blue eyes. [Author's Note - please feel free to throw up at that bit!!]

***

Pete went to The Ace that evening with Miff. He felt miserable about the stupid argument he and Alice had had, and he wanted to see her and put everything right again. Miff met his girlfriend, and she had a friend with her, small, dark and quite pretty. They all talked for a while until the group came on and then Miff and Jill started dancing. The girl stood there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do and Pete thought he had better dance with her. One dance led to another and before he know what was happening she had attached herself to him. He bought her a drink or two and had quite a few himself.

Through this new, rosy haze he took a long look at her. She really was very pretty. Much prettier than he had first thought; her clothes were very mod and she was fun to talk to. It really was very difficult, she was obviously expecting him to go with her, and so was Miff. But he did not want to two-time Alice, and remembered with horror what had happened last time he had met a girl in a club. He made an excuse and left her for a moment to find Miff.

"Hey Miff," he said, "about this girl – "

"Yeah – about this girl. Why the fuck haven’t you knocked her off yet? What you waiting for, she’s a cracking bit of stuff. Poor girl doesn’t know what’s wrong. Get with her, you prat! I told Jill you’d go with her friend and all you’ve done is dance with her a couple of times and then just stand there looking stupid."

"But I happen to be engaged to Alice," said Pete angrily. "I can’t do that to her."

"Don’t be so tied down and under the thumb," sneered Miff. "It’s only for a night, she’ll never know. She’s really got you hooked hasn’t she? You’re still a young bloke – fuck off and have some fun. She’s up for it, look at her, can’t take her eyes off you."
Pete went miserably back to the girl and stood by her. Miff’s words were ringing in his ears, ‘she’s really got you hooked hasn’t she’. Angrily he put his arm round her shoulders, roughly pulling her towards him.

***

Alice paid the 2/6d at the door of The Ace to get in, and went straight to the Ladies to do her hair and reapply lipstick. She felt happy, Pete would be surprised to see her and they could make it up again. She had told her mother she was going to a party given by one of the art students, and would not be home till late, if at all. She felt a thrill of longing pass over her, hopefully she would be spending the night in Pete’s arms. She listened to the music crashing out above her, and hummed along with it. Then satisfied
with her appearance she made her way up the narrow stairs.

She stood in the entrance, looking into the darkness and flashing lights, a blue smoky haze hanging in the hot pulsating air. She tried to make out faces she knew, and especially Pete but her eyes were not yet used to the gloom. Walking into the room she looked quickly at the band. Then she noticed Dave standing with another student, near the band. She nodded briefly to him and turned away into the dancing mass to try and find Pete. Gladly she caught sight of Miff and Jill sitting on one of benches. She made her way over to them and wondered where Pete was, hoping he hadn’t decided to have a night in. A couple were sitting on the next bench and she had to step over their legs to reach Miff. He looked up from kissing Jill and, instead of looking pleased to see her, gasped with fright.

"Pete – oh I don’t know – over there – somewhere – I think." She stared at him in surprise, turned in the direction he pointed to, and then something made her look behind her, into Pete’s face, Pete’s lips kissing another girl. She went cold all over and stood there, watching, until the agonisingly long kiss finished. For a moment their eyes met, his full of shocked surprise, hers with uncomprehending pain. Back flooded all the hurtful things he had said to her earlier in the day, and also all the lies and promises he had told her about never, ever wanting anyone else, that she was the only one. With an angry painful sob she clutched at the ring on her finger and dragged it off. She went up to him – to them, and stood looking down where they still sat, almost entwined.

"Here you are," she said bitterly. "You can give it to her instead. It’ll save you buying another one."

"Alice," he said desperately, "Alice, its nothing, I love you." But she threw the ring at him, turned and stumbled blindly away.

On her hurried exit she blundered into Dave. Without really thinking what she was doing she looked at him with a smile fixed woodenly on her face.
"Hi Dave," she said in a horrible effort of gayness. "I’ve changed my mind." And laughingly she fell into his welcoming arms.

***

The evening passed in an ugly mask of pretence. Alice laughing much too loud, talking far too fast and noisily, drinking drink after drink. Pete was pretending to Miff that he didn’t care a damn what Alice did and proclaiming in a loud voice that she’d come running to him in the morning. The only two people who were happy were Dave, and the girl who Pete now knew was called Sally.

She had always liked Pete, and had been jealous of Alice although she did not know her personally, only by sight – and now here she was with Pete whilst Alice had gone off with another boy and returned the engagement ring. She looked happily at Pete, he did not seem to care about what had happened, now maybe he would go out with her. She tightened her arm around his waist and sighed with pleasure as she told him that her parents had gone away for the weekend.

A month passed by. Pete still went out with Sally and Alice with Dave. But the ache in their hearts was very acute and lonely. They needed each other but that foolish feeling known as pride kept them from seeing the truth.

To be continued.......