The Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell

Author:Nancy Revell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Polly spent the afternoon convincing herself that Tommy’s heart was really with Helen and that she herself had just been a passing fancy. She couldn’t wait for the horn to sound the end of the shift so she could take her wounded heart and tired body back home and straight to bed. She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts of rejection and unrequited love that she jumped with shock when she switched off her welder and pushed up her helmet to see Tommy standing a few yards in front of her. He had obviously finished work a little early and stood holding his motorbike jacket in one hand, his helmet in the other.

She pulled off her leather gloves and rubbed one of her eyes, which had got some dirt in it. Her face was streaked with soot and she now had one big panda eye. Tommy had to suppress a smile. It was what he loved most about Polly. She could be dressed in rags and looking as if she’d just been up a chimney and still look gorgeous. And, most of all, she didn’t care what she looked like. She was who she was.

‘Are you still on for that walk home?’ Tommy asked, suddenly nervous that she might have changed her mind.

Polly looked confused. ‘Erm, yes…’

‘I wondered if you’d like to go for a ride on the bike first, and then I can drop you off home?’

Polly’s spirit immediately soared. The lead weight suddenly lifted. Tommy did like her. Didn’t he? If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be stood here now, wanting to take her out after work.

‘Oh, I’ve never been on a motorbike before.’ Polly felt a little uncertain, and more than a little nervous.

‘You’ll love it,’ Tommy enthused. ‘You can have my jacket and helmet, but I won’t go fast. It’ll just be nice to go for a little ride along the coast, if you like.’

Polly felt the thrill of excitement, all tiredness now pushed aside. ‘Yes, that sounds nice,’ she said, standing up. She quickly put away her tools, took off her headscarf and stuffed her belongings into her holdall.

The rest of the women were also getting ready to leave and were trying not to show that they were earwigging in on Tommy and Polly’s conversation. Dorothy forced down a squeal of excitement at the day’s surprising turn of events and instead grabbed a clean hankie and marched purposefully up to Polly.

‘Let me just do this,’ she said, gently taking hold of Polly’s face and quickly erasing the panda eye and a few other streaks of dirt from her friend’s face. She was done before Polly had time to object.

‘Have a nice time, you two,’ Rosie said.

‘Thanks,’ said Polly and Tommy in unison as they turned to walk away.

‘Finally,’ Hannah said with a sigh. Martha grinned, showing off the gap between her two big front teeth.

‘Looks like they’re finally going out on a date,’ Gloria said.

Watching Polly and Tommy chatting and laughing as they

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