had even introduced her to the nice older couple across the street, who were new to the neighbourhood. Mr and Mrs Thompson had only moved in a few months before and had kept themselves to themselves, but had been nothing but pleasant to Julia when she had run into them. But Agnes had only eyed the middle-aged man, who was heavyset and balding, with distrust and had practically spat out a ‘no thank you’ to his tiny wife, who had a fluttery way about her, when she had asked her to join them for tea.
As soon as Julia got home each night, Agnes would start in about John, fretting about why they hadn’t heard any more from him yet. Then once she had worried enough about him, she would methodically move on to everyone else in her life who had left her, going round and round in a manic loop, pulling in her dead husband and her grandchildren just for good measure. As she would prepare her tea while listening to her mother-in-law, Julia felt more and more worn down by the same conversation as the night went on. Then, with a twinge of guilt, she would remind herself that this was her husband’s mother; she was alone. And it was hard for everybody right now.
The only evening Julia got respite was on a Thursday, when Agnes disappeared off to bingo. She would scuttle off down the road at six o’clock and not get back till nine, and those three hours were like bliss for Julia. But today was Friday, and with a sinking heart Julia knew she had an entire weekend ahead with just Agnes for company.
Before she went home, Julia decided she would get a cup of tea or something. A chance to gird herself between work and home and facing Agnes, just some breathing space. She’d hardly had time to gather herself since the children had left.
At least she had heard from them again on Tuesday, placing a call in the call box on the corner of her street. Julia had heard their little voices, which felt a million miles away from her, and had fought back her tears as she listened to the eager regaling of their adventures so far. She could tell they were both happy; even Tom had a spark in his tone as he talked about the farm they had visited the day before. Once she had placed the receiver back down, she’d had such mixed feelings, relieved they were happy and safe, but Julia also couldn’t help feeling a little resentful. Someone else was seeing her children grow up, combing their hair, feeding them breakfast, reading them bedtime stories, and experiencing all the magic that comes from seeing the world through a child’s eyes. Magic that she seemed to need more than ever in the current climate, to fend off the brutal realities of life in wartime.
Julia looked down the road, noting her bus was late, and thought she might walk to the next stop just to get some exercise.
Wandering down the street, she noticed once again how strange it was to see many of the windows were now secured with tape in preparation for a bomb attack. Pausing outside a cinema, she read a cheerful poster advertising the new Arthur Askey film that was playing there, his cheeky face emblazoned on the front, the words ‘hysterical’ highlighted in solid black letters above his head.
That was what she needed. She needed to laugh. She needed to relax. She looked quickly at her watch. It had only just started. Hurrying to the booth, she paid the money and made her way inside. As she entered the darkened cinema, she put Agnes’s face out of her mind. Her mother-in-law would be worried, but Agnes would worry anyway, so she couldn’t let that affect her. The cinema was pretty crowded and was playing a newsreel with the stories of the day. As the black and white picture flicked across the screen, it illuminated the auditorium for a second, revealing that it was packed. Through the smoky blue glow, Julia noticed there was a spare seat in the middle next to another young woman.
Apologizing as she went, she manoeuvred herself through the crowd and settled herself down in the seat, just as the announcer in the plummy British accent talked about how well the RAF had been doing in the latest rounds of battles in the skies. Soon the main feature started, and as Arthur Askey