Happiness for Hazel Read online

  She liked it best when he worked the early-morning shift; he’d call in the afternoon just as the dinner rush was over. Each time he appeared behind the café during her break, they would kiss and smooch, and Glenn would make her body come alive beneath his caresses.

  She couldn’t wait to be allowed out on Saturdays so she could spend more time with him. Ten minutes of whispered conversation punctuated by hasty kisses was nowhere near long enough or often enough to satisfy her constant craving for his touch.

  The day of her party was overcast, but the clouds didn’t dampen her excitement. Glenn said he would come to see her, and even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to be with him, it would be enough to know he was there in the trees, watching her.

  As the afternoon wore on, with no sign of her sweetheart, she began to feel disappointed. Clouds gathered over the bandstand but weren’t nearly as dark as the ones gathering in Hazel’s heart. She’d waited all afternoon to catch a glimpse of Glenn Bradshaw, but he hadn’t kept his promise. He didn’t come to see her on her birthday.

  Quite a crowd had arrived earlier, after the Easter Sunday service at the church. Some women and children wore pretty Easter bonnets, decorated with paper chicks and flowers. They all seemed eager to help her celebrate the day. Each family had brought a basket of food and drink. Trestle tables were set on the bandstand, under the shelter of the domed roof and the food was arranged on starched white cloths.

  Eunice’s dad had brought his harmonica, and the friends and neighbours sang and danced through the mild, early spring afternoon.

  “Will you stop staring at the trees?” Eunice warned. “What has got into you? You refused to dance with our Raymond. You’ve hardly eaten anything, and your mam will notice how strangely you’re acting if you’re not careful.”

  “Can you blame me?” Hazel blurted. “He made a promise, and he didn’t come!”

  “But everyone else is here,” Eunice pointed out. “Why don’t we join them and have some fun?”

  Hazel glanced at the group of youngsters playing cricket on the park meadow. “I don’t feel like it,” she moaned.

  “Don’t be such a mardy mare, Hazel Harris!” Eunice took her arm and pulled her down the steps of the bandstand. “It’s your nineteenth birthday, and I’m going to make sure you enjoy this party if it kills me!”

  “Eunice Simpson!” Hazel dragged her arm from her friend’s tight grasp and hissed, “Why can’t you let me be miserable in peace!”

  “Because it’s your birthday, and I won’t allow you to be miserable. Forget Glenn Bradshaw. If he can’t keep his promises, he’s not good enough for you anyway! Come and dance.”

  Hazel reluctantly allowed Eunice to drag her to the meadow where some party guests were dancing on the grass. She linked hands with her friend as they joined the ring of couples dancing the Gay Gordon to the harmonica music.

  “That’s more like it, Hazel,” her father called from across the circle. “It’s about time you started to enjoy your party.”

  “Oh, don’t tease, Donald,” Martha chided her husband. “She’s at that sensitive age now, you know?”

  “Dear Lord, save us from sensitive young women!” Her father struck a pose with his hand to his brow but continued dancing and lost his balance.

  “Careful, Donald! Take care you don’t upset your poorly heart!” Martha caught her husband, and they clung together, giggling.

  “Your mam and dad are always laughing and joking together,” Eunice whispered. “I wish my parents were as happy as yours seem to be.”

  “Mam said it’s because they love each other so much,” Hazel said absently. She was still scanning the park for signs of Glenn as she danced.

  “I think it’s more than that,” Eunice observed. “They consider each other’s feelings all the time. I remember when your dad had his heart attack, they were both upset. Your mam was scared she might lose him, and your dad didn’t want her to be left alone. They are like best friends as well as husband and wife, aren’t they?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They get on as well as we two get on. I sometimes think it’s as if they know what the other is thinking. Haven’t you noticed?”

  Hazel shrugged. “I suppose so, but they’re just Mam and Dad to me.”

  Eunice sighed. “With all this talk of war looming, you’d think the grown-ups would be more worried, but look at them!” She waved her arm at the assembled adults who were all smiling and chatting away with not a worry frown in sight.

  “What is there to worry about?”

  Eunice blew out a long breath. “You must have heard about Mussolini invading Albania, and my dad said, no matter how much Chamberlain insists that his peace treaty will hold, my dad can’t see it happening.”

  Hazel sighed. Her friend was usually jolly and carefree but had become more serious lately. “You fret too much, Eunice. Take your head out of the newspapers, and you’ll enjoy life more.”

  “How can you ignore what’s in the news, Hazel?”

  “It’s all a storm in a teacup.” Hazel didn’t want to discuss the boring events in the newspapers. “Nothing will come of all this talk of war. Please don’t spoil my birthday with such gloom and doom.”

  “I’m sorry, Hazel, but you need to take your head out of your backside and see what’s going on around you!”

  Hazel was shocked by her friend’s outburst. “Eunice Simpson! What’s brought all this on?”

  “I just think you’re too wrapped up in your own little world. There’s more to life than Glenn bloody Bradshaw, you know!”

  “Why are you so nasty to me?”

  “Because I think you should be happy on your birthday and because you’re so wrapped up in this lad, you can’t see past him. You’re ignoring your guests while you moon over him. He’s not worth it, you know.”

  “You don’t understand.” Hazel felt anger bubbling inside her. Nobody could understand how she felt about Glenn. “Worrying about war isn’t going to make me stop thinking about Glenn, is it?”

  “It might,” Eunice insisted, stubbornly.

  “You’re daft in the head. There isn’t going to be a war!”

  “Then why do we all have to make blackouts for our windows and why are there two brick bomb shelters being built at the end of our road?”

  Hazel shrugged and sighed. Eunice wasn’t going to give up. “I suppose the government is preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Isn’t that what they do? Now drop the subject, please. It’s depressing!” She was becoming impatient. She didn’t care about world events. She couldn’t do anything about them anyway. She was concerned about Glenn and worried what had kept him away from her party.

  Eunice fell silent for a few minutes, and Hazel began to relax. She didn’t like to fight with her friend.

  “Can you see how your mam and dad don’t seem to have a care in the world?”

  Eunice brought Hazel’s attention back to her parents. The older couple were smooching around the bandstand, smiling into each others’ faces.

  “I hope I can find that kind of love one day.”

  The words caught Hazel’s attention. “That’s funny. I said the exact same thing to Mam not long ago.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’ll find it with Glenn Bradshaw. He’s not very considerate of your feelings is he?”

  “What would you know about it?” Hazel knew she sounded petulant and childish, but couldn’t help her sudden flare of temper. “You know nothing about him so how can you think about judging him?”

  “I know he let you down, Hazel. Any lad who makes you unhappy, doesn’t deserve you, can’t you see that?”

  Hazel stamped her foot and whirled from her friend. “You don’t understand!” She ran to the coppice of trees, wanting to get as far away as possible from the truth in her friend’s words. Eunice was right, but it pained her to admit it. Glenn Bradshaw didn’t deserve her, but that didn’t alter how she felt about him. It didn’t change the fact that she
’d hardly slept a wink since he’d first kissed her.

  She hurried on through the trees, only stopping when she felt Eunice wouldn’t be able to see her from the bandstand. She turned slowly to check she hadn’t been followed and was grateful to realise she was alone. Hazel sank to her knees and put her face in her hands. She didn’t want to cry pathetic tears over the man who had stolen her heart, but they came anyway. Why hadn’t he come? Why did he promise he would come and raise her hopes like that? Why couldn’t she forget him?

  A twig cracked close by, and she lifted her wet face. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Glenn was leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree, smiling down at her.

  “Y, y, y, you came,” she stuttered.

  Glenn smiled and spoke softly, “I said I would, didn’t I?”

  “Have you been hiding in here the whole time?” Hazel felt a spark of unease. “Have you been spying on me?”

  “I’ve not been here long, but I can see you’re not having much fun.” His rich tones were subdued as he whispered, “Why the tears? Did someone upset you?” He moved nearer and held out his hand.

  She quickly bent over to wipe her face on the hem of her dress, and then took his proffered hand.

  As he helped her to her feet, he pressed closer. “I can’t bear to see you unhappy, Petal. Who made you cry?”

  Hazel’s suspicions were aroused. He’d used another girl’s name when he addressed her. “What did you call me?”

  “It’s a pet name I made up for you. You’re as sweet and fresh as a daisy, but more delicate than the whole flower. You’re slim and sleek and pure, and innocent, so I called you Petal. Do you like it?”

  Her heart skipped a beat on hearing his romantic explanation. She dropped her eyes and felt her lips trembling. “That sounded like poetry, Glenn Bradshaw. I didn’t know colliers could be poets.”

  “Just shows you can’t judge a man by his occupation.” Glenn smiled as he took her into his arms.

  She rested her face against his chest, feeling the warmth of him through his brown pinstriped jacket. “I never had a pet name before.”

  “Well, you have now. You’ll always be my fragile Petal.” His arms squeezed her gently. “Now tell me who upset you? I want to make them pay.” He lifted his head and looked towards the bandstand.

  She giggled. “You would have to reprimand yourself, Glenn. I was upset because I thought you weren’t going to come.”

  “Would I let you down, my love?”

  She looked into his eyes and felt overwhelmed by the intensity of emotion she saw in their green depths. “Oh, Glenn.”

  When his mouth found hers, she closed her eyes and melted into his embrace. The kiss was not hesitant or chaste, like the first kiss he’d given her. This time, his mouth opened and his tongue danced over her lips, enticing her to let him in.

  She opened to his exploring tongue, and a surge of heat filled her insides. He clutched her tightly, pressing her against him. She could feel the buttons of his jacket on her breast through her cotton dress. The slight physical discomfort was quickly overshadowed by the exquisite sensations he was causing to ripple through her body. His hands clutched her waist, pulling her closer. She yielded to the pressure. They were so close; it was almost as if they were becoming one person. Hazel’s insides were in a state of chaotic excitement, and her mind was whirling out of control.

  “Hazel? Yoo-hoo!” Eunice called through the trees. “Where are you?”

  Hazel was startled by the call and reluctantly disengaged from Glenn’s embrace. She didn’t want Eunice to find her in such a state of disarray. “I have to go.”

  “Of course you do.” Glenn’s smile was one of amusement. “I understand, my sweet. It’s your party. Go enjoy it. I’ll be happy just to stay here and watch you.”

  “I wish you could come and meet everyone.” She glanced at where Eunice was making her way through the trees. “But my parents wouldn’t allow it. Not yet, anyway.”

  “One day they will let you off the leash, I’m sure of it. I’ll wait for you, Petal.”

  “Will you?” Hope swelled in her chest.

  “For as long as it takes.”

  She would be in serious trouble if her parents were to discover what she was doing in the copse, but she had to find a way to persuade them to allow her more freedom. She had to see Glenn again. She wanted to feel his lips on hers. He had given her a hunger for his touch, and she knew she couldn’t live without him.

  “There you are!” Eunice looked beyond Hazel to where Glenn was leaning nonchalantly against a tree. “Is that Mr Bradshaw I can see lurking in the woods?”

  Glenn nodded and flourished his hand before taking an old-fashioned bow. “At your pleasure, Miss Eunice.”

  Eunice giggled. “Quite the gentleman when you finally show up, aren’t you?”

  “Are you insinuating I was late?” Glenn spoke in the rounded tones of the aristocracy and lifted one brow, making Eunice giggle some more. He continued in the same falsetto voice. “I wasn’t aware we’d arranged a particular time.”

  “We didn’t, silly!” Hazel chuckled at his antiquated manners and turn of phrase. “I was panicking because I thought you weren’t coming.”

  “I will never let you down, Milady.” He bent to one knee and pulled the flat cap from his head. “You have my solemn promise.”

  “Well, your promise won’t be worth much if her dad finds you here.” Eunice grabbed Hazel’s hand and pulled her away. “He’ll have your guts for garters, and that’s just for starters!”

  “Your friend is a poet, Petal. It seems we have a lot in common already, eh?”

  Hazel grinned. She couldn’t think of anything better than for her best friend and new love to be friends.

  “Hazel!” Eunice tugged her arm. “We have to go! Your dad was already asking where you’d got to. I told him you needed to spend a penny.”

  “Good thinking.” Glenn chuckled. “Hurry back, girls. I don’t want my sweetheart getting into trouble.”

  Hazel’s wide grin threatened to split her face in two. Glenn had called her his sweetheart. She thought her heart might burst with happiness. She didn’t want to leave him and pulled from her friend’s grasp to run back to his side.

  “When will I see you again?” With her hands on his chest, she gazed into his eyes. “Please tell me you’ll come back to the café soon.”

  “Every chance I get, Petal.” His mouth brushed hers fleetingly. “Go now, before your parents come looking for you.” He pushed her gently.

  Eunice sprang forward and took her arm again. “You two are playing with fire here! Come away now, Hazel, before one of you gets burned!”

  “Too late, I’m already smouldering inside.” Glenn chuckled, winked, and quickly turned to hurry away through the trees.

  “Oh, my!” Eunice shook her head. “Now I understand what you were trying to explain. He’s a wild one, isn’t he?”

  Hazel allowed Eunice to drag her back to the bandstand, but her mind was not on the party or her guests.

  “How on earth are you going to keep this secret from your family? You’ll have to come clean eventually. If you want to see him again, you’d better start making plans to introduce him to your mam and dad…” Eunice continued to chatter until they reached the park meadow. “Better pretend you’re a happy little birthday girl. Act as if nothing much happened back there, or someone will guess you’ve been up to no good.”

  Hazel didn’t need to pretend happiness. She’d never felt more carefree in her life. She marched up to her brother who had the cricket bat in his hand and snatched it from him.

  “Hey, sis! What are you doing? It’s my turn to bat!”

  “Not now, it isn’t, Norman!” Hazel took her place in front of the wickets. “It’s my birthday, so don’t argue with me!”

  The game continued with all the players in high spirits. Hazel hit the ball twice and then missed it three times. She was caught out before she made a single run, but she d
idn’t care. Her mind was miles away. Glenn Bradshaw had called her his sweetheart. She would see him again soon. He would kiss her again and make her feel happier than she had ever felt before.

  As the afternoon wore on, small children were falling asleep in their mother’s arms, and older ones were chasing around the trees playing ‘catch me if you can’. Hazel’s brother was running away from Terry and Hugh, the two younger Simpson boys. Adults were starting to clear the remains of the party food, and Hazel sat on the bandstand steps with Eunice and her friend’s two other brothers.

  “Isn’t it about time your mam and dad let you out on a Saturday evening?” Raymond asked, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the parents weren’t close enough to hear him. He lowered his voice. “Now you’re nineteen; you should be allowed out of their sight sometimes.”

  “Are you asking her for a date, our Ray?” sixteen-year-old Walter sniggered.

  “Cheeky little imp!” Raymond lifted his hand and went to strike his younger brother, pulling his punch at the last minute and laughing loudly. “I was just saying, that’s all.”

  Eunice squeezed Hazel’s hand. “Hazel wouldn’t be interested in our Raymond, Walter. She’s set her sights on someone else already.”

  “Oh?” Raymond looked deflated for a few seconds but quickly recovered and smiled tightly. “Who’s the lucky lad?”

  Eunice leant close to whisper, “Glenn Bradshaw’s his name.”

  “Does he pal around with Gordon Naylor?”

  Hazel shrugged. “I don’t know any of his pals.”

  Raymond’s face grew serious. “Be careful, Hazel. Them Bradshaw’s are a wild bunch.”

  “What would you know about them?” Hazel remembered her boss’s words about the family and wanted to know more.

  “Does Glenn Bradshaw work at one of the collieries in Ossett?”

  Hazel nodded. “I think so.”

  “Then it’s the same chap I’m thinking of. His older brother had a close brush with the law a few months back, but the police couldn’t get anything to stick.”