Читать книгу Sand In My Shoes: Coming of Age in the Second World War: A WAAF’s Diary - Joan Rice - Страница 56

Last night the WAAFs gave a dance. I had my hair done the night before and it was looking extremely nice. Everyone had been remarking on it, the boys in the Orderly Room teasing me about it. Just before I left the house, Boompsie called from the bathroom to say the tap had burst again, but as Becket, the house NCO, said she would get a plumber, I thought no more about it.

I danced with a lot of airmen, none very exciting, and at about 11.30 I met Boompsie and a drunk young Army officer: they said they were going on to a beer party when the dance ended and would I come. I said all right and we all of us went round looking for beer to buy and take away. Then one of the WAAF sergeants said she had heard about our planning and was coming along to our house to see we were in bed. I went to tell Geoffrey, the Army officer, this and explain it would be stupid to go. He said all right, come out with me tomorrow night, and kissed me in the hall in front of our senior sergeant; we were very drunk. He took my telephone number and said he's phone. Apparently he had made likewise promises to Boompsie and others (there's a dance up at his place and he was sent to collect a few WAAFs to go, preferably, I think, of the prostitute tendency).

Back in my billet no plumber had come, the kitchen was flooded, Becket had missed the dance and spent the evening bailing water and was very very mad. Lots of men with mud-encrusted boots had worn paths across our bedroom. I got into bed with two aspirins, lied to the disappearing sergeant about Boompsie and was awakened by her at 3.30 returning from the Army officer and a battle for her maidenhead. I swore at her with a language I never realised I knew, and woke again at seven to see water over our floor, the pipes having burst in the night. Becket and I spent the morning cleaning it up, a filthy job, and by 11.30 when we were finally finished we lay like two limp dirty dolls on our respective beds.