The Spitfire Girls(33)
She stared out the taxi window, nose almost to the glass as she studied the city. Lizzie imagined it would have been beautiful before the war, but the bombs had wreaked havoc: entire blocks were gone, with foundations sticking up haphazardly, reminding her of a graveyard. She also couldn’t get used to the barrage balloons that seemed to float so lazily in the sky in an attempt to discourage low-level attacks. Seeing it like this, the reality of war hit her like an unexpected blow. Even though they were flying military planes, she hadn’t truly seen the war herself; she hadn’t actually lived through it like the local pilots had, and it struck her that her hometown could look like this if war found its way to American shores. Pearl Harbor had already been destroyed, but imagining her own beloved streets bombed, everything she knew and loved being in danger like this, was sobering. She’d found her father’s stories glamorous, when in reality war was anything but.
She’d been naive enough to think that London wouldn’t be so affected, but between bombed buildings and the blackout, not to mention the wailing siren that echoed to warn of air raids, it was a city struggling. The only thing she’d really noticed where they were based was the food rations, but they still had plenty to eat. Lizzie smiled, thinking about her mother, who’d worried before she left about what food would be available, hands on hips as she’d fretted about how skinny her daughter might be on her return. Once she started flying the four-engine bombers, planes that usually had a crew of more than four men, skinny would be the least of her mother’s worries.
‘Here you are, luv,’ the taxi driver said as he pulled over, parked cars blocking him from taking them straight to the door.
Lizzie glanced over at Ruby. ‘Come on, let’s go.’
But Ruby was still looking out the window, and seemed a million miles away. ‘Sorry, I was . . .’ Her voice trailed off.
They stepped out and Lizzie linked her arm with Ruby’s as they waited for the driver to get their overnight bags, wondering for the first time what her roommate might have lost to the war. ‘You’re thinking about that man of yours, aren’t you?’ she whispered.
Ruby laughed, resisting her at first, then leaning in and keeping their arms linked. Then she grabbed hold of Polly so the three of them were lined up in a row. ‘So she’s not only a better flyer than me – she’s a mind reader now, too!’
Lizzie rolled her eyes. She’d been watching Ruby fly, studying her whenever she could, and although she might be more experienced, Lizzie was no longer so confident that she was the best flyer at Hamble. If Ruby wasn’t as good as her yet, she was a close second, and she knew there’d be stiff competition between them to finish top of the class. They all took their bags and walked the short distance to the Savoy.
‘So tell me about him. When’s this fella going to make an honest woman of you?’ Lizzie asked, as they all dodged right around some fallen debris from a building that had recently been hit near their hotel.
‘After defying his mother, I’d say we’ll be having a quiet ceremony, just the two of us, once the war is over,’ Ruby replied. ‘If we get married at all. We’ll say our vows and get on with our life, I suppose.’
‘Oh Ruby, surely he’ll come around. Did the old bat really give you a four-week ultimatum?’ Polly asked.
‘She certainly did.’
‘The whole thing sounds unromantic, if you ask me,’ Lizzie said. ‘Sorry, but after everything, if you both survive the war and things go back to normal, you deserve a big celebration, don’t you think?’
‘Lizzie! Leave her alone!’ Polly cried.
‘Americans,’ Ruby muttered. ‘They warned us about you, you know? Brash and bold, that’s what we were told, and you haven’t disappointed.’
Lizzie tipped her head back. ‘Well, I wouldn’t say bold exactly, would you?’
Ruby gave her a look before bursting into laughter with Polly, the two of them leaning their heads together like it was the funniest thing in the world. ‘And for the record, I didn’t ask for your opinion on our wedding plans! Honestly, you seem to be an expert on everything!’
‘Ladies,’ said a handsome soldier with his dark hair combed back, holding the door to the hotel wide open for them.
Lizzie gave Ruby a nudge and smiled demurely as he passed by, before they all erupted into laughter again.
‘You’re the most terrible influence,’ Ruby said, still smiling as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. ‘Absolutely terrible, Lizzie, you know that?’
‘But I’ve made you want to beat me, haven’t I? The only thing you can blame me for is giving you some stiff competition in the sky.’
‘Or being a total pain in all our behinds,’ Polly moaned.
Ruby gave Lizzie a hard stare. ‘We’re off duty, Liz. I don’t want to talk about who’s going to get the first flight, not while we’re here. May wanted us to be friends and all get along, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do.’
‘Okay,’ Lizzie said, running her finger across her lips as if she were zipping them shut. ‘No work talk.’
Lizzie gazed at her surroundings, admiring the beauty of the glamorous, much-loved hotel. This was the one place in London that had surpassed her expectations; even with bomb damage it was still as elegant as ever. For one glorious night they’d be sharing a room here instead of in another family’s home. If that meant not talking about who was going to get that first flight, then so be it.