6

 

6

Gladys and Glynnis, could not be more different in appearance. Gladys had a penchant for colorful dresses, usually the softer pastel shades and a decided thing for lemon yellow, while Glynnis could only be described as austere with her two-piece outfits and sensible shoes. It was as if one was clinging to a long-ago war and the other determined to live in eternal spring. Their choice of frames for their glasses is what tied them together as team. Horn rimmed with top corners which at times appeared to support their generous hairstyles, corners pointed upward in a cat ear fashion, for Gladys with pearls and for Glynis an intricate crust of clear stones, which rumor has it, were the diamonds she had smuggled out of a war office and into town. She had either forgotten about them or was as good at keeping a poker face as certain tongues were at wagging.

Gladys and Glynnis were sisters-in-law, married at one time to brothers Henry and Jacob. Fate had decided to take Jacob first, leaving his wife to live with her brother and sister in-law, some time, though not many years later the same fate befell Henry, and the women were left alone, but for each other.

Each had been left enough to keep them comfortably for life, but both Gladys and Glynnis agreed that they needed something smaller to live in and something to do with their time. Soon they had settled in town and on an outing one morning decided that they would make it their life’s ambition to bring a little elegance to the women in town. If not, then at least a little color thought Gladys.

They had named their shop Antoinette’s in honor of an infamous French woman and had filled it with ready made clothing for most occasions and a selection of fabric from which to fashion garments. Business grew steadily, and while they would never become either rich or famous, the ladies of Antoinette’s were at once respected and feared, especially by those who simply had no taste. Glady and Glynnis were always reassuring, and offered guidance to many a young woman, often as much on the social front as on the choice of dress.

Times were not easy and upon starting their business the women had agreed on a strategy that would not impoverish them or their clients and as they had opened and slowly gained confidence in themselves, so too had the women in town. Antoinette’s had become a bit of an anchor.

Situated neatly in the middle of the main road their window was wide and attractive enough to draw an occasional shopper, and it was also wide enough for them to see if anybody was heading their way, letting the bell over door announce their entrance. It was that very bell that tinkled now. Glynnis looked up to see May Viljoen and her daughter, the one that worked at the coffee shop down the road. The one, that could use a make-over. “The girl and the coffee shop,” sniggered Gladys to herself, though not with any malice, her humor was much like her outfits.

“Good morning, Glynnis,” said May Viljoen, catching herself in an involuntary curtsey, “Good morning, Gladys.” Girly smiled and nodded at them, her throat dry. Leaving town, if only for a few days had presented her with enough anxiety, and her new friends, the Sampson twins, though excited, had filled her head with more than she could process. Secretly Girly had always liked the ladies of Antoinette’s. They were stylish, different from most people in town, were confident and held just enough mystery to keep them interesting. What Girly liked most was that everyone was an equal, these women did not look down at anyone, not from behind those glasses.

“May, Girly May,’ Glynnis responded, coming to stand before them. She had heard that the younger May had finished school, so it was probably her that needed the attention. May herself was a neatly put together woman but held no excitement in her dress or demeanor. Life had not ground her down, but living where she did, it hardly elevated matters.

“Girly needs an outfit that she can wear in the city, she will visit a college for the morning. I want it to be suitable but also something that she can wear for other things, work for example. Not at the coffee shop, but you never know. If she does well on her exam it might encourage her to keep studying.” May felt like she had shared too much, she felt as if she had opened the door to many questions.

Gladys had come from behind her counter and was listening. “Though I love a dress, they can be limiting. How do you feel about a few loose pieces, a blouse or two and a skirt that you can mix and match?” she winked at Girly, “It shouldn’t only be about the moment at hand. Prospects, something is always just waiting to present itself, isn’t it dear? And we must be ready.”

Girly smiled at Gladys, marveling at how her appearance was at odds with her serious mind. Girly stole a leaf from the book of Gladys, it would come in handy later.

Girly and her mom decided on two outfits that she would take with on their trip. Something to wear on excursions with her aunt and something less frivolous for the exam. Girly had saved enough of her earnings to buy herself a scarf, some shoes that were not her black Sunday best and a piece of fabric that she and her mother would use to make another blouse. She had enough left to take with on their trip.

Thanking both Girly and May as they left the shop, Glynnis and Gladys looked at each other and smiled. “Let’s hope we have that one on the right path,” said Gladys, “She is sure to turn some heads.”

“She sure will,” agreed Glynnis, “I do hope her mother will have a talk with her. You know, about escaping and about being trapped. More to the point, how she could get trapped, I’ve seen that new boy ogling her when she passes. I wish he would find something to do other than warm the bench outside Lenny’s place. He, my dear, is a trap waiting to spring.” They laughed quietly. At once humored and contrite.

Girly was full of excitement as she and her mother made their way home with the packages. She loved the fabric and could her mother cut it so that there was some spar to make a hairband. Girly had taken to wearing her hair loose, held back with a hairband, pigtails were for little girls. Wisdom from the Sampson sisters. Other than the need for shiny lips, this was probably the best thing they had taught her. Truthfully, Girly had been rather disappointed, all they could talk about was boys. Boys they knew and hoped to see again, boys they had seen in town and wanted to meet, Girly felt pressured to help them in their social endeavors. She had hoped they would find something to do. They were too old for the local school and didn’t seem interested in working anywhere. Maybe finding a boy and keeping him was what they had chosen to do.

Girly shook her head, she had enough on her plate. Doris had given her the afternoon off to go shopping with her mother, and she needed to go over her work so that if there was anything she did not understand or that her parents couldn’t explain she could make use of the opportunity at the exam venue to have her questions answered.

She had however promised the Sampson girls that she would pay them a visit in the evening, and they could tell her about what they thought lay in store for her. They had lived in various places after all. 

But first, some revision.

 

You may wonder to yourself why a young girl has to end her schooling at such a young age, why she may need to become independent, or indeed why she may be in training to become dependent. Similarly, the prospects in town clinging for life are few. Opportunities to earn an income are too often just that. There are no prospects and no desire, the only motivation is a meal and a roof. To foist this on one so young may seem criminal, but it is in these young ones that the world has a future. The lure of the big city, whatever period, is strong, and Girly on her mini adventure is not the only one to be drawn by it.  No amount of schooling and discussion can prepare you for what life holds. It can however make you aware of what it offers and what the consequences are. Glynnis turned away from the window as the Viljoen women disappeared from view, admonishing herself for living vicariously.

5

 

5

Dear May,

Niceties are best dispensed with in person, that is to say when I see you in a few months I will hand out all the hugs and kisses to you and my dear goddaughter that I have been saving since the last time I was home.

I would however be lax in my duty as next in line to primary care giver if I said nothing about the way she has left school at such a young age. My ears ring with your explanations and excuses, but the one thing you fail to concede is that even though schooling is not governed and it has been the norm for girls to leave school as soon as they are able to read or write. I know I should thank one star or another that she actually went to school, but then you did and for that God will bless mom and pop wherever they are. Don’t you think she deserves a better chance? An education will drive her to seek better for herself, rather than live under the lid you with which you have capped her world.

Darling May, when you visit for her to do her exam, please come with an open mind and see that the world is not entirely evil, see that it is an opportunity to make of your daughter the person you secretly wish you had become. Accept your lot, I won’t begrudge you that, you have been happy with Fred, but don’t force the same on a child who has only begun to blossom.

Though I wish I could take the child and mold her further into the person we know she can be, my life is of such a nature that I would be doing her a disservice.

Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing my dear sister again. I often wondered if our mother had had another daughter would she be named April or July, it brings a smile to my face much as I imagine the smile it brought to her face as she handed out her grace to us.

You can tell Fred that I will endeavor to keep him in good company and look forward to more than just one game of tennis on your visit.

Love to Girly

Take the best care

June

 

May stood with the letter in her hand and translated what she read into relevant snippets for Fred without including the admonishment her sister had so effortlessly worked into her missive.

“Well, it’s settled then. My sister appears to be looking forward to our visit. I just worry that she fills Girly’s mind with all kinds of flighty nonsense.”

“Darling,” said Fred, even twenty years or so into the marriage, she was still his darling, “She means well, and I guess its that somewhat sharp manner of hers which has kept her safe and sane since she moved away. If she was even slightly silly her life would not have turned out the way it has and we would be walking down the road to visit her, not going on an adventure,”

“I know,” May couldn’t help but be nervous. A quick honeymoon not too far away is the furthest she had ever wandered. She was happy here, she had her husband, her daughter, her job, and a home she had inherited and loved dearly. Though nowhere near old, May could sometimes dwell on the crust rather than the filling. What could she do? It was in her nature.  Girly and the hopes that both May and Fred held for her helped temper May’s thoughts. May knew well enough to think that it wouldn’t be fair to Girly to expect her follow exactly in her own footsteps, but heaven forbid that the child followed in those of her aunt.

May put down the letter and picked up the pie she had baked earlier that day.  She had waited until Girly had come home before she ventured out to meet the new neighbors. It would do Girly some good to meet new people. Heading toward the front door she called for Girly to join her.

May introduced herself and Girly to the woman who had answered their knock, handing her the pie with an aside that there was no need to hurry with the dish.

The Sampsons it turned out were a blended family of sorts. Mr. Sampson and Gerald, the older boy that Girly had seen earlier had come from a previous marriage where the wife had died. Lucille was on her first marriage and the girls who were indeed twins were Mr. and Mrs. Sampsons daughters. Girly had stopped listening the moment Gerald had flashed his wide white smile at her. Fortunately, before she started dreaming, the girls, a year older, each took an arm and marched her into the house. Ostensibly to show her their room, but rather to exchange information about the eligible in town. And naturally to teach Girly how to apply lip gloss.

4

 

4

He gently brushed the snow from her hair and cheeks as he helped her from the sleigh. The ride had been exhilarating and the horses that drew them along were strong and well-tuned to their handler. May moved towards the entrance where she knew a fire would be blazing, handing her coat to the doorman as she entered and made her way towards the warmth. She had dropped the Girly and now introduced herself as May Savage. Mrs.

Her little bookkeeping course had led her to a job in the city and she had completed one course after another as she climbed the corporate mountain with a gusto nobody had ever guessed she possessed. Alan Savage was her counterpart at a competing firm and while it seemed to the outside that there was an ethical problem in the making, May and Alan continued to keep their noses clean and proven the doomsayers wrong.

Alan and May had met during tough negotiations and had used their minds for work and to form that bond that is so rare. And now as she sat near the roaring fireplace of their hotel May watched her handsome husband as he crossed over to her, a warming drink in each hand. She licked her lips in anticipation.

“Girly. Girly. Earth to Girly May.” Doris clucked at her in exasperation. Her reverie broken, Girly blushed, she didn’t know enough to further her dream anyway, but it was fun to check out and leave everything behind for a minute or two.  “Table two are ready for their coffee now,” Doris intruded again. Girly blushed and made her way to the coffee pot.

Girly was barely fifteen and only partway through a manageable but boring course. She had managed to convince her parents to let her keep all her earnings until they went away and when they returned, they could discuss her contributions to living expenses. That is until girly responded to the overtures of one of the local lads and was ready to begin courting.  She was still so young but twenty was a heartbeat away and then it would become difficult to lift her from the shelf she would find herself on.

It did sometimes happen, though rarely, that a family would pack up their home and move away, never to be seen again. It was even rarer, but it did happen, that a new family would arrive and stay.

Today was one of those days.

Barely snapped from one daydream, Girly found herself living another. As she took the couple at table two their coffee she happened to glance out of the frill framed window to see a car she didn’t recognize, followed by a moving van drive past and turn the corner in the direction of the street where she lived. There was only one empty house, it ha been so for months. Girly smiled at her customers and went to stand behind the counter where she could see if either vehicle had decided to turn and leave.

She couldn’t stand there forever lest Doris come along and find something for her to do, and her shift seemed to drag interminably. One must understand that whatever the times were and no matter the mindset, a girl of fifteen was still a girl and a teenager at that. Though she may be seen as an adult who had finished school and was starting on the path of her life, some things took precedence, by which we mean the possibilities that new townsfolk could present. A new friend for a teenage girl to spend time with. A new boy a teenage girl could imagine spending time with. People have pasts and occasionally they leave them behind, but for the most part there is always a residue of that which has been, which clings to them and informs on them in their new surroundings.

Girly shifted from foot to foot, wiped the same table more than once while ignoring its sticky neighbor. One would be forgiven for thinking she was not accustomed to much, which is indeed the case, but considering where she found herself, one would be more than willing to indulge.

The moving van was leaving town as Girly rounded the corner to the street where she lived. Their car was outside in the street and there was a bunch of people standing on the verge discussing how to get the last large piece of furniture up their porch and through the door. Girly walk by, stealing glances from the corner of her eye. Two girls slightly older, they looked as if they could be twins and a boy, a young man really, a year or two older than the girls and what appeared to be parents and an aunt. She couldn’t be sure how they all fell into place, but she could be sure to make an effort to find out.

 

3

 

3

“Just think about it Girly, please.”  May implored her daughter. “We can’t afford to send you to college, and you are too young to wander off into the world on your own.”

“But I don’t like doing math, I don’t want to inherit your job.” May looked at her mom with more than a hint of stubbornness. “Doris at the coffee shop said I could start work with her on the weekends and when Lindy goes to have her baby, she will give me more shifts. I don’t want to sit in an office, I don’t want to be bored or boring.”

This had been an ongoing conversation for more than a week now.  School had ended, farmers had taken their break and the world as they knew it had returned to its daily cycle. Girly knew her parents couldn’t afford to look after her forever, and she knew that the offer to pay for her to do a correspondence course in bookkeeping, while not ideal, would give her grounding and direction. But she didn’t want to sit and do accounts or spend her days in an office with piles of paper she had no interest in. She wanted a window to see the outside world and she wanted people who would bring her news. Working for Doris would be ideal.

Life for Fred and May and been fairly run of the mill, few decisions and little hardship, but times were changing, and they were changing rapidly. May tried a final compromise. “What about doing the course on days you don’t work for Doris? You get to learn something useful, and you get to please yourself. It will take some organization on your part, but I know you can do it.” May sighed, “Please Girly. Dad and I won’t be here forever and prospects in town are not what they were when we were your age.”

Girly was looking at the brochure her mother had presented her with nearly a week ago. Gathering her thoughts and lining up her words she prepared to chase one of her dreams, or at least to set the wheels in motion. Making eye contact with her mother Girly said, “If I do this course you must promise to let me go into the city and do the exam there.” Always believing that life will work itself out May sighed, this was not a turn she had anticipated. “Why don’t we see what your father says.”

“I don’t see why we can’t plan for it.” Fred had given the request more than its share of thought. Though neither he nor May had left town for more than a few days when they were newly married, neither had ever visited the city. He felt trepidation, but he also felt that it was inevitable. At least this way he would have a hand in it and could be a buffer should it come to it. “We can plan to see your sister. I think we can make it work.” He turned his attention to Girly, “But you have got to give it your best. We don’t have much, so it will mean sacrifices from all of us. Even if you don’t end up in the office with your mother you will have learned something, and that sets you apart.”

Girly smiled to herself as she left her parents and went to her room. She didn’t like to think that she had been manipulative. Later she would remember this conversation and realise that she had learned that nothing just comes of its own volition, maybe her parents had learned it too.

Girly had taken the brochure with her and now she sat and diligently filled in the questionnaire which would set her on her course as a correspondence student shortly before she turned fifteen. And shortly before she turned 16 she would be off to write her exam. She had chosen a course that was affordable for her parents and would afford her time to save what she could from working at the restaurant. She would need a bit of money for her visit away. Reaching to the back of her wardrobe, she withdrew her moneybag. She had made it for herself from the remnants of yellow dress fabric. Peaking into the string tied top of the money bag Girly once again began to dream.

 

2

 

2

Fred and May Viljoen met and married as if it were the most natural thing to do, and if you saw them together you would think so too. They had one daughter which they named after May and her mother. For the purposes of distinction they called her Girly. It was a term May had remembered her father using and it filled her with a warmth and sense of security she couldn’t describe, but she wanted her daughter to feel the same. And so Girly May was what she was called, and there are some who to this day are of the idea that May is her surname.

Girly was bright and often at the top of her small mixed age class. Small town teachers would have called her gifted and as such they tried all they could to encourage her. Given to flights of fancy from an early age it was sometime difficult for Girly to focus on the schoolwork at hand. The same ones who called her gifted would shake their heads and chide her for wasting their time, but secretly they hoped that these flights would one day be the door to a larger world for her.

Fred and May had both been born in town and were schooled there, Fred till he was 16 and May to 14. They had met at just such a year end occasion. The same could be said for most of the people in town. Fred had found work at the co-op, helping get the farmers goods distributed and providing them with supplies, he had been at this same job for nearly twenty-five years. As it turns out, May had gotten a job in the co-op office for three days of the week. Her mathematics skills had stood her in good stead, although Mr. Smidt had only consented to hire her once she turned 16. Much as this was how things were, he did feel as if employing May at 14 was in some way depriving her. Besides, it would give her time to mature and to complete a correspondence course or two. This is how Fred and May still lived, they couldn’t see it any different for themselves and May had already started looking for a correspondence course or two for Girly to do once she realized that she would no longer be filling her days with school activities. Neither May nor Girly had given thought to anything beyond the concrete ‘Welcome’ sign at the start of town.

Money was tight and the small town, though not sinking, was clinging to life with all its might.  Fred worried for Girly and what would become of her. There was no money to send her to a college in another town, let alone have her live away from home. He knew she needed more education than she had received and more than he or his wife had gotten. Fred knew that things in town were not ideal, and while he was happy to hold on for the rest of his life it would be more than just a little unfair to expect the same from Girly.

Fred Viljoen began to dream.

 

 

1

 

1

She stood smiling shyly at Pastor Daniel.  “You look nice this evening Girly,” he had said to her. Her dress was a bright yellow, her mother had it made with the material her aunty June had sent from Cape Town to celebrate her fourteenth birthday. Her Sunday shoes, shiny and black, matched the ribbon in her blond hair. Her mother had said that since she had finished school and today was a special celebration, she should do her best to look like the young lady she was.

“Thank you, Pastor,” Girly said shyly. She knew he was being polite, and they both knew that she wasn’t ready to be a lady just yet. Once a year the townsfolk had a bit of a festival to mark the end of the school year and the beginning of a short break for the farmers before life on the farm got too busy for them to see anyone. Girly was celebrating the end of her schooling, but she didn’t want to get caught up in all the adult concerns just yet. Instead, she had volunteered to look after the younger children for the afternoon.

Pastor Daniels wife had kindly set up a little club room in an unused outbuilding on their property. She had provided seating and a few toys and games and encouraged the town children to use the space as they wished, and to bring along anything that would make it a haven for them. Today she had provided them with a large jug of orange squash and some biscuits. Girly could share them out later in the afternoon.

Neatly hanging her yellow dress in her wardrobe and gently wiping the dust from her Sunday shoes before she placed them neatly in their box under her bed, Girly thought to herself that she probably wouldn’t get to wear her dress again. There were no occasions any time soon and even she could see how she had begun to fill her clothes, a source of both pride and concern to her parents. They had done the best they could with what they had and had done their utmost to prepare her for a world they had never ventured into.

Her toes free and her legs bare, Girly left the house and ran down the garden path allowing the gate to slam behind her. Once.  Twice. She winced, then remembered that her parents were out. The younger children had already started to gather outside the clubhouse. They didn’t want to go inside; they had decided to wait for Girly and play a few games of hide and seek as they made their way down to the river.

The air was warm, but the light had begun to fade. Chivvying the slowest of the group along, Girly herded them all back to the clubhouse. Collecting their share of the cookies and squash the children made themselves comfortable. Everyone had a spot where they liked to sit and play games or just banter with their friends. Mrs. Pastor, as they called her, had left a pile of magazines on a table. She was often at odds with the quality of education in general and in town specifically. Hopefully one of the children would find the magazines inspiring if not at least interesting.

The pages stuck to her fingers as she stared at the beautiful woman and her companion sitting in what appeared to be a rather fancy restaurant. The closest Girly had ever been, was to the café in the middle of town where the owner thought that an abundance of frills was indicative of taste. There was nothing to compare it to and nobody argued.

Girly began to dream.

 

 

 

 

Prologue

 

Prologue:

There are towns, however remote, and even some closer to civilization where, much like Girly May, some people have never left. They were born here, and this is where they stayed. No desire for ocean or mountain, no knowledge of living at a different pace. They knew what they knew. They knew when times were tough, and they generally were.  They knew when things were better. When the church was less crammed with drawn faces and Sunday afternoons held as much adult laughter as that of children. They also knew that nothing could last forever but they tried to make it so by never venturing away from the safety of home.

Girly May had been born in just such a place, to a mother and father who confused complacency with contentment. Where shoes were for Sundays, and fizzy cool drinks were a godsend. The dust that puffed up from her 14-year-old toes as she slapped her bare feet on the schoolhouse veranda did not set her apart, instead it confirmed what she in her heart had always tried to shy away from; she was one of them; born to live even as she died.

Girly May wanted more, and now at the ripe old age of 25 she decided to go and find it.