Open Writing

Tid was her nickname; she was christened Eva but amongst the children in the neighbourhood, was always known as Tid. Perhaps it was what she called herself as a toddler. She was about three years older than I was. I always liked her; she was a very honest and kind girl.

Her mother, like mine, was a Cockney, born within the sound of Bow bells, and that gave Tid and myself something in common. Mrs. Austen was a big, buxom woman, friendly and rather loud. My mother was slimmer and sort of pear-shaped and not very tall - usually soft-spoken but if angry could lead-off with the best of them.

When the blitz started in London, Peter, Tid's cousin, came to stay with the Austen family. I liked Peter very much. He was about a year older than myself. It wasn't a boyfriend-girlfriend thing; we became real friends. We discussed books and films that we liked, or whatever we'd listened to on the wireless. We had real conversations.

He had a good sense of humour and wasn't spiteful, like most of the other boys. I was particularly attracted by his Cockney accent. Peter had an honest, open face and a lovely smile. Flo and Eileen liked him as well. In the company of another boy called Walter Hines we enjoyed playing board games and doing jigsaws. When that palled we played charades.

This made a pleasant change from acting out Cowboys and Indians, where the girls could only be squaws or cowgirls or helping out in the saloon. The boys meanwhile racing around looking like idiots, slapping their thighs, pretending they were riding horses, shouting "giddy-up!" and "whoa, Old-timer" and looking pretty silly.

One morning Tid and I walked into town to the library. On the way we passed Mrs. Lewis and I remarked on how fat she was becoming. Tid looked at me, laughed and said: "Well yes, she would be. That's because she's going to have a baby."

I further compounded my ignorance by asking how she knew. During that trip to the library, Tid took my sexual education in hand. Of course, straight off I said I didn't believe a word of it and came out with the stock saying: "My mum and dad wouldn't do anything awful like that."

Thinking back, I couldn't have had a better and more sensible tutor. When we reached the library, Tid explained it all with the aid of an illustrated medical book.

I was very quiet on the way home and Tid asked me what the matter was.

"What do you do if you don't want to do that thing?”

“Have sexual intercourse, d'you mean?" I nodded.

"You knee them in the balls and run like Billy-oh! Don't worry, Betty, you're only twelve. When you're older, you must make sure you don't get into situations that you can't get out of."

And that was the soundest piece of advice I've ever been given.