Nyx [h.s]

Chapter seven

August 1935

"I missed you." It is the first words George tells me right after I meet up with him at his aunt's house. It was closer for me to meet up with him there as I just finished work for the day and his house was on the way to mine.

My parents kept insisting I should work at the factory just like my brothers as soon as school ended. Well, school ended two weeks ago which meant I was going to start a new job there.

Unless I came up with a better plan, which I did.

It was not a better plan, but it was simply a way to delay my inevitable destiny working to death in a place like that. I had convinced my parents I wanted to become a teacher, which meant I had to remain in school for a few more years. Teaching in small towns such as mine was not like teaching in bigger towns like London. Here teachers had only the minimal required education, especially primary school teachers which was the only role I could even dream to achieve. Besides, it did not pay much better than other jobs but at least I would not have to work to exhaustion in the factory.

Did I want to teach maddening young children who still had to learn how to remain still in their seats? No, it was the last thing I wanted. But it would buy me two more years away from working in a factory, which means I could do some other small jobs in the meantime, hopefully, save enough money to go to London by the time I finish school.

My parents were not pleased with my decision at all, not even after I managed to convince my dearest teacher to intervene for me. But then we came to an agreement, which included me working throughout the summer and during my free time during school. The new school I was going to attend next month was in a nearby town which had a bigger population. My teacher pulled some strings and helped me find a job there in a bakery.

The only problem was the working hours. I had to be there at six in the morning, and it was a thirty-minute walk from my house. Which meant my days were starting very early in the morning. Right now, in the middle of summer, it was no issue, the real struggle would start during the winter months, although I do not like to think too much about it. My days ended at four in the afternoon, which was not too bad, but once school started I would simply work from six to nine in the morning and on Saturdays and Sundays too.

More than half of the money I made, which was not a lot, was going directly to my parents. It was not nearly as much as I would make in a factory, but it is better than nothing. The rest of the money I got to keep for myself, but during the winter months, I think I will spend most of it on bus tickets to get me out of the rain and cold. The best part of the job was the tips I made which I kept to myself. My parents did not know about that money, I hide it inside my underwear drawer so they never find out about it.

Hopefully one day, it will be enough to leave this town.

"I have missed you too." I smile allowing myself to welcome his embrace. His muscled arms were placed around my body pulling me in for a hug. I rested my head on his warm chest, savouring the best part of my day.

It has been nearly two months since I started going out with George and now I cannot picture my life without him. The time we spend together is one of the most wonderful moments in my life. Sometimes we only got as little as a couple of minutes together every other day, but those two minutes make my day worth it. He was part of the reason why I decided to fight against my parents' wishes, he helped me believe in myself.

He was also fighting against his parents' wishes by remaining here with his aunt instead of going back to Portsmouth like he was supposed to do when summer ended. His time picking strawberries had ended but the Richmond family, the ones who own those lands asked him to stay as a full-time employer. He took care of the land as well, fixing some things around the house too. On the side, he was trying to build his reputation around town as a handyman which was proving to take quite some time.