We'll meet again Evelyn Rosewood

Dizzy Lizzy

It was January of the new 1940. It was bitterly cold. As John's hand touched the crisp bills in his pocket from his payday, he couldn't help but think of Beth's upcoming birthday. The idea of taking her dancing to celebrate filled him with excitement. They knew each other for almost a year now.

With a small smirk on his pale face, he envisioned how he could ask her and how she would respond. The anticipation of the evening ahead added an extra skip to his step.

When he did ask, Beth's smile radiated warmth as she accepted, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The cold air embraced them as they made their way to the pub, where the dance awaited.

Those dances were a cheap but fun occupation for young people of that time. The entrance to those was usually a small fee.

John couldn't shake off the feeling of Beth's subtle worry. Concern etched on his features as he gently asked, "Lizzy, are you alright? You seem a bit off."

The streetlamps cast a soft glow around them, highlighting her face. As they walked, the faint sound of music could be heard from afar.

Beth wasn't in fact alright. Her heart weighed heavy with the burden of her family's expectations pressing down on her.

The absence of her father, off serving in the navy, left her feeling even more miserable than before. Her mother's insistence on finding her a suitable match before she turns twenty only added to Beth's internal turmoil.

The idea of marrying for wealth and status rather than love and happiness, left her feeling extremely down, especially by the fact that she will turn nineteen in a few days and her mother is frantic.

She was just too embarrassed to tell John, even though she desperately wanted to unload the misery she was in on somebody.

Instead, she just said, "I'm fine. Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

John shrugged. Unlike her, he wasn't good in seeing people's true emotions. So, he assumed that she is fine.

As they walked into the lively pub, the music enveloped them, filling the air with a vibrant energy that set the scene for the night ahead.

Amidst the beats, John's mate George caught their eye, sparking a conversation.

"George!" John approached, "Fancy seeing you here."

George greeted back, "Good to see ya, mate." Then he extended his hand to Beth saying, "Nice to see ya as well. You sure didn't strike me as someone who enjoys dances like this."

Beth smiled lightly and said, "Well, I'm just full of surprises, what can I say?"

"So, George, how's work been treating ya lately?" John asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual grind. Can't complain though. I'm going soon anyways."

The thing he meant was going in the army. Yes, George was going in the army in just about 2 months. He didn't apply, he just got a telegram one day.

John, of course knew, but found it hard seeing all the people he loves go away. Alf was in the channel, working in the navy. Maria was in Liverpool, being bombed, far away from him. And now George. It hurt. But he didn't say anything.

John just smiled and then asked, "Well we should probably get going, eh? The floor cleared a bit."

Beth nodded, and George couldn't help but add, "You know, John, you two make quite the pair. Almost looking like a couple, aren't ya?"

Both John and Beth got uncomfortable. She got red in the face, he got paler in the face. Paler than usual. They shared a quick, awkward smile, trying to brush off his comment.