The Loan - B.B ✪

Part 1 - Unexpected Meeting

Friday 19th June 1942

The sun was shining onto my walls through the gaps in the terribly thin curtains hung in front of my bedroom window. The peeling paint surrounded a single framed photo of a better time that was nailed to the wall, a photo of me and both my parents with my brother to be specific, I was no older than 10 years old at the time. My oak wooden floor barely visible as it was littered with scraps of paper, mostly war propaganda I had found and covered in my illegible messy scribbles of words I thought would sound beautiful in a song. I Want You For The US Army!  The creaks and groans the old boards would echo loudly whenever I moved within the space, alerting anyone in the apartment of my presence.

My rusted metal frame single bed pushed in the corner below a lone decrepit flat pillow and my mother's skilled handy work displayed neatly in the form of a lilac knitted blanket. To the left a vanity displaying my collection of costume jewellery, lipsticks, mascara and a virtually brand new single perfume, I had purchased with my first ever pay cheque for special occasions, along with a medium sized cracked mirror. A small wooden chair rested in the opposite corner of the room with two worn pairs of shoes beside it. The barely standing wooden wardrobe, that I needed to replace as soon as possible, sat at the foot of my bed against the wall, encapsulating my small collection of clothing.

Inside were my everyday dresses, which tended to be outdated and dull in comparison to the current and popular trends, as well as my completely contrasting work outfits, that I considered to be too revealing to wear on the streets of Brooklyn during the day time unless absolutely necessary, like today. I couldn't get any new dresses for the foreseeable as I simply couldn't afford anything other than the necessity's. I had the only income of the apartment at the moment due to my brother no longer being in New York. And I was the only person left to take care of my mother while he was off fighting in the war.

My father would have taken care of us but tragically he died when I was fourteen. He was at work at the time, just having a normal day constructing some new buildings when something went wrong and a structure collapsed crushing six men, my father included, his body was too badly mangled for us to even say goodbye or host a suitable funeral. His ten year death anniversary was coming up and it was on your mind so you were certain it was on your mother's too, in addition to uncertainty of my brother's return.

Your mother was always a housewife and couldn't get a job due to her ill health as she never fully recovered from her second birth, my birth. I couldn't help but feel guilt for that. She was gorgeous but it was starting to show that life had not been kind to her. Her dark hair was beginning to form silver and grey streaks and her smile hadn't reached her eyes for a long time. Her once elegant posture beginning to falter when she stood too long in one spot. The worry on her face for her two children becoming more apparent day by day.

I knew I had to make my parents proud, my father always said I had the voice of an angel, so I was going to follow my dreams whatever it took. I was certain I'd be a famous singer one day, and I worked hard but opportunity's were bleak to say the least, that was until I met Denny. Now I work in his club as a club singer, bars person and cleaner. At the moment works slow considering it is a time where more and more men were leaving the country. To put it bluntly money was being saved for any potential funerals and that wasn't great for business. This meant desperate times came to desperate measures so any clothing I didn't wear regularly or that I deemed unsuitable for work I sold until I had very little left.

"Y/N" my mother coed in my doorway leaning against the frame to support herself. "You look beautiful, but it's a bit early to be heading to the club isn't it?"

You let down your last pin curl of your Y/H/C hair and checked yourself in the mirror one last time, straightening your dress as you stood up. Your fake pearl necklace and earrings on full show.