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( Chapter Eight: ❛ ONE MILLION OTHER SMITHS ❜ ) NOVEMBER, 1943
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GINNY WOKE UP BRIGHT AND BREEZY THE NEXT MORNING, prim and proper and ready to take the tram to the town hall stroke enlistment office to sign herself up for a position in the AWAS. Though warned by her father she would have to spend a fair bit of her time out of town, she assured her parents that she would make time on the weekends to see them. Besides, she was far too invested in the war effort to pass up such an opportunity out of fear of being homesick for a little while.
Her mother had gathered up all her past medical papers from the bureau the night before and clipped them into one of her father's leather briefcases for her to take with her. She was over the moon to see Ginny so invested in the women's section of the Australian army, and kept mentioning how exciting it was and how she wished her daughter could pack her in her suitcase and take her with her.
She set her blonde hair in rollers the night before and did it up real nice the next morning, off the collar like the rules in the workplace. She wore her stockings that day too, something she only usually did for work or for special occasions. A special occasion indeed!
She wasn't sure what to expect — would they send her right off to Yarra Junction in Victoria? Would she get three weeks notice? One week? A couple of days? Maybe they'd even deny her. She didn't have anything major on her medical records, apart from a broken arm when she was eleven from falling over after Gordon Love had failed at giving her a piggyback, and some childhood eczema that had long cleared up by then. She knew that nothing too substantial would crop up, unless they preformed routine medical checks that came back with bouts of bad news.
She'd heard that AWAS personnel would eventually serve in Headquarters and Base Installations, and a number of direct command Army units. Perhaps, if I get good enough, I'll work alongside the fellas, she imagined, but that's far above my pay grade. After strapping on her oxfords, she picked up her father's leather briefcase and stood in front of the front door. Her stomach doing somersaults, she stationed herself on the doormat and announced loudly through the house, "I'm leaving!"
Her mother rushed out of the living room in a cooking apron and planted a firm kiss on her cheek, "Oh, Ginny," she gushed, her thin eyebrows upturned with pride, "Make sure to stand up straight and say your name clearly, won't you? If they ask you where you'd prefer to be based, make sure to say nearby so you can come and visit us if you ever need anything or you feel homesick. Have you got your papers? Have you checked?"
"Yes, I have everything I need," Ginny nodded, casting her mother a loving smile and giving her a hug. "I'm only gonna be gone for a couple of hours, mum, you don't need to snap your cap. I won't even be doing my aptitude test today, all I'm doing is putting my name down to see if they'll accept me into Phase One. I'll make sure to come straight home when I'm finished."
