Cousins at War by Doris Davidson Page A

suppose
     it must be something to do with the mechanical side of things, since it’s called a technical college. By the way, I’d be interested to know how you spend your free time. Do you
     go to the cinema with your pals or have you started drinking?
    I am missing you a lot since you went back off leave, not that I saw much of you when you only visited us twice! I was rather hurt at that, but I thought you looked great in uniform.
     I’m fed up having nothing to do except study for exams, but it should all be worth it in the end, when I get my degree. I’ll be Dr. Potter, but that sounds so stupid, I’ll
     have to change my surname. Can you think how I could do that?
    I’ve nothing else to write about meantime, but I will definitely be expecting an answer to this. Mum, Dad and Raymond send their regards. I think about you all the time, and I hope
     that you sometimes think of –
    Your loving cousin, Olive.
    6 March, 1941
    Dear Olive,
    I am glad to hear you are studying hard, and I wish you luck with your exams. I don’t mind you writing as long as you don’t mind me taking a long time to
     answer. We are kept at it here and I don’t get much time to myself.
    Your cousin, Neil
    17 March, 1941
    Dear Mum,
    Thanks for your letter. I’m sorry Olive wasn’t happy with what I wrote, but it was difficult to know what to say to her. She could read things into a letter
     that I didn’t mean, you know what she’s like. Anyway, she wouldn’t understand if I told her what we’re learning about army trucks and such like, and I’ve
     nothing else to write about. Is there any word of Raymond leaving school? He told me when I was home that he was fed up, and it would be good for him to get out into the world and learn to
     stand up to Olive.
    You didn’t say anything about Queenie. I hope she is getting over what happened. Well, that’s all for now, and I promise to write a longer letter to Olive next time, though
     I’m not a great one for writing, as you know.
    Lots of love to all, Neil
    PS I change my underwear regularly, and I make a good job of darning my socks now, so you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll make a good wife to somebody
     some day (joke). N.
    Neil had found the infantry training hard going, but he was fascinated by all the different army vehicles, and at nights he and Alf went to the cinema, or to a pub, or to a
dance hall if they could afford it. He had never had any time for females in Aberdeen, but the girls here were different, and the uniform, which attracted them like moths round a flame, gave him a
confidence he’d never had before. He could take his pick of them.
    He had been in London for almost a month when he crossed the great divide. He had seen several girls home before, but had always stopped after a few kisses and had been proud of sticking to the
straight and narrow, although it was really fear of the unknown that kept him from going any further. He wasn’t particularly attracted to Madge when he met her at a dance one evening, she was
too quiet, but Alf had collared the only girl Neil fancied, so, while they were on the floor for the last dance, he asked if he could take her home. She agreed shyly and they set off in the
darkness, walking side by side but not touching.
    When they came to a derelict building, he led her off the pavement and was pleased to find that she wasn’t as shy as she seemed, returning his kisses in a manner which told him that she
wasn’t inexperienced, either. He soon learned that she was much more experienced than he was. Her tongue probed his mouth, starting up an unfamiliar feeling in his loins, a feeling that grew
more urgent as she guided his hand to her breasts. It was the first time he’d ever touched a girl like that, and before he got over the shock of feeling how firm they were – he had
always imagined it would be something the same as taking hold of a sponge – she was rubbing her pelvis against him, laughing at his embarrassment