Opposite Sides (20 page)

Breasts, just
like her aunt’s
, he thought.
So, Jan has reached the age of breasts. No wonder
she has been giving me strange side-glances, lately.

As for
Jan
, s
he could
hardly wait to get into the dress she would wear. Hans stepped
aside. She grabbed at her clothing and pulled it back around
herself, and with a flick of her head, together with a smile that
would have satisfied a cat that had found the cream, she passed him
by and floated up the staircase, using both her arms to push her
forwards so that she could fly above the steps three at a
time.

When Ellen arrived and
helped fasten her into her dress, Jan danced her way over to the
long dress mirror on her wardrobe door, turning first one way and
then the other as she admired the way the straight laced bodice
flared out just below her hips into a full skirt. It did emphasise
the curvature of her youthful hips. The fabric swished and swirled
around her like water in slow motion. Around the hip line were
clusters of daisy beads which had been sewn on to look like
cascading flowers She shook her head slightly from side to side so
that her curls bobbed and swayed rhythmically around her head and
laughed out loud in sheer enjoyment at it.

“
Don’t you
think my dress looks beautiful, Ellen?” she asked patting the
v-shaped neckline flat against her chest. The pale-blue colour
suited her. The neckline was not too low to show the crease between
her breasts but low cut enough so that Jan could wear a
necklace.

“
Try this one
on, Miss Janine,” Ellen suggested taking out the fine set of pearls
from the small white jewellery box on the dressing table. “They’ll
match the pearl bangle there.”

Jan was already doing up
the clasp around her wrist. She decided that her three-quarter
length sleeves needed just that little extra to compliment them.
And now with the necklace in place. Jan felt like a
débutante.

“ ‘
ere, miss,
put this around you. It might be cold outside.”

Ellen draped Miss
Turner’s warm fox fur cape around Jan’s shoulders. She had fussed
around her as though Jan were her own daughter about to walk down
the aisle but in reality there was less than six years between
them. A transformation had taken place and the normally quiet
clothed Miss Janine Turner had emerged in the colours of a
beautiful butterfly.

Other than
his everyday college uniform, Hans did not possess much other
clothing. He did not possess any formal evening wear but he had
managed to borrow a striped black suit together with a dark
waistcoat from Robert. It was fortunate that Robert was the owner
of several suits, as he jokingly said:
One
for each occasion
.

“
Mister
Resmel and Miss Turner!” boomed out the voice of Mr
Somerville.

Jan hung onto Hans as
though he were the prince who had rescued her from some horrible
fate. She was too overwhelmed this evening to say much to him and
Hans was grateful for her silence. He escorted her through the open
double doors and guided her over to Miss Turner

“
You look a
treat, my dear.” Miss Turner beamed with pride at her niece. “And
Mr Resmel escorted you in so very much like a gentleman. It was a
pleasure to behold.”

Hans could not help
thinking about the arguments Jan and her aunt had had as Jan tried
desperately to persuade her aunt to allow her to wear something
very modern, something without sleeves and much much shorter than
halfway down her calf. The shocked gasps of disapproval from Miss
Turner told Jan everything she was to know and then the laying down
of rules if Jan was going to attend were so strong that in the end
Jan bit her lip and silently submitted. She would have to wear
something her aunt approved of and far less daring and modern than
Jan had imagined.

“Mister Woodhill-Jones
and Miss Sutherland!”

Anne looked stunning. She
was an attractive girl at the best of times but tonight she took
the breath away. A shining silver head band had been set low over
her short auburn hair so that part of it covered the top of her
forehead and her dress, made up of alternate bright yellow and deep
orange sections, each with tasselled edges and coloured frilly bits
which fluttered and twirled in a rainbow of colour every time she
moved. Anne looked slender, exquisit and terribly sophisticated.
Jan noted with envy that Anne’s dress was both sleeveless and so
short it only just covered her knees. How Jan wished she had been
allowed to wear something equally so modern.

The first dance of the
evening was the fox-trot and after that the dance music filled the
hall and the room came alive with colour and movement. Hans had
danced the opening fox-trot with Jan, but after leading her back to
one of the chairs, had managed to excuse himself and slip away into
the crowd. He’d done his bit: he had escorted the girl onto the
dance floor. He glanced over his shoulder and was even more pleased
when one of the other young men approached her and whisked her away
for the next round. He was winding his way between the swirling
figures when he bumped into Robert and his partner half-way across
the floor.

“
Not dancing
this time, Hans?” Robert shouted as his own partner twirled around,
holding on to his outstretched arm.

“
No,” he
shouted back trying to be heard over the loud dance music of the
quartet. “I’m saving my toes. I’ve already been trodden on several
times. My shoes need polishing again.”

“
Just rub ‘em
on your trouser leg and keep going.”

Before Hans could comment
further, Robert and his partner were out of reach. Hans pushed his
way through again until he was able to reach the opposite side
where the outside doors had been thrown open. He stood at the edge
of the opening, looking back across the hall.

“
Hello,
chappy!”

This time it was Bertie
Williams. He was one of the boys Hans played cricket with. Hans
turned and stepped backwards out of the hall doorway.

“
Hello,
Bertie. I didn’t notice you before.”

“
Wasn’t here,
then Hansie. Just been out for a quick puff. Don’t tell anyone.
It’s not permitted but everyone knows that if you disappear for a
bit, you’re either snogging, grogging or puffing.”

Hans grinned and patted
his friend on the back. He looked past Bertie, stretching his neck
to look back into the hall.

“
Lost your
partner?” Bernie asked.

“
No. I was
hoping to see someone. You haven’t seen one of Miss Turner’s maids,
have you, Bertie?”

“
Which
one?”

“
Miss
Friedl.”

“
The young
foreign girl?”

“
Yes.”

Bertie laughed
loudly.

“
Looking for
a bit of crumpet, eh Hans?” Hans missed the joke.

“
I am lucky
that Miss Turner did not have them made,” he answered dryly. The
puzzled expression on his face told Bertie that he didn’t like the
taste of crumpets very much.

“
That’s all
right, Hansie. Leaves more for me. But I think that’s the one
you’re looking for . . . over there. She’s not bad looking but I
think a trifle too young for me.”

Bertie pointed through
the throng and across to the other side of the hall. He patted his
friend on the shoulder and the two of them pushed back into the
crowd, each going in a different direction. Hans struggled through
a thick cluster of dancers until he found Heidi by the
side-table.

“
Hello. How’s
it going?” He reached forward and picked up a small triangular
sandwich, popping it all in his mouth. “Mmm. Good. English cucumber
sandwiches. Will they be playing any Strauss, do you
know?”

“
The waltz. I
do so love that music.” Heidi had a dreamy look in her eyes. “I
think of home. So much music.”

Hans remembered the
Mozart musical festivals that were held annually in their home
town. He could almost see the Mozarthaus in his mind, the large,
grey building where the famous composer had been born.

Heidi handed Hans the
plate of English triangular cucumber sandwiches again. He popped
another in his mouth and tried grinning at her as he
ate.

“
Shall I find
out for you?” she asked as she tipped a half empty plate of tidbits
to fill the plate next to Hans.

“
No. I’m sure
they will play a waltz . . . at the end. There’s always a waltz at
the end. Strauss, the waltz and Vienna go together. Papi took Mutti
several times to Vienna when there was an officer’s ball. I think
Mutti said that even the Archduke and his wife, Sophie, were there
once.”

Heidi’s eyes went soft
and dreamy.

“
Oh, how I
should have loved to have been there,” she sighed. “All those
beautiful dresses and dancing in the same room as the royals!” Her
mind was already twirling in time to her favourite Strauss waltz.
Suddenly she returned to the school hall and her face became
serious again as her body stiffened. “But no more dreaming. I have
to work!”

“
Not dancing
much tonight, Mr Resmel?”

Hans had been so engaged
in conversation with Heidi, he hadn’t noticed that Miss Turner had
appeared. She looked around and over towards the seating, which was
not too far away. Several girls were sitting together in silence
watching couples spill on to the dance floor as the small orchestra
returned their instruments for the next dance.

“
Janine!” She
beckoned to her niece. “You’ve got some spare dances on your card,
haven’t you?” Jan nodded and produced the card for her aunt to
inspect. “Well, see here. This is blank. No partner for that one?,”
Miss Turner pointed. “Hans would like this dance. I’ll write him in
for this one. He can accompany you. I think the next one’s called
the
Camel Walk
.”

Hans went a bit pale. He
had learnt to keep his inner emotions more under control as he had
found it much safer to do so, especially when Miss Turner was
around.

“
I cannot
dance that!”

“
No such
thing as
can’t
!
What’s your problem, young man?
Stubborn again?”

“
No. Sorry,
Miss Turner. I really don’t know this one.”

Miss Turner shook her
head like a cow with a fly irritating its ear. Her voice went up to
a higher scale.

“
Don’t let
that bother you, young man. Janine will soon show you. She’s just
learnt it, haven’t you, m’dear?” She pushed him towards her niece
and smiled condescendingly at him. “Come, Resmel. There’s very
little to it. Be the gentleman.
Veneratio
est nostrum rector.
Now, off you
go.”

Jan tugged at his arm
with the familiarity of a younger sister.

“
Come on,
Hans. I’ll lead.”

For once in her life, Jan
felt superior. She had Hans Resmel just where she wanted. She
remained in front of him, holding out her arms in expectation. Her
aunt stood like a sentry guarding against any thought of escape. He
knew he had no choice but to obey.

The music started again.
Hans and Jan stood together, yet as far apart as their arms would
permit. They waited. Hans hoped that by watching the couple in
front, he could try and follow their movements. He waited for Jan
to take the lead. It was all so painful. It was awkward holding her
at arms length and trying not to look at her. He hoped that this
dance would be as short as that first introductory fox-trot. He
tried to imagine he was Papi dancing with his mother but Jan’s
vocal instructions kept breaking into his thoughts and after only a
few bars, all his imaginations were destroyed. Finally, after what
seemed like an eternity, the drum beat announced the end had
arrived.

Hans returned his partner
to her seat, made some excuse to leave and disappeared once more
into the crowd. He was able to hide himself away for the next few
dances and then his luck changed. He had bumped into Anne, just at
the end of one dance and before the next had begun. He had
previously asked her to include his name on her list of dance
partners and now he had her attention, he was not going to let
anybody else slide in between them and take her away.

“
Sorry. This
dance is for me,” he blurted out when another student came closer
than three feet away. “She’s taken. She promised
me
this one. My name’s
on her card.”

“
That’s all
right.” The student stepped back and held up the palms of his hands
.“I can wait.”

“
Sorry,
Gerald. Didn’t see you for a minute.” Hans was embarrassed that he
hadn’t recognised his friend.

“
That’s all
right, old chap,” Gerald replied with a grin. He bowed his head
slightly in Anne’s direction and spoke softly to her. She laughed,
showed him her card and nodded. Gerald pointed on the
card.

“
Would you do
me the honour of allowing me the following dance? I see you don’t
have any name written in for that one.”

Anne laughed again. She
knew she’d been extremely popular and, for a girl like her, there
would be no rest from those wanting to dance with her. Her card was
quite full with the names of prospective dancers.