Page 52 of The Boy I Love

I see Gallagher shift uncomfortably in his seat. Then Danny, his palms held to his chest, begins to sing.

‘I’m a young boy, and have just come over,

Over from the country where they do things big,

And amongst the girls, I’ve got a lover,

And since I’ve got a lover, why, I don’t care a fig.’

His gaze locks on mine.

‘The girl I love is up in the gallery,

The girl I love is looking now at me,

There he–sheis, can’t you see, waving her handkerchief

As merry as a robin that sings on a tree.’

If anyone noticed the slip, they don’t react. Probably because they have never heard a song performed so beautifully in their lives. Next to me, I see Captain Jackson swallow hard while some of the other men blink and brush their eyes. I smile up at this man I love, and feel a rush of pride. The only thing to mar the moment is the certainty that this isn’t how he’d have chosen to perform the number. I know that my warning to be careful has caused Danny to censor himself. I still believe that to be the wisest choice, but it hurts my heart nonetheless.

‘Now, if I were a Duke and had a lot of money,

I’d give it to the girl who’s going to marry me.

But I haven’t got a penny, so we’ll live on love and kisses,

And be just as happy as the birds on the tree.

The girl I love is up in the gallery...’

We all join in with the last chorus as the rain begins to fall.

33

24th-30th June

We tumble towards oblivion.

Faster, now that we are back in the trenches, the hours and days racing by like laughing demons. They never raced before. The dull monotony of the trench was part of its horror. But zero hour is coming and we hurtle on to meet it.

24th June

All rest is cancelled. The weather is bad, intensely hot and stuffy with no sign of the sun but frequent storms. Opposite our position, the Germans have put up a sign above their parapet, English words daubed in red paint:

WE KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO ATTACK.

YOUR COMMANDERS ARE DONE.

YOU ARE DONE. WE ARE DONE.

IN FACT, WE ARE ALL DONE.

Spud and Percy throw up a cheeky response:

YOU’RE RIGHT, ME OLD MATE.

SO WHY NOT POP OVER AND WE’LL