"Alright folks!" a young sailor hollers from the deck above. "Keep moving! That's right, nice and slow please, but with all due speed!"
The crowd of impatient passengers push and pull around me, all eager to finally disembark the RMS Lancastria. A little girl bumps into my leg, desperate to find a spot between the rails to look out at the English coastline.
"Sorry, m'am!" she squeaks.
"Go on, now!" I reply, motioning her forward. "You better get a good look while you still can."
"Thanks!" she replies breathlessly, her excitement not far from my own. The little girl clutches her dolly tightly and continues to eagerly make her way to a little opening along the railing.
The already slow moving line of passengers comes to a still as a well-to-do family gathers their dozens of trunks up ahead. The weary travelers grumble, some tossing their heads back with a groan while others quietly huff to themselves. My legs ache for solid ground, but my heart beats wildly with each step forward.
England.
"Good gosh almighty," I whisper to myself, my eyes drinking in the sight of this strange new coast.
I've dreamed of England ever since I was a child, curled in my mother's lap, imagining the country of her childhood. Yet, after years of stories, and months of Mother and Father preparing me for this journey, I'm still struck by the surreality of it all.
The salty wind nips at my cheeks and the crowd shivers as we slowly sway forward. Nervously, I tighten the grip on my suitcase. I glance down at the single case and my mind flashes back to a mere week ago.
I take in another deep breath, hoping that the cool air will calm the butterflies wildly fluttering in my stomach. As I begin to wonder if my impulsive nature has gotten the best of me again, a sailor interrupts my spiral of doubt, gruffly calling out, "Oi! No pushing, no pushing!"
I flinch at the sudden burst of his hoarse voice, bumping right into Lucy.
"You alright, toots?" Lucy leans into me to ask, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Bit nervous?"
"Sweet peas in a pod," I breathe, "I could just about jump out of my own skin!"
Lucy lets out a lovely little laugh as we edge closer to the gangplank.
"Keep it cool, doll, you're gonna do just fine." She gives me a little wink, her green hat bobbing as she gives a firm nod.
Lucy's become such a treasured friend over these past five days. I've come to think that it was down right divine intervention that we met on that stormy night. She'd been a constant comfort with her sense of humor and astounding generosity. Furthermore, having made the trip already once before, Lucy is a downright dictionary of knowledge on all things. I doubt that I would have made it through the first night of sea-sickness without her ample ginger supply, let alone survive the weight of homesickness that hit me like a ten ton truck mid-way through the trip. She'd made it a point to take me on walks round the boat, and we spent the days gabbing away about our favorite hot jazz records and the nights wondering aloud about the new life that awaited us. By the last night, we found ourselves laughing and giggling so hard that the old woman in the room next to hers had to come over and scold us for hosting a party.
"Really, Hazel. Not another minute of shaking in our boots," she says, nudging me with her slight shoulder. She takes a hold of my hand as the crowd shuffles forward again. "I've decided. You'll be a down right natural and you and I are going to have a swell time!"
"Oh, well then, if you've declared it must be so," I say, laughing.
"You darn well better believe it." With just a step between us and our new life, she asks, "You ready, toots?"
With a wide smile, I reply firmly, "You betcha, Luce."
So with a new friend, doubled over in laughter, we take the first step into the unknown without the slightest clue in the world of what was to come of us.
It takes hours to get through the long lines of immigration, so much so that Lucy and I fear we will miss our much needed train. As soon as we are through, we take off running, still holding hands as we recklessly navigate our way through the flood of travelers.
We laugh with abandon as we run, our thick heels loudly clicking against the cobblestone as we veer around reuniting families and carts of haphazardly stacked suitcases. We finally manage to free ourselves from the thick crowd of the loading dock and step out onto a busy road. A rush of wind whips through our hair, nearly knocking our hats off our heads as the cars woosh by.
"There! That's got to be it!" Lucy hollers over the honking cars. I follow her pointed finger to the train station across the street. A train's horn screams out through the crowd, signaling that it's about to leave.
"Go, go, go!" I excitedly yell.
We gleefully charge across the busy road, weaving our way through dozens of blaring cars. My hand flies up to my hat, pressing it down firmly while my other arm swings wildly with my bag. Having purchased our train tickets on the ship, we skip past the lines at the ticket booth and run out onto the busy platform.
"All aboard!" a conductor shouts from somewhere down the line. Between the dozens of people who wave goodbye to those on the train and the steam that pours from the tracks below, I can hardly but a few feet in front of me.
"Hazel, here!" Lucy shouts. She leaps up just as the train begins to move, catching the railing of the steps that lead up to a car.
"Is this our car?" I yell over the heavy cranking of the wheels.
"Good grief, girl! We did not travel across the whole of the Atlantic just for you to be stranded in the wrong part of England. Just get on the train!"
I toss her my bag as the train takes off. She quickly sets it aside, taking my arm as I leap onto the moving train. Her hat nearly blows away, but she catches it quickly. The wind whips all around us, steam pooling at our feet.
"Here!" Lucy shouts, yanking open the heavy door into the cabin. We scramble to get ourselves inside while the train begins to barrel down the tracks. We tumble inside the passenger car, our skirts billowing about us.
We both pause for a moment, nearly collapsing against the door as soon as it slams behind us. Lucy turns to look at me and we instantly fall apart into a heap of laughter.
"Can you believe we actually made it?"
"Was there ever any doubt?" I laugh, still panting as we both catch our breath.
"Never." She grins. "C'mon, my dogs are killin' me! I need a seat!"
Her hand tugs me along as we move down the tight corridor. We try not to draw any attention to ourselves, but it's nearly impossible to stop giggling as we try to fix our frazzled hair and clothes.
Nearly every box car is taken, except for one in the back of the train. There appears to be a couple of families, but most of the rows are filled with businessmen and young men who give us friendly smiles as we walk back to our seats.
Lucy is a natural flirt, giving a total stranger the tiniest smile that has him looking at her with lovesick puppy eyes. I roll my eyes and nudge her forward to keep her on task, despite my slight admiration for her command of the opposite sex.
When we finally get to our seats, we both collapse into the velvet chairs, exhausted from the trek we've just made.
"Boy, oh boy, I sure am glad to be off of these," I say, staring down at my tiny feet. The brown heels I've chosen to travel in are comfortable for light housework, but are killing my toes after running through the crowds.
Lucy lets out a sigh of relief. "Bless, to think we're almost done with traveling."
She takes off her hat and places it in her lap. "I don't know about you, but I don't think even Fred Astaire himself could get me back on my feet any time soon."
I lean back giggling at the thought of Lucy on the big screen when the train lets out a harsh whistle. Excitedly, I peer out the window. It's downright exhilarating to watch as the train pulls out of the city. So much life- life that had been going on without me all this time. Life- that I could finally be part of.
Goodness, it's life that could be all mine.