MARTHA'S PARTY
Portraits by Dutch Grandma
F R I D A Y, 2 2 D E C E M B E R
Every second of the day was spent worrying about the party tonight. All the boys there are going to be from Glyn, there’ll be nobody there like Mark. Supposing a boy asks me for my phone number? I'll just have to say I'd rather he didn't ring me up.
Things seem better when I think, this time tomorrow it will all be over.
Us two did some decorations – greenery, lots of holly, and Chump made two wreaths with red bows. I cried I felt so miserable. (Really, it's ABSURD.) Then at last Daddy came home and we went to Reigate to do some Christmas shopping. In Northovers we got a big rush mat and a glass vase for Ma, and in Boots I got Martha a pack of talc and three bath cubes. Northovers had a gorgeous modern window-display with real bales of hay.
“Spotted a boy like Mark in the high-street, but I don’t think it was him.”
Oh God, it’s 6.30 already - I’m getting a tummy ache from worry. Wore new dress and shoes. Took four bottles of coke. At 7.30 Ma drove me, and we picked up Rosemary, Mary and Jean on the way. First went up to Martha’s bedroom where we took our coats off and I went to the loo because I’d been worrying so. Pat B came and at last we all made our entrance (!). Met Pat’s brother. As I imagined - he was utterly drippy and his friend was as bad, if not worse. Pat's brother has short hair, glasses and what I call a Mr Wilcox sense of humour. He thought he was the life and soul of the party and went around cracking dead-beat jokes. He asked me to dance but I got rid of him.
The whole thing would have been an unbearable drag if it wasn’t for Kay from Cornwall, a distant relation of Tig. She was very outspoken and entertaining, and for once I did most of the listening. We both agreed it was the most draggy party out! Every boy without exception was foul, except for one who wasn’t too bad at all. He had fair ‘long’ hair and a yellow shirt, but unfortunately he spent most of the evening with Tig. I’m very surprised he’s at Glyn.
“Greg isn’t too bad, I suppose. He was smiley, but I think he’s sex-starved.”
He and Sandra spent the whole evening lying on top of each other, and Anya was practically as bad. The room was so dark you couldn’t see who you were talking to so Kay and me went into the kitchen where Tig was with the nice boy and two drips. Someone’s fag end had fallen into the bottle of lemonade and we spent ages trying to get it out!
Kay went on a school cruise two years ago and said it was worth going for the experience (??!!!). She sounds boy-mad but she’s very nice with it. She’s the first person I’ve met who loves long-haired mods but hates swinging London. The extraordinary thing was, I’ve never been so frank with anybody in my life! Here I am, telling a girl I’ve known for 20 minutes how Martha is getting me down, and how she tries to pair people off and how it makes me sick.
The party was the very opposite of what I’d expected it to be. Instead of boys getting too keen they were too drippy to worry about!!! Kay put me completely at ease. I suddenly feel I could face anything, and I feel terribly experienced having been. It’s taught me to have confidence in myself.
That may be gone by tomorrow.
"Took four bottles of coke"
