The Midwives of Lark Lane

by Pam Howes

  No one had told him, not even Lorraine in her letter when she’d written to let him know Alice had got married again. But, maybe she didn’t know either, because she hadn’t even told him Alice’s new husband was that bloody Johnny that used to make eyes at Alice when they ran the Aigburth Legion. Ah well, just another week or two and he’d be seeing them all for himself – only they would have no idea it was him.

  ‘Thank you for putting me up,’ Brian said as he stood in the hall very early on Sunday morning waiting for a taxi.

  ‘It was our pleasure,’ Alice told him. ‘It was such a long way for you to come for so short a time, but we truly appreciate that you made the effort.’

  ‘We certainly do,’ Cathy said, coming into the hall. ‘We miss you so much.’

  ‘You and Gianni must come out for a visit soon. You’d both love it.’

  ‘Love it, she might,’ Alice said. ‘But don’t you dare get any ideas about persuading them to move to the USA. I couldn’t bear it.’

  ‘We’re going nowhere for now,’ Cathy said. ‘We’ve got a business to get up and running and I’ve got my training to finish this year. But you never know, some day we may well take a trip.’ She stopped as a horn tooted outside. They walked with Brian to the taxi and waved him off. ‘We really will miss you,’ Cathy said quietly as the taxi turned the corner on to Lark Lane.

  Gianni gave her a hug as she walked back into their room and started to cry. ‘I stayed in here so you and Alice could have him all to yourselves for the last few minutes. We said goodbye in the kitchen.’

  ‘He said we should visit one day,’ Cathy said.

  ‘Well maybe we will once everything is sorted out. I’d love that. America always fascinates me. The music, the clothes, the cars.’ Gianni took her hand and twirled her around and Cathy smiled. ‘One day,’ he said. ‘We never really had a proper honeymoon, so maybe we could aim for that in time.’

  Cathy nodded. ‘I’d really like that.’

  ‘What shall we do today? We could take Lucy to the park and have a picnic maybe.’

  ‘Shall I ask Davy and Debs if they fancy coming with us?’ Cathy said. ‘She might feel like a walk to give the baby an outing.’

  ‘Good idea. Lucy and Jonathon can play on the swings together.’ Gianni glanced at the bedside clock. ‘Let’s try and grab another hour’s kip before everyone gets up. It’s only half seven.’

  ‘So have you thought any more about what you will do?’ Debbie said as she and Cathy lay on a picnic blanket in Sefton Park while Gianni and Davy were out on the boating lake with Lucy and Jonathon. It was a beautiful day but not too hot and the park was crowded with families, dressed in their summer outfits, all taking advantage of the good weather. Baby Catherine was asleep in her pram, parked under the nearby tree with a sun canopy shading her.

  Cathy hitched the skirt of her pink-and-white striped summer dress up her legs to try to get a bit of colour to them. ‘I think so. After this season has finished with the fair, Gianni is going to leave it and live with me and Lucy at the bungalow. He said he’d look for a job in Liverpool. He can take his time as we’ve a bit of spare money to live off and we’ve no rent or mortgage to pay.’

  ‘You’re in a very good position,’ Debbie said. ‘I envy you.’

  ‘We are.’ Cathy told her about the plans to create a new maternity home at the Woodlands Road house. ‘I haven’t been able to say anything before now, so keep it to yourself until it’s all sorted. I’ll be able to tell you more when we get the plans passed and the money side of things in place. Johnny and Jimmy are dealing with all that and Jean has written to the National Childbirth Trust to see if they can help with funding. Hopefully they will agree.’

  ‘Sounds like a fabulous idea to me. Some of those poor unmarried girls have an awful time. I mean, look how my mam turned on me when I was expecting Jonathon. If Davy hadn’t wanted to marry me, I’d have had to give my baby up for adoption. It would have broken my heart. You lot are so kind and understanding, not like the nuns in the Catholic homes. And the women who can afford to pay privately will have the best midwives in the area. I’ll definitely have my next one in there. Except’ – she stopped and sighed – ‘there probably won’t be any more. Davy says two is quite enough and we’re lucky to have one of each.’

  Cathy laughed. ‘I’m inclined to agree with him on that score. Two is definitely enough.’ She shaded her eyes and looked across to the boating lake, just making out her daughter and Gianni in a pea-green boat heading to the shore. Good. She could murder an ice-cream cornet and no doubt Lucy would be mithering for a lolly as soon as she got out of the boat. Davy’s red boat was still in the middle of the lake, so they’d be a while coming in to shore. She watched Gianni clamber out and lift Lucy up onto his shoulders. He waved in Cathy’s direction and pointed to the ice-cream van.

  ‘Two cornets with raspberry please,’ she called out to him. He stuck a thumb up to show he’d understood and went to wait in the queue.

  ‘This area will soon be full of fairground rides,’ Debbie said. ‘You’ll get to spend a bit of time with your in-laws.’

  ‘I will. But most of the time I’ll be back at work. Gianni can look after Lucy when he’s not riding the bikes and Maria absolutely loves her to bits so she’ll see to her when he’s working.’

  ‘Is Eloisa still around?’

  ‘As far as I know. I haven’t asked and Gianni hasn’t mentioned her. No doubt she will be.’

  ‘Does Maria still do the crystal ball thing? I might have my fortune told when she gets here. See what the future holds for us.’

  ‘I think she does, but you’ll have to ask Gianni.’

  ‘Ask me what?’ Gianni said, appearing at their side with two dripping cornets. Lucy had red ice lolly juice running down her chin and he wiped it away with his hanky. ‘Sit down next to your mammy now, there’s a good girl.’

  ‘Does Maria still tell fortunes? Debs wants to know,’ Cathy said.

  ‘Yeah, she does. Always seeing danger in everything,’ Gianni said with a laugh.

  ‘Well I still might give it a go,’ Debbie said, licking the ice-cream that had run down her fingers. She waved at Davy, who was signalling from the shore towards the ice-cream van. ‘We’ve got ours, thanks.’

  ‘Hmm, I’d rather not know, if I’m honest,’ Cathy said. ‘About the future I mean. I prefer to wait and see what happens.’

  Fifteen

  Gianni was sitting on the old bench in Alice’s back garden, under the shade of an apple tree, sketching his daughter as she played on the small lawn with her dollies. He was looking after Lucy while Cathy went into work to get her rota and catch up with the other midwives. She’d been off nearly three weeks and said she felt ready to go back. He and Lucy had taken a stroll along to school with Roddy and then called into the post office on Lark Lane for a pad and pencils. He’d left all his art things back in the caravan in York and he was missing sketching.

  He loved spending time with his daughter. She was cute, intelligent and funny as well as a right little bossyboots. There’d be few who would get the better of Lucy when she started school. Heaven help her teachers. The fair would be arriving in Liverpool very soon now and he couldn’t wait to show her off to his dad and Maria. It was almost a year since they’d seen her as they’d spent last winter in Italy with Maria’s elderly parents while Gianni spent it with Cathy and Lucy at Granny Lomax’s bungalow.

  He hoped his dad would understand when he told him of his decision to leave the fair. He’d really enjoyed himself and he would miss everyone, with the exception of Eloisa. But it was time to put his family first. He hoped they would have more children, eventually. They hadn’t really discussed the subject since Cathy’s miscarriage as she was still so career-driven. She’d started to take the new contraceptive pill, so the decision had to be hers when she was ready. It wasn’t really the time yet either, with the new business under way, but Debbie was right, the age gap would be too wide if they left it much long
er. Ah well, time would tell. ‘Lucy, would you like a drink of orange juice?’

  ‘Yes please, Daddy. Granny Alice always gives me a biscuit with my juice.’

  ‘Does she now? Well let’s see what I can do. Will you show me where she keeps them please?’

  ‘There,’ Lucy said, running indoors ahead of him. ‘In the lellow barrel.’ She pointed to a pottery biscuit barrel on the sideboard in the shape of a beehive with a chrome lid.

  He smiled, loving the way she said lellow. He’d done the same as a little lad. ‘I’ll have one as well with a coffee. You choose it for me.’ He put the barrel on the table and removed the lid and Lucy climbed on to a chair to make her choices.

  Gianni put the kettle on and made himself a mug of coffee. He smiled when he went back into the sitting room and found she’d chosen a custard cream for him. His favourite. ‘Now how did you know that Daddy loves those?’ He handed her a red beaker of orange juice.

  She shrugged. ‘I don’t know, I just did.’

  ‘Clever girl.’

  She beamed at the praise and bit into her pink wafer.

  ‘So everything is coming together,’ Jean announced as the midwives and Cathy met in the canteen. She placed a letter on the table. ‘We’ve had a reply from the NCT and it seems like they’re all for independent units. We’ll be expected to supply antenatal and post-natal services as well as delivery and care. We need to be linked up with the hospital and the nearest doctors’ surgery, but I can’t see that being a problem. We will still be NHS paid nurses. It just means we’ll be working in a smaller and more pleasant environment for us and our patients. We can also, if we’ve got the space, run a little clinic as well, for baby weighing and feeding advice, that sort of thing, for after the post-natal stage. It’s often a time when a new mum struggles and baby blues set in.’

  ‘Sounds great,’ Cathy said. ‘Gianni is giving me some money from the sale of his mam’s house to put in the kitty. And actually, if we need it there’s some of my granny’s money in accounts that I will have access to eventually.’

  ‘I heard she’s left you the bungalow,’ Karen said. ‘Are you and Lucy going to live there now?’

  Cathy nodded. ‘In time. Gianni is leaving the fair after this season. We’ll be together as a family and will all live there.’

  ‘Oh, that’s really good news, Cathy,’ Jean said. ‘It’s not before time. You’ll have completed your course by then as well. Once we’re up and running you can pick your days and hours to suit your family needs.’

  ‘And of course it means I don’t need a bedroom at the house,’ Cathy said. ‘So it leaves plenty of room for you three to make it your home as well as the business premises.’

  ‘All our dads have agreed to put something towards the renovation work and I’m hoping we can get some funding from the council towards it as well,’ Jean said. ‘I’ve written to just about everyone I know and one of the young doctors told me his dad’s quite high up in the council and he’s going to push for it at their next planning meeting.’

  ‘Brilliant,’ Ellie said. ‘It seems everyone is onside with us.’

  ‘Johnny wants a meeting as soon as we can all get an evening off together,’ Cathy said. ‘He’d like to go through some figures with you all, so that everyone is in the picture with what they’re doing.’

  ‘Well we’re all off on Thursday evening if that’s any help,’ Karen said. ‘Me and Ellie are on earlies, and Jean has the full day off.’

  ‘That’s great. I’ll let him and Jimmy know. Cheers to our future.’ She lifted her mug and the others clinked theirs against it, laughing.

  ‘What you got there?’ Jack asked as Eloisa shoved something behind her back as he approached her while she was sitting on his caravan steps.

  ‘Nothing,’ she muttered, her cheeks going red as he stared at her. She made to push whatever it was she had hidden into the canvas bag that lay by her side. ‘I’ve brought you a sandwich.’

  ‘Oh, good, I’m starving. Shall we go inside then?’ He led the way and she followed him.

  ‘Right, hand it over then,’ he demanded once they were inside.

  She pulled a greaseproof-wrapped package from her bag and held it out to him. ‘It’s cheese and tomato.’

  He snatched it from her and said, ‘Not that, whatever it is you are hiding from me. We can’t have secrets if we’re supposed to be serious about seeing one another. Otherwise, we might as well as not bother and you can bugger right off back to lover boy.’ He knew that threat would get to her as she constantly told him he was a much better lover than Ronnie and was glad she was no longer his girlfriend. He wondered if Ronnie knew that he’d been dumped, as he still hung around her with his puppy-dog expression. It was as though Ronnie wasn’t that bothered; he certainly hadn’t said anything to Jack. Eloisa needed Jack more than he needed her and he knew she had fallen for him big time, or so she kept telling him.

  ‘I don’t want to go back to Ronnie,’ she said, her expression sulky.

  ‘Then hand it over. What have you got that you don’t want me to see?’ He wagged a finger at her and she backed away looking worried. ‘You’ll have me thinking it’s something to do with another bloke in a minute and I’ll warn you now, I don’t like being cheated on and messed about, lady.’

  ‘I’m not cheating on you. I never would.’ She dug a sketchbook out of her bag and handed it to him. ‘Here.’

  He opened the first page and tried not to let any expression of recognition cross his face when he saw a likeness of Cathy dressed in skimpy underwear. Well, the little tart! Mind you, it didn’t surprise him. ‘Whose sketchbook is this?’ he demanded. ‘Who’s the girl and why have you got this?’

  ‘It’s Gianni’s and that’s his wife, Cathy. She poses for him.’ Her voice held a tone of scorn and he glanced at her as he flicked to the next sketch. It nearly took his breath away. There was no doubt that Cathy had become a very beautiful woman.

  ‘I know I could pose better than her,’ Eloisa muttered.

  ‘Maybe you could. But this isn’t yours. It’s private and not for yours or anyone else’s eyes. You need to put it back where you found it.’

  She shook her head. ‘No. I want him to think he’s lost it when he comes back. I was going to hide it somewhere. He’ll go nuts if he can’t find it when he checks in the cupboard where he keeps his art stuff. He looks at those sketches every night.’

  Jack shook his head. ‘It’s going right back to that cupboard now, or I’ll look after it and return it to Maria later. I’ll tell her I found it behind their caravan, to save face for you.’

  He held the sketchbook above his head when Eloisa reached for it. She stared at him.

  ‘You’re not having it,’ he said and shoved her roughly out of the way. ‘I don’t trust you to return it. Now go on, get out of my sight while I have my dinner.’ He practically pushed her out of the caravan and locked the door behind her.

  She hammered on the door but he ignored her and switched on his transistor radio to drown out her noise while he made a mug of coffee. He sat down at the little table and wolfed the sandwich Eloisa had brought him, washed it down with his coffee and lay on his bunk with Gianni’s sketchbook. He looked through it from cover to cover. There was no doubt about it; Gianni was good at his art. But Cathy was beautiful. He felt the heat rising and his balls tingling as he stared at her almost naked body. There was no way this sketchbook was going anywhere but in his own cupboard, to look at when the fancy took him. One way or another he had to have her. Roll on Liverpool.

  The meeting at Alice’s house turned into a bit of a party as they all toasted the plans with sherry and pale ale. Millie came in halfway through the night to take a look at the various ideas Jimmy and Johnny had put to the girls for the kitchen and bathroom fittings. The owner had accepted their offer of six and a half thousand pounds and the money had been raised for the mortgage. It was less than the asking price because of all the works that needed doing. The roof needed new
tiles in various places and there were a couple of large areas where damp had appeared where rain had leaked in. Two of the big back windows needed to be replaced.

  ‘That’s a really good price,’ Gianni said, ‘Considering I got two and a half grand for my mam’s two-bedroomed terraced house. Woodlands Road is three times the size and loads of garden and parking as well.’

  ‘We thought so,’ Johnny said. ‘But it’s not the sort of place that gets snapped up by families so it could have been on the market for a long time. I think the owners just want it off their hands as soon as possible before winter comes round and more damage is caused by the bad weather.’

  ‘How will we heat it?’ Jean asked. ‘It needs more than a couple of fires downstairs. We need a certain temperature for newborns, especially if we have cold winters. I don’t fancy lighting fires in the little fireplaces upstairs. It won’t be very hygienic.’

  ‘We’ll put a heating system in for you,’ Johnny said. ‘There’ll be radiators in all the rooms. They’ll run off a boiler from that utility room at the back of the kitchen. We’ll look into what will be best, solid fuel or gas. It’ll heat your water as well, so there’ll be constant hot water from the taps. Just the job for baths and all the washing you’ll have to do.’

  ‘We’ll need some help with all that, the cleaning and washing side of things,’ Jean said. ‘Maybe a housekeeper.’

  Alice smiled. ‘I know a lady I used to work with at Rootes munitions factory during the war. In fact Millie knows her too. Bet she’d love to work with us. She does a bit of cleaning for local people in the area and she used to mind my kids when they were little. She also delivered Cathy in an air raid shelter, believe it or not.’

  ‘You mean my other godmother, Marlene,’ Cathy said with a grin. ‘She’s a lovely person.’