By the time they had finished their meal – though Bertha only picked at hers as usual – Rosie was at the door. ‘Alfie’s washing,’ she told Molly. ‘He’ll not be too long.’
While the children played on the rug, the two women talked, and when the clock chimed seven Rosie commented, ‘Your dad’s late again.’
Molly glanced anxiously at the children. ‘I expect he’s gone down the pub for a jar,’ she said, and wished in her heart that Frank Tattersall would never set foot in this house again.
In a hushed voice she told Rosie what the children had said about not wanting him there. ‘I’m not surprised,’ Rosie answered. ‘They’re not blind and they’re not deaf. They know what goes on.’
Molly opened her heart. ‘If I had the means, I’d take them as far away from here as I could.’
Rosie shook her head. ‘Sure, you’d not be happy,’ she replied. ‘It’s not wise to move too far out of your roots, and besides, I’d miss you all, so I would.’
‘Do you think Mam will regret it?’
‘What’s that, lass?’
‘Moving out of her roots?’
‘Only time will tell.’ Rosie was philosophical about these things. ‘We shall just have to wait and see.’
When Molly began clearing away the dinner things, Rosie took the dishcloth out of her hand. ‘I’ll do that. You away and get ready.’ And she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Giving her the privacy she deserved, Rosie told Molly to close the scullery door while she washed.
While Molly strip-washed at the pot sink, Rosie scraped all the leftovers on to one plate. Piling the plates one atop the other, she placed them on the corner of the dresser. She then scooped any bits of food into the centre of the tablecloth and folded it like a huge dolly bag so the scraps stayed put. This, too, she placed on the dresser, then taking the duster from the drawer, she wiped the polished table clean and replaced the potted plant in the centre. ‘Good as new,’ she said, and was proud of herself.
By that time, Molly was washed and dried. Slipping the towel round her shoulders, she thanked Rosie and quickly made her way upstairs.
Once in her room, she rummaged in the wardrobe, choosing a plain black skirt and a pink twin set. She groaned when she unrolled her stockings to discover that one had the tiniest hole in the knee. ‘Never mind,’ she muttered and put them on anyway, hoping the hem of her skirt would cover the offending hole; much to her relief, it did.
Sitting before the oval dressing-table mirror, she brushed her brown hair until it shone; next came the face cream, and then the rouge… just a dab on each cheek. A touch of mascara, and a smudge of lipstick and she was ready.
‘Shoes!’ Hunting for her brown ankle-straps, she found them under the bed next to the jeremiah. Slipping them on, she went to Lottie’s room, and finding her still asleep, gave her a good shaking. ‘I’m going out now,’ she warned. ‘If Dad comes in and finds you still abed, I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes!’
When Lottie merely drew the bedclothes back over her head, Molly was hard-pressed not to fling them back again and yank her sister out of there. Instead, she left her to it. Her patience had been tried too far. She was finished with arguing and cajoling. In light of what had happened, starting tomorrow, Lottie would have to pull her weight in this house.
* * *
Five minutes later, Alfie arrived, looking incredibly handsome in a roll-neck sweater and dark jacket, with the green cord trousers Molly had bought him last birthday.
‘I’ve changed my mind,’ she teased him with a serious face. ‘I don’t fancy going to the pictures, so me and Sandra have decided to go out on the town… girls’ stuff and all that.’ When he stared at her in disbelief, she added with a cheeky grin, ‘If we’re lucky we might even pick up a couple of good-looking blokes.’
‘You little devil!’ Diving at her, he snatched her into his arms and swung her round. ‘I’ve a good mind to tan your backside.’
Rosie laughed. ‘Not in front of the children, you won’t!’ she chided. ‘And not in front of me neither.’
‘Right then, we’d best be off, or we’ll miss the start.’ Taking Molly’s coat from the back of the door, Alfie arranged it over her shoulders. ‘It’s a good ten minutes’ walk.’
Molly kissed the children one after the other. ‘Do as Rosie says and be good,’ she told them, and they promised they would. Leaving Alfie to stroll up the passage before her, Molly took Rosie aside. ‘If Dad comes home the worse for drink, take them straight up to their beds,’ she urged. ‘And please… see if you can get that lazy sister of mine down. If he comes in and finds her still in bed, he’ll tan the arse off her.’
‘Aye, an’ it’d serve her right, so it would.’
‘All the same, I wouldn’t like her to get on the wrong side of him. You know what he’s like.’ When her dad got going there was no stopping him.
Rosie sighed. ‘All right, pet, I’ll do my best.’ Given half a chance she wouldn’t mind tanning Lottie’s backside herself. ‘And don’t you worry about the little ’uns. I’ll take care of them, you know I will.’
Taking a deep breath, Molly squeezed her hand. ‘When it comes to it, I don’t know if I’ll have the courage to tell Alfie… about him going to America without me, and me not wanting to get wed.’ She loathed the idea of deceiving him. ‘I’ve thought and thought about it,’ she confessed, ‘and I know I’m doing right. Oh Rosie, what else can I do?’ She paused to compose herself. ‘I love him too much to take away his future.’
Seeing the girl’s eyes fill with tears, Rosie was lost for words. She merely smiled and nodded, before, with a fleeting kiss on the cheek, she propelled her gently out the door.
With the cool breeze on her face and Alfie’s arm round her, Molly hurried along, her mind on what had to be done before the night was over.
‘Penny for them?’
Startled, she glanced up at him. ‘Sorry, Alfie, I was miles away.’
‘I know – I’ve been talking to myself for the past few minutes.’
‘It’s just… I’ve got a few things on my mind, that’s all.’
‘If you’re worried about finding work, you shouldn’t be. The minute your mam’s back on her feet you’ll be fixed up in no time.’ He planted a kiss on her head. ‘Besides, it won’t be all that long before we’re off to America.’ He chuckled. ‘Oh, love, you don’t know how much it means to me!’
When she didn’t answer, he went on talking, about America – the land of opportunity – and his plans for the two of them there. ‘It’s not as if we’re on the moon,’ he reminded her. ‘We can come back and visit. At first we’ll have to rent something small and reasonable, but when we’ve got a bigger place of our own, and money in the bank, we could fetch the whole family over, wouldn’t that be great?’
At the cinema kiosk he asked for, ‘Two one and nines, please.’ When the tickets were bought, the slim, uniformed usherette showed them to their places with her torchlight. ‘The big picture’s already started,’ she whispered. As they shuffled down the row, Alfie glanced at the big screen and tripped over somebody’s feet. ‘Sorry mate,’ he apologised, and quickly moved on.
The film was a jungle adventure, with animals roaring and natives throwing spears. ‘It’s supposed to be good,’ Alfie had told her along the way. ‘If it’s not, we’ll come out and go dancing at the Palais. There’s a good band on tonight.’
For now though, it was all they could do to get to their seats. ‘They would have to be right in the middle, wouldn’t they?’ he groaned, squeezing past people’s knees and constantly apologising when they cursed and complained. ‘Miserable blighters!’ he whispered, as they thankfully found their seats and made themselves comfortable.
Engrossed in the film, Alfie watched the hero fighting for his life, and it brought home to him the events of the recent war. He thought of how it might have been. ‘Sometimes I wish I’d been old enough to go in the Army during the war,’ he told Molly. ‘In a w
ay, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to do my bit, but then you wonder about the ones that never came home, and you thank God for the chances you’ve been given.’
Taking hold of her hand, he held it tight between his large, strong fists. ‘We’re two of the lucky ones, you and me,’ he said. ‘We mustn’t waste a single minute, d’you understand what I mean, love?’
She told him she did, but her heart sank when she thought how close she was to shattering his contentment.
Excited and on edge, he couldn’t seem to settle. Every now and then he would whisper something in Molly’s ear and she would look up and smile. Then he’d kiss her, and they’d chuckle at some funny thing he might say, until suddenly Alfie was reeling from a clap round the head.
‘Young man, will you please be quiet!’ The woman behind was a sour-faced old biddy who was already wishing she had stayed home and put her feet up by the fire. ‘And keep your head still, or I’ll call the manager!’
Like a pair of naughty children, Molly and Alfie didn’t dare move after that. Instead, they sat very still and became very quiet, stifling their laughter until the interval, when the ice-cream and popcorn came round. Fishing in his pocket for change, Alfie asked Molly what she wanted.
‘Anything but popcorn.’ Molly discreetly gestured to the woman behind. ‘She’d be bound to find fault with that, especially when we started crunching and rattling the bag about.’
‘I’m not letting her tell us what we can and can’t have.’ And off he went, hackles up. ‘If I want popcorn, I’ll damn well have popcorn, and that’s that!’
Curious, Molly watched as he walked down the aisle to join the queue; the ice-cream attendant looked like a little soldier, with her newly pressed uniform and tray of goodies slung round her neck. ‘Oh, dear!’ Molly held her breath as the woman seated behind them suddenly went rushing down the aisle to position herself directly beside Alfie. ‘He won’t like that,’ she chuckled. ‘One word out of line and she’ll have him!’
Alfie was the first to return, carrying two lolly ices. ‘I thought you weren’t going to let her dictate to you about what you should have.’ Molly had a twinkle in her eye. ‘What happened? Scare you off, did she?’
‘Not a bit of it,’ he lied. ‘If you must know, I thought the popcorn looked a bit off.’ All the same, he, too, had a twinkle in his eye. ‘She’s even worse, face on,’ he confessed. ‘Gave me the willies, she did, creeping up on me like that.’ And before she came rushing back again, ice-cream tub in hand, they had a good chuckle about it.
Behind them, the woman settled down and opened her tub, spooning out the vanilla ice-cream with a little wooden scoop. She slapped her lips, sucking and licking and, according to Alfie, making more noise than a pig at the trough.
Before the picture started up again, she made a great fuss of getting out of her seat. In fact, she trod on so many toes, she left a trail of devastation behind her.
Unfortunately for Molly and Alfie, she paused behind them and issued a stern warning. ‘Holding hands and canoodling, indeed! Goodness only knows why they let hooligans like you into the pictures at all… spoiling it for other, respectable folk!’ With that she gave Alfie another hearty clip round the ear. ‘I shall report the pair of you to the manager on my way out, you see if I don’t!’ And off she stomped to cause more mischief at the desk.
A few minutes later, the manager came down to the end of their row. ‘I shall have to ask you to leave,’ he said as quietly as he could. ‘There’s been a complaint.’
Alfie was immediately up in arms. ‘What complaint?’ The light quickly dawned. ‘Oh, no! Not that old biddy. Surely to God you’re not taking any notice of her, are you?’
The manager was outraged. ‘Mrs Baker is a valued client,’ he retorted in a normal voice. ‘She’s been most offended by your behaviour.’
People were beginning to listen, distracted from the film by all this carry-on.
‘And we’ve been offended by hers, so I suggest you ban her from the picture-house, because if you ask me, she’s a born trouble-maker!’
‘Are you telling me how to run my premises, young man?’
‘Well, somebody ought to tell you. Throwing innocent people out, who’ve paid good money, and all on the word of a cranky old woman.’
The manager squared his narrow shoulders. ‘That’s enough. I want you out NOW!’ Raising his voice as loud as he dare while the picture was rolling, he threatened, ‘If you refuse, I’ll have to call a Bobby.’
Things were getting out of hand. Molly swiftly intervened. ‘We’ll leave quietly,’ she said. ‘But my boyfriend’s right. The woman is a trouble-maker.’
‘Nonsense. She’s a poor old thing.’
Unbeknown to them, Alfie and Molly had not been the only ones to feel the length of that ‘poor old thing’s’ tongue. ‘Miserable old faggot. Good shuts to her,’ said the man who had sat next to her during the film. ‘She’s done nothing but fart and groan and cram snuff up her nose. What’s more, she stinks to high heaven… hasn’t had a bath in a month of Sundays, if you ask me.’
By this time, the picture-house was in uproar. ‘Shut up, back there!’ … ‘If you want to argue, get outside and let decent folks watch the film!’ There were others present who knew Mrs Baker personally. ‘She’s an old hag, and should be put down,’ one man declared, and another agreed. ‘She’s an artful old bugger. The young fella’s right – she should be banned.’
Realising he’d got it all wrong, the manager sheepishly offered his apologies and told Molly and Alfie they could stay and watch the film twice over if they’d a mind.
Alfie thanked him but refused. ‘What I’d like is my money back,’ he said crossly, and was astonished when the manager didn’t argue.
Once outside, the pair collapsed with laughter. ‘That was more entertaining than the picture,’ Alfie chortled, and Molly agreed. For those few precious minutes she had forgotten her troubles and her heart felt lighter.
Rattling the coins in his hand, he asked her, ‘Right then, me beauty, what’s it to be? The pub or the Palais?’
Molly didn’t feel like dancing. ‘The pub.’ It would be quieter there. It could be her opportunity to talk matters over with him.
The nearest public house was only a short walk away, but it wasn’t quiet as she had hoped. It seemed as if the whole of Blackburn had a thirst on tonight; swilling ale and smoking, the patrons filled the place with the fog of tobacco and the stench of booze.
Alfie asked if she’d changed her mind and would rather go to the Palais after all. She said no, and so he sat her at a corner table and brought their drinks… a lemon and lime for Molly, and for himself a pint of the best.
It took Alfie longer than usual to make his way back to the table. ‘Good lad!’ The calls came from all over. ‘You won me a bob or two the other night.’ ‘Let me pay for them drinks, lad.’ One man had heard a whisper. ‘If it’s true what they say about you moving to America, they’ll need to look hard for someone to take yer place. When you’re stripped for action you’re a joy to watch.’
‘Hey! I wouldn’t mind seeing you stripped for action.’ The toothless old hag was harmless enough; her name was Aggie, and she had long ago won every man’s heart. ‘Ask me, Aggie,’ the landlord teased. ‘Say the word an’ I’ll strip for you here and now.’
‘Like hell yer will!’ When she laughed, her mouth was dark and cavernous. ‘I want summat nice to look at, not one to gimme bloomin’ nightmares!’
Soon, the punters were crowding round Molly and Alfie. ‘Is it right, Alfie, lad?’ they wanted to know. ‘Are you really thinking of leaving for America?’
‘I reckon so,’ he answered. ‘Me and Molly here are getting wed and thinking of going out there, just for a year at first. If all goes well, we’ll probably settle down over there.’ Reaching out, he took hold of her hand. ‘Ain’t that right, sweetheart?’ Molly nodded and smiled, while inside she was falling apart.
During the few brief minutes they’d been
on their own, she had put on a brave face. She’d talked of anything and everything and had responded to Alfie’s jokes as always. Now she listened to his plans for their future together in America, and wished to God the others would all go away so she could stop him before he went any further. Instead of which they were full of the news about Alfie, and constantly coming over and asking for more.
When at last the questions and the folk drifted away, Alfie gave her a meaningful wink. ‘Hey.’
She knew he was about to say something suggestive, but playfully feigned ignorance. ‘What?’
‘You know what.’
‘No, I don’t.’
He sighed and winked again. ‘Would you like to see me stripped for action?’
‘I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,’ she said, pretending to be offended.
Leaning closer, he whispered, ‘You and me… later?’
Molly simply grinned. Oh, how she loved him. ‘You’re a bad ’un,’ she said, and took a sip of her drink. After a moment she felt his eyes on her. ‘What now?’
He hunched his shoulders. ‘Nothing.’
‘Are you ready to leave?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Well, what then?’
‘Are you all right, sweetheart?’
‘Yes, why?’ But she wasn’t all right. Far from it.
‘It’s just that, well… I’ve never known you so quiet. What’s wrong? Is it your mam? I’ve been thinking, I’d like to come with you to the hospital tomorrow night after work. I know she hasn’t wanted any visitors, and I can understand that, but now that you say she’s out of the woods…’
Molly gave a wry little smile. Oh yes, her mam was out of the woods all right… out of the woods and out of their lives. ‘It’s not that,’ she sighed.
‘So, what is it?’
For one frantic moment, it was on the tip of Molly’s tongue to tell him the truth about her mam and everything else that went with it. But this wasn’t the place or the time. Her courage failed. A moment later, when he asked her if she was ready for off, she nodded gratefully.
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