MB09 - You Stole My Heart Away

by Joan Jonker

  ‘I bet you any money none of them will mind. They’ve taken days off for other weddings, so they’ll think nothing of it. In fact, I’m sure someone else got married on a Friday, but I can’t bring to mind who it was. Anyway, babe, forget everyone else. We’ll get the parents together tomorrow night, tell them we’ve decided it would be nice to get married on yer birthday, and they’ll be so flabbergasted they’ll take half an hour for it to sink in.’

  ‘We’re not going back to the dance, are we? It’s hardly worth it for one or two dances.’

  ‘It’s up to you, babe. I thought you might find it romantic to tell yer mates in work that I proposed to yer during the last waltz.’

  ‘It would be nice to tell the girls in work, yes, it sounds dead romantic. But for me it’s more than romantic. For every year, on me birthday, I’ll be able to look back and relive my wedding day all over again.’

  ‘Come, on, then, we’ll have to have the last waltz, or yer’ll spend the rest of your life telling fibs.’

  Nellie and George had been invited to the Corkhills’ house the next night, and when Nellie walked in and saw there was only Corker, Ellen and Phoebe there, she said, ‘It’s quiet, isn’t it, Corker? I thought the room would be full.’

  ‘We’ve sent all the kids out, Nellie, so we could talk in peace. Phoebe said her and Paul have got something to tell us.’ The big man rubbed his hands together. ‘She won’t say what it is, but I’ve got high hopes.’

  Nellie saw her son pass the window. ‘Here’s Paul now, so we’ll soon find out what the mystery is all about.’ She frowned. ‘Hasn’t my mate been invited?’

  Corker slapped one of his huge hands on his forehead. ‘Oh, lord, I forgot about Molly! It’s been such a rush, me and Ellen haven’t had time to think straight. But that’s no excuse for leaving Molly out.’

  Paul heard this, as he came in from the street. ‘I’ll knock for Mrs B., shall I? Ye’re right, Uncle Corker, she should be here.’ He chuckled. ‘I almost gave the game away then, but I bit me tongue in time.’

  ‘Ay, what about Jack?’ Ellen said. ‘Ask him as well, Paul. We can’t leave him out, it would be mean.’

  Nellie pulled a chair out from under the table, and despite the creaks and groans from the chair, who knew from old what it was about to suffer, she plonked herself down and spread her arms on the table. ‘Ay, we could have a party when Molly and Jack come, ’cos all our gang will be here.’

  ‘Apart from all the family, Nellie, and Maisie and Alec,’ Ellen reminded her. ‘And had yer forgotten Jill and Steve, Doreen and Phil, and your Lily and Archie? Our gang is getting bigger and bigger. We’ll be needing a mansion for our parties soon. We had too many kids, that’s the trouble.’

  ‘I’ll remind yer of that remark in about five years’ time, love,’ Corker told her. ‘Our four will be married and flown the nest. There’ll only be me and thee, and yer won’t know what to do with yerself. This house will be so quiet, yer’ll be wishing the kids would come back again to liven things up.’

  ‘Phoebe will only be living two doors away, when her and our Paul get married,’ Nellie said. ‘So yer’ll still see her every day.’

  Phoebe had been silent up until then, but she took to heart what her dad had said about the house being quiet when the four children were married. ‘Mam, it won’t seem as though I’ve left home when I’m only two doors away. Our Dorothy said she’s not getting married for several years, and heaven knows it could be ten years before Gordon and Peter leave home. Then if ye’re still feeling lonely and the house is too quiet for yer, me and Paul can come here and live with yer, so Mrs Mac can have her house back for a while.’

  ‘Ay, don’t mind me,’ Nellie said, ‘I’m only here to make the numbers up! Don’t you be offering to come back and help yer mam out when ye’re married to my son, ’cos I’m relying on you to help me around the house.’ She screwed her eyes up and squinted at Phoebe. ‘Before any deals are made here, I want to know whether I’m on the winning side or the losers’? So a few questions are in order. First, how are yer fixed for making fairy cakes? And are yer good at scrubbing the step and ironing men’s shirts and trousers? And think before yer answer, girl, ’cos if yer tell me yer can do all these things, and then it turns out yer’ve never made a fairy cake in yer life, yer don’t know how to scrub the step, and yer burn everything yer put an iron to, well that would mean ye’re a useless article like meself, and there’s no room in our house for two of us.’

  George was sitting on the couch next to Corker, and his eyes had been moving from Nellie to Phoebe. Now he said, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t say yer were a useless article, love. I remember yer mam telling me, before we got married, that yer were good at a lot of things. I can’t remember them all ’cos there were so many. But I do remember one was that yer were good at breaking crockery, and another was that yer were a dab hand at burning toast. Those I remember because ye’re still good at them.’

  When the laughter had died down, Nellie was pointing a finger at her husband as Paul and Molly walked in. ‘Yer all seem very happy,’ Molly said. ‘What have we missed?’

  ‘Yer haven’t missed it, girl,’ Nellie told her. ‘Ye’re just in time to see me clock my feller for saying I’m good at breaking crockery and burning toast. The cheek of him, talking about his wife like that. Your Jack wouldn’t talk about you like that, would he?’

  Molly kept a straight face. ‘No, he wouldn’t, sunshine, and I’d be really annoyed with him if he did. But thinking about it, he would never have any reason to. Yer see, I’m very careful with crockery because I can’t afford not to be. I can’t remember the last time I broke a cup, because it’s so long ago.’ She looked thoughtful, as though puzzled. ‘What was the other one now? Oh, yeah, it was burning toast. Well I don’t do that either, sunshine, because me ma taught me never to waste food, for it was a sin when there are so many starving people in the world.’

  Nellie’s eyes were getting narrower by the second. When her mate had finished speaking, she folded her arms, tucked them under her mountainous bosom, and gazed up into Molly’s face. ‘Ye’re too bleeding good to live, yer know that, Molly Bennett. Yer should be up there in heaven with the angels, them what were also too good to live.’ Her head went from side to side as she thought up other ways of getting back at Molly. ‘But I’m going to tell my friend St Peter that ye’re a big sneak, and he’ll pass it on to every angel up there. So yer won’t get a good reception when yer arrive, and it’ll serve yer right for telling lies about me.’ With a sharp nod of her head, which frightened the life out of her chins, she ended by saying, ‘Yer’ll get paid back for telling everyone I burn the toast.’

  ‘I didn’t tell everyone yer burn the toast, sunshine, I’ve never mentioned it until you brought it up. But then again, I didn’t need to tell everyone even if I’d wanted to, ’cos the whole street can smell the burning every morning. In fact, I was seeing Jack out to work one morning when the Millers’ front door opened and Bill came out on his way to work. And I heard him shouting back to his wife, “Nellie’s burnt the toast again, Vera.”’

  With her mouth wide, Nellie glanced at the captive audience. ‘Who the hell are the Millers when they’re out? I’ve never heard of no family of that name living in this street.’

  ‘They’re a make-believe family, Nellie. I made them up, like you’ve been making things up. You’ve made a career out of it, and it’s rubbed off on me now.’

  George pulled on his wife’s arm. ‘Sit down, Nellie. We’re invited guests here, and you’ve done nothing but yap. So behave yerself and sit down.’

  Corker asked Molly, ‘Where’s Jack? Is he coming? I don’t want to start until everyone’s here.’ He guffawed, then looked at his daughter. ‘I’m sorry, sweetheart, this meeting of friends is for you and Paul. Don’t let me spoil it by taking over.’

  ‘I left Jack finishing the dishes, Corker. I didn’t know it was a gathering of the clan, because Paul didn’t say. But I’ll go and get him, ’cos h
e won’t want to miss anything.’ She turned at the door and laughed. ‘I love a little excitement and mystery, and it doesn’t happen very often. I’ll be back in two minutes flat, with my feller in tow.’

  Five minutes later the parents and friends of Paul and Phoebe were all seated and looking at the couple with expectancy written on their faces. All were hoping that the reason for the gathering was an announcement that had been long in coming. The couple themselves were sitting holding hands. Phoebe was looking shy and nervous, while Paul looked the picture of happiness, and not in the least shy. ‘Me and Phoebe have got something to tell yer. And to make it a bit more interesting, I’m going to tell yer how it came about.’ He looked down at Phoebe and squeezed her hand. ‘Everyone thinks my girlfriend is quiet and shy, which she is to a point, and it’s why I love her. But behind that shyness is a strong personality which comes out now and again. And last night my girl really showed she has a mind of her own.’

  In a quiet voice, Phoebe said, ‘Get on with it, Paul. I’m sure no one is interested in the details.’

  Nellie huffed. ‘That’s where ye’re wrong, girl, ’cos we want to know every little detail. So stop blushing and let me son tell us why, and how, it all came about. Unless yer’ve got us here for a laugh, and in that case I’ll box his ears for him.’

  Paul sighed. ‘Women, what would yer do with them? They can’t keep quiet for five minutes.’

  ‘Go on, son,’ Corker said, ‘and we’ll all be as quiet as mice.’

  ‘Thank you, Uncle Corker. Well, to get back to last night, me and Phoebe were dancing to my favourite song, “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now”, and doesn’t she go and spoil it by telling me that unless I buck me ideas up, I’ll be singing that song for real, ’cos she will be kissing some other bloke.’

  ‘Good for you, girl,’ Nellie said, while Molly and Ellen nodded in agreement. ‘It’s about time yer put yer foot down with him.’

  ‘Well, I wasn’t going to take a chance of that happening,’ Paul said, his brown eyes shining both with laughter, and with love for the girl sitting next to him. ‘So I got down on one knee in the dance hall, and I proposed to her.’

  Phoebe gasped. ‘Paul!’

  ‘Okay, so I’m adding a bit to make it more romantic. It doesn’t matter how I proposed – you’ve agreed to marry me, and I’m holding yer to that.’

  There was a loud burst of clapping and laughter, with kisses and congratulation in abundance. The only one who noticed that Nellie had tears in her eyes was Molly, and she quickly put an arm across her mate’s shoulder. ‘Save those tears for bed tonight, sunshine, and give yer son and future daughter-in-law a big kiss.’

  ‘He’s the last of me children, girl, me baby.’

  ‘Hardly a baby, sunshine, and yer should be happy he’s marrying a wonderful girl. Plus, Paul won’t be leaving home, seeing as they’re going to be living with you! Go on, give them a kiss.’

  Nellie wasn’t an emotional person, and always said she hated kissing because it was sloppy. The only exemptions she’d ever made were when Steve, her firstborn, married Jill, and again when Lily, her only daughter, had married Archie. And she was about to make another exception now, for her youngest. However, Paul didn’t wait for his mother to come to him, he went to her with arms outstretched. Like his brother and sister, he loved his mother dearly for the warmth, love and laughter she’d given them all through their lives. And now, with his arms round her ample waist, he lifted her off her feet. ‘Put me down, yer daft ha’p’orth, ye’re showing everything I’ve got!’

  His dimples deep, he said, ‘Mam, whether yer’ve got yer pink or yer blue fleecy-lined on, it won’t be the first time we’ve all seen them, so stop struggling. Give us a kiss, say ye’re happy for me and Phoebe, and then I’ll let yer down.’

  Shaking her head and tutting, but secretly delighted, Nellie gave her son a kiss, then one to Phoebe who’d been waiting patiently. And in a whisper guaranteed to be heard by all, she said, ‘Don’t forget what I said about the fairy cakes, girl. Yer’ve got from now until yer get married to learn how to make them as good as our Lily does. Light as a feather, they are.’

  Ellen thought she’d stick up for her daughter, because Phoebe wasn’t one for bragging. ‘She doesn’t need any lessons, Nellie, because our Phoebe makes fairy cakes so light, they float off the plate towards the ceiling.’

  ‘Ooh, er,’ Nellie said, ‘our Lily’s don’t float off the plate. I’ll have to have words with her about that.’

  ‘I think we should all settle down now,’ Corker said. He didn’t have much to say, but he was, without doubt, the happiest person in the room after Paul and Phoebe. ‘Now Paul has proposed, and Phoebe has accepted, perhaps the couple have plans they’d like to tell us about?’

  ‘Well, Uncle Corker, we haven’t had time to discuss plans and arrangements. But one thing we have agreed on, and I’ll let Phoebe tell you herself. Go on, babe.’

  Phoebe’s face went the colour of beetroot, and she would have backed out if Paul hadn’t put his arm round her shoulder and whispered softly, ‘Go on, love, it’s what you want so go ahead.’

  ‘I can feel me cheeks burning, and I’ll probably stammer and stutter, but as Paul said, it’s something I’ve thought about, and wished for, for a few years. I would love to get married on me birthday if it’s possible.’

  ‘Then you shall get married on your birthday, sweetheart,’ Corker said. ‘If you want it, then I’ll make sure it happens.’ He turned to Ellen. ‘The first one to get married, eh, love? Like Molly’s two girls, and Lily, we want to do Phoebe proud.’

  ‘When is yer birthday, sunshine?’ Molly asked. ‘Not next month I hope, ’cos we all need time to buy new clothes.’ Her hand went to her mouth. ‘Oh, Nellie, yer’ll be able to buy a new wedding hat! Oh, Phoebe, sunshine, yer’ve given us all something to look forward to.’

  ‘I’m afraid my birthday is on the eighteenth of September, Auntie Molly, and it’s on a Friday. But I can always have it on the Saturday if Friday is too inconvenient.’

  It was George who first came to her aid. ‘I can take the Friday off, love, no trouble. My boss can’t refuse to give me the day off for my son’s wedding.’

  Corker was next to say, ‘No bother for me to be off that day. Father of the bride, my boss wouldn’t dare even pull a face.’

  Jack grinned. ‘Well, if me and Molly are invited guests, I’m damn sure I’m not letting her go on her own. So count me in, and thank you.’

  ‘I know it’s a good few months off, sunshine,’ Molly said, ‘but if yer want the reception at Hanley’s yer’d be well advised to book early.’

  ‘I lay in bed last night going over some of the details,’ Phoebe said. ‘I was so excited I couldn’t get to sleep. I know in me mind what I’d like, and who I’d like, but as me dad is paying for the reception, and the bridesmaids’ dresses and suits for Gordon and Peter, I’ll be guided by him.’

  ‘Ay, girl, we can’t hang around, yer know.’ This was Nellie on her high horse. ‘As mother of the groom, I’m hentitled to know what’s going on.’

  ‘Yer mean entitled, sunshine, not hentitled. I can’t see any chickens being invited guests. And I’m sure Phoebe will keep you in touch with any developments.’

  ‘I’ll need you with me, girl, to tell me what all the big words mean. For I could end up in the back pew in the church, all on me own in me new wedding hat.’

  ‘I doubt that very much, Nellie, ’cos ye’re hardly the wallflower type. And being mother of the groom, plus a new wedding hat, well, I can see you throwing your weight around.’

  ‘When we’ve got the house to ourselves later,’ Phoebe told them, ‘just me, Paul, and me mam and dad, then we’ll make a proper list for yer to see. I know who I’d like as bridesmaids, and maid of honour, but I’ll sort it out with me parents first.’

  Paul chuckled. ‘It’s easy for a bridegroom, I only need a best man, and I’m hoping our Steve will fill that role.’

  Molly
jumped to her feet. ‘We’ll leave yer to let the happy news sink in. And yer can sort the arrangements out, plus who’s doing what, without us chipping in. So on yer feet, Jack, and you, Nellie, with George. Let’s leave these people in peace.’

  Nellie didn’t agree with that. ‘I’ll stay with our Paul, in case he needs any help or advice. You go home, Molly, and take Jack and George with yer. I don’t mean take my feller home with yer, I mean when yer get outside, point him in the direction of his own home.’

  ‘No, Mam,’ Paul said. ‘Me and Phoebe want to go over everything, and we can’t do it with people around. We’re better on our own.’

  Nellie heaved a big sigh. ‘It’s coming to something when me own son tells me to sod off.’

  ‘As soon as we’ve got our heads round all the people who will be involved, the main ones, like, then we’ll let yer know. And as it’s a few months off, yer’ll have plenty of time for yer wedding outfit. In fact, Mam,’ Paul said, ‘yer’ll be sick of the sound of this wedding before long, because yer’ll be hearing about it every night when we’re having our dinner.’

  Phoebe touched his arm. ‘Does yer mam know yer’ve been putting money away on the quiet? And how much yer’ve saved?’

  Paul shook his head. ‘I haven’t told anyone. But seeing as you’ve brought it up, I’ll never get any peace until she knows.’ He raised his brow at his mother. ‘Your son has saved the grand total of one hundred pounds.’ He heard surprise in the raised voices, and went on to say, ‘I know you thought I was spending all me money on enjoying meself, but yer were all wrong, yer see.’

  Nellie was lost for words. ‘A hundred pound! Why, that’s a fortune! Ye’re a dark horse, Paul McDonough, but I’m proud of yer.’

  ‘And so you should be, Nellie, for that’s wonderful news,’ Molly told her. ‘He’s not my son, but that doesn’t stop me being proud of him.’

  Corker didn’t say anything, but in his heart he was a very happy man, and a very relieved man. For he’d often wondered if Paul would ever settle down, and put a wife before his carefree lifestyle. What he’d seen and heard in the last half-hour had chased away any doubts he had. Phoebe would be safe in Paul’s hands. And because he took after his mother for humour, then his daughter could look forward to a marriage filled with warmth, love and laughter. And no father could ask for more.