The Girl from the Docklands Café

by June Tate

  ‘How could I ever forget?’ she said with some sarcasm. ‘What about the lease on the cafe? You’re not selling that too, I hope?’

  ‘No, I will keep it for a while, anyway – unless you want to buy it off me?’

  ‘You are full of surprises, Mr Forbes!’

  ‘Well, Jessie, you made that cafe into a thriving business, it seems only right to give you the opportunity. After all, it’s still making money. I am really not interested in the cafe, but I wouldn’t close that down on you too, unless I had to.’

  ‘I’ll think about it and get back to you. But now, when are you going to tell the staff?’

  ‘I’ll come in early tomorrow morning. Have them gather in the foyer at eight o’clock, will you?’ Getting up from his chair, he said, ‘I’m genuinely sorry about this, Jessie. As you know, I had plans for another hotel, and after that, who knew how far we could have gone together.’

  She heard the disappointment in his voice and felt a surge of sympathy. ‘We all had plans, but sadly life isn’t always kind.’

  ‘As you know only too well,’ he replied. ‘But you and I are survivors, Jessie! We’ll come out on top, eventually. I’ll see you in the morning.’

  When she was alone, Jessie sat and tried to take it all in. The hotel would close and her staff would be unemployed, which worried her. Then she started to laugh. ‘From rags to riches and back to rags again!’ she said aloud, thinking of her own position. Back to the cafe, then. But she began to consider her possibilities. If she did have the lease …

  The following morning the staff were assembled. As they waited there was much murmuring among them, wondering what was going on, then they became silent as Larry Forbes arrived and stood on the bottom of the staircase to speak to them.

  ‘I’ll come straight to the point,’ he began. ‘As you must be aware, ever since war was declared, we have been losing business and I’ve had to make a serious decision. The hotel has been sold.’

  The staff all started talking at once.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please, let me finish. In a month’s time the Admiralty will be taking over the building for their own use. I realise this will cause you some hardship and there will be a bonus in your final pay packet, which I hope will help to tide you over until you can find work. If you do so before we close, that’s fine, I’ll understand. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your loyal service. You helped to give the Grosvenor Hotel the fine reputation that it has. If I could have found a way to keep it open, I would have done so. I sold it with a heavy heart, I assure you. Thank you for listening. You can all return to your stations now.’

  There was a definite air of gloom as the staff took their leave and ambled away. Forbes walked over to Jessie. ‘That’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to do for a very long time.’

  ‘Let’s go into my office,’ she suggested.

  Larry Forbes sank into a chair and let out a deep sigh, then he lit a cigarette. He rubbed his forehead wearily. ‘Oh, Jessie, this is such a bloody shame. We both had such plans, and look around you, this place could have been an absolute gold mine.’

  ‘It’s not your fault! When you bought this place and furnished it, it was a great undertaking, and then it was certainly the right one. Your perception of what it could be was solid. You didn’t fail! It’s only circumstances that scuppered you.’

  ‘Scuppered! That is exactly the word to describe the situation. Hopefully if the war is over by Christmas, as everybody seems to think, then who knows, we still could make it.’

  With a chuckle, Jessie said, ‘Well I have to admire your optimism. It breaks my heart to see the troops marching through the town to the docks, thinking they’ll be home soon.’

  He gazed at her. ‘There is one thing I was right about and that was you for my manageress. You’ve done such a splendid job, it’s such a pity that you couldn’t have continued in your elevated position and have gone even higher. You have such great potential.’

  ‘Oh, I haven’t given up the ghost yet, Mr Forbes, I just haven’t yet worked it out, that’s all.’

  ‘You are quite a woman, Jessie McGonigall!’

  ‘So I am, just you wait and see!’ She grinned broadly at him.

  ‘I must be off. I’ll pop in tomorrow. You look after yourself.’ He left the office and the hotel.

  Jessie put on her coat and headed for the cafe to tell Nancy what had happened and to do some quiet thinking. She had to have a future to plan. But what? As yet she didn’t know, but she had to find an answer soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Jessie was greeted warmly by some of her old customers as she entered the cafe.

  ‘You slumming, then, Jessie?’ asked one.

  ‘Lovely to see you, girl,’ said another.

  She smiled at them all. ‘Coming here is never slumming in my book, gentlemen, and it’s lovely to see you all too!’ She walked into the kitchen where Nancy was preparing another order.

  ‘Hello, love,’ she said, ‘I won’t be a minute.’

  Jessie said hello to the girl Nancy had hired as a helper and gratefully accepted her offer of a cup of tea. When Nancy returned, she took her over to a corner of the kitchen.

  ‘The hotel has been sold to the Admiralty and closes in a month,’ she told her.

  Nancy looked shocked at the news. ‘Bloody hell, Jessie, that’s come like a shot out of the blue. Did you have any idea?’

  Shaking her head, Jessie said, ‘No, but trade has dropped off and we’ve been running at a loss – but no. I’m as shocked as you are.’

  ‘What will you do?’

  ‘Come back here, of course. I don’t have a choice.’

  Her friend was full of sympathy. ‘Oh, Jessie! That’s a bit of a comedown after being manageress of a posh hotel.’

  ‘Not really. A job’s a job, and yes, I see what you mean, but I have to make a living. Larry Forbes has offered to sell me the lease if I want it.’

  ‘Do you want it?’

  Jessie was hesitant. ‘I’m not sure at the moment. I’ve got to sit and do some serious thinking about the future, but I just wanted you to know what’s happening.’ She finished her tea. ‘I must get back.’ She kissed her friend on the cheek and left.

  Once back in her office, she shut the door to give her some privacy. Despite the severance pay Forbes had promised, she’d been used to earning a good salary and she didn’t relish the thought of being out of pocket. She wracked her brains looking for a solution to increase her finances, but she couldn’t think of a thing.

  The month seemed to fly by. There was a shortage of coal. Street lights were dimmed to save on electricity. It made the streets gloomy and depressing.

  Eventually, the day of closure arrived. Larry Forbes was on hand to give out the wages and bonus himself, so he could personally say goodbye to his staff. It was a sad day for all that had remained. A few had found other employment, but the majority of them lined up outside the office for their final wage packet. Christmas wouldn’t be celebrated in the same manner this year by many.

  When eventually they were alone, Forbes turned to Jessie. ‘The new owners have purchased the contents of the bar for their use, but I think they won’t mind if we two have a final drink together. I don’t hand the keys over until this afternoon. Come on!’

  He went behind the bar and poured them both double measures of gin and some tonic water, then led her over to a table. He held up his glass.

  ‘Here’s to the future, Jessie. I hope it’s a good one!’

  She clinked glasses. ‘I’ll drink to that.’

  ‘What are your plans?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m moving my stuff back to the house,’ she said, adding with a grimace. ‘I will miss the bathroom. I’m going to go back to working with Nancy in the cafe for the time being.’

  ‘Have you thought about buying the lease?’

  ‘I’m still thinking about that, I’ll let you know in due course.’

  ‘There�
��s no hurry,’ he assured her. ‘Things are going to change in the country now we’re at war and no one is yet certain how. Some will make money from it, others will suffer. Lives will be lost, families destroyed. It’s a sad time.’

  ‘But people say it will be over by Christmas,’ she argued.

  Forbes shook his head. ‘Sadly, I doubt that, but I pray I’m wrong.’

  They finished their drinks and Jessie washed the glasses and put them away.

  ‘I’ll just go upstairs and get my case,’ she said, ‘then you can lock up.’

  There wasn’t much to pack as she’d taken a lot of her things home in the previous days. She looked around her rooms and took one last lingering look into the bathroom. Gazing longingly at the bath and toilet before closing the door and taking the lift down to the foyer.

  Larry Forbes locked the door to the hotel behind them. Neither of them spoke. It was so final. The end of an adventure, to their dreams and the success they’d worked hard for. It was a sad moment.

  He gripped her hand in both of his. ‘I’ll be in touch, Jessie.’ His voice was choked with emotion. Jessie couldn’t answer, she just nodded and, turning, walked away.

  Entering her house in Union Street, she put down her case and set about lighting the stove. She filled a kettle and placed it on top of the stove to boil when the fire had taken a hold. Then she washed her hands and sat in a chair watching the flames as the fire began to burn.

  I’m back where I started, she thought. No luxurious bath, no indoor toilet any more. No more decent salary! During her time at the hotel, she’d saved her money; after all, she’d been fed and housed, and her savings had originally been towards a home of her own for her and Conor. Now there was no Conor either. Just her. She did, however, still have the income from the cafe. Thank God for that! She assumed – or hoped would perhaps be a better word – that business would remain healthy. The dockers would still be employed with ships coming in to move troops over to France and would continue to be needed as long as the war continued.

  In September, the prime minister, Herbert Asquith, had called for another 500,000 men to sign up for the army, and Queen Mary had asked the nation’s women to knit socks for the army. On the British front in Flanders, troops were fighting a battle for Ypres. In Britain, the papers were read with mounting fear for those who had family members serving abroad.

  Jessie was now concerned that there would possibly be food shortages that could impede her business. If so, she and Nancy would just have to be inventive with a menu. Home-made soups were always an acceptable starter, but men liked a hearty main course. If meat was short, that could make things difficult. She could keep chickens in the backyard of the cafe, but men would soon get fed up with that too often. Fortunately, she had a good relationship with the local butcher in The Ditches, but he, too, could be restricted. She was wracking her brains trying to foresee the difficulties ahead so she had an answer for when they arrived, but it was all guesswork.

  Jessie decided that while she waited for the fire to catch properly, she’d pop along to the butcher who was just down the road and have a chat with him to see if he’d heard anything.

  Fred Warner greeted her warmly. ‘Jessie, love, how nice to see you. I’m so sorry to hear about young Conor and now I heard the hotel is closed. Not having a lot of luck, are you, girl?’

  She shrugged. ‘Sure, ’tis true, but life has to go on. I’ll be back at the cafe and I was wondering if there’ll be food shortages in the future and if you’ll be affected?’

  ‘Don’t know, Jessie. It’s likely, but I’ll always look after you as best as I can. You know that.’

  ‘That I do, Fred, and I thank you. It breaks my heart that we are at war. So many lives will be lost, family life changed, and for what?’

  ‘Power-hungry buggers, that’s what!’ His face flushed in anger.

  ‘While I’m here, I’ll take half a pound of stewing steak, please, and four slices of lamb’s liver. I’ve nothing in the house.’

  A customer was waiting to be served so Jessie thanked Fred and took her leave, then bought some fruit and vegetables from the greengrocer before returning home.

  As she unpacked her shopping, she mused that she felt like a housewife again, but then she realised she would only be cooking for herself. It was like a knife being plunged into her heart. It was unexpected moments like this that took her by surprise and seemed to hurt the most.

  She busied herself, peeling the vegetables, preparing the stew, filling a stone water bottle to put in her bed in case the sheets were a little damp from not having been slept in. Then she made a cup of tea and sat down. Tomorrow she’d return to the cafe and start all over again.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  It was a bright but cold morning when Jessie arrived at the cafe. Nancy and Dorothy, her helper, had already started prepping the food for the day. They looked up as Jessie walked into the kitchen and put on a clean white apron.

  ‘Morning, ladies!’ she said. ‘What’s on the lunch menu today, and what can I do?’

  ‘Bangers and mash with onion gravy for one and meat pie for the other, both served with mixed vegetables,’ Nancy told her. ‘If you were to make the pastry for the pies, that would be a help. Your pastry was always better than mine.’

  ‘And dessert?’ Jessie asked.

  ‘Treacle pudding and custard. You know it’s the men’s favourite and that hasn’t changed.’ Nancy laughed. ‘Oh, Jessie, it’s like old times to be in the kitchen together, although through unhappy circumstances, of course.’

  Jessie grinned at her. ‘I know, but it feels good just the same.’

  When a little later the customers for breakfast arrived, Jessie walked into the dining room to take the orders and was greeted warmly by those who knew her.

  ‘Welcome home, love,’ said one. ‘The place hasn’t been the same without you, not complaining, you understand. Nancy has looked after us real good, but it’s nice to see your smiling face back again.’

  ‘Sorry about the hotel closing, Jessie, but their loss is our gain!’ another chipped in.

  A customer new to her walked in and sat down. With a grin he said, ‘Morning! New waitress, eh? Good-looking too – you married, love?’

  Her regulars waited for her response.

  ‘Good morning, I’m Jessie McGonigall, the owner. Thank you for the compliment, but as for being married’ – she looked him up and down – ‘you wouldn’t stand a chance! Now what can I get you to eat?’

  The other customers burst out laughing and started to tease the newcomer.

  ‘Well, I didn’t know, did I?’ he retorted, face flushed with embarrassment.

  In the kitchen the girls chuckled, having overheard the conversation.

  ‘Oh, I have missed you, Jessie,’ said Nancy, grinning broadly. ‘You light up the place. You always did!’

  The day went well and, as usual, they were kept busy. After they closed, Jessie and Nancy sat quietly and chatted over a cup of tea. Jessie sat back in her chair and sighed.

  ‘Today was lovely. The customers were great and we were busy as usual, but I keep wracking my brains trying to think how we could make more money. I don’t mean putting the prices up, but doing something else as well as the cafe.’

  ‘But where – and what?’ Nancy looked puzzled.

  ‘That’s just it, I can’t think of a thing, but there must be something. I have some money saved so that wouldn’t be a problem, if only I could come up with a plan.’

  It wasn’t long before Jessie’s problem was solved. She was watching as the troops continued marching towards the docks, company after company. The seagoing exodus continued all day long and into the night. The last sailing, a hospital ship, was at two o’clock in the morning. She’d only discovered this when she’d overheard a conversation between two dockers. Then she had an idea. They would stay open until the evening!

  ‘We can work in shifts,’ she told Nancy and Dorothy. ‘You two can do one and I’ll hire ano
ther girl to help me run the next shift. The dockers will need feeding to keep them going and, who knows, we may get a few of the crew as well from the tugs. I’ll go and have a word with the butcher to increase our order. It’s no good opening and running out of food. We could make sandwiches, too, for those who don’t have the time for a meal. And we’ll open on Sundays as well.’

  So it began. Nancy and Dorothy worked from seven in the morning until one o’clock and then, Jessie with Mary, an older woman whose husband had joined up, took over. They worked from one o’clock until seven o’clock in the evening.

  The dockers who also worked shifts were delighted with the new arrangement and the cafe was kept busy. The trade in sandwiches was also welcome, especially by the crews from the tugs, who were constantly on the go, taking each vessel out of the docks into Southampton water, before removing their ropes so the ships could sail across the Channel under their own steam.

  Although they were busy, the girls were saddened by the steady stream of troops continuously marching by these past months, knowing that some wouldn’t return to their families, but the amount of horses being shipped as well took them by surprise.

  Nancy was very upset upon seeing them. ‘Those poor animals!’ she cried. ‘They’ll be terrified at the sound of gunfire. It’s not right!’

  ‘But they’re needed, Nancy. It’s a form of transportation for the soldiers and the officers. I was told that some had taken their own horse with them,’ Jessie explained.

  This didn’t stop Nancy’s outrage, so everyone made sure not to mention it in front of her. They had enough to cope with, catering for their customers.

  Two weeks later, Larry Forbes paid Jessie a visit early one evening. He made his way to the kitchen. Both the women were busy serving a full dining room.