MB08 - I’ll Be Your Sweetheart

by Joan Jonker

  ‘Yes there is, sunshine, and you’re one of them. The two shillings you’re giving me, and my two shillings’ contribution, will make it twelve shillings. That will take all the stress and strain away from the old lady. She’ll feel secure having a few bob to fall back on.’ Molly squeezed Nellie’s arm. ‘And you and me, sunshine, will feel much better for doing a good deed. Our conscience will be clear.’

  Nellie pulled them to a halt. ‘I haven’t got a heart of gold, girl, and there’s nowt wrong with my conscience. Me memory must be going, though, ’cos for the life of me I can’t remember saying I’d give two shillings. And as for doing a good deed, well, I wouldn’t know one if I fell over it.’

  Molly had expected this response and was prepared. ‘That’s all right, sunshine, don’t worry yer head about it. If yer don’t want to help Flora, well, that’s up to you. I’m not twisting yer arm. It’s you that will have to live with yerself.’ She began to walk on. ‘Hurry up, I haven’t got time to waste.’

  ‘Hang on, girl, and give me a chance. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help Flora, now did I?’

  ‘No, yer didn’t, Nellie, that’s quite true. But yer didn’t say yer would help her, either. And like I said, I’m not going to twist yer arm and make yer do something yer don’t really have the heart for. Yer have a mind of yer own, and yer must do as yer please.’

  ‘I’ll give yer the two shillings, girl, yer don’t have to make a bleeding song and dance about it. I’ll cough up, seeing as you are too!’

  Molly shook her head. ‘No, sunshine, if the money is begrudged, it won’t do Flora any good. She’d have nothing but bad luck.’

  Nellie snorted. ‘She hasn’t had much bleeding good luck without it, has she? Anyway, girl, what are yer being so snooty about? Isn’t my money good enough for yer?’ Once again she snorted, before muttering under her breath, ‘What a bloody palaver this is! Much more of it and I’ll ask for me money back.’

  Molly chuckled. This was a scene she could have written the plot of, for she knew her mate inside out. ‘How can I give yer back what I haven’t yet been given?’

  ‘I’ll give it to yer tonight when I’m doing the rounds with yer. I’ll make sure I’ve got a two bob piece in me pocket.’

  ‘Who said yer could come with me on me rounds? It’s manners to wait until ye’re asked, sunshine.’

  ‘If you’re going round collecting money, then I’m going to make sure yer don’t short change them what have the same blood running through their veins as I have.’ Nellie gave a sharp nod to confirm. ‘So there, clever clogs.’

  ‘Doreen and Phil don’t have the same blood as you, sunshine, they’re not related to yer. And neither are Tommy and Rosie.’

  ‘That’s what you say, girl, but I think different and I’m not taking your word for it. I saw a picture once, I can’t remember now what it was called but I can remember the hero saying that families had blood ties what bind them together. And I’d rather believe Randolph Scott than you.’

  Molly’s jaw dropped. That was a long speech for Nellie, and she hadn’t used one swear word. She’d made the story up as she went along, like, but Molly gave her full marks for initiative. Nevertheless, she wasn’t going to let it stop her pulling her mate’s leg. ‘Oh, I remember that picture, sunshine. It was a real weepy. And I clearly remember Randolph Scott saying what you just said.’

  Nellie’s eyes darted from side to side. She’d never seen Randolph Scott in her life. He was always in Western films and she hated cowboys and Indians. ‘I’d like to stand talking, girl, but if we don’t make a move my feet will be stuck to the pavement, Hanley’s will have sold out of meat pies, and Flora will have died of starvation.’

  ‘Yeah, we better put a move on, ’cos I’d like to be with Flora when the detective comes. Lily and May are smashing neighbours, but they’re a bit on the shy side. They wouldn’t speak out or ask questions.’

  After linking her mate’s arm, Nellie said, ‘Ye’re not the only one with ideas, girl. My brain might not be as big as yours, but now and again it surprises me and comes up with some useful information. And while we were sitting with Flora, right out of the blue, it came up with a brilliant idea. If the police don’t find the thief, then we should open up our detective agency and take on the job ourselves.’

  ‘That’s exactly what I was thinking, sunshine, so it just goes to show that great minds do think alike.’

  That was praise indeed. And to show her appreciation, Nellie’s back straightened, her head was held high, and her bosom stood to attention. ‘What time are yer doing the rounds tonight, girl? Just so I can be ready when yer call for me. And I’ll have me money ready. I’ll be the first one to make a contribution. The first name on yer list. That’s good, isn’t it, girl?’

  ‘Marvellous, sunshine, absolutely marvellous. And I’ll make sure you get yer full title. Helen Theresa McDonough.’

  Chapter Three

  Jack Bennett pushed his dinner plate away. ‘I’m sorry, love, I couldn’t eat any more. There’s nothing wrong with the dinner, it’s me, me tummy’s upset. Listening to yer telling us about Mrs Parker has taken me appetite away.’

  ‘I know how yer feel, sunshine, ’cos my tummy’s been upset since I walked in her house and saw the state she was in. She looked so lost and alone, as though she had nothing left to live for. Even Nellie was affected, but yer know what she’s like, she never lets anyone see the soft side of her.’

  Ruthie, their fifteen-year-old daughter, had been really moved by what her mother had told them, and there was a catch in her voice when she asked, ‘Won’t she ever get her husband’s watch back, Mam? She might, yer know, ’cos the police might find out who stole it.’

  ‘I don’t think there’s much chance of that, sunshine. I doubt she’ll ever see it again.’ Molly let out a heartfelt sigh. ‘The detective that came didn’t hold out much hope, though he didn’t say that to Flora. I have to say the young bobby and the detective were very good with her. They really treated her with respect. They were patient and kind, treated her like a real lady, as though she was someone special. They asked the neighbours if they’d noticed anyone strange hanging around the entry, or coming out of Flora’s front door, but no one had seen anything out of the ordinary.’

  ‘Whoever it was must be young, because I certainly couldn’t scale a yard wall. I might have done twenty years ago, but not now.’ Jack reached for his packet of Woodbines, which was unusual because other nights he didn’t light up until dinner was over, the table cleared, and he was in his fireside chair with the evening paper. ‘The rotter is probably patting himself on the back right now for picking a house where there was no resistance and he was able to walk off with cash and a gold fob watch which must be worth a few pound.’

  ‘It was worth more than all the money in the world to Flora.’ Molly was angry and sad at the same time. ‘Nellie said she’d wring the neck of the robber if he ever gets caught, and the way I feel now, I’d hold him while she did it.’

  ‘That’s the sad part about it,’ Jack said. ‘He’s probably in some pub right now, trying to flog it for a few bob. He won’t keep hold of it, in case he gets caught with it on him. So he’ll sell it for the price of a few pints. He won’t give a thought to the heartbreak he’s caused, just for the sake of a few beers. And he wouldn’t even feel guilty if he was told the man who had owned the watch was killed in the First World War, fighting for his country.’ He shook his head in disgust. ‘Fighting to protect people like him.’

  Ruthie shivered as though someone had walked over her grave. ‘Mam, it’s a good job Mrs Parker was fast asleep in bed, or he might have hurt her if she’d tried to stop him from stealing from her.’

  ‘I did tell her that, sunshine, but it was no consolation. I can’t find the words to explain how she looked, for she was in a world of her own. Her head must have been in turmoil, what with the loss of the watch, and being left without a penny to her name. It’s enough to send a young person out of their mind, never
mind someone of her age.’

  ‘If ye’re going round the family asking them to chip in and help, then I’m more than willing to put me hand in me pocket,’ Jack said. ‘I can’t give much, yer know that, but Mrs Parker is welcome to what I’ve got.’

  Ruthie leaned forward, her blue eyes wide. ‘I could give yer sixpence as well, Mam. Every little helps.’

  Molly left her chair and rounded the table to hug her daughter. ‘That’s good of yer, sunshine, but I’ll manage without taking money off you or yer dad. Me and Nellie are giving two bob each, and I’m going round the family tonight with a hat. They’ll all chuck a few bob in, I know, and I’ll be able to sleep easy in me bed. It should be enough for Flora to pay her rent and the coalman, plus coppers for the gas meter, and her food. The family are all generous, and when they know why I’m calling with a begging bowl, they’ll be only too pleased to help.’

  ‘It’s a good idea to have Nellie with yer,’ Jack said. ‘She can keep them laughing while they’re parting with their money.’

  ‘Oh, she insisted on coming with me, to make sure I didn’t fiddle any of her family what are blood relatives.’ Molly smiled as she patted the back of his hand. ‘There’s a story attached to that, love, a very funny story. But if I start telling yer now, I won’t leave meself enough time to do the rounds. I can’t call in each house, grab their money off them and then run like hell. I’ll have to explain why I’m asking them for money, and that will take time. Then there’ll be the problem of Nellie wanting a cup of tea and a custard cream in every house. And she won’t leave until she gets it. My mate is definitely not backward in coming forward. By no stretch of the imagination could yer call her shy, or bashful.’

  ‘You get yerself ready, now, love, and me and Ruthie will wash the dishes and tidy up.’

  Molly cupped his face in her two hands, and gave him a noisy kiss. ‘It was my lucky day when I met you, Jack Bennett. The best husband in the world, bar none. And I love every hair on yer head, and the bones of yer.’

  Ruthie was swinging her legs under the chair and giggling. ‘Mam, what about his eyes, ears, nose and teeth? What have yer got against them that they don’t measure up to his hair and his bones? If they were listening to what yer said, they may get a cob on and decide to fall out. Then where would me dad be?’

  ‘I’d better make amends, then, love, just in case.’ Molly was asking herself who was the daftest, her or her daughter. But her four children all had a wacky sense of humour, which they’d inherited from her. And she wouldn’t have them any different, for their home had always been a warm and happy one. ‘So I’ll start all over again, and give yer dad another kiss while I tell him there isn’t a part of him that I don’t love to bits.’

  ‘Don’t overdo it, love,’ Jack laughed, ‘or yer’ll make me bigheaded. I can feel me cheeks blushing already.’

  ‘They’ll soon stop blushing when yer start clearing away and washing the dishes. Nothing like a bit of work to bring yer down to earth.’ Molly stood up and pushed her chair under the table. ‘I’d better make tracks if I want to catch everyone in. I’ll try not to stay too long in each house, ’cos we’re calling to Flora’s when we’re finished to give her whatever money we collect. She knows to expect us, because after the fright she’s had, I didn’t want to knock on her door and give her another. She’ll be afraid of every sound now, God love her. Anyway, if we give her enough money to pay her rent and other things, that might make her feel a bit better. And Nellie said she’s got an old purse Flora can use until she’s able to buy a new one.’

  Molly was slipping her coat on when Jack said, ‘Yer never know, love, the police might catch the thief before he’s had time to spend the money or flog the watch. We never hear about them catching criminals, but they do a good job on the quiet. And they have the advantage of knowing who the local thieves are.’

  ‘It would be wonderful if they did catch him. But I won’t say that to Flora ’cos I wouldn’t want to raise her hopes, and then have them dashed.’ Taking the front door key out of the glass dish on the sideboard, Molly dropped it into her pocket. ‘I’ll see yer later, sunshine. I’ll try not to be out too late.’ She raised a brow to her daughter. ‘And as for you, young lady, no later than ten o’clock. Ta-ra for now.’

  Molly’s hand had barely touched the knocker when the door was opened and Nellie greeted her mate with a smile. ‘I’m all ready for yer, girl, ’cos I knew yer didn’t want to hang around.’ She pushed Molly aside and banged the door after herself. There was nothing Nellie liked more than a little excitement in her life. ‘It’s all go, isn’t it?’

  ‘It certainly is, sunshine, especially when it’s to help someone. And it’ll give us a chance of seeing all our families in one night.’ Molly took her mate’s arm and they turned to cross the cobbles to a house opposite, where her daughter Doreen lived with her husband Phil, their baby son Bobby, and Victoria Clegg. The name on the rent book was Victoria’s, as she had lived in the house for over fifty years. A spinster, she’d lived a lonely life until she’d offered to share the house with Doreen and Phil when the only thing stopping them getting married was the lack of a place to live. She counted her blessings that at her age she now had a family. And when the baby came along nine months ago, her cup of happiness overflowed. She had a family she loved, and who adored her in return.

  Doreen opened the door, and with a stern look on her pretty face she wagged a stiffened finger at her mother. ‘Where have you two been all day? We’ve had the kettle on the boil, expecting yer any minute.’

  ‘Me and Nellie have had a busy day, sunshine, and if yer’ll stand aside and let us in, we’ll tell yer all about it.’

  Doreen held the door wide. ‘Keep yer voices down, please, ’cos I’ve not long put Bobby in his cot. If he hears yer voices he’ll scream the place down. He missed yer today,’

  When she walked into the living room, the first thing Molly did was cross the floor to Victoria, who was sitting in her rocking chair with a smile of welcome on her face for the two friends who had been so good to her over the years. She was very frail, with thin white hair, faded blue eyes, and skin as sheer as gossamer. But while age had slowed her down physically, she was very alert mentally. And she was what Molly called a real old-fashioned lady. No bad language and a house like a little palace.

  ‘Hello, sunshine.’ Molly’s hug was gentle, her kiss loving. ‘I’m sorry me and Nellie missed our usual visit, but when yer hear the reason, yer’ll understand.’

  Her son-in-law, Phil, was leaning against the kitchen door. ‘What have you and Auntie Nellie been up to, Mrs B?’

  ‘It hasn’t been the best of days,’ Molly told him as she straightened up. ‘If yer sit down, we’ll put yer in the picture.’

  Doreen and Phil sat on the couch, holding hands, while Molly pulled two chairs from the table for herself and Nellie. ‘Do you want to start, sunshine, or shall I?’

  Nellie didn’t even consider the question. ‘Oh, you tell them, girl, ye’re much better at it than me. Besides, I’ll probably hear things what I missed meself. Yer see, I can’t take as much in as you can. My George is right when he says I’ve got a big mouth and a small brain.’

  Rubbing an ear lobe, Molly said, ‘Your George doesn’t say that to yer, sunshine, does he? If he does, it’s only in fun. He doesn’t mean it.’

  Nellie’s chins were so busy listening, they missed seeing her head shake, and went off in all directions. ‘No, my feller doesn’t say that to me face, girl, he wouldn’t have the nerve. But I can tell it’s what he thinks. Not that it worries me, ’cos he’s not exactly a brainbox himself. He thinks he knows it all, but there’s some things I know what he doesn’t, so that makes us quits.’

  ‘What are yer talking about, Nellie McDonough? Yer’ve used a lot of words there, and managed to say nothing! Not everyone can do that, so I suppose that lurking in that head somewhere there must be some form of life. But before yer baffle us all with science, can I ask yer to let me get
on with telling them what we came for?’

  Folding her arms, Nellie hitched up her bosom. ‘The floor is yours, girl, don’t let me stop yer. Go right ahead.’

  When Molly saw her mate’s chubby face take on that look of innocence, she felt like giving her a kiss. But she had to put the impulse aside and deal with the matter in hand, otherwise they wouldn’t be home before midnight. ‘The day started off well, with me and Nellie having a bit of fun with Beryl Mowbray and Laurel and Hardy. But I’ll tell yer about that tomorrow, when we’ve got more time.’ She ran her eyes over those waiting to hear what she had to say. ‘It was when we were in the butcher’s that the day took a bad turn. For Ellen was waiting for us with some bad news. You all know old Mrs Parker from the next street? Well, she’s been broken into and robbed. Ellen was worried about her, but of course she couldn’t leave the shop. So me and Nellie hot-footed it round to Flora’s to see if she needed any help.’ A glance at the clock told Molly she didn’t have much time to spare. ‘I’ll have to be as quick as I can, and I’ll tell yer why when I’ve finished.’

  For the next fifteen minutes, the only sound in the room was Molly’s voice. Even Nellie was silent, though she kept nodding her head and hitching her bosom to show she agreed that her mate was telling the truth.

  After she’d given a short version of the day’s events, Molly sighed. ‘I could go on all night about how sad Mrs Parker looks, and how upset she is. And how good the neighbours are, ’cos they’ve all rallied round. I could also tell yer what I think of the scum who robbed her, but I’ll leave that until I’m a bit more calm.’

  When Victoria spoke, they all turned to her. ‘Flora Parker is the same age as myself. We used to be very friendly, when we were younger. Neither of us had any family, and we used to go to the shops together. But as we grew older we saw less of each other. I’d go to her now, if I was able, for that is a dreadful thing to happen to her. She must be out of her mind.’