by Joan Jonker
‘Thanks once again.’ Molly waved before closing the door and hurrying down the hall. ‘Now, what’s all this, then?’
‘Mam, it bledded all over the playground.’
‘There’s no such word as bledded, sunshine,’ Molly said.
‘No, yer mam’s right,’ Nellie added her twopenny’s-worth. ‘Yer should ’ave said bleeded.’
Molly spun round expecting to see a grin on her friend’s face, but no, Nellie was dead serious. She’d said ‘bleeded’, and as far as she was concerned, bleeded was right! Still, now wasn’t the time to be giving her lessons in grammar.
‘Let’s have a look-see.’ Molly knelt down and began to unwind the bandage. She was as gentle as she could be, but still Ruthie whimpered as she gripped the arms of the chair. ‘All right, sunshine, that’s enough now! If anyone heard they’d think I was killin’ yer.’
‘It’s stuck to me leg, Mam! Don’t pull any more please, it hurts.’
Nellie, sitting sideways in her chair, watched with interest. ‘Get a bowl of warm water, girl, an’ give it a good soaking. It’ll come off easy then.’
‘That’s a good idea.’ Molly scrambled to her feet. ‘Pass her one of those biscuits, Nellie, while I’m gettin’ the bowl.’
The bandage proved to be very stubborn. Molly soaked it with water but it refused to be parted from the girl’s knee. The trouble was, she didn’t want to hurt her daughter and was too gentle. Nellie watched in silence for a while, then decided desperate measures were needed. In one quick movement she pushed Molly aside, and pointing upwards, said to Ruthie, ‘Ooh, look at that big spider crawling across the ceiling!’ As soon as the girl looked up Nellie gave one good pull and the bandage was off. ‘There now, all over an’ done with.’
Molly waited for screams of protest, but there wasn’t a peep out of Ruthie. It had all happened so quickly she hadn’t felt a thing.
‘My, you did come a cropper, didn’t yer?’ Molly’s maternal instincts came to the fore when she saw how deep and angry-looking the graze was. ‘You poor thing, it must be sore.’
‘It is, Mam!’ All it needed was a little sympathy to bring on the tears. ‘It hurts terrible.’
‘How did yer come to fall over?’ Molly asked. ‘Were yer fighting?’
‘No, we were only playin’ leap-frog. It was my turn to bend down an’ Sally Moffatt didn’t jump proper and she sent me flying.’
‘Well I’ll clean it up for yer, put some ointment and a fresh bandage on, then yer can lie on the couch an’ put yer leg up.’ Molly gave her a big hug. ‘How about that, eh?’
Ruthie nodded. Her lips were still trembling but she was beginning to see the advantages of being an invalid. If she played her cards right, she could be off school for the rest of the week.
‘I’ll have to run to the corner shop, I’ve no bandage or ointment in,’ Molly said. ‘But Auntie Nellie will sit with yer till I come back.’
‘Yeah, I’ll keep yer amused, darlin’,’ Nellie grinned. ‘I’ll tell yer a story about what happened to me when I was a little girl and I was playin’ leap-frog with me mates.’
Molly stopped on her way to the door and turned. ‘I hope ye’re goin’ to behave yerself, Nellie McDonough, an’ think before yer speak. Don’t be lettin’ yer tongue run away with yer.’
Nellie’s eyes rolled. ‘Yer don’t trust me, do yer, girl? Anyone would think I was a bit soft in the head.’ She flung her arm out. ‘On yer way, missus, an’ go an’ teach yer mother how to milk ducks.’
Ruthie frowned. ‘I didn’t know yer could milk ducks, Auntie Nellie.’
‘Ay, well yer see, sweetheart, there’s a lot of things yer don’t know that yer auntie Nellie could teach yer.’ Nellie jerked her head at Molly. ‘Go on, scarper!’
‘Stick to tellin’ her about Cinderella, Nellie, an’ leave the facts of life to me,’ Molly warned. ‘One word out of place, an’ so help me I’ll flatten yer.’
‘It would take a steamroller to flatten me, girl, an’ I don’t know anyone yer can borrow one of them off.’ Nellie turned wide eyes on Ruthie. ‘D’you know anyone that’s got a steamroller to lend yer mam?’
Ruthie tittered, forgetting for the moment that she was supposed to be in pain. ‘Oh, you are funny, Auntie Nellie.’
Molly was grinning as she hastened down the hall. They say you can’t keep a good man down; well in this case it was a woman. No one could keep Helen Theresa McDonough down … not even ruddy Hitler!
Molly looked up in surprise when Jack and Tommy walked in. ‘You’re early, I was just sayin’ to the girls that yer wouldn’t be home for another hour!’
‘We finished at seven,’ Jack said, pulling a face. ‘I’m fed up looking at the place, I seem to spend all me life there. I told our Tommy he could work on if he wanted, but I think he’s had a bellyful himself.’
Tommy nodded in agreement. ‘I like the extra money, but it’s no joke working twelve or thirteen hours a day.’
‘If I’d known, I’d have let Ruthie stay up to see yer … she wanted to.’ Molly related the events leading up to her daughter being escorted home from school. ‘Talk about a wounded soldier!’
Jack looked concerned. ‘It’s not serious, is it?’
It was Doreen who answered, ‘No, she’s makin’ out it’s worse than it is, isn’t she, our Jill?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ Jill said. ‘She knows me mam’s a soft touch.’
‘Ay, well, I was just as soft with you when yer were her age.’ Molly went into the kitchen and reached for a towel to take the plates off the pans of boiling water. ‘An’ it’s not often she makes a fuss, she’s not a cry-baby.’
‘I don’t feel hungry,’ Jack said when his dinner was put in front of him. ‘I’ve no appetite.’
‘I’ve cooked it, sunshine, so you’re goin’ to eat it whether yer like it or not!’ Molly pointed a finger at him. ‘Food is too scarce to waste, so get it down yer.’
Jack pulled a face but obediently picked up his knife and fork. ‘I’ll eat what I can.’
‘Dad.’ Jill leaned her elbows on the table. ‘I was just telling me mam that I’ve got the job I applied for in the ROF. I start in the wages office two weeks on Monday.’
‘Good for you!’ Jack smiled. ‘What with our Doreen making barrage balloons, you in the munitions and me an’ Tommy on war work, no one can say this family isn’t helping the war effort.’
‘It’s not enough though, is it, Dad?’ Doreen said. ‘Everybody at work’s talking about the way Hitler’s got all our blokes on the run. I’m just prayin’ that Phil’s not near where the fightin’ is.’
‘From what the bloke in the shop said when I called in for me Echo, no one is certain what’s going on.’ This wasn’t quite true, but Jack didn’t see any point in worrying his daughter unless it was absolutely necessary. And, please God, it wouldn’t come to that. ‘It’ll be a few days before we get the full picture.’
‘But Hitler has got our fellers on the run, hasn’t he?’ Doreen wasn’t to be put off. ‘I mean, that’s true, isn’t it?’
‘I’m afraid so, love. But it could be just a temporary hitch, until our lot get their wind back. But although it leaves a bad taste in me mouth to say it, ’cos I hate their guts, I’ve got to admit that the men commanding the German army have planned it well. They’ve outwitted and outflanked us at every turn. They’re better equipped than our lads and there’s a damn sight more of them.’
Molly looked at Doreen’s downcast face. ‘Don’t you worry, sunshine, the tide will turn, you’ll see. Hitler might be gettin’ things his way at the moment, but it won’t last. They’ll never beat us, not in a million years.’
Doreen sighed. ‘I hope ye’re right, but I haven’t had a letter from Phil for nearly a week now and I can’t help worrying.’
‘You often go a week without hearing from him, then yer get a bundle of letters all in one go! Look on the bright side, an’ don’t be thinkin’ the worst. An’ if ye’re goin’ over to Miss Clegg
’s, don’t go with a miserable face, try an’ cheer her up.’
‘OK.’ Doreen gave another sigh. ‘I’ll go and sit with her for an hour, pass the time away.’ She turned to her sister. ‘D’yer feel like comin’ with me, Jill, or are yer seein’ Steve?’
‘Yeah, I’m going up there now.’ Jill felt deeply for her sister. She knew how afraid she’d be if she was in her shoes. ‘He was working until eight o’clock, so he’ll be home by now.’
After the two girls had left the house together, Molly eyed Tommy. ‘Are you goin’ out, son?’
‘I might go up to Ginger’s.’ He pushed a potato round his plate, trying to find the right words to ask a question without appearing too interested. ‘Did I tell yer Ginger’s asked Rosie for a date?’
‘Go ’way! Well, I never thought Ginger would have the nerve.’ Molly chuckled. ‘And what did our Rosie have to say to that?’
‘She turned him down … said she already had a boyfriend.’
‘Ah, he got knocked back, eh?’ Molly could see Ginger’s freckled face in her mind and she thought the whole idea was hilarious. ‘Still, it happens to us all some time in our lives. He’ll live to tell the tale.’
Tommy waited for her to volunteer some more information about the mysterious boyfriend, but Molly’s lips stayed firmly sealed. So Tommy had to swallow his pride and ask, ‘She told Malcolm the same thing, but I’ve never heard of no boyfriend, have you?’
‘I think she’s mentioned that there’s a boy she fancies, but that’s all I know.’ Molly would have liked to have told him he was the boy in question, just to see the look on his face. ‘Ask her yerself when yer see her.’
‘Nah, I’m not that interested, just curious.’ Tommy pushed his chair back and picked up his plate to carry to the kitchen. ‘I bet Ginger felt a right nit, though.’
‘He’ll get a lot of knock-backs before he’s much older,’ Molly said. ‘And you as well – just wait until you fancy a girl an’ she turns yer down, then yer’ll know how he felt. Because you fancy a girl doesn’t mean she’s got to fancy you.’
‘Oh, I’m signing the pledge until I’m about twenty,’ Tommy said, with all the experience of a sixteen-year-old who had yet to have his first kiss. ‘Girls are nothin’ but a nuisance, always chattering about stupid things, and they’re bossy into the bargain.’
Jack had been listening with a grin on his face. ‘You won’t always feel like that, son, believe me. Yer’ll meet a girl one of these days who’s the right one for you, an’ yer won’t know what’s hit yer.’
‘Well it won’t happen before I’m at least twenty, I’ll make sure of that.’ Tommy glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and saw it was nearly a quarter to nine. ‘I’ll go and see if Ginger feels like a walk, but I’ll be back for ten and have an early night.’
‘It’s a nice night for a walk,’ Molly said. Then as her son reached the door, she called, ‘Yer never know yer luck, son, you and Ginger might get a click.’
As Tommy closed the door behind him, he thought, There’s no chance of that! Ginger might be daft about girls, but I’m not. Still, it was queer about this boyfriend of Rosie’s. She never went anywhere to meet a boy, so how come? Sounded right odd to him.
Tommy was strolling up the street whistling, his shoulders hunched and his hands in his trouser pockets. His mam was right, it was a lovely evening. He took a deep breath, drinking in the fresh air. It made a pleasant change from the noise and the smell on the shop floor. Then he saw a familiar figure walking towards him, and without giving it any thought, he took his hands from his pockets, straightened his shoulders and adopted a jaunty swagger. This was the time to do as his mam said and ask her outright. Well, perhaps not outright, but in a roundabout way he’d get it out of her. ‘Hiya, Rosie!’
‘Oh, it’s yerself, is it?’ Rosie was looking very pretty in a light-coloured floral dress, with a cardigan draped across her shoulders. Her rich dark hair curled about her face and shoulders and there was a smile in her vivid blue eyes. ‘I didn’t think yer’d be home from work yet.’
‘We finished early. It’s gettin’ too much, working late every night an’ all day Saturday.’
‘Sure yer must get fed up, I can understand that, so I can.’ Rosie’s ruby-red lips parted in a smile. ‘As me mammy says, “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy.” So you go out and get a bit of enjoyment, Tommy, you’re only young once.’ She made to walk on. ‘I’ll be off now, so I’ll bid yer goodnight.’
‘Just a minute!’ Without thinking, Tommy laid a hand on her arm to detain her, then when he realized what he was doing he withdrew it quickly.
‘I hope yer weren’t annoyed that Ginger asked yer for a date?’
‘Indeed I wasn’t! Not at all, at all. I took it as a compliment an’ think it was very gentlemanly of Ginger to ask me. An’ if I wasn’t spoken for I’d have gladly gone to the pictures with him.’
Tommy stood his ground. He’d find out about this boyfriend if it was the last thing he did. Not that he was worried or interested, he was just curious. ‘He said yer turned him down ’cos yer’ve got a boyfriend.’
‘I declined his offer, yes,’ Rosie agreed, ‘but I take kindly to him making it.’
‘Who is this boyfriend?’ There, she couldn’t avoid it now. ‘Funny I’ve never heard of yer goin’ out with anyone.’
‘Is there any reason why yer should? Sure, I don’t have to tell you what I do, Tommy Bennett, or who I do it with.’
‘Well, have you or have you not got a boyfriend?’
‘Why d’yer want to know?’
Tommy was flummoxed. She was answering his question with one of her own! ‘Er, so I can tell Ginger.’
‘I’ve already told him, so I have, Tommy Bennett. Is it a liar yer think I am?’
‘No! I’m just curious, that’s all! I mean, what’s his name, where does he work and what does he look like? It seems funny to me that no one has ever set eyes on him.’
Rosie looked down at his feet then worked her way up until her eyes met his. ‘D’yer want to know all these things so yer can tell Ginger? Or is it yerself that’s being nosy?’
The question caught Tommy on the hop. ‘Er – so I can tell Ginger. I’ve got a feeling he thinks yer only made the boy up ’cos yer didn’t want to go out with him.’
Rosie tilted her head and surveyed him with a critical eye. ‘Mmm! I’d say he’s about your height,’ she tapped a finger on her chin. ‘Yes, I’d say that, all right. And funny enough, his name’s Tommy as well. In fact he’s quite like you to look at, but, praise be, he doesn’t always have a scowl on his face like you.’
Tommy narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling he was being taken for a ride.
‘Tell us where he works, then?’
‘I’ll do no such thing, Tommy Bennett! How would you like it if I asked you all these questions about your girlfriend?’
Tommy’s lip curled. ‘I haven’t got no girlfriend.’
Rosie chuckled. ‘Oh ay, Tommy, and the band played believe me if yer like!’ She straightened the cardigan on her shoulders and began to walk away. ‘We’ll call it quits, then, Tommy, shall we? You haven’t got a girlfriend an’ I haven’t got a boyfriend.’
Tommy stared after her. ‘But I haven’t got a girl!’
‘Whatever you say, Tommy,’ Rosie smiled over her shoulder. ‘Whatever you say.’
Tommy felt like kicking himself. My God, she’d made a right fool of him and he was still no wiser than he was half an hour ago! As he turned in the direction of his friend’s house there was one thing certain in his mind. He wasn’t going to repeat to Ginger one word of what had been said. The high and mighty Rosie O’Grady wasn’t going to make a laughing-stock of him! And whoever the poor bloke was she was going out with, well, he felt sorry for him.
Meanwhile, Rosie stood outside the Bennetts’ house waiting for someone to answer her knock. There was a smile of satisfaction on her pretty face as she recalled the conversation. She’d given Tom
my something to think about all right, but wasn’t he slow on the uptake? Still, as her mammy would say, patience is a virtue. And she could be patient, all right, so she could … as long as he didn’t take too long about it.
Ellen came down from seeing the two boys to bed, and sank into a chair for a well-earned break. She looked forward to this time of the day, when she could put her feet up for half an hour before seeing to the clothes that had been in steep since the night before. She’d rinse them out and then put them through the mangle before hanging them out on the line. That was the beauty of nice weather, there was no need to have wet clothes hanging everywhere.
She reached over to the couch for the Echo, smiling at the two girls who were having a last game of Ludo before being packed off to bed. ‘Don’t start another game after that one, Phoebe,’ she warned. ‘It’s late as it is.’
‘OK, Mam.’ Phoebe flicked the red counter and it found its way straight into the eggcup. She slapped her sister on the back, a happy smile on her face. ‘That’s two games I’ve won, our Dorothy, to your one.’
‘I’ll get me own back tomorrow night,’ Dorothy promised. ‘Yer’ve just been lucky.’
‘Pack the board away, girls, and get undressed.’ Ellen laid the paper down. She was worried enough about Corker without reading the bad news that filled the papers these days. ‘Rinse yer hands and face before yer go up to bed.’
‘Mam?’ Phoebe threw the counters in the box and put the lid on. ‘D’yer mind if I ask yer somethin’? Yer won’t get mad at me, will yer?’
‘It’s not very often I get mad with yer, is it?’ Ellen smiled. They were four good kids, she couldn’t ask for better. ‘What is it yer want to ask me?’
‘Did me dad really say he wanted yer to marry Uncle Corker?’
Ellen looked shocked. This was the first time any of the children had mentioned their father. ‘What made you ask that?’
‘Well, me an’ Dorothy heard you an’ Uncle Corker talkin’, and that’s what we thought yer said.’
‘Yes, when yer dad was very ill, he said he thought Uncle Corker would be good for me and for you.’