The Girl From Number 22

by Joan Jonker

  Hetty looked very uncomfortable as she shifted from one foot to the other. ‘I wasn’t to know, was I? I can’t see through ruddy walls, or I’d have come in and given yer a hand. It wouldn’t have hurt yer to shout over the yard wall and let me know yer were up to yer neck with all the jobs needing to be done.’

  Ada’s irritation was beginning to evaporate. She shouldn’t be talking like this to her friend, who would be the first to roll up her sleeves and get stuck in if she was asked. So when she spoke, her voice was calm. ‘I’m sorry, sunshine, I shouldn’t let things get on top of me. Even though I do have a lot to do today, and me head is splitting, that’s no excuse for taking it out on you. You weren’t to know all this, and come what may, I will be ready to go to the shops with yer at eleven o’clock. And as for the rent man, he was being funny with yer ’cos I told him to tell Mr Stone that he better hadn’t put a rowdy family in Eliza’s house. That’s all it was, and he had no right to get narky with yer for that.’

  ‘Just wait until he calls next week, he’ll get a piece of my mind,’ Hetty said. ‘And if yer want a hand now, girl, I’d be only too willing.’

  ‘I know yer would, sunshine, but I’ll manage. We’d only be under each other’s feet. I’ll be ready for yer at eleven, even if I haven’t finished all the jobs. I can do a bit when we come back.’

  Hetty couldn’t wait until eleven. ‘Did they finish the whole room off, girl? They must have worked really hard.’

  ‘The room’s not finished yet, there’s still some paintwork to do. Jimmy’s going to do the skirting board tonight, and the picture rail. The whole lot will be finished for the weekend.’

  ‘Ooh, I’m dying to see it, girl, I bet the room looks lovely. Are yer happy with it?’

  Ada knew what her friend was angling for, but she was determined no one would see the room until she’d cleaned up. First impressions were important. ‘Yer’ll see it soon enough, sunshine, it won’t hurt yer to wait another hour. So will yer go home now, and let me get on with what I’ve got to do.’ She smiled to soften her words. ‘I’d have got the worst of it over if yer hadn’t been so nosy. So off yer pop, and I’ll see yer at eleven, not a minute before.’

  ‘All right, girl, I can take a hint, I don’t need a house to fall in on me.’ Hetty turned towards her own front door, saying, ‘It wouldn’t have hurt yer to let me have a little peek.’

  ‘Eleven o’clock,’ Ada said, shutting the door very firmly. She’d have to move like lightning to restore the room to some sort of order, and get herself washed and changed to look respectable.

  Hetty’s eyes were wide as she gazed around the room. ‘Oh, Ada, it’s beautiful. I feel as though I’ve walked into the wrong house. They’ve certainly made a good job of it.’

  Ada’s chest swelled with pride. ‘They worked hard. I bet they’re aching all over today. I was really surprised at Danny, ’cos he’s never decorated anything in his life before, only himself. But he kept up with Jimmy, and worked a treat. And don’t yer think the paper looks better now it’s on the wall than it did in the shop? And the place will look better still when the woodwork has been painted.’

  The pale beige paper, patterned with soft green leaves, was a definite winner with Hetty. ‘Yer’ve got me dead jealous now, girl. My room will look miserable compared to this. I’ll have to get round Arthur to do our living room.’

  A grin came over Ada’s face. ‘Well, use yer head for once, sunshine, and pick the right moment. If yer want a favour off yer husband, always ask in bed. The minute his arm comes round yer waist, and yer know he’s feeling amorous, then that’s the time to ask him. Sweet-talk him first, of course, to get his temperature to rise, then nibble his ear and whisper what yer have in mind. He may regret it the next morning, and try to wriggle out of it, but there’s one way to shame him into keeping his promise.’

  ‘Oh, aye, and what’s that, girl? Come on, out with it. Yer know I’m not as crafty as you, and I need all the help I can get.’

  Ada was silent for a while, until she had the scene set in her mind. Then she described it in detail to her mate. ‘One night, when ye’re having yer dinner, just say casually to Sally and Kitty that their dad has promised to decorate the living room, and ye’re going to buy the wallpaper the next day. And if Arthur starts to choke on a piece of potato, and yer know he’s about to say he never promised any such thing, then get in there quick and don’t let him. Back him into a corner by praising him to the girls, and saying how nice the room will look when it’s decorated. Don’t look him in the eye when ye’re saying all this, ’cos if yer do, he’ll be giving yer looks to kill, and ye’re soft enough to feel sorry for him.’

  On Hetty’s face there was a look of incredulity. ‘Does your Jimmy know how devious his wife is?’

  ‘Oh, yeah, and so do the kids.’ Ada chuckled. ‘They take that into consideration every time I tell them anything. It’s part of the fun in this house. For instance, on the day Eliza hurt her ankle and couldn’t move off the bed, I told them what I told the butcher, that I’d climbed a ladder to get into her bedroom. But to make it sound more exciting, I told them I got one leg through the window and the ladder fell down, leaving me with one leg in and the other dangling in space outside.’ She chuckled again at the memory. ‘I didn’t tell them like I’m telling you, of course, I did all the actions and made it like a Charlie Chase comedy.’

  ‘I bet they didn’t fall for it though,’ Hetty said with a huff.

  ‘They’re not that daft.’

  ‘They believed me until I brought the ladder on the scene, then the penny dropped. But by the time I’d finished they were all doubled up with laughter. Yer see, sunshine, yer don’t need money to have a happy home and family. A good laugh doesn’t cost yer a cent.’

  ‘I haven’t got the gift for telling tales like you have, girl, I’m sorry to say. My humour only stretches to laughing at another person’s jokes. The only thing I’ve had a talent for was singing. I was a really good singer when I was young, and in the school choir.’

  ‘Yer’ve never told me that before.’ Ada was surprised. ‘We’ve been mates for twenty years, and yer’ve kept yer secret hidden under a bushel.’

  ‘There didn’t seem any point in telling yer, girl, ’cos I haven’t sung in those twenty years. And if I’d said anything, it would have sounded as though I was bragging.’

  ‘I would never have thought that about yer, sunshine, ’cos ye’re the last person in the world I’d expect that from.’ Ada glanced at the clock and told herself it was time they were making a move to get their shopping in, instead of standing gabbing. But it wasn’t often her friend opened up and talked about herself. ‘Were yer really good at singing, then, sunshine? On yer own, I mean, not in a choir?’

  ‘There was nowhere for me to sing when I left school, because leaving school meant I had to leave the choir as well.’ Hetty’s eyes became bright when she said, ‘I used to sing at home with me dad. He had a wonderful voice, did me dad, and he used to get me to join in with him when he was singing. He used to love all the old Irish songs, and with his lovely clear voice he could reach all the high notes. I can still remember the words to all those songs, but never have occasion to sing them.’

  Ada shook her head, amazed at what she was hearing. ‘Just think, it’s taken us twenty years to find this out. D’yer know what, sunshine, my granny was Irish, and she taught me all the songs she remembered from the old country. A lot of them are sad, and I used to sit and cry me eyes out.’ Once again she shook her head. ‘I bet I know all the songs you know, but I haven’t got a singing voice.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know, Ada, yer haven’t got a bad voice. Not the best in the world, like, but not the worst, either.’

  ‘Now how would you know that, sunshine, or are yer just saying it to be nice to me?’

  ‘Sod off, Ada Fenwick! Why would I say something just to be nice to yer? I might be frightened of Ivy Thompson, but I’m certainly not frightened of you. No, I know yer can sing
’cos I hear yer when ye’re raking the grate out. I’ve even heard yer singing in the kitchen on wash days, when yer’ve got the door open to let the condensation out.’ A smile played around Hetty’s mouth. ‘I’ve even heard yer singing in the yard, when ye’re on yer way to the lavvy.’

  ‘In the name of God,’ Ada gasped. ‘Can’t I even go to spend a penny without the neighbours knowing?’ She jerked her head towards the house on the other side of her. ‘I suppose Annie Fields knows every time I go to the lavvy, too! But how come you two know that, yet I don’t know when you or Annie go?’

  ‘There’s a simple explanation to that, girl, if yer think about it. You advertise the fact, while me and Annie keep quiet about it.’

  Once again Ada looked at the clock, and this time she took notice. ‘Shall we discuss this later, sunshine, ’cos if we don’t get out now, the shops will be closed for dinner.’

  Hetty’s eyes went to the mantelpiece and she gasped. ‘Ooh, I didn’t realise it was that time, girl. I’ve been here over half an hour now.’

  Ada buttoned her coat. ‘They say time passes quickly when ye’re having fun. To prove that right, you and me should be doubled up with laughter.’ She felt in her pocket to make sure her purse and keys were there, then pushed Hetty ahead of her. ‘When we get back, I’ll make a pot of tea and then we can have a little sing-song. Just you, me, and the new wallpaper.’

  Ronnie Atwill waved through the window of his butcher’s shop when he saw the friends crossing the road, causing Hetty to remark, ‘Ronnie’s feeling in a friendly mood, girl. It’s not often we get a wave from him.’

  ‘He’s probably glad to see us, sunshine, ’cos Monday isn’t a busy day for him. A lot of people have a fry-up on a Monday, using the leftovers from the weekend. I’ve done it meself many a time, before Danny started work.’

  ‘Good morning, ladies, or should I say good afternoon, seeing as it’s twelve o’clock? Ye’re late today.’

  ‘I don’t give a bugger whether it’s morning, noon or night,’ Ada said. ‘It doesn’t make any difference to me; as long as I’ve got food in to feed the family I’m quite happy. So I’ll have six pork sausage and five slices of streaky bacon, please, Ronnie.’

  ‘Are yer having mashed potatoes with them, girl,’ Hetty asked, ‘or are yer giving them fried bread?’

  ‘I’m giving them mash, sunshine, it’s more filling for the men. I love fried bread meself, and I can feel me mouth watering at the thought of it, but the men need something more substantial after a day’s work.’

  Hetty smiled at Barry, the young assistant. ‘I’ll have the same as me friend, love.’

  When Ronnie was taking Ada’s money, he said, ‘There seems to be a lot of interest in Mrs Porter’s house, Ada. Several women have mentioned it this morning, and apparently there’s a few going down to the landlord’s office to put their name down for it. So from the sound of things, it won’t be long before yer have new neighbours.’

  ‘That’s just idle gossip, Ronnie, ’cos only the people in the street know Eliza has left. Anyway, she’s paid up until next Saturday, so really it’s still her house. Whoever’s been talking to yer have been talking through their hat.’

  ‘I don’t know so much,’ the butcher said. ‘A couple of the women are noted for being gossips, but two of them are very respectable. I won’t tell yer their names ’cos I don’t want to start a war, but they were saying their landlord doesn’t look after their property, and they’ve heard Mr Stone is a good landlord. Anyway, we’ll find out soon enough, ’cos let’s face it, Ada, he’s not going to let the house stand empty for long when he can be earning money from it.’

  ‘As yer say, Ronnie, we’ll find out soon enough. But if the ladies ye’re talking about have gone down to the rent office, I think they’ll be disappointed, for I know for a fact that Mr Stone has a very long waiting list. And now, Hetty, let’s get cracking. I’ve got loads to do.’

  ‘Hang on a minute, girl, I haven’t paid yet.’ Hetty handed some coins over to the young assistant. ‘I think yer’ll find that’s exactly the right money, son.’ She linked Ada’s arm. ‘Ta-ra for now.’

  Outside the shop, Ada said, ‘Yer wouldn’t believe the things people dream up, would yer? It’s a pity they haven’t got better things to do.’

  ‘What makes yer so sure they’re not true, girl? They might be, for all you know. Anyone who knew Eliza would know she kept her house like a little palace. And yer wouldn’t blame them for wanting a house that was ready to walk into.’

  ‘I don’t care one way or another who gets the keys to the house, sunshine, as long as they don’t interfere with me or my family. We’ll know soon enough who we’ll have as neighbours, so can we change the subject now?’

  ‘Yeah, ye’re right, girl, we’ve got more to worry about. We’ll know for sure in a couple of weeks, so best forget it until then.’

  On the Wednesday morning, Ada went to the front door to see the children off to school. There was a nip in the air and she rubbed her arms as she told Monica and Paul to pull their collars up to cover their ears. ‘Run all the way, and that’ll keep yer warm.’

  The children dallied. ‘It was lovely coming down to the living room this morning, Mam,’ Monica said. ‘And it’ll be nice to come home to.’

  Paul nodded. ‘Yeah, I bet our house is the best in the street now.’

  Ada ruffled his hair. ‘Don’t let me hear yer saying that to any of yer mates, sunshine, d’yer hear me? That’s bragging, and I can’t stand snobs. Now get going, the pair of yer, or yer’ll be getting the cane for being late.’ Ada watched them running down the street, pushing each other playfully. Then she went indoors, shivering and rubbing her arms. And when her eyes lit on the teapot on the table, she hurried over to feel if it was still hot. ‘Mmm, not as hot as I’d like. Still, it would be a waste to pour it down the sink, when it would do more good being poured down my throat.’ So after pulling a chair out, Ada sat down and poured herself a cup of tepid tea. ‘I’ll have a ten minute break, then wash the dishes before I start in here,’ she told the new wallpaper. She felt a sense of pride and well-being as she gazed at the bright walls and gleaming paintwork. Jimmy had worked really hard the last two nights, painting the skirting boards, picture rail and two doors. ‘I take me hat off to him,’ she told one of the green leaves on the wallpaper. ‘To do a full day’s work, then come home and do another couple of hours, it’s a wonder he’s not dead on his feet. I’ll make it up to him tonight, though, by cooking his favourite meal of liver and onions. That’ll buck him up no end, when he walks through the door and the aroma reaches his nose.’

  Ada drained her cup and pushed herself up. ‘Much as I’d like to, I can’t sit all day admiring the decoration. I’ll rinse the dishes through, then start on this room.’ As she was passing the kitchen door, she stood to admire the lovely white gloss. ‘I’ll not be laying a finger on you, sunshine, ’cos yer’ll show every mark. And I’ll warn the rest of the family, too! If I see a dirty or jammy fingermark, there’ll be ructions.’

  Singing ‘We Ain’t Got a Barrel of Money’, Ada felt on top of the world as she washed the dishes in warm water and placed them upside down on the draining board. ‘Who cares about money when they’ve got a living room fit for the Queen?’

  As she walked back into the living room, Ada noticed the sideboard was a few inches away from the wall, and she instinctively put her hands on it to put it back in place. Then just in time she remembered Jimmy’s warning about the paint not being dry yet, and pulled her hands back. He’d have her guts for garters if she blotched his paintwork. But those few extra inches the sideboard was taking up made less space between it and the dining chairs. ‘Ye’re in the way now,’ Ada told it, ‘but yer’ll have to stay there until my feller comes home from work. The paint should be well dry by the time we go to bed, ’cos when I light the fire it will make the room nice and warm. So yer’ll be back in yer own speck then.’

  The beds were made, the fire ready f
or lighting, and it was still only ten o’clock. And one thing Ada wasn’t good at was hanging around with nothing to do. It was an hour before Hetty was due, and there was nothing that needed doing to fill the hour in. ‘I’m not sitting twiddling me ruddy thumbs,’ Ada told the hearth. ‘I can’t abide sitting doing sweet Fanny Adams. I’ll give me mate a knock, see if she’ll come to the shops earlier. I know I bit her head off on Monday for coming here early, but me mate’s not as bad-tempered as me. Besides, she’d never get me head in her mouth.’

  Taking her shoe off, Ada used the heel to knock on the dividing wall. And within seconds Hetty was knocking back. Ada scratched her head. ‘She’s not supposed to knock back, the silly nit, she’s supposed to come and see what I want. I mean, we could spend the day knocking on the wall, all to no avail! I’ll give one more knock, and if she isn’t at me door in a few minutes, I’ll light a fire in the yard and make smoke signals like the Indians do. If that fails, I’ll buy a drum and do a war dance.’

  However, Ada’s weird and wonderful ideas were not required, for soon Hetty was rapping on the window and peering through the net curtains. ‘Are yer all right?’ she asked, when Ada opened the door. ‘Yer gave me a fright, ’cos I thought it must be something serious if yer were knocking on the wall when it’s just been papered.’

  Ada’s jaw dropped and she flew back into the living room to examine the wall. ‘Oh, my God, Jimmy will kill me! How stupid can yer get?’

  Hetty, being smaller than Ada, had to bend to see under her mate’s arm. ‘Have yer marked, it, girl?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Ada blew out her breath. ‘I can’t see anything, and Jimmy won’t be going round with a magnifying glass.’

  ‘It was a silly thing to do, though, girl, ’cos yer could have torn the paper, or even knocked some plaster off the wall. What did yer want me for, anyway?’

  ‘Tell the truth and shame the devil, me ma used to say,’ Ada told her. ‘And even though yer’ll think I’ve got a screw loose, I’m going to tell yer the truth. I had nothing to do, so I thought we could go to the shops early. All this kerfuffle just for that. There must be something wrong with me, when I can’t sit quietly for an hour and enjoy the peace. I’ve got to be on the go the whole time, or me nerves go to pot.’ She pulled a sorrowful face. ‘That was God paying me back for the way I treated you the morning yer came early. I called yer all the names under the sun when yer knocked that day, so if yer want to have a go at me, sunshine, then be my guest, for it’s what I deserve.’