Wedding Bells for Woolworths

by Elaine Everest

  ‘Oh, you!’ Freda gave his arm a playful punch. ‘You’re as bad as Maisie.’

  ‘The train’s coming,’ Sarah called out, starting to herd the friends together. ‘Don’t forget your bags,’ she added as she grabbed one of Maisie’s. ‘Whatever have you got in here? It weighs a ton.’

  ‘Two bottles of gin, a fruit cake and a clean pair of knickers,’ she responded. ‘We can’t celebrate a wedding without all the essentials.’

  ‘She is joking . . . isn’t she?’ Anthony asked, as he helped Freda into the carriage and put their bags on the overhead luggage rack.

  ‘You never know with Maisie,’ she replied.

  As the train moved out of the station, Freda wiped the grimy window. The journey in the packed carriage reminded her of when she had first come to Erith, wondering what lay ahead. So much had happened to her in the nine years since she’d left Birmingham.

  ‘A penny for them?’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Freda said, startled by Anthony speaking close to her ear.

  ‘A penny for your thoughts. You were miles away.’

  ‘Oh – I was just thinking how I travelled on this same train line nine years ago when I came to Erith. I had no idea what lay ahead, or even if I’d stay long.’

  ‘And now you have a whole new life,’ he said, watching her animated face as she spoke of the past.

  ‘I do. I’ve been very lucky. Oh, look. Do you see that poster over there?’ she asked as the train pulled into Belvedere, the first stop on the Charing Cross line. ‘I saw a similar one on my journey in 1938, advertising the Kent coast. I’d never been to the seaside and I decided there and then that once I’d settled and found my brother – that was the reason I came to Erith – I would go to the seaside.’

  Anthony watched as she explained about her brother, then excitedly told him of her first trip to the coast and how she’d travelled down the Thames on a paddle steamer called the Kentish Queen.

  ‘What’s up?’ she asked as she stopped to draw breath and saw him smiling at her.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘Nothing at all. I’d like to go on one of those trips.’

  ‘Perhaps next year in the summer? It’s lovely when you can stand on the deck and feel the breeze in your hair. It’s so exciting!’

  ‘I may be rather busy next summer.’

  ‘Why? They’re not sending you to another store, are they? It’s only been a few months since you’ve started back to work,’ she said, looking disappointed.

  Anthony was touched by her alarm. ‘I’ll still be working at the Erith store and I’ll still be lodging with you. That’s if you don’t mind a chap sleeping in your front room for so long.’

  Freda chuckled. ‘I’ve told you, the room is yours now and I’m calling it the downstairs bedroom. You pay rent, so none of your cheek or you’ll get your marching orders.’

  Anthony joined in with the laughter. ‘The thing is, I’m going to be really busy. I had a chat with the selection committee, and they are still prepared to consider me as part of the team for the Olympics. It means doing well in a few of the trials and a hell of a lot of training, but I’d like to give it a shot. It’s not every day the Olympics come to London. It’s a chance in a lifetime for someone like me to do something worthwhile.’

  Freda gave a whoop of delight. ‘Did you hear that, you lot? Anthony’s going to compete in the Olympics!’

  ‘Man, that’s good news,’ Lemuel said as he leant over from his seat beside Sadie, pumped Anthony’s hand up and down and slapped him on the back. ‘To think we will know someone who might be in the Olympics.’

  ‘What can we do ter help you?’ Maisie asked. ‘It must be expensive having ter have all the clobber to wear, as well as the right bikes and suchlike?’

  ‘He has four bikes already,’ Freda explained. ‘They’re in my back garden under a tarpaulin.’

  Sarah looked thoughtful. ‘I don’t know much about this kind of thing, although my Alan used to follow the motorbike racing. The riders seemed to have a team of mechanics to support them. Is it the same for cyclists?’

  Anthony looked at their faces, all eager and interested in his news. ‘It helps to have supporters, and yes, my bikes will have to be fine-tuned to get the best out of them – but as for a team, I don’t think so. I’m answerable to the officials, though.’

  ‘We should do some fundraising to get you what you need ter win a gold medal,’ Maisie said. ‘I reckon the staff at Woolworths would be up to chipping in. That would be a good start.’

  ‘I’ll come out riding with you,’ Freda offered. ‘But I’m not sure I ride fast enough to race you.’

  ‘The company would be good. I’ll be out early in the morning before work and then again in the evening, come rain or sun.’

  ‘Blimey, that’ll ruin your love life,’ Maisie chuckled.

  Freda could have curled up and died. ‘We’re only friends, Maisie,’ she sighed.

  Maisie simply nodded and grinned. ‘What else can we do ter help, Anthony?’

  ‘You could stop calling me Anthony for a start. I much prefer Tony.’

  ‘But you never said . . .’ Freda faltered.

  ‘We didn’t exactly start off the best of friends, and by the time we were on speaking terms it seemed too trivial to mention.’

  ‘You idiot,’ Freda laughed.

  Sarah was still looking serious. ‘It’s good to have fundraising, but you need at least one mechanic who can keep the bikes in tip-top condition. I’ll have a word with my husband, Alan, to see if he would help out.’

  Freda froze at the mention of Alan’s name. Although Sarah was now civil towards her and they’d shared a couple of outings to the cinema with friends, the two of them were still not as close as they had been. Alan’s name was avoided at all costs. When Freda had visited Alan to find out if Frank Unthank had pestered him again for the money he still owed, she had made sure Sarah was not around. Alan still refused to tell his wife about his problems, and as far as Freda could tell the couple were still distant. Alan had mentioned that the insurance company was slowly investigating the incident before considering a payout, and George had told him it could still be a few months. However, he would be honour-bound to pay off Unthank who, once he knew of the new premises, was bound to come knocking. They’d both agreed it was only a matter of time, as Alan had received three letters from the man’s office reminding him of his debt and telling him to expect a visit. Alan had burnt the letters before Sarah found them. Perhaps being interested in Anthony . . . Tony’s . . . Olympic dream would be enough to bring them together? ‘You know, it was Lemuel who worked on the bike I damaged when I ran into Tony. It was when he was helping Alan just before the fire,’ she added, feeling as though she’d overstepped the mark by bringing back the memories of that awful night.

  ‘I could help again, if Alan had space in his new yard?’

  ‘We’d have to speak to him, but I do believe he’d be interested,’ Sarah said with a gleam in her eye.

  ‘We wouldn’t expect him to pay for anything,’ Freda added, hoping it would help.

  ‘I wish I could help in some way,’ Sadie said wistfully.

  ‘But you can. You are such a wonderful cook, and Tony will need feeding up – and all the work around the house you do will help no end.’

  Sadie brightened up. ‘We are going to be a proper team, aren’t we?’ she grinned.

  ‘Team Tony,’ Maisie exclaimed.

  ‘Team Tony!’ they echoed in unison as the train came to a halt at Woolwich Dockyard. They all budged up close together as the workers piled onto the train.

  ‘When do we get off?’ Tony asked.

  ‘The end of the line – Charing Cross. Then we head ter Lyons Corner House for some nosh, after which we find our way over ter Westminster Abbey ter stake our claim on the pavement, where we can watch all the nobs arriving for the wedding,’ Maisie explained.

  ‘That sounds fine with me, but what if we get split up? There will be so many peopl
e wanting to see the wedding,’ Tony said.

  Sadie giggled and pointed towards Lemuel. ‘Just follow the tall man with the blue-and-white striped bobble hat.’

  Lemuel grinned and pulled the hat down over his ears. ‘I wondered why you knitted this for me.’

  ‘Are you pleased to have everyone helping with your plans for the Olympics?’ Freda asked Tony quietly as the excited chatter intensified around them. ‘I don’t want you to feel we are interfering.’

  Tony draped his arm round her shoulders in a friendly manner, making more room for the woman on the other side, who was more than filling the seat. ‘I can’t believe so many people want to support me. I’ve never known this before. Usually it’s been just me and my bike. Granted, I have friends who also cycle; but they have their own families to go home to.’

  Freda gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. ‘Well. You have all of us now, so like it or lump it, you’re stuck with us for the duration.’

  ‘You make it sound like a war.’

  ‘Think of it more as a battle. A battle to win a gold medal,’ she smiled, before becoming aware of eyes on them; Sarah had stopped speaking, and was watching what would appear to be two lovers’ having an intimate conversation, to anyone not listening to the couple. Freda could almost see her thinking that perhaps she’d been wrong in accusing Freda of carrying on with Alan. Time would tell, but Freda knew there and then that she would let Sarah believe she was in love with her lodger, even though, for now, they were just good friends.

  ‘Blimey, it’s bloody freezing,’ Maisie said as she tightened her scarf around her head and pulled up the collar of her coat. ‘Whose idea was it ter come and wave at the ’appy couple?’

  ‘Yours,’ Freda and Sarah answered in unison.

  ‘Is she still moaning about the cold?’ Sadie asked from just behind them, where she had snuggled up against Lemuel, who was now snoring gently. ‘Did you know that more people die at this time of night than any other time?’

  ‘You’re a bundle of fun. Where’d you get that happy snippet from? Don’t tell me. I suppose it was your nan?’

  ‘I think it was,’ Sadie giggled. ‘God, I’m going to turn out just like her one day, if I keep saying things like that. It’s been rather peaceful not having to put up with Nan’s opinions.’

  ‘Don’t worry; we’ll drown you in a bucket of water if that ’appens,’ Maisie said. ‘Does anyone ’ave any food left? It may just warm me up a bit,’ she added as she tugged at the blanket the girls were sharing. ‘Has this thing shrunk or are you hogging it all, Sarah? Me feet are bloody freezing.’

  ‘Serves you right. You should have worn something more suitable,’ Sarah huffed. She wasn’t going to admit that even with a pair of Alan’s woollen socks on underneath her boots, her toes had gone numb. She’d even worn a vest under her jumper and put on the spare cardigan from her shopping bag. ‘Perhaps we should get up and move about a little?’ she suggested.

  ‘Or we could open the gin . . .?’ Maisie replied.

  ‘Oh, Maisie,’ Sarah gasped. ‘Surely even you can’t drink gin at four o’clock in the morning?’

  ‘I’d vote for the gin,’ Sadie piped up. ‘I can’t move to get up, as Lemuel is sleeping.’

  ‘Trust a man ter be able to sleep on a pavement,’ Maisie sniffed. ‘By the way, where has Tony gone?’

  ‘He went off to stretch his legs, and I wish I’d have gone with him. It’s impossible to sleep with you lot moaning all the time. Why don’t you try to get your head down for a couple more hours?’

  ‘Nah, I’m wide awake now,’ Maisie said, struggling to her feet and causing her friends to collapse around her like a row of dominoes.

  ‘Watch it,’ Freda grumbled. She too stood up, and brushed away a few dried leaves that had caught in her coat. ‘I was comfortable until you started pushing and shoving.’

  Sarah closed the umbrella she’d been using to shelter her head from the shuffling people behind them. ‘I’m going for a walk to stretch my legs. Will you save my place, please?’

  Maisie moved the blanket and her bag – and just in time, as a man made to take the place. ‘Oi! I ’ope you’d jump in me grave just as quick,’ she snarled, causing him to hop hastily out of the way. ‘Stay ’ere fer a while, Sarah, until Tony gets back? And then I’ll come with you. I could do wiv a wee.’

  Freda was shocked by the way Maisie had spoken to the man. ‘I don’t think that was called for, do you?’

  Maisie shrugged her shoulders and didn’t seem bothered. ‘We got here early and found a decent place to park ourselves. I’m not ’aving anyone pinch our spot just cos Sarah’s moved. We will have ter fight tooth and nail to ’ang onto this place once the crowds get thicker. We’ve bagged one of the best views and will see all the toffs as they arrive at Westminster Abbey, and ’opefully the Royal Family as well as the bride and groom.’

  ‘Surely there isn’t room for any more people?’ said Sarah, gazing along the length of the queue.

  ‘You wait and see. Wiv us being so close to the Abbey, people will be fighting to get a good view. P’raps it’s time we all stood up, or we’re likely ter get trampled on. Give those two a shout,’ she said, nodding to where Sadie was still cuddled up close to Lemuel.

  Freda tapped Sadie’s leg and called to them to get up. ‘Tony will need to be able to see Lemuel in order to get back to us. I must say, it was a good idea to knit such a colourful hat. Perhaps we should all have had one,’ she grinned, and was rewarded by Maisie giving her a glare.

  ‘I’ll stick to red lipstick if yer don’t mind,’ she said, reaching into her handbag for her powder compact. ‘You could do with running a comb through yer hair. Now you’ve got a fella in tow, you need ter think of such things.’

  It was Freda’s turn to glare. ‘He’s not my fella, as you put it. Tony is my lodger and, I like to think, a friend as well.’ All the same, she dug in her bag for a brush and then copied Maisie’s lead by touching up her lips, although she turned her back so Maisie couldn’t rib her any more than she had already. Thankfully Sarah hadn’t heard the exchange, as she was watching a family squeeze through the crowd. Freda still wanted her friend to carry on thinking she was in love with Tony.

  ‘Now that is a good idea,’ Maisie laughed as a middle-aged woman planted a wooden stool close by and helped an older woman to sit down. ‘I’ll most likely kill someone for a seat by the end of the day,’ she said to the older woman. ‘P’raps I should trade a drop of gin fer a sit down,’ she guffawed.

  ‘She can’t hear a word you’re saying,’ the younger woman replied. ‘Deaf as a post, and her eyesight’s none too good. I don’t know why she wanted to come with me.’

  ‘Oh, bless her, she didn’t want to miss the wedding,’ Sarah said. ‘I wish my mum was here to see all the pageantry.’

  ‘Me too; mine would have loved it,’ Maisie said, the smile leaving her face at the memory of her mum.

  ‘I’d like to have been here with my mum too,’ Freda joined in, feeling suddenly tearful. ‘We never did much together, but she’d have liked all this.’

  ‘What – all three of you have lost your mums?’ the woman said, looking aghast. ‘Bloody Hitler. I still curse him every day, even though the war has been over and done with for a while. Was it enemy action?’ she asked looking at the three girls.

  Maisie and Sarah nodded, looking sad. Freda shook her head and said, ‘No, mine was very ill. You should cherish your mum. You’ll miss her when she’s gone.’

  ‘Can we open the gin now?’ Maisie asked.

  ‘Mind your backs, excuse me!’ Tony called as he edged through the thickening crowd to where the friends stood. In each hand he held three mugs of steaming tea.

  ‘How the heck did you manage that?’ Freda asked as she helped distribute the drinks amongst the group of friends.

  ‘I found a stand with a chap selling tea. I’ve paid a ten bob deposit on the mugs, so hang onto them.’

  Freda looked to where the elderly
woman was watching them.

  ‘She may have bad eyesight, but she can smell tea a mile off,’ the daughter laughed.

  Freda didn’t think twice as she passed her mug to the woman. ‘Here – you two share this. I’ll have a sip from his,’ she said, smiling at Tony, aware that again Sarah was watching.

  Tony slung his free arm round her shoulders and handed over the tea. ‘You go first,’ he said.

  ‘They seem to be getting rather cosy,’ Maisie whispered to Sarah. ‘I like him, so let’s ’ope things work out for her. Then you can stop your worrying.’

  ‘I may have jumped the gun with my worries,’ Sarah confessed. ‘But even if Alan isn’t carrying on with Freda, why is he acting the way he is? It’s like being married to a stranger . . .’

  ‘I didn’t expect to ’ave ter do all this walking,’ Maisie moaned as she stopped to kick off her shoes and pick them up.

  ‘Stop your moaning. You want to see the bride and groom come out on the balcony and wave to the crowds, don’t you?’ Freda snapped. She too was so tired her bones ached, but she’d not miss a single part of this magical day. ‘Here, give me your arm and let’s join in with the singing,’ she added as the girls linked arms and they joined in with ‘Maybe It’s Because I’m a Londoner’.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Lemuel asked as he walked behind the girls, still holding onto Sadie’s hand. ‘I thought the wedding was over?’

  ‘We walk to Buckingham Palace and wait for the Royal Family to come out onto the balcony,’ Sadie explained. She’d noticed the way he’d watched royalty alight from limousines and carriages to go into Westminster Abbey, and listened intently as those around tried to identify the people.

  ‘I never expected to see our King and Queen even once – and now we will see them a second time? My mother and sister will want to know all about this. I shall have to write a very long letter.’

  ‘Why don’t we cut out the pages from the newspapers and put them in the envelope? There will be loads of them on sale by tomorrow. I’ll help you,’ she said, and was rewarded with a squeeze from his large hand.