Sadie Was A Lady

by Joan Jonker

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sadie turned the corner of the street and set the tree down on the ground. She’d struggled this far with it, but if someone had paid her to, she couldn’t carry it another yard. Her arm was tired and her hands and legs tingling from the sharp pine needles. Anyway, Peter had promised to meet her so she’d stand here until he came. The tree hadn’t felt heavy when she’d tried it, but since Spike had set it firmly in a block of wood it weighed a ton. Mind you, it was a good idea of Spike’s, she would never have thought of it.

  ‘Need a hand, do yer, Sadie?’ Peter grinned. ‘Yer look all-in.’

  ‘Then I look as I feel.’ Sadie smiled back, happy to see him. ‘D’yer know, this is the one time I’m really glad to see that ugly mug of yours. I could manage meself if it wasn’t so awkward, but me hands are scratched to blazes with it.’

  ‘Because yer’ve been doin’ it the wrong way, soft girl. Yer need a man on the job, that’s the top and bottom of it. Women are hopeless.’

  ‘There’s only one way to carry it, Peter, so don’t be so blinkin’ big-headed.’

  ‘No, there’s two ways to carry it – the right way and the wrong way. You, of course, being a woman, were doing it the wrong way.’ Peter rubbed his hands together then pushed up the sleeves of his donkey jacket. ‘Now, stand aside and watch an expert at work.’ He bent down and gripped the tree at the very bottom, between the block of wood and the branches, and after lifting it effortlessly he let it tilt forward so the tree was horizontal and away from any part of his body. ‘See, Sadie, it’s the way yer hold yer mouth.’

  Sadie lifted her hands in mock surrender. ‘Okay, I give in, I’m stupid.’

  ‘You are not stupid!’ Peter was quick to defend her. ‘Yer just didn’t think.’

  ‘I am stupid, Peter, so don’t argue with me. I’ve struggled all the way home with it, cutting me hands and legs in the process and laddering me stockings into the bargain. Then you come along, clever clogs, and with a “hey presto” yer make it look as easy as wink.’

  ‘Well, let’s get it down to yer grandma’s so I can go home. Me mam was putting me dinner on the table when I came out to meet yer, and she’ll skin me alive if I let it get cold.’

  ‘Will yer stand it in front of the door for us? Me grandma doesn’t know anything about it, and I want to surprise her. So when I’ve knocked on the door we’ll both hide.’

  ‘I can’t play hide-and-seek, Sadie, not when me dinner’s gettin’ cold. One thing me mam’s got no sense of humour over is spending her time making a nice dinner for us and then seeing it wasted. If yer think I’m pulling yer leg, ask me dad. He got his dinner on top of his head once, just for letting it cool down.’

  ‘Now I don’t believe that, Peter Townley, not of your mam. Yer having me on again, aren’t yer? Trying to wind me up.’

  ‘I told yer to ask me dad if yer don’t believe me. All over his head she tipped it. He said it didn’t taste nearly as nice as it would have done in his mouth. And the best of it was, he’d only nipped down the yard to the lavvy to spend a penny.’ Peter puckered his brow and scratched his head. ‘Me dad must have been put off goin’ to the lavvy for life ’cos I haven’t once seen him go down the yard since.’

  ‘You don’t half tell some tall stories, Peter Townley. It’s to be hoped that when yer get a girlfriend you’ll have the decency to warn her that she can’t believe a word that comes out of yer mouth.’

  ‘Well, seeing as it was you brought the subject up, and it was on me mind anyway, when are yer going to come out with me on yer own? It’s not that I object to Tommy and Spike, but I don’t want to spend me life going out with them, there’s no future in it. When me mates in work ask if I’ve got a girlfriend, I have to tell them I’ve got a third share in one.’

  ‘Peter, I’ve told you over and over that I don’t want a steady boyfriend.’

  ‘There’s nothing steady about me, Sadie – I’m the most unsteady bloke yer ever likely to meet. So unless yer can think of another obstacle to put in the way, I can’t see why yer won’t come out with me.’ Peter could see she was giving it some thought so he went on to press his point. ‘Come on, Sadie, give me an early Christmas present and say yer’ll come out with me one night, without the bodyguards in tow.’

  ‘I’ll come if yer promise there’s no strings attached. No tellin’ anyone that we’re courting or going steady.’

  Peter beamed. ‘I’ll be that unsteady, Sadie, yer’ll have to link me to keep me upright. And when we go to the pictures I won’t even try to hold yer hand. If there’s a girl sittin’ the other side of me, I’ll hold her hand instead. Unless she’s got a face like the back of a tram, in which case I’ll have to content meself with holdin’ me own hand.’

  ‘Peter, will yer go home now, before yer dinner ends up on yer head?’

  ‘Just tell me when the big night is and I’ll go home a happy man.’

  ‘One day next week, will that suit yer?’

  ‘I’ll say it will.’ Peter leaned closer and grinned into her face. ‘Can yer guess what I’m going to do on Christmas Day to pass the time away?’

  ‘I haven’t the foggiest idea, Peter, and I’m not really interested. Just go home, please!’

  ‘I’ll tell yer anyway ’cos I know that deep down yer dying of curiosity. I’m going to fill in the cracks on me bedroom ceiling ’cos I won’t need them no more.’

  ‘I’m going to knock on the door now, Peter, so will yer vamoose and I can flatten meself against the wall to hide from Grandma? When she opens the door I only want her to see the tree.’

  ‘Sadie, can I flatten meself against the wall with yer? It sounds far more exciting than the ham shank me mam’s got for our dinner.’

  ‘Peter Townley, if yer don’t make yerself scarce right now, yer needn’t bother filling in those cracks in yer ceiling ’cos yer’ll need them more than ever.’ As Sadie stretched up to the knocker, she hissed, ‘Scram!’

  ‘Hang on a minute, Sadie.’ Peter stayed her hand. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to give me Auntie Sarah a surprise, ’cos surprises aren’t always good for old people.’

  ‘Don’t be daft, she’ll be made up to see the tree.’

  ‘Yeah, if you’re with it! But if she opens the door, sees the thing, and then you jump out on her in the dark, well, that’s not goin’ to do her old heart any good.’

  Sadie studied his face for a moment. ‘I should have thought of that without you having to tell me. So I’ll thank yer for being concerned about me grandma’s health, but I’ve got to warn you that yer beginning to get on me nerves for always being right.’

  They didn’t hear the door open and Sadie looked up in surprise when she heard Sarah ask, ‘If Peter’s right, why would he get on yer nerves, sweetheart?’

  ‘Because I’d like to be right for a change, Grandma. It’s enough to give a girl an inferiority complex, being with someone who knows all the answers.’

  Sarah’s eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark and she spotted the tree standing between the young couple. ‘That’s a bonny tree, Peter – are yer taking it home?’

  ‘No,’ Sadie said quickly. ‘He only helped me carry it. It’s a present for our house, for you and Grandad and me.’

  ‘Oh, sweetheart, what a lovely surprise! Joe will be delighted – we haven’t had a Christmas tree in the house for I don’t know how long. Oh, I am pleased.’

  ‘Sadie’s been in a very generous mood today, Auntie Sarah.’ Peter lifted the tree to carry it into the house. ‘A tree for you and the promise of a date for me.’

  ‘Don’t push yer luck, Peter Townley. Yer only caught me in a weak moment.’

  ‘Take no notice of her, son. If she’s made a promise she’ll keep it.’ Sarah turned to walk down the hall. ‘Bring it through for us, there’s a good lad, and Sadie can say where she wants it to go.’

  ‘On the little table by the window, Grandma, it would look nice there.’ Sadie walked behind Peter, her hand on his ba
ck pushing him forward. ‘Hurry up, slow coach, your mam will have yer life.’

  Joe’s face was a mixture of surprise and pleasure. ‘This is goin’ to be the very best Christmas we’ve had for nearly fifty years.’ He coughed to clear his throat. ‘And it’s all down to you, queen.’

  ‘I’ll have to be off,’ Peter said, ‘but if yer need any help to put the fairy on the top, just knock on the wall.’ He whispered in Sarah’s ear, ‘I’m having me dinner on me head tonight, Auntie Sarah.’

  ‘Are yer, son?’ Sarah smiled at him fondly. She knew him too well to be surprised at anything he came out with. ‘Well, we all have our own little peculiarities; it wouldn’t do for us all to be the same. Wherever yer have yer dinner, I hope yer enjoy it.’

  Sadie sat back on her heels to admire her handiwork. She’d gobbled her dinner down in her haste to decorate the tree, and had spent the last hour draping tinsel over branches and tying on silver balls. The blonde fairy with a wand in her hand took pride of place on the very top. ‘D’yer think it looks a bit bare? I wish I’d bought some coloured tinsel instead of all silver, and a few chocolate animals. It needs a bit more colour.’

  ‘It looks a treat, sweetheart, it really does.’

  ‘I’ve got an idea.’ Joe pushed himself out of his chair. ‘Remember those soldiers, love? Would it upset yer if I got them out?’

  Sarah’s eyes clouded for a second, then she shook her head. ‘No, it wouldn’t upset me. I think I’d like to see them again after all these years.’

  Joe came downstairs with a shoe box tucked under his arm. ‘I painted these for the boys. They’ve been lying in the wardrobe for fifty years now.’

  Sadie crawled across the floor to sit in front of his chair. When he took the lid off the box she gasped, ‘Oh Grandad, they’re lovely! Can I touch them, please?’

  As Joe handed her one of the lead soldiers, Sadie noticed that each figure in the box was different. Some were standing to attention with their rifles by their side as though on guard, others were standing or kneeling with their rifles aimed ready for firing. And each figure had been painted with great attention to detail, in the colours of various regiments. It had been a labour of love for the two sons whose lives had been cut short.

  Sadie held the lead hussar in her hand while tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘I’m sorry, Grandad, I can’t help it, it’s so sad.’

  ‘Don’t cry, queen, I’m sure the two boys will be looking down at us and they’ll be happy to see that their toys are being used to brighten our lives. If we tie a piece of cotton around the necks of the soldiers, they’ll hang from the tree and brighten it up.’

  Sadie sniffed. ‘Are yer sure it won’t upset yer to see them?’

  Sarah leaned forward and cupped Sadie’s chin. ‘Sweetheart, me and Joe grieved until we could grieve no more. Now we talk about the boys and think of the good times we had with them. We didn’t have them for long, but they were with us long enough to leave us with memories. So don’t be getting yerself upset, child. Leave us with our happy memories.’

  Sadie was tying one of the figures on the tree when she said, ‘Our Jimmy would love to see these.’

  ‘Well, take a couple with yer tomorrow night and he can put them on their tree.’ Joe held out the shoe box. ‘Come on, choose a couple.’

  ‘Grandad, there won’t be a Christmas tree in our house. There won’t be any decorations, or a turkey, presents or cards. It will just be an ordinary day in the Wilson household, with little to eat and the house cold and filthy. The only thing there’ll be plenty of is shouting and bad language.’

  Joe looked across at his wife. ‘It’s hard to believe, isn’t it, love? People like that don’t deserve to have children.’

  ‘Couldn’t you invite them here to see our tree?’ Sarah asked. ‘We haven’t got much, but we’d be more than happy to share what we’ve got with them.’

  ‘There’s only our Ellen and Jimmy; the baby and our Les are too young to find their way here. And as for our Dot, I want nothing to do with her ’cos she leads the children a dog’s life.’ Sadie swivelled around on her bottom. ‘I’d love our Ellen and Jimmy to come, so they could see how happy I am and know that they can get out themselves one day. But if I call there tomorrow night, and our Ellen and Jimmy say they’re going out on Christmas Day, me dad’s crafty enough to put two and two together and I’d lay odds on him following them. It’s not worth the risk. I’m not bringing trouble to your door.’

  ‘What about Boxing Day?’ Sarah asked, eager now to help the children. ‘We could lay a little spread on for them, and when I go to the shops tomorrow I could buy a present to hang on the tree for them. It wouldn’t be much, just a slab of chocolate or something.’

  Sadie gazed at the flames flickering in the grate. She’d love the children to meet Sarah and Joe, to let them taste, just for a couple of hours, the happiness of being with good people in a home filled with love. ‘I’d give anything for them to come here, Grandma, but I’m worried about you and Grandad, in case yer ever have cause to regret it.’

  Joe gave a low chuckle. ‘If Tommy and Spike do a good job tomorrow night, from what yer’ve told us about yer father, I don’t think he’ll have the guts to come looking for trouble.’

  ‘If he did, I’d take the broom to him.’ Sarah nodded to say she meant what she said. ‘You invite them, sweetheart, and if trouble comes we’ll meet it head on.’

  Sadie grinned. ‘I’ll do it! I’ll tell our Jimmy to bring Ellen to the Rotunda and I’ll meet them there. He won’t know where it is, but if he asks the way to Scotland Road, he’ll soon find the Rotunda.’ She sprang to her feet and hugged them both. ‘They say everyone has a guardian angel watching over them – well, mine must have been asleep for sixteen years and is now trying to make up for lost time, ’cos in the last six months I’ve been happier than I ever thought possible.’

  ‘They’ve been good months for me and Joe, too, sweetheart, so your guardian angel must be looking after us as well.’ Sarah squeezed her hand. ‘Hadn’t you better start making a parcel of the things yer taking with you tomorrow night? Yer don’t want to leave it until the last minute.’

  ‘I’m going up to start on them now. Tommy and Spike are coming here with me straight from work, so don’t do me dinner, Grandma, ’cos I probably won’t get back until nine.’ Sadie turned at the door for one more look at the tree. ‘It looks lovely. Those soldiers have made all the difference, Grandad.’

  When she’d gone upstairs, Joe smiled at his wife. ‘D’yer know, I’m enjoying all this excitement. I almost hope that Sadie’s dad does come and cause trouble. If he does, I’m having the broom and you can have the rolling pin.’

  Sadie came down with the tiny teddy bear Harry had won for her at New Brighton fair when he’d taken her out on her birthday. ‘I found this in me drawer, so I’ll put him on the tree and he can watch us all having a good time.’

  Sarah raised her brows. ‘Didn’t the boy next door win that for yer? I think yer said his name was Harry.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Sadie sat the teddy on one of the branches. ‘Harry won it for me.’

  ‘Yer liked him, didn’t yer, sweetheart?’

  ‘I did like him, Grandma, and if I never see him again for the rest of me life I’ll always think of him as the best friend I ever had. Not that you and Grandad aren’t me best friends, or me Auntie Mary, but it was different with Harry, if yer know what I mean.’

  ‘I understand, sweetheart, there’s different ways of liking people. From what yer’ve told me of Harry, he was special to yer.’

  ‘Anyway, I’ve got everything into two parcels.’ Sadie didn’t want to talk about Harry. Every time she thought about going back to the street tomorrow night, he came into her mind. She’d love to see him again. Just one five-minute meeting in the park, to hear his voice and see his dimples when he smiled. But what was the use? He’d probably forgotten her by now and had a steady girlfriend. ‘The boys can take turns carrying the clothes, I’ll carr
y the presents.’

  ‘What’s the scarf in aid of, Sadie?’ Tommy’s eyes slid sideways to where Sadie was walking with her head bent, her blonde hair covered by one of Sarah’s black woollen headscarves. ‘Yer look like Orphan Annie.’

  ‘I don’t want anyone in the street to see me. I just want to go straight to our house, leave the presents, say what I’ve got to say, then get out again as quick as I can.’

  ‘We’ll come in with yer, if yer frightened,’ Spike said, relieving Tommy of the parcel so he could have a turn at carrying it. ‘Might be better if we’re with yer.’

  ‘I’m not looking forward to it, I’ll be honest. Me nerves are shot to pieces, I’m shakin’ like a leaf inside. But I doubt me dad would raise his hand to me. He’ll rant and rave, swear like a trooper, but he won’t touch me, not when he knows you two are outside. It’s after we’ve gone that worries me, in case he takes it out on the children.’

  ‘D’yer know what I think would be the best thing to do?’ Tommy asked, swinging his arms and walking with his usual swagger. ‘I think me an’ Spike should carry the parcels in, so he gets a good look at us and knows we’re with yer. We’d go straight out again if that’s what yer wanted, and wait in the street for yer.’

  The last thing Sadie wanted was for them to see the inside of her home. Both boys were rough and ready, but they were spotlessly clean, and she knew their mothers were houseproud. She’d never be able to look them in the face again if they set foot in the hovel she’d lived in for sixteen years. It was bad enough them seeing the outside, but she was hoping they wouldn’t be able to see it clearly in the dark. The nearest lamp-post was six houses away, thank goodness. ‘Our Jimmy will be lookin’ out for me, he can help me carry the things in. And he’ll give yer a shout if I need help.’

  ‘We’ll fall in with whatever yer want, Sadie, just give us the nod.’ Spike’s voice was gruff. ‘We just don’t want yer gettin’ hurt, that’s all.’