by Joan Jonker
Molly knew from what Tommy told her, that his old army mate had no trouble attracting the girls. And why would he, a nice handsome lad like that? But apparently he hadn’t yet met one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. ‘Have no fear, Archie, I shall guard that window with me life.’
‘Ay, come on, soft nit,’ Lily said. ‘I could have been home by now.’
‘Ah, but you wouldn’t have had the pleasure of my company.’ Archie’s smile covered everyone. ‘I’ll bid you goodnight, ladies, until we meet again.’ He dropped to his haunches in front of Phoebe and Dorothy. ‘And don’t forget, you two, that practice makes perfect. I’ll be broken-hearted if I don’t get to dance with you at the wedding.’
‘Oh, we will practise, Archie.’ Dorothy’s face was so serious, as though she spoke straight from the heart. As indeed she did. Tonight she’d been treated like an adult and revelled in it. ‘Me dad’s home now, and him and me mam used to go dancing, so I’ll ask them to teach us.’
Lily got fed-up waiting. ‘I’m going without yer,’ she warned, waving her hand in a general goodbye. ‘I thought it was only women who talked so much.’
‘Farewell, ladies.’ Archie made a hasty retreat, leaving laughter in his wake.
‘He’s funny, isn’t he?’ Dorothy said. ‘He didn’t half make me laugh.’
‘He’s everything, sunshine, and I really love the bones of him. He’s funny, pleasant, polite, honest and handsome. Whoever gets him will be getting a good ’un.’
‘In that case I think I’ll swap him for Sammy.’
Molly smiled at Maureen’s words, but behind the smile was a trace of sadness. The one person at the wedding whose heart wouldn’t be celebrating the marriage of her long-time friend, would be the girl who had fallen for Phil Bradley the night she and Doreen first met him at Barlow’s Lane dance hall. But Phil had fallen for Doreen at first sight and had eyes for no one else. And such was the loyalty of the girl, she had never, by word or deed, allowed her feelings to affect her friendship with Doreen. No one guessed her secret, except Molly, who hadn’t failed to see the way the girl’s eyes followed Phil’s every movement, or the way her face lit up at the sight of him. And only Molly knew she still carried a torch for him. When it was Maureen’s turn to get married, she wouldn’t be marrying the man of her dreams.
‘I don’t know why yer’d want to swap Sammy,’ Doreen said. ‘I think he’s a smashing feller!’
‘So do I,’ Molly agreed. ‘And he thinks the sun shines out of yer backside. Yer’d go a long way to find anyone better.’
‘Yeah, I know that.’ Maureen stifled a sigh. ‘I was only kidding.’
‘Ye’re going to be late meeting yer boyfriend tonight,’ Archie said as they stood outside the McDonoughs’ house. ‘It’ll be time to come home before yer get there.’
‘I’m not seeing him tonight,’ Lily said. ‘He’s working late.’
‘In that case, why don’t yer walk round to the Jacksons’ with me? I know it’s not far, but the fresh air would do yer more good than being stuck in the house.’
‘I couldn’t do that. If I walked in there with you they’d wonder what was going on!’
‘And what is going on?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Precisely. So what’s the problem?’ Archie lowered his head to meet her eyes. ‘It’s coming to something when two ordinary people can’t walk along the street together without worrying what people think. Unless yer boyfriend objects to yer talking to another man?’
‘Len is me boyfriend, but he doesn’t tell me what I can or cannot do. I don’t take orders from him.’
‘Then walk with me to the Jacksons’ and keep me company. We can have a game of cards, a good laugh, and yer can leave whenever yer want.’
Lily was sorely tempted. Her dad would be in the pub with his mates, Paul would be out enjoying himself and Steve would be going to Jill’s any minute. That would leave her in the house with her mother, and these days the atmosphere between them wasn’t exactly warm. ‘OK, I’ll walk round with yer for half-an-hour. It’ll pass the time away, and as yer say, it is a lovely night.’
They started walking with a respectable distance between them, and Lily feeling very self-conscious. But Archie was so easygoing, and so funny, by the time they were outside the Jacksons’ house she was at ease with herself.
It was a surprised-looking Tommy who opened the door. ‘Well, I’ll be blowed! Come in, and welcome to yer.’ He was made up to see his friend, but curious as to why Lily was with him. As he closed the door after them, he called, ‘Make yerselves respectable, we’ve got visitors.’
Bridie, Bob and Rosie were sat at the table with a fan of playing cards in their hands and open-mouthed expressions on their faces. They didn’t get many visitors, especially at this time of night. But once they’d got over the initial shock their welcome was warm and sincere.
‘Come in, me darlin’s,’ Bridie said, laying her cards face down on the table before pushing her chair back. ‘It’s happy we are to see yer.’
Rosie jumped to her feet. ‘Give me yer coat, Lily, or yer’ll not feel the benefit of it when yer leave.’
Lily shook her head. ‘I’ll not be staying long, I got talked into taking some fresh air by me laddo here.’ She jerked her head at Archie. ‘He must think I need some colour in me cheeks.’
‘Yer’ll not be going without a cup of tea, me darlin’, so let Rosie take yer coat.’ Bridie’s tone said she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Bob chuckled as he laid his cards down. ‘Yer may as well do as ye’re told, lass, because my dear wife thinks it’s an insult if anyone leaves this house without tasting her hospitality.’
While Rosie was relieving Lily of her coat, Tommy was slapping Archie on the back. ‘It’s good to see yer, mate! If I’d known yer were coming down I’d have waited in for yer.’
‘I’m glad yer didn’t, ’cos I had six beautiful young ladies all to meself. No, make that seven because yer mam was there. If I’d arrived half-an-hour earlier it would have been better still because they’d been getting measured for their bridesmaids’ dresses.’
‘I know! Me and me dad practically got thrown out.’ Tommy’s curiosity finally got the better of him and he raised his brows at Lily. ‘Not seeing yer boyfriend tonight, then?’
‘No, he’s working overtime. Anyway, I knew I’d be a long time in your house so I wouldn’t have made arrangements to see him even if he hadn’t been working.’
Bridie was fussing over Archie, who was a great favourite with all of Tommy’s family. He wasn’t to know it, but they’d all been told about his exploits when they were overseas in the army. He’d received a commendation for bravery after saving the lives of some of his comrades who had strayed into an area which had been heavily mined by the German soldiers before they retreated. It was something Archie never mentioned, but something that Tommy would never forget because he was one of the soldiers saved. People thought that because the war was over, there was no danger, but the enemy had left deathtraps everywhere for unsuspecting soldiers who hadn’t had much training and were nothing more than raw recruits. And frightened ones into the bargain. If it hadn’t been for Archie keeping a cool head and leading them through the minefield, a lot of them wouldn’t be alive today.
‘Sit yerselves down at the table and I’ll have the tea made in no time, so I will.’
‘No you won’t, Auntie Bridget,’ Rosie said with a determined nod of her head. ‘Sure, it’s meself that’ll make the tea. And isn’t it the luck of the visitors that yer baked those lovely scones today?’
Bob began to collect in the cards. ‘We won’t be needing these now. If yer feel like it after we’ve had a drink, we can deal a new hand.’
Lily smiled but didn’t answer. She wouldn’t be staying to play cards because it would set tongues wagging. If her mam found out she’d walked here with Archie she’d never hear the end of it. She’d get her leg pulled soft. And if Len found out there’d be ho
ly murder.
Half-an-hour later Lily was so busy laughing she forgot her good intentions. Archie had to be the funniest, most entertaining person she’d ever met. He was a marvellous observer of human nature, and when he was talking about his workmates, or the girls he met at dances, he got their voices, facial expressions and body language just right. He had tears of laughter running down Bridie’s and Bob’s faces, Tommy was in convulsions and Rosie’s infectious giggle filled the room. And Lily herself was in a pleat.
Archie was into his stride about one of the blokes at work. ‘He’s a lazy so-and-so. It takes him about five minutes to hammer a nail in. In fact, more often than not the nail gets fed-up waiting and drives itself into the wood. And he has more time off than anyone else. D’yer know, he’s taken six days off in the last few years to go to his grandmother’s funeral! And I think it’s five times his grandad’s been buried! Now my boss had got a very dry sense of humour. He comes out with the funniest things without a flicker of a smile on his face. The last time this Fred Berry went into the office to ask for a day off to go to his grandmother’s funeral, the boss looked up at him and said, “This is the seventh time yer’ve dug the old dear up. Is it because yer want to make sure she’s dead? Or is it because yer want a bleedin’ day off? Now the next time yer come in here asking for a day off to go to a funeral, permission will only be granted if it’s yer own”.’
‘God rest the poor woman’s soul.’ Bridie lifted the corner of her pinny to wipe her eyes. ‘That man, Fred, sure he has no respect for the dear departed and will never be allowed inside the Pearly Gates.’
‘Respect is not the only thing he’s lacking in, Mrs Jackson.’ Archie was grinning all over his face. ‘He’s as thick as two short planks and thinks everyone else is the same. His own mother is eighty years of age, so by my reckoning the grandmother he keeps burying must be about a hundred and ten.’
‘Bet she feels every day of it,’ Tommy said. ‘Being popped up and down so often, it’s enough to put years on her.’
‘How does he keep his job?’ Bob wanted to know. ‘He wouldn’t have got away with it where I used to work.’
‘The boss said he was keeping him on just to see how many lies he could come up with. He doesn’t get paid while he’s off, so it doesn’t cost the firm anything. I’ll tell yer just a few of the excuses he’s given for not turning into work. His wife has fallen down the stairs twice and couldn’t move ’cos she’d hurt her back. Now, a lot of people who fell from the top of the stairs to the bottom would probably break their necks, but not Fred’s wife! She is very accommodating and her injuries only require him to take one day off. Then there was the time she was running down the yard to the lavvy in the middle of the night and she stepped on the sweeping brush. The handle flew up and knocked her out. She was unconscious when Fred went down to see what was keeping her. And she stayed unconscious until dinner-time, when it was no use him turning into work then, was it? His own mishaps are too numerous to mention, but a small example is the day he was walking down the street on his way to work when he tripped on a shoelace that he hadn’t tied properly. He ended up face down on the ground and cut his nose open. Now nobody would expect him to turn up for work after that, would they? He showed up the next day like a wounded soldier with a plaster on his nose, and all morning he moaned about being in agony. Everyone was fed-up listening to him, so one of the lads, as a dare, pulled the plaster off. And there wasn’t even a scratch to be seen.’
‘Sounds like a queer bloke to me,’ Bob said, scratching his head. ‘How can he afford to take so many days off?’
‘The day Fred Berry stops taking days off, Mr Jackson, will be the day my job becomes very dull. He doesn’t think it’s funny, mind, ’cos he’s got no sense of humour. I don’t think I’ve seen him laugh in all the time I’ve known him. But he keeps all his workmates amused, I can tell yer. We even have bets on who can guess what his next excuse is going to be! But he’s got us licked ’cos we’ve never even been close. I mean, how many of yer would guess that a bloke could turn up for work one morning and tell the boss he was sorry for being absent the day before, but he’d fallen into the River Mersey!’
There were hoots and shrieks of laughter. ‘Archie, is this the truth ye’re telling us?’ Rosie’s deep blue Irish eyes were bright and shining. ‘Or is it yerself that’s making it up for our benefit?’
‘Rosie, my love, nobody could invent a character like Fred Berry. And nobody but him could come up with these outlandish excuses and expect to be believed! He’s a miserable so-and-so at the best of times, but yer should see the look of self-pity on his face when he’s spinning these tales to the boss. He told him he’d been walking to work along the Dock Road the day before, and it was such a lovely morning he’d stopped to look into the river. But just as he bent down a sudden gust of wind came and blew his cap off. Without thinking, he leaned forward to try and catch it, and that’s when he fell in the water. But luck was with him as a docker saw his plight and threw him a lifebelt. But of course his clothes were sopping wet so he was forced to make his way home.’
‘Do they take women on in your place?’ Lily asked. ‘He sounds like a bundle of fun, that bloke.’
‘The only women are the two in the canteen. If they did take them on in the factory I would personally chuck Fred Berry in the Mersey, Lily, and make sure there was no docker around with a lifebelt. Then, after he’d been buried on top of his grandmother so she couldn’t be dug up again, I’d ask the boss to give you his job.’
‘Ooh, I’d not be having anything to do with that, Lily, indeed I wouldn’t.’ Rosie’s thick dark curly hair swung about her shoulders. ‘Me mammy used to say it was unlucky to step into a dead mans shoes.’
Tommy couldn’t resist and pulled her close. ‘I can’t wait to meet yer mammy. I wonder if she’ll have a saying for me?’
‘Oh, she will that, Tommy Bennett. Sure, as I told yer the first time I saw yer, me mammy will say it’s a foine figure of a man yer are. And I’ll bet she says that ye’re beef to the heel like a Mullingar heifer.’
Bridie and Bob reached for each other’s hand as they watched the two young sweethearts with happiness and pride. Archie looked on hoping that one day he’d meet someone and share the same sort of love. And Lily looked on with longing in her heart. If only Len could be as demonstrative and loving as Tommy.
Thinking of her boyfriend brought Lily down to earth. ‘I’m going to be making tracks or me mam will wonder what’s happened to me.’
‘I’ll walk yer back, Lily,’ Archie offered.
‘No, I don’t want to break up the party, you stay and enjoy yerself.’
‘Are yer sure?’
‘Yes, I’m sure! I want to thank all of you for a very pleasant evening. And Mrs Jackson, the scones were lovely, yer’ll have to give me the recipe sometime.’ Her coat on and her handbag clutched between her two hands, she looked at the man who’d entertained them for the last two hours. ‘Before I go, though, Archie, I want to hear the end of the story. Had this man really fallen in the river?’
‘Had he hellslike! Me boss even went to where he said he’d fallen in and asked a couple of dockers that were there. They said if it had happened they would definitely have known. They had a damn good laugh about it and said someone was pulling his leg.’
‘What did yer boss have to say?’
‘What he said was not fit for the ears of ladies.’
Lily grinned. ‘Come on, Rosie, throw me out.’
Chapter Sixteen
Corker washed the breakfast dishes after Ellen and the children had gone out, then tidied the living room and gave a quick dust around. His wife wouldn’t go to work without making the beds because she said that was a woman’s job and he didn’t do it properly anyway. So with nothing else to do, and all day to do it in, he left the house to go on the errand he’d promised Molly.
It was a lovely spring morning and Corker decided to walk to Walton. He cut a fine figure with his bushy bear
d and moustache, and his peaked cap set at a jaunty angle. That, combined with his height and a body built like a battleship, caused many heads to turn. But he was oblivious to this as he stopped every so often to window shop. When he was passing a confectioners, he promised himself to call in on his way back and buy a couple of cakes to take to his mother’s. She had a sweet tooth and would enjoy a cream cake with a cup of tea. He’d make it his business to be home by lunch-time and they’d spend the rest of the afternoon together. The time spent in each other’s company was precious to both of them.
Corker stopped at the corner of a street and looked up at the name sign. This was Tetlow Street where the mysterious Lofty lived. It would be interesting to know if he and Len Lofthouse were one and the same person. And if he was, why had the girl who was called Joan come in the corner shop looking for Lily? Hopefully his mate could throw some light on the subject.
Walking up the next street, Corker checked the numbers until he came to fifty-seven. This was where Robbo lived, and with a bit of luck he wouldn’t have gone out yet. The door was opened by a woman in her forties, with a rounded figure and steel-grey hair. Her hand flew to her mouth. ‘In the name of God, it’s Corker!’
‘Hello, Alice. Long time no see, eh?’
‘Come in, come in.’ Alice grabbed his arm as though she thought he might run off. ‘It’s nice to see yer.’ She pulled him along the hall of the six-roomed house and didn’t let go until they were in the living room. ‘What brings yer to this neck of the woods?’
‘I wanted to have a word with Ken if he’s in.’
‘The lazy bugger’s still in bed! When he’s on leave I can never get him up before twelve. And then it’s the hunger that shifts him, not my bawling.’
‘Still in bed! On a lovely morning like this? He should be ashamed of himself.’ Corker jerked his head towards the ceiling. ‘D’yer mind if I give him a shout?’ When Alice nodded, he walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled, ‘Robbo, yer lazy blighter, get down these stairs before I come up and drag yer down.’