A Sister's Shame

by Carol Rivers

  When Teddy ended the number, it was long before the musicians had finished. He didn’t seem bothered and smiled at the young women who applauded him.

  Teddy took several curtain calls. On the last one, Vesta suddenly screamed out his name. She waved her hands and jumped up and down. On seeing her, Teddy took the rose from his buttonhole and threw it down.

  Vesta caught it and clutched it close. Marie saw Teddy blow her a kiss. Once again, Marie thought Vesta was about to faint.

  ‘He blew me a kiss,’ gasped Vesta breathlessly as Teddy swaggered from the stage. ‘And threw me his rose. I knew this dress would catch his eye!’

  ‘It might have had something to do with the three feet you jumped in the air,’ giggled Marie.

  ‘You’re just jealous cos you didn’t get a rose.’

  Marie wondered how Vesta could be taken in. Teddy was hopeless but won the young women’s attention and revelled in it. She thought of Bing and looked up to the gods, the rows of seats high above the back of the theatre. Had he just been joking about coming tonight?

  ‘Teddy was amazing,’ repeated Vesta, her eyes lingering on the empty stage. ‘And he only had eyes for me.’

  Marie thought Teddy’s attention had strayed far and wide; he was handsome and an artful performer. But he had made an awful hash of the song. She was glad when the next act came on, a young woman who wore a long, sparkling evening gown and had a good voice. She sang ‘Ave Maria’ and, although looking nervous, ended without fault. After Teddy’s act, it was a pleasure to sit and listen to someone with talent.

  Dusk had fallen by the time they left the theatre. Marie waited with Elsie and Ada, whilst Vesta spoke to a group of young girls who were still in raptures over Teddy. They were all asking her about how she knew him and Marie could see Vesta was loving every minute, basking in their attention.

  ‘You’d never believe it, would you?’ said Elsie in an amused voice. ‘Whatever that Teddy Turner has got, he should bottle it.’

  ‘He is very good-looking,’ said Ada, frowning over at the group. ‘I hope Vesta can keep a level head.’

  ‘She seems to be doing all right,’ Elsie mused, pulling her jacket around her. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if someone asks for her autograph.’

  Marie giggled. ‘And Vesta would give it, I expect.’

  Elsie laughed but Ada looked concerned. ‘She wants to be famous so much.’

  Elsie nodded. ‘You never know, she might be one day.’ She looked at Marie. ‘How about you, love, did you enjoy it?’

  ‘Yes, thanks, Elsie, the evening was wonderful.’

  ‘You and Vesta are as good as any of them acts we saw tonight,’ said Elsie kindly. ‘You should have a go up there one day.’

  ‘Thanks, Elsie. But we need to practise more to be better than the rest. Those other singers, especially the girl who sang “Ave Maria”, were very good.’

  As Ada and Elsie discussed the performances, Marie noticed they didn’t say anything more about Teddy. Had she imagined how out of tune he was? Or were Ada and Elsie just being polite for Vesta’s sake?

  ‘Well, we’d better get cracking,’ said Elsie. ‘Got a long walk home.’

  ‘I was hoping Hector might be here to meet us,’ Ada said wistfully. ‘But he’s probably dropped in to the Cubby Hole.’

  Marie saw Elsie’s glance of pity. They all hoped Hector didn’t spend any of his earnings on beer.

  Marie slid her arm through her mother’s. Over the last couple of years, their father had taken to spending a lot of time at the tavern. Ada never complained when he said he wasn’t drinking, but mixing with the arty types at the Cubby Hole. He maintained it was all part of the business.

  But Marie knew that Hector was well past his prime. He was unlikely to become popular again, as he still lived in the old world. That had been made perfectly clear tonight. For even some of the shrewd East End audience had approved of the talentless Teddy.

  Chapter 5

  As they strolled along in the warm evening, the street was lit softly by lamplight. The sky above was filled with stars, and music played faintly from a barrel organ, adding to the thrill and excitement of a summer’s night. A small, ruby-coloured car with a black top and two shining headlights pulled up beside them. Out jumped the driver and strode to the pavement. To Marie’s surprise, it was Bing.

  He looked very different tonight. Dressed in a dark jacket and white flannels, he wore a striped tie that looked very smart against his white shirt. ‘Evening, one and all.’ He smiled as usual from ear to ear. ‘Enjoy yourselves, did you?’

  ‘Teddy threw me this rose,’ said Vesta before anyone could reply. ‘We sat at the front in the best seats. Didn’t see you there, though.’

  ‘No such luck for us,’ Bing shrugged. ‘Up in the gods, we was, with the rabble.’

  ‘Where’s Charlie?’ Marie asked, and blushed as Bing looked at her.

  ‘Gone off with his young lady.’

  ‘Didn’t know you had a car,’ she said quietly, bending down to peer in the window.

  ‘This is Ruby,’ he introduced, sounding proud. ‘She’s a nice little runner. How would you ladies like a ride home?’

  ‘I’d rather walk,’ said Vesta rudely. ‘I’d ruin me dress trying to squeeze up in that small space!’ And she walked away, head held high, everyone staring after her.

  ‘Come back here, my girl,’ called Elsie. ‘Walking’s a doddle for you young ones, perhaps, but my bunions are killing me.’

  Ada voiced her opinion: ‘Vesta, we’ve been kindly offered a lift and in a very nice motor car, too.’

  Marie saw Vesta turn round, a big scowl on her face.

  Elsie stepped forward to give Bing’s cheek a peck. ‘You’re looking grand, son. Found yourself a missus yet?’

  ‘No, Elsie, ’fraid not. I was waiting for you.’

  Elsie cackled loudly. ‘Go on with you, I’m old enough to be your grandmother. Still playing at the Cubby Hole?’

  ‘Yes, been there for two years now.’

  ‘I must pay you a visit one day,’ Elsie promised. ‘See how things are going without me.’

  ‘No one is as good as you, Elsie,’ Bing assured her. ‘Me dad still remembers when you and Joe ran the pub. How you was the life and soul of the party.’

  Elsie turned to Ada and rolled her eyes. ‘That shows me age. The boy saying his mum and dad remember me! And to be honest, I can remember them. They used to come in for a bevvy after their pie and mash at Gus’s shop next door, leaving the youngster here to sit at the door outside. Poor little sod. Didn’t know he’d grow up to be the good-looker he is now.’ She pointed to the car. ‘Tell your folks Elsie says hello when you see them next. Now, show me where to sit.’

  ‘Royalty at the front,’ said Bing, opening the door, and taking her arm, helped her in. ‘Mrs H and your lovely daughters, you have the back seat all to yourselves.’

  Marie found herself smiling as they climbed aboard. The leather seats smelled lovely. Vesta looked very squeezed up and uncomfortable, but to Marie’s mind, this made a perfect end to the evening.

  ‘Will you come in for a cuppa?’ Ada invited when Bing stopped the car.

  ‘No thanks, Mrs H. Another time, perhaps.’

  ‘Well, thank you for the ride,’ said Ada as they all trooped out onto the pavement. ‘Goodnight, Bing.’

  ‘You can buy me a sherry next time I’m up the pub,’ Elsie bellowed as she followed Ada and Vesta up the steps.

  ‘I’m counting the minutes,’ shouted Bing. But as Marie was about to follow them, he caught her arm. ‘Got a minute, Marie?’ He gazed up at the sky. ‘It’s a lovely night, wouldn’t you say?’

  Marie smiled, waiting for the joke. ‘Yes, why?’

  ‘Do you remember that day two years ago when you walked into the pub, looking for your dad?’

  ‘Yes, I do.’

  ‘I’d just landed a job in the docks and was playing at the Cubby Hole, making a few bob for me old age. I thought life couldn�
��t get much better. But it did. Cos I saw this vision standing at the pub door looking as though she’d found a tanner and lost a fiver.’

  ‘And you came over and asked if I needed any help,’ Marie added shyly. ‘You were the only one who did.’

  Bing gazed at her, stepping from one foot to the other. ‘You were just a kid, then, but now that’s all changed. You’ve grown up. And I’ve been trying to find the courage to ask you out.’

  Marie blushed again. What would Vesta say if she went out with him? Her sister’s opinion counted, but Bing wasn’t asking Vesta. He was asking her.

  ‘How about a walk to the park tomorrow?’ he suggested, quickly filling the silence. ‘Eleven o’clock, say?’

  Marie hesitated.

  ‘Just for an hour, that’s all.’

  She smiled. ‘All right, then.’

  He grinned, almost tripping over himself as he backed towards the car. After he’d driven off, Marie stood in the warm night, wondering if it was true that he’d had to find the courage to ask her out. She had liked him when she’d first met him at the Cubby Hole. But she had never thought about him in a romantic way. But now she was older – and she did find him amusing.

  She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. The smell of summer was everywhere: salt and tar from the river, the hot streets, cooked foods, the sewers and drains, and the smoking factory chimneys. It was one of those nights, she thought, that you wanted to last for ever.

  ‘I thought you’d never stop talking to him,’ complained Vesta, when Marie finally walked in the front room. Her sister flung herself on the couch, wearing her dressing gown and slippers. ‘What did lover boy have to say for himself?’

  Marie kicked off her shoes. ‘Nothing much.’

  ‘Are you seeing him again?’

  Marie shrugged. ‘Tomorrow – perhaps.’

  ‘So he asked you out, then?’

  ‘Only for a walk.’ Marie decided to change the subject; she had the feeling that Vesta didn’t want to think about anyone else but Teddy. ‘Would you like a cup of cocoa?’

  ‘No, I’m off to bed.’ Vesta stood up, yawning. ‘All that excitement at the theatre tired me out. I want to fall asleep and dream of Teddy.’

  When Marie walked into the kitchen, the radio was playing music softly. Ada was sitting at the wooden table. ‘You look happy, dear.’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘That boy is a nice lad.’

  Marie went red. ‘I don’t really know him.’

  ‘Your dad likes him. Has he asked you out?’

  ‘For a walk tomorrow,’ Marie admitted reluctantly. She didn’t want her mother to get any ideas. ‘I might not even go.’

  Ada frowned. ‘Then you’d be missing out, love.’

  ‘Mum, just because he’s got a job and a car, and Dad happens to like him—’

  ‘I know, I know,’ Ada said, putting up her hand. ‘But you could do a lot worse.’

  Marie put the kettle on with a bit of a clatter. ‘I don’t want to get married, Mum,’ she said abruptly.

  ‘You will, one day.’

  Marie hoped that day was a long way off. She was about to say so when Ada gave a long yawn. ‘Dearie me, I’m all in.’

  ‘School cleaning must be very tiring.’

  ‘I’m lucky to have a regular job.’

  Marie never heard her mother complain. Their father didn’t bring home much money, it was true. Even though she and Vesta put towards the housekeeping, it was hard for Ada to keep them afloat.

  ‘Goodnight, love.’ Her mother kissed her cheek.

  ‘’Night, Mum.’

  ‘Leave the door unlocked for Dad, won’t you?’

  Marie nodded. When would their father come in? If he’d met up with a few of his friends, it could be a while. Marie thought again of Bing as the kettle boiled. She smiled. He was nice, but was he really her type?

  Anyway, she didn’t want to fall in love just yet. She wanted to sing and dance with Vesta, just as they had always dreamed of. But sometimes she thought this might be only that – a dream – as the sensible side of her knew from Ada’s example that it was not dreams that filled the larder with food, or paid the rent, it was hard work. Life in the theatre was very appealing – the glamour and the bright lights – and though Marie was confident that she and Vesta could sing and dance, it wasn’t everyone who made this a career. Unlike Vesta, she had her feet planted firmly on the ground. She knew their chances of finding fame and fortune were slim, whilst Ellisdon’s provided regular work and a safe routine. Good jobs were not easy to find on the island. Life could be very hard for some.

  Marie sighed. One part of her wanted adventure, the other was afraid to break out. With Vesta it was the other way round. But what counted was that they were together, and this, to Marie, was most important of all.

  Chapter 6

  Dressed in his vest and pants, Bing studied his freshly shaven jaw in the half-mirror hidden behind a leafy green aspidistra his mum had given him. The plant stood beside a kitchen of sorts: a large chipped china basin flanked by two old wooden draining boards and a neglected gas stove. He didn’t bother to cook much because he was never here. He ate all he needed at the Cubby Hole or in the canteen at work. This place could hardly be called a palace, but he wasn’t looking for luxury. He just wanted somewhere to lay his head, somewhere cheap, if not cheerful. His mum and dad had offered him lodgings, but their gaff was all the way up at Aldgate, too far from his work in the docks and his social life at the Cubby Hole.

  Bing squashed his hair with the flat of his hand, but it only stood up again. The remains of the brilliantine that he’d slapped on last night for his visit to the Queen’s made it look a mess. He didn’t like the sticky stuff. Hair oil smelled a bit fancy for his liking. But it was time for him to improve his image. Merely saying hello to Marie every day and making a joke to cover up his true feelings was wearing a bit thin.

  Quickly he bent and put his head under the tap. The cold water ran over his scalp. Using the bar of Sunlight soap, he managed to wash out the worst of the hair oil.

  Pushing aside the piles of sheet music that were under the window, he leaned out. It was a wonderful summer’s morning. The sea of grime-covered rooftops and tenement buildings was all around him. The smells from the factories weren’t so strong on a Sunday. This morning he had a date with a beautiful girl who had been on his mind for so long.

  Marie was the best-looking girl he’d ever seen. She had lovely tumbling blonde waves and big eyes that looked as blue as the sea. He had found the courage to ask her out at last but would she come out this morning? He’d feel a drip if she turned him away.

  ‘Snap out of it,’ he ordered himself. ‘A bloke’s not supposed to have nerves, don’t you know that?’ He turned round in the two feet of vacant space by his bed, a contraption made up of a solid steel frame that weighed a hundredweight. The new feather mattress was his own purchase. He liked a good night’s sleep.

  Bing drew back the curtain that hung across a recess and peered at his clothes. Ten minutes later, he was dressed, a spotted blue tie at his throat and white handkerchief in his top pocket.

  Inspecting himself in the mirror, he tried to flatten his hair, but with no success.

  By the time the mantel clock struck ten, he was ready. He was early, but he snatched up his key and let himself out. The dirty, smelly concrete passage stretched endlessly to his right and left. A rabbit warren of similar doors and passages ran four floors down. The tenement block echoed with the shouts of kids and arguments brewing. Averting his gaze from the shabby walls, he tried not to breathe in the smell of the blocked drains.

  How would he ever be able to bring Marie back here, he wondered as he ran down the stone steps to the street. As he strode towards Sphinx Street, he thought of his plans to buy his own gaff, a piece of turf to call his own. Not somewhere the landlord called the tune and could kick him out at any minute. No, it was a chipper little terrace on the island he wanted. With a painted front
door, a white step and a decent back garden. Well, a yard would do, but he wasn’t going to share the lav with the rest of the street. On that fact, he would not be moved!

  Bing knew he wanted to have something solid behind him. He’d saved hard since starting work in the docks and his Post Office account was healthy. One day he would be able to give his wife all she wanted. Would that wife be Marie?

  He could think of no other. She was beautiful and bright and her smile always lit up his heart. She was also a really decent girl, a family girl who, like him, had grown up with values of home and hearth, as his mother would say. Still, he didn’t even know if she really liked him. Had she agreed on the spur of the moment to see him because he had been too pushy?

  ‘Time you did some serious planning,’ he told himself, straightening his shoulders. ‘And don’t blot your copybook this morning.’ If he messed this walk up, he wasn’t likely to get another chance.

  The thought scared him. He’d never felt this way before: all fingers and thumbs and hot around the collar. It was a unique experience. He just hoped it wouldn’t be the only experience he had of taking out the girl of his dreams.

  Marie rushed to the door. She had looked from the front window and seen Bing’s tall figure coming down the street. Calling goodbye to her family, she hurried out. She was afraid Ada or Hector would invite him in, and they’d be there talking for hours.

  Before that happened, she wanted to get to know a bit more about Bing. What did they have in common? Did he ever stop joking? What were his dreams in life? Up till now, it was just a few minutes of flirting on the way home from work.

  At least if she was out this morning, she wouldn’t have to listen to Vesta going on about Teddy. Her sister hadn’t stopped singing his praises since the moment they’d woken up!

  When she opened the front door, both Bing and Nina Brass stood on the step.

  Nina smiled. ‘Did you have a good time last night?’

  ‘Yes, thank you. It was lovely.’