by Joan Jonker
‘She’s smiling at me!’ John bent so Mary could see the tiny face split in a smile. ‘Paddy wasn’t imagining it, he was right!’
Colin wanted to go on the top deck of the tram and laughed with glee as he gripped the hand-rail while the tram swayed from side to side. ‘Can we sit on the front seat, Mr Kershaw? Yer can see more from the front.’
‘Whatever you want, Colin.’ John was deriving great pleasure from the boy’s obvious excitement and enjoyment. ‘This is your afternoon, so your wish is my command.’
‘This is the gear.’ A huge grin covered the boy’s face as he sat down. ‘Look, yer can see everything from here.’ He shuffled forward in his seat to grab the safety bar that ran across the front window. ‘I think I’ll be a tram-driver when I leave school.’
‘And when will that be?’
‘Not this Christmas, but the one after. Then I’ll be getting a wage and can give me mam some money, like our Katy does.’ The boy’s eyes were animated. ‘Then we’re going to get some new furniture and curtains for the living room, and new beds. Me mam said we won’t know ourselves. She said there’ll be no flies on us, we’ll be proper posh.’
John grinned. They were Dot’s expressions all right. He could almost hear her speaking them. ‘Your mother confides in you and Katy, doesn’t she? You’re lucky, because not many mothers do that.’
‘Me mam’s great, Mr Kershaw, an’ I don’t half love her.’ Colin’s eyes went back to the window. ‘Where are we now?’
‘This is Scotland Road, not far to go now.’
When they stepped off the tram at the Pier Head and Colin saw the crowds of people, he was stunned into silence. His eyes were everywhere as he kept close to John’s side. It would be easy to get split up in this crowd and he’d never find his way home. He had tuppence in his pocket that would pay his fare, but he wouldn’t know what number tram to get. ‘Can I hold on to yer coat, Mr Kershaw? I’d easy get lost in this lot.’
‘Hold my hand, that’s the best.’ John could feel his own excitement growing. He had a surprise in store for the boy and couldn’t wait to see his face. ‘Just keep tight hold and we’ll follow the crowd.’
Feeling safe now his hand was being tightly held, Colin began to show an interest in the people around, who were taking advantage of the beautiful sunny weather. There were young girls in bright summer dresses, men in open-necked short-sleeved shirts, and young children clutching buckets and spades and colourful beach balls. And everyone looked happy, except for some mothers who appeared hot and harassed as they tried to keep their over-excited children in check while carrying heavy bags filled with towels, sandwiches and bottles of home-made lemonade. It was all new to Colin, and he was enjoying every thrilling second. ‘Are these people going to watch the ferries?’
‘No, from the looks of them I’d say they’re going to the beach at New Brighton.’ John looked down from his great height. ‘The same as us.’
This was too much for Colin. He nearly pulled John’s arm out of its socket as he jumped up and down with excitement. ‘D’yer mean I’m goin’ on a boat, Mr Kershaw?’
‘It’s the only way to get to New Brighton, son, unless you’re a good swimmer.’ They were now walking under cover and John guided the boy to one side so they could join a long queue of people outside the ticket office. ‘We’ll not make it in time for the ferry that’s in now, but there’s one every fifteen minutes.’
Colin lapsed into silence. Wait until he told their Katy, she’d be green with envy because she’d never been to New Brighton. Then he felt ashamed of himself. His sister could afford these luxuries if she didn’t hand nearly all her wages over. If Mr Kershaw ever offered to bring him again, he’d ask if Katy could come with them.
The queue moved quickly and soon they were walking up the gangway of a rocking ferry boat. Colin made a bee-line for the rails and John hurried after him to put an arm across his shoulders as he leaned too far over. ‘You won’t see any crocodiles, Colin, but look at all the seagulls. They follow every boat, hoping for scraps of food.’
The boy looked up just as a bird swooped as low as his head. ‘Did yer see that cheeky beggar, Mr Kershaw? I thought it was going to land on me flippin’ head.’
‘A word of warning, my lad. When you look up, make sure your mouth is closed. You see, birds don’t use a toilet.’
‘Ooh, er! The dirty things!’ A mischievous gleam came in the boy’s eyes. ‘If they dirty on me best pullover they’ll not get any scraps of food from me.’
‘You haven’t got any scraps of food, Colin.’
‘I know that, Mr Kershaw, and you know that. But the blinkin’ birds don’t.’
They heard the gangway being raised, then the ferry stirred into motion. It moved slowly at first until it was clear of the quayside then gathered speed as it faced the open river. Colin was mesmerised by the white foam swirling around the boat as it ploughed its way through the water. ‘What’s all that white stuff, Mr Kershaw?’
John explained while keeping a tight grip on the boy who was balancing precariously over the rail. And with infinite patience answered all the questions thrown at him. Did anyone ever fall overboard? Were there any fish in the river? Would they see any sharks? What would happen if the boat had a hole in the bottom that nobody knew about, and sunk when they were in the middle of the river? He seemed quite disappointed when John told him he had never heard of a ferryboat sinking.
His curiosity satisfied, Colin turned to watch the noisy activities on deck. Dozens of children were running wild, shrieking with delight at the freedom. And behind them came panting fathers and worried mothers. One stout lady smiled at John as she hurried past. ‘Flamin’ kids! We want our bumps feelin’ for havin’ them.’
‘She’s right, yer know,’ Colin said knowingly. ‘Kids are a ruddy nuisance.’
‘Do you include yourself in that remark?’
‘I didn’t mean all kids, just most of them.’
John grinned as he turned the boy towards the rails. ‘There’s New Brighton, we’ll be there in five minutes.’ He pointed a stiffened finger. ‘Look, you can see the Tower. Have you ever heard of the famous New Brighton Tower ballroom?’
Colin shook his head. ‘No, but I know there’s a fair there, ’cos one of me mates told me.’
‘Yes, there is, but we’ll have to give it a miss, I’m afraid. I promised your mother I’d have you back for half-five. So we’ll just have a short walk along the promenade today, then next time we come we’ll set out earlier and I’ll take you to the fair.’
Colin was quite happy just being in John’s company. It would be nice to go to a big fairground because he’d never been to one. Sometimes a travelling fair came to the North Park, but his mate said it wasn’t in the meg specks compared to New Brighton. Even so, if it came to a choice between a fair, or sitting on a bench in a park with the big man by his side, Colin knew which one he’d choose.
When the gangway was lowered there was a huge surge forward, and John held Colin back. ‘Wait until the rush is over or we’ll get trampled underfoot. Five minutes isn’t going to make much difference.’
The boy grinned up into his face. ‘Me tummy’s rolling with the boat. It’s a nice feeling, isn’t it, Mr Kershaw?’
‘It is if you don’t suffer from seasickness.’ John watched the crowds thinning out and reached for the boy’s hand. ‘Come on, it’s safe to go now.’
When they reached the promenade, Colin’s excitement reached fever pitch. He’d never seen anything like it. The beach was bustling and noisy. A lot of young people were wearing bathing costumes and lying on towels with their faces pointed to the sun in the hope of getting brown so they could swank in work the next day. Men were playing football and rounders with their trouser legs rolled up and knotted handkerchieves covering their heads. And down by the water’s edge, Colin could see children sitting in the water, splashing and shouting with glee while their mothers paddled with their dresses tucked up in their bloomers. ‘It’s
not half-busy, isn’t it, Mr Kershaw?’
‘It’ll be worse still in a few weeks when the factories close down for the holidays. You won’t be able to move, then.’
‘The schools close down, too, yer know. Six weeks, we get.’ The boy tugged on John’s sleeve. ‘Will you be on holiday?’
‘All the factories close down for the last week in July and the first week in August. That’s when I’ll be having my holidays.’ John could almost see the boy’s mind ticking over. ‘Perhaps we’ll come over here for a full day, eh? We could bring a picnic with us. Would you like that?’
‘What about me mam? She’ll be off then, as well, and I wouldn’t like to come and leave her behind, it wouldn’t be fair.’
‘I’d be delighted if your mother would come, but she wouldn’t if I asked her. You’ll have to try and persuade her.’ I shouldn’t be using him in this way, John thought. But as they say, all’s fair in love and war. ‘Anyway, there’s an ice-cream cart just over the road; let’s go and get ourselves a cornet.’
As they strolled along the promenade licking their cornets, they passed a couple of small kiosks selling rock and souvenirs. They caught Colin’s eye. ‘How much is the rock, Mr Kershaw? I’d like to take a stick home for me mam if they’re not more than tuppence.’
‘There’s some there for a penny a stick, and they’ve got “New Brighton” written right through them. I’m sure your mother would be pleased with one of those.’ John took a hankie from his pocket and handed it over. ‘You’ve got ice-cream on the end of your nose, and it’s running down your chin. I’d get the blame if your mother saw you, so clean yourself up.’
Colin quickly demolished the cornet before dutifully wiping the offending spots. ‘I could buy two of those sticks of rock, one for me mam and one for our Katy.’
‘Then by all means, do so. And ask the lady nicely if she’ll put them in a bag for you to keep them clean.’ John looked at his wrist-watch. ‘When you’ve been served we’ll have to make our way back, otherwise I’ll be in your mother’s bad books.’
‘Nah, me mam likes yer!’
‘I’m taking no chances, Colin. Your tea will be on the table at half-five and I’ll have you home for then if we have to run every foot of the way.’
‘Are you having tea with us?’
‘We’ll have to wait and see. Now hurry up, there’s a good lad.’
‘Ah, the wanderers return.’ Dot came through from the kitchen wiping her hands on her pinny. ‘Did yer have a nice time, sunshine?’
‘It was magic, Mam, really magic.’ Colin handed her a white paper bag. ‘I’ve brought yer some rock, one for you and one for our Katy.’
‘Yer sister’s upstairs, she’ll be down in a minute.’ As Dot took the bag she glanced in John’s direction. ‘I suppose it goes without saying that you paid for these?’
Before John had time to open his mouth, Colin chipped in. ‘No, Mr Kershaw didn’t buy them, so there!’ The boy’s face was a picture of injured pride. After all, he’d spent his last tuppence on that rock. ‘I bought them meself with what I had left out of me pocket money.’
‘All right, keep yer hair on, sunshine, I only asked.’ Dot slid a stick of the pink rock out of the bag. ‘Ooh, I say, we’ve been to New Brighton.’
Katy came running into the room. ‘Did I hear yer say they’d been to New Brighton? Ye’re a lucky so-and-so, our Colin. I’ve never been and I’d love to go and see what it was like.’
‘You mightn’t have been, sunshine, but this rock has.’ Dot passed one of the sticks over. ‘Bought by yer brother out of his hard-earned pocket money. And now he’s skint and not very happy.’
‘Thanks, our kid, ye’re a little love.’ Katy planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘I’ll go there one of these days, but tell us what it’s like.’
The words tumbling from his mouth, Colin gave her a condensed account of everything he’d seen. He even mentioned that seagulls don’t have a toilet so if she ever went on the ferry she better keep her mouth shut. Then turning to his mother, he said, ‘And d’yer know what, Mam? Some of the ladies had their dresses tucked inside their knickers and they didn’t half look a sight. Fancy doing that, and all those people looking at them. I think it’s rude, and they should know better at their age.’
‘And what age would that be, sunshine?’ Dot asked, tongue in cheek.
‘They were as old as you.’ Too late Colin realised his mistake and quickly tried to make amends. ‘But you’d look all right, Mam, ’cos ye’re nice and slim. Some of these women had big tummies and backsides, and great big fat legs.’
‘Fat people feel the heat as well as young ones, sunshine, and they’re entitled to cool off in the sea.’ Dot couldn’t contain her laughter, and when it erupted it filled the room. ‘If I ever get to go to New Brighton, I’ll borrow a pair of yer Auntie Betty’s blue fleecy-lined bloomers – they should cover me embarrassment.’
John, laughing, said, ‘They’d cover more than your embarrassment, Dot, you’d get lost in them.’
Colin was restored to good humour with this. ‘We could all get in a pair of Auntie Betty’s knickers, Mam.’
‘I wouldn’t let her hear you say that, sunshine, ’cos she’d kick yer into the middle of next week.’ Dot waved a hand. ‘You sit yerself down, John, and you, Katy, can give me a hand to set the table. Tea, such as it is, will be ready in five minutes.’
When his mother’s back was turned, Colin, as happy as a sand boy, winked at John. ‘See, I told yer me Mam would let yer stay to tea.’
When Billy Harlow called for Katy they decided to go out for a walk. And Colin, tired from the fresh sea air, went to bed early, leaving Dot and John on their own. ‘Now yer can tell me how yer got that ten bob off Tom Campbell. I know he wouldn’t part with money unless he was forced to.’
‘I won’t say I didn’t lay a finger on him, because that wouldn’t be true. But I certainly didn’t have to resort to violence.’ John crossed his long legs, at ease and feeling so contented he wished he could stay here forever. Everything he wanted from life was in this house. A woman he’d loved almost from the minute he set eyes on her, and two children he idolised. ‘He’s a nasty piece of work, though. I worry about Mary having to go back there with the baby because he’ll lead her a dog’s life.’
Dot sighed. ‘Me and the O’Connors have been talking about the very same thing this afternoon. Paddy’s in a real state about it; he wants Mary and Trudy to stay with them.’
‘They’d never know a minute’s peace living next door to him.’ John jerked a thumb at the dividing wall. ‘I get the feeling he’s not all there in the head. I wouldn’t put anything past the blighter.’
There was anxiety in Dot’s hazel eyes as she ran her fingers through her thick auburn hair. ‘There’s something else to worry about, too.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘I washed the baby in the O’Connors’ living room while Mary was having a snooze, and there’s no doubt the child will have a limp. There’s quite a difference in her legs; one is very much shorter than the other. Mary hasn’t washed the baby herself yet, but it won’t be long before she notices just how bad it is.
‘She’s certainly got her share of trouble, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s nothing we can do about it, except be there when she needs us,’ John said. ‘Unfortunately, we can’t be with her twenty-four hours a day.’
‘I know, I’ve been going over it in me mind until me head’s spinning. We’ll just have to take it one day at a time, that’s all we can do.’ Dot’s skirt was riding high up her thighs and she stood up to tug it down to cover her knees. ‘Anyway, let’s talk about something pleasant for a change. Did my son behave himself today?’
‘He always behaves himself, he’s a pleasure to take out. He gets so excited over things, I find myself getting excited with him, even though I’ve seen them hundreds of times. So you see, he’s good for me.’
Dot was in her element talking about her children, the two people she loved most in the world.
And John was happy to sit quietly and listen to the sound of her voice and watch her changing facial expressions – something of which he would never tire.
When the hands on the clock reached a quarter to ten, Dot uncurled her legs and got to her feet. ‘Time yer were on yer way, John Kershaw. The neighbours will think there’s something going on between us, the time yer spend here.’
‘They wouldn’t be right, though, would they?’
‘No, they wouldn’t ruddy-well be right! But you try telling them that; they’re a bad-minded lot of beggars.’
‘You wouldn’t like to supply them with something to gossip about, and give me a kiss at the door, would you? That would keep them going for a week.’
‘No, I wouldn’t like to give yer a kiss at the front door. And anyway, yer ladyfriend wouldn’t like it, would she? This elusive girlfriend that yer don’t see much of.’
‘Oh, I do see quite a lot of her, actually. Not as much as I’d like, I’ll admit – but then we can’t always have everything we want, can we?’
‘It’s a funny state of affairs, if yer ask me. Anyway, on yer way, sunshine.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow night, if that’s all right with you. Just to check on Mary’s progress.’
Dot pushed him towards the door. ‘Do I have a choice?’
‘No, not really. Good night and sweet dreams, D.D.’
Chapter Nineteen
‘Betty, will yer be a pal and come with us to look for a secondhand pram for Mary? This is the only chance I’ve got, with working all week, and she’s taking the baby home next Saturday.’ Dot handed her neighbour a cup of tea before sitting down. ‘We’ve all tried to get her to change her mind and stay on another week or so, but she’s determined.’
‘She wants her bumps feeling, if yer ask me,’ Betty said, the saucer balanced on her ample lap. ‘She’s getting well looked after at the O’Connors’, they treat her like flippin’ royalty. Another few weeks there and she’d have her strength back. She’ll get no ruddy help, or rest, once she’s back home. That bleedin’ husband of hers will expect her to wait on him hand and foot, and she won’t be up to it. Having a baby upsets yer whole system, girl, as yer well know, and it takes ages to get back to normal.’