by Kitty Neale
‘But…but Pete would only be a lodger.’
‘I doubt that,’ Edith said, struggling to think. The girl was so naïve, so innocent, and obviously had no idea what was going on. ‘I must admit I’m shocked by your mother’s behaviour. She must be the talk of the street.’
Mavis looked puzzled, but then said, ‘I bumped into Sandra, the girl who lives next door to us, and she said something about gossip.’
‘There you are then. Your neighbours have obviously found out and no doubt your mother will be ostracised. No wonder she wants to move.’
‘Found out what?’
‘What your mother and this Pete are up to.’
‘Up to? But they aren’t up to anything and I don’t know what ostracised means.’
‘It means cut out, shunned.’
‘But why would they do that? All right, I know my mum once kissed Pete, and though she should only do that with my dad, surely it isn’t that bad?’
‘I think there’s a little more to it than that.’
‘My mum hasn’t done anything wrong, and I don’t want to leave Battersea. My dad might come back, and if he does he won’t know where we are.’
‘In the circumstances, I should think that’s for the best.’
‘For the best? Why?’
Edith sighed. This was harder than she’d anticipated, but somehow she had to make Mavis understand. If she could turn the girl against her mother, there still might be a chance to bring her plans to fruition. ‘Mavis, hasn’t your mother told you about the facts of life?’
‘Er…er…she told me to keep away from boys, said that I mustn’t let them touch me, but that’s all.’
Edith dreaded this, but it had to be done. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts, and then began to explain the facts of life.
Mavis listened without interruption, gulping at points, and she was red-faced with embarrassment when Edith finally stopped. ‘But that’s awful,’ she gasped. ‘Disgusting…and…and my mum’s doing that with Pete!’
‘Yes, I’m afraid so, but between a man and wife it isn’t awful, Mavis. It’s a part of marriage, of love, and, as I explained, it’s what brought you into the world. However, between your mother and Pete, it’s called adultery, and no wonder the neighbours are gossiping. If they leave this area, Pete and your mother can live as man and wife. They can pretend to be married, but to keep up this pretence you will probably have to tell anyone who asks that Pete is your father.’
‘Oh, God, I remember now,’ Mavis cried, ‘and it all makes sense. My mum said something about Pete taking care of us, of taking me on too. I won’t go. I’ll find somewhere else to live, that’s what I’ll do.’
‘Yes, I suppose you could, but it won’t be easy, my dear. You’d have to pay rent, your bills, buy food, and tell me, do you earn enough to do that?’
‘I’m not sure. My mother takes all my wages and…and I don’t know how much it costs to rent somewhere to live.’
‘It isn’t cheap, and as you’re so young you may not find anyone willing to rent you a flat, or even a room.’
‘Oh, Mrs Pugh. What am I going to do?’
‘I don’t know, my dear, but let me think and maybe I can come up with something. In the meantime, why don’t you make us both a cup of tea?’
Mavis nodded; then dashed the tears from her cheeks as she went to fill the kettle. Edith closed her eyes. Why had this happened now? Things were just starting to go her way, but now she would have to move her plans forward. It was too soon, with neither Mavis or Alec ready—yet what choice did she have?
‘Here you are,’ Mavis said, breaking Edith out of her reveries as she held out a cup and saucer.
‘Lovely,’ Edith murmured as Mavis sat down again, and after taking a sip of the tea, she asked, ‘Mavis, do you like Alec?’
‘Er…yes, he’s nice.’
‘He likes you too. Very much, but I think I’ve already told you that.’
‘Yes, you did.’
‘When you think about it, Mavis, my son is a good catch and would make some lucky girl a fine husband.’
‘Yes, I’m sure he would,’ Mavis said.
Edith sighed. Mavis hadn’t taken the hint, and with time of the essence she would have to be more forthright. ‘If, for instance, you married my son, you could live here with us.’
‘What? Me! Marry Alec?’ Mavis spluttered.
‘Yes, and wouldn’t it be wonderful? I’m so fond of you, Mavis, and you’d be able to give up work, all those cleaning jobs. It would give us more time for your reading lessons, and I know we’d get along so well together.’
‘But…but…’
‘All I’m asking is that you think about it,’ Edith interrupted as she glanced at the clock. ‘I know this is all a bit sudden, but I’m sure you’ll come to realise that it’s the ideal solution. You won’t have to live with your mother and Pete, or pretend that he’s your father. Instead you’ll be able to stay here, in comfort, with people who care about you.’
‘Yes…but…’
‘Mavis, my son will be home soon, and until you’ve come to a decision, I’d rather we kept this little conversation to ourselves. I don’t want to raise his hopes only for them to be dashed.’
Mavis jumped to her feet, eyes wild as she said, ‘I…I’d better go, Mrs Pugh. I…I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘All right, and after you’ve given it some thought, perhaps you’ll have an answer for me.’
Mavis barely nodded, and then as she called a quick goodbye she ran from the room. Edith heard the front door close, sighed, and then sank back in her chair. She had planted the seed, but would it be enough? Mavis hadn’t looked very keen on the idea, but surely the girl would realise that it was the best choice. That it was, in fact, her only choice.
Mavis was walking rapidly, heading for home. Marry Alec! No, no, she didn’t want to marry him. So much had happened—so much had been said in such a short time that her head was reeling.
Thanks to Mrs Pugh, she now knew how babies were made, how an egg from her mother and father had brought her into the world, but the rest of it sounded awful. Mrs Pugh had said it was a part of marriage, that it was nice between a husband and wife; but the thought of doing that with Alec made her stomach crawl. Surely he wasn’t the man who kept appearing in her dreams? No, he couldn’t be. Alec didn’t arouse that curious yearning, the need for the man to overcome all to reach her.
As she neared Cullen Street, Mavis slowed her pace. When she thought about her mother and Pete, what they were doing, she felt sick inside. She didn’t want to go home, didn’t want to look at her mother, but there was no other choice.
If only her dad would come home, he’d sort them out, and on that thought Mavis almost stopped walking. Her dream! The man in her dream could be her dad! Was he trying to come home, but something was stopping him? Oh, if only she could find him, help him, but how?
Wait! Thinking back, it all stemmed from Pete turning up, and on that same night she’d seen her mother in his arms. Bile rose. Friends! She’d believed her mother when she said that she and Pete were just friends. God, what an idiot she’d been. They must have been carrying on before Pete turned up, and somehow her father had found out. No wonder he hadn’t come back. It was her mother’s fault, Pete’s fault. They were the barrier that kept her away from her father. Livid now, Mavis found her pace picking up as she almost marched the rest of the way home.
Lily glared at her daughter. ‘Now you listen to me, my girl. I’m fed up with you running off without telling me where you’re going and it’s got to stop. When we move I ain’t having you carrying on like this, and I doubt Pete will stand for it either.’
‘I don’t care. He ain’t me dad, and you…you’re disgusting, that’s what you are!’
Lily paled. This wasn’t her daughter—this girl who stood in front of her, the innocence gone from her eyes. ‘What did you say?’ she yelled.
‘You heard! I know about you and P
ete, what you’ve been up to. Dad must have found out and no wonder he left you.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I’m talking about you carrying on with Pete behind Dad’s back.’
‘I did not! I don’t know what’s put this daft idea into your head, but it ain’t true.’
‘Yes, it is. As soon as Pete turned up I saw you kissing him.’
‘It wasn’t like that and I explained it all to you at the time.’
‘Yeah, but now I don’t believe you. Dad won’t come back because of you, but when you’re gone, he’ll turn up again, I know he will. He’ll take me to live with him.’
‘You’re out of your tiny mind. Your father buggered off without a word and it had nothing to do with me and Pete. Turn up again! Don’t make me laugh.’
‘He will! He will, and I’m gonna wait right here for him.’
‘Don’t be stupid. I’m giving up this place, and I don’t doubt that someone else will soon move in. Now get this into your thick head. We’re moving, and you, my girl, are coming with us.’
‘I won’t. I won’t go and you can’t make me!’
Lily puffed with exasperation. This was more like it, Mavis acting like a child again, one who was having a tantrum. Not that Mavis had ever been prone to tantrums, the girl too docile for that, but at least Lily felt in control again. ‘You’ll do as you’re told.’
‘No, I don’t want to live with you and Pete!’
Lily’s temper rose again. ‘You ain’t got any choice, you daft cow!’
‘Yes, I have.’
‘Oh, yeah. Like what?’
Mavis went mute then, staring at her stubbornly, and Lily had had enough. ‘I said you’re coming with us and that’s that. Now get out of my sight! Go to your room and bloody well stay there until I say you can come down!’
With a final glare, Mavis turned on her heels to run upstairs while Lily angrily slumped in a chair. Pete said that when they moved in together, there’d be no need for her to work, but she still wanted a bit of independence. Pete was a good man, and Lily doubted he’d go the same way as Ron, but there were no guarantees in this life. She’d relied on a man before and look where that had got her. She’d make sure Mavis found work in Peckham, other cleaning jobs, and hand over her wages as usual. Lily intended to save as much of this money as she could, build up a nice little nest egg, and if things didn’t work out with Pete, she’d have this money to fall back on.
Of course, without Mavis it wouldn’t be possible, but Lily wasn’t worried. There was no way she was going to let her daughter scupper her plans. Mavis would go with them because, despite her act of bravado, the girl had no choice—like it or not.
Kate took her ear from the glass she had placed against the wall. It had gone quiet next door now, but she’d heard enough and her face was livid with anger. So, Lily was moving, no doubt hoping to sneak off without a word.
‘Sandra, you’re not going to believe this,’ she said, placing the glass down.
‘Mum, if Dad saw you doing that, he’d go mad.’
‘If I want to find out what’s going on next door, I ain’t got any choice. Lily has always been close-mouthed, but she was my friend and I put up with it ’cos I liked her. Not now though, not after what she’s been up to. She lied to me, Sandra, told me that bloke was only a friend, and like a mug I believed her.’
‘She could hardly tell you the truth.’
‘I don’t see why not. I wouldn’t have said anything.’
Sandra’s brows rose, her tone sceptical. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, really, but listen, I just heard Lily rowing with Mavis. Like I said, you ain’t gonna believe this and I couldn’t catch it all, but they’re moving.’
‘Moving! When?’
‘I dunno, but Mavis doesn’t want to go. I’ve always felt sorry for the girl, and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve tried to tell Lily that she ain’t as daft as she makes her out to be.’
‘I don’t think she is either,’ Sandra agreed, ‘but she had a rotten time of it when we were at junior school. The kids used to take the mickey out of her all the time and I saw the way Mavis reacted. She used to try to hide away, keep herself to herself, but I stuck up for her when I could.’
‘I know you did, love, but you hardly see her now.’
‘That isn’t my fault, Mum. I know we used to be good friends, but when I went to grammar school, Mavis sort of drifted away. I don’t think she’s backward, but she is sort of, oh, I don’t know, unworldly, I suppose.’
‘She’s too much on her own, that’s the trouble. All right, she drifted away from you, but why hasn’t she got other friends?’
‘Maybe she had a hard time of it at secondary school too, and she might have been made to feel the odd one out again. If that’s the case I think Mavis would have put up a defensive wall, pretended she doesn’t care, and cut herself off from the other girls.’
‘Gawd, the poor cow. She hasn’t had much of a life, and Lily just uses her as a workhorse.’
‘Mum, you’re making me feel so guilty. Maybe I should have tried harder to keep up our friendship.’
‘Oh, love, I’m not having a go at you. You’ve got your own life to lead and Mavis isn’t your responsibility. It’s Lily who’s got my back up. Like I said, she’s moving and I reckon she was hoping to sneak off without telling me. Yeah, and wait till Olive Wilson hears about this too.’
‘Mum, maybe you should keep out of it.’
‘That’s what your dad said,’ Kate mused as she looked at the clock, ‘but no way, and I’m popping over to Olive’s. Your dad won’t be home for about fifteen minutes, but keep an eye on those spuds for me.’
‘Mum, wait,’ Sandra called, to no avail. Her mother was already hurrying out of the door.
Tommy Wilson opened the front door and sighed. He hadn’t been home from work for long, but now Kate flaming Truman was at the door. She and his mother were as thick as thieves, a right pair of gossips, and he’d already heard all the talk about Lily Jackson. No doubt Kate was here to spread a bit more and, trying not to scowl, Tommy did his best to put her off. ‘Mum’s busy cooking our dinner.’
‘It’s all right, I only want a quick word,’ Kate said as she pushed past him to walk inside.
Shaking his head, Tommy walked behind Kate into the kitchen, the woman saying as soon as she saw his mother, ‘Olive, you’re not going to believe this.’
‘Go on, tell me,’ Olive said, her expression avid.
‘Lily’s moving.’
‘What? Blimey, did she say when?’
‘Oh, I haven’t spoken to her, but you know how thin our walls are. She was yelling her head off at Mavis and I couldn’t fail to hear. Apparently she’s moving in with that bloke, but from what I heard Mavis doesn’t want to go with them.’
‘You can’t blame the girl for that. Her mother will be living in sin, and it’s bloody disgusting. Still, I won’t be sorry to see the back of Lily, or her daft daughter.’
‘Mavis isn’t daft, Olive.’
‘Yeah, so you’ve said before, but if she isn’t, how come she’s only fit for cleaning jobs? Oh, bugger, me spuds are boiling over,’ Olive said as she hurried over to the stove.
‘I’d better go. Our dinner’s cooking too.’
‘Righto, but if you hear any more, like when Lily’s moving, let me know.’
‘Of course I will,’ Kate said, ‘but, like I said to my Sandra, I reckon she’s gonna try to sneak off without a word. We’ve been friends for years and I ain’t too happy about it.’
‘Huh, who needs friends like that! Lily Jackson is nothing but a strumpet. It’s good riddance to bad rubbish, as far as I’m concerned. We don’t need tarts like her in Cullen Street.’
‘Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Bye for now, Olive, and don’t worry, I’ll see myself out.’
‘Yeah, see you, Kate.’
Tommy had listened to this exchange, and once again it had emphasised how much his mother
had changed. Yes, she had always liked a bit of gossip, but it had once been harmless chatter and not judgemental. All right, Lily Jackson was going to shack up with another bloke, but as her old man had left her what did his mother expect—that the woman would live like a nun for the rest of her life? Yes, probably, and it gave his mother an excuse to become all high and mighty, something she probably loved. She spoke, her voice softer now.
‘Are you off out again tonight, Tommy?’
‘Yeah, I’ve got a date with Connie.’
‘You’ve been seeing her for a while now and it’s about time you brought her home.’
‘Leave it out, Mum. I’ve only been going out with her for about a month and it ain’t as if I’m gonna marry the girl.’
‘I should think not. You’re far too young to think about marriage, but I’d still like to meet her.’
‘No way, Mum. If I bring her home it might give her ideas. I don’t want her thinking that it’s anything serious. We just date, that’s all.’
‘You see her at least three times a week, so it must be more than casual. Where did you say she works? Woolworths, wasn’t it?’
‘Yeah, that’s right.’
‘What counter is she on?’
Tommy hid a smile. His mother wanted to take a look at Connie. She was a wily old bird, but he was wise to her. He hated being an only child—hated that his mother wanted to know his every move. ‘She hasn’t got a set counter. They move her about.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ she said sceptically, but then began to carve the cold meat left over from the Sunday joint.
With his mother intent on her task, Tommy was finally left in peace while his thoughts went back to when his mother had become so bitter. It had started after Lily Jackson, followed by Kate Truman, had accused him and Larry of trying it on with their girls. He’d thought it had been nothing really, just a bit of fun, but it wasn’t how his mother saw it. She hated it when the gossip in the street had turned on him and, by extension, on her too. When it finally died down, as though frightened to become the focus of talk again, she went out of her way to find other people to pull apart. Larry’s father had been the first of her witch hunts when he had nicked a few bits from his employer, so much so that Tommy still felt his mother had been instrumental in the family leaving the street, taking his mate Larry with them.