MB07 - Three Little Words

by Joan Jonker

  ‘That’s nothing, girl. Listen to this.’ Nellie repeated what she’d heard, and did it in a very dramatic style. ‘What d’yer make of that?’

  Molly shook her head. ‘I don’t know what to make of it, sunshine. I only wish I did.’

  Nellie made up her mind quickly, and with determination. ‘Let’s follow him. He told the woman he was going home to pick something up, so if we follow him we’d at least know where he lives. It won’t have been a waste of time then.’

  ‘Ooh ay, Nellie, he might live miles away! He might even get on a bus, or a tram. We’ve got a bit of time to spare, but not enough to follow him if he’s going a long way.’

  ‘He doesn’t live far away, girl, ’cos he’s coming back to the woman’s house at half two.’ Nellie jerked her head back. ‘And he certainly ain’t coming for a cup of tea, that’s a cert. Unless he likes a cup of tea in bed.’

  Molly watched the man putting distance between them, and she quickly made up her mind. ‘Fifteen minutes, sunshine, and no longer. Okay?’

  Nellie was on the move before Molly had finished speaking. ‘We’ll have to leg it, girl, if we want to catch up with him.’

  They didn’t have to follow him far, for he turned into the next street. ‘You go first, Nellie, and I’ll follow. We look too conspicuous together.’

  The little woman took to her heels and covered the ground fast. For someone carrying so much weight, it didn’t seem to be an effort, and she bounced along. Molly was forced to pull herself together and walk quickly to keep up. And she turned the corner of the street just in time to see the man she knew as Graham turn in to the path in front of one of the houses. These were six-roomed houses, and all had a tiny garden in front. And the first thing Molly noticed was how well kept they were.

  Nellie had slowed down when she saw the man turn in to the path, and as she sauntered along her eyes slid sideways to see him putting a key in the lock. She hesitated long enough to see the number on the door, then carried on until she was halfway up the street, where she stopped and waited for her mate to catch her up.

  Molly grinned when she reached Nellie. ‘Ye’re enjoying this, aren’t yer, sunshine?’

  ‘Ye’re not kidding, girl. I’m having the time of me life. He lives in number thirty-two, so at least we’ve found something out about him. Just wait until we tell Claire. She won’t half get a shock.’

  ‘She won’t get a shock, Nellie, ’cos we’re not going to tell her.’

  Nellie’s voice came out in a squeak. ‘Not going to tell her! Why aren’t we? She has every right to know what the man’s like. He’ll be having it off with a bit of stuff at half past two this afternoon, and yer don’t think we should tell her?’

  ‘It’s not up to us to tell her,’ Molly said. ‘She’ll soon find out for herself what sort of man he is, she’s not soft. And anyway, just tell me how yer would put into words what we’ve seen and heard today? Yer can’t prove he’s having it off, as yer call it, because we haven’t seen it with our own eyes.’

  Bedroom talk was always interesting to Nellie. ‘Ay, I wouldn’t mind being in the bedroom watching what they get up to. I bet some private detectives do get those sort of jobs. But we’d never be that lucky.’

  ‘They do say that small things amuse small minds, sunshine, and you certainly have a small mind when it comes to things that happen in bedrooms. Me now, I’m not narrow-minded, and I am very satisfied with Jack in all those matters. But I’d rather read a good book than have nothing better on me mind but sex.’

  Nellie chuckled. ‘There yer are, girl, yer said it! Yer actually said “sex”, and that’s the first time since I’ve known yer.’

  Molly was facing down the street, and she gave a start. ‘Ay, here comes the man himself, and he’s swinging what looks like a large attaché case. Let’s move. We’re too obvious standing here, and I don’t want him to get a good look at us. Walk round the corner, sunshine, and we’ll pretend to be looking in a shop window.’

  Nellie had a quick glimpse before turning the corner. ‘He looks dead respectable with that case, doesn’t he? A real businessman.’

  ‘I’ll go to the far end of the window, sunshine, so he doesn’t see us together. One woman he won’t even notice, but two might just register.’

  Nellie tutted. ‘He’s got more on his mind than remembering two working-class women in their forties. All he’ll be thinking about is what he’s got waiting for him at half past two.’

  The man came round the corner, and without a glance at the two women he kept on walking. They waited until he was out of earshot, then Nellie said, ‘Come on, girl, let’s follow and see where he’s off to.’

  Molly had no choice but to follow, for Nellie was already in her stride. But her intention of following the man was thwarted when he stopped by a bus stop just as a bus came to a shuddering halt. And he had hopped on board and was away before Nellie could talk her friend into following him. ‘Damn and blast!’ She was so disappointed, Molly thought she was going to stamp her feet. ‘Missed him by ten seconds.’

  ‘You might have missed him, sunshine, but I didn’t. I had no intention of following him if he took a bus or a tram, and I told yer that. I’ve got more to do with me time than chase after a man we don’t know.’

  ‘But that’s the whole point, girl, we don’t know him! And our job, as private detectives, is to find out who, and what, he is. We’ve missed our chance today though, through you dithering. Wasted a whole day.’

  ‘Yer don’t half exaggerate, sunshine, for if we’ve wasted any time, it’s only been half an hour. And for your information, I wasn’t dithering, I was being realistic. He could be on his way to Aintree for all we know, or even Fazakerley. And that would be an hour’s travelling, plus the bus fares. And we haven’t got all day to waste following some strange man. Plus, I have better things to spend me money on than forking out fares. The pennies would be better spent on food.’ Molly took a deep breath. ‘Take that scowl off yer face, Nellie, and don’t you dare sulk all the way home because yer didn’t get yer own way. Why can’t yer be satisfied that we now know where he lives? At least we haven’t completely wasted our time.’

  Nellie forced a smile. ‘Yeah, and we know he’s going to bed with a woman at half past two. I must remember that, and keep me eye on the clock.’

  Molly’s brow creased. ‘What d’yer want to keep yer eye on the clock for?’ Then it suddenly dawned on her. ‘Don’t get the idea into yer head that yer can sit in my house at half two, ’cos yer can’t. And all I’ll say is, it’s a pity yer’ve got nothing better to do. Bed, and what goes on in it, has become an obsession with yer, Nellie, and at your age yer should have a bit more sense.’

  Nellie was feeling mischievous and goaded her friend. ‘It’s the only thing in life that’s free, girl, so yer may as well get yer fill of it.’ She pretended she’d just thought of something. ‘Ay, isn’t there a song called “The best Things in Life are Free”?’

  Molly didn’t rise to the bait. ‘Yes, I think so, sunshine. I bet the man what wrote it had you in mind. Did yer know him by any chance?’

  Nellie rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, he used to live next door to me mam, when I was a young slip of a girl. I remember him ’cos he had bandy legs. Me ma, God rest her soul, used to say he was so bandy, he couldn’t stop a pig in an entry.’

  ‘Oh, yer ma used to say that, did she?’ Molly suddenly burst out laughing. ‘Nellie, that was a useful piece of information, but don’t yer think we should start making our way back to where we come from? The shops will be closing for dinner soon, and I don’t want to have to come out again this afternoon.’

  ‘Okay, girl, let’s go.’ Nellie linked arms. ‘Have yer still got the notebook that yer had for writing down the details of the jobs Bennett and McDonough did?’ She waited for Molly’s nod. ‘Well, when we get home, yer’ll have to start a new page for our latest assignment. I’ll tell yer everything what we did, and you can be writing it down. It’s no good me trying to wri
te, I can’t even spell me own name.’

  ‘That’s not quite true, sunshine, and you know it. Oh, it’s true ye’re hopeless with big words, but ye’re far from being as thick as yer make out yer are. What yer’ve done very cleverly, Nellie, is turn acting daft into a profession. I’ve seen yer standing looking as innocent as Shirley Temple, while the wheels of yer brain are working overtime to find a way of turning the situation to your advantage. Yer’ve got as much nous as our Prime Minister. Yer may not be able to spell his name, but I’d put yer up against him any day, and I bet yer’d come out the winner.’

  ‘Ah, that’s nice of yer, girl, and I’m really grateful to yer.’ When Nellie nodded decisively, her chins were happy to go along with her. ‘By the way, girl, what is the name of our Prime Minister?’

  ‘Ooh, I couldn’t tell yer that, sunshine, ’cos I don’t take much interest in politics. But whatever his name is, you’re just as clever as him. In a different way perhaps, but every bit as clever.’

  ‘I’ll ask George when he comes in from work. He’ll know who the Prime Minister is. He should do, he reads every word printed in the newspaper. He’ll be surprised that I’m as clever as him, though, ’cos George is always saying I’ve got nothing between me ears only fresh air.’

  ‘That’s only George’s little joke, Nellie. He doesn’t mean it.’

  ‘I don’t give a bugger whether he means it or not, girl, ’cos him thinking I’m tuppence short of a shilling comes in handy sometimes.’

  ‘How d’yer mean, Nellie? What times are they?’

  ‘When he gives me half a crown to get him twenty cigarettes, and I forget on purpose to give him sixpence change. When he asks me for it, I swear it was only a two-bob piece he gave me. If he argues, I tell him he should get himself a pair of glasses ’cos his eyesight must be going if he can’t see the difference between a two-bob piece and a half-crown.’

  Molly gasped. ‘Yer don’t get away with it, do yer?’

  ‘Of course I do! I’ve told yer, girl, it doesn’t pay to be honest. That’s a big fault of yours, and I’m fed up telling yer. Being Miss Goody Two-Shoes won’t get yer anywhere.’

  ‘I don’t know how yer can do that, Nellie, ’cos George is very generous with yer over money. I couldn’t live with meself if I did it to Jack.’

  ‘Ah, well, yer see, girl, me and you are as different as chalk and cheese. I don’t feel bad about taking the odd tanner or shilling off George, ’cos I pay him back by being extra nice to him when we get into bed.’

  ‘Nellie, for heaven’s sake, is that all yer’ve ever got on yer mind? Let’s change the subject, eh?’

  ‘No, it’s not all I ever have on me mind, Molly Bennett, so there! In fact, if yer put George next to a custard slice, I’d pick the cake.’

  Molly shook her head. ‘I give up, sunshine, so shall we just concentrate on getting to the shops before one o’clock?’

  ‘If you say so, girl.’ Nellie bent her head and muttered, ‘What a miserable bleeding life she must have.’

  Molly didn’t answer, but she chuckled inwardly all the way to the shops.

  The friends were walking up the street when Nellie said, ‘Ay, girl, your Doreen’s standing on the step waving to yer.’

  Molly’s heart jumped, and she dropped the basket. ‘Oh, my God, there must be something wrong with the baby.’ She began to run, saying, ‘You bring the basket up, Nellie.’

  Nellie picked up the heavy basket and moved as quickly as she could. ‘I don’t know what ye’re running for, yer daft nit! Yer didn’t give me a chance to tell yer that Doreen’s got a big smile on her face.’

  ‘What is it, sunshine?’ Molly was out of breath and gasped, ‘Has something happened to the baby?’

  Doreen’s face was aglow. ‘Mam, he’s got his first tooth!’

  Molly bent down until she got her breath back, and when she lifted her head she was beaming. ‘Ooh, I got the fright of me life, sunshine. I thought the worst, as usual. But isn’t that wonderful news! I didn’t even know he was teething.’

  ‘Neither did we, Mam. There’s never been a peep out of him, he’s been as good as gold.’ Doreen was so proud she wanted to tell the whole street. ‘Hurry up, Auntie Nellie, I’ve got something to tell yer.’

  Nellie let the heavy basket drop to the pavement. ‘How the hell d’yer expect me to hurry when I’m carrying that thing? Yer mam went off and left me swinging, without even a please or thank you.’

  Molly looked down at her. ‘It’s a ruddy good job there were no eggs in that basket, Nellie McDonough, ’cos they’d be smashed to smithereens.’

  ‘Yer were glad of cracked eggs during the war, Molly Bennett, so don’t be getting on yer high horse with me.’

  ‘Don’t yer want to know me news, Auntie Nellie?’ Doreen asked, while at the back of her mind she was wondering why her mam had mentioned eggs when there weren’t any in the basket anyway. ‘The baby’s got his first tooth.’

  The little woman’s face was a picture. ‘Go ’way! A tooth at his age? Well, I’ll be blowed! If he carries on like this, he’ll soon be eating yer out of house and home.’

  ‘Or walking to work with his dad.’ Molly picked up the basket. ‘Let me get in to see me clever grandson.’

  Victoria was nursing the baby on her lap, and she looked so pleased as she rocked her chair, anyone would think he was the first child ever to grow a tooth. ‘I’ve never had a child meself, as yer know, Molly, but I was told by many women that they’d had to walk the floor with their babies when they were teething.’

  ‘I had to walk the floor many nights with each one of mine,’ Molly said, bending down to smile at her grandson. ‘Oh, I can see the tooth! It’s not quite through the skin yet. Ooh, you little love, I could eat yer. What a good boy yer’ve been.’

  Nellie tapped her on the back. ‘Would yer mind moving away and giving someone else a chance? As his adopted grandma I do have some rights, yer know.’

  ‘I can’t wait for Phil to get home from work,’ Doreen said, looking so pretty and so happy. ‘He’ll be as proud as anything, and I pity the men he works with, ’cos he’ll do nothing but brag about his son. Even though most of the men are older and have kids of their own.’

  ‘He’s entitled to brag, sunshine, and yer should be glad he loves the baby enough to brag about. Yer dad was thrilled every time one of you had a tooth come through. He never even moaned when he had to take turns walking the floor through the night. And he did it with every one of yer.’

  Nellie was tickling the baby’s tummy, and he was loving it. He was smiling into her face, gurgling and kicking. ‘Yer love yer Grandma Nellie, don’t yer, Bobby? And I’ll always be here to tickle yer tummy, lad, even though a certain person tries to keep me in the shade.’

  ‘I know someone else who’ll be very happy,’ Molly said, ‘and that’s Frances. But when me and Nellie pick her up tomorrow, we won’t say a word. Let’s see if she notices it herself when she’s nursing him.’

  ‘I won’t be able to keep it to meself, Mam.’ Doreen laughed. ‘I’ll tell her before she sets her foot in the door.’

  ‘Have yer told Jill yet?’

  ‘I’ve been waiting for you, so yer’d be the first to know. But I’m going to put Bobby in his pram and walk him up there. And after I’ve finished boasting, I can have a nurse of Molly.’

  Nellie turned round. ‘We were out longer than usual today, girl, ’cos we had a bit of business to do.’

  ‘Oh, aye, and what was that?’ Doreen asked. ‘Was it big business, or just shopping?’

  Molly groaned inwardly. ‘Take no notice of her, sunshine, she’s pulling yer leg.’ A glare was sent in her mate’s direction. ‘The nearest we get to business is buying a loaf in Hanley’s, or a pound of stew in the butcher’s.’ She chucked Nellie under the chin. ‘Isn’t that right, Nellie?’

  ‘If you say so, girl, then it’s right.’ The little woman was disappointed. Her view was that if yer knew something of importance, then yer should
share it. Why keep it to yerself when others would be very interested if yer told them? It would put a bit of spice in their life.

  ‘We’ll leave yer to get the baby ready, sunshine. Will yer tell Jill I’ll be up tonight to see them all? Just for half an hour, ’cos from there I want to go and see me ma and da. And Tommy and Rosie, of course.’ Molly gave her daughter a big hug. ‘We’re a very lucky family, yer know that, don’t yer? And we’re lucky to have friends like the McDonoughs and the Corkhills. We’ve got a lot of blessings to be thankful for.’

  Some recognition at last, Nellie thought. ‘Yeah, we’ve been friends a long time, haven’t we, girl?’

  ‘Twenty-odd years, sunshine, and that’s not bad going. But let’s be on our way and get this shopping home. And if yer ask me nicely, I might make yer a cup of tea.’

  ‘Will that make it two thousand five hundred and fifty-four, girl?’

  ‘I can’t remember offhand, Nellie, but I’ll look it up when we get in.’ Molly kissed the baby and Victoria. ‘See yer tomorrow when we bring Frances. Ta-ra for now.’

  Molly helped Frances out of the taxi the next morning, and smiled at Doreen who was waiting with the door open. ‘I think yer know this woman, Doreen. She said she’s come to see her grandson.’

  Doreen cupped Phil’s mother’s elbow and helped her up the two steps. ‘And her grandson is waiting for her. He’s been gurgling and kicking for the last hour, as though he’s expecting someone very special.’

  Molly waited until she and Nellie were alone on the pavement, then said softly, ‘We won’t stay this morning, sunshine. We’ll leave them in peace today.’

  ‘Ah, ay, Molly Bennett, I want to stay and have a cup of tea! You can go to the shops on yer own if yer want, but I’m staying here for a cuppa.’