Stay as Sweet as You Are

by Joan Jonker

  ‘Oh, yes please, Mr Titch.’ Greg’s face was one big smile. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

  Jack stood up, and with his two hands in his pockets, sauntered across the room. ‘I thought yer were never going to ask.’

  ‘Ay, you,’ Lucy said, ‘where’s yer manners?’

  ‘I keep them in me back pocket so no one can pinch them. I got a lot of smacks learning those manners, so I’m not taking any chances on them getting nicked.’

  ‘That’s enough now, all of yer,’ Irene said. ‘I’m still waiting for me kiss.’

  ‘Don’t mind me, I’m only yer husband!’ George said with mock indignation. ‘It’s getting to be too much of a habit, this kissing lark.’

  ‘Take no notice of him, Titch.’ Irene winked. ‘Pretend he’s not here.’

  Titch wagged his head from side to side. ‘Ooh, I don’t know about that, he’s bigger than I am.’ He eyed the youngsters. ‘I’ll take a chance though, ’cos it’s worth it. But hold the door open in case I have to make a quick getaway.’

  Irene held her cheek up and Titch’s mouth was two inches away when George banged his fist on the wooden arm of his chair. ‘That’s enough now. Don’t be making a meal out of it.’

  Titch was laughing so much he only managed a peck on the cheek. ‘See what yer’ve done, mate? Two flaming months I’ve waited for that.’

  George’s hearty chuckle filled the room. ‘Tomorrow’s another day, mate, and I might be feeling more generous.’ He pushed himself out of the chair and shook his trouser legs until the crease was straight. ‘We’d better be off, Bob will have to leave just after nine.’

  ‘Yeah, okay. I’ll see yer all tomorrow.’ Titch held his hand out to Lucy. ‘Are yer coming home with us?’

  The girl seemed to shrink from him. ‘No, I’m staying here to have a game of cards.’

  ‘I’ll take her home when it’s bedtime,’ Irene said. ‘We’ll have a couple of hands, first.’

  ‘Lucy always wins, yer know, Mr Titch,’ Jack said. ‘As sure as eggs is eggs, she’ll end up with another eight buttons tonight. That’s because me mam taught her how to cheat.’

  ‘You big fibber! It’s you what cheats, not me.’

  ‘Come on, Titch, or we’ll be here all night.’ George led the way out of the house. ‘Those boys of mine would talk yer into an asylum.’

  Bob answered their knock and stepped into the street, banging the door behind him. ‘Yer’ll have to excuse the clobber but I’m a working man. I wish I could get a day job, but there’s none going in our place and there’s too many men out of work to look elsewhere.’

  They fell into step for the short walk to the corner pub. George had a few bob in his pocket through the week these days, so he said he’d get the first round in. While he went to the bar, Titch and Bob found seats in a corner.

  ‘How’s the world treating yer, Bob? Okay?’

  ‘It’s ticking over, Titch.’ Bob was on edge, hoping they wouldn’t mention his wife. He didn’t want to talk about Ruby. He could lie, and say they were getting on fine, but the words would stick in his throat. ‘Nothing exciting, like, but it’s ticking over.’

  ‘That’s all we can expect, I suppose. There’s always someone worse off than yerself, but then there’s always someone better off.’

  George was laughing as he put the three pint glasses down. ‘There’s an argument going on over the bar and it’s a scream to listen to them. Yer know the old man from the top of the street – Bert? Well, he’s trying to get a half-pint of stout on tick. And Alec’s telling him he can’t have it because he hasn’t paid for the one he got on tick last week. Bert asked, “Which one was that? I don’t remember getting half a pint on tick.” Alec was very patient with him at first, explaining it was Friday night and he had it written on his slate. And if Bert couldn’t pay him for one, he certainly wouldn’t be able to pay for two. And d’yer know what the old man said? “If that’s yer attitude, I’ll have to take me custom elsewhere.”’

  Titch saw the funny side and turned in his seat to see the old man’s head going as he argued the toss. Lifting his arm, Titch snapped his fingers to attract the manager’s attention. Then he pointed to the old man’s back and mouthed, ‘Give him one. I’ll pay for it.’

  Alec shrugged his shoulders and reached up for a glass. ‘There’s one born every minute, so they say.’ He filled the glass, put it in front of old Bert and nodded to where the three men were sitting. ‘Yer can thank the bloke in the navy reefer.’

  Bert turned with the glass in his hand and a smile that showed he didn’t have a tooth in his head. ‘Ye’re a gent. Ta very much.’

  ‘Ye’re welcome, mate, enjoy it.’ Titch swivelled back in his seat. ‘Poor old bugger. We could end up like him one day. None of us knows what’s in store for us.’

  ‘My two lads say they’ll look after me when I’m old and grey,’ George said with a smile. ‘They won’t see me without a few coppers for me beer money.’

  Bob nodded. ‘Lucy must have heard them saying it because she said the same thing last week. I wondered what had put the idea into her head.’

  ‘It doesn’t say much for me, does it?’ Titch said. ‘I’ll have to hope the manager who’s here when I’m old is an easier touch than Alec.’

  ‘The solution’s in yer own hands, mate,’ George told him. ‘Get yerself a wife and family before it’s too late.’

  Bob drained his glass. He wasn’t so much on edge now and told Titch, ‘I’d give that very careful thought if I were you. Weigh up all the pros and cons.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, mate. To me it sounds like a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, and I don’t fancy either.’ Titch scraped his chair back and reached for the empty glasses. ‘Looking at old Bert though makes yer think, doesn’t it? He mustn’t have had any children.’

  ‘What! Are yer joking?’ George laughed. ‘He only had six! Four boys and two girls. They’re all married with children of their own, but I know they slip him a few coppers when they can, ’cos I’ve seen them. But he likes his stout, does Bert, and this isn’t the only pub he frequents. He does the rounds and I’ll bet he never goes home without a drink, even though he seldom has a penny to bless himself with. Ask the manager of the George – he’ll tell yer all about the tricks Bert gets up to.’

  ‘In other words, I’ve been had?’

  ‘Well and truly, mate. Well and truly.’

  Titch gave an exaggerated sigh. ‘There’s nothing down for me, is there? No wife, no kids and no ruddy brains.’

  Ruby paced the floor after Bob had left, feeling really hard done by. What a bloody miserable life she was expected to lead. If he had his way, she’d be stuck in this house every night looking at four walls and she’d had enough. It had been like that for months now, and she was fed-up to the teeth with it. Every third week, when Bob was on the early shift, she had three nights out with her mates, but it wasn’t good enough. She’d go stark staring mad if she thought this was how her life was going to be until she was too old to want some fun.

  Not once did it enter Ruby’s head that her life was of her own making. If she was friendly with the neighbours she’d have had plenty to do to pass the time away. Like the Pollards, where Lucy was now, playing cards. She could be in there if she’d put herself out to be friendly. But that wasn’t what Ruby called having a good time. She wanted to be with her mates, sitting in a pub having a few drinks and being fawned over by Wally Brown. Now there was a man who appreciated her and made her feel like someone special.

  She looked at the clock to see it was nearly eight o’clock. She’d give a knock on the wall in half an hour, a signal for Lucy to come home. And when the girl was in bed and fast asleep she’d take a chance and slip out for an hour. Bob would never know, and anyway she didn’t give a monkey’s whether he did or not. He couldn’t expect her to live like a ruddy hermit.

  With her mind made up, Ruby sat down and reached for her purse. Counting the money into her lap, she smil
ed. She had plenty to buy a round for everyone. Bob had never given her the extra five shillings housekeeping back, he’d reduced it to three. But with what she saved on food, it was enough for her nights out. She scooped the money up and put it back in her purse before running up the stairs to get changed. After that, she got the mirror out and began to apply thick layers of make-up.

  ‘There’s yer mam knocking for yer, sunshine.’ Irene saw the look that always came to Lucy’s face when it was time to go home. It was a look of disappointment mixed with fear. But she couldn’t ignore the knock, otherwise Ruby would come banging on the door creating merry hell. ‘It must be yer bedtime.’

  Lucy put her cards down and pushed her chair back. Although she would never say it, she hated leaving this warm, happy house to go back to her home where there was never any laughter or smiles when her dad wasn’t there. She hadn’t done anything wrong, she always made sure she kept on the right side of her mother. But she knew something would be picked on as an excuse for a telling-off.

  ‘We’ll see yer tomorrow night, Lucy,’ Jack said, hoping to bring a smile to the pretty face. ‘It’s a pity yer only won three buttons tonight, but yer luck might change tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Greg grinned. ‘And when yer’ve got enough to open a button shop, I’ll be yer very first customer. Every time me mam washes a shirt, she manages to lose one of the pearl buttons. I don’t know how she does it, but she definitely has the knack because all me shirts are missing a couple of buttons.’

  ‘You cheeky beggar!’ Irene put her arm across Lucy’s shoulders. ‘Take no notice of him, sunshine, he’s pulling yer leg.’

  ‘I know he is.’ Lucy put out her tongue at the grinning face. ‘Your mam looks after yer, she always has yer well turned out.’

  ‘I’ll come to the door with yer, sunshine, and make sure yer get in all right.’

  The Mellors’ front door was open and Lucy waved before stepping inside to be confronted by her mother. She was startled and took a step back, expecting a hand to lash out at her. But to her surprise and suspicion, there was a smile on the heavily made-up face. It wasn’t a proper smile, but one that Lucy called a put-on one.

  ‘I’ve made a hot drink for yer,’ Ruby said, closing the front door and following her daughter into the living room. ‘It’ll warm yer up before yer go to bed.’

  This was so out of character it put Lucy on her guard. ‘I’ll take it up with me and have it in bed.’

  ‘Yeah, okay, if that’s what yer want. But I’d like yer to do me a favour.’

  Lucy took in the best dress, the made-up face and the sickly-sweet smell of cheap scent. Her mother was up to something. ‘What d’yer want?’

  ‘I’ve got a message for me mate Josie, and I want to slip round to her house for a few minutes. I won’t be out long, just there and back. But yer know what yer dad’s like, he’d do his nut if he knew. So it would be daft to tell him and start a row, wouldn’t it? Just for the sake of half an hour at the most. So I want yer to be a good girl and not mention it to him. I’ll give yer a ha’penny in the morning to buy some sweets on yer way to school.’

  She’s trying to buy my silence, Lucy told herself. But she needn’t bother because for my dad’s sake I wouldn’t tell him. I know he’d get upset and there’d be a big row. And I wouldn’t want that. ‘I don’t want any money for sweets, and I won’t tell me dad unless he asks me.’

  Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. Bob wouldn’t ask, he had no reason to. He was stupid enough to think he had her under his thumb. ‘I’ll stay until ye’re fast asleep, and I’ll leave the light on for yer.’

  Lucy didn’t answer. She went down the yard to the lavvy, came back and washed her hands before pouring herself a cup of tea. She carried it through the living room and up the stairs without so much as a glance at her mother. And not a word was spoken.

  When Alec called time, he motioned to Titch and George to stay put. He often did this, and would sit with the two mates and have a pint in the peace and quiet of an empty pub. He said it gave him time to wind down before clearing glasses and ash-trays. They just talked about things in general and had a good laugh. What the pub manager heard standing behind the bar counter was nobody’s business and the three men would be in stitches. Until he called time on them, too.

  Alec slid the heavy bolts back and opened the door. He peeped out to make sure the coast was clear, then stepped back to let the two men out. ‘See yer tomorrow, eh, Titch?’

  ‘More than likely, Alec. Goodnight.’

  George was still smiling at something Alec had said which tickled his fancy. ‘Yer wouldn’t believe the stories he hears behind the bar, would yer? He should write a book about it.’

  ‘Yeah, but as yer say, George, no one would believe it was the truth.’ Titch suddenly took hold of his mate’s arm and drew him into the darkness of the pub door. ‘Not a word,’ he said softly. Seconds went by before he let go of his grip. ‘Yer can turn around now. Ruby Mellor’s just gone past on the other side.’

  George turned and watched the figure covering the ground quickly. ‘What the hell’s she doing out this time of night?’

  ‘She certainly hasn’t been on an errand of mercy, George, that’s for sure. I’d say she’s been up to no good.’

  ‘She must have left Lucy on her own in the house. Bob will go mad when he knows.’

  ‘He won’t hear it from me, George. He’s got enough worry on his plate without us adding to it. I think this is something we should keep between the two of us. I won’t tell me ma, and I don’t think yer should tell Irene. It’s none of our business and it’s not our place to interfere. That doesn’t mean I condone it, far from it. I’d really like to give that woman a piece of my mind. But I don’t think Bob would thank me for it.’

  ‘No, ye’re right, he wouldn’t.’ George had seen Ruby disappear into the house and knew it was now safe for them to walk up the street. ‘I won’t breathe a word to Irene because I know she wouldn’t keep it to herself. She thinks the world of Lucy, and would go mad if she thought the girl was in danger. And she could be, yer know, Titch. All it would take is a piece of coal falling out of the fire on to the rug. Or even the gas mantle flaking, as they sometimes do, and a burning piece falling on to the tablecloth. Yer do hear of these things happening.’

  They were outside the Pollards’ house now, and Titch said, ‘We’ll talk about it tomorrow, George. Me ma will wonder where I’ve got to. She might even think I’ve met the only girl in the world that’s good enough for me, and run off with her.’

  George chuckled. ‘Aye, and pigs might fly.’ He inserted the key in the lock. ‘See yer tomorrow, mate. Goodnight.’

  ‘Goodnight, George.’ Titch waited until his neighbour was in the hall before saying, ‘Oh, will yer give Irene a kiss for me? The one I would have got earlier if you hadn’t been so flaming miserable.’

  Kate Brown looked across the canteen table at Bob. ‘Did yer have a pint before yer came into work?’

  ‘Yeah, I had two as a matter of fact. How did yer know?’

  ‘I tell fortunes. And looking at the tea leaves floating on the top of yer tea, I can see yer sitting in a pub with a pint glass in yer hand.’

  Silence descended on the table and all eyes were on Bob as he said, ‘Ye’re pulling me leg, aren’t yer?’

  Kate shook her head, feeling she was pretty safe in what she was saying. She’d come to know a lot about Bob in the last six months and knew he only ever went for a pint before work when his friend was home from sea. ‘I can see yer as plain as day. Ye’re sitting with a man who has some sort of peaked cap on his head and he’s wearing a navy-blue jacket.’

  Peg Butterworth stopped munching and her eyes were wide with excitement. ‘Is she right, Bob?’

  Bob looked mystified. ‘Yeah, she is. Me mate, Titch, is home on leave.’

  ‘Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.’ Down went Peg’s butty and she lifted up her cup. ‘Yer can read my cup, Kate, when I’ve drank me tea.�
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  ‘And mine.’ Elsie Burgess wasn’t going to be left out. ‘Ooh, I don’t half love fortune-tellers. I went to one in Queen’s Drive last year and yer should have heard some of the things she told me. She didn’t half buck me up.’

  Ada Smithson shook her head knowingly. ‘I wouldn’t have me fortune told, it’s bad luck.’

  Billy Gleeson had been listening with a smirk on his face. He could have told Bob what Kate did because he’d come to know his habits as she had. But he wasn’t going to spoil the fun. ‘You women would fall for the bloody cat. Thick as two short planks, the lot of yer.’

  ‘Billy, ye’re like a wet week,’ Peg said, in between trying to drink tea that was too hot. ‘If Aladdin had been as miserable as you, he’d have told the genie to sod off.’

  Kate, after winking at Bob and mouthing that it had been guesswork, now looked on in amusement. She didn’t know the first thing about telling fortunes but was game for a laugh. ‘Don’t blame me if I tell yer something yer don’t like.’

  Billy chuckled. ‘Kate, be warned. If you tell Elsie something she doesn’t like, she’ll crack yer one.’ He looked over to where the big woman sat. ‘By the way, Elsie, this woman yer went to see on Queen’s Drive, did the things she told yer come true?’

  ‘Well, er, no they didn’t. But she cheered me up for a week, so it was worth the tanner I’d paid.’ The table began to bounce up and down as her mountainous tummy shook with laughter. ‘Wait till yer hear this, Billy, it’s a belter. She told me, all mysterious like, that she could see money around me: “I can’t tell you exactly, but I think you’re going to come into money. That’s the message I’m getting through the cards.” She spoke dead posh, as though she had a plum in her mouth. And she was right about seeing money. Yer see, ten days later I lost me purse with five bob in it.’

  Peg nearly choked on her tea. ‘Yer never told me that, Elsie Burgess.’

  ‘Well, I don’t tell yer everything, Peg. I mean, I don’t say to yer that we’ve got three blankets on our bed. Or that the tap in the kitchen is leaking. And I wouldn’t dream of telling yer that my feller kisses me every night and tells me how beautiful I am.’