by June Francis
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Theresa said, ‘You’ve been ages … and our Michael is still not home.’
Lucia could not conceal her annoyance. ‘His behaviour is beyond the limit. I’ll have something to say to him when he finally arrives.’
Exhausted, Lucia nodded off in front of the fire, and did not wake when Michael crept in and headed straight to his room. It was Theresa who notified her of his arrival, coming downstairs and shaking Lucia awake.
‘He’s in,’ she said. ‘Came straight upstairs. Are you going to tear a strip off him?’
‘Let me wake up first,’ said Lucia, gazing blurry-eyed into Theresa’s determined face. ‘Did he have anything to say to you?’
‘Only asked how the kids were – as if he cared.’
‘I don’t know what’s got in to him. He didn’t used to be like this.’
‘No, it’s like living with a stranger.’
Lucia pushed herself up out of the chair. ‘I’m going to rinse my face. Tell him I want to see him down here. I’m not going to have a row upstairs. I don’t want to wake the kids.’
‘Our Joseph is playing up and Gabrielle is tossing and turning.’
‘Has she complained about anything?’
‘Her throat being sore.’
‘So nothing new. Give her a spoonful of honey in lemonade.’
‘The lemonade has all gone.’
‘Then just give her the honey in warm water with a Junior Disprin. As for Joseph, tell him he’ll be staying in bed all day tomorrow if he doesn’t go to sleep right now.’
‘OK!’ Theresa left the room and Lucia went and rinsed her face in cold water to wake herself up fully. Then she braced herself to confront her brother.
‘So what’s up?’ she asked as soon as Michael entered the kitchen. ‘Why haven’t you been coming home?’
‘I’ve been with Marjorie. She needs me and I’d rather be with her than in this mad house.’
‘That’s a nice thing to say about your home and family,’ said Lucia, trying to hold on to her temper.
‘Don’t be pretending that you haven’t felt like that about it,’ said Michael, taking up a defiant stance.
‘I suppose it’s nice and peaceful at Marjorie’s mother’s house?’
‘Not always; although her mother is, usually, very easy-going.’
‘So what’s happened to change her mood?’ asked Lucia, aware of a sudden sense of dread.
Michael threw back his head and met his sister’s gaze with a hint of arrogance in his expression. ‘Marjorie’s having my baby. We’re going to get married.’
Lucia felt as if the room was spinning and the floor was coming up to meet her. ‘I always thought you had some sense,’ she muttered. ‘But now I see that I was wrong and that you’re stupid and selfish.’
‘We love each other and want to be together,’ he retorted, a flush in his cheeks. ‘You’ve never been in love, so you don’t know how powerful a feeling it is.’
Lucia would have smacked his face if she hadn’t felt so weak, so instead she simply sank into a chair and placed her head in her hands and gave way to tears.
‘Don’t cry,’ pleaded Michael, getting down on his knees in front of her. ‘I was dreading telling you. I knew you’d be upset, but it’s not the end of the world.’
‘No, but it’s the end of any chance you have of getting a good job. I’m presuming from what you’ve said that Marjorie’s mother knows her daughter is pregnant.’
‘Yes, and she was annoyed at first but she’s accepted the situation now and says we can live with her until we can get our own place. She’s looking forward to having a grandchild. She loves children and says she would have had more if her husband hadn’t been killed in the war.’
‘I see. So how are you going to support a wife and child while you’re still at school and the only money you have coming in is from your paper round.’
‘I’ll leave school straightaway and see if I can get myself an apprenticeship.’
‘Just like that!’ Lucia said, snapping her fingers wearily.
‘Well, I don’t suppose it’ll be that easy, but there are jobs around.’
‘But not the kind of well-paid job you could have had if you’d stayed on at school and got some more qualifications.’
‘Dad managed without qualifications.’
‘Just managed, by not only working hard physically, but with hand-outs from the family. I hope you don’t think I’ll be able to help you with money?’
‘No. I know you’ve got enough on your plate as it is. I’m sorry, Lucia, but we love each other and got carried away. Forgive me for spoiling your plans for me. I don’t want us to fall out.’
‘All right, I don’t want us to fall out either. You’re still my brother. So when is this wedding to be?’
‘Next week at St Mary’s, West Derby,’ Michael added hesitantly. ‘It’s a Proddy church that Marjorie and her mother attend.’
For a moment Lucia’s breath was taken away and she couldn’t speak. When she was finally able to do so, she said, ‘How could you desert the faith?’
‘I’m not deserting the faith. Marjorie’s a Christian. We’d already discussed getting married before she fell pregnant. We knew we’d have to make choices sooner or later. She’s not insisting I stop being Catholic or attending my own church. There are a lot of things the two churches agree on.’
‘That’s as maybe, but I don’t know what Uncle Francis is going to say, or Aunt Nellie.’
‘It’s got nothing to do with them.’
‘Mam would turn over in her grave,’ said Lucia.
‘Dad wouldn’t. He’d just want me to be happy.’
Lucia knew Michael was right, but even so she was tempted to say that she hoped he didn’t live to regret leaving school early and marrying Marjorie. She managed to bite back the words, though.
‘I presume this won’t be a big white wedding?’
‘Marjorie is wearing the ivory satin and lace gown that her mother wore when she got married.’
‘That’ll save money but you’ll need a new suit,’ Lucia said, wondering where she was going to get the money from.
‘That’s not your worry,’ said Michael. ‘Besides, it doesn’t have to be new. I mentioned to Tony I was in need of a suit if he was thinking of buying a new one because of all these meetings he was going to in London to do with his singing career. So he passed down his old one to me. There’s hardly any wear in it.’
‘That was very kind of him. What did he say when you told him why you needed it?’
‘I didn’t have to tell him, but I did, and I didn’t swear him to secrecy because I thought he could tell his dad who will mention it to Aunt Nellie, and that way I wouldn’t have to tell Uncle Francis because she will. Unfortunately, Tony’s going to be in London for the wedding.’
‘I didn’t realize you were so devious.’
‘I thought it would save you embarrassment – although, I don’t kid myself I’ll escape a lecture from Uncle Francis,’ Michael said, pulling a face. ‘The vicar did mention asking Francis whether he’d like to take part in the service. Apparently St Mary’s is high church, so some of their ritual is similar to ours and there are meetings going on at a certain level in the wider Church about the different denominations coming together.’
‘I hope it happens but I can’t see it,’ said Lucia.
‘Why not? All it needs is goodwill on both sides and lots of prayer.’
Lucia was in no mood to discuss the subject. She’d had quite a day and was tired and needed her bed, and said as much to Michael. He shrugged broad shoulders and wished her a good night. But when she settled to sleep her thoughts were far too busy to allow her to relax. She decided what she needed was to check Gabrielle was all right, and then she would go downstairs and make herself a cup of cocoa and read her library book.
To her relief Gabrielle was fast asleep, and the other children all seemed to be out for the count, so Lucia went downst
airs and, instead of returning to her cold bed, she sat in front of the slumbering fire with a cocoa and her library book. Unfortunately she could not lose herself in the story because her own problems kept coming between her and those of the characters. Perhaps because she was not far enough into the story to have got to care about them enough, but most likely because her own troubles loomed so large that she could not see an easy way out of them.
She had just come to the conclusion that she needed to discuss them with someone when Michael came into the room. ‘What are you doing down here?’ he asked.
‘I couldn’t sleep.’
‘Neither can I,’ he said. ‘But it’s pointless you worrying, Lucia. It’s my problem and you have to trust me to deal with it. The only way you can help me is by accepting Marjorie into the family and not judging her.’
‘You think she’ll want to be one of us?’ asked Lucia, her voice uneven.
‘I know she does. There’s only ever been her and her mam and she loves the idea of being part of a bigger family.’
‘And what does her mother think of that?’
‘Her mother’s only too pleased to be having a man about the house.’
‘Won’t it be a shock to her after not having one around for years?’
‘I’m pretty sure she’s looking at the positive side of things. Of course, she doesn’t like the thought of the neighbours gossiping about Marjorie “having to get married”. But she’s going to put a proud face on it and looks forward to seeing her only daughter walking down the aisle of the church where she herself got married.’
‘She’s not bothered about you being a Catholic?’
‘I wouldn’t say she’s completely happy about it, but she says we believe in the same God and Christ’s crucifixion and that’s what’s important.’
‘I suppose that’s something,’ Lucia said, closing her book. ‘I take it she’s not Orange?’
‘No, she has no time for “this sectarian nonsense”, as she puts it. She feels the same about those on the Green side who go looking for a fight on Orange Day.’
‘Then we should get on all right,’ stated Lucia, getting to her feet. ‘I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ll see you in the morning.’
Saying her prayer, she fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, and when she woke it was to find it was daylight and the clock stood at half past seven. She loved it when the days began to draw out. She lay there, listening to the sparrows chirping beneath the eaves. She became aware of James ordering Joseph to be quiet, and then she heard Theresa telling them both to shut up or they’d disturb Lucia.
She slid out of bed and went over to the window and drew back the curtain slightly, gazing down at the garden where the daffodils were growing apace. Before she knew it, Easter would be here. Valentine’s Day had slipped by without her even noticing it. If there had been a card for Michael from Marjorie, he must have picked it up before she came downstairs. She turned away from the window, thinking she would check on Gabrielle. She was not going to worry about Michael and Marjorie right now. She padded in her bare feet across the cool linoleum, dressed only in her flannelette flower-sprigged nightdress, along the landing to the girls’ room and pushed open the door.
‘So how are you two this bright March morning?’ she asked.
‘We’re fine, aren’t we, Gabrielle?’ replied Theresa, nudging her younger sister.
‘Yes, I’m feeling much better,’ said Gabrielle.
‘I feel great because I was able to sleep the whole night through,’ said Theresa.
‘I got myself a drink,’ said Gabrielle proudly. ‘I’ve been wondering if I could have a bath. I know it’s not Saturday but I smell with sweating so much.’
‘All right,’ said Lucia, hoping she had a couple of spare shillings for the electric meter, as the water might not be hot enough in the back boiler behind the fireplace. ‘Don’t pull the plug out; James and Joseph can have the water after you.’
As she dressed, Lucia thought that if it had not been for Michael’s news and wondering how Tim had got through the night, all would have felt right with her world. The kids were on the mend and spring was on its way. Easter Day was late this year on 22 April, so Mothering Sunday, which was about halfway through Lent, was the first of April. She must visit her parents’ grave in Ford cemetery and place fresh flowers in the urn and encourage the kids to come with her. They could drop in at Nellie’s afterwards. Right now, though, she needed to clear out the grate and get a fire lit before preparing breakfast.
To her delight, when she reached the kitchen, it was to discover that Michael had got the fire going and set the table for breakfast. He was wearing his school uniform and poured tea into two cups as she entered.
‘You’re going to school?’ She could not disguise her surprise.
‘I have to explain to the Head what’s happened and that I’ll be leaving school straightaway because I need to find a job,’ he said. ‘I know you’re disappointed in me and I’m sorry, but these things happen.’
She knew there was no point in doing anything other than encouraging him to take responsibility for his actions. ‘You’re doing the right thing,’ she said. ‘Would you do me a favour before you go – help Theresa here while I nip next door and see how Jerry and his dad are doing?’
‘OK,’ he said. ‘But don’t be there for hours.’
She gave him a look as if to say ‘don’t push it’, put her coat on and went next door. She felt certain that Jerry would be up and about and so would Mrs Hudson. She had no need to ring the bell; she saw the curtain twitch in the window to her left and caught sight of Jerry’s face. He waved to her and then disappeared.
‘I was coming to yours in a minute. Dad wants to see you,’ Jerry said.
‘How is he?’
‘His voice is getting better.’ Jerry led her into the apartment and asked would she like a cup of coffee.
‘I’ll make it,’ she volunteered.
‘I can make it,’ he said. ‘Dad showed me how. I’ve already made him one. You go through and I’ll bring it to you,’ he said.
Not wanting to discourage him from being his father’s little helper, Lucia did as she was told and went through into the bedroom. She was delighted to see Tim sitting up against a couple of pillows.
‘It was good of you to come so soon,’ he said. ‘I only managed to prevent Jerry going round to yours as soon as he got out of bed by asking him to make me a coffee.’
‘He’s making me a cup now. I was a bit worried in case he scalded himself.’
‘He’s very careful, and truthfully his hands are more steady than mine at the moment due to this stupid measles.’
‘You sound better, although your voice is a bit strained.’
‘My throat is still sore but it’s more bearable.’
‘A touch of sherry might help. Uncle Michelangelo recommended it as a lubricant for the throat to his son, Tony.’
‘Well if it’s good enough for a talented singer like Tony, then I’ll take up your recommendation. I’d ask Mrs Hudson to get me a bottle from the off-licence, only I don’t think she’d like going in the off-licence. Would you mind going for me if you’re able to leave the kids?’
‘I would, only Michael is back, so I’m sure he’d go for you.’
‘Great! And how is Michael?’
Lucia told herself later that if Tim had not asked, she would not have unburdened herself on him. As it was, all that her brother had told her, coupled with her concern for the young couple and the expected baby, poured from her. When her voice tailed off she could not look at Tim, so horrified was she for having given way. When she felt able to lift her tear-drenched countenance, it was to see a thoughtful expression on his face.
‘What are you thinking?’ she asked.
‘Young fool! But at least he’s faced up to telling you, as well as accepting his responsibilities. I’m glad you told me for, as they say, a trouble shared is a trouble halved. If Michael will fetch
that bottle of sherry, ask him to bring it to me himself.’
She said that she would, but it wasn’t until she was on her way into her house that she realized that Michael was not yet eighteen so was under-age for buying alcohol. She would have to go herself; only then she remembered how keen Tim had appeared to want to see Michael, so she decided to leave things as they were. After all, it was not as if her brother was going to drink the sherry, and he looked older than his seventeen years. Although his birthday being in October meant he was nearer to eighteen.
Michael was more than willing to fetch a bottle of sherry for Tim when Lucia told him what it was for and how bad Tim had sounded yesterday. She handed him a pound note. ‘But I’ll have to come home first and change out of my school uniform,’ he added.
That showed sense, she thought, as she made her breakfast of cereal and toast.
All the children were up, dressed and had eaten breakfast. Gabrielle was playing with her Barbie doll, James was reading one of Willard Price’s Adventure series books to Joseph, and Theresa was placing a couple of exercise books in her satchel.
‘Well, I’m glad you all seem well enough to amuse yourselves,’ said Lucia.
‘Will Jerry be able to come here today?’ asked Joseph.
‘I don’t see why not, if his dad agrees,’ replied Lucia.
‘Shall I knock on my way to school and say Jerry’s welcome if he wants to come and play with Joseph?’ asked Theresa.
‘Yes, why not?’ Lucia said, thinking she was going to have to tell Theresa soon about Michael and Marjorie getting married. She wasn’t looking forward to it, but she couldn’t put it off because the wedding was next week.
The rest of the morning passed with the only annoyance being Gabrielle knocking over a glass of milk. As she watched the liquid spread over the tablecloth and drip on to the floor, Lucia could have cried over the waste of nourishment and money. But she could not scold her when she saw her bottom lip tremble, and she was quick to say sorry.
Later, just as the children had settled down in front of the television for ‘Watch with Mother’, there came a ring on the doorbell. Lucia rushed to answer it and found Nellie on the front step.