by Joan Jonker
Hannah frowned as she pushed her hands into the deep pockets of her cardigan. ‘I have a habit of sticking the key in me pocket. Ah,’ she held it aloft, ‘thank God! That’s saved a lot of trouble.’
Beth took the key. ‘Come on, ladies, let’s get going! Ginny can keep Hannah company for ten minutes.’
Flo’s mouth gaped. ‘What the hell d’yer need all of us for? There’s no point in four of us traipsing down the ruddy street and back again.’
‘Yer’ll only be traipsing back as far as yer own houses, sunshine, that’s the point. Andy will be in soon and he won’t be expecting a houseful! Besides, Hannah’s had enough company for one night, her head must be spinning.’
‘Well, I like that!’ Flo lumbered to her feet. ‘Some mate you are, telling us all to sod off.’
‘Stop yer moaning, Flo,’ Dot said. ‘Ye’re not the only one being told to sling their hook, so save yer tears ’cos yer won’t get no sympathy.’
‘Who asked you to put yer oar in?’ Flo muttered as she buttoned her coat. ‘Ye’re always butting in where ye’re not wanted.’
‘Come on.’ Beth herded them out, then turned at the door. ‘I won’t be long, Hannah. If yer want a drink, Ginny will make one.’
When the door closed, Ginny went to sit beside their visitor. ‘They’re hilarious, aren’t they? Anyone would think they meant it when they argue, but they don’t. They’re good mates.’
‘I know that, sweetheart, they’re the salt of the earth. And what they’ve done for me tonight proves it. There’s not many folk would go out on a night like this to look for a neighbour who’s gone missing.’
‘I’d go looking for yer, Mrs Bailey.’ Ginny put her arm across Hannah’s shoulders. ‘’Cos I think ye’re a little love.’
Outside, Lizzie said, ‘You go on ahead while I nip across the road for the milk I promised yer. I’ll be right behind yer, so I will.’
And she was right behind them when Beth put the key in Hannah’s door. ‘We’re lucky the gas hasn’t run out and the light’s on. At least we can see what we’re doing.’
‘There’s the letter on the floor.’ Flo made a dive for it and waved it in the air. ‘She’s lucky it missed going in the fire.’
Beth quickly plucked it from her hand. ‘I think Hannah should be the first one to read that, sunshine. After all, it is addressed to her.’
But Flo wasn’t convinced. ‘I think we should read it first, queen, so we’ll know what to do. It’s probably giving all the details of the funeral and everything, and she’s bound to be upset. We could break it to her gently, like, and then she won’t take it so bad.’
Dot shook her head. ‘Beth’s right, we shouldn’t read a private letter. Hannah will tell us what she wants us to know when she’s feeling more like herself.’
‘If she can get a good night’s sleep first, then the poor soul might be more up to it. News like that would be a shock to anyone, never mind a woman of her age and John being all she had in the world.’ Lizzie put the milk on the table and took a miniature bottle of brandy out of her pocket. ‘I always keep one of these in the house in case it’s needed. If yer could give it to Hannah in a cup of tea before she goes to bed, me darlin’, it’ll help her to sleep.’
‘Thanks, Lizzie, that’s a godsend. I’ll make sure she gets it down her.’ Beth placed the tiny bottle on the table next to the milk. ‘Now, I wonder where we’ll find her nightdress and slippers?’
‘The slippers are here, by the side of her chair,’ Flo grunted as she bent down to pick them up. ‘Knowing Hannah, her nightdress will probably be folded up neatly on her bed. But I ain’t walking up those bleedin’ stairs ’cos they kill me.’
‘Will you come up with me, Dot?’ Beth asked. ‘I don’t like rooting in someone else’s house, it doesn’t seem right. But she’s got to have a nightdress, so needs must when the devil drives. And a clean pair of knickers if we can find them, in case she’s not in a fit state to come back here tomorrow.’
They found the nightdress folded under a pillow on the bed, and the first drawer they opened contained knickers, vests and brassieres. ‘My God,’ Dot said, ‘this drawer puts mine to shame. Everything is so neat and tidy while mine are a mess.’
‘Ye’re not on yer own, sunshine, ’cos my drawers don’t bear inspection. I put everything away neatly, but by the time the kids have rummaged through them, everything is topsy-turvy and the clothes are creased to blazes.’
As they walked down the badly lit staircase, Dot chuckled. ‘I remember me ma shouting at me for not keeping things tidy. She used to call me all the lazy articles going ’cos I was too idle to look after me own clothes. God rest her soul, but if she’s looking down on me now I bet she’s saying I’m getting what I deserve.’
Flo was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with her hands on her hips. ‘Ye’re not half bleedin’ slow! Yer’ve been gone that long, I was beginning to think yer’d hopped into bed.’
‘We got what we wanted anyway so stop yer moaning.’ Beth reached for Hannah’s coat which was hanging on a hook near the front door. ‘I think that’s everything, isn’t it?’
‘The house was wide open to the world, me darlin’, so it was. Anyone could have come in the back way ’cos the poor soul had run out without locking the door. But everywhere is safe now, and I’ve put the guard in front of the fire ’cos there still some life in it and it’s better to be sure than sorry.’
‘That’s it, then! You’re the tallest, Lizzie, so would yer be an angel and reach up to put the light out?’
When the room was plunged into darkness, Beth said, ‘I’ll open the front door and we’ll be able to see by the light from the street lamp. I should have thought of that before I asked yer to put the light out, Lizzie, but I’ve got a head like a ruddy sieve.’
The light from the street lamp didn’t come fast enough to help Flo, though, and she walked straight into the living room door. She didn’t hurt herself because her layers of fat kept her safe, but she wasn’t going to tell that to the others until she’d received the amount of sympathy she thought she was entitled to. ‘Oh, my God, I’ve knocked all me front teeth out! Which silly bugger deliberately left the door open for me to walk into?’ When the fuss she was expecting didn’t come, she wailed, ‘Ooh, I’m in agony. Someone run for a doctor quick, ’cos I think me nose is busted, me eye is hanging out and I’ve lost all me front teeth.’ With a chubby hand covering her face, she staggered to the front door to find her friends standing on the pavement looking up at her. ‘A fine lot of mates you turned out to be, I must say. I could be dead for all you care.’
Beth pretended to be hurt by Flo’s words. ‘Ah, that’s not nice now, sunshine, is it? Not when we’ve been standing here finding solutions to all yer problems. Dot is going to bandage yer nose up, Lizzie is going to put yer eye back in its socket, and I’m going to come down first thing in the morning to find yer missing teeth.’
Flo stared down at them for a few seconds then she began to shake with laughter. Her mountainous bosom and tummy went up and down while her chins did a quickstep. Her laughter lifted the pall of sadness which had enveloped them all for the last few hours. When she could speak, she croaked, ‘Ay, queen, that was good, that was. I couldn’t have done better meself in that short time. Mind you, while your brain was working, my eye crawled back into its socket ’cos it was frightened of missing anything, and me nose pulled itself back into shape. And, yer’ll be glad to know, me teeth are safe in me pocket, all present and accounted for.’
‘What about yer cauliflower ear?’ Lizzie asked. ‘Has that gone back into shape?’
‘Cauliflower ear! How the hell could I get a cauliflower ear when I walked face forward into the bleedin’ door?’
‘I only hope Hannah’s door is in as good shape as you are, girl,’ Dot said, deadpan. ‘I’ve got a feeling that in a collision with you, it was bound to come out the loser.’
‘Oh, very funny, I’m sure, Mrs Clever Clogs. Perhaps . . .’
Flo’s words trailed off and her mouth opened in fright when she was pulled unceremoniously from the top step. Her little legs kicking the air, she landed on the pavement in front of her friends. ‘In the name of God, queen, what did yer do that for? I could have broken me flaming neck!’
‘I had to do something to shut yer up, sunshine, otherwise we’d be here all night. As yer well know, I enjoy a laugh as well as the next one, but there’s a time and a place for everything. And while the place is right, the time isn’t, ’cos I’ve left our Ginny sitting with Hannah.’ Beth closed the front door and pressed it to make sure it was securely shut. ‘Now I don’t want any of yer to think I’m keeping Hannah all to meself and leaving you out, but I’d say she’s gone through enough today and we should let her settle down a bit.’
‘I agree with yer, me darlin’, I do that, right enough,’ Lizzie said. ‘As long as yer know we’re there if yer want us. I’m sure Flo and Dot will say the same, that yer can knock for us any time, night or day.’
‘All yer’ve got to do is bang on the wall, girl, and I’ll be there like a shot.’ Dot linked Beth’s arm and they began to walk up the street, followed closely by Flo and Lizzie. ‘Even if it’s the middle of the night, I won’t mind.’
‘If I don’t hear from yer before, queen, I’ll call to yours at ten o’clock to see how Hannah is and if yer want anything from the shops.’ Flo was very curious about the contents of the letter and didn’t like the idea of having to wait until tomorrow to find out. But she’d have to tread carefully or her mates would jump down her throat. So she tried to make her voice sound casual when she asked, ‘Are yer going to give her the letter when yer get in?’
‘I don’t know, sunshine, I’ll see how she is then. I’m going to play it by ear. If she asks about it, I won’t lie, I’ll give it to her. If she doesn’t mention it, I’ll hang on until the morning. With a bit of luck, and Lizzie’s brandy, she’ll have a decent night’s sleep and be better able to cope.’
‘So we’ve all got to wait until tomorrow to find out what’s going on?’ Flo wasn’t best pleased about this. ‘I still think we should read what’s in it. I’m sure Hannah wouldn’t mind in the least.’
‘Flo, yer can be a nosy cow sometimes,’ Dot said. ‘What difference does it make to us what happens? It’s Hannah’s business. We’ll give her all the help we can, but we can’t take over from her.’
‘Nosy cow? I’ve a good mind to clock you one, Dot Flynn. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Anyone in this street will tell yer I keep to meself and don’t meddle in other folk’s business. I’m the leastest nosy person in the neighbourhood.’
‘Ye’re also the most ignorant.’ Dot knew that if she took offence Flo was capable of knocking her out for the count. But she had one advantage over her little fat friend – she could run faster. ‘There’s no such word as leastest.’
‘Oh, isn’t there now, smart arse? Well, it’s of little significance to me whether there is or not.’ When Flo saw Dot’s mouth gape, she grinned. ‘It’s all right, queen, I don’t know what that means meself, and I couldn’t spell it to save me life.’
At that point they all came to a halt outside Flo’s house and Beth didn’t want to stand around talking because she’d been out too long as it was. ‘I’ll have to be getting in, Hannah will wonder what we’re doing in her house. But I’ll see yer all in the morning. And thanks for helping me out, I wouldn’t have attempted it on me own. In fact Hannah would still be lost if it weren’t for you. So it’s a pat on the back all round for the faithful four, and I’ll bid yer goodnight and God bless.’
When Beth closed the door behind her, she stood in the tiny hallway and listened. First she heard Andy’s quiet voice, and then Hannah’s. She couldn’t make out what they said, but there were no tears or sobs which was a good sign. So after patting her pocket to make sure the letter was still there, she took off her coat and hung it with Hannah’s on one of the hooks behind the door. Then she walked into the warmth of the living room.
‘Did yer think I’d left home, Hannah?’ Beth was pleased to see Ginny sitting next to the old lady on the couch with their arms linked. ‘I’m going to put the blame on Flo because she’d keep yer talking until the cows come home. Besides which, she has the broadest shoulders to put the blame on.’
Her husband smiled. ‘Only a coward puts the blame on someone else.’
‘That’s me, sunshine, a coward through and through. Anyway, I’ve got yer nightdress and slippers, Hannah, plus a change of undies. And Lizzie gave me this bottle of brandy for yer, with strict instructions that yer drink it in a cup of tea before yer go to bed. It should help yer get a good night’s sleep.’
‘That was kind of her. Yer’ve all been so good, I don’t know what would have become of me if yer hadn’t come looking for me. I’ve put yer to a lot of trouble.’
‘It was no trouble at all, sunshine. That’s what friends are for! And you’d have done the same for any one of us.’ Beth carried the pair of slippers over to the couch. ‘Put these on, sunshine, and yer’ll be more comfortable. I’ll put the kettle on for a pot of tea, and light the oven to warm up the shelf so it can go in the bed to take the chill off it.’
‘Ye’re spoiling me, sweetheart, I won’t want to go home at this rate.’
‘Well, then, yer can stay with us,’ Ginny told her, ‘for as long as yer like.’
Beth watched Hannah putting her slippers on, and thought the old lady seemed a lot more at ease now. It would be an act of cruelty to give her the letter and bring back all the sadness and heartache. Far better to let her have a good night’s sleep, please God, and then help her through the ordeal tomorrow. After Andy had left for work, and the children were off to school, the house would be quiet and peaceful. That would be the best time, if there was a best time, to talk about the tragic news the letter had brought.
‘Andy, would yer be an angel and put the kettle on for us, please? And put a light to the oven for me.’ Beth sent him a message with her eyes. ‘And stay out there for a few minutes so a certain lady can put her nightdress on in front of the fire.’
Hannah shook her head. ‘Yer can’t send a man out of his own room for me! I’ll get undressed upstairs.’
Andy jumped to his feet. On his way to the kitchen, he bent down to look into Hannah’s eyes. ‘No, you won’t, Mrs Woman, yer’ll let me wife make yer nice and comfy. Then, with a tot of brandy inside yer, up to yer nice warm bed and yer’ll sleep like a baby.’
Chapter Four
Beth stood in the middle of the living room. The only sound she could hear was the ticking of the clock. She’d got up at six o’clock to clean the grate out and light a fire in case Hannah couldn’t sleep in a strange bed and got up early. But Andy had left for work at half-seven, the children had gone to school at half-eight, it was nine o’clock now and there was still no sound from the bedroom upstairs. She’d been growing concerned when it got to eight o’clock so she’d crept upstairs and opened the bedroom door a fraction. At the sound of Hannah’s gentle snoring, she’d breathed a sigh of relief.
There was a tap on the window and Flo’s face could be seen peering through the net curtains. Beth couldn’t keep a grin back because she knew her neighbour’s curiosity was the reason for this early visit. But she was going to be disappointed because there was no news to give. And she wasn’t going to be asked in, not while Hannah was still in bed.
‘What are yer doing here at this time? I’m not asking yer in, sunshine, because Hannah is still in bed and I don’t want to wake her up. The longer she sleeps, the better.’
‘Did yer give her the letter, queen? And if yer did, how did she take it?’
‘I haven’t given it to her yet, I didn’t have the heart. By the time I got in last night, she seemed to have calmed down, talking to Andy and Ginny, so I thought it best to leave well alone. When she gets up, I’ll give her some breakfast, then give it to her. And as soon as I think she’s fit for visitors, I’ll give yer a knock on
the wall.’ She saw the disappointment on Flo’s chubby face and felt a bit mean, but right now Hannah was the person to worry about. ‘I know ye’re concerned about her, sunshine, but I really believe it would be best to take things slowly. And I know yer’ll understand and agree.’
‘It’s a case of having to, queen, if ye’re not going to let me in. But I’ll be listening for yer knock, so don’t forget.’
‘I promise.’ Beth put her fingers to her lips and blew a kiss. ‘I’ll see yer later.’
After closing the front door, she stood in the hall and her eyes went to the pocket of her coat. She could see the letter and couldn’t help wondering if there was anything in it, apart from what Hannah had told them, to cause her more heartache. Acting on impulse, she plucked the letter from the pocket and carried it through to the living room. There was still no sound from overhead, no creaking bed springs or floorboards, so she pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. The three pages were crumpled, so she laid them flat and ran the side of her hand over each page to straighten it. She noticed there were stains on the top page where the ink had run, and knew right away that the smudges were made by falling tears. A great sadness came over her as she thought of the heartache and suffering of the woman writing to say she’d lost the man she loved, and the children had lost their dad. Beth could imagine how she would feel if anything happened to Andy, and wished she could throw the letter in the fire and pretend it had all been a bad dream. She couldn’t do that, of course, because unfortunately it wasn’t.
Beth sighed as she fingered the pages. Claire had probably written to tell her mother-in-law of the funeral arrangements, and it was important that Hannah knew these details as soon as possible so she could reply immediately. But wouldn’t it be better for her to hear it by word of mouth, rather than from pages smudged with the tears of a heartbroken woman? Surely Hannah would understand and appreciate Beth wasn’t being nosy, merely trying to lessen the pain as best she could?