by Joan Jonker
‘What’s that got to do with you lot? That’s between me and Mrs Duffy. Now bugger off, the lot of yer, and go about yer own business instead of sticking yer nose in mine.’
Beth’s voice was deceptively quiet when she asked, ‘Oh, yer haven’t heard the news, then? I’m surprised someone hasn’t told yer.’
‘I don’t listen to gossip. Now will yer bleedin’ well get yerselves away from my door. Go on, scram.’
‘The news I was talking about wasn’t gossip.’ Even if I have to lie, I’ll take you down a peg or two, Beth thought. ‘Yer see, Vera Duffy was so frightened of her husband finding out she’d borrowed money she couldn’t possibly pay back that she tried to commit suicide by putting her head in the gas oven.’
Ma Maloney fell back a step and they heard her breath catch in her throat. It took her several seconds to recover, then she snarled, ‘That’s nowt to do with me. Now move while I close the door.’
Aggie Graham, who lived next door to Vera Duffy, shouted, ‘Nowt to do with you! A poor woman with four young kids tries to kill herself and it’s nowt to do with you? I’d like to get me hands around yer bleedin’ throat, yer hard-hearted cow!’
‘There’ll be no fighting,’ Beth said, but she had a strong urge to slap the woman across the face for the misery she’d brought to so many people. ‘Yer lent her two pound but she owes yer four. Now I’m sure the police would be very interested to know the rates of interest yer charge, and also the threats yer make. In fact, ye’re supposed to have a licence to lend money, and I have it on good authority that you don’t have one. So, you have two options and I’m not threatening yer, I’m telling yer the truth. Yer can come to the police station with us, and every woman here can testify to the interest yer charge, or we can get them to come here. The second option is that yer forget about Vera Duffy’s loan altogether. She won’t owe yer a penny. But there are strings attached to that. You are not to tell her you were forced into action by us – she must never know we’ve spoken to yer or she’d be ashamed to lift her head in the street. Yer can make up some cock-and-bull story about yer feeling guilty about getting her into debt, with her having four young children.’ Beth put her face close to Ma Maloney’s, even though she found the woman repugnant. ‘Or yer can say yer’ve had a win on the gee-gees, it’s up to you. But yer’d better make it convincing, and yer’d better do it today. Otherwise, we’ll all be back here tomorrow with a policeman. Suit yerself.’
Aggie Graham had to have the last word. ‘I live next door to Vera, and I’ll be watching out for yer. In fact, just to make sure, I might even go and sit with her until yer’ve been. She wouldn’t think anything because I often go in for a cuppa or to mind the kids for her. Be there before twelve so she can enjoy the rest of the day without worrying about how she’s going to pay yer back.’
The fourteen women didn’t wait for a response. They knew Beth’s words about Vera trying to commit suicide and the threat of the police were enough to put the fear of God into the moneylender. They turned as one, and marched back down the entry. No one spoke until they were out in the street.
Flo slapped Beth on the back with such force she nearly sent her flying. ‘I’m proud of yer, girl, yer were brilliant.’
‘Sure, yer never spoke a truer word,’ Lizzie said. ‘Yer did well, me darlin’, and I’ll bet money on Vera having a visitor within the next hour.’
Aggie Graham gave her a hug. ‘Yer did great, girl, and I think it did the trick. I am so grateful to yer, ’cos I’ve been worried sick about Vera. I’ve been dashing in and out of her house by the minute, trying to keep an eye on her, and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep for weeks. But I’ll get round there now, and as soon as the queer one comes I’ll let yer know.’
When the women from the next street had left, Dot said, ‘Come on in mine for a cuppa, girl, yer deserve one.’
Flo got on her high horse. ‘Ay, I hope me and Lizzie are invited!’
Dot chuckled at the expression on the little woman’s face. ‘If I said yer couldn’t come in, Florence, would yer take any notice of me?’
‘Would I heck! I’d just push yer out of the way and be in the house before yer.’
Dot slid the key into the lock. ‘I thought as much. So I might as well be gracious and invite yer in. But it’s one custard cream for you and Lizzie, and meself, and two for the hero of the hour. That’s as far as they’ll stretch.’
The conversation around Dot’s table centred on whether they thought Ma Maloney had been scared enough to do as they asked, or if she would force them to go to the police as they’d threatened. As Flo said, ‘She’s a funny bugger, that one, yer wouldn’t know what she was going to do.’
‘Oh, I think she’ll see the light of day right enough,’ Lizzie said. ‘Lending money without a licence could see her going to jail, and she’ll not be wanting that, not at all, at all.’
‘Well, let’s get to the shops and be back as soon as we can in case Aggie comes.’ Beth began to stack the empty cups and saucers. ‘I’ll give yer a hand with these, sunshine.’
Dot shook her head. ‘Leave them in the sink, I’ll do them when I get back.’
But a rat-tat on the knocker had her racing to the front door. ‘Come in, Aggie, the others are here.’
Her face was flushed, and she was so excited she couldn’t get her words out quick enough. ‘She’s been! I was sitting in Vera’s when she came, and heard every word she said. I couldn’t believe me ears when she told Vera, like you said, Beth, that she’d had a win on the gee-gees and wanted to surprise one of her customers by giving them a present. And the two-faced cow said she’d decided that Vera was a worthy case, with her having four young children, so Vera needn’t pay her the loans back, she could treat them as a present.’
Dot was pulling a cynical face. ‘And Vera believed that?’
Aggie nodded. ‘I know what yer mean, ’cos I wouldn’t have fallen for it. But Vera did, and while she felt like being sick at first, with the shock, she was looking ten years younger when I left to come round here.’
‘It doesn’t matter that we wouldn’t have fallen for the lies, as long as Vera did! That’s the important part. And I hope no one will be daft enough to say there’s something fishy about the whole thing. If they do, then they can take responsibility for Vera being ill again.’
‘Beth, if anyone looks sideways at Vera I’ll throttle them. I’ve watched that girl struggle to keep those kids clean, put clothes of some description on their backs and feed them to the best of her ability. She goes without herself to give to them, and she’s like a ruddy skeleton. I’ve seen her walking round in the winter with big holes in the soles of her shoes and her hands and face blue with the cold.’ Aggie wasn’t talking for talking’s sake, she meant every word of it. ‘No one will hurt Vera Duffy if I’ve got anything to do with it, she’s too nice a person.’
The four friends were quite moved by what Aggie had said, and they exchanged glances which said they’d help if they could. They didn’t have much themselves, but they were living a life of luxury compared to that young woman with her husband and four young children to feed and clothe. Beth acted as their spokeswoman. ‘We’ll see what we can come up with to help the little ones out at Christmas, Aggie, even if it’s only second-hand clothes. But we’ll see yer before then, and thanks for coming to tell us the news, it’s cheered us all up.’
‘The thanks are all down to you, girl, the women in our street thought yer were as good as a solicitor. Not that any of us has ever had a solicitor, but that’s the way we’d expect him to act if we had one. And God will pay yer back for what yer did today, girl, you’ll see.’
After Dot had seen Aggie out, the four friends looked at each other. It was Lizzie who said, ‘Threepence a week from each of us for the next couple of weeks – that should buy a few things for the children for Christmas.’
Her three friends nodded. Then Beth said, ‘We could have a word with Mary Ann and Sadie at the market, they might help
us out.’
Flo threw out her chest. ‘Well, not a bad day’s work, even if I say it meself.’
Dot gaped. ‘You haven’t done nothing, it was Beth!’
‘Ah, yeah, but she wouldn’t have known nothing about it if I wasn’t such a nosy bugger. It was me what started her on her way to becoming a saint, so I hope she doesn’t forget that when she meets Saint Peter at the pearly gates. I’m going to need a very good reference if I’m to get into heaven, and my mate is the only person I know what can write a good letter and get the spelling right.’
Chapter Twenty-Four
‘Mam, I’ve got a favour to ask of yer.’ Ginny was facing her mother across the breakfast table. Her dad had left for work and Joey could be heard getting dressed for school. ‘Yer’ve heard me and Marie talking about Pat, the girl who started work the same day as us? You know, she works on the cosmetics counter.’
Beth nodded. ‘I’ve heard yer talk of her often enough, and I know you and Marie have made friends with her. Why do you mention her now?’
‘We were wondering if we could ask her to the birthday party? She knows about it, ’cos we’ve been talking about nothing else for weeks, and we feel mean not inviting her.’
‘Oh, sunshine, the place will be stretching at the seams if yer ask any more! Yer won’t be able to move as it is. If ye’re going to invite anyone else, I think it should be Amy from next door. Yer’ve known her all yer life, she’s working now, and Auntie Flo will be really hurt and upset if yer leave her out. Flo hasn’t said anything, but if I was in her position, and they were having a party next door and you weren’t invited, I’d take it as an insult and be really hurt.’
Ginny took a deep breath and sighed. ‘Ooh, I’d never thought of Amy, but ye’re right, Mam, I should invite her. I’ll give her a knock tonight when I get home from work.’ Her eyes were pleading as she looked across the table. ‘But can I ask Pat as well? Go on, Mam, say I can, please?’
Beth started to tick off the names on her fingers. ‘By my reckoning, that’s six girls and five boys. I’ll have to borrow a couple of chairs from Dot and Flo.’ Resting her chin on a clenched fist, she narrowed her eyes. ‘Me and yer dad were talking about the party last night, after yer’d gone to bed, and we decided that if we put the couch under the front window and the table on the wall that would leave the centre of the room free.’ She chuckled. ‘That’s just in case the boys ask yer to dance.’
Ginny was reckoning up in her head and frowning. ‘Yer said five boys, Mam, but there’s only four. David, Bobby and the two O’Learys.’
‘Oh, aye, and what about yer brother? Have yer forgot about him?’ Beth put her hand back on the table. ‘And before yer say he’s just a kid, remember that this time last year you were only a month older than he is now. He’s fourteen a few weeks after Christmas, and with a bit of luck he’ll be able to leave school before the Easter break. He will if he can get fixed up with a job, and yer dad’s working on that now.’
Ginny was looking shamefaced. ‘Oh, Mam, me own brother and I never gave him a thought. But that’s because I live with him, and without really thinking about it, I must have taken it for granted that he’d be here because this is his home.’
‘Well, mention it to him when he comes down. I don’t mean give him an official invite, just a casual mention, like.’
‘Yeah, I’ll ask if he’s looking forward to it.’
‘Oh, he’s looking forward to it, all right, sunshine, he can’t wait!’ Beth lowered her voice. ‘Yer see, he’s been putting tuppence of his pocket money away for the last three weeks so he can buy yer a pressie.’
‘Go ’way!’ Ginny was very much moved, and tears stung the back of her eyes. ‘But he only gets threepence a week including the penny me Dad gives him.’
Beth cocked an ear to make sure the object of their discussion wasn’t coming down the stairs. ‘I’m not going to pretend he’s been unselfish, denying himself for the sake of his sister. Me and yer dad have had many a laugh over it. He’s only been able to buy one comic, so he’s been cadging a loan of the other one off his mate so he can keep up with the daredevil antics of his heroes.’
‘Ah, I’ll make it up to him, Mam, honest. I’ll buy him something really nice for Christmas, and his birthday.’ Ginny leaned across the table, her bright blue eyes gleaming. ‘What’s he buying me, Mam, d’yer know?’
‘If I did I wouldn’t tell yer, sunshine, no matter how much yer coaxed. This is a big thing for him, he’s gone without to achieve it, and I want to see his face when yer open it up. Oh, yeah, it’s going to be wrapped up, he’s not just going to hand it to yer. This will be done in a proper manner if it kills him.’
‘Ooh, I feel terrible now, Mam. But I do love him, yer know, and when his birthday comes around I’ll buy him something grown-up instead of comics or sweets.’
‘Yer’d better buy him a decent present, sunshine, or yer won’t get an invite to his party. He reckons if you can have a party, so can he.’
Ginny hunched her shoulders and giggled. ‘And who is he going to invite to his party?’
‘That is something I couldn’t tell yer, sunshine. But I can tell yer who he most definitely isn’t inviting – that’s Amy from next door ’cos she never stops talking, and your mate Joan for the same reason. Then there’s poor Jimmy, his mate. He’s not setting foot over this door because he wouldn’t lend Joey his comic when he’d finished with it.’ A floorboard on the landing creaked and Beth put a finger to her lips. ‘Here he is now, so not a word.’
‘Just three quick ones, Mam. Can Pat come?’
‘As long as she knows it’s standing room only.’
Joey came down full of the joys of spring. ‘What’s this yer saying about standing room only, Mam?’
It was Ginny who answered. She’d have to be leaving for work in five minutes, and she didn’t want to leave without letting her brother know she was thinking of him. ‘Me mam reckons there’ll be no room for everyone to sit at me party, but we’ll manage. Are you looking forward to it, Joey?’
‘Yeah, it’ll be all right.’ He wasn’t going to get excited about it, only girls did that. ‘But it’s not just your party, what about gabby Joan and Marie?’
‘Oh, I haven’t forgot them, ’cos their mams are helping out with the food and things. But with it being here, in my house, I keep forgetting and saying it’s my party. I can hardly say the three names every time I mention it.’ Ginny drained her teacup before pushing her chair back. ‘I’d better get cracking, I don’t want to keep Marie waiting in this cold weather.’ She gave Beth a kiss before putting an arm across her brother’s shoulders and hugging him. ‘It won’t be long before ye’re going out to work yerself, our Joey.’
His smile was so bright, it was as if the sun had come out. ‘Yeah, that’ll be the day, that will. I hope I can go to work with me dad, same as David and Mick work with theirs. I’ll be wearing long kecks then, just imagine!’
‘And very handsome yer’ll look, too.’ Ginny dropped a light kiss on his forehead. ‘I’ll be off. See yer tonight.’
When Beth had seen her off at the door, she came back into the room to find her son had helped himself to a slice of toast and was being very liberal with the raspberry jam. ‘She’s not bad, our Ginny, is she, Mam? She doesn’t talk a load of rubbish like some I could mention.’
‘Well, don’t mention them now, sunshine, not with yer mouth full. I’ll make us a nice pot of fresh tea to warm yer up before yer go out.’
‘D’yer think me dad will ask his boss about me today, Mam?’
‘He said he’d try, but don’t get yer hopes up. It might be after Christmas before any firm thinks about taking apprentices on.’ Beth stood at the kitchen door with a hand on her hip. ‘Anyway, sunshine, even if yer dad couldn’t get yer taken on with his firm, a handsome, fine-built lad like you will have no trouble finding a job.’
Joey smiled as he bit into his toast. A compliment like that would keep him in a good mood for the
rest of the day.
Ginny had just turned the corner into County Road when she heard her name being called. She looked towards the tram stop to see Marie jumping up and down and waving her hands, urging her forward as a tram trundled towards the stop. Ginny took to her heels and flew like the wind, jumping on the platform just as the conductor pressed the bell to tell the driver all was clear.
‘I just made that by the skin of me teeth.’ She took a second to get her breath back. ‘It’s full downstairs, let’s go on top.’
The long seat at the back of the tram was their favourite spot, and they made their way to it, holding on to the backs of seats to keep their balance. ‘I thought yer were going to miss it,’ Marie said, plonking herself down by the window. ‘What made yer late?’
‘I waited for our Joey to come downstairs ’cos I don’t want him to feel left out over the party. Being me brother, and living in the same house, I never gave a thought to talking to him about it. But me mam said I should, so I did. And I also had a word with her about Pat, which didn’t take that long, but it was enough to make me a bit late.’
Marie had never before been to a party which was for girls and boys in their teens. The last she’d been to was years ago and there were only young kids there so she was getting very excited about Saturday when three of them would be celebrating their fifteenth birthday. ‘What did yer mam say about Pat?’
‘Yes, she can come,’ Ginny was happy to say. ‘As long as she knows it’s a two-up-two-down we live in and it’ll be rather cramped because the living room wasn’t built to house parties of eleven people.’
Marie’s eyes widened. ‘Who are the eleven?’
So Ginny went through the list. Then she said, ‘I wish I had a new dress for it, I’ve worn the ones I’ve got loads of times.’
‘I’m getting a new dress for Christmas, but me mam won’t let me have it before. So I’ll be in one of me old ones, as well.’ But Marie could never be downhearted for long. ‘Anyway, it’s not a posh do we’re going to, is it? And if we did have a new dress on, we wouldn’t enjoy ourselves ’cos we’d be frightened to move in it.’