by Rosie Harris
When they reached Seacombe she told him there really was no need for him to come any further. She would take a bus to Wallasey Village and from there it was only a couple of minutes’ walk to Warren Point.
Jimmy wouldn’t hear of it. ‘I certainly don’t intend to abandon you half way home; I’ll take you to your door,’ he insisted.
Ten minutes later as they walked up the path to her home she wondered if perhaps she should invite him in and introduce him to her gran.
Jimmy forestalled her. When they reached the front door he said goodnight, gave her a fleeting kiss on her cheek, and turned and walked away before she even had time to thank him for a wonderful evening.
Four
Jenny Langton was worried. It was the end of the month and as she went through the pile of bills stacked up on the kitchen table her feeling of dread that she wasn’t going to be able to pay them all mounted.
Karen had been at work for over six months now and had completed her trial period. She was now on a full wage. True, it wasn’t a lot but even so she must ask her to hand over a little more towards the housekeeping if they were to keep their heads above water.
She had hoped that Karen would volunteer to give her more and that she wouldn’t have to ask but Karen was spending every penny she earned on new clothes.
This month alone she’d bought a new trouser suit and two new dresses. She already had a very nice navy trouser suit so why did she need to go out and buy another one, Jenny mused. True, the new one had flared trousers and was in a pretty shade of green but she didn’t really need it. She rather suspected that Karen was buying so many new clothes to impress Jimmy Martin.
Jenny wasn’t at all sure that she approved of their friendship. Jimmy Martin was far too full of himself and, because he was several years older than her, Karen seemed to do everything he suggested. Furthermore he was bombarding her with all sorts of suggestions about changing her job for some sort of publicity work like her mother had done and that really worried Jenny.
She remembered all too well what had happened in the past; Fiona had become tired of Liverpool and wanted to move on to London. She didn’t want Karen getting those sort of ideas in her head, at least not for many years to come.
No, Jenny decided, she’d speak to Karen that very night. She’d make something special for dinner and then explain to her that making ends meet was becoming more and more difficult. She’d ask her if she could contribute a little more of her wages.
Before she finally managed to broach the subject Karen put down her knife and fork and, looking most uncomfortable, blurted out, ‘Gran, there’s something I have to talk to you about.’
For a moment all thought of asking Karen for extra money went out of Jenny’s mind as a rush of other worries took over. What on earth was wrong? Why was Karen looking so upset? Had she lost her job or, worse still, was she pregnant?
The thought of how that would ruin her young life, how it meant she had failed not only Karen but Eddy as well flooded Jenny’s mind. Her heart was pounding as she waited for Karen to go on.
‘I’ve changed my job,’ Karen said hesitantly, pushing her thick blonde hair back behind her ears and tossing her head. Her green eyes were defiant as if she was expecting Jenny to make an adverse comment or even a scene.
A mixture of concern and annoyance flooded through Jenny. A feeling of tremendous relief that it was nothing more serious quickly followed this.
‘I see,’ she said quietly. ‘So where are you going to work now?’
‘That’s not all,’ Karen went on, ignoring Jenny’s question.
‘Go on. What else?’
‘I’m moving out, Gran, I’m going to share a flat over in Liverpool,’ Karen stated.
Once again a feeling of anger and concern battled in Jenny’s mind.
‘You can’t afford to do that,’ she expostulated. ‘You will certainly have to hand over a great deal more of your wages than you do at the moment if you are going to pay your way sharing a flat. You certainly won’t be able to afford to keep buying new clothes like you’ve been doing lately.’
The two women stared at each other in silence for several seconds, then Jenny went on, ‘As a matter of fact, I was on the verge of asking you if you could contribute a little more each week to the housekeeping because I simply can’t make ends meet. The cost of running this house is going up all the time and my income seems to be shrinking with the increased cost of living.’
‘I’m sorry, Gran. I’ve already agreed to this new arrangement. Living and working in Liverpool will mean I have hardly any travelling expenses,’ she added brightly, as if that explained everything.
‘You haven’t told me where you are going to work,’ Jenny said. ‘I thought you were happy at Premium Printing. Ever since you were a small girl you always said you wanted to follow in your dad’s footsteps when you were old enough to do so,’ she added with a sigh.
‘I did, but this new job will be much more exciting. At Premium Printing I’m just the junior secretary, so I get all the duff jobs. I am even expected to make tea for all the directors and to do Mr Williams’s filing.’
‘You’ll probably find it is much the same wherever you go,’ Jenny pointed out. ‘As the newest and youngest member of staff you have to expect that. Anyway, I would have thought filing was all part of a secretary’s job.’
Karen shrugged her shoulders, giving her a pained look but no answer.
‘So what is this new job?’ Jenny persisted.
‘Working for one of the shipping companies. As a press liaison officer,’ Karen said abruptly.
‘And where is this flat? Who are you going to share it with, then?’ Jenny queried. ‘Is it with one girl or several?’
Again Karen was silent and looked so uncomfortable that Jenny’s heart began to pound again. Something wasn’t right, she was sure of it. Karen wasn’t telling her the complete story.
‘I’m sharing with one other person, that’s all,’ Karen said at last, avoiding Jenny’s eyes.
‘I see. Can you afford to do that? Where does she work? Is she a lot older than you? Does she have a good job?’
Her barrage of questions fell on deaf ears. Karen pushed back her chair and stood up from the table and moved towards the door, eager to get away. Then she paused and turned to face Jenny.
‘I suppose I may as well tell you, Gran, because you are bound to find out sooner or later.’ She paused, colour flushing her cheeks. ‘I’m going to share a flat with Jimmy Martin.’
Jenny stared at her granddaughter in stunned silence. This was something she had been afraid of hearing, and now Karen had voiced it aloud she didn’t want to believe it.
‘Are you sure you know what you are letting yourself in for, Karen?’ she asked exasperatedly.
Karen straightened her shoulders and glared at her grandmother. ‘Of course I do.’
‘You won’t find it as comfortable as living here, you know,’ Jenny went on. ‘You’ll be expected to do your fair share of the housework, shopping, and the cooking. Have you actually seen this flat?’
‘No.’ Karen stared at her defiantly.
‘Well, don’t you think that perhaps you should take a look at it first?’
The silence hung between them like an invisible barrier. It was one that Jenny knew would never completely go away. She stared at Karen dispassionately as if seeing her as she must appear to other people. Karen was no longer the little girl she had nurtured and cared for since she was a baby; Karen was now a slim, elegant, eighteen year old and, with her dark blonde hair and lively green eyes, she was extremely attractive. Karen was no longer a teenager who was willing to accept guidance. She was a young career woman who was determined to fly the nest.
A vision of Jimmy Martin, handsome, self-assured, well-dressed and brash, filled Jenny’s mind. She’d only met him once but she hated him. He had taken away Karen’s innocence and now he was taking her into his clutches completely.
Ever since Karen had first
told her about him she had hoped that he would find Karen too young and naive and rapidly tire of her company.
She knew Karen was deeply infatuated with him and that a break-up would result in bitter heartache for her; but better that than for him to ruin her young life completely. Now it seemed this was the very thing that was happening.
She suspected that it was Jimmy Martin who had not only persuaded Karen to change her job but also told her not to say a word about her intentions until the very last minute when it would be too late to do anything about it.
Jenny sighed. It meant that Jimmy Martin had complete influence over Karen and it also seemed that since she held him in such high regard there was not very much she could do about it.
Perhaps if she accepted what was happening she would at least remain friends with Karen. If anything went wrong, as she was quite sure it would, Karen would turn to her for help. Oppose Karen and she would lose out in every respect and perhaps never see or hear from her ever again.
Taking a deep breath, Jenny asked as calmly as she possibly could, ‘So when are you moving out?’
Karen looked taken aback. ‘Quite soon.’
‘It’s only a matter of a couple of weeks to Christmas, you’re not moving before then are you?’ Jenny asked.
‘I’m not sure, I haven’t fixed the exact date with Jimmy yet. There’s no hurry is there?’
‘No, not really, except that if you are leaving then I will have to make some plans myself for the future. If I want to go on living here then I will have to see if I can find a lodger or perhaps even two to help share the costs.’
‘Lodgers!’ Karen looked aghast. ‘You wouldn’t like to have strangers living here with you, would you, Gran?’
‘No, I certainly wouldn’t but as I have already tried to explain I simply can’t make ends meet, so I will have to do something like that if I want to go on living here.’
‘Perhaps you should get a job,’ Karen suggested hesitantly.
‘At my age! I’m sixty years old, remember, and I have no training or experience of working,’ Jenny said sadly. She was suddenly conscious of the streaks of grey in her hair and her faded looks. She hadn’t bought any new clothes for years, except for the black outfit she’d bought for Eddy’s funeral.
Karen looked at her critically. ‘You don’t look all that old,’ she said, frowning. ‘They might be able to find a job for you at Premium Printing. I’m sure you could do proofreading or something of that sort.’
‘I don’t really think so,’ Jenny said drily. ‘You need training even to do that.’
‘Then it will have to be lodgers, I suppose.’ Karen shrugged. ‘There are four bedrooms here and you will only be using one of them after I move out so there’s plenty of room.’
She seemed to be so disinterested, that Jenny didn’t pursue the matter, knowing that it was pointless to do so.
Karen’s news had upset her far more than Karen realized. All she wanted to do was to sit down quietly on her own with a cup of tea and try and unravel her jumbled thoughts.
Five
As he braked to a stop in front of a terraced house in Dalrymple Street, the taxi driver looked over his shoulder at the well-dressed young lady in the back of his cab and asked, ‘You quite sure this is the right place, Miss?’
Karen was already leaning forward and peering out at the grim three-storey building as if unable to believe her eyes. She consulted the slip of paper she was clutching in her hand to verify the address before nodding and murmuring, ‘Yes, this must be the right place. It’s the address I’ve been given.’
The taxi driver switched off the engine and leaned back to open the cab door for her. He jumped out, opened up the boot and heaved Karen’s two heavy suitcases out on to the pavement.
As she climbed out of the back of the taxi and stood there on the pavement looking uncertainly at the row of houses, he held out his hand. ‘Two quid.’
‘How much!’ she exclaimed in a startled voice. ‘You’ve only brought me from the Pier Head!’
‘Two quid, that’s the fare for you and your luggage,’ he demanded in a surly voice.
Karen searched in her handbag for her purse and then handed over the money. ‘You are going to carry those cases as far as the front door for me?’ she asked.
The man pocketed the money and then slid back behind the wheel of his cab. ‘Not likely, you haven’t even given me a tip.’
Before she could remonstrate with him he had switched on the engine and pulled away from the kerb.
Karen checked again that she was at the correct address. When Jimmy had told her that it was a penthouse flat she’d asked him what that was supposed to mean.
‘That it is right at the very top of the building with splendid views out over the city, of course.’
His words rang in her ears as she studied the long terrace of identical houses. They all appeared to have stone steps leading down to the basement living area and then a shorter number leading up to the front door.
The ground floor flat had a large bay window; on the second and third floors there were medium-sized windows and then, right at the very top, there was a room running up into the eaves with a much smaller window. Was that the so-called penthouse flat, she wondered.
She picked up the heavy suitcases, one in each hand, and staggered towards number thirteen.
She paused at the bottom of the five stone steps leading up to the front door and decided that as the cases were so heavy she would have to take them up one at a time.
To her relief the scarred black painted door was unlocked, so she pushed the first case into the hallway and left it blocking the door open while she went back for the other one. Before she managed to reach it a stray dog was sniffing round it about to lift a leg. Angrily she shooed it away.
With both cases safely inside the building Karen stopped to get her breath back. In front of her was a steep flight of carpeted stairs leading up to a small, square landing. From there she could see another flight of stairs going up to the next floor.
She wished Jimmy had arranged to be there when she arrived, but since he wasn’t she wondered if it would be safe to leave her cases in the hallway until he came home.
As she turned to close the front door she looked out into the squalid street outside and a shiver went through her. It would be foolhardy to leave her cases in the hallway she decided. Somehow she’d have to get her luggage up to the top flat even if it took her the rest of the day to do it.
Carrying one case at a time, she progressed from one landing to the next until she reached the very top.
She was so exhausted that her hand was trembling as she fitted the key Jimmy had given her into the lock and opened the door.
Once the two cases were inside she closed the door and collapsed into the first armchair she could find. She closed her eyes and waited for her heart to stop pumping like a wild thing and for her breathing to return to normal.
She was nineteen but she felt like ninety. In future, she resolved, whenever there was any heavy shopping, she’d make sure that Jimmy was with her to carry it up all those stairs.
Ten minutes later she felt back to normal and looked around with interest, eager to explore the flat.
Apart from the armchair she was sitting in, the only other furniture in the room was a sofa and a small drop-leaf wooden table with two straight back wooden chairs, a bookcase and an oak cupboard with solid doors.
What struck her most forcibly was that the living room was long and narrow with a sloping ceiling down one side. There was only one window and it was not very large. Remembering Jimmy’s enthusiasm about the panoramic view she went over to look out. To her disappointment she found that the view was mainly of rooftops and chimneys with grey smoke drifting up from them into the sky. It was so high up that the people walking about in the street below looked like pygmies.
Turning away, she went to see what the bedrooms were like and was startled to discover that there was only one. It didn’t
even have a proper window, only a skylight, and one of the walls in there was also sloping.
She shuddered; the bed was pushed tight against the wall on one side and she was sure that if you sat up in bed on that side you would probably hit your head on the ceiling.
Apart from the bed, the only other piece of furniture in the bedroom was a small, dark oak chest of drawers with a mirror fixed to the wall behind it. There was no wardrobe, only a built-in cupboard. When she opened the door and looked inside she saw that it was so packed with all Jimmy’s smart clothes that there would be no room in there for anything of hers.
The kitchen was also long and narrow with cupboards and worktop down one side – almost like a ship’s galley. There was one small window that overlooked some sort of factory or warehouse building. At one end of the kitchen, partly concealed beneath the worktop, was the bath. The toilet was in a tiny room next door to the kitchen.
Lovely penthouse suite. The words drummed in her mind as she looked round at the shabby furnishings and she felt tears of disillusionment filling her eyes. After the spacious bedroom with its views out over the Mersey estuary and the misted Welsh mountains in the far distance, the warm scent-filled bathroom, the huge, beautifully furnished lounge and pristine dining room she had known in Warren Point, this place couldn’t be more different.
She felt not only a sense of disenchantment but was overwhelmed with homesickness; not only for Wallasey and the lovely home in Warren Point where she had grown up, but also for her gran.
She was already missing Jenny. Although she had accepted that she was leaving, it had been obvious that her Gran had thought she was making a mistake.
If only she had listened to her reasoning and taken more time to consider what she was doing. It had certainly been a mistake not to insist that Jimmy showed her his flat before she had decided to move in – like Gran had suggested, she thought miserably.