by Joan Jonker
‘Where did Harry disappear to this afternoon? I didn’t see ’im after the break.’
‘He probably went to a bosses’ meeting.’ Mary loosened her arm from Eileen’s as they reached the corner. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘OK, kid! Try and get those feet up an’ have a rest.’
Mary made herself a sandwich before making the bed and dusting the living room. Then she decided to soak her swollen feet in a bowl of warm water before having a lie down, and she was walking towards the kitchen when a knock sounded. No peace for the wicked, she sighed as she opened the door to Vera Jackson.
‘Guess what’s happened?’
Too tired for guessing games, Mary said, ‘Go on, I give in.’
‘Danny’s got his calling up papers.’ The news was delivered in a dramatic voice as Vera pulled at the buttons on her cardigan. ‘They came in the post this morning and I opened the letter. He’s got to report to the recruitment office next week.’
‘Does he know?’
‘Not yet!’ Vera grimaced. ‘He’d gone to work when the post came.’
‘I thought they were only calling young men up!’
‘He’s only thirty-eight! I know he looks older, but that’s with all the beer he drinks.’ Vera sighed. ‘I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. For all his faults, I wouldn’t wish him any harm.’
‘It’s to be hoped he doesn’t take it out on you.’
‘He won’t! I didn’t tell you, but after Harry gave him that belt, I had a good talk to him. I told him straight that I was fed-up being his punch bag. I said if he ever raised his hand, or his voice again, to me or the kids, I’d leave him. I meant it too, Mary, because I’d had it up to here.’ Vera put her hand on the top of her head. ‘Since then he hasn’t been too bad. He’s not exactly a barrel of laughs, but he’s better than he was. And perhaps the Army will knock him into shape … if he passes the medical.’
Mary felt guilty for not asking Vera to sit down, but she had to put her feet up for an hour before she went to the hospital. ‘Let me know what he says, won’t you?’
‘I’ll slip in tomorrow.’ Vera was waving goodbye when Mary heard a door slam, and she turned her head to see Harry coming towards her. Vera saw him too, and called, ‘Mary’s got some news for you.’
Harry waved in acknowledgement, saying under his breath, ‘Let’s get inside, quick! I’ve got something to tell you.’
As soon as they were in the living room he gripped Mary’s arm. ‘We’ve got a house!’ In his excitement the words poured from his mouth. ‘It’s in Orrell Park, just off Moss Lane, and it’s a cracking house! I went to see it yesterday but didn’t say anything in case nothing came of it. But I’ve been to see the landlord and he gave me the key. It’s ours if we want it, but I’ve got to let him know by tomorrow.’
Mary stared at him. Getting married was now becoming a reality, and her feelings couldn’t cope with the speed things were moving.
‘Mary!’ He was shaking her arm. ‘Aren’t you pleased? It’s a lovely six-roomed house, and it doesn’t need a thing doing to it.’ From his pocket he produced a key which he dangled before her eyes. ‘We can go and see it now, and if you like it I can tell the landlord definitely we’ll have it. You’ll love it, Mary! Honest to God, you’ll just love it!’
‘I haven’t got time to go and see it now!’ Even as she spoke Mary knew she was being contrary, but she felt so tired. ‘I’ve got to go and see me mam.’
‘We’ve got a chance of a lovely house and you haven’t got the time to go and see it!’ Harry look stunned. ‘I’ve got to give the keys back tomorrow and tell the man whether we want it or not.’ He clicked his tongue. ‘Make up your mind, Mary! D’you want to move or not? We’ll never get another chance like this, I’m telling you! It’s a lovely house, in a nice area, and it’s as clean as a whistle. There’s a sitting room for your mam, and a row of shops at the top of the road. What more d’you want? So, are you coming to see it, or not?’
Harry had never used this tone to her before, and without thinking she reacted. ‘Yeah, OK! We can go on the way to the hospital and then we can tell me mam about it.’
Letting his breath out slowly, Harry felt the knots in his tummy loosening. He’d been so excited about the house that Mary’s lack of enthusiasm had disappointed him. ‘What time shall I call for you?’
Mary looked down at her swollen feet. ‘I wanted to put me feet up for an hour, ’cos they’re aching. With standing all day, me ankles are swollen. Will half five be time enough?’
Harry looked at the puffiness hanging over her shoes and was angry with himself for being so sharp with her. ‘I’ll be glad when you’ve packed in work. It’s far too much for you!’ He pecked her cheek. ‘Get on the couch for an hour and I’ll call at half five.’
When they got off the bus in Moss Lane, Mary gazed at the tree-lined road. Oh, it was nice around here! She could visualise herself pushing a pram under the branches of the trees and admiring the neatly kept gardens in front of the houses. It was what Eileen would call ‘proper posh’.
They turned into a side road, and a few doors down, Harry stopped. ‘Well, this is it!’
While he was opening the door Mary looked at the well kept houses on either side. She could feel her interest growing, and when Harry stepped aside to let her go in first she felt a stirring in her tummy as though the house was welcoming her. The hall she found herself in was long and narrow, with the stairs facing and two doors on the right.
Harry opened the first door with a flourish. ‘Your sitting room, Madam!’ It was a square room and the first thing to catch Mary’s eye was the tiled fireplace on the wall opposite. No more blackleading or polishing the brasses, she thought. Then she saw the tall bay windows, which had pretty floral curtains hanging from them. ‘Ooh, aren’t the windows lovely!’ She turned to Harry who was watching her face intently. ‘Who do the curtains belong to?’
‘They go with the house! The previous tenants moved out quickly when the blitz was on, and they didn’t take them down.’
‘It’s a lovely room.’ Mary was almost talking to herself. ‘Me mam would love it because it’s so bright, and she’d be able to watch the people passing.’
‘Come and see the rest of it.’ Harry took her hand and led her into the next room. To Mary, who was used to the small space in their two-up-two-down, the room seemed enormous. It had a tiled fireplace the same as the one in the front room, and there were cupboards built into the recesses on either side of the chimney breast. She hardly had time to take it all in when Harry opened a door at the far side of the room, and she gasped with pleasure. The kitchen was twice the size of the one at home, and there were shelves fitted along the walls, and a tall blue and white kitchen cabinet beside a large white sink. ‘Ooh, it’s beautiful!’
‘Wait till you see upstairs.’ Harry’s spirits were rising as he pulled Mary up the stairs. ‘There’s a bathroom, so you won’t have to be running down the yard for much longer.’
There were two large bedrooms and a small box room. The rooms were all light and airy, and there were gay coloured curtains on all the windows. Harry left the bathroom till the last, and was rewarded by the pleasure on Mary’s face as she imagined herself soaking in the large white bath. No more tin bath in front of the fire while her mam sat in the kitchen, worrying in case anyone called.
‘We can make the box room into a nice bedroom for the baby,’ Harry said. ‘And if your mam ever gets well enough to climb the stairs she can have the back bedroom.’
Even the implication that she and Harry would be sharing the front bedroom didn’t dampen Mary’s spirits. She’d fallen in love with the house.
‘You like it, then?’ His voice was anxious. ‘Everywhere’s nice and clean so we could move in and decorate at our leisure.’
‘Are all the curtains being left? Ours wouldn’t go anywhere near these windows.’
‘They’re all being left! And have you noticed all the rooms have got oilcl
oth on the floors?’ In his excitement Harry had put his arm round Mary’s waist, and now he drew her closer. ‘We wouldn’t have to do much, really. If we can use some of your mam’s stuff till we get settled in, then there’s no reason why we can’t get married as soon as you like.’
‘The rents round here are pretty high, aren’t they? Can you afford it?’
‘If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be going for it! If you like the house I’ll put a month’s rent down tomorrow, and it’s ours.’
‘It is a lovely house.’ Mary’s voice was wistful. ‘It’s got a nice feel to it, as though the people who lived here before were happy.’
Harry looked at his watch. ‘You haven’t got time to see down the yard or you’ll be late for the hospital. But there’s another lavatory down there, and a wash house with a boiler and running water.’
‘Me mam will love it!’ It was so long since anything nice had happened, Mary felt like bursting into tears. ‘I can’t wait for her to see it.’
Harry forced himself to take his arm from her waist. If they didn’t go soon he wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation to kiss her. And he knew she wasn’t ready for that yet. ‘We won’t tell your mam about it tonight. Wait till we’ve got the key and the rent book. I’ll come in with you tomorrow because I want to see her face when you tell her.’
‘Don’t forget I knew yez when yer had nowt! So don’t be puttin’ airs and graces on with me!’ Eileen had been with them to see the new house and had insisted on going to the hospital with them, saying she wanted to see Martha’s face, too. They were walking up the long path and Eileen was puffing and blowing. ‘This bloody path seems to get longer every time I come.’
‘If you didn’t talk so much, you wouldn’t get out of breath.’ Mary took hold of her friend’s arm and looked across at Harry who was walking on the other side of Eileen. ‘Get hold of her arm and we’ll give her a push up.’
As Harry took her arm, Eileen doubled up with laughter. And the more she laughed the more she gasped for breath. ‘I’ve got a stitch in me side now! For God’s sake don’t make me laugh any more, or I’ll wet meself.’
‘We haven’t said a word!’ Both Mary and Harry were laughing without knowing why. But Eileen’s laugh was so infectious, even people passing them on the path were turning to smile.
After a few minutes Eileen stood up straight. Taking a deep breath, she said, ‘Not a word out of either of yer, or yer’ll start me off again.’
‘What are you blaming us for?’ Mary asked. ‘We haven’t opened our mouths.’
‘It wasn’t what yez said that started me off. It was what me imagination added to it!’ Eileen looked from one to the other. ‘D’you remember when we were kids, and we used to give each other a piggy back?’ She looked at the puzzled expressions on their faces and shook her head. ‘Yer a miserable pair of buggers, you are! Anyway, I imagined Harry giving me a piggy back, an’ he ended up in ’ossie, and I had to come and visit him every night.’
Mary was the first to recover from a laughing fit. ‘Come on, you two! They’ve got notices up all over the place asking people to be quiet in the hospital grounds, and here’s us laughing our heads off!’
‘Then make her shut up!’ Harry was holding his side. His imagination was as vivid as Eileen’s and he could picture himself struggling up the path with the big woman on his back.
‘I’ll be as good as gold.’ Eileen put her hand on where she thought her heart was. ‘As our Billy would say, I cross me heart and hope to die.’
Martha got a shock when she saw the trio walking towards the bed with red-rimmed eyes. They didn’t greet her, either, but stood silently at the bottom of the bed. Then, unable to contain themselves any longer, they all burst out laughing. ‘What’s up with you three?’
‘Two of us are all right,’ Harry told her. ‘But the third should be in a looney bin.’
‘You frightened the living daylights out of me! I thought something was wrong.’
‘Nothing’s wrong, Mrs B! In fact everything’s hunky-dory!’ Harry looked at Mary. ‘Go on, tell her the news.’
Martha had to keep asking Mary to stop because she couldn’t take it all in. Her head was spinning as her daughter described all the rooms in the house, the big windows, the lovely curtains and the wash house. ‘It sounds lovely, lass!’
Eileen had been dying to get her two pennyworth in. ‘Yer’ve got a bathroom upstairs with a lavvy in! No more sittin’ down the yard in the freezin’ cold gettin’ yer backside frozen while yer’ve got yer foot against the door in case someone bursts in while yer ’aving a sweet one! An’ no bits of newspaper hanging on a nail in the wall, either! Yer’ll have to have proper toilet paper, an’ yer backside’ll think it’s its birthday!’ An arm under the mountainous bosom, she pushed it upwards. ‘It’ll be me best hat an’ coat when I visit yez there!’ Her cheeks moved upwards as her forehead came down in a frown. ‘Talkin’ of coats … which we wasn’t … when do I ’ave to buy me Paris model for the big day?’
‘We haven’t made any definite plans yet.’ Mary’s answer was quick, but Harry’s was quicker. ‘There’s nothing to stop us! You can give your notice in tomorrow, leave work next Friday, and move on the Saturday. We could be married the following Saturday because the banns will have been read out three times by then.’
‘But there’s so much to do!’ Mary argued. ‘I’ll never get all the packing done in time.’
Martha shared the frustration she saw on Harry’s face. ‘You’d be best sitting down, just the two of you, and sorting things out.’ Her eyes held those of her future son-in-law. ‘But you’ll have to put your foot down with her, Harry! I’ve always seen to everything, and Mary’s never had any responsibility.’
‘I’m not a child!’ Mary was indignant. ‘I can look after meself.’
Eileen heard Harry mutter under his breath, ‘You could have fooled me,’ and decided it was time to change the subject, quick. ‘With all the excitement, Mrs B, we haven’t even asked ’ow yer are?’
Martha smiled gratefully. ‘I’m fine, thanks, Eileen! Looking forward to coming home.’
Eileen tried to bring back the pleasure they’d all felt when they’d entered the ward, but even her tales of young Billy did little to lighten the tension. And when she bent to say goodbye to Martha, she winked and whispered, ‘Yer’d think these two were plannin’ a wake, instead of a wedding!’
As soon as they got home Mary made a beeline for the kitchen. ‘I’ll stick the …’ her words were cut off as Harry grabbed her arm and swung her round. ‘Oh, no you don’t! You think a cup of tea is the answer to everything! You’ll sit down and listen to what I’ve got to say, and like it! I’m fed-up being treated like a little boy, and I don’t intend to take any more of it.’ He pushed her down on the couch and stood over her. ‘I’ve been as patient as I can be, and I’ve made allowances for what you’ve been through. But we’re not playing Mothers and Fathers, Mary! You’ve got to make up your mind, once and for all, what you want to do.’ This was the Harry who was used to giving orders and having them obeyed, and Mary was stunned into silence. ‘I can give the key back tomorrow, even though I’ll lose the month’s deposit, and forget the whole thing, if that’s what you want.’ His face told Mary he meant every word of it. ‘It’s not what I want, but I’d rather do that than go on as we are now. I just can’t win with you, no matter what I do! You shut me out as though I don’t exist, and I will not be ignored, Mary! Either you meet me half way or we call it a day. It’s up to you, but I want your answer now! If I take that key back, I’ll never look for another house.’
‘I’ve said I’ll marry you.’ Mary looked up at him. ‘It’s just that I don’t think we can do things as soon as you think.’
‘You’ve said you’ll marry me!’ There was no mirth in Harry’s laugh. ‘You sound as though you’re buying a three piece on the never-never! We’re talking of marriage, Mary, and that means spending our life together! So, we sit down now and make all th
e arrangements for the wedding, or we call the whole thing off.’
Mary’s mind was racing as she considered life with Harry, and what her life would be like without him. ‘We’ll get married when you want to.’
‘Not just like that we won’t! You make it sound as though I’m asking you to sign your death warrant, instead of asking you to marry me!’
‘What d’you want from me? D’you want me to crawl!?’
‘That’s what you’re expecting me to do! You want me to give, but you don’t want to give anything in return! How can a marriage work if we’re not even friends? If we don’t even have a friendship going between us, what chance do we have of being happy together?’
‘I’ve asked you to give me time.’ Mary’s wide eyes almost melted Harry’s resolve. ‘I’m not as outgoing as you, and I don’t make friends easy.’
‘But you don’t even try to be friends with me! I watched you tonight with your mam and Eileen. You’re a completely different person when you’re with them.’ He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I love you, Mary, but I couldn’t live with you if you’re going to treat me like a stranger. I’m only human and I need more than that.’
‘You deserve more than that, too!’ Mary whispered. ‘Just be patient with me, Harry, and I promise I’ll change.’
‘Prove it! Give your notice in tomorrow, let me make arrangements with the removal man to move house a week on Saturday, and see Father Murphy about getting married the Saturday after.’
It was midnight when Harry left for home … every last detail planned. As he was going out of the door, he said, ‘I’ll take an hour off in the morning and go and tell your mam.’
‘But why? We can tell her tomorrow night!’
‘Your mam was worried when we left her tonight, Mary! Let’s not keep her worrying any longer than she has to, eh?’