Many a Tear has to Fall

by Joan Jonker

‘He’d be very pleased to see you, Lizzie, and so would me and the girls. You’ll always be welcome here.’

  ‘Don’t stand here talking all night, missus, I’m losing valuable drinking time. If ye’re coming out with me, get moving.’ Ken held his arms out and gave the girls a hug and a kiss. ‘I’ll see yer soon.’ He turned towards the door. ‘Which way d’yer go, Lizzie?’

  ‘Down Northfield Road to Hawthorne Road. I live in Willard Street, just off Hawthorne.’

  ‘Go ’way!’ Ken came back to stand in front of her. ‘We’re practically neighbours! I live in Elizabeth Road, off Monfa.’

  ‘Yer don’t say! Well I never! Fancy living so near and never seeing each other before! Now that’s what I call a coincidence.’

  ‘You’ve probably passed each other dozens of times but never taken any notice,’ Ann said. ‘It’s easily done.’

  ‘What!’ Ken laughed. ‘With hair her colour, yer couldn’t miss her!’ He stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. ‘Which pub does your feller drink in?’

  ‘The Linacre.’

  ‘That’s where I drink! This is unbelievable!’

  Lizzie grinned. ‘Ye’re not going to tell me I’m yer long-lost sister, are yer?’

  ‘What’s yer second name, Lizzie?’

  She squared her shoulders and rose to her full height. Even the hairs on her head seemed to stand to attention. ‘Ferguson, and proud of it.’

  Ken slapped his thighs and chuckled. ‘Ye’re Ginger’s wife! Well I’ll be blowed! Just wait until I tell him I’ve spent an hour in a bedroom with his missus. Holy suffering ducks, I can’t wait to see his face.’

  ‘I don’t think yer’ll have time to see his face, lad, ’cos yer’ll be flat out on the floor. He’s a mild man most of the time is my Norman, but if he ever loses his temper then yer’d better look out. If he thinks ye’re blackening my name, he’ll belt yer one before yer’ve got time to tell him it was a joke. So if I were in your shoes, I’d choose me words carefully, otherwise yer might not be in a fit state to drink one pint, never mind three.’

  ‘Nah, he’s got a sense of humour has Ginger! I’ve known him for donkey’s years and he’s a real nice bloke.’

  The girls had been quietly listening with interest, but now Tess asked, ‘If his name’s Norman, why do you call him Ginger?’

  ‘Because of the colour of his hair, pet. It’s not as red as Lizzie’s, more ginger, like.’ Ken was looking pleased with himself. ‘This is a turn-up for the books, I can’t get over it! Why d’yer never come to the pub with him, Lizzie?’

  ‘Better things to spend me money on, lad. And I don’t think a pub is the place for a lady, anyhow.’ She pointed a stiffened finger at him. ‘Don’t yer dare say anything about me not being a lady, or yer won’t even make it to the flaming pub.’

  ‘Come on.’ Ken took her arm. ‘We can talk about it as we walk. I’m wasting drinking time standing here nattering.’

  Ann followed them to the door. ‘I hope you two don’t come to blows.’

  Lizzie winked. ‘No, I only pick on someone me own size, not a skinny weakling like yer brother-in-law. We’ll get along fine as long as he behaves himself.’ She linked her arm through Ken’s. ‘Seeing as ye’re going to tell everyone we’ve spent time together in the bedroom, we might as well give them something to talk about.’ She raised her voice. ‘Come along, darling, I thought yer were eager for an early night in bed.’

  Ann didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or watch for the neighbours’ curtains moving. She could see the funny side, though, when Ken’s feet nearly left the ground as Lizzie tugged hard on his arm, saying in her loud voice, ‘My, my, we are eager.’

  When they’d turned the corner and were out of sight, Ann returned to the parlour to find the girls making the bed up. She didn’t realise she had a smile on her face until Maddy asked, ‘What are yer smiling at, Mam? Did Mrs Lizzie say something funny?’

  ‘No, love, I’m smiling because your dad’s coming home tomorrow. Just think, this time tomorrow he’ll be in this bed and we’ll be sitting talking to him.’

  ‘I’ll be holding his hand and kissing him,’ Tess said. ‘I’m going to give him a kiss for every day he’s been away.’

  ‘Me too,’ Maddy said, plumping a pillow. ‘I can’t wait to hug him.’

  ‘Seeing as I’m his wife, and the eldest, I get first turn,’ Ann told them, starting to feel the excitement rise. ‘That’s only fair, I think. But you’ll have plenty of time for hugs and kisses, as long as you remember you can’t be too rough with him because he’s still in pain.’

  Tess took her words to heart. ‘We’ll be very gentle with him, Mam, honest.’

  Ann was out by nine o’clock the next morning to get her shopping in, and she wasted no time. The shops were only around the corner and she kept her eyes peeled for sight of an ambulance. At twelve o’clock she was still keeping watch, with the girls, from the parlour window. ‘I thought he would have been here by now.’

  ‘They won’t have changed their minds about letting him out, will they?’ Tess had been going to the front door almost every five minutes, which made the waiting time seem longer. ‘I’ll cry if they have.’

  ‘Of course they won’t have changed their minds. Matron told me they would have to wait until an ambulance was available, and that could be any time because a lot of people take sick and need an ambulance urgently. We’ll just have to be patient, that’s all.’ Ann was a bundle of nerves herself, but she tried not to let it show. ‘I’ll make us a pot of tea and some sandwiches to keep us going.’

  ‘Can we have them in here, Mam?’ Maddy asked. ‘So we can keep watch out of the window.’

  At that moment an ambulance pulled up outside and the girls flew past their mother and out of the front door. She hurried after them and held them back as the driver and another man came around to open the back doors of the vehicle. They were pleasant men and smiled at the group waiting eagerly to welcome home the patient. ‘Is he going upstairs, missus?’

  ‘No, I’ve had the bed brought down to the front parlour.’

  ‘God bless yer for that, missus. Stairs can be a killer when ye’re climbing them about ten times a day with a stretcher. It does yer back in.’ They stepped inside the ambulance and Ann heard one of them saying, ‘Not long now, Mr Richardson, before ye’re back in yer own bed.’ Then his colleague said, ‘Yer family are here waiting for yer.’

  It was then the thought passed through Ann’s mind that perhaps George might not want his children to see him being carried on a stretcher. Particularly with Theresa’s delicate disposition. ‘Look, girls, we’re going to have to move because we’ll only be in the way. Why don’t you two go inside and make your dad a welcome-home cup of tea? I’m sure he hasn’t had a decent cup of tea since he went into hospital. Will you do that for him?’

  With anxious eyes trying to see what was going on in the ambulance, and eager to have first sight of their father, the sisters weren’t very enthusiastic about going inside now. But a gentle prod from their mother sent them up the steps and through to the kitchen. While outside, Ann watched the stretcher being lifted and could feel her heart pounding. If she stayed there, she knew she’d burst out crying when she saw George and it was the last thing she wanted. ‘I’ll go and see everything is clear for you. It’s the first door on the right.’ With that she fled inside and gave herself a good talking-to. She was behaving like a child, and if the girls saw her crying it would set them off. Pull yourself together, you silly woman, you don’t want your husband to come home to a crying match.

  ‘In here, missus?’ The men took a few seconds to manoeuvre the stretcher through the parlour door, but after that it was plain sailing and George was soon in his own bed, with Ann fussing over the pillows. ‘Ye’re a lucky man, Mr Richardson.’ It was the driver who spoke over his shoulder as he was leaving the room. ‘Not everyone gets this kind of welcome.’

  ‘Thank you, you’ve been very kind.’ George gestured to his wife. �
�See them out, will you please, love?’

  Maddy and Tess had been listening with their ears to the door, and when Ann returned it was to find them smothering their father’s face with kisses. And the look on his face was absolute bliss. The three of them were laughing and crying, but, thank God, the tears were of joy. ‘Ay, I thought we’d decided that I was to be the first to greet your father?’

  Tess looked across the bed at her sister. ‘You tell her, Maddy.’

  ‘Yes, you decided, Mam, but we didn’t say we agreed, did we?’

  ‘You cheeky beggars! Now, have you made that pot of tea?’

  ‘Yes, and we’ve set the tray all posh,’ Tess said. ‘Dad’s going to be treated very special today.’

  Maddy nodded. ‘Waited on hand and foot. We’ll be at his beck and call until we go back to school on Monday morning.’

  ‘There’s no time like the present to start, so off you go and bring the tea in.’ Ann waited until they’d left the room before making her way to the bed. She had just pressed her lips on to her husband’s when there was a knock on the front door. She closed her eyes and moaned. ‘Oh dear, who can this be? Probably a hawker trying to sell something. I won’t be a minute.’

  It wasn’t a hawker, it was Maisie from next door, and she was holding out a bunch of flowers. ‘These are from me and the Critchleys, just to tell George we’re glad he’s back home again.’

  ‘Oh, Maisie, they’re lovely!’ Ann pressed her nose to the red roses, pink carnations and white marguerites. ‘What a nice thought! George will be over the moon! Thank you!’

  ‘I won’t keep yer ’cos I know he’s just got home.’ She grinned and said, ‘I just happened to glance through my window and saw the ambulance. And if yer believe that, yer’ll believe anything. Me and the kids have been watching all morning.’

  ‘What about us? We’ve been on pins since nine o’clock. But he’s home at last, and I can’t express how happy I feel.’

  ‘Go and tell him, and when ye’re doling out yer kisses, slip one in for me. Ta-ra now, I’ll see yer tomorrow.’

  ‘Thanks, Maisie.’ Ann turned to find her daughters wide-eyed at the huge bunch of flowers.

  ‘Can we put them in a vase, Mam, and they can go in the parlour so me Dad can see them?’ Tess was holding out her arms. ‘Please?’

  ‘I’ll help her, Mam,’ Maddy said. ‘I’ll look for the vases.’

  Ann handed over the flowers. ‘Give me and your father five minutes together, please. I haven’t even had a kiss yet.’

  ‘We’ll let you have ten minutes,’ Maddy said, with mock seriousness. ‘I’ll put the cosy over the teapot to keep it warm, but don’t be too long.’

  Ann closed the parlour door behind her and crossed to the bed where George was watching her with hunger in his eyes. ‘We’ve got ten minutes, love, before our daughters come knocking with the tea. So can we get our kissing over before I ask you how you are, and is it all right if I sit on the side of the bed?’

  George reached for her hand. ‘I’m still in pain, love, but it’s bearable, now I’m home. And yes, you can sit on the side of the bed. And yes, you can sleep in this bed with me, tonight and every night.’ He reached up, put a hand behind her head and brought it down so their lips were touching. ‘I have a few things to tell you, but they’ll wait. This is far more important, seeing as our daughters have only given us ten minutes.’

  Chapter Eleven

  ‘You’re making excellent progress, Mr Richardson.’ Dr Greenshields snapped his bag shut and transferred it from the bed to the floor. ‘And it is in no small way due to yourself and your determination to get better.’

  George was sitting on the side of the bed, pulling on his trousers. ‘How long before I can go back to work, Doctor? It’s been eight weeks now.’

  ‘Ask me in another two weeks and we’ll discuss it then. The bones seem to be mending nicely, but we don’t want to overdo it.’ The doctor had been calling once every week to examine George, and he had come to admire him for his fortitude. ‘You have done very well, keeping to the exercises, but it would be silly to rush things. I can understand you wanting to get back to work as soon as possible, but it would be foolhardy not to recognise the risks in attempting something you are not yet fit for.’

  George stood up and pulled his braces over his shoulders. ‘It’s my job I’m worried about, I can’t afford to lose it.’

  ‘Under the circumstances, I’m sure your employer is sympathetic.’ Dr Greenshields placed his tall hard hat on his head, using both hands to set it straight. ‘As the accident was caused by the negligence of one of his workers, I don’t think he can sack you even if he wanted to.’

  ‘Oh, he could if he wanted to, there’s nothing to stop him. You see, workers don’t have any rights. But he’s a good man and wouldn’t do that. He has assured me there will be a job waiting for me as soon as I’m fit. It won’t be my old job, because of the heavy lifting, more like office work, really. Lighter work, with less hours, but a big drop in pay.’

  ‘No matter how light the work, I can’t sign you off as being fit if I don’t think you are. I won’t call next week because you don’t really need me. But I’ll call the week after, and if you have continued to improve I will no doubt say you may start work the following Monday. Until then, keep up the exercises.’ The doctor nodded a goodbye before opening the parlour door to find Ann hovering outside. ‘Your husband is doing very well, Mrs Richardson, very well indeed.’

  Ann saw him out, then hastened to the parlour. ‘Well, love, what did he say?’

  George was sitting on the bed looking a picture of dejection. On a big sigh, he said, ‘I’m doing fine, but he won’t sign me off for at least another two weeks.’

  Ann dropped down beside him and put an arm across his shoulders. ‘He’s the doctor, love, so he knows what he’s talking about. Two weeks isn’t so bad, it’ll soon pass.’

  Her husband didn’t answer right away. Mr Fisher was still paying him the same wages, which Lizzie brought every Saturday, but George hadn’t told his wife that the last time his boss came to see him, it was to tell him about the job he would be going back to. One which would make his wage packet nearly six shillings a week lighter. He hadn’t mentioned it to his wife because he saw no point in worrying her until he had to. They barely made ends meet now, so how would they manage with six shillings a week less? But he had to tell her, it was only fair to warn her.

  George took his wife’s arm from around his shoulder and held her hand. Looking into her eyes, he said, ‘I haven’t been honest with you, love, because I didn’t want to worry you. I told you when Mr Fisher came to see me that he had offered me a lighter job, one with no lifting. But what I didn’t tell you was that the new job pays less money and I’ll be dropping nearly six shillings a week.’

  Ann’s heart sank. Six shillings a week was a lot of money, they’d never be able to manage. But her gaze stayed fixed on his face. Not for any money would she upset him, not after all he’d been through. ‘We’ll just have to make the best of it, love. The main thing is you’re on the mend, and that’s more important to me than money.’

  ‘You can’t live without money, Ann, and we’ve had a struggle to manage on what I’ve been earning. With so much less coming in, we’ll have to starve ourselves to get by.’

  ‘We can’t alter things, love, so we’ll just have to grin and bear it. It won’t be for that long, because Madelaine leaves school in nine months’ time and we’ll have her wage coming in.’

  George managed a crooked grin. ‘Ann, love, Maddy will be lucky if she starts work on four shillings a week. By the time her fares and pocket money are taken out, plus her carry-out, there’ll be little left. And while I know she would pass all her money over if she thought we needed it, I don’t want that to happen. I couldn’t live with myself if I thought she couldn’t have what the other girls she’ll be working with have. She’ll be making friends and I don’t want her tied down to helping the family. New clothes a
nd a few coppers in her pocket so she can go out and enjoy herself, that’s what I want for her. She’ll be starting on the road to becoming a young woman, and I want her to know the fun and sense of freedom that I knew when I was her age. Out with her mates, not tied down to helping support the family.’

  ‘Then I’ll look for a part-time job to make up the difference,’ Ann said, hoping to take the look of failure from his face. ‘A couple of hours each morning when the girls are at school. We’ll manage, love, I know we will.’

  George patted her hand, thinking how little his wife knew of what went on outside her home. She didn’t know that there were so many men out of work their wives had taken any kind of jobs to bring a few bob into the house. But the only work they could get was menial work, like scrubbing floors or taking in washing. He couldn’t see Ann doing either. She was an intelligent woman who would be good at any type of office work, if she could get it. But from what he knew, most firms were employing young girls because they were cheap labour. ‘We’ll worry about it when the time comes, eh, love? My mother always used to say, “Don’t go looking for trouble because it’ll find you soon enough.” So let’s take her advice, shall we?’

  ‘Yes, we’ll do that.’ Ann got to her feet. ‘I’ll make us a nice pot of tea. I bet you could do with one after being put through your paces.’

  ‘Oh, it’s not so bad, only a case of lying on the bed and the doctor pressing lightly on the bottom of my back. There’s no real pain now, it’s just tender in parts.’

  ‘Come on through to the living room and we’ll have a quiet cuppa before the girls come home for their lunch. And when they go back to school you can walk to the shops with me for a bit of exercise. I need to get something in for our dinner tonight.’

  Following on his wife’s heels, George said, ‘D’you know what I fancy? A sheet of bacon ribs with cabbage cooked in the water. My mouth’s watering at the thought.’

  ‘Then you shall have it, my love. It’s the girls’ favourite, so they’ll be delighted. But let’s not tell them, eh? Let it be a nice surprise.’