by Joan Jonker
‘What about me, Mam?’ Tess was wearing her stubborn expression. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me who I want to invite?’
‘Of course I am, love! I wouldn’t leave you out!’
Tess was expecting opposition and her fears caused a tone of defiance to enter her voice. ‘I’d like to invite Jack and Willy, from next door.’
Ann’s jaw dropped for a second. ‘I beg your pardon! That’s quite out of the question, Theresa, and you know it.’
‘Why? You said we could invite a friend, and Maddy’s asking James and Billy, so why can’t I ask who I like?’
‘I’m not going to argue with you, Theresa, so let’s leave it at that. Invite one of your friends from school, or two if you wish.’
‘I don’t want to ask anyone from school! Jack and Willy are my friends, so why can’t they come? After all, it’s my birthday, and I should be allowed to invite who I like.’
‘I don’t want the Bingham boys in my house. And I’m sure your father will agree with me when he comes in.’
‘They’re not bad lads, Mam,’ Maddy said, seeing the distress on her sister’s face. ‘In fact they’re quite nice. They can’t help the way their mother is.’
‘I don’t want to hear any more on the subject, Madelaine, so leave things be.’
‘But that’s not fair!’ Tess was near to tears. ‘You’re taking it out on the boys because you don’t like their mother, and that’s mean.’ With that she ran up the stairs and they could hear the door bang behind her.
Ann looked bewildered. ‘What on earth’s got into her? But she can sulk as much as she likes, I will not have the Bingham boys in this house.’
‘I’m sorry, Mam, but I agree with Tess,’ Maddy said. ‘The party is for both our birthdays, and if I can invite who I like, then she should be able to. She gets on well with Jack and Willy, they’re her friends.’
Ann was surprised. It was very seldom that either of her daughters answered her back and she was at a loss how to react. ‘Madelaine, everyone in the street shuns the Binghams, with good reason, yet you and Theresa expect me to befriend them? You’re really asking too much of me.’
‘Because other people shun them it doesn’t mean it’s right. Or that we should do the same thing. It must be awful for those two boys with no one speaking to them. They’ve never harmed anyone.’
‘We’ll discuss it later when your father’s here. Now go upstairs and tell Theresa to come down and stop being childish.’
When Maddy came down, however, it was without her sister. ‘She won’t come, Mam, no matter what I say. You know how stubborn she can be. And she said she doesn’t want any dinner ’cos she’s not hungry.’
‘What an obstinate child she is. Well I won’t be blackmailed into giving her her own way, so she can stay up there until your father comes in. Let him deal with her.’
‘I’ll go and sit with her for a while,’ Maddy said. ‘Keep her company.’
‘Where are the girls?’ George asked. ‘I didn’t see them in the street.’
‘They’re both upstairs. Theresa refuses to come down because she’s taken a fit of the sulks because I won’t give her her own way, and Madelaine is keeping her company.’
‘What brought this on?’
‘I suggest you go upstairs and ask Theresa yourself, while I’m putting the dinner out. See if you don’t agree with me when I say that what she wants is out of the question.’
Ten minutes later Ann was standing at the foot of the stairs wondering what they were talking about and why it was taking so long. ‘Will you come down now, your dinner’s ready.’
George appeared on the tiny landing, and looking down at his wife said, ‘Will you put the dinners in the oven for five minutes, love, I want to talk to you.’
‘Won’t it wait until we’ve eaten? The dinner will get all dried up in the oven.’
George turned and looked back into the bedroom where his two daughters were sitting on the bed. ‘I won’t be long. Come when I call you.’ He closed the door so no words would carry up to them, then came down the stairs two at a time. ‘Let’s sit and sort this silly argument out, love, before things are said that aren’t meant but can’t be taken back.’
‘I don’t see there’s anything to sort out. I’ve made my position clear, but Theresa is being childish and stubborn. I suppose she’s told you who she wants to invite to the birthday party?’
‘Yes, she has.’ George took one of his wife’s hands and held it between his. ‘And I don’t feel as strongly about it as you obviously do. It is not your party, or my party, but one for the girls. And I believe they should ask the friends they wish to ask. Whether we agree with their choice doesn’t really come into it.’ He let out a deep sigh. ‘I really don’t think you or I have the right to brand two young boys as being unfit to be friends with our children when we don’t even know them. They’ve never done anything to annoy or harm us, have they?’
‘No, but their mother is enough to tell us what the family is like. I don’t think they are suitable friends for Theresa, and I’m surprised you’re taking her side in this.’
‘I’m not taking sides, love, just saying what I think is right. And from what I’ve heard, Theresa feels very strongly about it. You know she hardly ever speaks ill of anyone and likes everyone to be friendly and happy. Apparently she’s taken a liking to Jack and Willy from next door, and I for one am not going to tell her they aren’t good enough for her. And I don’t think you should, either. She’s a very loving girl, very tender-hearted, and I wouldn’t want her to change one little bit.’ George rubbed a finger over the back of his wife’s hand. ‘I think you should trust Tess in her choice of friends, and I think you should give the lads next door the benefit of the doubt.’
It was Ann’s turn to let out a deep sigh. ‘I started to realise I was being too hasty when Madelaine took Theresa’s side. You are right, and the girls are right. It was wicked of me to think badly of the boys without knowing them. I’ll go up and tell Theresa I’m sorry and I would like her to invite her friends from next door.’
George leaned forward and kissed her. ‘I remember when I was little, my dad used to sing a song that never failed to make me cry. I think it was called “And a Little Child Shall Lead Them”. Our Tess reminds me of that child.’
Chapter Twenty-four
Maddy linked Lizzie’s arm as they walked down the street. Her heart was thumping like mad at the prospect of being interviewed for her first job. ‘I’m shaking like a leaf, Mrs Lizzie. I hope I don’t go all tongue-tied and make a fool of myself.’
‘Of course yer won’t, queen, yer’ll be fine! I’ll be there, and I’ll make sure they don’t eat yer.’ Lizzie glanced sideways. ‘Tess looked as though she’s either got a cold or she’s been crying. Or was I imagining things?’
‘She was upset over something.’ Maddy thought of telling a white lie and making light of it, but she didn’t really want to lie to this woman. ‘If I tell you, will you promise not to repeat it? I don’t think my mam would be happy for me to tell tales out of school.’
‘I’ll not say a word, queen, yer have my promise on that.’
‘It was nothing to cry about, really, but Tess does get upset easily.’ Maddy went on to tell the tale. ‘I admired her for sticking up for her friends, and I said so. And our dad must have agreed because he had a word with our mam while we were upstairs. I don’t know what was said, but our mam came up and said she’d been wrong, and that Tess could invite anyone she liked to the party.’
‘I should think so too! I feel sorry for those lads, the poor buggers always look lost, as though they haven’t got a friend in the world.’
‘They’ve got a good friend in Tess, Mrs Lizzie, ’cos she’s very loyal to her friends. Anyway, it’s all been sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction. I invite James and Billy, and Tess is asking the Bingham boys.’
‘And that’s how it should be. What’s the good of having a birthday party if yer can only invite yer enem
ies?’ They were outside the side entrance to the shop when Lizzie chuckled. ‘She’s strong-willed is yer sister, and she sticks to her guns. Good luck to her.’
‘Don’t you think you should be saying good luck to me?’ Maddy’s tummy was doing somersaults as Lizzie knocked on the door. ‘I’m going to need it.’
They could hear boxes being dragged away from the back of the door before it opened. ‘Come in, Lizzie, if yer can get in. There’s no room to breathe in this hall.’ Bert Green noticed the frightened look on the girl’s face as she passed him, and his heart went out to her. He could still remember how he’d felt when he’d gone for his first job interview. Not only had he been afraid of being thought stupid and not getting the job, but he’d been embarrassed because he was wearing short trousers. His mam had said she couldn’t afford to buy him long kecks until he started work and was bringing a few bob in. He could laugh about it now, but to a fourteen-year-old boy it wasn’t funny. ‘Mind yer don’t scratch yer legs on those boxes, sweetheart, or yer’ll end up with loads of splinters.’
Maddy had hold of the back of Lizzie’s coat and was hanging on tight until a voice croaked, ‘Have a heart, queen, ye’re bleedin’ choking me!’
Bert chortled. ‘That’s one way of shutting yer up, Lizzie! I’ve thought of many ways over the years, but Maddy’s got a winner there. Hang on, girl, and perhaps we’ll be able to talk without interruption.’
Being called by her first name calmed Maddy’s nerves somewhat, and she was able to smile and say, ‘Ooh, I don’t want to choke Mrs Lizzie, so shall I just put my hand over her mouth to stop her from talking?’
‘Holy suffering ducks!’ Lizzie pulled her coat free. ‘I was fighting for me breath there!’ She glared at Bert. ‘Don’t you be teaching her all the wrong things, or her mam will have yer life. She’s come to see if yer’ll let her work behind yer counter, not kill the customers off.’
‘Oh, I didn’t want her to kill yer off, Lizzie, I can’t afford to lose a customer. I just thought perhaps a little bit of torture, if yer see what I mean.’
‘Will yer let the girl in, please?’ Lily called from her speck on the orange box. ‘Before she thinks we’re all stark staring mad and takes to her heels and runs away.’
Maddy gazed around the storeroom, which was bursting at the seams with items of every size and description. There was everything in the room except chairs. ‘I’ll stand up, Mrs Lizzie, you can sit on the orange box with Mrs Green.’
‘I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t yer take Maddy through to the shop, Bert, and let her have a look around.’ Lizzie parked her backside next to Lily and folded her arms. ‘Yer’ll be able to hear yerselves talk in there, without me and Lily butting in. Ask each other questions and see how yer get on. And don’t you be afraid to speak out, queen, ’cos Bert won’t bite yer head off. He can be quite nice when he puts his mind to it.’
‘What d’yer mean? I’m always nice! I’m the nicest, most loving person ye’re ever likely to meet, and Lily will vouch for that, won’t yer, sweetheart?’
Lizzie got in before his wife could answer. ‘Oh, we all know how loving yer are, smart-arse, we’ve only got to look at yer wife to see that.’
Bert thought the conversation was leading down a road which was unsuitable for young ears, so he cupped Maddy’s elbow and led her through to the shop. ‘This is it, sweetheart, nothing to write home about, is it?’
‘It looks different without any customers in.’ Maddy’s eyes were everywhere. There must be hundreds of items here, she thought, but everything seemed very organised. Shelves were neatly stacked, and the line of small drawers running under the shelves all had labels on to say what they contained. There was pepper, nutmeg, packets of custard powder, headache powders, gravy browning, tacks and curtain hooks. They were just the ones Maddy could take in before she realised Mr Green was talking to her.
‘This end of the long counter is used only for food stuffs, like tea, sugar, bacon and cooked meat. The other end is for newspapers, sweets and ciggies. That side counter is where we keep the trays of bread and cakes, and under the window, as yer can see, is where the firewood is kept, well away from the food. We sell small bags of coal and paraffin as well, but that’s all kept in the back yard.’
Maddy was looking at the many cards tacked to walls around the shop, from which were hanging babies’ dummies, hair nets, combs and nail files. ‘Mrs Lizzie said you sell everything under the sun, and she was right.’
‘Even Lizzie hasn’t seen everything. There are things we don’t put on display so as not to embarrass customers. Things like fine-tooth combs and sassafras oil. We’re very diplomatic when we serve those, ’cos people don’t want their neighbours to know the kids have fleas. Not that there’s anything to be ashamed of, most kids get them once they start school. I know I did, and I can remember me mam rubbing sassafras oil on me hair and me screaming me head off ’cos it didn’t half sting. The best of it was, she kept doing it even when she’d got rid of the blinking fleas!’
Maddy giggled. ‘Me and Tess don’t have any fleas, but our mam puts the oil on once a month, just to be on the safe side.’
When she smiled, Bert thought what a pretty girl she was. She was neatly turned out and very well spoken too, which was unusual in that neighbourhood. But she wasn’t stuck up or lacking in humour. And working in a shop you needed to have an ever present sense of humour combined with the patience of a saint. ‘Well, sweetheart, what are your thoughts on the matter? D’yer think yer’d like to work here?’
The nod and the wide smile came with, ‘Oh, I’d love to! That’s if you’d have me?’
Bert put a finger to his lips and moved quietly towards the stock room door. And there stood Lizzie, her head on one side and a hand cupped round an ear. ‘If yer can’t hear properly, missus, why don’t yer come in and join us?’
Lizzie waltzed in, not the least ashamed of having been caught out. ‘I’m just making sure the girl’s all right. She’s one of me best friends, so yer’d better watch yerself with her, Bert Green, or yer’ll have me to answer to.’ She winked at Maddy. ‘How far have yer got?’
It was the shopkeeper who answered. ‘Not as far as we would have been if you hadn’t decided to poke yer nose in. I think I’ll just stand back and let you do the honours, Lizzie.’
She rewarded him with a beaming smile. ‘Now ye’re talking sense, so I’ll continue with the interview. Maddy, queen, would yer like to work in this shop with Bert and Lily?’
The girl couldn’t keep a giggle back. Was there no end to what Mrs Lizzie would do? ‘I’d like to very much, if Mr Green thinks I’m suitable.’
‘Of course he thinks ye’re suitable, queen, he’s not daft. He knows a good thing when he sees one. So I’ll leave yer with him now to sort out the hours and wages. And don’t forget to tell him ye’re going away for a week’s holiday, so he knows where he’s up to.’
When Lizzie had gone back to her seat on the orange box, Bert grinned. ‘She’s a corker, isn’t she? But she’s a good woman, and her heart’s in the right place.’ He took a Fry’s Cream chocolate bar from a glass display and handed it to Maddy. ‘Split this with yer sister.’
Maddy backed away from him. ‘No, I can’t take that, you’ll never make a profit if you give things away.’
‘Oh, you and me are going to get on fine. Try telling my customers I’ve got to make a profit to live, and they call me all the tight-fisted so-and-so’s they can lay their tongue to. But I want yer to take this and share it with yer sister. Yer might never get the offer again.’
Maddy slipped the bar into the pocket of her cardie. ‘Thank you, that’s very kind of you.’
Bert leaned both arms on the counter. ‘Now let’s get down to business. The hours would be half eight until half five, six days a week, with an hour off for dinner. We open on a Sunday as well, but we wouldn’t expect you to work then unless it was an emergency. The wages would be five shillings a week to start, with a rise when yer’ve go
t some experience and can be left to serve on yer own without any help from me or Lily. Now how does that sound to yer?’
‘That sounds fine, Mr Green, but you do know I don’t leave school for another two weeks, don’t you? And then, as Mrs Lizzie said, I’m going to Wales for a week with my family. Would that be all right with you, or can’t you wait that long?’
‘The wife said she’ll carry on as normal for the next month, so we’ll manage. But what yer could do, if yer mam will let yer, is come in for an hour after school, or on a Saturday, just to get the feel of the place and familiarise yerself with where things are. I’d give you a couple of coppers for it, of course, I wouldn’t expect yer to do it for nothing.’
‘I’d like that, Mr Green, and I’m sure my parents will have no objection.’
‘Then let’s go and put Lizzie out of her misery, shall we?’ As they turned towards the stock room, Bert put a hand on Maddy’s arm. ‘If this hadn’t turned out as it has, yer know she would have clocked me one, don’t yer?’
The girl grinned. ‘In that case, she should now give you a big, smacking kiss.’
‘Blimey,’ Bert said softly, ‘I don’t know which is the worst of the two evils.’
It was the Sunday before their holidays, and Maddy and Tess were eagerly waiting the arrival of the guests to their shared birthday party. Both were wearing new cotton dresses which Ann had bought as presents, and they’d had strict instructions not to get them dirty as she didn’t want to have to wash them before their holidays. And under the dresses they were wearing the underskirts Lizzie had bought them. There was a band of lace on the bottom of the skirts, and Tess kept twirling around to show off the lace.
The table was set with sandwiches, cakes, jellies and trifles, and in the centre, on a glass stand, was a cake iced in white with red lettering wishing them a Happy Birthday and with both their names underneath. It was the first real party the girls had ever had and they were in high spirits.
The first to arrive were their cousins. Billy was fifteen and had been working for over a year, and his sister, Joyce, had left school the same day as Maddy. She’d got a job in the British Enka, and was full of it when she passed the girls their presents of boxes of Cadbury’s chocolates. ‘Me and me mate have got jobs working together, Auntie Ann, and we’re made up. We start on five and six a week, and get a sixpence rise when we’ve been there a year.’