by Dee Williams
Mrs Scott tutted. ‘You’re beginning to get cheeky. Sure sign you’re getting better.’ When she left the room Janet and Mark burst out laughing.
The following week Mark showed Janet a letter he’d had from Danny. The workload had become desperate and Danny had had to get in some help. When was Mark coming back, he wanted to know.
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Dunno. The doc said I’m not fit enough to go back just yet.’
‘Can’t he wait a few more weeks? The weather will be a bit better then.’
‘Not according to that. He’s got so much work.’
‘So he’ll have to tell this new fellow he’s only temporary till you are on your feet.’
‘I’ll suggest it. But what about the flat? I don’t want to lose it as they are so hard to get.’
‘If the worst comes to the worst you can go back to your old job here and we might be able to get somewhere to live in the village.’
He screwed up his nose. ‘You don’t want that, do you?’
She shook her head. She was looking forward to getting away, and now their plans were in jeopardy. Perhaps she could go to see Danny, persuade him to hold Mark’s job open, even give him the flat rent money herself. Danny had always been so approachable.
‘I still think Canada would be great,’ Mark interrupted her thoughts.
‘Don’t start on that again.’
‘I don’t know why you’re so against it.’
‘It would upset my parents.’
‘What about mine? My mum would hate it after losing Joan. But we can’t let them run our lives.’
‘Let’s get the wedding over first, shall we?’
‘If you say so.’
By the end of that week, Janet had mustered both the money and the resolve. On Friday she told Mark she had to go shopping the next day.
‘So where’re you going?’
‘It’s to see about material for my dress so don’t ask too many questions.’
‘Who’s going with you?’
‘Me, myself.’
‘I’ll miss you.’
‘I may be late home so I might not be round till Sunday.’
‘I suppose I’ll have to put up with that.’
‘You will if you want to see me all dressed up at our wedding.’
‘What a lovely surprise,’ said Danny, jumping up when Janet pushed open his office door. He looked outside. ‘Where’s Mark?’
‘He didn’t come; he’s not well enough.’
‘So, what do I owe this pleasure to?’ His face dropped. ‘He’s not any worse, is he?’
‘No. Mark’s worried about his flat.’
Danny sat down and put his fingertips together. ‘I told him I’ve seen to it.’
‘You said in your letter that you’ve got someone else in to work for you so now he’s worried he’ll lose his job and the flat.’
‘This bloke’s only temporary, and as for the flat, I told you that’s been seen to. If you like I’ll take you round to see the landlord and he’ll tell you the rent’s been paid.’
‘I’ve brought twelve pounds for the month’s rent money.’ Janet pulled an envelope out of her handbag containing some of her savings.
‘Put it away. It’s been taken care of.’
‘Yes, but how long for?’
‘Till the end of January.’
‘But that was last week.’ Janet began to panic. ‘What if he lets it before—’
‘Calm down. He won’t do that.’
‘But you don’t know that. I’d better go and see him. Do you have his address?’
‘Look, I’ll tell Rob - that’s the bloke I’ve got in - that I’ m off out for a while. Then we can go round and you pay off another month yourself.’
She smiled. ‘Thanks. Why are you doing this?’
‘I think a lot of Mark and I don’t want to lose him. Come on, we’ll go now.’
‘You sure you don’t mind?’
‘When you smile at me like that I’d do anything. That Mark’s a lucky bugger. You’ve got a lovely smile.’ He took a set of keys from off the peg board behind him.
Janet turned. She didn’t want him to see her blush.
‘Right, let’s do it in style. We’ll take the Vauxhall.’
Outside he opened the passenger door of a gleaming two-tone grey car. The chrome was shining and the tyres had been painted white. It was lovely.
‘Hop in.’
Janet felt like a queen. The engine purred into life and they slowly moved out.
‘Nice little car this, don’t you think?’
‘It’s lovely, but not very little.’
‘Do you drive?’
‘No.’
‘You should get Mark to teach you.’
‘I will when he’s better.’
‘So when is it you two are getting hitched?’
‘June, the second. You should know that; you’re going to be his best man.’
‘Just teasing. Is he taking you anywhere nice for your honeymoon?’
‘We haven’t talked about that yet.’
‘Now if it was me I’d take you somewhere really posh.’
She laughed nervously. ‘Oh yes, and where would that be? Blackpool?’
‘There are worse places than Blackpool, young lady. And with me lying beside you in the honeymoon bed you’d feel like you was in heaven.’
Janet was beginning to feel uncomfortable. As he swung the car round a corner, she slid along the bench seat and was now very close to him.
He laughed. ‘Good cars these for getting the girl up close.’
She quickly moved away.
As he’d promised, Danny took her to see the landlord and Janet paid February’s rent.
‘Right, now where to?’
‘Thanks all the same but I’d better go home.’
‘Don’t be daft. Let’s go and have a bit of lunch. I know a nice little place not too far from here.’
‘I don’t know ...’
‘Look, Jan, I wasn’t trying to get fresh or anything, it’s just my way. ‘Sides,’ he laughed, ‘I wouldn’t want Mark to come at me with a monkey wrench.’
As Janet was hungry she agreed. ‘But I must go after that.’
‘No problem. I’ll run you to the station.’
‘Thanks.’
Danny was the perfect host in the restaurant, recommending dishes to her. Janet felt very grown up and special.
‘Would you like a port and lemon or something?’ he asked when they’d finished.
‘No, just a cup of tea, thank you.’
‘I like Mark and I feel he’s wasting his talent just being a grease monkey.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He should start selling ’em. The game’s getting very good, especially now I’m going a bit upmarket.’
‘You want him to sell your cars?’
‘Yer, we could split the profit. He could make a bit more than he does now, and not get dirty.’
‘Have you asked him?’
‘A couple of times.’
‘I thought he would have to put money in your business.’
‘That was at the beginning. No, now I’ m up and running he could work on commission.’
‘He never told me that. So why doesn’t he want to?’
‘He reckons you have to be a bit of a shark,’ he grinned. ‘I must admit you do have to bend the truth sometimes.’
‘Mark wouldn’t do that.’
‘I know. But you could perhaps try to persuade him.’
‘I wouldn’t want Mark to do anything he didn’t want to.’
‘But think of the money. I like you, Jan. You’re not like the other girls I find meself stuck with.’
She laughed. ‘Well, that’s up to you.’
‘I know. But most of ’em are gold-diggers. They think that just ‘cos I’ve got nice clothes and me own showrooms I’ m worth a few bob.’
‘And aren’t you?’
He le
ant forward. ‘Well, yes, I am and so could Mark be if he played his cards right. But there you go, so don’t tell anyone. You and Mark will have to come and look at my pad one of these days.’
‘That would be nice.’
He beckoned the waiter over for the bill, then turned to Janet. ‘We could go now if you like?’
‘No. No, thank you. I really must get back.’
‘Please yourself.’
As he drove her to the station she could feel him continually looking at her and it made her feel very uncomfortable. What was going through his mind? And would it affect Mark’s job? And what if she did try to persuade Mark to sell cars, could they finish up in a nice house?
She felt flattered that a man like Danny could be interested in her - or was it all show?
As she sat on the train she looked at her reflection. In a week’s time she would be nineteen. She wasn’t bad-looking and hadn’t lost her figure after having Paula. But she knew now that Mark was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
She had to tell him about Paula soon. There shouldn’t be any secrets in their relationship.
Chapter 11
Mark was pleased Janet had been to see Danny and that she had paid his rent, but he warned her again to be careful of Danny, as he was a ladies’ man.
This year Janet’s birthday was on a Sunday, and after church and her Sunday school they spent the evening quietly at Mark’s house. They sat in the front room with his parents watching television. Mark had his arm round her and in the dark he would gently brush his lips against her cheek. She was thrilled with his touch and wished they could be alone.
The next day he was going back to work at last so she would have to wait till the end of the week before she saw him again.
On Friday when Mark came home he was full of Danny’s house, which his boss had taken him to see that afternoon.
‘You should see it, Jan, it’s great. He’s got four bedrooms. I ask you, what does he want with four bedrooms?’
‘Perhaps he’s going to take in lodgers.’
Mark laughed. ‘No, can’t see him doing that.’
‘Who does his cleaning?’
‘Seems he’s got some old dear who comes in, she keeps it looking good.’
‘Lucky old Danny.’
‘It’s an investment, he’s just making sure his money grows. Clever bloke is Danny, and that’s made up my mind. I’ m going to sell cars. You wait and see, we’ll have a house just like it in a few years’ time.’
During the past few weeks they had spent many hours talking about their future but never once did Janet feel it was the right time to tell him about Paula. At times she felt weighed down with guilt, and because she feared she might lose him and after a lot of soul searching, she decided that it might be better to leave Paula unsaid. This grew to a firm decision not to tell him.
Now that Mark had made up his mind to give selling cars a go, he didn’t get home till late on a Saturday evening. He would be full of how much money he’d made. It seemed everybody wanted to buy a second-hand car and he was surprised at some of the wrecks they managed to get rid of. Danny’s business was growing. As the old buildings alongside were being pulled down so the area that held the cars was getting bigger and the cars more expensive.
Janet was pleased that Mark appeared to be happy and he told her that he much preferred sitting in the office and driving about looking for cars than, in his words, ‘tarting them up and selling them on’. Having sold his own as soon as he went back to work, he came home in a different one every weekend, which he borrowed from the forecourt. He only chose the good-looking models and some of them were very smart and slick with the chrome shining. They certainly turned a few heads when they drove by. He had also bought some nice clothes; smart crepe shoes and a new suit. Janet was glad it wasn’t a teddy boy suit. He said he had to keep up the image, like Danny. She did have worries about his role model and hoped he didn’t become too much like him. She also hoped he was saving more so they could decorate the flat. She would have liked one of the new contemporary three-piece suites she had seen in a furniture shop. It would look lovely along with the radiogram they were getting.
When they saw the news at the cinema of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier’s wedding, Janet squeezed Mark’s hand.
‘Our wedding will be just as wonderful as theirs.’
He smiled and kissed her cheek. ‘I’m glad it won’t be as expensive.’
By May, Janet was being swept along with all the preparations their mothers were making for the wedding.
With just two weeks to go everything was beginning to get exciting. Janet was so happy. The banns were being read and even her father managed a smile when he read out their names in church. The two-tier wedding cake was being iced and decorated with fancy roses and lattice work. Her lovely dress hung behind her bedroom door and all the village was looking forward to this grand event.
Janet had been trying to work out how much it would cost to go abroad for their honeymoon. They still hadn’t made any decision and she was beginning to get cross with Mark lately, trying to pin him down to some answers.
One Friday evening, when Janet had left her lists and calculations to join her mother who was watching television, their peace was shattered by someone banging on the front door.
‘Who on earth can that be at this time of night?’ said her mother, looking at the clock.
‘I’ll go,’ said Janet, and she hurried to open the door.
‘Mark!’ She threw her arms round his neck.
He held her for a few seconds, then stepped back.
‘What are you doing here on a Friday?’ In the porch light she noticed how pale his face was.
‘Who is it, dear?’ Her mother’s voice came from the drawing room.
‘It’s all right, Mother, it’s Mark.’
‘Well, ask him in.’
He shook his head.
‘No, we won’t stop,’ Janet called. She lowered her voice. ‘Are you all right?’
He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I had to see you, Jan.’
‘Is something wrong?’
He looked round nervously.
‘I’ll get my cardi and we can talk outside.’
They walked down the path in silence, till they were away from the house.
‘What are you doing home tonight?’
‘Jan, there’s been a bit of trouble.’
‘Trouble? What kind of trouble? You’ve not had an accident, have you?’
‘No, not me.’
‘It’s Danny. Oh, poor Danny. How did it—’
‘It wasn’t Danny.’
Janet’s mind was reeling. It couldn’t be anything to do with his mother or father. That kind of news would have spread round the village quicker than the plague.
‘Let’s sit in the car.’
‘Have you been home yet?’
‘No. Look, Janet, I’ve got to get away.’
‘What?’ It was like an explosion. ‘Where to?’
‘I don’t know at the moment.’
‘When?’
‘Now. I can’t go back to work for Danny.’
‘Oh my God, you’re not in any trouble with the police, are you?’
‘No.’ His reply was quick and sharp.
‘But why now? We get married in two weeks. Mark, what’s wrong?’
He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his knuckles white. ‘I sold a car.’ He wiped the perspiration from his top lip. ‘I knew it wasn’t in good condition and ...’ He turned to Janet, his eyes full of tears.
She sat with her mouth open. ‘What happened?’ she whispered.
‘It was a family. The wife and two kids ... They’re all ... The car went up in flames and they couldn’t get out.’
‘And the husband?’
‘He’s badly injured. Janet, I can’t go back to the garage. The family will kill me.’
‘But if it was an accident ...’
‘But I sol
d them the car.’
‘It wasn’t your fault.’
‘I don’t know that. It wasn’t as roadworthy as it should have been.’
‘So how do you know all this?’
‘Rob told me.’
‘How does he know?’
‘The police came to the yard.’
‘Why didn’t he fix the car before it was sold?’
‘It was a cash job and they wanted it quick. They were going on holiday.’
‘So it wasn’t your fault. What did Danny say?’
‘Told me not to be so sensitive. He reckoned the bloke must have been a bad driver. But what if the police find the car’s to blame?’
‘As Danny said, you only sold it to them.’
‘Yes, but it’ll be on my conscience for the rest of my life. What if the police blame me? I could be had up for manslaughter. I could go to prison.’
‘Oh no.’
‘What am I going to do?’
Janet didn’t know how to comfort him.
‘I’m not going back. I’m getting out of this business. I haven’t got the stomach for it. I know Danny cuts corners, but I was the one who sold it. It’s those kids. What if that bloke lives? His family’s all gone.’ His voice shook. He took hold of her hand. ‘You do understand, don’t you?’
‘My poor love. Of course.’ Janet put her arms round him. ‘You don’t have to go back there. We can manage for now, and after the wedding we can find somewhere round here to live.’
‘After the wedding we’re going to Canada.’ It was a demand not a request.
Janet took a deep breath. ‘What?’
‘Don’t you see? We can go to Canada and start a new life. Start afresh.’
‘I don’t want to.’
‘I thought you loved me.’
‘I do, but I can’t go all that way away.’
‘Why not? You don’t get on that well with your parents so what’s stopping you?’
‘I’m sorry but I don’t want to.’
‘Give me one good reason.’
‘I thought you’d given up that idea.’
‘No, it’s always been at the back of my mind. So, what d’you say?’
Janet sat and stared at him. What could she say? She turned her head and closed her eyes tight. She’d thought to hide it but this was the moment she had to tell him the truth. The moment she had been dreading. ‘Mark, I’m really sorry but I can’t go with you. You see I have to find someone.’