‘For pity’s sake, lad! What the devil are you playing at? I’m beginning to wonder if you might be a liability. There’s me thinking you’re capable of anything, and here you are, tripping and falling up the steps, like you’ve spent a few hours in the boozer. Just calm down and shut the damned door or I’ll put my foot on the throttle and leave you where you fall.’
A minute later, the cab door was shut and secured, but still the big man continued to moan and mutter, though he was smiling to himself. ‘I can’t believe you did all that travelling on them busy roads and you didn’t manage to get yourself killed when you can’t even climb into the cab of a wagon. All right are you, lad?’
‘Yes, thanks.’ Ronnie had taken a real liking to the big fellow.
He poked Ronnie in the ribs, ‘Whatever else you might do, just don’t let anyone know that you’re a real liability,’ he chuckled. ‘Not if you want to get a responsible job.’
As the lorry pulled on to the road north, Ronnie and the big man began to chat openly and honestly. ‘Have you never properly trained in any sort of work at all?’ asked the lorry driver, who introduced himself as Jake Martin.
‘Not really, no, but I wouldn’t mind doing an apprenticeship, only now I think I might be too old.’
‘How old are you then?’
‘In my early twenties.’
‘I see. But there are now more and more employers looking to train young folk up to scratch, including lads of your age.’
‘Like I said, I can turn my hand to anything and everything, and I’m a quick learner,’ Ronnie reminded him.
Jake chuckled. ‘You’re a feisty little sod, I’ll give you that.’
He had taken a fatherly interest in Ronnie, and he thought him worthy of a helping hand.
When Ronnie lapsed into a thoughtful silence, the big man offered another piece of well-meant advice.
‘You’ll need lodgings, and you obviously want big wages if you’re planning a wedding. When a woman wants a wedding, it has to be special, and that costs money.’ He gave a little groan. ‘I know, ’cos I’ve been there twice!’ He paused before adding seriously, ‘You’ll need to find lodgings as soon as possible. And you’ll need to get your skates on and find work.’
‘That’s right, yes, I do need big wages, but I’m ready to earn them! If somebody takes me on, I’ll make sure they don’t regret it.’
‘Good on you.’ Jake gave a wink. ‘So, let’s see what we can do, eh?’
Ronnie thanked him. ‘I really do appreciate your help and advice.’
Jake smiled. ‘I have an idea who might be able to put you in touch with someone who could help you find work, although don’t hold me to that. It’s just a thought, that’s all.’
After an hour of pleasant chat and getting to know each other, both men lapsed into thought as the journey progressed.
‘Where are we headed?’ Ronnie suddenly realised he had no idea where Jake was taking him, or what he might find when he got there. With the miles quickly rolling away, he was beginning to grow concerned.
Numerous lorries and cars had already turned off the highway, and the traffic was thinning out. ‘Well, first of all I need to offload this wagon at the depot,’ his companion explained. ‘After that, I’ll take you to meet my sister and her husband. They’re always in the know, and they just might be able to point you in the right direction. You see, in their line of business, they keep their ears to the ground. That way they know what’s going on from one week to the next.’
‘So what do your sister and her husband do then?’
‘You’ll soon see, ’cos we’re less than five miles away from where they live. And I promise you if there is anyone looking for reliable workers, they’ll know to point you in the right direction.’
Ronnie felt more confident by the minute. He sensed a simple honesty about this big, kindly man. After a few more miles, Ronnie was relieved to find that they were now turning off the highway, and Jake carefully wound his way along the narrower roads towards the coast.
‘Wow! Look at that!’ Laughing out loud, Ronnie peered down the streets leading to the Blackpool seafront. Lights flashed and glittered, and although it was dark the streets were thronging with happy-looking people enjoying an evening out.
Suddenly Jake cut away from the seafront. ‘We’re not allowed to go there,’ he informed Ronnie, ‘not with a lorry this size. There are numerous horses and carriages up and down the front every day and into the night. Then there are the trams that constantly ferry people up and down the miles of Promenade. And as you can see, there are hordes of pedestrians. You can see for yourself why a lorry of this size is forbidden along the front.’
He turned the wagon into a wide road to the right. ‘This is the best route for us, round the back and away from the seafront. The haulage company I work for has a massive depot about half a mile from here. They bought it some years back, for the purpose of parking and servicing the lorries. We have a warehouse there and a fleet of small vans, which we call runners. They carry the goods to the final destination.’
Jake nodded knowingly. ‘The man who set up the business was a far-sighted man. He established his haulage business many years ago, when land was cheap and plentiful. His son took it over some five years back, a chip off the old block he is, and he treats his men well.’
Ronnie was both impressed and hopeful. ‘I haven’t got a licence for driving heavy goods vehicles, but I can turn my hand to anything else. Do you think your boss might have work for me?’
‘I’m not sure, but it’s definitely worth asking. Although he did set two blokes on only a fortnight back, and as far as I recall, all vacancies are now filled. But if there are no vacancies at the minute, don’t worry too much, it’s not the end of the world. Like I said, my sister might well have heard that some other outfit is on the lookout for good workers.’
Ronnie thanked his companion.
‘I’ll keep my fingers crossed,’ he said. ‘My sister picks up all the gossip. Keeps her ear to the ground, she does. If there’s a company looking for good workers, Sally is sure to know about it.’
‘Well, thanks. That’s really good to know. I’m beginning to feel hopeful that I just might get fixed up.’ Ronnie was feeling much better. ‘It’s years since I’ve been to Blackpool. I’ve almost forgotten it. My Cathy’s been here several times, though. It’s a favourite haunt of her nan’s. In fact, she’s not long come back from a short holiday here.’
Ronnie took note of everything, the hordes of visitors, the kids happily eating candyfloss, and the heightened sense of excitement all around. ‘I can’t believe it’s so busy! The best time of day is mostly gone, and it looks as if everyone is still having a whale of a time.’ He particularly admired the proud horses trotting along, each one looking magnificent as it held its head high and pulled a brightly painted landau. Some of the horses even had plumes of bright feathers attached to the halter about their necks and heads, and all seemed to have their muscular bodies looking magnificent, all handsomely bedecked in highly polished brass-ware and thick, shiny leather strapping.
Jake was delighted to see Ronnie’s reaction. ‘I’m telling you no lie when I say you’ll be hard pressed to find scenes like Blackpool seafront anywhere else in the world.’
‘It’s certainly a sight for sore eyes, that’s for sure,’ Ronnie agreed. ‘No wonder my Cathy and her nan love it here. I reckon her nan in particular would live here in Blackpool, given the chance.’
He spoke proudly of Marie. ‘She’s the real heart of the family. No doubt she would probably miss them all too much to leave them behind. I do appreciate you bringing me here, Jake, because I understand now why Cathy gets excited about coming here.’
‘That’s all right, son. Maybe, when you’re able to, you should take the time to have a lazy walk about. Get to know the area better. Get down on the beach. There is always plenty to do and see. My sister would never want to live anywhere else … and why would she when this resort, with
all its facilities and natural features, is one of the finest in the land? And I’ve seen a good few in my time, I can tell you.’
He continued to urge Ronnie on. ‘You really must go and see inside the Tower. Even if you went when you were little you’ll appreciate its scale now you’re grown up. Oh, and maybe you’ve forgotten that there’s a fantastic set-up at the other end of the beach. It’s a massive fun fair covering a huge area, with so many rides and stalls hellbent on making you want to stay that little bit longer. There’s a big wheel, and bumper cars, and great swings that carry you up to the heavens.’
He grew excited. ‘Oh, and carousels of every shape and form, and you really must try the ride that takes you up to a great height, before dropping at one hell of a speed down into a seemingly bottomless, dark hole that turns your stomach inside out.’
He giggled like a child. ‘You’ll hear the screams of terror before you ever get near the ride.’
He continued to describe so many different rides, some that would have you twisting and writhing, and others that would make you scream for mercy while turning you upside down, until you began to think you would never recover from the fear and horror of it all.
‘Or there’s the magical helter-skelter,’ he went on. ‘And the myriad colourful stalls, every one offering different and exciting fun, like the coconut shies and the shooting range. I promise you will not want to come out, not until you’ve tried everything there is to try.’
But the one ride Jake recommended above all others was the big wheel. ‘You won’t be able to get off until it stops and by then, you’ll be off your head and screaming like a good’un!’
Ronnie was not too sure about all that. ‘I’ve never been good at things that swing you about and turn you upside down,’ he sheepishly confessed.
Jake chuckled. ‘You don’t know what you’re missing, that’s all I can say. Ask your girl – I bet she’s been on every ride there is. Once you’re hooked, there’s no getting out of there. Trust me, I know!’
He did however assure Ronnie, ‘When you get the chance, give yourself time to explore and experience everything you can while you’re here. I promise, hand on heart, you will not regret it!’
In spite of his horror of crazy rides and things that dropped you into a big black hole before whizzing you back at ferocious speed, Ronnie nodded.
‘I’m hoping I’ll be too busy,’ he muttered. ‘My first priority is to look for a place to stay, and then I need to find work. But I’m thankful for your help. And I’m glad I took your advice, about not going back on my tracks. I can’t tell you how much better I feel now that I’m here in Blackpool,’ Ronnie said, caught up in Jake’s excitement. ‘I don’t know why, but I’ve got a good feeling about it. Oh, but Cathy will be so jealous, when I tell her where I am.’
He smiled mischievously, ‘Maybe I won’t tell her until I manage to find work because if I don’t get fixed up I’ll need to be moving on again.’
He felt hopeful, though, with this kindly man helping to guide him in the right direction and eager to search out a job in this fascinating place. ‘I can’t wait to get searching for work and lodgings,’ he told Jake. ‘It would be so wonderful if I was able to call Cathy with some good news.’
He could see her in his mind’s eye, her cheeky smile, and her pretty, bright eyes.
He missed her so much it was like a physical pain inside him.
Noticing Ronnie’s silence, Jake felt for him. ‘Come on, lad! Don’t be down-hearted.’ He gave Ronnie a little wink.
In truth, he had been thinking hard, about how best to help this troubled and sincere young man. He reminded him of his younger days, times were tough then. Jake hoped he had come up with an idea that worked but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself just in case they did not materialise. Ronnie noticed that his companion had gone quiet.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked him worriedly.
‘I’m fine, Ronnie. I was just thinking, that’s all. Let’s see whether or not we can get you sorted out.’
‘That would be wonderful!’ Ronnie’s smile stretched across his face. ‘You don’t know what it would mean for me to find work and earn good money so I can tell my Cathy that I’m doing well for her.’
‘We’ll do our best,’ Jake assured him again.
His kindly words lifted Ronnie’s lonely heart.
CHAPTER TWELVE
TONY AND EILEEN had settled back into their normal post-holiday routines, Eileen out playing skittles or bridge or shopping, Tony pottering around, mostly getting underfoot. He liked a long walk to get his morning paper, and next door was his favourite greengrocer’s shop. It was a nice traditional place, not in the part of town where he and Eileen lived, but a good walk on a fine day.
He’d often half-noticed the pretty young woman who worked there on previous visits. She wasn’t always behind the counter, but she was there often enough for him to have come to recognise her. Over time he saw the young woman in the shop and at other times she wasn’t working. Tony eventually worked out when she was there and his walks to that part of town became more regular on those days.
One particular morning, soon after he’d returned from Blackpool, it was she who packed his paper bag and added up the bill. Tony smiled and wished her a ‘Good morning’ as he prepared to leave. The strange thing was that when she smiled back he felt he had met her before – not just here, but that he actually knew her from somewhere else. He racked his brain to think where that might have been, but concluded he must have imagined it. Where on earth would an old buffer like him have met a vivacious and pretty young woman like that?
Then, the next time he went in, the same girl was there again, and again he had a curious feeling that they had once known each other well.
The feeling would not leave him and he started thinking of this young woman often and spending every idle moment trying hard to remember where they had met. The memory seemed just out of reach but the need to know grew in Tony until he felt it like an itch that needed to be scratched. For some reason that he couldn’t quite explain to himself, though, he didn’t mention any of this to Eileen.
A few days later, he returned from his walk to the greengrocer’s with a bag of salad to find that Eileen had been going through the desk in the drawing room with a view to clearing out one or two of the over-stuffed drawers and had unearthed some old photograph albums from the bottom drawer, then put them aside to have a proper look at while she put her feet up later. However, she hadn’t been able to resist a quick flip through, drawn by the carefully posed, sepia-tinted family groups with their half-familiar features and their elaborate old-fashioned clothes, and it was then that Tony came in and found her kneeling on the floor, an album in her lap.
‘Look at these wonderful old photos, Tony. I’d forgotten what was in this album and I think you’ll want to keep these. They’re pictures of your family from way back. This one must be your grandmother – am I right? Heavens, what a tiny waist she has in that corset! And what about that hat, eh? And there’s your mother; I recognise her, of course. My, she was pretty when she was young, wasn’t she? She must be eighteen or nineteen in this photo, do you think?’
Tony looked over her shoulder into the smiling eyes of his mother in her youth and knew in that moment – knew with absolute certainty – why he thought he recognised the young woman in the greengrocer’s. She was an exact copy of his mother. She could even be his mother’s granddaughter, with those same merry eyes and that winsome smile.
He murmured something noncommittal to Eileen and quickly retreated to his shed, where he could think through the idea that had struck his mind with the clarity and suddenness of a lightning bolt.
He sat down on the mower box and took a few deep breaths as he tried to think through logically what he knew in his heart to be the truth.
The young woman at the greengrocer’s was about nineteen years old. That was the exact age his child would have been had Marie been pregnant after their one-night s
tand. He had never slept with any other woman except of course Eileen, and there was no way Eileen could have given birth and he not know. Indeed, it was a sadness to them both that they had not had any children. Yet the idea of his being a father and not knowing it seemed ludicrously far-fetched. Surely Marie would have told him if she’d had his baby? But then she was a widow, and the scandal of an illegitimate child would have blighted her life. Could it be possible that she had given birth and somehow kept it a secret? There was the young woman, living in this town where he knew Marie still lived, the spitting image of his own mother – what other explanation could there be? Perhaps that’s why Marie had come up to Blackpool after all these years?
Over the next few days, Tony wondered frequently whether to make further enquiries. It would be easy enough to ask the greengrocer something about the girl one day when she wasn’t in, and then that could lead to his being able to make further enquiries until he found out the truth. But what good would that do? It would only cause heartache for Eileen, and he felt he had disappointed her enough. Oh, yes, she was a good wife to him, and had put the Marie incident behind her, but he knew that their marriage was a little stale, that they lacked excitement in their lives, and that it was his fault. He’d let himself go, he was becoming boring and old and fat, whereas she was fashionable and lively, always smart and a credit to him. She had a wide circle of friends and was often out with them, whereas the highlights of his week were taking a walk to the greengrocer’s and mowing the lawn.
Better to let the truth lie buried. It didn’t matter, and it was Eileen who would be hurt. It was too late for Tony to play a part in his daughter’s life now, and anyway, she may not want him. She looked self-assured, with the kind of confidence that came from being part of a loving family.
He decided never to mention what he had concluded. He should treasure what he had, not be worrying about what was never meant to be. Eileen should be his only concern now they were getting old and had no other family but each other. Tony made a vow to himself to try to become more like the man she had married all those years ago, when he had been handsome and strong and full of idealism. He could not change the past but he could aim to be once more the man Eileen had fallen in love with.
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