A Nest of Singing Birds

by A Nest of Singing Birds (retail) (epub)

  ‘Our Joe?’ Pat said, looking bewildered and Frank laughed loudly. ‘Oh, aye,’ he said. ‘‘While the cat’s away the mouse can play, eh?’

  Everyone looked outraged but before anyone else could speak Eileen said sharply, ‘Don’t talk rubbish. Anyway, this has got nothing to do with you. It’s family business. Why don’t you go and unpack your kitbag or something?’

  To everyone’s amazement Frank stood up and muttered, ‘Sorry,’ then went meekly away to the room he was sharing with Terry.

  ‘Good God, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going,’ Pat said. ‘Our Joe.’

  ‘I think Joe and Sarah are well matched,’ Anne said. ‘And this means Sarah’ll still be in the family.’

  ‘And you don’t have to worry about her or about Terry,’ Helen said. ‘They’ll both be doing what they want, with no hard feelings.’

  There was a knock at the door and Carrie and Fred came in and were told the news. ‘You never know the minute when you’ve got kids,’ Fred said. ‘Especially now, Pat.’

  ‘Yes, with the war,’ Carrie said. ‘Everything’s upside down and life’s different for everybody.’

  ‘That’s a good thing, I think,’ Tony said. ‘We were all comfortable before the war but some people had a hell of a life. A fellow I know said he never wore new clothes or had a clean bed and enough to eat until he went in the army. We don’t want to go back to those conditions.’

  ‘But our Terry going off to Canada?’ Pat said to Carrie. ‘I can’t get over it.’

  ‘Aye, it’s hard when he’s been away for so long,’ she said. ‘But it’s the way things are now, Pat.’

  ‘The young ones have seen a bit of the world and they don’t want to live all their lives in the same parish like us,’ Fred said. ‘I tell you what though, Pat, I’ll bet you’ll see as much of your Terry as we’ll see of Shaun. It’ll only be the odd visit now he’s settled in Sheffield with his wife’s family all round him.’

  When Terry returned Frank came downstairs and was introduced to Fred and Carrie and soon Helen and Tony said that they must take Moira home to bed. Before they left Moira kissed her grandfather and Helen whispered to him, ‘Don’t be downhearted. Terry hasn’t gone yet and you’ve still got your other children here.’

  ‘And you, girl,’ Pat said. ‘Tony did us all a good turn when he married you.’ He looked more cheerful and later in a quiet moment Maureen told him that her mother had guessed how Joe and Sarah felt and given them her blessing.

  ‘Well, if Mum was pleased about it, it must be all right,’ Pat said, satisfied. ‘I don’t think the lads will fall out over it, will they?’

  ‘No, of course they won’t, Dad,’ Maureen assured him.

  Sarah had written immediately to Joe and he was given compassionate leave to see his brother. Terry went alone to the station to meet him and they greeted each other awkwardly, then Terry clapped Joe on the shoulder.

  ‘Good to see you, Joe,’ he said.

  Joe gripped his arm. ‘Good to see you, kid,’ he said. ‘Was it bad?’

  ‘No. Some of the Jerrys were swines, some were all right, same as our lads. Frank and I managed to stick together all through, so we were all right. You got one at Anzio, Mo said.’

  ‘Wasn’t much,’ said Joe. ‘Got me off the beach and to hospital in Naples. Bloody shambles it was. We walked ashore, no opposition, then sat there for seventy-two hours while the Germans got in position before we got the order to attack.’

  ‘I heard about it,’ Terry said. ‘I met a Mick in the transit camp who was captured there. He reckoned he was lucky. Said the 1st Battalion was wiped out. Said you could have walked into Rome in a couple of days.’

  ‘Maybe that was why we were held up,’ Joe said grimly. ‘Or there was some bonehead among the command.’ They were passing a public house and by common consent turned into it. It was empty but the landlord produced two glasses of beer and seemed disposed to talk.

  Joe jerked his head towards a seat in the corner and they carried their glasses there and at last spoke about what was on both their minds.

  ‘I’m sorry about this,’ said Joe. ‘Sarah and I – we never meant it to happen. I fell for her as soon as I saw her but I thought she was your girl. Then I thought it might just be fooling with you. I should have done something but as usual I hung back and dithered and the next thing was Dunkirk.’

  ‘Yeah, well, you might have been right,’ Terry said. ‘I’ve been thinking about it. I suppose it was larking about at first, then I got that photo off her and the fellows were saying they were going to cut me out with her when they went home on leave. I was just a soft kid, I suppose. I liked the idea of having a girlfriend to write to.’

  ‘This Canada business. It’s not because of—?’ Joe started.

  ‘No. We’ve talked about it for years, Frank and I,’ Terry said. He grinned. ‘Mostly Frank. The idea was that I’d see how Sarah felt about it and we’d get married and go out there right away. Frank thought we should go first and Sarah should follow and we’d marry there, but I wanted to do what she wanted as she’d waited so long for me.’ He grinned again. ‘Or so I thought.’

  ‘She did,’ Joe protested. ‘I don’t know what we’d have done if you were keen to get married, but Sarah would do nothing until she’d seen you. She couldn’t write and tell you while you were stuck in that stalag.’

  ‘And I couldn’t go into all the Canada business on a letter card,’ Terry said. ‘Frank blurted something out about it before I had a chance to talk to Sarah, so she knew about it before we talked.’

  ‘I tried to keep quiet about how I felt, but in the end I had to tell Sarah and she said she felt the same way, but we were worried about you. We still kept it from other people though, kid,’ Joe said.

  ‘I could see that,’ said Terry and Joe added hastily, ‘Only Mo knew, and Mum. She guessed and when I was home for Anne’s wedding she said – she said…’ He picked up his glass and gulped some beer, then went on, ‘She gave us her blessing, but she said, “Don’t hurt Terry” and we promised.’

  ‘You kept your promise,’ Terry said. He blinked rapidly and blew his nose. ‘I can’t believe it somehow. I keep thinking she hasn’t really gone and I’ll see her in a minute.’

  ‘It was better for her in the end,’ Joe said sadly.

  As they left the public house Terry said quietly, ‘I’m not so keen on Canada now that I’ve come home and seen Dad and the family but I can’t let Frank down. It was different when we were in the stalag and making our plans.’

  ‘You could give it a go,’ Joe suggested. ‘Then if you don’t like it you can always come home again. You can please yourself, can’t you?’

  ‘You’re right, Joe,’ Terry said, grinning at him. ‘I’m footloose and fancy free.’ They were nearing the house and Joe stopped and held out his hand. ‘No hard feelings, kid?’

  ‘None,’ Terry said, gripping his hand. ‘It was just this bloody war but it worked out all right in the end. I tell you what, though, Joe. She’s a smashing girl. You’d better make her happy – or else!’ He gave Joe a mock punch and they walked on and into the house, smiling.

  Chapter Thirty

  All the family found Frank irritating but only Eileen made no secret of her feelings and there were many sharp exchanges between them. Maureen and Terry tried to act as peacemakers but Anne told Maureen that she thought Frank was good for Eileen.

  ‘She’s just been drifting through her demob leave,’ she said. ‘Taking no interest in anything. And we’ve all been afraid to ask what she intended to do. Now she seems to have woken up and she’s talking about going back to Littlewood’s. I think it’s the best thing she could do.’

  ‘Yes, she does seem more like herself,’ Maureen agreed. ‘I suppose she got used to being outspoken because of being in the services.’

  Terry and Frank pushed ahead with their preparations for Canada and thanks to Frank’s contacts and his persistence were ready to leave within weeks. Terry to
ld his father that he would try life in Canada and return if he didn’t like it, which made them all feel more reconciled to losing him again so quickly.

  The pain of parting with Terry was offset for the family by their relief at being free of Frank’s loud voice and braying laugh. ‘Canada’s welcome to that fellow,’ Pat said to Fred. ‘I’ve told our Terry the money’s here for his fare home any time he wants it.’

  Business was booming for Pat now that Liverpool was being rebuilt and his only worry was obtaining materials.

  Anne was counting the hours to John’s demobilisation and constantly showed his photograph to the baby and taught him to say ‘Dada’ clearly. She hoped that Eileen would not be upset by John’s homecoming, but fortunately she was due to return to work a few days after his return in September.

  John had asked Anne to wait for him at home and she was sitting on the hearthrug playing with the baby when his taxi arrived.

  ‘Gerry, Gerry, your dada’s home,’ she cried, rushing to open the door and fling herself into his arms. John held her close and kissed her, then still holding her closed the door of their flat behind him and leaned against it. ‘Home at last,’ he said with a happy sigh.

  The baby had rolled over and was trying to crawl towards them, shouting, ‘Dada, Dada!’ They rushed towards him and John picked him up, beaming with pride and delight. ‘Yes, I’m your dad, son,’ he said. ‘Home for good. We’ll never be parted again.’

  He cuddled and kissed Gerry, then slipped his arm round Anne.

  ‘He knew me right away, you see,’ he said proudly. She smiled and said nothing of her efforts to coach Gerry.

  Later they went into the kitchen to see the family who were all at home by this time. John could talk of nothing but the baby. ‘He’s so clever,’ he boasted. ‘Only eight months old and he says “Dada” quite clearly and he was trying to stand up by my knee.’ Fortunately they all believed that Gerry was wonderful and agreed with John.

  Back in their own rooms they bathed the baby together and John gave him his final bottle. He seemed disappointed that Gerry fell deeply asleep. ‘I wanted to keep him up, seeing it’s my first night home,’ he said. For a moment Anne felt hurt. She’d thought that John would be as anxious as she was to be alone together after their long separation but quickly stifled the thought.

  Gerry always slept deeply throughout the night and Anne and John went early to bed. They made love passionately then lay in each other’s arms, talking and planning for their future before making love again.

  ‘I’ve got the best wife and the best son in the world,’ John said. ‘Oh, Anne, I’m bloody lucky.’

  ‘So am I,’ she said, snuggling close into his arms. Please God, let us always be so happy, she prayed silently.

  They spent some of John’s gratuity on a blissful holiday in the farmhouse where they had spent their honeymoon, with days made even happier by Gerry’s delight in all he saw and nights of tender lovemaking in the farmhouse bedroom with the baby asleep beside them in a cot.

  They returned for the wedding of John’s sister Kate to her American fiancé in the American Army camp chapel. Maureen looked after Gerry and they enjoyed the wedding and the reception afterwards in the Officers’ Mess.

  They heard that Gene’s father was having a house built for the couple and his family were to furnish it.

  ‘Trust Kate to fall on her feet,’ Sally Ward said to Anne. ‘Peggy Burns says some GI brides think they’re going to a ranch like on the pictures and land in a shack miles from anywhere.’

  ‘Gene’s family seem quite wealthy, don’t they?’ John said. ‘And Kate’s kept in touch with Aunt Mary too. She said in her letter to Mum that she and Sam live only about seven hundred miles from Gene’s family, so they’ll be able to visit.’

  Later, as John and Anne walked home, he said, ‘That house that Kate and Gene are having built – it’s going to be huge and full of gadgets too.’

  Anne squeezed his arm and smiled at him tenderly. ‘Yes, but it’s in America,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t swop our two rooms for it, would you?’

  She expected John to respond as tenderly but he said with enthusiasm, ‘No. I don’t want to leave England. Not now we’ve got a Labour Government and can get all the things done that need to be done.’

  ‘I felt a bit sorry for Mr Churchill though,’ Anne said. ‘Being pushed out like that.’

  ‘Yes, but we don’t want it to be like after the last war,’ John said. ‘Men used for the fighting, then thrown on the scrapheap afterwards. Fellows have had a chance to weigh things up during the war and we’re not going back to the way things were before.’

  ‘Your dad said it was the forces vote, the postal vote, that put Labour in,’ Anne said.

  ‘All my grandad fought for will come now,’ he said. ‘Work for all, better housing, a good education for all children, enough food and good medical care for everyone.’

  ‘I hope we hear about our house soon,’ Anne said. ‘The Irish Guards are due back in England in January and Sarah and Joe can have our rooms if they get married then.’

  * * *

  Christmas 1945 was a happy one for the Redmond and Fitzgerald families and for most people. At last the country was at peace and although food and clothes were still rationed it was possible to obtain small items ‘off the ration’.

  The Redmonds were inundated with parcels from America, from Gene’s family and his relatives, and from Cathy’s sister Mary and her husband Sam, and they shared them generously with relatives and friends.

  Mary and Sam also sent a parcel to John, containing food, nylon stockings for Anne, a thick pullover for John and toys and clothes for the baby.

  Anne was particularly pleased with the toys, squeaking rubber animals and toy cars which were unobtainable in Britain.

  Stephen had returned to work in Liverpool and on Christmas morning he, Eileen, Maureen and their father all crowded into Anne and John’s bedroom to see Gerry open his gifts from Father Christmas.

  John beamed proudly as Gerry seized his toys, chuckling with delight, and Stephen exclaimed, ‘What a smashing kid!’ Later John and Anne took the baby with them to Mass, where they met John’s family, and afterwards went back to the Redmond house. John carried Gerry and proudly accepted admiring remarks about the baby from friends they met.

  ‘He thinks he’s all his own work,’ Sally Ward said to Anne. ‘You’ve done a good job with that child, girl, bringing him up on your own so far.’

  ‘He’s never been any trouble,’ Anne said, but she smiled gratefully at Sally.

  John’s mother had warned Anne that John might be jealous of her closeness to the baby without realising it, but Anne reflected ruefully that she was the one who might have cause for jealousy.

  John had almost monopolised the baby since his return home and constantly interrupted Anne when she was speaking to draw attention to Gerry’s efforts to speak or stand. He was still on demobilisation leave but was due to start work in the New Year in the offices of the timber company, where his father was now a partner.

  Anne hoped that he would be less obsessed with the baby when he was forced to leave him in her care during the day and had the added interest of work.

  They spent some time on Christmas morning with John’s family, as Gerry was the first baby in the family for many years, then returned for Christmas dinner prepared by Maureen and Eileen.

  Anne had shared the food from the parcel with Maureen and with Helen and not without some opposition from John had reserved some of the toys for Moira. The two children played together happily on Christmas Day and Helen confided to Anne that she longed for a brother or sister for Moira.

  Anne expected that Sarah and Joe would marry when he came home on disembarkation leave in January but Sarah decided that she would wait until he was home for good in May.

  She told Anne during Joe’s leave that she regretted her decision. ‘I just didn’t want us to be parted again after we were married,’ she said. ‘But I’m
sorry now.’

  ‘Never mind, the time will soon pass,’ Anne consoled her. ‘And the weather will be better in May.’ Joe was stationed at Chelsea Barracks so he was able to spend several weekends at home before he was finally demobilised.

  Kate Redmond had sailed for America and Mick had been demobilised but was now living near Birmingham with another pilot. They were using their gratuities to set up a factory to make plastics.

  With the younger generation gone from the house in Egremont Street, John’s parents and grandmother planned to move to a smaller, more modern house near Breckfield Park. It had three bedrooms, a bathroom and toilet upstairs and large gardens front and rear and was a bright sunny house.

  Joe was demobilised in May and he and Sarah were married the following week. It was a simple ceremony with Anne as matron of honour. She felt near to tears as she watched the shining happiness of Sarah and her brother.

  They seemed to be in a dream world from which everyone else was excluded and Anne prayed fervently that they would always be as happy, yet was unable to resist feeling a stab of envy.

  The reception was held in Egremont Street, the last festivity there before the family moved to their new house, and later Sarah and Joe left for their honeymoon in Anglesey.

  Newly built corporation houses had been requisitioned at the start of the war, for internees and for other groups, but now they had been returned to the corporation. In April Anne and John were notified that they had been allocated a corporation house instead of the prefabricated one they expected.

  They were given the keys and went to see it and found that it was not a requisitioned house but one which had become vacant on another part of the estate. It was the end of a small terrace of houses, on the corner of a wide road with gardens front and rear and along the side of the house.

  Anne and John were delighted with it. It faced west and had a small kitchen, a living room and parlour and upstairs three bedrooms, a toilet and bathroom. ‘It’s as nice as your mum’s new house,’ Anne exclaimed, but John shrugged.