by Carol Rivers
‘He’s never had anything so special, Mum,’ said Kay who sat beside Vi on the fireside chairs. Kay looked at the cheap toys she and Vi had bought. All second-hand from the market. Shabby but colourful building bricks, a handmade soft toy in the shape of a giraffe and a dog-eared colouring book, together with some used crayons.
‘We spare no expense when it comes to our family,’ said Lil as she sat beside her sleeping husband on the couch. ‘And as we ain’t seen Alfie in a while it’s nice to spoil him a bit.’ Kay guessed what might be coming next and she was right. ‘Your brother invited us for Christmas, but we said we was staying with you.’
‘I hope he didn’t mind.’
‘It would have been better if all four of us had gone to Hertfordshire.’
‘I couldn’t have managed that, Mum.’
‘I don’t see why not. You wasn’t doing anything else.’ Lil bent to replace the toy carriage that had come off the tracks.
‘Didn’t know whether Alan was coming home,’ Kay shrugged.
Lil sat forward. ‘There’s something else I want to talk to you about. We’d like you to visit us next year. After all, Aunty Pops ain’t never seen Alfie. Last she saw of you was when her other half Tommy was alive, when they both came down to stay for Norman’s funeral. She’d just got over her stroke then, remember? And was cussing the stick they gave her.’
‘I’ll have to see,’ replied Kay, not wanting to make any rash decisions. ‘Depends on Alan and his leaves.’
Lil threw her a hard stare. ‘You could wait for ever, Kay, whilst it’s you that needs a break from the East End. You’ve got to admit that London is a shambles. It’s dirty and dangerous. We saw kids as young as Alfie running over the bombed sites as though they was animals.’ When Kay tried to protest, Lil held her hand up. ‘Agreed the city was a good place to live before the war. But it was different then. Respectable, like. Before the bloody Germans decided to invade.’
‘They haven’t yet,’ Kay argued. ‘And Alan don’t believe we’ll ever let them.’
‘That’s just his opinion, dear,’ Lil said tartly. ‘What’s going to happen if the bombing starts again?’
Bob gave a loud snore and woke himself up. Blinking his sleepy eyes he asked, ‘What was that? Did someone say something?’
‘Yes,’ answered Lil irritably, ‘but you missed it. Kay, switch the wireless on. Let’s catch up with the news.’
Reluctantly, Kay turned on the set. It was Christmas, the season of goodwill. It was miserable enough without Alan. She didn’t want to hear all the tragic events told over yet again. But sure enough, the commentator was soon describing the sinking of Britain’s formidable aircraft carrier, the HMS Ark Royal, back in November, and went on to give vivid descriptions of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour which had drawn America into the war. Kay glanced restlessly over at Vi who also seemed to be fidgeting in her seat.
‘Time for supper!’ Kay deliberately interrupted the voice. ‘Who fancies cheese and pickled onions?’
‘No thank you,’ said Lil shortly. ‘Me indigestion is playing up.’
‘Well, mine ain’t,’ said Bob, giving Kay a smirk. ‘I reckon I could do justice to a bite to eat. Now, Alfie, young man, where did we get to in our game?’ Bob hauled himself from the couch and went down on all fours. ‘Granddad will be the blue carriage and you can be the red.’
Kay grinned at Vi as they left the room together, eager to reach the safety of the kitchen.
‘I’ll go mad if I have to listen to one more miserable news broadcast,’ said Kay as she and Vi stood in the kitchen about to prepare supper. ‘Mum can’t seem to get enough of them. Then, if she had her way, we’d be sitting there for hours after, picking the war to pieces.’
‘Your mum ain’t one to hold back,’ agreed Vi as they began to spread the slim slices of stodgy wholemeal bread with the farm-made butter that Lil had brought. ‘But as for your Aunty Pops, there’s no harm in agreeing to go and visit her, is there? That’d put a smile on your mum’s face.’
‘Yes, but if I go without Alan, it will only turn into a battle of wits,’ Kay answered as she placed the plates on a tray. ‘On my own I’ll be forced to fight my corner again. It was the same after Norman died when I made the mistake of moving back home.’
‘How did your Norman get on with your folks?’
‘He’d known them all his life. Like I had known Mr Williams and his wife when they were alive. When me and Norman got married we went to live with Bernard, his dad, just round the corner to Mum’s. So Mum popped in most days and did a few jobs around the house whilst I was at work. She’d make a cup of tea and the occasional meal for my father-in-law and Norman appreciated that.’
‘He must have been a good bloke.’
‘He was. But when that bus knocked him down at the depot, I knew I should have felt sort of different. I mean, I was grieving, but it was like . . . as if me best friend had died.’
‘That’s no sin, flower.’
Kay looked into Vi’s gaze. ‘Norman was a trustworthy husband. I always knew where he’d be as he gave me his working timetable at the beginning of each week and I’d know the very second he was coming home for his dinner. He liked to do everything by the book. He was a stickler for routine. He never missed a day at work and when we were courting, if Norman said he’d call for me at five, he’d be there at three minutes to. I liked that then and was attracted to it.’ Kay smiled. ‘Norman was the kind of man Mum approved of and wanted me to find again.’
Vi chuckled. ‘But Alan came along.’
Kay nodded. ‘Yes, and it was then I forgot all about working to schedule. Everything I’d known before went out of the window. What counted was . . .’ Kay felt herself blushing, ‘. . . just being with each other any moment we could get. Nothing mattered except . . .’ She gave a little shiver at the thrill even the memory caused inside her, ‘. . . and that was how we got Alfie a bit earlier than we should have done.’
‘Good on yer, ducks,’ said Vi. ‘I liked me moment of passion too.’
At this, they burst into laughter. As the sandwiches took shape, Vi said reflectively, ‘If I was you, I’d be tempted to take the easy route this Christmas and just nod your head.’
‘Yes, I’d come to that conclusion too.’
‘Mind you,’ said Vi with a cheeky grin as she turned the pickled onions into a dish, ‘there’ll be many a household in Britain that don’t suffer in silence to keep the peace.’ They both laughed again until, with difficulty, Vi lifted the overflowing plates. ‘Your dad’s got an appetite like a starved ’orse. Let’s see if he can do justice to these.’
Kay followed with the tray of tea and a bottle of milk stout for her father. She was determined to remember Vi’s advice and make sure that this was one household in the East End that didn’t fall out over Christmas.
Chapter Fifteen
Unfortunately, Kay’s resolve weakened on Boxing Day. Lil had risen early to cook breakfast and she summoned the adults downstairs. Kay had left Alfie sleeping after his exhausting day yesterday. Placing four generous portions of fried vegetables on the kitchen table together with accompanying rounds of fried bread, Lil turned the discussion to the subject she favoured most. One which Kay had been hoping and praying would not be aired again.
‘You never met Kay’s first husband, Norman Williams, did you, Vi?’ Lil asked after a sip of tea.
Kay’s heart sank. She knew what was coming next.
‘No, Lil, I didn’t,’ Vi said politely.
‘He was the perfect gentleman.’
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ replied Vi, ‘as your girl is the perfect lady. And has luckily found herself a good match in Alan.’
Lil said nothing. Kay looked at her father whose eyes were glued to the bubble-and-squeak in front of him.
‘Norman was a bus driver, and he loved his work,’ continued Lil enthusiastically. ‘He used to take Kay and me all over the city. He knew all the routes and the shortcuts and was a mine of inf
ormation on London transport. You could always rely on Norman for advice on getting to wherever you wanted. He knew the timetables backwards. In fact, you could set your watch by Norman himself. He was a man of good habits and kept to them.’
Kay pushed away her half-eaten breakfast. ‘Would you like some more tea, Mum?’
‘No thanks, dear. You poured me a cup already.’ Lil took another gulp. ‘As you can imagine, it was handy having my daughter live just round the corner,’ she continued. ‘There wasn’t much we didn’t know about each other’s lives.’ Lil slid a long glance at Kay. ‘Norman and Kay were childhood sweethearts, you know. Everyone used to say they were made for one another. When they got married me and Bob were the proudest—’
Kay stood up, scraping her chair noisily. Lil stopped in the middle of her sentence. ‘What’s the matter, Kay?’
‘I think I can hear Alfie.’
‘That’s funny, I didn’t hear nothing.’
Kay hurried into the freezing passage. Her heart was beating so fast that when she got to the top of the stairs, she could hardly breathe.
She hadn’t heard Alfie at all. But it was the best excuse she could think of to leave the breakfast table. Kay sat on the top stair and pulled her cardigan round her. She leaned her head against the wooden banister and turned the slim golden band on the finger of her left hand. If only Alan was here now!
Her mother’s voice drifted up from downstairs. Lil loved to live in her memories of the past. Sadly, they were very different to Kay’s.
Lil and Bob decided they must get back to Berkshire in time for the new year. But Kay guessed that Lil wasn’t keen to stay longer. The house was too cold for her.
‘It’s been very nice, but the weather’s on the turn for the worse. We want to make sure we get home without being stranded,’ said her mother politely as they prepared to take a taxi on Monday morning. Lil hesitated as she fitted her arms into the sleeves of the coat that Bob was holding up. ‘And anyway, with you going to work tomorrow, Kay, and Vi taking care of Alfie, it don’t seem we can be much use.’
‘You don’t have to go because I’m at work.’
Bob lifted the suitcase. ‘Well, if we want to catch our taxi and not break our necks on the icy pavement, we’d better be off. Give us a kiss, Kay.’
Kay kissed her father and mother as Vi and Alfie appeared. Alfie gave them a picture he’d been colouring.
‘Oh, ta, my love,’ said Lil, giving her grandson a hug. ‘Just look at how smart you look this morning in that nice coat Aunty Doris bought you. She said you’d fit into it by Christmas and she was right.’
‘Now, watch your step out there, Lil, the pavements will be icy,’ interrupted Bob, grabbing hold of Vi and plonking a kiss on her cheek. ‘It’s been nice seeing you again, love.’
As Kay opened the door a cold wind blew in. On it was the salt-tar smell of the docks and another wintry smell of bitter cold that overpowered everything else. The black taxi that her dad had ordered was pulling up in the road.
‘I wouldn’t like to be here next month,’ called Lil over her shoulder as she stepped out cautiously, holding on to Bob’s arm. ‘It’ll be like the frozen wastes of Sibera.’
Kay waved them off as Vi took Alfie back into the warm front room.
Kay exhaled a long, unbroken sigh; the holiday had ended without cross words, though at times Kay was certain that without Vi’s help, she would have been perilously near to changing that state of affairs. She closed the door and went in, where even the freezing cold passage seemed welcoming.
Chapter Sixteen
As Lil predicted, 1942 had begun with snowstorms across the country. Kay listened to the wireless reports of Germany’s aerial attacks on Britain and the exploits of small numbers of enemy aircraft that flew across the country. But the lull over London had continued.
‘Listen to this,’ said Vi one freezing January morning as they sat huddled round the fire. Vi had been given yesterday’s newspaper by Jenny Edwards who always passed on Tom’s reading; Saturday’s headlines described the battles raging in other parts of the world. ‘The German Panzers are racing forward to confront the English Eighth Army in the Western Desert, whilst the Russians are stopping the German invaders near Moscow,’ read out Vi. ‘The terrible weather is responsible for turning the pursuers into the pursued.’ She looked up from the newspaper. ‘Alan’s mind will be put at rest that the enemy isn’t having it all their own way. Though it don’t sound too good for our boys in the desert.’
‘I hope Alan’s not there.’ Kay sat with Alfie who had spread out his train set over the floor. The fire had been going since early, although they were getting low on coke. She would have to break into the twenty pounds soon. ‘I thought Alan might give me a clue in that Christmas card that came late. But I should have known better. The army don’t let their men give out any information.’
Alfie rolled a carriage along the track. ‘Daddy an’ Alfie go down the river.’
‘When he comes home,’ Kay agreed, smiling. Her mind went over the memories of them all together on Alan’s leave. November seemed a long time ago now.
Alfie looked up at Kay with his big, brown eyes. He was such a handsome boy with all that dark hair and beautiful olive skin.
‘Daddy comin’ home?’
‘He will one day.’ Kay stroked his silky locks. ‘And then we’ll go down to the river like we used to.’
Alfie jumped to his feet. Kay and Vi laughed. ‘We can’t go yet, it’s freezing.’
Alfie ran across the room to climb on a chair beside the window. He pointed out to the street. ‘It’s freezin’!’
Kay was still chuckling as she went to join him. He was putting short sentences together and for a three-year-old had a wide vocabulary. She knew playing with Gill and Tim next door had brought out the best in him.
But Kay’s smile faded when she looked outside. The street was deserted. Except for one figure who stood quite still on the opposite side of the road. He was tall and wore a trilby hat and dark coat. ‘Vi, come quickly!’ Kay called, her breath lodged in her throat.
‘What’s the matter, flower?’
Kay swung round. ‘Quickly, it’s him! That man I told you about. The one I saw from the bus and again at market.’
But when Kay looked back at the street, it was empty. And by the time Vi reached the window, the snow had begun to fall on the deserted pavements in tiny white flakes.
‘At ease.’
The Company Commander of Alan’s unit, Major Campbell, didn’t look up from his desk. He kept his sandy-coloured head bent and his back ramrod straight under his spotless uniform as he studied the documents before him. Alan relaxed enough to take in a breath and exit the salute he had just made.
After what seemed an eternity, the big man sat back and stared at Alan with an unwavering gaze. ‘Your training is over, Lewis. And you’ve squared up to expectations. But now you are to begin a more specialized assignment,’ the CC intoned in his Scottish burr, which was not surprising as it was in the heart of the Scottish Highlands that Alan had found himself, flown overnight by Special Operations from the base in Barnet.
‘Yes, sir.’ Alan didn’t meet his superior’s eyes, even though he was not standing to attention. Instead, he kept his gaze level with the window and the parade ground outside. In the freezing snow, he could see a sergeant giving two soldiers a dressing down. Alan recognized his mates who had been on jankers. The sergeant had singled them out as the laziest dogs he had ever come across. Now their weighted backpacks were to be carried around the camp at a fierce trot. Alan smothered a smile. The sergeant was right. They were lazy so-and-so’s and deserved their punishment. But they were also damn good soldiers, and the army knew it.
‘You’ve had experience of Spain?’
Alan swallowed and nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘You’re acquainted with the German raids on Guernica?’
Again Alan confirmed what his superior had said.
The CC paused
before he said sharply, ‘Which is why we’re flying you back in.’
Alan made the mistake of catching the major’s narrowed gaze. He saw in the man’s eyes all he didn’t want to see. From his youthful indiscretions in his teens to the moment when Alan had been stopped at the borders of Spain and France in his bid to escape for a new life. It was all there in the dossier before him, as thick as a loaf of bread. If Army Intelligence decided they needed you, then resistance was useless.
‘Franco insists Spain is neutral, but we are convinced he is sympathetic to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. But then, Lewis, I believe you had full grasp of this situation in thirty-seven.’
Again Alan remained silent. He guessed an answer wasn’t required. The army had got what they wanted – him. Major Campbell was reminding him of the power the army wielded; the odds were stacked heavily against a man escaping a second time from the might of the British government. And, just like the sergeant outside, he was attempting to extinguish any remaining resistance that Alan might secretly harbour.
Major Campbell expanded his barrel chest under his uniform. ‘In approximately one month’s time you will be flown to the borders of occupied France and Spain. There you will be joined by the French Resistance who will provide you with the false information that you are to plant in Spain. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, sir.’
The officer studied him carefully. ‘I cannot impress on you enough how vitally important this is to us, Lewis. I’m not at liberty to fully explain our tactics to you, but our Allied convoys are at risk to the U-boat patrols. At whatever cost, we must distract their submarine forces. Have I made that quite clear?’
As crystal, thought Alan, well aware of the officer’s meaning.
‘And Lewis?’
‘Sir?’
‘Until this war is over, your family will be told nothing of your past. Either of thirty-seven or the years before. But should you . . .’ Again the big man’s eyes flashed threateningly, ‘. . . should you give us one moment’s cause for concern, the whole damn lot will come out. Whether you are alive or dead, it will be your wife and family who will live with the consequences. Carry out your mission successfully and you will rejoin your family.’