by Carol Rivers
‘Mum’s taken a shine to whist,’ agreed Kay. ‘Goes on about it in her letters.’
‘Keeps her busy,’ said Bob with a rueful smile.
‘So what’s Aunty Pops’s place like, Dad?’ Kay asked as the coach trundled along.
‘Too big for her to manage really, since Tommy died,’ said Bob. ‘And even when Tommy was alive he didn’t do much. He was a travelling salesman before the war and away a lot.’
‘Do you and Mum intend to stay with Aunty Pops?’
‘You’ll have to ask your mother about that.’
‘Would you like to come back to the East End one day?’ Kay persisted.
Bob gave a gentle shrug. ‘I’ve got used to country life now. Your mum and Aunty Pops rub along all right. And me, well, I’ve got the bowls club; all me mates are there.’
‘Are they like your pals from Poplar?’
‘Not really,’ her dad admitted. ‘When you’ve worked for London Transport for three decades you’re part of a clan. Just like your Norman was. A damn good bus driver who’d have drawn his pension if it wasn’t for that damn accident.’
Kay’s smile faded. She knew how close her mum and dad were to Norman. Which was one of the reasons why they hadn’t taken to Alan. Her first husband was a hard act to follow and Alan hadn’t tried, anyway. He was his own man.
As if reading her thoughts, her dad nudged her arm. ‘Didn’t mean to bring back painful memories, love.’
Kay resisted the urge to say that memories concerning Norman were no longer painful. Falling in love with Alan had given her a new life to lead. She had long ago come to terms with the shock of Norman’s premature death and the abrupt end to her first marriage. She had hoped that this holiday would prove different; that she could talk to her parents about the life she planned with Alan together on the island after the war. They had talked about buying their own house on the island, of doing it up and, with Alan’s skills, making it a home to be proud of. It was a pipe dream, Kay knew, but it was theirs.
‘Won’t be long now. Monkton’s just down the road,’ said Bob. ‘Your Mum and Aunty Pops are on the edge of their seats waiting to see you. Now just look at that! You can’t beat a nice little English cafe, even in wartime, perhaps especially in wartime, where you can enjoy a poached egg on toast!’
Kay looked out of the window following her father’s glance. The sun was shining above a black-beamed thatch-cottage tea-room with a notice outside advertising the use of fresh farm eggs. The last time she had seen a sign like that was when Alan was beside her as they had travelled to Len and Doris’s.
Aunty Pops’s house was big indeed. Kay had imagined a kind of cottage like Len and Doris’s Albion. But it was, so her dad explained, a house built only thirty or forty years ago. Under the strong-looking slate roof were pale coloured bricks and workmanlike windows that were nothing like the lattice ones she had been expecting. There weren’t many trees or flowers around. Instead an allotment spread out on either side of the front path.
‘This is my veggie patch,’ said Bob. ‘I’m out here a lot as we grow all our own veg.’ He laughed. ‘In the Smoke I wouldn’t have known what to do with a spade. But here, we’re all encouraged to dig for Britain. Big part of the war effort, see.’
‘D’you grow any sweets, Granddad?’ asked Alfie.
Bob chuckled. ‘I ain’t managed sweets yet, son. But give me time. One day I might be able to turn a broad bean into a gobstopper.’
The front door flew open and Kay saw her mother appear. Wearing a belted navy-blue dress and red scarf, she looked as smart as ever. Her short, silvery hair gleamed in the sunshine and a brooch sparkled on the lapel of her jacket. Behind her was an older woman, also with silvery grey hair cut short, who Kay vaguely remembered as Aunty Pops, Lil’s older sister. She was shorter than Lil, wore trousers and a cardigan and walked with the aid of a stick.
The two women hugged Kay and made a great fuss of Alfie. ‘Nice to see you after all these years, love,’ said Aunty Pops, her wrinkled face as brown as the grubby old cardigan she wore. ‘Me and Tommy came to stay with your mum for your poor Norman’s funeral.’
Kay hoped Aunty Pops wasn’t going to provide more discussion on Norman. ‘Yes, a long time ago now, Aunty Pops.’
‘The lad don’t smile much, does he?’ said Aunty Pops, thankfully moving on to another subject. She too ruffled his hair and received one of his long stares. ‘Never mind, we’ll soon get to know one another. Come on in and make yourselves at home.’
‘Well, you’re here at last, my girl,’ said Lil, sliding her arm through Kay’s while Aunty Pops and Bob walked behind them with Alfie. ‘Better late than never, I say. I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourselves so much you’ll be wanting to stay on a few weeks more.’ She stood still. ‘Nice for the lad not to have to find his fun in the streets.’
Kay knew her mother was hinting at the day they came to visit. ‘Alfie’s got to be back for the fifteenth,’ she said. ‘It’s the start of the school term.’
Lil waved this aside. ‘He ain’t gonna be expelled for being a week or two late, I’m sure!’
Kay didn’t argue the point. She knew that if Vi was here she’d be rolling her eyes and giving a mischievous grin to the back of Lil’s neatly combed head.
It was early on Friday morning and Vi looked out of the window onto the street which hadn’t yet filled with kids. It was a nice time of the morning, just the gulls screeching and the river traffic beginning its hustle and bustle. Lifting the sash she breathed in the morning air and enjoyed its freshness as it circulated the bedroom. Then, as she was about to turn away, she saw a figure in uniform come marching down the road, arms swinging.
Vi took in a sharp breath. It was Eddie!
‘Oh, my Gawd,’ she gasped, hiding behind the lace curtain. ‘Now the cat’s really among the pigeons.’
She stood back, her heart thumping wildly. She’d only been speaking to Babs yesterday in the corner shop. Babs hadn’t said a word about Eddie. She couldn’t know he was coming home.
Vi listened for the knock on Babs’s front door, or would Eddie pull up the key, she wondered. But she heard the knocker go, a succession of loud raps that was Eddie’s signature tune. Minutes later there were screams of delight. Vi could hear Gill and Tim, and Eddie’s deep voice in reply.
Vi couldn’t remember if Paul had stayed overnight. He was such a regular visitor now that she’d accepted his presence whenever she saw him. She listened, wondering if she’d hear raised male voices. Angry yells? But there was nothing more than the children’s happy cries and the bang of the door.
‘It had to happen,’ Vi murmured to herself, shaking her head miserably. ‘Babs is gonna have her work cut out on this one!’
It was early evening on Saturday and Kay was getting Alfie ready for an evening out. They were all going to a dance at the church hall. Lil had bought tickets at her whist club; included in the price was a buffet, a raffle and a glass of punch.
Kay smiled at Alfie’s long face. He didn’t like his new clothes. And although they had cost an absolute fortune, Lil had insisted she make the purchases. The shop had sold children’s clothes for years and much of their stock was pre-war. With Lil’s coupons added to Kay’s, Alfie had been kitted out with new short trousers, a smart white shirt, a sleeveless V-neck jumper patterned with wavy rainbow-coloured lines and, of course, a brand new pair of lace-up shoes just right for school.
‘Why ain’t me shoes got Blakies?’ Alfie complained as Kay urged him to put them on his feet and pull up the long grey woollen socks that were another of Lil’s purchases.
‘Because new shoes don’t need Blakies.’
‘I like Blakies,’ objected Alfie. ‘They make a loud noise.’ Alfie frowned down at his feet. ‘And these are too tight.’
‘No, they’re not. The man measured you.’
‘I ain’t ever been measured before.’
‘Well, now you have.’ Kay climbed to her feet, trying to decide what she would wea
r for tonight’s entertainment.
‘I don’t like me collar done up.’ Alfie wrestled with his shirt button. ‘I’m gonna get hot in this.’ He pulled at his jumper.
‘Alfie, your gran bought you all these nice clothes. She wants to see you wearing them tonight.’
‘Do I have to wear ’em when I get home?’
Kay resisted the urge to laugh as Alfie pulled a face.
‘Come on now, Alfie, cheer up.’
But Alfie’s shoulders slumped. ‘I’m gonna see Aunty Pops.’
‘All right. But don’t get dirty.’
Kay watched Alfie slope off, still pulling at his shirt. Over the past few days, he had bonded with Aunty Pops, whose idea of having fun was the same as Alfie’s. She would join him in the back garden where she would sit on a chair and watch the noisy planes fly over. Alfie would sit beside her on an upturned pail and, with her encouragement, hurry off to tinker with the broken water-pump or the wheel-less bicycle that leaned against the tumbledown shed. He had spent many hours with Pops, as together they investigated the mechanical wrecks hidden under long grass in the yard.
Meanwhile, Kay had shopped in Monkton with Lil. She had been introduced to Lil’s whist friends and even invited to join in their club. But Kay was no whist player and had preferred to enjoy the town with its rows of small shops and quaint cottages.
Kay studied her limited choice of two dresses hanging in the big wardrobe in hers and Alfie’s bedroom. ‘It’s either the flowery one,’ Kay pondered, ‘or the blue and white dress from out of the arc.’
Kay settled for the blue and white dress and spent time on her hair, rolling each finger-bang to the top of her head. When all was in place, she added tiny imitation pearl earrings that Alan had given her before Alfie was born.
She sat down on the bed with a long sigh as she thought of the evening ahead. What was the point in dressing-up if Alan wasn’t with her? If he was a prisoner somewhere, or injured or starving, he might never come home again. And what of Dolly and Sean? Alan had once told her that in leaving behind their pasts, they could start afresh and make every day count. It upset her to think that he might have been talking about Dolly when he said that.
‘You ready, love?’ Lil called from the bottom of the stairs.
‘Coming, Mum.’ Kay stood up quickly, pushing all her troubled thoughts away. She was determined to enjoy the evening with Alfie. She wanted him to have happy memories of his first holiday and she was sure Alan would want that too.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
‘Jeez, you can dance, li’l lady,’ grinned the young American who had asked Kay to be his partner. He’d introduced himself simply as Gene and had told her he came from America. He was stationed at the local air force base.
The band had played some very lively music. The last tune had been a version of Glen Miller’s ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’. Kay hadn’t had time to catch her breath. Yet she seemed to have been able to keep up with the steps and not show how out of practice she felt.
‘I think I’d better sit down for a minute,’ Kay said as the music stopped and everyone applauded the band.
‘I’ll give you five minutes.’ The handsome serviceman grinned. ‘Then I’m coming back for more.’
Kay made her way to the table at which Lil and Bob were seated. Alfie and Aunty Pops were missing, but there were remnants of cake crumbs surrounding Alfie’s half-filled glass of lemonade.
‘Just look at our Alfie,’ Bob told her proudly. ‘Up on the stage, see? Pops has taken him to get the band’s autographs.’
Kay laughed. ‘He’ll be showing them off at school, no doubt.’ She sat down on the hard wooden chair and peered through the thick cigarette smoke that hung like a blanket over the cavernous wooden-floored room with its long glass windows criss-crossed by sticky tape. As there now appeared to be an interval, the bass and trumpet players and pianist were all enjoying a drink. The drummer handed one of his drumsticks to Alfie and soon there was a loud crash and bang. Everyone looked up to the stage. There were cheers and laughter as Alfie enjoyed himself playing on the instrument.
‘Reckon we’ve got a budding musician in the family,’ said Bob, taking a gulp of his beer and tucking into the remains of a sandwich. ‘He was enjoying the music so much he couldn’t sit still.’
‘Takes after his mother,’ said Lil, nodding at Kay. ‘You’re still pretty fast on your pins.’
‘Oh, I was never that good at dancing.’
‘You did all right with Norman at the social club.’
Kay glanced at Lil and took a deep breath. Norman’s name had come up frequently that night. Bob had said how nice it was to be all together again, just like it used to be in the old days. Lil had agreed and said the church hall reminded her of the social club they had all supported in Poplar. So when Alfie disappeared with Aunty Pops to the basement games room, Kay had accepted Gene’s offer to dance. He had whisked her round the dance floor to music from Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey’s big bands, and even showed her the Jitterbug which he told her was all the rage back home.
‘Course, your Norman wasn’t into all this modern stuff. He liked a good old-fashioned waltz or quickstep,’ continued Lil.
‘Alan and me liked stepping out,’ Kay answered, determined not to be drawn on Norman. ‘Though we didn’t get much chance before Alfie came along.’
Lil gave a frown. ‘That’s what comes of rushing into a family, love. You don’t get the opportunity to let down your hair. Then before you know it you’ve got responsibilities.’
‘I wouldn’t have had it any other way, Mum.’
‘Obviously not,’ returned Lil with a sniff. ‘As a matter of fact, I said the very same thing to Len and Doris when they last visited.’
‘You did?’
‘I was shocked when Len said they wanted to adopt.’
‘Why were you shocked?’ asked Kay in surprise. ‘Doris and Len would make wonderful parents.’
‘Yes, but to their own child, not a stranger’s.’
‘How do you know that?’
Lil’s heavily powdered cheeks blushed red. ‘It stands to reason. What if the child comes from – well, a common sort of person, not a decent type? It could follow in its parents’ footsteps. After all, blood is thicker than water, so they say.’
Kay could hardly believe she’d just heard her mother express such an opinion. ‘I hope you didn’t tell Len and Doris that!’ she exclaimed. ‘Doris would have been very upset.’
Lil folded her arms. ‘It’s not up to me to tell them their business.’
‘No, it certainly isn’t, Mum.’ Kay fought to smother her indignation as the pianist tapped the microphone, indicating the music was about to start. With a clench of her tummy muscles, Kay realized her feelings of outrage at Lil’s remark ran deep. Having had Sean in her life clearly disproved Lil’s theory. Sean couldn’t be blamed for having Dolly as his mother and was a loving, innocent little boy. It was true, when Doris had told her that she and Len were considering adoption, Kay had decided that such a measure didn’t appeal to her. But only because she doubted her ability to love another child as much as Alfie, not realizing love could be formed in many different ways.
‘For our second half,’ the pianist announced, bringing Kay quickly back to the present, ‘we’re playing a firm favourite, “The Lambeth Walk”. So grab your partners and let’s set the floor alight.’
Kay saw her dad nudge Lil’s arm. ‘Come on, love, we know this one. None of your acrobatic stuff, just a good old shoe-shuffle.’
As her parents left to dance, Aunty Pops returned, looping the handle of her walking stick over the chair. ‘Phew, I had to elbow me way back through the crowd. Left your Alfie with the other kids. He’s palled up with a few of the boys and enjoying himself.’
Kay was glad of her company. ‘Oh, he’d like that. I think he misses his friends.’
‘Would they be Gill and Tim and the other lad, Sean?’
Kay looked quickly at Aunty Pops.
‘Yes, did Alfie tell you about them?’
‘That’s all he goes on about,’ said Aunty Pops with a smile. ‘They sound good kids. ’specially that Sean. Said he stayed at your place for a while.’
Kay nodded, feeling the tears sentimentally spring to her eyes. ‘Yes, he did.’ She didn’t add more, trying to swallow her emotion as the lost little boy filled her thoughts.
Aunty Pops leaned close. Kay got a whiff of the fertilizer she’d been using on the garden that afternoon. ‘Don’t mind me saying, but you wanna take no notice of your mother. She harps on a lot about the old days when I know your heart isn’t in them.’
Kay smiled, clearing her throat. ‘So you noticed?’
‘Oh, yes, love. But she’ll come round. You have to be careful you don’t live too much in the past as you get older.’
‘Mum was very fond of Norman.’
‘Yes, but the world’s moved on now.’ Aunty Pops leaned back in her chair. ‘I’d like to meet your Alan one day.’
‘I hope you will, Aunty Pops.’
Kay felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up at the tall young man standing at her side. ‘Join me in the next one, Miss Kay?’ he asked.
Kay saw that Lil and Bob were coming off the floor. She nodded to Gene and stood up. Even though she had no idea of how to dance the Lindy Hop, it was better than dwelling on the past. Common sense told her there was no way she would ever see Sean again, yet he would always be there in her thoughts and her heart too.
At the evening drew to a close, Kay had enjoyed herself despite the crush on the dance floor. Gene had twirled her around so fast she’d literally been swept off her feet. Now, the evening was almost over and Alfie was still enjoying himself with the other children in the games room.
‘Last waltz coming up,’ Lil said just as Gene walked up to the table.
‘May I have the honour?’ he asked Kay with a grin.
‘Yes, go on, Kay,’ Lil urged. ‘Enjoy yourself.’
‘You’ve got some real nice folks,’ the young man told her as he led her onto the floor. ‘And that youngster of yours is a cute kid.’