by Joan Jonker
Eileen looked at him blankly. ‘I don’t need any ’elp, thank you.’
The man raised his trilby. ‘My wife thought we should ask in case you needed assistance. Happily you do not, so we’ll wish you a very good morning.’
Vera came back with the children, their faces glowing, their hair windswept. ‘Who was that you were talking to?’
‘Some feller tryin’ to click,’ Eileen said, passing it off. ‘Anyway, what time is it, Vera? It must be nearly time to make our way back to Seacombe.’
‘Eileen, we’ve got two hours yet!’
‘In that case, I’m goin’ for somethin’ to eat.’ Eileen’s face did contortions as she squeezed her feet into the shoes. ‘There’s a smell of chips comin’ from somewhere, so let’s follow the smell.’
‘Eggs, chips and mushy peas, please.’ Eileen smiled at the waitress. ‘Two adults’ and two children’s portions.’
When the order came, Eileen covered her chips with Daddies tomato sauce and tucked in with gusto. The plate of bread and butter disappeared quickly, with Eileen using the last piece to mop up her plate. When she’d finished she patted her tummy. ‘I needed that. The sea air’s given me an appetite.’ She scraped her chair back. ‘Now, let’s get crackin’, or we’ll miss the half one ferry.’
Everyone was talking at once as Harry helped them into the car. Edna and Carol were telling him what they’d done and seen, while Eileen was firing questions at him. Did the van turn up on time? Did they manage to get everything away in one go? They hadn’t left anything behind, had they? Harry shook his head as he drove up Dale Street and turned into Byrom Street. He took his eyes off the road for a fraction of a second and patted Eileen’s hand. ‘Everything is under control, so don’t worry.’
‘It’s all right for you,’ Eileen muttered darkly. ‘You wouldn’t worry if yer backside was on fire.’
Harry grinned but was too busy concentrating on the road to answer. It was always busy on a Saturday down Scotland Road and County Road, with women getting their week-end shopping in, and his eyes were wary for the absent-minded pedestrians who stepped off the kerb without looking to see if the road was clear. There were Mary-Ellens on the corner of every side street down County Road, their barrows laden down with potatoes, vegetables, fruit and flowers. They were a familiar sight, with their long black skirts and hand-knitted, fringed black shawls draped around their shoulders. Their singsong voices could be heard over the roar of the traffic, inviting passers-by to inspect their wares and promising to return their money if they could buy cheaper anywhere in Liverpool.
Vera tapped Harry on the shoulder. ‘You can drop me and Carol off anywhere here. We can cut through the side streets and be home in five minutes.’
‘I’ll run you there.’
‘You’ve got enough to do.’ Vera pulled a hankie from her pocket, licked it with her tongue and rubbed at the remnants of tomato sauce and ice cream which had hardened around Carol’s mouth. ‘Anyway, I want a couple of things from the shops.’
Eileen twisted in her seat as Harry pulled in to the kerb. ‘Thanks, Vera, yer a pal! Bring Carol down on Monday to see me new ’ouse. We should be straight by then, please God.’
Vera was walking away swinging Carol’s arm when Harry wound the window down. ‘I almost forgot, Vera, Arthur said to tell you if it wasn’t too late when we finished today, he’d call in and see you. Otherwise he’d try and make it tomorrow.’
Vera’s face flamed as she jerked her head in reply and walked briskly away.
Harry faced Eileen, his eyebrows raised. ‘What’s going to happen there, d’you think?’
‘The Lord knows.’ Eileen turned to look out of the window. ‘You never saw ’is wife, Harry, so yer don’t know the ’alf of it. I couldn’t believe me eyes the day I went up there. Right brazen bitch she is, with ’er dyed ’air an’ thick make-up. An’ the ’ouse was filthy . . . God, I’ll never forget the smell of bugs. An’ that’s what Arthur came ’ome to. Prisoner of war for five years an’ he comes ’ome to find ’is wife’s turned into a prostitute.’
Harry turned his head both ways before crossing the busy road over Breeze Hill. ‘Apparently she hasn’t changed, either.’
‘No, she ’asn’t changed.’ Eileen watched the stream of visitors to Walton Hospital turn into the gates. ‘I think that’s why Arthur an’ Vera are drawn to each other, they’re both in the same boat. Married the wrong partners.’
‘But Vera could get a divorce from Danny on the grounds of desertion, surely?’
They were crossing the awkward humpback bridge at Orrell Park station and Eileen waited till they were clear before answering. ‘She probably will, given time. But what other feller is goin’ to take ’er on with Carol?’
‘Every man is not like Danny Jackson, Eileen.’
‘No, I know. An’ Arthur Kennedy’s one of them.’
‘Don’t go matchmaking, Eileen, you’ll get your fingers burned.’
‘I’ve already been told not to interfere by Bill,’ Eileen told him. ‘So I just say me prayers every night for two good friends.’
Edna was out of the car before it stopped and disappeared into the darkness of the hall. But Eileen stood for a while weighing up the house that was to be her new home. She turned her head to look up and down the deserted road. No neighbours standing at doors chatting, no girls playing skipping or hop-scotch, no boys swinging from a lamppost by a piece of rope or kneeling in the gutter playing ollies.
Harry put his hand under Eileen’s elbow and urged her forward. ‘Welcome to your new home, Mrs Gillmoss.’
‘My God, it’s like Casey’s court!’ Eileen tried to squeeze past a tea chest in the hallway, but gave up after a few attempts. She could hear shouting, banging, and furniture being dragged across floors. ‘It reminds me of one of Stan Laurel’s “another fine mess”.’
‘Hang on a minute and I’ll get someone to help me move this.’ Harry put a hand on top of the chest and vaulted over. ‘Won’t be a tick.’
‘Hi-ya, Mam!’ Young Billy came down the stairs carrying a cardboard box. ‘This has got stuff in for the kitchen.’
The door of the front parlour was closed and Eileen eyed it for a second. This was to be her mam’s bed-sitting room. They didn’t have enough furniture to put in it, but next week they were going to Hartley’s auction rooms in Moss Street to see what they had. You could get some good bargains at Hartley’s if you were lucky.
Eileen was getting impatient waiting for Harry. ‘Where the ’ell’s he got to?’
In the end she opened the parlour door which was the only one she could reach, and poked her head in.
‘Watch it, our kid!’
Eileen held her breath when she saw her sister perched on top of a ladder hanging curtains at the bay window. ‘I’ll hold the ladder for yer.’
‘I’m finished now.’ Rene tilted her head to make sure the gathers in the curtains were uniform. ‘I’m afraid they’re not nearly long enough, but they’ll do for now. At least me mam won’t have to go to bed with nothing covering the windows.’ Rene, half the size of Eileen, stepped gingerly down the ladder. ‘That’s all the windows done now . . . not bad, eh, kid?’
Maggie’s bed had been set against a side wall and was already made up with her hand-crocheted counterpane covering bedclothes and pillows. The only other thing in the room was a small rug placed in front of the tiled fireplace. ‘The room looks bare,’ Eileen said, ‘but when we get some furniture, me mam should be very comfortable in here.’
‘She’ll be as snug as a bug in a rug.’ Rene gave her sister a quick hug. ‘Me and Alan are going to buy her a new sideboard as an early birthday present. And we’ve got a little table she can have for her bedside, so all she needs is a couple of easy chairs or a settee.’
‘Yer mean couch, don’t yer?’ Eileen stuck her tongue out. ‘Settee, indeed! We want none of yer fancy posh Old Roan talk ’ere.’
Eileen felt two arms circle her waist and her eyes slid sidewa
ys to meet Bill’s. ‘Did yer ’ear that, Bill? That thing we’ve been callin’ a couch for years, isn’t a couch . . . it’s a ruddy settee!’
Rene laughed good-naturedly. ‘What would you do with her?’
‘Right now I’m going to give her a tour of inspection.’ Bill turned Eileen round and reached for her hand. ‘Come on, Mrs Woman.’
Eileen’s head was reeling when she finally sat down. She couldn’t take it all in. Couldn’t believe so much had been achieved in such a short time. They didn’t have nearly enough furniture for such a big house, but what they did have had been placed just where she would have put it herself. The men had done all the heavy work, while Rene had seen to the curtains and Maggie and Mary had sorted the kitchen out. All pans and crockery had been put away in the kitchen cupboards and drawers lined with bright wallpaper. Pictures and mirrors had been hung, photographs lined the top of the sideboard, and in the middle of the dining table stood a vase filled with carnations and roses.
Eileen rubbed two fingers against her temple to relieve the tension. ‘I don’t know what to say. For the first time in me life, I’m lost for words.’
In front of her, forming a semicircle, were Bill, young Billy, Harry, Arthur, Rene, Mary and her neighbour, Doris, and Maggie. Her eyes moving from one to the other, Eileen shrugged her shoulders. ‘Yez know I’m no good at makin’ pretty speeches, so I’ll just say yer the best mates anyone could ’ave and I love all of yez.’
‘I wouldn’t thank us until you get our bill,’ Harry said, catching Arthur’s eye and winking. ‘How much did we say, Arthur? Half-a-crown an hour, was it?’
‘Yer can sod off, Harry Sedgemoor,’ Eileen huffed. Then she straightened her back, thrusting her enormous bust forward. Half closing her eyes, her nose pointing to the ceiling, she put on her posh accent. ‘Hi’ll give you sixpence to go to the children’s matinee at the Carlton next Saturday, to see Tom Mix. Hand you should have henough hover to buy yourself ha quarter of Basset’s liquorice hallsorts.’
‘I can’t wait.’ Harry rubbed his hands together. ‘Tom Mix is me favourite cowboy.’
Mary gave him a gentle dig in the ribs. ‘Let’s make a move and leave them in peace.’
‘Yes, I’d better go too,’ Doris said, ‘If Jim’s tea’s not on the table at five o’clock, he’ll give me my marching orders.’
‘Have a cup of tea before you go,’ Maggie coaxed. ‘God knows, you all deserve one.’
‘No thanks, we’ll have one when we get home,’ Mary laughed. ‘It’s only two doors away.’ She waved her hand over Harry’s shoulder. ‘See you tomorrow, Eileen.’
‘Okay, kid! Ta-ra!’
‘I’ll see them out,’ Bill said, ‘I won’t be a tick.’
‘Mam, can I go and get meself ready now?’ Billy asked. ‘Me an’ Jacko are going to a dance at the Holy Name in Fazakerley.’
‘Hopin’ for a click, are yer, son? Well, with your good looks, yer should get the pick of the crop.’ Eileen gave him a broad wink. ‘Go ’ed, son, an’ get yerself all dolled up. Oh, an’ while yer upstairs, see what our Edna’s doin’, will yer? She’s been up there for hours.’
‘She’s putting her clothes away in the drawers,’ Maggie said dryly. ‘She’s bagged the top two before Joan gets home.’
Eileen groaned. ‘There’ll be skin and ’air flyin’ up there tonight. Still, me an’ our Rene were the same when we were young.’
Arthur pulled a chair from the table and sat down. ‘How does your Joan like working at Vernon’s?’
‘She loves it, but ’ow long the novelty will last I don’t know because they ’ave to work till nearly ten on a Saturday night markin’ the coupons.’ Eileen chuckled. ‘Yer should see ’er! Thinks she’s the whole cheese now she’s workin’. Savin’ up to get ’er ’air permed, if yer don’t mind.’
‘I’ll stick the kettle on,’ Maggie said. ‘Me mouth’s that dry it feels like emery paper.’
‘I’ll give you a hand,’ Rene said quickly. ‘You’ve done enough for one day. I think you forget you’re not a spring chicken any more.’
Left alone now with Arthur, Eileen asked softly, ‘How’s things with you, Arthur?’
Arthur rolled his sleeves down and dipped into his trouser pocket for his cuff links before meeting Eileen’s eyes. ‘I was going to say they were just the same, like I always do. But they’re not the same, and I’m not going to lie to you.’ He fiddled and cursed under his breath while struggling to get one of the cuff links through the two holes in his cuff. In the end Eileen became exasperated.
‘For God’s sake come ’ere an’ let me do it for yer. Bloody ’elpless men are, just like babies.’
Eileen held on to Arthur’s arm when she’d successfully fastened his cuff links. ‘What’s wrong . . . is it Sylvia?’
‘She’s ill, Eileen, but won’t go to see a doctor. You wouldn’t know her if you saw her, she’s lost that much weight. She’s got a terrible cough and her skin’s a yellow colour.’
‘Call the doctor in,’ Eileen told him. ‘She can’t do much about it if he walks in on her.’
‘I’ll have to do something.’ Arthur heard Bill close the front door and knew he didn’t have much time. ‘How was Vera?’
Bill would go mad if he knew she was interfering, but Eileen felt so sorry for Arthur and Vera. They both deserved better out of life. She glanced at the clock. ‘If yer left now, yer’d ’ave time to call in an’ see her, an’ still be ’ome for the boys before it gets too dark.’
Bill came in rubbing his hands and calling through the kitchen, ‘How about that cup of tea?’
‘I won’t stay.’ Arthur made up his mind quickly. He hated lying to a friend, and Bill was a true friend. And there shouldn’t be any need to lie, because God knows, he and Vera did nothing wrong. But Arthur knew instinctively that Bill didn’t approve. ‘I’ll get home, have a bath and listen to the wireless with the boys.’
‘Are you coming up, chick?’ Bill asked. ‘I’m that dead beat I could sleep on a clothes line.’
Eileen pressed her palms on the table and pushed herself up. ‘You go on and I’ll follow. I just want to get a drink of water.’
Bill was halfway up the stairs when he stopped, his brow furrowed. There was something not quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Then it struck him . . . in all the years they’d been married, he’d never known Eileen drink water before going to bed.
His hand pressing on the banister rail, Bill took the stairs two at a time. The living room was in darkness, but from the light in the kitchen he could see Eileen bending over the sink, her face in her hands. He rushed to her, thinking she was sick, then he saw her shoulders shaking and knew she was crying.
‘Chick,’ Bill took her shoulders and turned her around, ‘what’s wrong?’
‘Oh, Bill,’ Eileen sobbed. ‘I didn’t even ’ave time to say goodbye to all me friends and neighbours.’
Bill held her close and stroked her back. ‘You can go up any time and see your friends. It isn’t as though we’ve moved to the other end of the world.’
‘But I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye to me little house.’
Eileen swallowed at the lump in her throat. ‘And I can’t go back there any time, can I?’
Bill wiped her tears away with a finger. He’d expected Eileen to be upset, but he just hoped that when she got used to the new house she’d settle down.
Chapter Six
‘Sshush!’ Martha Bradshaw put a finger to her lips to quieten the children. ‘I think this is Mummy and Daddy.’ With her good foot, Martha spun her rocking chair round till it was facing the door. Her neatly combed white hair framed a kind face, with blue eyes that showed her eagerness for news. ‘Well,’ she asked as Mary came into the room, ‘how did it go?’
‘Eileen looks as though she doesn’t know what day it is.’ Mary smiled at her mother as she slipped her arms out of her coat. ‘She said for the first time in her life she’s lost for words.’
‘And that’s saying something,’ Harry piped in. ‘Eileen’s not usually short a few hundred words.’
‘I’ve been dying to know how you were all getting on.’ Since she’d had a stroke during an air raid in the May blitz, Martha had learned to live within her capabilities. Slowly, and in great pain, she had persevered until she had mastered the crutches given to her by the hospital. Now she could at least get around the downstairs rooms under her own steam. And she never complained because she had so much to be thankful for. A loving daughter, the best son-in-law anyone could ask for, two lovely grandchildren and a nice comfortable home. It was only at times like this that she cursed her affliction. It would have meant so much to her to have been able to help Eileen. To repay, in a small way, some of the happiness the big woman had brought into their lives. ‘It’ll be nice having them for neighbours.’
‘Can we go and see Auntie Eileen, Mummy?’ Tony pulled on Mary’s skirt. ‘You promised.’
‘I didn’t promise you could see her today. Tomorrow, perhaps, if Auntie Eileen isn’t too tired. We could take Grandma with us, in the wheelchair.’
Tony, so serious for his age, went to stand in front of Martha. ‘You’ll like that, won’t you, Grandma?’
Emma, not to be outdone, stood next to her brother. ‘If Daddy gets the wheelchair down the steps, Grandma, I’ll push you.’
Tony swung his hip and pushed his sister. ‘I’m stronger than you, ’cos I’m a boy.’
Harry intervened before there was a crying match. ‘You can take turns. One push the wheelchair down, and the other push it back. Okay?’
‘I’ll make us some tea.’ Mary looked from Harry to Martha. ‘Will beans on toast do? I’m too tired to cook anything.’ As she turned, Mary’s eye caught sight of a man passing the window. ‘Oh, there’s Arthur on his way home. Why don’t you give him a lift, Harry? He has to get two buses to the Dingle, and he must be worn out.’
Harry’s mind ticked over quickly. Unless he was very much mistaken, Arthur would be calling at Vera’s before he went home, and he wouldn’t welcome being offered a lift to the Dingle, which was the other side of the city. ‘I haven’t got much petrol left, and I’m right down on coupons.’ Harry stared hard at Mary, willing her to understand. ‘Don’t forget I’ve done a lot of running around today, and I’ve barely enough juice to get me to work on Monday.’