by Joan Jonker
Eileen’s mouth dropped open and her eyes rolled. ‘Don’t tell me any more, me ’ead won’t take it in. What a day this ’as been!’
‘Mam, can we go over to our house now?’ Billy asked. ‘We can talk while we’re having something to eat and drink. And at least we’ll be able to sit down.’
‘Oh, Mavis, I’m sorry!’ Eileen hugged her daughter-in-law. ‘We’ve spoiled yer birthday party.’
‘Oh, no you haven’t,’ Mavis said. ‘This is the best birthday present I’ve ever had.’
‘You all go across,’ Eileen said. ‘Me an’ Bill won’t be long, we just want to ’ave a look around.’
They stood in the kitchen and Bill explained what he had in mind. ‘There’s a bloke in work who lives in a house like this, and he’s had an extension built on the back. You’d have a bigger kitchen, and an inside toilet.’
‘Ay, money bags, don’t be goin’ overboard. I managed before, an’ I’ll manage again.’
‘The building society said they’ll lend us a couple of hundred pounds on top of the mortgage to carry out the improvements,’ Bill said. ‘And before you explode, I’ve gone into everything with a fine-toothed comb. We can meet the repayments without skinting ourselves. I’m determined you’re going to have a decent place to do your washing. And we’ll all feel the benefit of an inside lavatory, especially Ma.’
In the bedroom they stood with their arms around each other’s waists. ‘It looks just the same,’ Eileen said, leaning into Bill’s shoulder. ‘This room ’as seen a lot of lovin’, hasn’t it, Bill?’
‘It has, and it’ll see plenty more.’ Bill squeezed her before moving away. ‘I think we’d better get over the road. Don’t forget it’s supposed to be Mavis’s party.’
When they reached the bottom stair, Eileen caught his arm. ‘Bill, are yer sure? Don’t do this just for me. I love this ’ouse, an’ I’d be made up to come back again, but not if it isn’t what you want.’
‘As long as I’m with you, chick, I don’t care where we live. Be it a hovel or a palace, as long as you’re there, that’s my home.’
‘I love you, Bill Gillmoss.’ Eileen gave him a bear hug that threatened to cut off his air supply. ‘Now if you’ll hang on a tick, I want to go to the lavvy.’
‘Can’t you wait until we get to Billy’s?’
‘Uh, uh.’ Eileen was halfway across the living room when Bill called after her.
‘I’ve got to give the key back tomorrow, you know, chick. We can’t have it until all the papers are signed.’
Eileen was pulling the bolts back on the kitchen door. ‘I’ve waited five years, Bill, another few weeks won’t kill me.’
As she went down the yard, Eileen’s eyes drank in everything she saw. The broken drainpipe, the black marks on the wall made by Billy’s football, and the lavatory door hanging open, its lock skew-whiff like it had always been. Eileen peeped in at the wooden bench-like seat, and her eyes strayed to the nail in the wall they used to hang cut up squares of the Echo on when they couldn’t afford toilet paper.
The memories came flooding back as Eileen stood in the middle of the yard with her hand on the old clothes line. She raised her eyes and whispered, ‘You’ve been very good to me this year, God, and I want You to know how grateful I am. When I said I had the best mates in the world, well You come top of the list. I know people think I’m daft for wantin’ to come back here to live, leaving a nice big ’ouse in Orrell Park. But part of my heart ’as always been in this little ’ouse because it holds so many happy memories for me. All me children were born in that front bedroom.’
Eileen heard Bill calling for her to hurry and she tugged on the line to let him know she’d heard. ‘So You see, dear Friend, when we move back in, with all me family around me, this really will be the home where my heart is.’