‘He starts school the week after next. We have been fortunate to place him into a school that comes highly recommended by my neighbours. I have worked with him on his numbers and letters and, as you can see, he is able to form words,’ Ruby said proudly.
‘Most commendable.’ Mrs Grant opened a small bag that hung from her arm, and pulled out a white card. ‘Here is my address. My husband is one of the managers at the Vickers works.’ She pointed towards one of the factories close to the river. ‘Now, you may have other plans for the boy, but when he is of an age to be thinking of work, I would like him to meet my husband and consider an apprenticeship. Smart lads are always required, and he would have a bright future with the company.’
Ruby took the card and looked at the address. Avenue Road: she thought she recognized the name. Stella would be able to tell her where it was. ‘I don’t know what to say; we only met a little while ago. Why would you make such a generous offer?’
Mrs Grant nodded towards the grave. ‘You could say we are almost family,’ she smiled. ‘Now, I must be on my way. I can see my chauffeur at the gates, and he seems to be agitated. No doubt he is wanting his meal.’ With a word to the stonemason to send on his bill, she bid them good day and left Ruby wondering about the generosity and kindness of strangers.
‘May I follow Mrs Grant and look at her motorcar?’ George asked, hopping up and down on one foot in excitement.
‘I don’t see why not – but be careful not to go near the vehicle if it is moving, or to step into the road. I couldn’t bear to bury another child,’ she said to thin air, as her son was already racing to catch up with Mrs Grant.
Ruby went to the graveside, nodding goodbye to the mason as he loaded his equipment and headed off. She knelt down, reaching out to touch the delicately carved rosebud and the word Sarah. ‘This is the first time I’ve been alone with you, my darling. I want to say how much I love you. You may not be here in body, but your spirit will remain in my heart as long as I live. If only God had been more lenient and let you live. Though I’ve never been a big believer. Why would there be so much heartbreak in the world if there was truly a God who could make things better? I did ask a man of the cloth why God could be so wicked; it was after I’d been sent to church by your nanny to pray for my dad. I could only have been as old as your brother, George, and I couldn’t understand why I’d never had a daddy like my friends. The vicar seemed angry that I needed to ask, telling me it was man who caused problems, not God. I knew not to argue with him, even at that age; instead I made excuses not to go to Sunday school. However, if there is a God, I hope that one day he grants my wish to see you once more. Until then, you have Miss Allinson to keep you company, and I will visit as often as I can,’ she whispered, kissing the fingers of her left hand and placing them onto her daughter’s name.
‘I promise to come with you as well,’ a little voice chirped up close behind her, causing Ruby to jump.
‘Why, George! I thought you’d gone to see the motorcar?’
‘It was already driving away as I reached the gates, but Mrs Grant and the driver both waved to me. She’s a nice lady, isn’t she, Mum?’
‘Very nice indeed. I’m sure we’ll meet her again one day. I intend to write a letter to thank her for her kindness.’
‘May I do the same?’ George asked. ‘If you write down the words for me to copy, that is. I don’t want her to think I don’t know all my letters.’
Ruby pulled her son close and gave him the biggest hug, wishing she had two children in her arms. ‘I think that’s an admirable idea. We can do that as soon as we get home. There may even be time to walk up to her house and place it through the letter box.’
As she got to her feet, taking George’s hand in hers and giving it a squeeze, they both turned to look back at the grave. ‘Mummy, do you think you’ll have any more babies? Mrs Green has three, but they are all grown up.’
‘We shall have to wait and see what happens,’ she smiled. George had such an enquiring mind.
‘If you have a baby girl, we can call it Sarah again,’ he said.
Ruby froze. She knew it was common practice for parents to use the same name if they lost a child; but for her, Sarah was a special name, and she didn’t feel she could ever use it again. ‘I’m not so sure about that, George. I’d quite like to choose another name if it were to happen,’ she told him gently.
‘Then when I’m grown up and marry, I shall call my baby Sarah,’ he said.
Ruby chuckled. ‘Don’t wish your life away, George, whatever you do. Life is too short for that. First you need to enjoy being a little boy who lives in a nice house and will go to a very nice school. You have a mummy and daddy, and a nanny, who love you very much.’
‘And a sister,’ George said, looking back over his shoulder as they walked away from the grave.
4
‘My, I never thought when I took you on that you’d be such a hard worker,’ Marge Dobkins said, as she gazed at the stack of clean plates and the mugs that hung from hooks at the back of the serving counter. ‘Of course, I could tell you were a grafter, but it’s only been two weeks and you’ve transformed the place. Not that it was ever dirty, but . . . Oh, you know what I mean,’ she laughed, slapping Ruby on the back so hard she stumbled forward and put her hands out to stop herself crashing into the counter.
‘It’s a pleasure. I love my job. I’ve met more locals here than I ever would staying at home or taking on a cleaning job.’ She didn’t add that she liked to be seen to be working when there weren’t many customers in the cafe, just in case Marge decided to cut her hours. Ruby had watched the jovial woman closely, and it seemed she didn’t miss a trick when it came to cutting corners and saving a few bob.
‘Well, my regulars have taken to you and no mistake. I always say having a welcoming smile costs nothing and warms the cockles of the heart on a miserable day.’
Ruby laughed. ‘In the days I’ve been working here the weather’s been good, so perhaps that’s what has cheered them up.’
‘With a bit of luck it will rain tomorrow and we’ll be busy most of the day. I dare you to keep up with the washing-up then,’ Marge said, roaring with laughter again at the look on Ruby’s face.
‘Why would you wish for rain? Haven’t we had enough these past few months? I’ve never known such a miserable summer.’
Marge tapped the side of her nose as if imparting some important secret. ‘You watch them come rushing in to get out of the rain. I sell more tea and buns, as well as cups of Bovril, to people who come in to shelter from the weather than I do some dinnertimes.’
‘In that case, we must pray for rain,’ Ruby chuckled. ‘As long as it isn’t on wash day.’
‘Ah, about Monday. Is there any chance your mother could help you out with the washing? It’s just that my old man has had another of his queer turns, and he’s been told by the doctor to stay in bed for the next week. I’m going to have to look after the other place – which means you’ll be on your own here, and I need you to work on Monday as well. Is that a problem? Anyroad, I’ll leave you to crack on and you can tell me before we lock up later. All right?’
Ruby nodded and returned to drying the last of the crockery, stacking it as she went. Of course, she could do with the money, if only to tuck it away in her savings tin hidden at the back of the pantry, ready for a rainy day. She’d not had to dip into the tin once to pay the rent since working here because, as good as his word, Eddie had picked up a few shifts down at the coalyard, with the promise of more once the colder months crept in. Milly too had found herself a few hours cleaning each day in the Prince of Wales Hotel, only a five-minute walk from their home. With luck, they’d soon have enough put by for more furniture and some home comforts. They had use of the pieces left by the previous tenant, but Ruby had a fancy to have her own bits and pieces around her so she felt more settled – not that she had any thoughts of moving away from Alexandra Road. If she had her way, she’d one day purchase the house from Ced
ric and have, for the first time in her life, a security she’d never known before. If she envied her two older sisters anything, it was that their husbands had invested wisely and now owned their homes. While living in rented rooms in Woolwich she had dreamt of being like her sisters – a property owner. At the time, she’d scoffed at her own dreams, but held them close to her heart in the hope that one day . . . If she shared her dream with her husband, she knew Eddie would say she was barmy. He probably wasn’t even interested in owning their own home. But just perhaps, with three adults working, it could be done. Stella had told her how some of the sixty-plus terraced homes that ran each side of Alexandra Road were already sold to families, while others remained in the ownership of the family of builders who’d created the rows of bay-fronted homes. It was one of these builders who had passed a house to Cedric to clear his gambling debts. Ruby had never been so thankful to be able to rent number thirteen.
When the time came to lock up the cafe and head for home, Ruby turned to Marge. ‘I’d like to work on Monday. I’ll do the laundry on Sunday.’
Marge enveloped Ruby in her chubby arms and thanked her. ‘Mind you, I’d think twice about doing your washing on the Lord’s day. You could be bringing trouble down on your head.’
‘I’ll be in more trouble if my husband doesn’t have any clean undergarments,’ she grinned. ‘The Lord I can deal with, but Eddie’s another kettle of fish.’
‘Be off with you,’ Marge guffawed, nudging Ruby in the ribs. ‘It would take a braver woman than me to hang out my washing on a Sunday. What are your neighbours like – would they approve?’
Ruby shrugged her shoulders. ‘I can’t say I’ve met them. I know there’s an old lady on one side; she seems to live on her own. I’ve only seen her when she twitched her net curtains to watch our George kick a ball about in the road. I waved in a friendly way, but she straightened her curtains and disappeared. Whether she approved of that or not, I don’t know. On the other side there are a couple with two older children. I would think they are past the age of fourteen, so must work somewhere. They seemed friendly enough when I saw them at their gate one morning leaving for work, although they were a little aloof. I’ll get up extra early tomorrow and have the washing on the line, then I’ll disappear indoors. If my neighbours can’t see me to speak to, they can’t complain.’ Ruby grinned, kissing Marge on the cheek and heading for home. She nodded to customers she recognized as she headed down the high street and into Manor Road.
The pay packet Marge had handed to her weighed heavy in her pocket. Hopefully the extra hours she’d worked this week would show in the envelope and it wasn’t just full of farthings and halfpennies taken from the jar left on the counter for tips. She might just have enough to pay off the splendid sideboard she’d placed a deposit on while browsing last week in Mitchell’s second-hand furniture emporium. To her eyes it looked almost new, and it would fit perfectly in the front room, with its four cupboard doors and a mirrored back. She’d soon have the splendid mahogany cabinet shining in the sun that came through the bay window.
With a smile on her face, she entered the front door of number thirteen – then froze on the spot as she heard the hullabaloo coming from her kitchen.
‘Drunk at this time of the day. You should be ashamed of yourself!’
‘Shut up, old woman! I’m head of this household and I can drink whenever I wish,’ Eddie bawled back, as suddenly furniture went crashing to the ground. Her husband swore loudly.
‘Mummy?’ George cried softly from the top of the staircase, which was situated between the front room and living room. ‘Make them stop,’ he cried, holding his hands to his ears.
Ruby held her arms out, and he ran down the steep stairs and into her embrace. ‘Sshh, my love; I’m sure this is nothing to worry about,’ she said, although she knew that wasn’t true. When Eddie and her mum started to row like this, nine times out of ten it would end in tears. ‘I tell you what,’ she said, delving into her shopping bag, which had been dropped on the floor when she spotted George so distressed. ‘Why don’t you take these pies over the road to Stella? Tell her Mummy brought them home from work, and would she warm one for your tea?’ She wiped his eyes with the hem of the apron she still wore under her unbuttoned coat, and kissed his cheek. ‘You are not to worry, do you hear me?’
‘Can I tell Aunty Stella why I’ve been crying?’ he hiccupped.
‘If she asks, but try to put a happy smile on your face and enjoy your tea,’ she said, hoping that Stella and her boys didn’t come rushing over the road to get involved. If there had been time she’d have penned a few words on a scrap of paper, but she wanted George out of the house before the row started up again. She trusted Stella would cotton on to what had happened, as she was aware from chatting to Ruby that both Eddie and Milly had volatile tempers. She watched as George crossed the road and was let into her friend’s house.
Closing the front door, Ruby took a deep breath before turning and marching through into the living room. Placing her hands on her hips, she glared at her husband, who was slumped in a wooden chair, and her mum, who she could see through the open door into the kitchen. Milly was banging about as she wiped a large pan and slammed it onto the wooden draining board. She seemed to be brewing for another argument, and had just opened her mouth to call out when she saw Ruby standing there. ‘Oh, you’re home then? You might want to sort out this useless lump of lard you call your husband,’ she glared at Eddie, who pointed an angry finger in her direction.
‘Tell her to mind her own business! If she don’t like what I do, she can sling her bloody hook,’ he said, reaching to the floor and picking up a small bottle of beer, then throwing it back down when he noticed it was empty.
Ruby glared at Eddie. ‘Pray tell me what you’ve done that has caused this row? I’ve had to send your son over the road as he was so upset. You should think about him once in a while, Eddie.’
‘Yes, he should,’ Milly butted in. ‘I’ve told him as much . . .’
‘And you’re just as bad, so please don’t give us your views,’ Ruby spat back. ‘Neither of you gave him a thought when you started fighting like cat and dog. Now, are you going to tell me what this is all about?’ She turned again to a belligerent Eddie.
‘He’s lost his job, that’s what he’s done,’ Milly said, giving Eddie a smirk that said “I told you I’d tell on you”.
‘Oh, Eddie.’ Ruby all but fell into another of the old wooden seats, set around a scrubbed wooden table they used to prepare and eat their meals. ‘Whatever have you done now?’ she asked, placing her head into her hands. ‘I thought for once we were set up, with us all bringing a bit of money into the house. With you doing shifts down the coalyard, and being promised more as winter came in, I thought we’d be all right this time,’ she said, her words catching in her throat as she did her best not to cry. Nothing ever came of tears, and she needed to keep her wits about her.
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ he shrugged. ‘I was defending myself.’
‘He was caught thieving,’ Milly gloated.
‘They can’t prove it. I was set up.’ He sneered at Milly. ‘You can’t accuse me of something you were told in the Prince of Wales.’
Milly shrugged her shoulders. ‘I wasn’t told about it. I overheard two foremen going on. Seems you’ve been caught out pinching coal and flogging it off cheap. There was also something about you fiddling the tally book you carried with you when they sent you off on a delivery round.’
‘That’s a lie,’ Eddie slurred, raising his fist at Milly as he started to get up out of his seat.
‘Did you see that?’ Milly shrieked as she backed away.
‘For heaven’s sake, will the pair of you calm down?’ Ruby demanded, grabbing Eddie’s sleeve and pulling him back into his seat. ‘You’re not going anywhere until I’ve heard everything there is to know,’ she scolded him. ‘And if you are going to stand there like that, Mum, you can at least put the kettle on. Some of us have been workin
g today and have mouths as dry as the bottom of a budgie’s cage. So, this happened today, did it?’
Eddie stayed quiet.
‘Last Saturday,’ Milly called, from where she was carefully measuring tea leaves into the pot. ‘I only found out today, otherwise I’d have tackled him sooner, the lazy so and so.’
‘Mum,’ Ruby warned, before all hell kicked off again. ‘Have you found another job yet, Eddie?’
‘Not unless it’s in the bottom of a pint pot,’ Milly called.
‘I’ll swing for her in a minute if she doesn’t shut her trap,’ Eddie growled.
‘You can stop talking about my mother liked that as well, Eddie Caselton,’ Ruby said, looking stern. ‘Have you found another job yet?’ she repeated.
‘I’m not likely to, what with people like her spreading rumours,’ he huffed.
‘Oh, come off it. Erith is a large town. I wouldn’t think you getting the sack is known by every person who lives here, let alone every business owner. You need to pick yourself up, get out there and find yourself something else.’
‘I doubt anyone else would have me, around here. It’s time to pack up our bags and leave,’ he answered, without meeting her eyes. He knew his wife’s views on staying put in Erith.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake. I’m tired, my feet ache and I’m hungry. I don’t expect to come home after a hard day’s graft and have to put up with a drunk husband, an argumentative mother, and no food on the table. Sort yourselves out. I’m going over the road to have a cup of tea with Stella and collect our son. I’ll be back in an hour and by then I want you to have a smile on your face, Mother – and you to have sobered up, and have a few positive thoughts in your head about finding another job, Eddie. We are not moving, have I made that clear? If you want to leave Erith, you can pack your bag and leave right now. But you will be on your own,’ Ruby said angrily, before walking out of number thirteen and slamming the door behind her.
A Mother Forever Page 6
