Christmas on Coronation Street

by Maggie Sullivan

  This was why she found herself outside Amy Tanner’s house, nervously wondering whether to knock on the door or not.

  Before she could pluck up the courage, she saw Amy at the window, smiling and waving at her. Within a few moments she found herself sitting at Amy’s homely kitchen table with a pot of tea in front of her.

  ‘It’s lovely to see you, Elsie. You look smashing, like you’ve filled out a bit – it suits you.’

  ‘Well, that’s the thing,’ Elsie said awkwardly and then hesitated.

  Amy looked at her quizzically over the teacup as she was pouring the hot brew, and when Elsie’s hand moved to her stomach, the penny dropped.

  ‘Oh, I see.’ Amy’s smile had faded, but her eyes had the same kindness in them. ‘Well, that’s a pretty pickle you’ve both got into. Does Arnold know?’

  Elsie nodded.

  ‘And is he trying to avoid all responsibility?’

  Elsie nodded again.

  ‘This isn’t an ideal beginning to a marriage, Elsie,’ Amy said, ‘but there have been worse ways to start ’n’ all. Do you love him and does he love you?’

  Elsie didn’t speak but looked down at her shoes. To her surprise, Amy laughed.

  ‘Hearts and flowers only last so long, Elsie love. There’s many a marriage that doesn’t start with love but can work its way up to it. The country is at war now and who knows what the future holds. No doubt both you and Arnold have got some growing up to do, but if you can put your best feet forwards then you’ve as much chance as any other couple.’

  ‘Do you really think so, Mrs Tanner?’ Elsie asked uncertainly.

  Amy Tanner sighed. ‘I’m not rightly sure, lass, but leave Arnold to me.’

  The next evening, at home time, Elsie was surprised to see Arnold waiting by the factory gates. Aggie saw him first and slipped her arm out of Elsie’s. ‘I think it’s you he wants to talk to, and you’d be better off without me there,’ Aggie said, and before Elsie could say anything she disappeared into the crowd. For once Elsie felt a flutter of fear in her chest as she looked at her burly boyfriend.

  ‘I heard your old man kicked you out.’ Arnold grasped her hand and pulled her towards him, leading her in the opposite direction than they normally took.

  ‘News certainly does travel fast,’ Elsie said without looking at him.

  ‘So where are you living now?’

  ‘I’m stopping at Aggie’s, if you must know – in Kimball Street, down by the gasworks.’

  ‘Look,’ Arnold stopped and turned to face her. ‘About what happened the other day …’

  ‘Go on,’ Elsie said, ‘I’m listening, though I really don’t know why I should.’

  ‘That girl, she’s nothing to me. Just someone I bumped into in the pub. I didn’t even know her name. I’d had a few, we got to talking. You know how it is.’

  ‘No, I don’t know,’ Elsie said. ‘Not when I thought we had something between us.’ She wasn’t sure how far she should push it and tried to catch a glimpse of his face. But even when she did, his eyes as usual were shielded by the brim of his hat.

  ‘Yeah, well, I’m very fond of you, that’s right. And the thing is, I’ve been thinking over what you said.’ He suddenly put his palm flat on her belly and Elsie gave a start. Then she covered his hand with hers and held it there for a few moments.

  ‘Poor bugger,’ Arnold said, taking his hand away. ‘I feel sorry for the little sod already. It’s not fair on him. He didn’t ask to be born. So I think we should get wed. Give the unfortunate bastard a name. What do you think?’

  Elsie gasped. She couldn’t think. Her heart was hammering so loudly it seemed the whole street must hear. This was exactly what she’d wanted. But now she must tread carefully so she didn’t upset him. It was not the most romantic proposal she’d ever heard. But what the heck. The last thing she wanted was for him to change his mind. She was scratching around trying to think what she should say when the words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them. ‘Have you been talking to your mother?’ she said. Now she felt anxious, wondering if she had said the wrong thing. But to her surprise he smiled at her.

  ‘Happen I have,’ he said. ‘And she says you’ve to go live with her and me dad until the wedding.’

  Elsie couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but Arnold persisted.

  ‘What do you say then, shall we tie the knot?’

  This was it. The chance she had been waiting for and Elsie wasn’t going to let it pass her by.

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Yes, I will.’ Then she giggled. ‘Am I saying those words too soon?’

  Arnold tilted his hat back from his face for once and he grinned as he took her arm and linked it through his.

  There’s no reason why we can’t make a go of it, Elsie thought. He’s not half bad and I’ll do my best to make it work.

  ‘The licence will probably take a few weeks,’ Arnold said. ‘I’ll go down to the registry office tomorrow and see what’s what. I’ll let you know. Meantime, I’d best take you back to Kimball Street.’

  He left her at the corner of the street and when Elsie walked into the house she was beaming. Aggie ran into the hallway to greet her. ‘What was all that about? What happened?’

  Before she could reply, Mrs Farrell called out from the kitchen: ‘Don’t you dare say a word. Come in here and tell us both. I take it from the sound of Aggie’s voice it’s summat good.’

  ‘We’re getting wed,’ Elsie announced, not even attempting to keep the excitement from her voice. ‘In the meantime, I’m to go and live with his mother and father.’

  There was a delighted scream and a shout and both mother and daughter swamped Elsie with hugs and kisses.

  ‘So, when is it to be, then?’ Mrs Farrell said.

  ‘As soon as the licence comes through. He’s going to get us a slot at the registry office as quickly as he can. It might not be for a few weeks, but I don’t care about that.’ She clapped her hands in delight and did a little skip around the room. ‘I’m going to get wed and I’ll never have to go back to Back Gas Street. That’s all I need to know.’

  ‘I don’t suppose you’ll be wanting to tell your dad,’ Mrs Farrell asked.

  ‘Will you be telling your mam?’ Aggie wanted to know.

  ‘No.’ Elsie was adamant. ‘I shan’t tell them. They’ll not care. I don’t want either of them at my wedding, any road. Though you two are invited.’

  ‘Arnold’s not a bad lad, despite what some folk round here think,’ Mrs Farrell said.

  ‘He can’t be that bad because he’s actually asked me to marry him.’ Elsie laughed.

  Aggie chuckled too. ‘Not that it sounded very romantic.’

  ‘Give over, what did you expect? It’s Arnold Tanner we’re talking about here, not Clark Gable.’

  ‘So you think he might turn out to be all right, after all?’

  ‘Some men can, you know,’ Mrs Farrell chipped in. ‘I’m glad to see he’s taking his responsibilities seriously.’

  ‘True. And guess what, as soon as we’re wed I’m going to live with him in Coronation Street. He’s just moved into number 11, so I won’t have to live with his mother any longer than necessary. Not that I’ll mind that. She’s been really nice to me.’

  ‘Maybe she’ll give you some more clothes,’ Aggie said. ‘But make sure they don’t need so much altering this time.’

  ‘It’s not just clothes you’ll be wanting,’ Mrs Farrell chipped in. ‘You never know what else you might need. You’re having her grandchild and you can’t predict anything where babies are concerned.’

  ‘True enough,’ Aggie said. ‘I mean, what with this blasted war, anything could happen. Arnold and the like could be called up into the army at any moment.’

  ‘No, surely not?’ Mrs Farrell sounded shocked. ‘Our Johnny says it’ll all be over soon.’

  ‘That’s what they said about the Great War. That it would be over by Christmas. And look what happened there,’ Aggie chipped in. �
�And now with that bloody creep Hitler poking his nose into everyone’s business and trying to take over, there’s no knowing where it’ll end.’

  ‘At least he won’t be coming here – unless he can swim,’ Mrs Farrell said.

  ‘Let him try! We’ll soon show him.’ Elsie sounded defiant.

  ‘Do you really think lads like Arnold and our Johnny could be called up?’ Mrs Farrell asked, suddenly fearful.

  Elsie laughed. ‘I don’t think I’ve anything to worry about. Arnold won’t have to go into the army. Not with a baby coming. He’ll be … what’s the word?’

  ‘Exempt?’ Aggie said.

  ‘Yes, exempt.’ And Elsie dismissed the thought from her mind.

  Chapter 29

  By the time the wedding licence had come through and the official date of 4 October 1939 had been set, Great Britain was firmly on a war footing. But Elsie cared nothing for any of that for now. All she was concerned about was that she should be married before she got any bigger, as she was already over six months gone. Arnold had said she should buy a new dress or a suit for the wedding and had offered her some money. But Elsie had never had new clothes before, nor had she been to a wedding, and she was worried she wouldn’t know what to look for that would be right for the occasion. Besides, although there was still no official rationing it was becoming more difficult to find many items in the shops.

  Once again Amy Tanner came to her rescue. Not only did she look after Elsie while they were waiting for the official date but she had one of her customers make a special wedding outfit for her. She said she had a bolt of really nice material she had been given by her husband at the time of her own wedding. So within a few weeks Elsie had a new two-piece suit of beige linen and had found a cream pair of shoes at the charity shop to go with it. Amy also gave her a pale pink blouse to wear underneath the jacket as well as a blue garter to wear with the fine pair of silk stockings that were Arnold’s contribution to the affair. And on the day of the wedding Amy once again set Elsie’s hair and combed it up, then helped her put make-up on her face and eyes.

  ‘There now,’ Amy said, standing back to admire her handiwork, ‘that takes care of the old, new, borrowed and blue bits of the rhyme. And you look pretty as a picture.’

  Elsie stared into the mirror Amy had provided and couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d never dreamed she could look like that. Her face and hair almost made her look pretty. And the new clothes were very flattering. The skirt had elastic in the waist and the jacket wasn’t meant to fasten, so unless she stood sideways on she looked a little chubby rather than pregnant.

  She clasped hold of Amy. ‘I really can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me,’ she gasped, trying not to cry.

  ‘Give o’er, lass, or you’ll be spoiling all your make-up,’ Amy said with a laugh.

  As they came downstairs, Wally Tanner gave a wolf whistle at his soon-to-be daughter-in-law. ‘Eee, our Arnold’s got a right treat waiting for him tonight!’ he teased, eyes twinkling.

  Amy told her husband to give over, punching his arm playfully and Elsie blushed uncharacte‌ristically, but she felt buoyed up as they went out together to the taxi that Arnold had ordered to take them into Weatherfield for the ceremony. Elsie had grown very fond of the Tanners over the last few weeks; she could see that Wally was a bit of an old rogue, but their kindness and good humour couldn’t be further away from the misery and ill-feeling at Back Gas Street.

  As they drove through town, Elsie thought she knew how the king and queen must feel, waving to everyone they passed, and when they came to the town hall she said to Amy, breathless with excitement, ‘Do you think all those long lines of men are here to see me get married?’

  ‘Wouldn’t that be lovely!’ Amy sounded equally excited. ‘Like you’re a famous film star or something.’

  Elsie nodded but the serious looks on their faces told her that couldn’t be so.

  ‘What are they there for?’ Elsie peered out of the cab.

  ‘I expect they’re waiting to enlist,’ Amy said.

  Elsie shuddered. Thank God Arnold wouldn’t have to do that. ‘A newly-wed with a baby on the way can hardly be expected to go off to fight a war.’

  Amy laughed. ‘No, I suppose not,’ she said, as Elsie sat back, patting her belly and smiling.

  Fay was waiting outside the registry office, pacing up and down on her own. She had hoped to bring Jack with her – she knew Elsie would have loved that – but her father was on the prowl and she knew he would have stopped her. Trying to explain it all to Jack would have been impossible; he was still far too young to understand.

  Elsie had obviously not arrived yet and neither had her husband-to-be. There was a part of Fay that hoped he wouldn’t come. Fay didn’t like Arnold Tanner much. Yes, she knew he had done some nice things for Elsie, but that didn’t make up for the fact he was a bully. And from what she’d heard, he was likely to be unfaithful before long. But her sister seemed to accept him as he was, so she’d said nothing. The best thing about him was that he was taking Elsie out of Back Gas Street. It was just a pity she’d had to get knocked up first. Fay also dreamed of getting out. Now that Elsie had left the house, things were worse than ever and she was finding it difficult to stand up to her bullying father. Like Elsie, he’d insisted that Fay give over most of her wages; luckily, the firm didn’t write how much her wages were on the envelope but gave her a separate slip with it written on instead, so she was able to keep some of it back. She secretly hoped that Terry Butler might be the one to help her get away from all that, but she definitely did not want a baby in her belly before they’d had time to get married.

  Fay missed her sister – not only for the protection she’d tried to offer but for the fun times they used to have. Like late at night when they’d giggle together in bed while the little ’uns slept.

  When the taxi arrived, Fay dashed forward to greet the bride and stopped before kissing her to admire the new two-piece.

  ‘Wow, you look smart!’ Fay said. She was clutching a posy of flowers and she thrust them at Elsie. ‘Here, I saved up for them. I thought you should have some flowers.’

  ‘Ah, thanks, Sis, they’re lovely.’ Elsie gave her a kiss. ‘And thanks for coming. Glad the old man didn’t stop you.’

  Now Fay clasped hold of her sister. ‘I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’

  The large reception area of the building was filled with couples with the same idea as Elsie and Arnold, most of them in the same plight. Some of the lads, however, were already in uniform and it was plain to see that one or two of the lasses were much further on than she was. Elsie panicked for a moment when she didn’t see Arnold, but then she relaxed when she spotted Joe, sober for once. He was to be their best man.

  ‘We’re number 4 in line,’ Joe said. ‘Arnold will be back in a minute. ’

  Aggie and Mrs Farrell arrived in time, but true to form Arnold appeared barely seconds before they were called in for the ceremony, his mother and father scowling at him as he came into the corridor. The wedding was conducted by a rather fierce-looking man who introduced himself as Mr Hutchins the registrar. He took his time clearing his throat and finding the page in his book, and for a brief moment Elsie thought she was going to be sick. But then the butterflies settled and she had no more time left to wonder what it might be like to be a married lady. All it took was a few sentences, the flip of a page, a greeting, and a good wish, and she was Mrs Elsie Tanner.

  When they came out it was Joe who said, ‘The Dog and Duck’s down the road, shall we go and toast the happy couple there?’ Everyone agreed and the small wedding party began to move away. It was then that Elsie saw her mother, hanging back in the shadows of an archway in the grand hall.

  ‘You go on without me, I’ll catch you up in a minute,’ Elsie said to Arnold and she slipped her arm out of his. Her mother had moved away but Elsie caught up with her.

  ‘Mam, how come you …?’ she began, but she couldn’t bring herself to say
that she hadn’t been invited.

  Alice stopped and said softly, ‘I’m right sorry your dad’s not here too, but you know how it is.’

  Elsie was staring at the fresh bruise on her mother’s face. Yes, she certainly knew how it was.

  Alice put her hand up to her face self-consciously. ‘You mustn’t think too badly of your dad. He wasn’t always like this, you know.’

  ‘It’s the only side of him we’ve ever seen,’ Elsie seethed, and she could feel her anger rising.

  But looking from the purple bruise to her mother’s sad eyes, she realized that deep down she felt nothing but pity. ‘I’m glad you came,’ she said, and patted her mother’s arm.

  Alice’s eyes shone with tears. ‘You look lovely, chuck. I’m right proud of you. You and that man you were linking arms with. I presume he’s your new husband. I’m pleased he’s done right by you.’

  Husband. Elsie liked the sound of that. At sixteen years old she was now a respectable married lady, about to become a mother herself. She was no longer the little girl to be knocked about by her drunken father. It was up to her to make the most of her new life.

  ‘Are you coming with us down to the pub?’ Elsie felt she had to ask though it had been her intention to put every one of her family – apart from Fay and Jack – behind her.

  ‘No, chuck,’ Alice said. ‘You go and enjoy yourself. I’ll be thinking of you.’ And with a little wave of her hand, she melted into the crowd.

  Arnold was generous getting his rounds in after the wedding. They toasted Elsie and the baby so many times that by closing time Elsie realized even she was drunk. Arnold splashed out on a taxi to take them back to Coronation Street and she was grateful because her new shoes had cramped up her toes till she could hardly walk.