by Joan Jonker
Molly called, ‘Come on, Nellie, Hanley’s will sell our bread if we leave it any longer. Besides which, me corn is playing me up.’
‘Stop yer moaning, Molly Bennett, I’m having a serious conversation with yer daughter. And ye’re always telling me it’s rude to interrupt a conversation, so put a sock in it.’
‘I think yer’d better do as me mam says, Auntie Nellie.’ Doreen was sorry she’d started now. ‘Otherwise Hanley’s will sell yer bread.’
‘Sod the bread and sod yer mam’s bleeding corn. I’m not moving until you agree to make two extra mince pies tomorrow instead of one. I haven’t been yer Auntie Nellie since the day yer were born for nothing, yer know. Just think of all those years I’ve wasted, treating yer like me own flesh and blood, if yer turn yer back on me now.’
Molly waved a hand to attract Doreen’s attention. ‘Make that two pies tomorrow, will yer, sunshine?’
Doreen nodded. ‘I’ve made a note of it in me head, Mam. Two pies it will be.’
Nellie’s face was transformed. ‘I knew yer wouldn’t let me down, girl, yer wouldn’t leave yer Auntie Nellie out.’ She stepped down on to the pavement, and linked Molly’s arm. With a cheeky grin, she told Doreen, ‘By the way, girl, my feller likes plenty of salt, so don’t be mean with it.’
‘Don’t push yer luck, sunshine,’ Molly said, ‘quit while ye’re ahead.’ She waved a hand to her daughter and winked. ‘It’s the luck of the Irish she’s got, sunshine. Always comes out on top because suckers like us give in to her. And I’ll give yer a warning for tomorrow. Make sure the pies are exactly the same, because Tilly Mint here will bring a tape measure and scales with her.’
Doreen roared with laughter when she heard Nellie saying, ‘Yer’ll have to lend me yer tape measure, girl, ’cos I haven’t got one.’
Chapter Eight
There was no desperate hurry now that they only needed potatoes and eggs for their dinner, and their tin loaves from Hanley’s, so the two friends walked at an easy pace. ‘Ay, girl.’ Nellie tugged on Molly’s arm. ‘Your Doreen didn’t think I was serious about the pie, did she? I was only joking, but the trouble with me is that I’m so good at it, people think I mean it.’
‘Oh, I imagine Doreen and Victoria are having a good laugh about it right now, sunshine. My family, and all our mates, are well used to yer shenanigans, and they don’t take what yer say to heart. Which is just as well, Nellie, because if they did, yer wouldn’t have a friend in the world.’
‘Yes, I would, girl, I’d always have you, and St Peter.’ They weren’t far from Hanley’s now, and Nellie was walking on the outside. This was the way she liked it, because she had more space to allow her hips to sway. ‘And my feller always said he would stick to me through thick and thin. Mind you, that was on the day we got married, and I was as thin as a rake.’ Then Nellie’s attention was distracted, and the words she was about to utter were left unspoken as she pulled Molly to a halt. ‘Look at that, girl! It’s old Mrs Reagan standing on the edge of the pavement waiting to cross the road. And look at the way she’s swaying. She’s going to fall in the road if she’s not careful, she’s very unsteady on her feet.’ As she said that, Nellie saw a bus coming towards them, and pulling her arm from Molly’s she dashed forward.
Molly stood with a look of bewilderment on her face. It was a couple of seconds before she realized why Nellie had panicked, and with her hand covering her mouth, she watched the scene with mounting horror. The bus driver hadn’t seen the old lady step off the pavement until he was almost on top of her, and then he slammed on his brakes. But it would have been too late if it hadn’t been for Nellie pulling the old lady back, and he would surely have knocked her down. He wouldn’t have been able to avoid her, for she was right in his path. He climbed out of the cab, and with fear in his heart walked round the bus to find the elderly lady lying on the pavement, and a stout lady bending over her. ‘Is she all right?’
‘I think she banged her head when I pulled her out of the road. It’s a good job I did, or she’d have been under the wheels of yer bus,’ Nellie said.
‘I couldn’t help it, missus, she just stepped out in front of me. There was no way I could stop the bus in time. I can’t be blamed for it; she should be more careful.’
‘She’s an old lady, yer stupid sod. Wait until ye’re her age, and then perhaps yer’ll understand.’
Molly knelt down next to Nellie. ‘Is she all right, sunshine?’
‘She banged her head, girl, but I think she’ll be all right. Her eyes are open, and she tried to cover her legs up, so that’s a good sign. I couldn’t help her banging her head, ’cos all I was thinking about was getting her out of the way of the bus.’
The bus driver was shaking inside with the shock. ‘It’s a good job yer were so quick-thinking, missus, or she would have been a goner. And although I know it wasn’t my fault, I’d have had to live with a nightmare all me life. I’ve got a mother of me own about her age. I’d like to know if she’s all right before I get back in me bus. Or do yer want me to ring for an ambulance?’
Molly saw the old lady’s pleading expression, and the fear in her eyes. ‘She’s going to be all right. You go back to yer work. It wasn’t your fault, so don’t let it worry yer. Yer need yer wits about you, especially after the fright yer’ve had. Yer can thank my mate that the worst didn’t happen. Without her quick reaction there could have been a very different outcome.’
‘Don’t I know it!’ The driver tapped Nellie on the shoulder. ‘Thanks, missus, yer saved the day all right! I hope the old lady gets over it. But tell her to be more careful in future.’
Nellie had her hand on Mrs Reagan’s forehead. ‘She’ll be all right now, lad. We’ll just give her a few more minutes to settle her nerves, then me and me mate will take her home. She lives near us, so we’ll keep an eye on her for a few days.’
Word had spread to Hanley’s shop, and the bus driver had only been gone a few minutes when Edna Hanley appeared. ‘In the name of God, what happened to Mrs Reagan? Is she all right?’
‘Thanks to Nellie she is, Edna,’ Molly felt like giving her mate a bear hug, but she couldn’t because Nellie was kneeling on the ground stroking the old lady’s silver hair. ‘I’m really proud of my mate, Edna, ’cos she definitely saved Mrs Reagan’s life. While I was standing with me mouth open, trying to take in what was going on, Nellie was pulling the poor soul out of the way of the bus. Yer’ve just missed the bus – it’s just gone. The driver is as white as a sheet. It was a terrible shock to him, but it wasn’t his fault. And the passengers must have got the fright of their lives because he didn’t half slam his brakes on.’
Edna, who had left several customers in the shop, bent down. ‘How is she, Nellie?’
‘She’s coming round now, but I’ll let her do it in her own time. The shock was enough to give her a heart attack.’
‘Would yer like to bring her in the shop? My feller would carry her, and a cup of weak, sweet tea would do her good.’
Nellie looked up at Molly. ‘What d’yer think, girl?’
‘Yer’d better ask Mrs Reagan, sunshine. But I think the best thing would be to take her home, where she can lie down on the couch. We could stay with her until she’s got over the worst of the shock, and make her a drink in her house.’
‘Would yer like to go home, Mrs Reagan?’ Nellie asked. ‘If yer wanted some shopping, we’d see to it for yer.’ When the old lady nodded her head, Nellie said, ‘Let’s try and sit yer up. Molly will give me a hand and we’ll do it nice and slow.’
‘If yer don’t need me, I’ll get back to the shop,’ Edna Hanley said. ‘I left the customers standing there. They must have thought I’d gone mad the way I dashed out.’
‘You go, Edna, we’ll manage,’ Molly said. ‘But don’t forget to keep our bread for us.’
A man was standing at the back of the group that had formed, and he offered, ‘I’ll give you a hand to take her home if you wish. I’d be very happy to be of assistance
.’
But the two mates had never seen the man before, and they were reluctant to trust him, even though he was quite well dressed. For all they knew, he could be someone who would take advantage of the situation. He’d have the address of an elderly woman who lived on her own, and if he was less than honest, he could pass the information on. ‘Thank you for offering, we appreciate it,’ Molly told him. ‘But she lives near my friend and me, and we’ll see she gets home safely to her family.’ It was a lie in a good cause, Molly thought, for they didn’t know the man from Adam.
The few people who had gathered around, concerned for Mrs Reagan, began to disperse when they were satisfied she was not seriously injured, and Molly and Nellie began the task of raising the frail old lady to a sitting position. She was confused and disorientated, and the two mates held her steady so she wouldn’t fall. They were talking to her softly, comforting words to reassure her she would soon be feeling better and they would take her home. She was very distressed, because sitting on a pavement being stared at by passers-by was not something she was used to. Her loss of dignity would be an enormous embarrassment to an old lady who still lived in an age where clothes were never shorter than ankle length. And Molly was aware of her predicament.
‘When yer feel fit enough to stand on yer feet, sunshine, just say the word and me and Nellie will take yer home. But do it in yer own time, ’cos we’re not in any hurry.’
Mrs Reagan licked her lips, which were dry with shock and fear. She just wanted to be in her own little house, where she could lie down until the shaking and dizziness wore off. ‘I’ll try now, Molly, if you and Nellie will help me. I’m sorry to be such a nuisance; you are very kind. And I owe my life to Nellie. I’ll never be able to repay her for what she did.’
‘Ay, girl,’ Nellie said, ‘if someone pulled me over, I wouldn’t be thanking them, I’d be knocking their block off. I bet when ye’re feeling better, yer’ll be round to my house to give me the length of yer tongue, wanting to know what I was playing at.’
The two mates kept the chatter up as they raised the old lady to her feet. She was shaking badly, and wouldn’t have been able to stand if they hadn’t held her tight. ‘Take yer time, sunshine,’ Molly told her. ‘Stand here until yer feel you’ve got the strength to walk. I don’t want to make yer feel any worse than yer do already, but you’ll probably be very bruised at the bottom of yer back, and the back of yer head where it hit the pavement. So you’ll have to rest for a least a week. Which means you’ll be confined to the house and not able to go to the shops. I suggest yer get enough shopping in to last a few days because yer need to get some nourishment down yer after the shock yer’ve had.’
‘My mate is right, girl,’ Nellie said, feeling very proud of herself. Just wait until she told George and Paul she’d saved someone’s life, they wouldn’t half be proud of her. That’s if they didn’t think she was pulling their legs. ‘We’ll get yer shopping in this afternoon, when we’re doing our own.’
‘If yer give me an arm each to lean on, then I’ll try and walk.’ Rita Reagan leaned heavily on their arms until she felt safe to put a foot forward. She was a very independent lady who had lived alone since her husband was killed in the First World War. They’d only been married a few months when he was killed, not even long enough to have started a family, so she’d had to fend for herself ever since. She’d known mental pain and heartbreak, but never physical pain. Not until she put her foot forward and a pain so fierce shot up from her spine that it caused a cry to leave her lips.
‘Oh, sunshine,’ Molly said, ‘if it’s so bad, don’t attempt any more walking for a while.’
‘We’ve got to get her home, girl, one way or another. She can’t stand here all afternoon. The only other way is a wheelchair, and I don’t know anyone who’s got one.’
‘Oh, no, please don’t do that!’ The old lady was wishing the ground would swallow her up. ‘We aren’t far from my home; I can make it if you help me. I’ll be fine when I’m in my own home, honestly I will. I can go at my own speed then.’
‘Whatever you say, sunshine.’ Molly could see that the more they tried to help, the more flustered Mrs Reagan got. And she agreed with herself that it was understandable, she’d feel the same if she was over eighty and two clever clogs were telling her what she should or shouldn’t do.
‘I’ve got an idea what might help,’ Nellie said. ‘Don’t laugh when I tell yer where I got the idea from, ’cos if it worked when I was a kid, there’s no reason why it won’t work now.’
‘Tell us what the idea is, sunshine, and see what we think. After all, any idea that will help is better than none.’
‘Well, it’s like this, girl.’ Nellie let go of the old lady’s arm and reached for her hand instead. ‘Now what me and me mates used to do is this.’ She bent the frail arm until it was flat against Mrs Reagan’s chest, then cupped her elbow. ‘If you do the same, Molly, I bet we could carry Rita. Lift her off the ground by her elbows and she might not feel any pain then.’
Molly didn’t know what to think. It was all right doing that as a kid, ’cos she remembered doing it herself in the school playground. ‘It’s worth a try, I suppose.’ She did the same as Nellie had done with the left arm. ‘If it hurts at all, sunshine, just shout out and we’ll stop.’
With the two mates cupping an elbow each, Nellie called, ‘Are yer ready, girl?’
‘Ready when you are, sunshine. But take it easy, one step at a time. Don’t forget ye’re not still a schoolgirl, and go charging hell for leather.’
‘Oh, stop yer moaning, and when I say “go”, then lift Rita and walk a few steps until she tells us to stop.’
‘Stop calling her Rita, Nellie. Don’t be so forward.’
The old lady was so busy listening to the couple, she didn’t realize she was walking through the air. And when Molly called Nellie to stop for a moment, to ask if she had felt any pain, Mrs Reagan had to admit she hadn’t felt any sensation at all.
‘Ye’re a genius, sunshine.’ Molly looked across at her mate. ‘I’d never have thought of that in a million years.’
‘I keep telling yer how clever I am,’ Nellie grinned, ‘but yer don’t believe me. Now let’s walk to the corner of the next street, which is where Rita lives.’
‘Are yer sure it didn’t hurt yer, sunshine?’ Molly had to be sure for her peace of mind. ‘Don’t suffer in silence.’
‘I’ll be fine, Molly. I just want to get home.’
When they turned the corner of the street, Molly called for a halt while she flexed her hands and fingers. ‘Thanks to Nellie, we’re now in your street, Mrs Reagan, so it won’t be long before ye’re home.’ She was just about to cup the woman’s elbow again when out of the corner of her eye she sensed a movement. She turned her head quickly, and caught sight of a figure standing just round the corner, on the main road. She stepped a pace back, and saw the man who had offered to take Mrs Reagan home. He had flattened himself against the shop front, and his trilby was pulled down over his forehead to hide his face. The sight of him disturbed Molly, who couldn’t help wondering what he was up to. He looked respectable enough, but why was he trying to hide himself ? He’d left the scene of the incident fifteen or twenty minutes ago, so he should be well away by now. This all flashed through Molly’s mind within seconds, and she came to the conclusion he had been following them. And the only reason he would do that was to find out where Mrs Reagan lived. Because he looked respectable, it didn’t mean that he was. He could be a rotter who preyed on elderly people who lived alone. He would have seen how frail and vulnerable she was when she was lying on the ground, and if he was a thief, then he would consider her to be easy pickings.
‘Ay, come on, girl, what the hell are yer doing?’ Nellie asked. ‘Yer’d better hurry up, ’cos I’m dying to go to the lavvy.’
‘I’m ready now, sunshine, keep yer hair on.’ Molly didn’t want to mention her fears, for the old lady had had enough frights for one day. But she needed to try
to put the man off any nefarious plan he had in mind. If she was wrong about him, then she was sorry, but as her ma always said, it was best to be sure. ‘We’ll make a nice pot of tea when we get to your house, Mrs Reagan.’ Molly spoke loud enough for anyone close by to hear. ‘And then there’s the meal to see to for George and Jack, when they get in from work.’
‘What have . . .’ Nellie’s words were cut off when she saw the message in her mate’s eyes. ‘It doesn’t matter, girl, I’ve forgotten what I was going to say. So let’s make haste and get Rita back home. She’ll soon feel better when she sees her familiar rooms again. There’s no place like home, girl, and we’ll have yer there in less than five minutes. So hold on tight.’
The front door key was in the old-fashioned purse, which was still intact, and Molly opened the front door before putting the key back in the purse and handing both to Mrs Reagan. ‘I’m going to give yer a piggy back, sunshine, so put yer arms round me neck.’
There were tears in the faded blue eyes when Molly set the old lady down by her couch. ‘You put yer feet up, sunshine, while I put the kettle on.’ She saw the tears glisten, and put her arm round the bowed shoulder. ‘Yer’ll soon be feeling better now ye’re in yer own surroundings, sunshine.’
‘I never thought I’d see them again, Molly. There’s nothing here of any value to anyone but me. All me memories are in this room.’
‘Sit yerself down, sunshine, while I make a drink. I didn’t hear Nellie asking if she could use yer lavatory, but that’s where she is. My mate doesn’t stand on ceremony, yer see.’
‘She saved my life, did Nellie, and I’ll never forget that.’
‘Then when she comes in, sunshine, tell her she doesn’t need to pay a penny. Yer’ll let her off on account of her saving your life.’ Molly chuckled. ‘Here she is, coming up the yard now, with a very relieved expression on her face.’
