Forgotten Children

by Cathy Sharp

  She ought to seek out Sister Beatrice and talk to her, tell her that she had no wish to interfere with her day-to-day running of the home, make her understand that Angela’s task was to work beside her and not to flout her authority, and apologise for speaking out in front of the boy … yet nothing would ever make her condone the sort of punishment Sister had handed out. Her feelings of outrage at what she saw as injustice would always make her speak out, though she was aware that if she wanted to fit in here she needed to get on with the Warden …

  FOURTEEN

  ‘I’m bone weary,’ Sally said when she got in one late September evening and found her mother dishing up cottage pie for her sister, brother and father. ‘We’re short-handed because a couple of the carers have left; they were fed up with all the rules and found jobs in the factory. There’s only Nan, Alice, Sarah, and me on days at the moment, besides the nurses, and it isn’t enough at bedtimes or when we’re getting the younger ones up in the mornings. The girls on nights don’t have as much to do as a rule, just walking round the dorms to make sure all the children are in their beds and peaceful. Sometimes there’s a wet bed to change, or a sick child, but that doesn’t happen too often.’

  ‘What about the nurses, can’t they help out in the mornings?’ her mother asked, looking at her sympathetically. She was a slightly plump woman in her forties with soft brown hair that waved naturally back from a face free of powder and eyes that sometimes looked hazel and sometimes green. Dressed in a floral cotton dress with short sleeves and a white collar, she wore a pink spotted apron over it and a pair of sensible flat shoes, and looked younger than she was.

  ‘They do, of course, but they have the sick ward to see to, and the new arrivals to check over before they are allocated a bed. Besides, they’re trained nurses and they’re not employed to do our job – and there’s always one of the kids complaining of feeling sick or having a tummy ache. I think a lot of them do it to get out of school. The nurse is our first port of call before asking a doctor to come out. Besides, we only have three nurses apart from Sister Beatrice at the moment and mostly only one is on duty, because they split the shifts.’ Sally washed her hands at the sink, groaning as she looked at the clock. ‘Keith will be here in half an hour. We’re just going for a drink but I don’t want to keep him waiting.’

  ‘He will wait while you get ready,’ her mother said. ‘Sit down and eat your tea, girl. Surely Sister Beatrice knows you need more help with the children?’

  ‘No doubt she’ll get someone as soon as she can and until then we shall just have to manage. Nurse Anna doesn’t like being on nights, because she has a steady boyfriend, but at the moment she has no choice, and I know both she and Michelle feel they need another senior nurse.’

  Brenda looked at her speculatively. ‘I’ve thought about applying for a job at St Saviour’s as a carer, but I earn more where I am. Besides, I don’t think I’d want to work the hours you do, Sally.’

  ‘Of course you earn more,’ her mother said sharply. ‘You didn’t do that secretarial course to throw it away after a few months for a job that takes half the training. Sally is only there until she saves enough money to see her through nursing college; she’s going to proper nursing school because she wants to be a state registered nurse, perhaps become a ward sister one day. Your father worked hard to keep you girls at school and give you a good start in life.’ Their mother looked proud of her daughters. ‘You’ve both chosen good professions so just stick at what you’re doing.’

  ‘I know …’ Brenda sighed. ‘It’s just so boring stuck in the office. I should like to do what that Angela Morton does, Sally – office work and helping out. I’m stuck in front of a typewriter all day long.’

  ‘It’s what you wanted to do, and I don’t think you would like scrubbing nits out of the children’s hair when they first arrive,’ Sally said and swallowed a mouthful of the delicious pie of minced meat, vegetables and soft potatoes with a crispy top. Her sister pulled a face of disgust and went on eating her meal. ‘I don’t think I could stand office work – but then I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. I’m going to specialise with children, because they are a delight to look after. We’ve got a little girl in the sick ward now. You wouldn’t believe what her father did to her, poor little thing, and yet when she was listening to Mr Markham’s stories she was giggling as if she’d never been hurt in her life.’

  ‘That was in the paper, if she’s the one whose father threw her down the stairs in a drunken rage. I hope they throw him in prison and lose the key,’ Mr Rush said. ‘If I had my way men like that would be strung up by their privates and left to rot until the crows took their eyes out …’

  Sally laughed at her father’s righteous anger. ‘That’s the sort of story Mr Markham tells the children, only his bullies are giants and they get chopped up and eaten by big hairy spiders.’

  Brenda squealed. ‘Do you two mind? I’m eating my tea. What sort of a teacher is he?’

  ‘He’s a surgeon actually, but he’s interested in remedial work with damaged children. He and Mr Adderbury work together at the hospital sometimes, and Mr Markham has published some children’s books that he wrote and drew. He’s so clever! I think Mr Adderbury asked him to try his stories on the kids at St Saviour’s and they love them, can’t get enough of them. He comes every week now, just two mornings. I didn’t know him at first, but I was on duty in the sick room when he came today and he’s lovely …’

  ‘It sounds as if you can’t get enough of Mr Markham yourself,’ Brenda remarked dryly. ‘You want to watch it, sis, he’s probably got a wife and six kids at home.’

  Sally flushed bright red and shook her head. Mr Markham had spoken to her a few times, and his smile did funny things to her insides, but she knew he was only being kind. ‘Don’t be daft, Bren. I know he wouldn’t look at me – besides, he’s about thirty I think …’

  ‘Too old for you,’ her mother said sternly. ‘You stick to that nice young man who is taking you out tonight. He’s got his head on the right way, learning to be a plumber. He could have his own business and a nice house one day. Doctors are way out of our league, Sally.’

  ‘It isn’t really a date. I’ve known Keith for ages, Mum, but he’s only a friend,’ Sally said, though she knew that was her fault: Keith wanted more but she wasn’t ready to give it. ‘We were all going together, Michelle and Alice and some other friends, but Michelle is stuck on the evening shift for a week now, and Alice had a proper date. So, Keith said if I liked, he would pick me up and go for a drink …’ Yet even as she denied it to her mother, Sally knew that Keith was starting to get serious, to talk about getting married one day.

  ‘That’s a date in my book,’ Brenda said, interrupting her thoughts. ‘One thing, Keith can’t afford to get married for years, because he’s only training to be a plumber. Besides, you’d probably have to live with his parents. I don’t think you would care for that?’ She gave Sally a straight look. ‘I thought you wanted to be a nurse?’

  ‘I haven’t changed my mind,’ Sally replied and pushed back her empty plate. ‘No, I don’t want any afters, thanks, Mum. I’m going to have a quick wash and get changed into my blue dress …’ The navy blue cotton with a tiny white daisy pattern was one she’d made herself with material from the market and because she’d saved her coupons, she’d been able to make a fuller skirt than any of the ugly Utility dresses they could buy during the war. A few nicer things were appearing in the shops now, but Sally still couldn’t afford them on her wages. She and Brenda made their own dresses, and Brenda was much better than Sally, helping her to cut out the Butterick pattern.

  Ignoring her sister’s smirk, Sally left the large warm kitchen and went into her cold bedroom. The linoleum was icy under her feet and she shivered as she kicked off her shoes. Sally wore thick lisle stockings for work, because nylons would never stand up to the treatment they got crawling about on the floor with the little children. Just now she didn’t have a pair of nylons without a ladde
r, but she’d got used to browning her legs with gravy powder in the war and going without stockings, and besides, what did it matter? Keith wouldn’t notice.

  As she finished dressing her mind was on her work. She wondered if Sister Beatrice knew that the last few days Angela had been stepping in to help the carers with the washing and dressing at bedtime. It wasn’t truly her job, but she didn’t seem to mind what she did, and Sally really liked her. She looked and sounded posh, but underneath she was just like anyone else … nicer than many of the carers, some of whom came and went with alarming regularity. They didn’t like the dirty jobs they had to do, like bathing filthy kids who had lice crawling over them when they arrived, and changing sheets soaked in urine or mopping up sick off the floor. A lot of girls would rather work in a department store if they could, but Sally loved her job and had no patience with those who spent most of their day staring at the clock and wishing it was time to go home.

  A little frown touched her forehead as she wondered about Alice. She was usually very friendly, but the last few days she’d been a bit distant, as though she was bothered about something. When Sally asked if anything was wrong the young woman had snapped her nose off, though the next moment she’d apologised and said she had a headache. But somehow Sally suspected there was more, though she wasn’t close enough to the other carer to press her for details she clearly had no intention of giving. Alice was Michelle’s special friend, but Sally liked her and hoped that whatever was troubling her wouldn’t interfere with her work at St Saviour’s. They were short-staffed enough as it was and if Alice left it would just make the situation worse.

  Alice looked at Bob as they sat together on the tram heading back to Whitechapel. She’d really enjoyed the evening, even though the main film had starred Errol Flynn and she wasn’t keen on him, but Bob had brought her a small box of Cadbury’s Milk Tray and the best tickets. She’d relished being treated like a lady, because mostly in the past she’d gone out with boys from school who’d tried it on all through the picture, their hands always trying to touch her breasts or inch up her skirt. Bob hadn’t even put his arm around her shoulders.

  In the interval he’d gone to the cloakroom and on the way back he brought them ice-creams from the girl who walked round with a tray.

  ‘I wasn’t sure what sort you liked so I brought a choc ice?’

  ‘Lovely,’ Alice said and cracked the thin chocolate round the soft centre of vanilla. The ice cream had melted a bit and she liked it that way. ‘You’re very generous, Bob. Thanks for bringing me and everything.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ he said. ‘I’d like to take you for a drink on Thursday, if you’ll come? It’s my last night of freedom for a while before I go back to my base.’

  ‘When will you get another leave?’

  ‘Perhaps in a couple of weeks. Sometimes we only get a twelve-hour pass and then I can’t come home, but we get longer leave once a month and I could see you then, Alice – if you were interested?’

  Alice wasn’t sure what to say, because she couldn’t forget Jack Shaw’s threats. She’d kept her word to come to the pictures with Bob, but would she be doing him a bad turn if she went out with him regularly?

  ‘I know I’m not much of a catch,’ Bob said as she hesitated. ‘But I’m in line for promotion – and the married quarters on the base are really nice, better than most places round here.’

  ‘Better than my home,’ Alice said, because he’d seen where she lived and it hadn’t put him off; she liked him for that, because a lot of blokes would’ve run a mile. ‘I’ll come out with you sometimes – but I’m not sure about settling down. I like going out with my friends … and I want to be sure. I’m never goin’ to end up like Ma.’

  Bob laughed softly. ‘I wasn’t proposing, Alice, not yet. I was just sayin’ so that you don’t think I’m a complete loss. I know I don’t have a flash car like that bloke who seemed to think you belonged to him … but I’m steady and I’ll have a nice house of my own one day.’

  ‘I didn’t know Jack had a car?’

  ‘I saw him driving round town the other night. Him and that Arthur Baggins. He’s a known thief, Alice, and violent too if what I’ve seen down the boxing club is anything to go by. Jack drew up and tried showing off but me and Eric saw them off all right.’

  ‘How many of them were there?’ Alice knew her cousin was good at boxing, but fists were not much good against men who used knives when they fought. ‘You want to be careful, Bob. Jack and his friends … well, I wouldn’t put anything past them.’

  ‘One of them pulled a knife, but I think we showed them we wouldn’t be intimidated,’ Bob said. ‘Eric is good with his fists. I like watching it down the club but I’m more into martial arts. I’ve got a mate in the Army who’s a black belt, and I’m pretty good myself.’

  ‘What’s a black belt?’ Alice looked at him as the lights went down.

  ‘Hush now, I’ll tell you another time. It’s the main film starting.’

  Alice nodded, and finished her ice cream. They’d eaten all the chocolates during the earlier cartoons and the Pathé news, but she was feeling warm and contented. Perhaps she didn’t need to worry about Bob getting into trouble if she saw him again.

  ‘I’ll go out with you for that drink,’ she whispered in his ear and saw him smile.

  It was on the way home that Bob explained the art of judo to her. ‘If you went to a club you could learn to do it too,’ he told her. ‘I think all women should learn to protect themselves. There are too many men about who think they can take liberties. I’d take you and show you if you were interested?’

  ‘I don’t think I’d like that, besides, I can manage to take care of myself,’ Alice said, though she knew that if Jack had wanted to punish her for kneeing him where it hurt he could easily have done so. ‘I’d like to watch you sometime, though.’

  ‘I’ll take you to the club one day,’ Bob promised and grinned. ‘It’s not as rough as that crowd down the boxing club.’

  They’d caught a tram on leaving the cinema and it stopped just down the road from Alice’s home. Bob insisted on walking to her door. Outside, he hesitated, then bent his head and kissed her softly on the mouth. Alice didn’t turn away, even though she didn’t feel that thrill of excitement that went through her when Jack kissed her so thoroughly. It was quite nice being kissed by Bob, just not special.

  ‘I like you a lot, Alice,’ he said. ‘I’ll call for you on Thursday at seven.’

  ‘All right,’ she smiled up at him. ‘Thanks. I’ll look forward to it.’

  FIFTEEN

  Angela was almost ready to leave for the evening. She could hardly believe that more than a month had passed since she arrived that warm day in late August. She was looking forward to meeting Mark, but before that there was something she needed to do. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to make her peace with Sister Beatrice.

  She went into the hall, hesitating outside the Warden’s office, then knocked and was invited to enter.

  ‘Yes?’ Sister Beatrice asked, looking at her imperiously. ‘I was about to make a tour of the sick wards and the dorms – is this important?’

  She was so obviously hostile that Angela was tempted to turn round and walk right out again, but if she did that she might as well keep on walking.

  ‘I think so,’ she said carefully. ‘I wanted to apologise for speaking out as I did in front of the boy. I should not have embarrassed you like that. I assure you it will not happen again. In future I shall always knock.’

  Sister Beatrice glared at her. ‘I should imagine so,’ she said, unimpressed.

  ‘I am sorry that I called your judgement into question, although I can never and would never condone corporal punishment for small misdemeanours. However, I ought not to have spoken to you as I did. I do regret that and hope that you can forgive me.’

  Sister Beatrice was silent for a moment and then she inclined her head. ‘Very well, we shall forget it happened. However, I expect you to
respect my position in future, at least in public, if you cannot do so in private.’

  ‘I do respect you, Sister, in many ways. I cannot promise always to agree with you. However, perhaps we could try to meet in the middle wherever possible.’

  ‘I imagine some people find you an irresistible force,’ Sister Beatrice said dryly, ‘but I am not one of them. However, I shall read your proposals carefully, and endorse anything I believe to be for the good of the children and St Saviour’s in general. Anything else we will put to the Board and allow them to decide. I cannot say more at this time.’

  ‘Thank you, it is all I could ask,’ Angela said. ‘Excuse me now, I am about to leave – unless there was anything you needed?’

  ‘I dare say we shall manage without you, Angela.’

  Feeling rather like a scolded schoolgirl, Angela left her. It was hard to swallow her pride but she had done what she felt right, although it had a left a bitter taste in her mouth. Even so, she would not give one inch on the principle that corporal punishment of a child was wrong – and she would fight tooth and nail to get Sister Beatrice to see that there were other ways.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ Mark said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. The smell of her perfume was intoxicating and it was all he could do not to put his arms about her and bring her closer. A kiss on the cheek only left him wanting more, much more. A primeval urge to carry her off to his lair and kiss every inch of her delicious body before making love to her surged through him, making him ache with need. ‘That’s a lovely perfume, Angela.’

  ‘Yes, it’s a favourite of mine by Elizabeth Arden,’ she said and slid inside the car. Once she was safely tucked into the passenger seat, Mark went round and got behind the wheel.

  As he drew away from the kerb he could sense her eyes on him, but he resisted the need to look at her, reminding himself that she valued him as her friend and nothing more. To make her aware of the intense feelings she aroused in him might scare her away and that was the last thing he wanted.