MB08 - I’ll Be Your Sweetheart

by Joan Jonker

  ‘Well, it’s no secret I fell in love with Jill when I was two and she was a baby in her pram. I didn’t know what love was then, of course, I only remember thinking I wished I could make her smile at me like she smiled when she saw this tall man walking up the street every night on his way home from work. She used to get really excited, clapping her hands and holding her arms out for him to lift her out of the pram. I wanted to be that man, so she would smile at me and be as happy to see me as she was to see him. I waited twenty years for my wishes to come true, and here I am standing next to that man, with my arm round that little girl in the pram.’

  Jill, always the most tender and emotional of the Bennett children, had tears in her eyes. ‘Oh, that was a lovely thing to say, love, really romantic. I don’t know what my thoughts were when I was that baby in the pram, but I do know that I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you. And I always knew I would marry yer. There was never anyone else for me.’

  Molly jerked her head at Jack. ‘I bet you can’t come up with anything as romantic as that.’

  Jack chortled. ‘I can’t go back to the days when yer were in yer pram, love. Steve has the advantage over me there. But I can go back to when yer started work at fourteen, and were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. I noticed you right away, but you were very shy and never looked my way. I wasn’t going to be put off, though. I made up my mind I was going to chase you until I caught you. The going wasn’t as easy for me as it was for Steve. I lived a few tram stops away from your street, and I had to run the gauntlet with yer ma and da, I was a stranger to them, and they weren’t going to let their daughter go out with anyone unless they knew everything about me. Steve had an easy time winning his fair lady, I had to work hard on it. But it was worth it, and I’d do it all over again if needed.’

  ‘Well, look what yer got for yer trouble, sunshine. A wonderful family, and a mother and father-in-law in a million.’ Molly winked at Lizzie. ‘We’re all soppy, Lizzie, it runs in the family. But that’s the way we like it.’ She turned to her firstborn. ‘The baby goes to bed early, doesn’t she? I thought we might have caught her before yer took her up.’

  There was pride on Jill’s pretty face. ‘Half past six every night now, Mam. Once she’s been washed and fed, she’s tired out and goes to bed without a murmur. And most nights she sleeps through until six.’

  ‘They don’t know they’re born with little Molly,’ Lizzie said. She was an adopted granny for the baby and took her role seriously. ‘She’s a credit to them.’

  ‘As all my children are a credit to me, Lizzie.’ Molly made a move towards the door. ‘We’re going round to me ma’s now, to keep them up to date with events. But I’ll be up again tomorrow, after I’ve spoken to Doreen.’

  ‘I’ll see you out, Mrs B.’ Steve followed her and Jack to the door. ‘Don’t forget to tell Doreen and Phil that we’re here if they need us.’

  ‘We won’t, son. I’ll definitely pass the message on.’ With her arm through Jack’s, Molly turned in the direction of her parents’ home, which was also the home of her beloved son and his wife. ‘I’d say we are two of the luckiest people alive, sunshine. We’ve got a family in a million.’

  Jack squeezed her arm. ‘I’ll second that, love.’

  Chapter Twelve

  Jack threw his hand of cards into the middle of the table, his tut-tut a sign of pretend disgust. ‘Talk about the luck of the Irish! We’ve had five hands of rummy, Bridie won two, and Rosie O’Grady won three. Now if that isn’t a fiddle I’ll eat me hat.’

  Rosie’s blue Irish eyes were shining as she gathered the cards in and patted them into a neat pile. ‘It’s wrong on two counts yer are, Mr B. Sure, haven’t I been the same name as yerself since I married yer son, who is the finest figure of a man yer’ll see if yer walked the length and breadth of Ireland and England? And isn’t it proud I am to have been given the honour of being his ever-loving wife?’

  Tommy tapped his beautiful wife on the shoulder. ‘What about you being called a fiddler, pet, are yer going to answer that?’

  ‘If yer’ll give me a chance, Tommy Bennett, then I’ll be after telling me father-in-law that it wasn’t meself that was sliding a card along the table when no one was looking. It was my dearly beloved husband, who happens to be his son.’

  Tommy feigned shock. In a whisper loud enough for all to hear, he said, ‘It’s a sneak yer are, Rosie Bennett, and I’m blushing with shame for yer.’

  Molly caught Jack’s eye and jerked her head to where her ma and da were sitting on the opposite side of the table. Both in their late seventies, Bob and Bridie Jackson were smiling as they listened to the banter from the young couple who had enriched their lives since the day they got married and moved into the back bedroom of the small house. It was history repeating itself. Fifty years ago, Bridie had left her home in Ireland to seek work in England. She met Bob, they fell in love and were married. Half a century later, a shy fifteen-year-old girl came to England seeking work. She fell in love with Tommy at first sight, but the boy needed coaxing for he thought girls were cissies. Rosie had her work cut out to make him change his mind. But she refused to be put off, and eventually she stole his heart. And no one was more pleased than Tommy, who now adored his beautiful Irish colleen.

  ‘I bet watching them takes yer back a bit, Ma?’ Molly smiled at the mother whom she loved so much, she could always feel a lump in her throat when she looked at her and her da. ‘It’s like you and me da all over again.’

  ‘It is that, me darlin’.’ Bridie reached for her husband’s hand, ‘Me and Bob often say we’re living our youth again through them.’

  Jack chortled. ‘Ay, Bridie, I wouldn’t let the neighbours see yer with a skipping rope, or playing hopscotch. They’ll ask yer what pills ye’re on.’

  Bob took the pack of cards from the table and began to deal. ‘We’ll have time for another hand before it’s time to call it a day. And if yer watch me hands carefully, yer’ll know there’s been no sleight of hand.’

  ‘Da, I’d trust yer with me life,’ Molly said, winking at the man who was, in her eyes, the perfect husband, father and gentleman. Then she remembered something she’d promised herself she’d do. ‘Oh, before I forget, Ma, would you and me da walk down to Flora’s one day? I’m sure she’d be delighted to see yer. With her having no family to look out for her, me and Nellie are going to keep an eye on her. In fact, we’ve told her we’ve adopted her. But with you being nearer to her age, I’m sure yer’d have lots to talk about. And having company would do her the world of good.’

  ‘Of course we will, me darlin’. Sure, we were only saying last night we should pay her a visit. Me and yer da appreciate how lucky we are, and it’s beholden upon us to share what we have. So if yer see the dear lady, would yer be after telling her we’ll call tomorrow afternoon, say two o’clock?’ She turned her gaze on to her husband. ‘Is that all right with you, sweetheart?’

  ‘Anything you say is all right with me, love, yer know that. And wouldn’t it be nice if yer baked some of your delicious fairy cakes, and we took them with us?’

  ‘What a lovely idea, Da.’ Molly was pleased. ‘I’ll let Flora know you’re coming, but I’ll not tell her about the cakes. I’ll let that be a surprise.’

  It was Tommy who asked, ‘Have the police not found the rotter who stole from her?’

  ‘No, son, not to my knowledge. And with me and Nellie calling in every day, Flora would have told us if she’d had any news.’

  ‘Well, whoever it was,’ said Bridie, ‘I hope God pays him back. I don’t know how he can sleep at night, and that’s the truth of it.’

  Rosie, who had a heart as beautiful as her face, said, ‘Me and Tommy will call and visit her, so we will. Just to let the poor soul know that not all people have hearts as black as the divil himself.’

  Molly smiled. ‘That would be wonderful, sunshine. She’d enjoy the company of young people. But let her know when yer’ll be calling, ’cos otherwise she won
’t open the door.’

  ‘We’ll give a knock at Doreen’s as well,’ Tommy said. ‘I know we won’t be able to go in the house, but we can talk to Doreen on the step. I want her to know we’re thinking about Bobby, and hoping he’s soon better.’

  ‘It’ll be at least a week before the poor mite shows any sign of being himself again, so it will.’ Bridie nodded. ‘And it’s meself that’ll be happy, for won’t we miss seeing the little love with his bonny smile, and arms outstretched to be lifted up for a cuddle.’

  Bob had been waiting patiently to start the game. Now he asked, ‘Are we having a last game of cards or not? It’ll soon be time for bed.’

  Cards were lifted, fanned out and sorted into the right order. ‘I think it’s my turn to go first,’ Molly said. ‘And I hope I have better luck than I had earlier.’ She was smiling inwardly, for she had a good hand. Two pairs she had, and a joker, so surely she was in with a chance. In her mind she had her fingers crossed as she reached to pick the top card off the pack in the centre of the table. And when she picked up the two of spades she couldn’t believe her luck. She was dealt the two of diamonds and hearts, so she could lay three of her cards down now. Her face alight with pleasure, and with a grand flourish, she laid the cards down. ‘How about that, then, folk? Looks like my luck has changed, and I’m due for a winning streak.’

  ‘Don’t brag too soon, love, ’cos it’s bad luck.’ Jack jerked his head back as his eyes scanned the cards in his hand. He had no pairs or runs; it was a lousy hand. So with a sigh of disgust he threw down the king of hearts. ‘I couldn’t win an argument.’

  The only thing Jack got right in that last game was his warning to Molly. She did brag too soon, for the good start she had didn’t last long, and the game ended with Bob being the winner. ‘I don’t feel bad about yer winning Da,’ Molly said, ‘but I would have cried like a baby if me ma or Rosie had won again. I’d have demanded a check to make sure none of their cards were fake.’

  Tommy’s shoulders began to shake. ‘None of the cards are fake, Mam, I can say that with me hand on me heart. But I can’t say the same for the little marks on the cards what no one would notice, only me and Rosie. We have a secret code, and know exactly, by the tiny code marks, what cards yer’ve all got in yer hands.’ His shoulders shook even more when he saw the look on his mother’s face as she scanned one card after another. ‘Yer can’t see them, Mam, that’s why only me and Rosie know. There’s no point in cheating if the other players know our secret.’

  ‘Well, yer’ve done a good job of it, ’cos I’m blowed if I can see a mark on any of the cards.’ She looked up to catch Tommy winking at his wife, then lowered her eyes so they wouldn’t know they’d been rumbled. ‘Well, actually, that’s not true. I can’t tell a lie, sunshine, so I’ve got to tell yer that yer didn’t fool me for one second. In the other hands yer did, but not in this last one. I was suspicious, thinking no one could be lucky all the time, like Rosie, and I gave me cards a good going over. At first I couldn’t see anything wrong, then suddenly I noticed a little mark on the eight of hearts in me hand. That had me checking each card, and there was a mark on every card in me hand. If I didn’t have good eyesight I’d have missed it.’ Molly knew she was talking a load of rubbish, but if someone was pulling her leg then it was payback time. She threw her cards into the centre of the table and sat back in her chair. ‘I’m glad about that. At least I now know I lost every hand because someone was cheating, not because I’m unlucky.’

  ‘How can yer be unlucky when yer’ve got me for a husband?’ Jack asked. ‘The day yer met me was the luckiest day of yer life. Out of the dozens of pretty girls I had to choose from, I picked you.’

  Molly slapped an open palm on her forehead. ‘At last the mystery has been solved. How can I have gone through the last twenty-odd years thinking I must have done something really bad to be so unlucky, when all the time a curse had been put on me by those dozens of girls yer turned down. I should have remembered the old saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’” Sighing heavily, and making it look like an effort to push herself to her feet, she gazed at her husband. ‘You’ve let me walk round all these years carrying this heavy burden, and not said a dickie bird. One curse would have been bad enough, but dozens is far more than one person can endure. In fact I feel bereft of all my senses, weary and tired out. So tired, I’m afraid yer’ll have to carry me home. And for your sins, I’ll remind you that not only are you carrying me, but also a dozen curses. A heavy weight to bear, Jack Bennett.’

  There was a burst of applause from those sitting round the table, and Bridie said, ‘Very good, me darlin’. Ethel Barrymore at her best.’

  ‘Oh, no, Grandma,’ Tommy said. ‘Definitely Bette Davis. What do you think, Granda?’

  Bob smiled at his beloved daughter, who had always been there for him and Bridie. ‘I think your mam knocks them all into a cocked hat. She can be anyone she chooses, and be as good as them. Her and Nellie have a rare gift. That’s why their friendship has lasted so long and is as steady as a rock.’

  The mention of her mate brought a grin to Molly’s face. ‘If I start talking about Nellie, we’ll be here all night. But I’d like to say, quickly, that there are some things in which she leaves me standing miles behind her. This is just one of them. We’ve been going into the butcher’s shop nearly every day for over twenty years. And every day Nellie has a tale for him. It’s all made up, mind, but she’s never told the same tale twice. When she walks in the shop she doesn’t know what she’s going to say, and I certainly don’t. She just opens her mouth and spins a tale which has Tony and Ellen almost believing her. She’s so good that even I find meself believing her for a while. She might not be able to spell a word with more than six letters in, but by golly she is one good storyteller, with a fantastic imagination.’

  With her lips pursed, Bridie nodded her head slowly. ‘Sure, in His wisdom, didn’t the good Lord dispense His gifts far and wide. To each creature He gave a talent, and it’s up to us what we do with that talent, so it is.’

  ‘Ye’re right there, Ma,’ Molly said, pushing her chair back under the table. ‘It’s up to each and every one to make the best of what we’ve been given. I think I can safely say that every member of our clan does that.’ She looked across at Jack. ‘Come on, sunshine, or Bella’s mam will be having a fit. Yer know what Mary’s like. I bet she’s standing at her front door waiting for you to take her daughter home.’

  Tommy scratched his head. ‘But she only lives opposite. Fifteen steps at the most. Surely Bella couldn’t come to any harm crossing the street on her own?’

  ‘Mary Watson can’t help the way she is, sunshine. And although she’s always molly-coddled Bella, it’s better that way than letting a child run wild.’

  Jack slipped on his coat. ‘You said ten to half past, love and we’ve got ten minutes to the deadline. We can make it with a few minutes to spare.’

  After hugs and kisses were exchanged, and Molly had promised to let them know every day how Bobby was, Molly and Jack were on their way home.

  ‘Yer ma and da look good for their age, love,’ Jack said, crooking his arm for Molly to link. ‘I hope we look like them when we’re nearly eighty, please God.’

  ‘It’s Tommy and Rosie who keep them young. They adore them, wait on them hand and foot, and make sure they eat a proper meal and keep warm. They get on like a house on fire and it takes a lot of worry off me, knowing Ma and Da are in good hands.’

  They were turning into their street when they heard the sound of men’s voices and laughter. ‘The pub must have had a stay-back for a few of their regulars,’ Jack said. ‘It happens once a week, but only for about six of the best customers.’

  ‘Corker’s with them.’ Molly chuckled. ‘If I didn’t recognize his laugh, I couldn’t miss him ’cos he’s head and shoulders above all the other men.’ She raised her voice and shouted over to the group. ‘Haven’t you got homes to go to, yer dirty stop-outs?’

>   ‘Molly, me darlin’.’ Corker excused himself and left the group to cross the street to his neighbours. ‘I did knock for yer, Jack, but Ruthie said you and Molly were out visiting.’

  ‘We’re just keeping the family informed of the situation with young Bobby,’ Molly told him. ‘Doreen doesn’t want any visitors while the poor baby is so fretful, so I’m doing the rounds each day with the news.’ She suddenly remembered she still had the betting slip in her pocket. ‘Oh, before I forget, here’s the slip you asked me to give you back once Flora had seen it. I should have let yer have it sooner, but things have been a bit hectic the last few days.’

  ‘That should have been the least of yer worries.’ Corker tore the slip and put the pieces in his pocket. ‘Did it go well with Mrs Parker? She believed what yer told her?’

  Molly nodded. ‘It took some talking, and quite a few lies, but she accepted it eventually. And I’ve arranged for some members of the family to visit her, so she isn’t left on her own too much. Me ma and da are going, your mother is going another day, and Tommy and Rosie one night. Plus me and Nellie will be calling most days, so she’ll have plenty of company. And when Bobby is better, I’ll be bringing her out to visit some of her old friends.’

  ‘Has she heard any more from the police about the robbery?’ Corker asked ‘They haven’t caught the culprit?’

  ‘Let’s walk down while we’re talking, Corker, ’cos we’ve left Bella in with Ruthie and Mary Watson will be on pins. We didn’t expect to be out so late, but we had a few games of rummy at me ma’s and it’s amazing how quickly time can pass.’

  ‘I’ll run on, love, and take Bella home.’ Jack began to walk ahead. ‘You fill Corker in with the news.’

  ‘There’s not much to tell yer, Corker, ’cos the police haven’t been back to see Flora. But there was something unusual happened that I don’t think anyone has told the police yet. D’yer know Annie Cosgrove, who lives at the top of the street?’