by Joan Jonker
Chapter Fourteen
‘We’ll have to take the table out, love, otherwise we’ll never fit them all in!’ Jack stood scratching his head. ‘This room’s full with just our six, never mind twenty!’
‘We can’t take it out, where the ’ell would we put it?’ Molly’s face was flushed. She had spent the last hour making sandwiches with the help of Jill and Doreen, and Maureen who had come along to give a hand. While they’d been doing that, Jack and Tommy were supposed to be sorting out the seating arrangements. ‘Next time Nellie McDonough mentions me havin’ a party here I’ll clock her one.’
‘Oh, come on love, you can’t blame Nellie! I’d have backed her up on it if I’d been asked. It might be ages before we can get everyone together again, so let’s get stuck in an’ make it a good night.’ Jack rubbed his forehead, knowing that his next suggestion would bring the ceiling down on him. ‘The only place we can put it is in the yard.’
‘In the yard!’ Molly looked horrified. The table, like the rest of the furniture in the small living room, was her pride and joy. It had been bought when Jack came up on the pools, and she treasured it. ‘Some hopes you’ve got, Jack Bennett! The only way this table will go in the yard is over my dead body.’
‘Molly, just calm down for a minute, will yer, and tell me how yer expect to get twenty people in here? With the table out of the way, we’d have a lot more room for the chairs yer said Nellie’s lending us. But as it is now, everyone will be crushed in like sardines and no one will enjoy themselves.’
Molly stood with her hands on her hips, her temper frayed at the edges. In half an hour the guests would be arriving and she wasn’t even washed yet! ‘I’ll sort somethin’ out,’ she said, ‘you get yerself washed while I nip up to Nellie’s.’
When Nellie opened her front door dressed in her best frock, her hair neat and tidy and wearing lipstick, it was like a red rag to a bull. ‘Nellie, while you’ve been preening yerself in front of the mirror, I’ve been runnin’ around like a blue-arsed fly. So don’t answer back or ask any questions ’cos I’m not in the mood,’ Molly warned. ‘Just get George down to our house on the double to give Jack and Tommy a hand with bringin’ me table up here.’
Nellie rolled her eyes. ‘To bring yer table up here?’
‘You heard what I said, yer haven’t got cloth ears.’ Molly glared. ‘It’s either your house or the yard, an’ I can tell yer now that my table isn’t goin’ in no yard.’
‘But where can I put it, girl?’
‘Nellie, I can think of an answer to that but I’m too much of a lady to say it. Move yer own furniture around, for God’s sake, use yer head! An’ when the men have moved the table, give them the chairs to bring down.’
‘Ooh er, ye’re in a right temper, aren’t yer, girl? Fair spittin’ feathers, yer are.’
‘Well if you get off yer backside and supervise the moving of the furniture, it’ll give me a bit of time to titivate meself up. Then perhaps there’ll be an improvement in me outlook on life.’
Nellie turned her head to bawl down the hall. ‘George, yer body’s wanted by some woman at the door. She said she used to knock around with yer twenty-odd years ago, before yer met me. Got a daughter of twenty-two she has, an’ she’s the spittin’ image of you.’
If someone had paid Molly a hundred pounds she couldn’t have kept her face straight. Here she was, looking as though she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards, while Nellie was dolled up to the nines. She had every right to feel aggrieved, and yet her friend still had the power to banish her foul temper and bring a smile to her face. ‘Nellie McDonough, I’ll deal with you tomorrow. Right now, you an’ George get down to ours and give Jack a hand.’ Molly began to move away. ‘Table up, chairs down – not too difficult to remember, even for you.’
‘Yer did say supervise, didn’t yer, girl?’ Nellie shouted after her. ‘I mean, yer wouldn’t expect me to get me hands dirty, not with all me glad rags on?’
Molly clamped her lips together as she spun round, a hot retort ready on her tongue. But at the sight of her eighteen-stone friend, standing with her arms folded and an angelic smile on her chubby face, the words never left Molly’s mouth. Instead she bawled, ‘If I’m not ready by the time me guests arrive, Nellie McDonough, I’ll marmalize yer.’
With her foot on the top step, Molly heard Nellie’s parting shot. ‘Let me know when ye’re goin’ to do that, girl, so I can change me clothes. I don’t want no jam on me best dress.’
‘Damn and blast this stud.’ Jack lowered his arms in disgust. ‘It takes me longer to get me collar on than it does to get washed and dressed.’
‘Come here, yer useless article.’ Molly had the job done in no time and held her hand out for the tie hanging over her husband’s arm. ‘Let me put this on yer, I make a neater knot than you do.’
‘The place looks a lot bigger without the table, doesn’t it?’ Jack peered in the mirror to satisfy himself that his hair was in place, then he grinned at Molly’s reflection. ‘I bet Nellie’s room is crowded, though.’
‘There’ll be nobody in there tonight ’cos Lily and Peter are goin’ out, so it won’t be in anyone’s way. I just hope she’s got it covered up, ’cos if there’s a mark on it I’ll slaughter ’er.’
‘Well you can relax now, everything’s under control.’ Jack put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. ‘Ruthie’s settled in happily next door with Ellen’s kids, tickled to death to be sleepin’ there tonight. The three girls are upstairs putting the finishing touches to their faces and your son and heir has gone up for his mate. Corker and Phil have stacked the crates of ale in the yard and the glasses they borrowed from the pub are laid out ready. We’ve got four bottles of sherry, some lemonade, and all the eats are ready. All yer’ve got to do now, love, is relax and enjoy yerself.’
A knock on the door brought a sigh from Molly. ‘Here’s the first of them – we just made it on time. I’ll open the door.’ On her way down the hall she shouted up the stairs, ‘Come on girls, get down and take the coats off people as they come in and put them in the bedroom.’
Molly was flabbergasted when she opened the door to see Ellen, dwarfed by Corker, smartly dressed in a new, light grey dress with a belted waist set off with a neat white collar and cuffs. And she’d been to the hairdresser’s in the dinner hour and had her hair marcel-waved. All in all, she looked very attractive. ‘Hey, what’s all this?’ Molly cried. ‘Got yerself a new girlfriend, have yer, Corker?’
The big man looked as pleased as punch as he cradled Ellen’s elbow. ‘Looks a treat, doesn’t she? Now yer know how stupid I was not to ask her to marry me when we were young. I had a hankering to go away to sea, and she dropped me and went an’ fell for Nobby.’
‘Lookin’ at her now, Corker, I’d say yer were a bloody fool.’ Molly stepped aside to let them in. ‘Still, it’ll all come right in the end, please God.’
Molly had just closed the door when there was another rat-tat. ‘You go in while I see who this is.’
The smile dropped from Molly’s face with shock when she saw Sammy on the pavement outside, and standing next to him, Mike. Oh, dear Lord, she thought, Phil’s not going to be very happy about this! She quickly pulled herself together. ‘Hi, fellers, come on in.’ As she closed the door behind them, Molly told herself she’d strangle Doreen if she’d invited Mike without letting on. He was a nice lad, and she was fond of him, but surely her daughter should have had more sense?
As soon as she’d shown the lads into the room, Molly grabbed Doreen by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen. ‘What the hell d’yer think you’re playing at? I’ve a good mind to break yer neck for pulling a stunt like this!’
Doreen looked puzzled. ‘What are yer on about, Mam?’
‘Mike! That’s who I’m on about! You might think it’s funny, but I doubt whether Phil will see the joke.’
‘Mam, it was Phil who told me to invite Mike.’ Doreen spoke quietly. ‘The first night I met Phil
I told him about me and Mo goin’ out in a foursome with Sammy and Mike. He knows we’re only friends an’ he said he’d like to meet him. I should have told yer, but it slipped me mind.’
Molly’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are yer tellin’ me the truth?’
‘Of course I am! Yer can ask Phil if yer don’t believe me!’
Molly breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It fair gave me a turn when I opened the door and saw him standing there. It’s no ruddy wonder me hair’s going grey.’ She began to laugh. ‘I had visions of them duelling at dawn in Walton Park … I could even see a man offering them the choice of pistols or swords.’
‘Oh Mam, don’t be so melodramatic!’ Doreen began to shake with laughter. ‘Yer should never have gone to see The Three Musketeers, yer take things too much to heart.’
Jack popped his head around the door. ‘What are yer doin’ out here? The flamin’ room’s bursting at the seams an’ you’re standing here nattering.’
‘Keep yer hair on, sunshine, I’m coming now an’ I’ll sort them out.’ She pulled the skirt of her dress down, straightened her shoulders and put on a wide smile. ‘I’m determined to enjoy meself tonight, even if it kills me.’
But when Molly entered the fray it was to find that Nellie had taken charge and was bossing everyone about. She had Miss Clegg sitting in Jack’s armchair, Bridie and Bob on the couch, and the male members of the party were being told to sit on the straight dining chairs with their appropriate partners on their knees. ‘An’ make sure yer stick to yer own, I don’t want no hanky-panky ’cos it’s not that sort of a party.’
Molly stood behind Nellie with her hands on her hips. ‘Excuse me, like, but who’s the hostess here?’
Nellie gave her audience a broad wink before turning to face her friend. ‘You’re the number one hostess, ’cos it’s your house an’ that’s only fair. But I’m number two hostess, so they’d better watch themselves. Any shenanigans an’ they’ll be turfed out on their ears. There’ll be no drunkenness and no tellin’ of dirty jokes unless they’re first approved by me.’ She beamed at Molly. ‘That’s tellin’ ’em, isn’t it, girl? Oh, an’ while I’m at it, I may as well put you straight. If you don’t give me the respect I deserve as an honer, er, honour … oh sod it, as yer sidekick, then I’ll go home an’ kick hell out of yer table.’
‘Mam?’ Steve shouted, his arm around Jill’s waist as she perched on his knee. ‘Is it all right if we enjoy ourselves?’
‘Of course it is, light of my life! Eat, drink and be merry, that’s my motto in life. But remember, it’s six o’clock Mass in the morning an’ Father Murphy gets his dander up if anyone reels down the aisle smellin’ of drink.’
‘If number two hostess will shut her gob for a minute, I might be able to say hello.’ Molly’s eyes swept over the happy smiling faces and came to a stop to feast themselves on one of the happiest faces Molly had ever seen. ‘Rosie! I almost didn’t recognize yer! Oh, stand up, sunshine, and let’s have a good look at yer.’
With all eyes on her, Rosie stood up. Her bonny face, framed by a mass of dark curls, shone with pride. She was wearing a dress in a deep cherry red, a colour which enhanced her dark looks. It had long sleeves, narrowing to fit snugly around her wrists, a plain round neck and a dropped waistline. Her black patent-leather court shoes had inch and a half heels and were adorned with a silver buckle. And to complete the outfit, she was carrying a black patent-leather handbag.
‘Oh, don’t you look lovely!’ Molly eyed her up and down, amazed at the transformation. ‘Twirl around an’ let’s have a good look at yer.’
‘Who is this lovely maiden?’ Jack asked, standing back with a look of surprise on his face. ‘Will someone introduce us?’
‘Sure I’ll introduce meself, so I will.’ Rosie entered into the pretence, loving every minute of it. ‘I’m Rosie O’Grady, kind sir, an’ it’s pleased I am to meet yer.’
‘Rosie, you look beautiful.’ Jill smiled her pleasure.
‘Yeah, yer certainly do.’ Doreen was thinking of the new dress pattern she’d bought, and how the style would suit Rosie down to the ground. She’d make her a dress when Phil had gone back off leave.
‘Sure I’ve never had so fine a dress in all me life, an’ that’s the truth of it.’ Rosie’s manner was so natural, so unaffected as she ran a hand down the skirt of the dress, there wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t share in her pleasure. ‘And see me shoes, Auntie Molly? I feel really grown-up now with me high heels.’
‘It’s a pity yer mammy can’t see yer, she’d be so proud.’
‘Oh, I know what me mammy would be saying to me, right enough. “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”, that’s what she’d be sayin’ to me. But I’ll pay Auntie Bridget back when I start work, that I will. Every week without fail, I’ll be paying her.’
Molly saw the pride on her mother’s face. She had good dress sense did Bridie, and she’d chosen well for her young guest. The dress was ideal, the colouring suited Rosie to perfection and the loose-fitting style was one which hid the ample proportions of a young girl who had yet to lose her puppy fat.
‘I told yer, me darlin’, didn’t I?’ Corker said. ‘Yer’ll have all the young lads after yer.’
As though on cue Rosie asked, ‘Where’s Tommy? Sure I’d like him to see how grand I look.’
‘He’s sitting on the stairs with his mate, Ginger.’ Molly tried to warn her not to expect too much from Tommy. ‘But he’s only fifteen, yer know, sunshine, an’ he doesn’t have much time for girls.’
‘I must have been old for me age, then,’ Corker roared. ‘’Cos when I was fifteen I used to stand on the street corner givin’ all the girls the glad eye!’
‘Sure I’m only fifteen meself,’ Rosie said, ‘an’ if a friend of mine had new clothes, wouldn’t I be the first to say I liked them?’ With that she marched into the hall, and with everyone in the room holding their breath, they heard her ask, ‘Where’s Tommy?’
‘He, er, he’s gone upstairs.’ Ginger scratched his head. He couldn’t make out why his friend had scrambled up the stairs as though the devil was after him when he’d heard his name mentioned. Ginger would agree that girls generally were a nuisance and not worth bothering with, but he didn’t agree with Tommy that this one was worse than any he’d ever met. And she certainly didn’t fit the description he’d been given. Big and fat and never stops talking, his friend had said. But as Ginger scratched his head again, he thought she looked all right to him. In fact, she was more than just all right.
‘D’yer mind if I sit beside yer and wait for Tommy to come down?’ Rosie asked. ‘Sure he can’t be up there much longer, an’ he’d be disappointed if I didn’t wait for him.’
Bridie looked up at Molly. ‘If we weren’t supposed to be having a party in here I’d suggest we all congregated in the hall, because there’s goin’ to be a pantomime out there when Tommy comes down. Our Rosie’s not so easily put off.’
‘Yer mean if he comes down, Ma,’ Molly laughed. ‘If I know our Tommy, he’ll stay up there until the coast is clear.’
Jack clapped his hands. ‘Come on, Corker’s ship will be sailing before we get the party started. All hands to the pumps, men, and get the drinks poured out.’
When he was sure everyone had a drink, Jack sat down between Corker and George and soon they were joined by Alec. The conversation drifted on to the state of the war, and after listening for a few minutes, Maisie moved her chair to where Molly and Nellie were sitting, near Miss Clegg, Bridie and Bob. ‘Get a couple of men together with a glass in their hand and all they can talk about is flamin’ war!’ Maisie sounded disgusted. ‘Wouldn’t yer think they’d forget it for one night?’
‘Yeah,’ Molly chuckled. ‘Look at poor Ellen sat on Corker’s knee – she looks bored stiff.’
Nellie turned her head. ‘Hey, Ellen, get yer body over here and bring yer new hairstyle with yer.’
‘Ay, you, shut up!’ Molly said as she watched Ellen sit in the space next t
o Bob. ‘Ye’re only jealous.’
‘I know I am, girl!’ Nellie admitted. ‘I’ve been looking at Miss Clegg here, an’ your Doreen’s done a real good job with her hair.’
Looking pleased, Victoria touched the bun at the back of her neck. ‘She’s very clever with her hands, is Doreen.’
Nellie, her legs wide apart as usual, gave Molly a sharp dig in the ribs. ‘D’yer think she’d do somethin’ with my hair?’
‘Ay, Nellie, she’s good but she’s not that good!’ Molly chuckled. ‘It’s a miracle worker yer want, to do anythin’ with your tatty head.’
‘Oh charming, that is!’ Nellie drained her glass. ‘Some hostess you are, insultin’ yer guests and letting them sit with empty glasses in their hands.’
It was left to Steve, Phil, Sammy and Mike to make sure everyone’s glasses were topped up. And Molly was heartened to see that Mike wasn’t being left out and seemed to be enjoying himself. As the glasses were emptied and refilled, the conversations became noisier, the laughter louder, and Molly knew the party would soon be in full swing.
‘Molly,’ Bridie touched her daughter’s knee. ‘Would yer pop yer head out an’ see how Rosie’s getting on?’
Bob laughed. ‘I don’t think yer need worry about Rosie, but yer’d better see how poor Tommy and Ginger are getting on.’
Rosie was sitting on the bottom stair, Ginger on the second, and Tommy on the fourth. ‘Are you all right out here?’ Molly asked.
‘Sure we’re fine, Auntie Molly, so we are. An’ Tommy likes me new dress fine, don’t yer Tommy?’
Ginger felt uncomfortable when his friend didn’t answer, so he said, ‘I think it’s nice.’
‘Why don’t yer come in and join the party?’ Molly took pity on her son who looked so forlorn. ‘You and Ginger can have a shandy.’
