by Joan Jonker
‘Well seein’ as yer forgot to put me lead on, I took advantage of me freedom and went all the way up to the corner shop on me own. Wasn’t that daring of me, girl?’ Nellie bit hard on the inside of her cheek to keep the smile away, but it didn’t work. Then the smile turned into a hearty chuckle. ‘Yer’ll die laughin’ when yer get an earful of this! I only went up to Maisie’s for an Oxo cube to put in me stew, and when I came back an hour later it was to find I didn’t need the ruddy Oxo because I had no flamin’ stew to put it in!’
Tears of laughter rolled down Molly’s face. Thank God for her mate! No matter what the situation, Nellie could get a laugh out of it. And Molly had been in need of a laugh after yesterday. What with the bad news about the war, having to go to the shelter until after midnight, then listening to their Tommy this morning asking about getting a shelter for her parents because they were too old to be rushing out every time the siren went. It was enough to give anyone the gripes.
‘What in the name of God took you an hour to get one fiddling little Oxo cube? I know Maisie can be busy in the mornings, but I’ve never waited an hour to be served.’
‘Well, yer know what it’s like when yer start talkin’, yer forget all about time. Mrs Greenfield came in, then Vera Marshall and Barney’s wife … we had a right old natter.’
‘Yer mean a right old gossip, don’t yer?’ Molly wagged a finger. ‘I hope George and the children don’t mind listening to a bit of gossip instead of gettin’ a dinner.’
‘Oh, they’ll get a dinner, I’ll think of something.’
‘Such as?’ Molly raised her brows. ‘Yer’ve no meat coupons left.’
There was a crafty look in Nellie’s eyes. ‘What are you havin’ for dinner, girl?’
‘Yer know what we’re havin’, yer were with me when I bought the mince. I’m makin’ a mince and onion pie.’
Nellie licked her lips. ‘Ooh, ye’re makin’ me mouth water, girl! Yer don’t half make tasty pies.’
‘Don’t be tryin’ to get round me, sunshine, ’cos I only got three quarters of mince.’ Molly tilted her head to one side. ‘Can’t yer save any of yer stew?’
‘No,’ Nellie said, her chins quivering to emphasize her words. ‘It was all burned on the bottom, stuck to the ruddy pan. I scraped the top part off and put it in another pan, thinkin’ it would be all right if I added some water and an onion, but when I tasted it, yeuch, it was terrible. If I served it up to George he’d throw it at me.’
As she gazed at her friend, Molly remembered the times when they’d been so skint they couldn’t afford meat, so they’d made blind stew and shared it between the two families. They’d shared everything in those dark days, even a loaf of bread, a cup of sugar or a shovelful of coal. And they’d shared their heartaches and their laughter.
‘I’ve got some carrots and turnip in, so I’ll split the mince in half and make two pans of stew. With onion and barley in, they won’t notice the lack of meat.’
‘No! I was only kiddin’, girl! I wouldn’t let yer do that!’ Nellie’s mouth drooped at the corners. ‘I’ll get down to the shops and see what I can scrounge.’
Molly’s mind was ticking over. ‘I’ve got a tin of stewed steak, I can make yer a pie with that.’
‘But yer said yer were keepin’ that tin of stew in case of an emergency!’
‘Nellie McDonough, you are an emergency!’
‘Ye’re right there, girl! I’m a walking bloody disaster if ever there was one.’ Nellie looked considerably brighter. ‘I’ll take yer up on that offer, save me scroungin’ round the shops. But I’ll pay yer back as soon as I can get me hands on a tin of stewed steak.’ She folded her arms and leaned them on the table. ‘I don’t know about you, girl, but I feel dead tired. We didn’t get to bed until one o’clock an’ I’m gettin’ too old for these late nights. I think I’ll write to Hitler and ask him to confine his activities to Saturday nights, so we can have a lie-in the next day.’
‘Talkin’ about last night, and Hitler, have you ever heard of Anderson shelters, Nellie?’
‘Yeah, of course I have! Elsie in the next street’s got one. Big ugly things they are, but I believe they’ll stand up to anythin’.’
Molly explained about Rosie’s fear for Bridie and Bob. ‘She’s right, too, God love her. Me da looked all-in last night, he wouldn’t stand up to many more nights like that.’
‘Elsie got hers because of her mother. The old lady’s about eighty an’ crippled with arthritis … takes her all her time to walk.’ Now that the problem of her dinner had been sorted out, Nellie wanted to do Molly a favour in return. ‘I’ll take yer round to Elsie’s, if yer like. She wouldn’t mind yer takin’ a gander at it, an’ she’d be able to tell yer how to go about gettin’ one.’
‘She’ll think I’ve got a cheek,’ Molly said. ‘I don’t really know the woman. I’ve probably only spoken a dozen words to her in me life.’
‘Oh, Elsie won’t mind! She’ll be only too glad to help!’
It would be a good idea to see one before setting the wheels in motion, Molly thought. Then she’d know what she was talking about when she mentioned it to her mother. ‘Could we go now? I’ll be too busy this afternoon, makin’ the pies. I’ve got to make one for Miss Clegg, don’t forget.’
‘I’m ready when you are, girl, an’ there’s no time like the present. Yer know Rosie’s always comin’ out with her mammy’s sayings? Well I’ve got one that suits this particular occasion. “Never leave till tomorrow what yer can do today”.’
Molly chuckled as she pushed her chair back. ‘I don’t think the feller that thought that saying up meant if yer were goin’ to burn yer dinner, don’t leave it until tomorrow, burn it today.’
Nellie tutted. ‘I don’t suppose I’ll hear the end of that, will I? The least thing, an’ yer’ll be throwing it up at me.’
‘No I won’t, sunshine.’ Molly put a finger to her mouth. ‘My lips are sealed.’
‘Still like yer job, do yer, Maureen?’ Molly asked as she watched Doreen combing her friend’s hair in front of the mirror. ‘No regrets about leaving Johnson’s?’
‘I missed it at first, ’cos although the wages were lousy it was a good firm to work for. But we’re earning nearly twice as much now, with overtime.’ Her pretty face broke into a smile, showing strong white teeth. ‘Anyway, where we are now means we won’t get called up for the forces.’ She caught Doreen’s eye in the mirror. ‘Did yer tell yer mam that Sammy and Mike have got their papers?’
‘Go ’way!’ Molly didn’t wait for Doreen to reply. ‘When was this?’
‘Sammy came round to ours last night – the calling-up papers were waitin’ for him when he got home from work.’
‘I dunno,’ Molly sighed, shaking her head. ‘I don’t know what the world’s coming to! Young lads being taken from their homes just because of one greedy man! If I could get me hands on him I’d knock the livin’ daylights out of him. At least, I’d hold him while Nellie knocked the daylights out of him.’
‘I’d help yer, Mam!’ Doreen slipped the comb into her bag. ‘If it wasn’t for him, Phil would be home and he’d be comin’ dancing with us.’
‘Which dance are yer goin’ to?’
‘Orrell Park ballroom. I’m lookin’ forward to it, as well, it seems ages since we shook a leg. I don’t mind workin’ so much overtime because of the extra money, but yer know what they say, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.’
‘Are Sammy an’ Mike going?’ Molly asked.
‘Yeah, I told Sammy about it last night when he called an’ he said they’d go along.’ Maureen’s pretty face looked sad. ‘We’ll miss them when they go away.’
‘Yer will!’ Molly agreed. ‘They’ve been good mates.’
Doreen came back from collecting her coat. ‘I’ve got a key, Mam, so yer needn’t wait up for me.’
‘Don’t forget what I’ve told yer, d’yer hear? If the siren goes, find the nearest shelter.’
‘OK, M
am, keep yer hair on! I’m not daft enough to keep on dancin’ if there’s an air raid.’
‘I’ll make sure she does as she’s told, Mrs B.,’ Maureen said. ‘I had to promise me mam the same thing.’
Molly watched them heading for the door, their dancing shoes tucked under their arms. ‘Enjoy yerselves, and remember me to Sammy and Mike. Tell them to come an’ see us before they go.’
‘Will do! Ta-ra, Mam!’
‘For heaven’s sake keep yer voice down or yer’ll wake Ruthie! And close the door quietly behind yer.’
Tommy was dying to ask if his mother had made any inquiries about an Anderson shelter, but he didn’t want to bring Rosie’s name into it in case they thought he was going soft on her. Heaven forbid that should ever happen! But when he was halfway through his dinner and she’d made no mention of it, he couldn’t contain himself any longer. After all, it was his nan and grandad he was worried about, not Rosie. ‘Did yer find out anythin’, Mam? You know, about the shelter?’
‘Oh, yer mean the one Rosie wanted yer to ask me about?’ Molly chuckled silently when the blush rose from his neck to cover his face. She hadn’t failed to notice he’d mentioned her name this morning without the usual sarcasm that went with it. ‘Yeah, I’ve not only found out how to go about getting one, I’ve actually seen one!’
Jack’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. ‘Go ’way! How did yer do that, love?’
‘Yer might know … through Nellie! There’s not much goes on around here that me mate doesn’t know about, I can tell yer. As soon as I mentioned it to her, she said she knew a woman in the next street who’s got one, and she had me round there to see it before yer could blink.’
‘What are they like, Mam?’ Tommy asked. ‘Would it be suitable for me nan and grandad?’
Molly sucked air in through her teeth. ‘Great big ugly things they are. They’re made of iron or something, and they take up nearly the whole room! I went to me ma’s after I’d seen it, but I never mentioned it to her. If I’d taken her to see it, she’d have pooh-poohed the idea without givin’ herself time to think about it properly. I thought it might be better if it was just brought up in conversation, casual like. At least she’d have time to think about the advantages of having one, before seeing how big and ugly they are.’
‘They can’t be that big, love, or they wouldn’t be able to get them in the houses,’ Jack said. ‘These doors are not that wide.’
‘They don’t bring them in ready-made, they make them up in the room. The top is just like a tabletop, only bigger and made of iron, and it’s got thick iron legs and some sort of wire mesh on two of the sides.’ Molly shuddered. ‘Me ma would have a duck egg if she had to have one in her room, yer know how finicky she is.’
‘I said that to Rosie last night.’ Tommy could have bitten his tongue off, but the words had left his lips before he’d had time to think. And now he’d started, he may as well finish. ‘An’ she asked me whether it was better to have a nice house, or a safe one.’
Jack grinned. ‘She’s not just a pretty face, is our Rosie! She’s got her head screwed on the right way.’
‘Yeah, she’s a sensible girl,’ Molly agreed. ‘Me ma and da would be lost without her. And think of all the worry she saves me! I’d be out of me mind if they were on their own with things the way they are.’
‘Well in my opinion, for what it’s worth, I think one of those shelters would be a godsend for yer ma and da,’ Jack said. ‘To hell with what the room looks like – there’s a ruddy war on!’
Molly drummed her fingers on the table, her blue eyes thoughtful. ‘I’ve been goin’ over things in me head, and there’s others beside my ma and da who could do with something in the house so they’d be safe. Miss Clegg, for one. She sits under the stairs as soon as the siren goes, but that wouldn’t be a ha’p’orth of good if a bomb dropped. And what about Corker’s mam? I looked for her in the shelter last night, but there was no sign. Which means she was on her own in the house.’
‘Yer’ve got a point there, love,’ Jack said. ‘They’re both too old and frail to be rushin’ out at midnight, and yer can’t expect them to.’ He pushed his empty plate away. ‘Are they givin’ these Anderson shelters out? Can anyone get them?’
‘According to Elsie in the next street, they’re givin’ them to priority cases first. She said we’d have no trouble gettin’ one for me ma and da, and the same would apply to Miss Clegg and Mrs Corkhill.’
‘So what have yer got in mind, Mam?’ Tommy speared the last piece of pastry. Ever since he was a small child he always saved the best bit till last. ‘Are yer goin’ to ask me nan?’
‘I’m goin’ to have to be crafty about it, son. If I ask her right out, I know what her answer will be. But if I just happen to mention that Miss Clegg is getting one, and the advantages of it, then it will give her something to think about. She’ll come round in the end because she dotes on me da, and anything that will keep him safe she’ll go for.’
Jack moved over to his armchair, his packet of cigarettes in his hand. ‘Have you had a word with Miss Clegg and Mrs Corkhill?’
‘I haven’t seen Corker’s mam yet, but I mentioned it to Miss Clegg when I took her dinner over. She was all for it! Thought it was a marvellous idea!’
‘So the first part of yer plan has met with success.’ Jack watched the smoke from his cigarette as it spiralled its way to the ceiling. ‘One down, two to go, eh?’
‘Ellen said Corker’s due home in a couple of days, so I’ll leave it to him to talk to his mam. And I’m goin’ to get Rosie to help me with me ma and da. If she drops a few words here and there, all casual like, it might just sink in and prepare the ground, so to speak.’
There was a twinkle in Jack’s deep brown eyes. ‘An’ you say that Nellie’s the crafty one.’
‘Ay, well, with bein’ with her so much it’s only natural a bit of it would rub off on me.’ Molly chuckled. ‘I’ve got a long way to go before I catch up with her, though! I tell yer, she’s the craftiest person on two legs.’
It was on the tip of Molly’s tongue to tell them about Nellie’s dinner and give them a laugh, but she reminded herself of the promise she’d made Nellie. But she was right about her mate being crafty … as cute as a cartload of monkeys she was! It was a foregone conclusion that George wouldn’t be told about the disaster with the dinner, and it was a pound to a penny she’d have had the nerve to tell him she’d baked the pie herself!
Molly picked up the dirty plates and headed for the kitchen. ‘I’ll use the water in the kettle to wash these, then put more on for our tea.’
There was a smile on her face as she put the plug in the sink and turned the tap on. Nellie was a caution all right, there was no doubt about that! But who’d have her any different? They’d had a damn good laugh today, and no harm was done. Except, of course, Molly was minus a tin of stewed steak.
Three days later, on the fourteenth of May, news came that after a heavily sustained air attack by dozens of German planes, the city of Rotterdam had been captured. The effect of the grim news could be seen on the faces of those old enough to understand the implications. In every home and workplace across the country the question on everyone’s lips was how long could a small country like Holland hold out? And people were angry. Why, they asked, were we so unprepared, our forces so ill equipped they couldn’t halt the Germans? Instead of appeasing the maniac in the beginning, why hadn’t we foreseen what could happen, and strengthened the might of our forces?
Jack had his own very strong views on the subject. ‘He’s been testing us over the last year, taking a little bit here and a little bit there. And like bloody fools, our lot have only rapped his knuckles and told him not to be a naughty boy. Honestly, it makes my blood boil! Anyone with half an eye could see what was coming, but not those down in London. Oh, no, they preferred to believe every promise the little sod made! Talk about act soft an’ I’ll buy yer a coalyard, isn’t in it.’
‘They were doin’
what they thought best, Jack,’ Molly said. ‘Trying to avoid another war.’
‘Ay, well they’re not the ones who’ll have to pay for their mistakes, are they? It’s the young lads who’ll have to pay. And when they start bombing us, which they will do, we’ll all have to pay.’ Jack could see the worry lines on Molly’s face, and tried to control his anger. What good would it do to put the fear of God into her and the children?
‘I’m worried about Phil,’ Doreen said. ‘I hope he’s not sent where there’s any fighting.’
‘France is a bigger country than Holland, love, and they’re much more prepared. It’s said they’ve got defence lines that will stop any army.’
Jill was picking nervously at her fingernails. ‘I hope you’re right, Dad! If it gets any worse, they’re bound to call Steve up.’
‘If I was eighteen, I’d join up,’ Tommy said, his voice gruff. ‘I’d love to have a go at those Germans.’
‘Over my dead body yer’d join up!’ Molly cried. ‘I’m praying to God the war will be over before you’re eighteen.’ She pushed her chair back so sharply it almost toppled over. ‘I’m goin’ round to me ma’s for half an hour to tell her Miss Clegg has had a visitor and she’s getting an Anderson shelter next week. It’ll give me ma somethin’ to think about, might gee her up a bit.’ She glanced from Jill to Doreen. ‘Are you two goin’ out?’
‘I’m not,’ Doreen answered, ‘it’s too late, and anyway I’m having an early night – I’m dead tired.’
‘Steve’s working until nine,’ Jill said, ‘then he’ll be down.’
Tommy grinned. ‘Before yer give me the third degree, Mam, I’ll fill yer in with me intended movements. I was goin’ to Ginger’s, but I’ve changed me mind. It’s a few days since I saw me nan and grandad, so I’ll walk that far with you.’
As Molly got her coat from the hall-stand she gave a silent chuckle. Who did Tommy think he was kidding? It would seem her son was having a change of heart about young Rosie.
