Strolling With The One I Love

by Joan Jonker

  John felt as though his heart was on a trampoline. ‘I’d be really grateful, Tom. But don’t mention it to Kate until we know some more. I’d hate her to get her hopes up, and then have them dashed.’

  ‘I’ll not say a word, mate! And I’ll tell Monica to keep it to herself. She knows I’m asking yer, ’cos it was her what suggested it. As soon as I told her, the first one she thought of was Kate. She was out of the door like a shot. I had to shout after her not to say any more than that I’d been promoted.’

  John grinned. ‘She won’t like keeping quiet about that, yer know what her and Kate are like – as thick as thieves. They couldn’t be closer if they were sisters.’

  ‘I’ll have a good talk to her, she knows which side her bread’s buttered.’ Tom, like his wife, had a very throaty chuckle. ‘I’m at the head of the bargaining table right now, and in bed tonight she’ll try and get round me to say how much of a rise she’ll be getting. I can read her like a ruddy book. She’ll be as sweet as honey at first, but if I say she’s not getting as big a rise as she’s expecting, she’ll blow the roof off. Then there’ll be a little haggling, at the end of which I’ll pretend to give in – even though I had every intention of giving her what she wanted anyway. But there’ll be conditions attached, and one of those is that she doesn’t breathe a word to Kate. So don’t worry on that score.’

  As the two men walked home from the pub, John felt uplifted. For the first time in years he had something to hope for. ‘How are we going to get around to filling in the application form if Kate knows nothing about it?’

  ‘I’ll think of something, that’s the least of yer worries,’ Tom said. ‘And if yer get as far as an interview, it will mean yer taking a few hours off work. Would yer be able to manage that?’

  ‘I’ve never taken time off, Tom, yer know that. But for a better job, and a better way of life for me family, then I’ll go sick for a few hours. Plead a stomach ache or something.’

  As they neared their houses, they could hear a racket. This was unusual because after ten o’clock at night there was seldom anyone in the street. ‘What the hell is going on?’ Tom quickened his step as the noise grew louder. ‘It sounds like kids, but what the hell are they doing out this time of night?’

  ‘It’ll be the new kids from opposite,’ John said. ‘Kate said they were holy terrors.’

  ‘I believe so, but holy terrors or not, they shouldn’t be allowed to disturb people this time of night. Some folks will be in bed!’

  The noise wasn’t only coming from the five children. Their mother was sitting on the step and the father leaning against the wall. They were talking and laughing at the top of their voices, with no thought for the noise they were making. The two men were horrified at the language used by both parents and children. Smoke came from the cigarette being smoked by the man, and there was a low glow of tobacco from the clay pipe the woman had in the side of her mouth.

  ‘Sod that for a lark,’ Tom said. ‘I need a night’s sleep if I’m to work tomorrow, so I’m going to tell them to keep quiet.’

  ‘Yer might make things worse, Tom.’ John put a restraining hand on his mate’s arm. ‘Perhaps it would be as well to leave it until yer know what sort of people ye’re dealing with.’

  But Tom wasn’t prepared to leave it. ‘Would yer mind making less noise?’ he shouted across the street. ‘There are people trying to sleep.’

  ‘Ah, go in and mind yer own business, yer stupid bastard.’ The man had moved away from the wall and was standing at the edge of the pavement. ‘We’re outside our own bleedin’ house, so we can do as we like.’

  ‘Oh, no, yer can’t!’ Tom was on his way across the cobbles now, with John behind him. ‘Ye’re new to this street, so yer may as well be told now that none of yer neighbours like to hear noise like you’re making at this time of night. So I’ll ask yer again, will yer lower the racket and get inside the house? Those children should be in bed now, anyway.’

  Doors began to open now and amongst the neighbours who came out of their houses were Kate and Monica. ‘Oh, my God, their first day here and they’re causing trouble.’ Monica shook her fist. ‘What sort of parents are yer, teaching yer children words that only a fishwife would use? Get inside and put them to bed.’

  Tom, who was no lightweight, stood in the gutter looking up at their new neighbour. ‘Now, are yer going to go in and shut the door, or do I have to make yer?’

  The man’s head dropped back and he roared with drunken laughter. ‘Did yer hear that, Ma? The stupid bastard thinks he can give me sodding orders!’

  Kate was getting worried as well as angry. She didn’t want John getting involved with these people who would probably just as soon stab you in the back as look at you. ‘John, leave it be, they’re not worth wasting yer breath on.’

  The other man, egged on by his family, began to get cocky. And he wasn’t to know that Kate wasn’t Tom’s wife. ‘That’s right, love, take your feller in before I knock his bleedin’ block off. Put him to bed with a dummy in his mouth.’

  That did it. Tom stepped from the gutter on to the pavement, adding six inches to his height. And John, the same height as his mate, stood beside him. ‘Repeat what yer’ve just said,’ Tom told the man, who by now wasn’t quite so cocky, ‘so I know I wasn’t hearing things.’

  There was quite a crowd gathered by this time, and there were dark mutterings because most people had been getting ready for bed. But with his children shouting to him, ‘Go on, Dad, belt the miserable bleeder,’ the man didn’t want to be seen to lose face. But he couldn’t see any other way out. Both the men facing him looked as though they could handle themselves, and he’d rather lose a little pride than a few front teeth. ‘Yer’ve taken it the wrong way, matey! I didn’t mean nothing by it! It’s all a misunderstanding. Me and the missus and the kids have had a busy day moving house, we were just getting a bit of fresh air before going to bed.’

  Tom took hold of the man by his lapels, lifted him off his feet and pulled him forward so their faces were nearly touching. ‘So this isn’t a nightly occurrence then? It won’t be happening tomorrow night, or any night in future? Are yer quite sure about that? If ye’re not sure, then speak out now so I can tell yer what me and me friends will do if there’s any more messing. Yer see, this is a nice respectable street, and we intend keeping it that way.’

  When the man didn’t answer, John said, ‘What my mate has just said goes for me too. And I’ll also add that if any of yer children go near mine, or upset them in any way, then you will be sorry because it won’t be yer children I chastise, it’ll be you.’ He touched Tom’s arm. ‘Come on, mate, I think we’ve made our point. If not, there’s always another time.’

  Kate folded her arms and hugged herself. ‘Did yer just hear what John said, sunshine? Oh, I’m so proud of him.’

  ‘Ay, don’t yer be leaving my feller out, I thought he was brilliant!’ Monica watched the two husbands coming towards them and whispered, ‘I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a good night for Robin Hood.’

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  After closing the door behind her, Kate stood between Monica and Winnie and linked their arms. ‘Shall we go to the butcher’s first? I’m thinking of getting sausage to have with mashed potatoes.’

  ‘D’yer know what I fancy?’ Monica asked. ‘A pig’s knuckle, or a shank. I could put some peas in steep and make a nice thick soup with the shank. I haven’t done that for ages, and Tom loves it.’

  ‘Ooh, yeah, that’s a good idea!’ Winnie nodded in agreement. ‘I could get two days out of a pan of pea whack.’ Then she changed the subject. ‘Ay, that new family have been quiet since Tom and John had a go at them. It’s been a week now, and there’s not been a peep out of them.’ She pursed her lips. ‘They’re still a bleeding mystery to me, though. Not one stick of furniture has gone in that house, so what the hell do they sit and sleep on?’

  ‘God knows, but as long as they stay out of our lives, sunshine, I don’t
care if they sleep standing up. I know the names of the man and woman, I’ve heard them shouting to each other. She calls him Jacko, and she’s Rita. I don’t know about the kids, except they’re around all day and none of them go to school.’ Kate kept her eye on the house opposite to make sure her own children stayed clear. ‘I’m surprised the School Board hasn’t been after them, ’cos yer can get into trouble if yer don’t send yer kids to school. I bet any money if I was to keep one of mine off for half a day, they’d be down on me like a ton of bricks.’

  ‘Yer’ll probably think I’m being bad-minded,’ Winnie said, ‘but I think they probably did a flit from where they lived before, and the School Board won’t know where they are.’

  ‘I think ye’re probably right, girl!’ Monica had been of the same mind since the family had turned up with the handcart. ‘I said they looked like gypsies the minute I set eyes on them. It will be interesting to see if they pay their rent today.’

  ‘We’ll find that out when Bill comes, sunshine. That’s if he gets an answer.’ Kate’s face broke into a wide smile. ‘I know I shouldn’t say this, but wouldn’t it be a scream if they didn’t open the door and he couldn’t get their rent? Mr Coburn wouldn’t like that one little bit, and he’d be sorry he ever set eyes on them. But it would teach him a lesson for the future.’

  ‘Ay, queen, the butcher’s is packed. D’yer want to get the rest of the shopping first and come back when we’ve finished? Bob mightn’t be so busy then.’

  The three women peered through the window. ‘It’s packed all right,’ Monica said. ‘But we may as well wait and get it over with.’

  The shop was so crowded the women were squeezed tight against the back wall. And there were a few titters when Monica shouted, ‘Busy day, Bob? Yer’ll be up till the early hours counting yer takings.’ Then she thought of giving the waiting customers a laugh. ‘Yer’ll be able to buy yer wife a fur coat for the winter, and yer know what they say about women what wear fur coats, don’t yer?’

  Kate gave her a sharp dig in the ribs. ‘That’s enough, Monica Parry, don’t yer be making an exhibition of yerself. And me into the bargain.’

  But Monica had managed to liven things up. Bob, the owner of the shop, let out a loud guffaw. ‘Oh, I’ll sort that out, Monica! I’ll buy her the knickers this Christmas and the fur coat for next.’

  Winnie had to keep standing on tip-toe to see the butcher. She liked to see a person’s face when she knew they’d have a smile on it. And on one of her hops she noticed a familiar figure standing in front of the counter. ‘Ay, there’s Margaret at the front, by the counter. She must have packed her job in.’

  But Winnie wasn’t the only person to spot the young mother-to-be. For standing in front of the three friends, a little to the right, were two women who lived in the same street as the Blackmores. One was a real busybody who thrived on gossip. The other woman was a decent respectable person who was inclined to get on with her life and leave others to get on with theirs. Winnie was known to both women, and she was just about to stretch her arm over to catch their attention when the busybody moved her head closer to the other woman and said, ‘There’s that Margaret Blackmore in front. She had to get married, yer know, ’cos she got herself in the family way. I believe the lad didn’t want to marry her but they forced him into it. I don’t know how she’s got the nerve to show her face, she should be bloody well ashamed of herself.’

  Monica gasped, as did her two friends, and moved forward, mouth open, ready to bring the gossip-monger to task. But Winnie gripped her arm. ‘Leave this to me, queen, I know both of those women.’

  But Kate feared a scene. ‘Don’t start an argument, sunshine, ’cos if it gets to Margaret’s ears she’ll never leave the house again, she’ll be so embarrassed.’

  ‘Don’t worry, queen, I know what I’m doing.’ Pretending she’d only just spotted the busybody, Winnie leaned forward and tapped her on the shoulder. ‘Hello, Fanny, I’ve only just noticed yer! How are yer?’

  ‘Fine, thanks, Winnie, how’s yerself?’

  ‘On top of the world, queen, on top of the world. And d’yer know, Fanny, every time I see yer I keep meaning to ask about yer sister’s girl, and then it slips me mind. Yer know who I mean, the one what’s expecting a baby. Did the bloke ever marry her, or did he leave her swinging to face the music on her own?’

  Well, the woman didn’t know where to put herself. But her companion did. ‘I’ve decided not to wait, I’ll come back later.’ She gave Fanny a withering look and pushed her way through the crowd behind. As she passed Winnie, she shook her head and tutted. ‘Some people have nothing better to do. I’ll see you later, Winnie.’

  ‘Okay, Iris, I’ll see yer. Take care now.’ Winnie turned back to the unfortunate Fanny. ‘Yer never said what happened to yer sister’s daughter. Did the bloke marry her, and has she had the baby yet?’

  ‘She hasn’t had the baby yet.’ Fanny was cursing herself for not carrying on to the Co-op shop like she’d had a mind to when she saw the queue at the butcher’s. But she was cursing Winnie even more. ‘The lad, Dave, said he might marry her after the baby’s born.’

  Kate and Monica bit on their bottom lips to keep the chuckles at bay, and left it to Winnie to finish the job she’d started. ‘Oh, he’s one of them, is he? Waiting to see if the baby looks like him before he’ll commit himself? If he’s that sort of feller, yer sister’s girl wouldn’t have much of a life with him, he’d be throwing it up in her face all the time. She’d be better off without him. But isn’t it a pity that he’s not a nice lad, a gentleman, who’d do the right thing by her?’

  If looks could kill, Winnie would have been a dead duck. Fanny was silently calling curses down on the woman who seemed to be intent on finding out about her sister’s girl. The lad had no intention of marrying her ’cos the girl was a fly turn and she’d thrown herself at him. Of course after he got what he wanted he had no respect for her and walked past her in the street. The stupid cow had gone crying to his parents, but after telling her she was no angel, they’d closed the door in her face.

  At that point Margaret, having been served, made her way through the crowd and smiled when she saw the three women. This of course played right into Winnie’s hands. She could rub the salt in a bit more, and then perhaps Fanny would keep her mouth shut in future.

  ‘Hello, queen, doing yer mam’s shopping for her, are yer?’

  ‘We tossed up who’d do the washing and who’d come to the shops. I won, ’cos shopping is easier than washing and mangling.’

  Kate and Monica made a fuss of Margaret, and then Winnie topped her performance by saying, ‘And yer know Fanny, of course, ’cos she only lives a few doors away from yer?’

  Margaret was pleasant with the woman and smiled, but Fanny thought her face would crack when she tried to smile back. That did it for her. ‘I don’t think I’ll wait any longer, me feet are getting tired. I’ll go to the Co-op and come back later.’ With that she pushed everyone out of her path in her haste to get away from Winnie. Not realizing how warped her thinking was, she got outside the shop and muttered, ‘I’ll stay clear of that one in future, she’s a trouble-maker.’

  Although they were laughing inside, and mentally patting Winnie on the back, Kate and Monica didn’t mention Fanny’s name. They would when Margaret left them, of course, because they thought that although Winnie didn’t have a hammer, she’d certainly hit that nail on the head.

  ‘Are yer in a hurry, sunshine?’ Kate asked. ‘Or would yer like to wait for us and come shopping?’

  ‘That’s an idea, girl, it would do yer good to have a bit of company.’ Monica stepped back a little way from Kate before adding, ‘We all have a cup of tea at Kate’s when we’ve been shopping, so yer might as well join us.’

  ‘Me mam will be waiting for the stew to get the dinner on,’ Margaret said. ‘She likes to let it simmer for hours on a low light.’

  ‘Well, you take yer shopping home, queen.’ Winnie could see Kate’s
eyes rolling but knew that if her friend made a song and dance about it, it would be through habit, she really didn’t mean it. ‘Then come to Kate’s. And as it’s my turn to buy the cream cakes, yer’ll get a nice cake with yer cup of tea.’

  Margaret was torn. She’d love to go to Kate’s and have a laugh with the women, ’cos she didn’t have any friends of her own age now. She used to have three or four when she went dancing, but as soon as she thought she was pregnant, she’d stopped going out through fear and shame and had lost touch with them all. Even though she was married now, she didn’t like seeking them out. But after the baby was born she’d vowed to look up one particular friend, Freda Kennedy, whom she’d known since they were in the infants school together. They’d always been good mates and Margaret did miss her.

  ‘I’d love to come but I’ll have to see if me mam needs me first. I only packed me job in on Saturday so I don’t like leaving her to do all the work while I’m out enjoying meself.’

  ‘Who said anything about enjoying yerself?’ Monica grinned. ‘We eat our cake, drink our tea, making them last as long as we can, then Kate throws us out. She’s got a little card on a piece of string behind the front door with “Cafe” on. And when she’s had enough of us, she turns the card around to read “Closed”.’

  ‘Take no notice of her, sunshine, we have a damn’ good laugh. Usually at someone else’s expense, of course, but we don’t mean no harm by it. Hurry home now, give yer mam a hand, then bring her with yer. She enjoys a good laugh. And with these two,’ Kate jerked her head to where Monica and Winnie were standing, ‘she’s guaranteed one. If not, then she can ask for her money back.’

  ‘That would be nice. I’ll get home sharpish and see yer later.’ Margaret was on the pavement outside when she called, ‘What time?’

  ‘In an hour or so, sunshine. If yer do get there before us, which I very much doubt, sit on me step and wait for us.’

  ‘While ye’re at it, girl, bring a ruddy duster with yer and yer can clean her windows while ye’re waiting!’ Monica jerked her head, rolled her eyes and tutted. ‘Sit on me step indeed! What a flaming cheek she’s got!’