‘Of course we’ll do what you want, but are you sure, my dear?’ Flo took her hand and held it.
‘Yes, I’m positive. I’ve had all night to think about it.’
Bob nodded. ‘Then we won’t file any charges against him, but he doesn’t deserve your kindness.’
Vicki gave a lopsided grimace. ‘Nevertheless, I want to do this – not for his sake, but for mine. There has been enough unkindness, and it’s got to end.’
Nine
The police were thorough, taking statements from each of them. Vicki was taken to a room by two officers who wanted to know everything from the time she was turned out to fend for herself. She kept it brief, not wanting to go into details about the horror of that time. Even after all these months, it still turned her stomach inside out to bring it all to mind.
When she had finished, the senior officer nodded. ‘That’s what Mr and Mrs Howard told us. They also said that when you came to them you were so weak you could hardly stand up. Is that right?’
‘Yes, sir,’ she admitted. ‘I was starving. They saved my life.’
‘And after the way your father has treated you, you still don’t want to charge him with assault?’
‘No, sir. All I want is for him to go away and leave me alone. If he goes to prison, it will only cause my mother more grief.’
‘And was your mother kind to you?’
‘No, sir. She didn’t care what happened to me, but it wasn’t her fault. She’s too tired and worn out trying to have a son, but something like this will only add to her problems. I’m with people who are kind to me, and I’m learning to become a hairdresser. The Howards are my family now.’
‘Very well. We’ll warn him to stay away from you or he will be arrested again.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
With the interview over, they returned to the front desk where the others were waiting.
‘Bring Mr Keats from the cells,’ the officer ordered the desk sergeant.
Vicki knew her father’s every mood and was struck by the change in him. A night in the cells had frightened him. The belligerence had been replaced by a subdued man who was visibly scared of being sent to prison.
‘Mr Keats, because of the kindness of your daughter, no charges are being made against you. However, you are hereby warned to stay away from her and the shops owned by Mr and Mrs Howard. If you disobey this order, you will be arrested again. Is that understood?’ the officer asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Then you are free to go.’
Without giving any of them even a glance, Mr Keats was out of the door as fast as his legs would carry him.
‘He didn’t even thank you, Vicki,’ Bob remarked in disgust.
‘For all his bluster, that man is a coward,’ Sid said. ‘He didn’t have the courage to look at his daughter.’
‘We don’t think you will have any more trouble with him, Miss Keats, but you call us if you do.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
It was with profound relief that Vicki walked out of the police station. She had done the right thing and now felt it was time to put the past behind her – if she could. That man was no longer her father, and he had no claim on her from now on. She was free.
‘Right. Where are we going to eat?’ Sid wanted to know as they walked along. ‘I’m starving after that.’
They all laughed, the tension broken. Sid was always hungry.
‘There’s a nice little place just along here,’ Flo told him. ‘They do a nice roast on a Sunday.’
‘Good. Ah, but will you be able to chew properly?’ Sid asked, studying Vicki’s damaged face.
‘I’ll manage.’ The way they were heading took them past the railway station, and Vicki paused; the place held bad memories for her. Memories of shame and despair, but one stranger had taken the time to stop and help her. Who was he?
Harry stood beside her, ‘Are you now ready to start your search for those two men?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, I think it’s time to see if I can find them.’
‘Then we’ll look into it. I’ve been holding off, Vicki, because I didn’t feel you had quite reached that point. After today, though, things have changed for you, haven’t they?’
‘I do feel as if I’m free at last,’ she sighed. ‘I would like to put the past behind me, but I don’t think I can until I’ve tried to find my two strangers. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.’
‘Then that unpleasant scene with your father has done some good. Can you remember what day it was when you met this man at the station? Was it a weekday, or a weekend?’
‘I’m not sure. The days didn’t mean much to me then.’ Vicki frowned in concentration and turned to Bob. ‘Can you remember what day in the week I came to your shop?’
‘It was a Thursday, wasn’t it, Flo?’
‘That’s right.’
‘That means I must have seen him on a Tuesday, because it took me a day to get the clothes I needed. At least, I think it was only a day.’ Vicki shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, but it’s hard to remember.’
‘Never mind, my dear.’ Seeing Vicki’s bottom lip tremble, Flo took hold of her arm and led her away from the station. ‘You can try different days, and Harry will come with you. Won’t you, Harry?’
‘Of course. I was going to suggest the same thing myself. Now, where did you say we are going to eat?’
‘The Lombard cafe is in the next road.’
‘Perfect.’ Harry took hold of Vicki’s other arm and smiled down at her. ‘Let’s forget about unpleasant things for a while and enjoy a good meal together. Bud Lombard does a lovely steak and kidney pudding, or a hearty roast. That, and a good strong pot of tea, will do us all a power of good.’
As they walked the short distance to the cafe, Vicki struggled with her emotions. How did she get so lucky? The change from a starving, homeless girl to this was unbelievable. She was no longer alone, fighting to stay alive. That terrible time was behind her, and now she was cared for. These wonderful people were her friends, and they cared what happened to her, rallying round and standing beside her when trouble came. It was a heady feeling and not easy to come to terms with. Her home life had been wretched, and the time she had spent in that warehouse was a nightmare – best forgotten. She drew in a ragged breath. But it was most unlikely she would ever be able to do that completely. It was a part of her now and would always colour her life to a certain extent. Is that how you feel, Bill? Does what you endured still haunt you?
‘Here we are.’ Bob held open the door for them. ‘There’s a table by the window, Flo. You all sit down and I’ll order our meal. Steak and kidney pudding all round?’
Everyone nodded agreement, and Vicki did the same, smiling. They were all in a jolly mood, and she wouldn’t do anything to spoil their enjoyment, so she pushed away any gloomy thoughts and settled down to relax with her friends. Her father had been dealt with and could no longer cause her any trouble. This was her life now, and she could look forward to a future she never dreamed possible. Although he didn’t realize it, her dad had done her a favour making her leave home, and she had done him a favour today by refusing to make a complaint against him. She felt right about that.
‘Here we are. Enjoy.’
Vicki gazed at the plate in front of her and gasped. ‘It’s a huge steak and kidney pudding!’
They all laughed at her astonishment, and Bob said, ‘Let’s see how much of that you can eat, Vicki.’
The next couple of months were hectic as the business increased. Much to Vicki’s relief, there had been no sign of her father again. He had obviously taken the police warning to heart.
‘It’s time you and Harry took a couple of days off,’ Bob told Vicki at the end of another busy week.
‘We can’t do that,’ she protested. ‘You are busy, and our bookings are full. We’re having a job to fit everyone in.’
‘I know you girls have made a huge success of the salon, but you’ve never even had one
day off since you came to us. You’re growing up now and don’t have any time to yourself. You should be out dancing and having fun like all the other young girls today.’
‘That’s right,’ Flo said. ‘When the shop closes, you deal with the books and the money, not to mention all the cleaning and washing of towels. I can manage for a couple of days, my dear. Our apprentice is coming along nicely and can tackle more jobs now. We’ve already told Harry, because we know you want to start your search for the men who helped you. He’s eager to get going as well, but neither of you have had the time to spend on it.’
‘I know,’ Vicki sighed, ‘but we can’t leave you to cope on your own.’
‘Yes, you can, and you must.’ Bob smiled at his wife. ‘We’re old hands at this and will manage. We want you to do this, Vicki, so we won’t hear any excuses. We have the feeling you will never really be able to put the past behind you until you find these two men.’
‘We know it’s important to you,’ Flo told her gently, ‘and that makes it important to us as well. Take the time, my dear, and find them, if at all possible.’
‘It could be an impossible task,’ Vicki admitted.
‘That’s true, and something you will have to face, but at least you will have tried. You will stand a better chance of success with Harry’s help. This is just the kind of thing he loves, and he doesn’t give up easily.’
Bob laughed. ‘That’s right, Flo. Once he gets going, no stone is left unturned. Do it, Vicki, and if you can find these men, we want you to bring them here so we can thank them as well. Harry wants to start on Monday morning.’
‘All right.’ Vicki began pacing the empty shop, and then she smiled. ‘Thank you very much. I’ll go and see Harry tomorrow so we can work out a plan of action.’
‘I think he’s already started on that, and he’s expecting you. He said to tell you he’ll be in all day. He’s so eager to get started he couldn’t even stay and talk to you himself. I told him he’d better succeed or I’ll dock his pay for the two days!’ Bob said, laughing.
‘Oh, and he’s also expecting you to bring him back for Sunday lunch.’
‘Of course he is!’ Vicki shook her head in amusement. ‘He’s practically moved in here.’
‘He likes the company – and Flo’s cooking. And I don’t blame him. That house of his is much too large for one man. And although he never admitted it, I think he’s been lonely there since his wife died four years ago.’
Vicki nodded. ‘I expect he has. I’ll go round early in the morning.’
They decided to go to the station straight away. Even though it was Sunday, they were still hoping they might be able to gain some kind of clue to the man’s identity.
As soon as they stepped on to the station platform, Vicki stopped, crying out in despair. ‘Oh, no!’
Harry swore under his breath when he saw what she was looking at. He caught hold of her shoulders to steady her as she swayed alarmingly with distress.
‘That’s where I stood! We’ve got to do something.’ She struggled to get away from Harry’s firm grip.
‘Easy, Vicki. We’ll help him.’
She looked up at Harry, tears brimming from her eyes. ‘He’s so young – younger than I was. Can we do something for him?’
‘We’ll talk to him first. You never know, his family might have sent him out to beg for them. It does happen.’
‘I know what goes on, Harry, but that is not the case with him.’ She shook her head, walking towards the youngster. ‘I know the signs too well. That boy is hungry and alone.’
‘Spare a penny, mister?’ the urchin asked, looking at Harry. ‘I ain’t ’ad nuffin’ to eat for two days.’
‘Come with us to the station cafe, young man, and we’ll buy you breakfast.’
‘Cor, thanks, mister.’ The boy ambled along with them, wiping his grubby hands on equally dirty trousers.
Vicki watched, noting every detail. She had tried to keep herself clean, but she’d had the outhouse Bill had managed to open for her. This boy obviously had nowhere to wash. Where on earth was he sleeping? From the look of him, he could only be around twelve years of age. It was hard to tell, but if that was right, then he was tall for his age. He was about her height, painfully thin and seemed to be all arms and legs.
‘Do you want anything, Vicki?’ Harry asked as they found themselves a table.
‘Just tea, please.’
The boy was still trying to clean his hands, so he obviously cared about his dirty state. There was a half-empty glass of water on the table, and Vicki took a clean handkerchief from her bag, moistened it in the water and then handed it to him. Smiling, she said, ‘Here, wipe that over your hands. What’s your name?’
‘Dave,’ he told her, scrubbing his hands with the wet cloth. He grimaced. ‘Sorry, miss, but I’m filthy. I wanted to go to the public baths, but any money I get goes on food.’
‘I know exactly the situation you’re in. Not long ago, I was homeless, starving and begging on this station, like you.’
Dave opened his eyes wide, staring at her in disbelief. ‘You was?’
She nodded, and he lent forward eagerly. ‘How did you get like you are now? I mean, you’re a real lady. Posh, like.’
‘I was lucky.’
Dave sighed. ‘I could do with a bit of that luck.’
‘The food won’t be long,’ Harry told them as he came back to the table and sat down. ‘Tell us how you got into this mess, young man.’
‘Well, me dad was killed in the war, and me mum met this other bloke, but he didn’t want kids around him, so they sent me to my mum’s sister and her old man. They didn’t want nothing to do with kids really, but I think Mum’s new man gave them some money. The man is a brute. He would beat me for no reason at all, so I left.’ He pulled up his sleeves to show vivid bruises. ‘I got these all over me. Well, I couldn’t take no more of that. I had to leave.’ Dave looked at them imploringly. ‘I couldn’t do nuffin’ else, could I? He’d ’ave bloody well killed me if I hadn’t!’
‘Won’t they come looking for you?’ Harry asked.
‘Nah, I ’spect they’re glad to be shot of me.’ He turned his attention to a plate of breakfast put in front of him, looking at the food as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Harry and Vicki drank their tea and watched in silence as the boy wolfed the food down and wiped the plate clean.
‘Tell me your name and how long you’ve been on the streets,’ Harry said, as soon as he had the boy’s attention again.
‘I’m called Dave – I already told the lady – and I’ve been fending for myself for two weeks. It ain’t easy, but I don’t know what I can do, or where I can go.’
‘If someone gave you a room and food, would you be willing to work?’
‘Oh, I would, mister!’ Dave sat bolt upright, hope filling his eyes. ‘I’d work real hard and wouldn’t cause no trouble. Do you know someone who’d do that for me?’
‘I might consider it.’
Vicki looked at Harry with interest, but said nothing.
Dave was on his feet. ‘Oh, blimey, I’d be ever so grateful! To be honest, I’m scared out here on my own, and I’m desperate to find a safe place to live.’
‘Sit down,’ Harry told him gently. ‘Would you like some more toast and tea while we talk about it?’
The boy nodded, hardly able to sit still.
When Harry left the table to make the order, Dave reached across and grasped Vicki’s arm. ‘Will he do it … will he? Is he the one who took you in?’
‘No, but he’s a good friend of the people who did. He’s a kind man, Dave.’
‘Oh, I can see that!’
Harry brought the tea and toast with him and then sat down again. ‘How old are you, Dave?’
‘Er … fourteen … nearly.’
‘Nearly?’ Harry raised his eyebrows in query. ‘I want the truth, young man.’
‘I’m twelve,’ he muttered, a worried expression on his face. ‘But I
’m strong and can do any kind of work. I don’t care how hard it is. Lots of kids work at my age.’
‘I know, but that doesn’t make it right.’ Harry turned to Vicki. ‘Do you think Bob would let him work in the barber’s a couple of days a week? He can stay with me. There’s plenty of room in my house.’
‘We could ask him.’ Vicki studied Dave carefully. ‘We would have to clean him up and get him some better clothes. I kept the ones I used to wear, and there’s a good chance they will fit him.’
Dave was looking puzzled, the food forgotten for a moment.
‘Right, we’ll do that, but don’t mention it to Bob and Flo yet.’ Harry turned his attention back to Dave. ‘You can come back with us, young man, and we’ll see what we can do for you. Vicki knows what it’s like to be homeless, so she can help you.’
‘She told me, mister. Can’t hardly believe it, seeing her now. A real lady, she is, and talks like one.’
‘She taught herself to speak like that because it would help her to get a job. I was a teacher and can give you lessons in English. It will give you a better chance in life.’
‘Oh, I’d like that!’ Dave smiled at both of them, and then continued eating the toast. ‘I won’t let you down, and I like learning. Not that I’ve had much chance.’
‘On the days you’ve been at the station, have you seen a man who perhaps gave you a generous amount of money, or even bought you a meal? He’s quite tall, has a slight limp and carries a silver-topped cane. He’s around forty, I would guess.’
‘Can’t say I have. You’re the first people to ever take any notice of me, but I’ve only been coming here for a few days.’
Seeing the plates and cups were now empty, Harry stood up. ‘The stationmaster is on the platform. I expect he knows most of the regulars.’
They left the cafe, and when Vicki described the man to the stationmaster, he pursed his lips as he tried to recall a passenger like that. ‘Well … I see a good many who could fit that description, but there is one I remember. He only comes now and again.’
Two Strangers Page 8
