Try a Little Tenderness

by Joan Jonker

  Celia smiled. ‘Yer’ll have to come again next week then, won’t yer? Gary comes every Thursday, and now ye’re getting on so well with him, ye’re best sticking to the same partner.’

  ‘Will yer be here next week, Gary?’ There was excitement in Laura’s voice. ‘I’ll come if yer are.’

  Gary had taken a shine to her and would have told her that he came three times a week if Celia hadn’t been glaring at him. She was the wrong one to make an enemy of, as many people in the hall had found out to their cost. The girls avoided her like the plague, but the men were around her like flies around a honey jar. ‘Yeah, I’ll be here.’

  Gary wasn’t the only one doing as he was told. Charlie, who was standing by the main door, had been ordered to keep his distance and he knew better than to disobey. But what he got in return for being a lap-dog was well worth it.

  After the interval, Laura had two more dances with Gary, and then Celia said it was time to go. She made a show of being considerate, insisting she saw Laura on the tram so she’d know she got home in time. But she wasn’t being considerate, she was being crafty. Laura had had a taste of Gary and would be only too willing to come back for more. And Gary would be ordered to toe the line until Celia gave him the go-ahead.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘This is me very favourite meal, Mam,’ Jenny said, gnawing at the bone she was holding between her fingers. ‘Spare-ribs and cabbage, yer can’t beat it. I could eat it every day and never get fed up with it.’

  ‘Me too,’ Stan agreed, ‘especially when there’s plenty of lean meat on the bones and yer can get yer teeth into it.’

  ‘I’ll have you know that sheet of ribs nearly started a war in the butcher’s,’ Mary told them, smacking her lips.’ I noticed it hanging up in the shop window as we passed, and I could see how lean it was. But I didn’t crack on to Amy, ’cos I thought she’d beat me to it.’ Mary’s titter turned into a full-blown laugh. ‘Honest to God, that mate of mine will get me hung one of these days with her shenanigans. I asked Wilf for a sheet of ribs and pointed to the one I wanted. As he was hooking it down, Amy asked why that one was so special – what difference was there between that and the other sheets hanging on the iron bar in the window. I told her it was leaner, all the others had too much fat on them. Well, I bet Wilf cursed me up hill and down dale, ’cos she only made him lift every sheet down for inspection. She compared each one with mine and shook her head. “She’s right, they are all fatty”.’

  Mary looked around the table to see Stan leaning on his elbows, his chin resting on his laced fingers, Jenny’s eyes were wide with interest and even Laura was waiting for what was to come. ‘Can anyone guess what happened then?’

  ‘With Amy, anything could happen, love,’ Stan said, ‘so yer’d better tell us instead of keeping us in suspense.’

  ‘Right, I’ll show yer.’ Mary got to her feet and cleared her throat. ‘Now, pretend I’m Amy and I’m wearing a scarf around me head that keeps slipping down one side. Here goes.’

  She pushed the pretend scarf back into place, folded her arms and sniffed up. ‘“Yer’ve been very kind, Wilf, showing me all those sheets of bleedin’ ribs. It’s been real interesting. There’s not many shopkeepers as obliging as yerself, especially when the customer isn’t buying. We’re having scouse for our dinner, so will yer cut me a pound of stewing meat up, please. And will yer do me the courtesy of letting me see it before yer take the knife to it, so I can be sure it’s bleedin’ lean?”’ Mary hitched up her bosom and narrowed her eyes. ‘“What are yer standing there with yer mouth open for, Wilf? Yer’ll not catch many flies in this weather”.’

  Stan guffawed and banged his fist on the table. ‘She’s a bloody hero.’

  ‘I can just picture it, Mam, ’cos yer aren’t half good at taking me Auntie Amy off,’ Jenny said. ‘But I wish I’d been there to see Wilf’s face.’

  Laura made no comment, but there was a smile on her face. In fact she’d had a smile on her face all day, still on cloud nine after last night. She’d done nothing but talk about it all day, adding little extras to spice it up a bit for the women she worked with. And she couldn’t wait to get down to Cynthia’s to go over it all again. She’d told the family she’d been to the dance with her friend instead of the cinema so she’d better watch what she said in case she let it slip.

  ‘Come on now, the show’s over,’ Mary said briskly, knocking Stan’s elbows off the table. ‘Seamus is coming over to give yer dad a hand painting the ceiling and I want all the furniture covered with some old sheets.’

  ‘Are yer getting the wallpaper tomorrow, Mam?’ Jenny asked, following her mother into the kitchen. ‘I can’t wait to see the room finished, we’ll be proper posh.’

  ‘Well, I don’t know about being posh, but it’ll certainly be an improvement.’ Mary grinned as she turned the tap on. ‘Amy said she’d help with the papering, but I don’t think me heart would stand it. Can yer just imagine the antics out of her? It would be a disaster.’

  Laura popped her head in. ‘I’m going down to Cynthia’s, Mam, but I won’t be late.’

  ‘Okay, sunshine, but don’t come back before half-ten, give the men a chance to get it all done and dusted.’

  When she heard the door bang, Jenny asked, ‘Where did our Laura go last night?’

  ‘I couldn’t tell yer, sunshine. She just said she’d been to a dance with Cynthia and I never thought to ask where.’

  Jenny frowned as she reached for the tea-towel hanging behind the door. She was a dark horse, their Laura; you could never get to the bottom of her. She’d told a lie about last night, she hadn’t been out with Cynthia, but why did she think there was a need to lie about it? If she was going out with a boy, their mam wouldn’t mind, she’d be made up. In fact, Mary would welcome him with open arms if he was a nice bloke and good for Laura.

  Jenny sighed. The best thing she could do was say nothing and hope it all worked out well in the end.

  Laura ran down the street with wings on her heels. Wait until she told her friend where she’d been last night, and that she’d danced every dance with a bloke as handsome as any film star. Oh boy, Cynthia wouldn’t half be jealous. But best not to tell her who she’d been with, in case it slipped out some time and got back to her mam. She couldn’t say she’d been on her own because her friend knew she wouldn’t have the nerve, so she’d have to say she’d been with a girl from work.

  Cynthia was usually waiting for her and had the door opened before she’d finishing knocking. But that wasn’t the case tonight, and Laura’s face showed surprise when her mother answered her knock. ‘Is Cynthia coming out, Mrs Pennington?’

  ‘No, girl, she’s been in bed all day, never went to work.’

  Laura’s spirits sank. ‘What’s wrong with her? Is she sick?’

  ‘She said she’s got a sore throat, a headache and pains in her tummy.’ There was no sympathy in Fanny Pennington’s voice. ‘At least that’s her story and she flatly refuses to get out of bed.’

  ‘Can I go up and see her?’ Laura was feeling desperate as her great plans came crumbling around her shoulders. ‘I might be able to cheer her up.’

  ‘Suit yerself, girl.’ The door was opened wider. ‘Yer know where her room is.’

  Laura took the stairs two at a time. Cynthia often took a day off when she couldn’t be bothered going to work, and her parents let her get away with it. At least her father did, her mother never had a say in it. But she’d never missed coming out at night.

  ‘It’s me, Cynthia.’ Laura knocked lightly before pushing the door open. In the dim light coming from the candle standing in a saucer on a chest of drawers at the side of the bed, she could see her friend huddled in the middle of the bed, the clothes pulled up to her chin. ‘What’s wrong with yer, Cynthia? Are yer really sick, or just putting it on?’

  ‘Close the door,’ Cynthia’s voice was muffled, ‘and come and sit on the bed.’

  Laura closed the door quietly then did as she was
bid. ‘Ye’re not really sick, are yer?’

  Cynthia struggled to sit up, groaning as she did so. ‘I’m in agony, Laura, and I don’t know what to do.’

  ‘Have yer got pains in yer tummy?’

  ‘I wish that was all it was.’ Cynthia rocked back and forth, and when the tears came she covered her face with her hands to stifle the noise of the sobs that racked her body. ‘It was terrible, Laura, I thought they were going to kill me.’

  ‘What are yer talking about? Who did yer think was going to kill yer?’

  ‘Larry and Jeff.’

  ‘Larry and Jeff!’ Laura’s voice rose in surprise. ‘What did they do to yer?’

  ‘I can’t tell yer. I couldn’t tell no one.’

  The springs on the bed were squeaking, and afraid that they would be heard downstairs, Laura put an arm around Cynthia’s shoulders to try and calm her down. ‘Yer mam and dad will be up if yer don’t stop, Cynthia. Just take it easy and tell me what happened.’

  ‘I haven’t slept a wink, it’s like a nightmare. I keep going over it in me mind and I feel like screaming.’ She turned a tearstained face to her friend. ‘They left me in a dark entry on me own, and I was terrified. All I could hear was them laughing as they walked away.’

  ‘But what the hell were yer doing down a dark entry with the two of them! It was a pretty stupid thing to do, especially as I’d told yer how cruel Jeff was with me.’

  ‘I had no choice, they dragged me. I thought Jeff would leave us when we came out of the pub, but he didn’t! I wasn’t worried because I was with Larry, and I thought we were walking in the direction of Jeff’s home and he’d turn off any minute.’ The sobbing started again and Cynthia pushed Laura’s arm away. ‘I can’t tell yer any more, I get too upset and could scream the house down.’

  ‘Shall I go and ask yer mam to make yer a cup of tea? I’ll tell her yer throat’s not as sore but it’s dry.’

  Cynthia’s head shook vigorously. ‘No, I don’t want her to come in here, I don’t want no one in here.’

  ‘I’ll stay down there until she makes the tea, so she won’t have to come up. But in case she or yer dad asks if yer were out with me last night, what shall I say?’

  ‘I told them I was going to the flicks with yer.’

  ‘Okay, I won’t be long.’

  Fanny Pennington made the tea without a word, while Laura chatted with Dick, her husband. But when she passed the cup and saucer over, there was suspicion in her eyes. ‘Tell her to drink it while it’s hot.’

  Walking up the stairs slowly so as not to spill the tea, Laura’s mind was whirling. She couldn’t imagine what had happened to upset Cynthia so much. She was always so sure of herself, and certainly capable of handling herself. And she had Larry with her, the man who was supposed to be in love with her. ‘I just don’t understand it,’ Laura sighed as she pushed the bedroom door open with her foot. ‘But I’ll find out, even if I have to sit here all night.’

  ‘Yer mam said to drink it while it’s hot.’

  Cynthia pointed to the chest of drawers. ‘Put it on there for a minute and bring the candle over to the bed.’

  Her brow furrowed, Laura held out the candle to her friend. ‘Here yer are.’

  ‘No, you hold it and sit on the side of the bed.’ Cynthia was unbuttoning the neck of her nightdress. ‘That’s what they did to me.’

  Laura stared in horror at the bruising around Cynthia’s throat. It was yellow, blue and black, and it looked very sore. ‘Did Jeff do that to yer? Where the hell was Larry when this was going on?’

  Cynthia dropped her head in shame. ‘Pass me the tea, then I’ll tell yer everything.’ She took a few sips, then said softly, ‘Yer were right all along, Larry is just as bad as Jeff. In fact, he’s ten times worse because he’d been leading me on for weeks now and muggins here fell for it hook, line and sinker.’

  ‘I’m all mixed up, Cynthia, it won’t sink in. So start at the beginning. Was Jeff with Larry when yer got to where yer were meeting him?’

  Cynthia nodded. ‘I told them yer couldn’t come ’cos yer’ve got a steady boyfriend, and Jeff winked at Larry and said they weren’t surprised, they had an idea yer wouldn’t turn up. He said he’d come and have a drink with us and then toddle off home. I didn’t think anything about it when we came out of the pub and he started walking with us, I thought he must live near there. Then, when we were passing an entry they each put a hand on me arms and, without any warning, they dragged me down it. That was when I started to get frightened and struggled to get away from them, but they were gripping me arms so tight, they were hurting.’ She rolled up a sleeve of her nightdress and lifted her arm to show Laura the deep, angry bruising. ‘The other arm’s the same.’

  ‘Why didn’t yer scream yer head off? Someone might have heard yer, and anyway it would have frightened the fellers, they’d have run like hell.’

  Cynthia shook her head. ‘I’ve been thinking about it all night, going over every detail until I thought I was going mad. But I can see now they’d had it planned down to a fine art. They had it all worked out what they’d do if you didn’t come. It was all done without one word being passed between them. And as for me screaming, how could I scream when Jeff had his hand over me mouth? They dragged me down to the darkest part of the entry and flung me hard up against the wall. Then Jeff held me there by putting his hand around me throat. I couldn’t move or I’d have been choked to death. They were so rough, it was as if they wanted to really hurt me.’ Cynthia shuddered as in her mind she relived parts of the nightmare. And when the tears began to flow she wiped them away with a corner of the sheet. ‘If I live to be a hundred, I’ll never forget last night.’

  ‘I still don’t get it,’ Laura said. ‘What kick would they get out of beating yer up? And why Larry? Yer hadn’t done him no harm.’

  Plucking nervously at the eiderdown, her eyes looking past Laura to a spot on the wall, Cynthia spoke almost in a whisper. ‘If I tell yer something, yer won’t breathe a word to a living soul, will yer? I want yer to swear on yer life that yer won’t repeat it.’

  ‘Of course I won’t tell no one, I swear on me life. I’m yer mate, aren’t I, and mates don’t clat on each other.’

  ‘While Jeff was holding me against the wall, Larry was pulling me clothes up around me waist and tugging me knickers down.’ Cynthia heard Laura’s sharp intake of breath and nodded. ‘Oh yeah, it sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Well, I can assure yer that the reality was far worse than just listening about it. I couldn’t speak properly, but I was begging Larry to leave me alone. He didn’t seem to hear me because Jeff was egging him on, telling him what to do. And the more he egged him on, the more excited Larry got and I think he’d have killed me if his mate had told him to.’

  Laura was shaking her head in disbelief. ‘And this is the Larry who was supposed to be in love with yer! What a joke!’

  ‘Oh, he was in love with me all right.’ There was venom in Cynthia’s voice. ‘He loved me that much he wanted his friend to have a share of me.’

  Laura’s hand flew to her mouth while her eyes widened in horror. ‘Not him as well, kid? Yer not saying they both … er … yer know what I mean?’

  ‘Oh aye, I have good reason to know what yer mean. When Larry had finished, he took over from Jeff in keeping me quiet while his mate had his bit of fun. That’s all I was to them, something they could satisfy themselves with, then throw away. And that’s just what they did. Used me, then knocked me to the ground, crying me eyes out while they walked away laughing. I could have been dead for all they knew, or cared.’

  The horror of it all was slowly sinking in with Laura. If she’d let her friend talk her into going with them last night, the same thing could have happened to her. It didn’t bear thinking about. ‘I don’t know what to say, Cynthia, I’ve never heard anything like it. They should be sent to prison for what they did.’

  ‘Yer don’t know the half of it. The bruises on me throat and arms are nothing compared with
the ones at the top of me legs. I walked all the way home because I knew I must have looked a mess, with me clothes all dirty and me eyes red from crying. And every step I took was pure agony.’

  ‘What did yer parents say?’

  ‘They didn’t see me. Me mam opened the door and I told her I must be in for a cold ’cos I had a sore throat and a headache. I came straight upstairs and got into bed. Me dad came in to see me this morning before he went to work, but I kept meself well covered and told him I didn’t feel well. Yer know how soft me dad is with me, he told me to stay where I was until I felt better.’

  ‘And when is that going to be?’ Laura asked. ‘If yer stay there too long they’ll think ye’re really sick and send for a doctor.’

  ‘I can’t go out looking like this, not with me bruises showing. Anyway, I’m in too much pain to walk.’

  ‘There’s only yer throat showing, and a scarf would cover that. We could go for a little walk tomorrow afternoon if yer like. Just around the shops for half an hour, it’ll do yer good. Yer’ll be in the fresh air and it’ll help to get yer legs moving.’

  Cynthia eyed her friend through lowered lashes. ‘Are yer still going dancing?’

  Laura had been so looking forward to tomorrow night and was bitterly disappointed. But she had no one to go with now, and she didn’t have the nerve to go on her own. And anyway, Cynthia was her best mate, she couldn’t let her down. ‘No, I wouldn’t go without you. There’s always next week.’

  ‘Will yer tell me mam I’m going out with yer tomorrow afternoon, just for a bit of fresh air? I’ve got a scarf in one of the drawers, so I’ll do what yer said.’

  ‘Do yer feel a bit better, now yer’ve talked about what happened?’

  Cynthia nodded. ‘Yeah, I do, kid. But I’ll never forget it, and I’ll get even with them if it’s the last thing I do. I’ve been meeting Larry on a Tuesday and Thursday, so they must be their nights out. I’ll haunt Scotland Road on those nights until I come across them. They won’t see me but I’ll follow them until I find out where they live. And then I’ll think of a way to get me own back. They won’t get off scot-free, not after what they did to me.’