by Joan Jonker
Molly, who had been watching, nudged Seamus. Nodding to where the youngsters were standing, she said softly, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen there? Sure, there’ll be a heart broken somewhere along the line.’
‘There’s many hearts broken every day, me darlin’, but people survive. Isn’t it a fact that yer can’t put love in anyone’s heart; it has to grow and blossom of its own free will.’
‘I know, me darlin’, but I’ll say an extra prayer every night to help it along.’
‘As Amy’s a friend of yours, wouldn’t it be altogether the act of a friend to tell her to say an extra prayer every night, too? After all, the lads have been mates for years and both deserve the same chance. Would yer not be thinking that was right, me darlin’?’
But a knock on the door saved Molly from telling him that he was speaking as a father, not a mother.
Mary was expecting the newcomers to be Laura and Cynthia, and she nearly fell over backwards when she opened the door to find Janet and her brother standing there. Oh my God, she thought, yer can’t move in there as it is. But she managed a smile. ‘I wasn’t expecting you, Janet.’
‘We’re not staying, Mrs Nightingale.’ It was Bill who spoke. ‘We only came around to see if Jenny would like to come to our house tomorrow night. Me mam said we could have a bit of a do. Just a few friends, like.’
Mary held the door wide. ‘Come in and ask her. That’s if yer can get in, the room is pretty crowded.’
‘We won’t stay.’ Even as he was speaking, Bill was ushering his sister into the hall. A few minutes with Jenny was better than nothing. ‘We’ll have a word with Jenny, then make ourselves scarce.’
Jenny gave a shriek of delight when she saw her friend. ‘Janet!’ She dashed forward and missed the dark looks John and Mick exchanged when they saw Bill. Mick leaned towards his friend and whispered, ‘We’ll have to find a way of getting rid of him, he’s beginning to get on me nerves.’
‘Yeah, I know,’ John whispered back. ‘I believe arsenic is the best thing for getting rid of people.’ His shoulders began to shake and his laugh came out the same time as Mick’s. ‘It doesn’t leave no blood, either, so we wouldn’t ruin our kecks.’
‘You’ll have to have a drink while ye’re here, Bill.’ Mary was determined to be a good hostess, even though she wasn’t sure they had enough glasses. ‘After all, it is the festive season. Will yer have a beer, and I’ll give Janet a glass of lemonade with a drop of port in?’ Her hand went to her head when there was another knock. ‘Oh dear, this will be Laura and her friend. I think we’ve got what yer’d call a full house.’
As Mary walked to the door, Amy shouted after her, ‘Ay, girl, have yer been selling bleedin’ tickets for this do?’
Mary was smiling as she opened the door. ‘Come in, girls, but take a deep breath, the room is at bursting point.’
‘We’ll put our coats on the bed, Mam,’ Laura said, leading the way upstairs. ‘We’ll be down in a minute.’
Bill tried to get Jenny on her own to invite her to their house the next night, but he hadn’t reckoned on his sister. ‘John and Mick can come, too, can’t they, Bill?’ Janet asked in all innocence. ‘They’re our mates, we can’t leave them out.’
Oh, I could leave them out with pleasure, Bill thought. But there was no way he could refuse, so he said grudgingly, ‘Yeah, they can come. That’s if they want to.’
‘Of course they’ll come.’ Jenny’s face was flushed with excitement. And it ran through Mick’s mind that she looked better than the Christmas pudding and the Christmas cake put together. ‘I’ll make them come so they can walk me home.’
John bowed from the waist. ‘I’d be honoured.’
Mick did likewise, saying, ‘I’d be delighted.’
Bill was grinding his teeth when the door opened and Laura came in, followed by Cynthia. He stopped grinding his teeth and his eyes widened. That couldn’t be Cynthia Pennington, surely? The wild girl who, like Laura, was always in trouble when she was young and who had gained a bad reputation since she left school. It must be her, seeing as she was here with Laura, but what a change! She looked very glamorous in a sage-green, soft wool dress which clung to the curves of her body. She was a bobby dazzler, no doubt about that.
‘Jenny, d’yer think your Laura would like to come to our party?’ The words were out before Bill knew he was going to say them. His mother would go mad because of the reputation the two girls had, but he was willing to risk that. Cynthia had taken his eye and his interest. ‘It’s only for young ones, me mam’s not asking any of the neighbours.’
Jenny shrugged her shoulders. ‘I think yer’d better ask her yerself. If I asked, she’d tell me to get lost.’
Mick had seen the change come over Bill when Cynthia walked in, and it entered his head that perhaps they wouldn’t need to resort to arsenic after all. It just needed a push in the right direction. ‘I’m sure she’d come if you asked her, Bill. Go on, she can’t eat yer.’
When Bill looked uncertain, John thought it was time he gave a helping hand. After all, the more girls at the party, the more likely it was that they’d have Jenny to themselves. ‘Would yer like me to come with yer?’
That was testing Bill’s pride and he shook his head. ‘I think I’m capable of doing it on my own, thanks.’ Without further ado, and with a glass in his hand to boost his courage, he made his way to where the girls were standing. ‘Laura, I’m having a party tomorrow night and I wondered if yer’d like to come? And the invitation is extended to yer friend, if she’d be interested.’ Without waiting for Laura to reply, he turned his gaze on Cynthia. ‘I’ve been puzzling me brains since yer walked in, and it may sound rude, but aren’t you Cynthia Pennington?’
‘Yer know damn well I am, Bill Porter, I haven’t changed that much.’ Cynthia smiled for the first time since she’d entered the room. She knew what most of the neighbours thought of her, and though it wouldn’t have worried her at one time, it did now. ‘You have, though. Yer’ve grown into a giant.’
Bill didn’t want to take his eyes off her, but knew he was being watched and turned to Laura. ‘How about it, Laura? Are you and Cynthia game for a party?’
‘What d’yer think, Cyn? D’yer want to go?’
‘Yeah, I’d like to. Thanks for the invite, Bill.’
‘Right, I’ll see you both at ours, about eight o’clock.’ Bill pulled a face. ‘Me and Janet will have to go now, Mrs Nightingale’s got enough on her plate without us gatecrashing her party. But I’ll look forward to seeing yer tomorrow.’ He handed his now empty glass to Laura. ‘Will yer be a pal and take this off me hands?’
By the time Bill and Janet left, enough beer had been drunk to put everyone in a party mood. And Seamus started the revelry with Phil the Fluters’ Ball. Mick took hold of Jenny’s arm and pulled her into the middle of the floor. Then John, having no intention of playing wallflower, joined them. Jenny was embarrassed at first, but when she saw Laura and Cynthia take to the floor, she threw her shyness out of the window and joined in the merriment. But Amy was the one who had the rafters ringing with laughter. She couldn’t get up, but wasn’t going to be left out. One leg after the other was kicked out and the hem of her skirt was lifted to shake to the tune of the jig. She winced with every movement, and the contortions of her face were enough to send everyone into pleats.
When Seamus stopped singing, Amy sat back and said, ‘By, I did enjoy that. It did me more good than the dose of salts I had this morning.’
Laura and Cynthia clung to each other, gasping for breath. ‘Oh dear, I’ve never laughed so much in all me life,’ Cynthia said. ‘I’m glad yer mam asked me to come.’
‘Yeah, it’s great, isn’t it?’ Laura looked over at Amy. ‘Yer know, I’ve always thought me Auntie Amy was crackers. But she’s dead funny really, isn’t she?’
Stan was standing by the kitchen door, ready to refill glasses, and Mary went to join him. ‘Have you ever seen our Laura laugh so hearty before, or let herse
lf go?’
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. ‘Two great minds think alike, love, I was just thinking the same thing. And that Cynthia’s turned out to be a surprise. She’s not as forward or hard-faced as I expected.’
‘Ay, out,’ Mary said, ‘Mick is going to sing.’
Mick cleared his throat. ‘Yer must be fed up with Irish songs, so I’ll do one of Al Jolson’s. I’m telling yer it’s him I’m doing, ’cos yer won’t recognise it otherwise.’ He knelt down on one knee and with all the great singer’s facial expressions and hand movements, he began to sing ‘Mammy’. He did it so well, not even Amy dared to join in. Then he went straight into ‘Toot-Toot-Tootsie, Goodbye’ and the room erupted.
Cynthia nudged Laura in the ribs. ‘Ay, he isn’t half handsome, isn’t he? Get a load of those eyes and dimples.’
‘Yeah, he’s not bad I suppose,’ Laura said, ‘but I prefer blonds.’
‘And the other one, John Hanley, he’s not to be sneezed at either. It’s hard to think of them as the kids who used to play footie in their short trousers. Still, they probably think the same about us. We’ve all grown up, and changed. I got a shock when I saw Bill Porter – he’s grown into a real he-man.’
‘Yer can keep them all – for me, I’ll stick to my Gary. He knocks spots off any of them for looks.’
‘We’ve only got your word for that, Laura, and everybody has different ideas on what is handsome and what is not. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ Cynthia studied her friend’s face before saying, ‘At the moment I’m off men, I feel uncomfortable with them and wouldn’t trust them an inch. That is what those two thugs have done to me. But I’m hoping that when I’m even with them, I’ll get back into the swing of things. That’s if they haven’t put me off men for life.’
‘Yer’ll be all right, kid, I know yer will,’ Laura said. ‘All fellers are not the same.’
Cynthia shook herself mentally. It would be a long time before she trusted herself with a man, she knew that. But she was only sixteen, for heaven’s sake, so she had to try and put the past behind her and get on with her life. ‘When am I going to meet this Mr Wonderful of yours? I can’t wait to see if he’s all yer’ve cracked him up to be.’
‘Oh, he is, and more. Yer’ll meet him soon, Cyn, but I want to get to know him a bit better meself first. After I’ve been out on a few dates with him, eh?’
Martha Porter faced her son across the table. ‘You’ve what! Have yer lost the run of yer bloody senses? If you think I’m having those two tarts in this house, yer’ve got another think coming, me lad.’
‘Oh, come on, Mam, be reasonable.’ Bill had expected opposition but nothing like this. ‘You haven’t set eyes on them for years, so how can yer talk about them like that?’
Janet’s brow was furrowed. She couldn’t understand why everything had suddenly gone wrong. Her and Bill had been so happy walking back from the Nightingales’, talking and laughing about what games they’d play at the party. And now there was all this shouting. ‘What d’yer mean, Mam, about them being tarts?’
‘You keep out of it. Your brother knows damn well what I mean.’ Martha’s face was red and her nostrils flared. ‘I will not have those two trollops in my house, and that’s the end of it. So yer can just take yerself back there and tell them the party’s off.’
‘Calm down, Martha,’ her husband said, ‘before yer burst a blood vessel. If Bill’s invited Jenny and the other two girls, yer can’t just un-invite them.’
‘Oh, can’t I? Well, just you wait and see whether I can or not. If he doesn’t turn around and go back right this minute, I’ll go meself.’
‘Martha, I said calm down, and I mean it. Now sit down in that chair and let’s talk like reasonable adults, instead of bawling at each other.’ When his wife stood her ground, he pointed to the chair. ‘I said sit down.’
Martha was taken aback. It was very seldom that her husband raised his voice, never mind used that tone to her. So she turned towards her chair. And when her back was to them, Vincent gave a slight shake of the head, to indicate to his son that he stay out of it.
‘Don’t think ye’re going to change me mind for me, Vincent Porter,’ Martha had no intention of giving in, ‘’cos ye’re not.’
‘Let’s talk it through, shall we, just to clear things in me mind.’ Vincent leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. ‘Yer can’t go around calling people tarts and trollops, love, unless yer’ve got good reason to. And as I only know these girls by sight, I’m at a loss as to what yer reason is.’
‘Oh, come off it, Vincent Porter! Everybody knows what Laura Nightingale and Cynthia Pennington are like.’
‘I don’t,’ Vincent said quietly. ‘So tell me.’
‘They’re impudent, hard-faced little madams, that’s what. And they’re a holy terror for the boys. Anything in trousers, they’re not fussy.’
‘And this is first-hand knowledge, is it, Martha, not gossip? They’ve given you cheek, and with your own eyes you’ve seen them fooling around with boys?’
‘Well, no, not me personally,’ Martha blustered. ‘But you ask anyone in their street, they’ll tell yer what they’re like.’
‘So yer’d blacken their names on the word of gossip-mongers? I’m surprised at yer, Martha Porter.’
Bill couldn’t let this go on, it wasn’t fair to his mother. ‘Me mam’s not wrong altogether, Dad. The two of them were terrors at school, I know that even though I wasn’t in their class. And they did have a bad reputation in their street for giving cheek. But they’ve grown up now, they’ve been working for over two years.’
There was suspicion in Martha’s eyes. ‘Have you been out with either of those girls on the sly?’
‘No, I haven’t, Mam! In the last year I’ve seen Laura a couple of times when I’ve walked Jenny home, but we’ve hardly exchanged half-a-dozen words. And tonight, in the Nightingales’, I saw Cynthia for the first time in years. I only invited them to make the numbers up ’cos we were short of girls. Jenny’s coming with Mick and John, and I asked me mate, Gerry. That means two girls and four boys.’ In an effort to put a smile on his mother’s face, he asked, ‘How would you like it, Mam, if yer were playing Postman’s Knock, and the chances were fifty-fifty that yer’d get to kiss yer sister?’
When Martha heard her husband chuckle, she knew she’d lost the fight. But she wasn’t going to just cave in. ‘You haven’t had much to say for yerself, Janet. What do you think?’
‘Mam, I only wanted a party, I didn’t want all this shouting and falling out.’
Martha threw her hands up. ‘Okay, okay, you win. But I warn yer, if I see either of those girls messing around with the boys, or snogging, they’ll be out of that door so quick they won’t know what’s hit them.’
‘Fair enough, Mam,’ Bill said, throwing his father a look of gratitude. ‘Now, can me and our kid take our coats off and get a warm by the fire?’
Chapter Nineteen
When John and Mick called for Jenny on Boxing Night, they found Lizzie Marshall sitting in Stan’s fireside chair looking warm and happy. They made straight for her, and standing either side of her chair they bent to kiss her cheeks. ‘Yer should have come last night, Auntie Lizzie,’ John said, ‘it was a cracking party.’
‘Yeah, yer missed a good night.’ Mick’s dimples deepened. ‘Most of all, and yer’ll kill yerself when I tell yer this, yer missed me doing me Al Jolson impersonation.’
Lizzie, her cheeks pink from the warmth of the fire, smiled up at them. ‘I did miss a treat then, didn’t I? But I knew there were going to be a lot of people here and I’m getting too old now for noisy parties. Tonight will suit me fine, with Amy and Molly and their husbands coming. Seamus has promised to sing ‘Rose of Tralee’ for me, and yer never know, after a glass of port I might even give a song meself.’
‘Oh aye, Auntie Lizzie,’ John fingered a wisp of the fine white hair, ‘yer’ve got hidden talents, have yer?’
Lizzie tapped her nose. ‘Ah now, that would be telling.’
‘If yer did happen to have a drink over the eight, Auntie Lizzie,’ Mick said, dropping on his haunches so he could look into her face, ‘and yer did sing a song, what would it be?’
‘My very favourite, son – “Just A Song At Twilight”.’
Mary shuffled to the edge of the couch and tapped Mick on the shoulder. ‘Do yer know it, sunshine?’
‘Mrs Nightingale, there isn’t a song I don’t know. I’ve been listening to me mam and dad singing since the day I was born.’
‘Would yer sing it for her? Our Jenny and Laura are upstairs getting ready, so yer’ve got plenty of time.’
Stan leaned forward now. ‘Go on, son, it’s one of my favourites, too.’
Mick looked up at John. ‘If you make fun of me, pal, I’ll crack yer one.’
‘I won’t make fun of yer, mate, not when it’s for Auntie Lizzie. If I can get the hang of the tune, I’ll whistle along with yer.’
So it was when Jenny opened the door, she heard the pure clear sound of Mick’s voice. She stood quietly by the door so as not to disturb them, and wondered at a boy from a small two-up two-down house, having the voice of an angel. And then she saw John curl a hand around his mouth and soon his tuneful whistling joined Mick’s voice. The words of the song always made her feel sad, but it was the sight of the two boys that had her sniffing the tears away. They’d been mates all through school and had remained firm friends. Just like her and Janet.
‘Oh, that was beautiful.’ Lizzie wiped a hand across her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t have the nerve to sing it after hearing that. Anyway,’ she smiled up at John, not wanting to praise one and leave the other out, ‘I wouldn’t have the marvellous accompaniment that you had.’
