Walking My Baby Back Home

by Joan Jonker

  ‘It’s a wise head you have on your shoulders, Katy.’ John looked from daughter to mother. So alike in looks but different in sentiments. But while Katy might have had to go without things she would have liked during her short life, she hadn’t had the worry of finding enough money to keep the family together. Dot had to be strong and tough, or none of them would have survived. And after eleven years it was difficult for her to cast off the hard outer shell and her stubborn pride.

  ‘Are you going to remain standing, Mr Kershaw?’ Dot raised a brow. ‘Or would you care to take a seat?’

  ‘Ring for the butler,’ John said, waving a hand airily. ‘I’d like the chair dusted before I sit down. I can’t afford to get my fifty-pound suit dirty.’

  ‘Would Mr Kershaw care to sod off?’ Dot grinned. ‘The chair doesn’t want dusting, John, it wants throwing on the tip with everything else in the room. But seeing as it’s all we’ve got, I’m afraid yer’ll have to like it or lump it.’

  ‘If it’s a lump he wants, Mam, he’d better sit on the couch,’ Katy joked, her heart lighter now the danger had receded, ‘then he can have as many as he likes ’cos it’s all lumps.’

  ‘Oh, I’ve mastered the couch, Katy,’ John chuckled. ‘I know exactly how to—’ His words were cut off by loud hammering on the front door.

  ‘In the name of God,’ Dot said, a hand on her fast beating heart, ‘I nearly jumped out of me flippin’ skin! Do they think we’re deaf or something? Even Betty’s got more sense than to make a racket like that.’

  ‘It sounds urgent, Dot,’ John said, ‘Shall I go?’

  ‘No, I’ll go meself. If it’s only someone after change for the gas meter they’ll get a piece of me mind before I wring their neck.’ Dot made her way to the front door, muttering, ‘Damn cheek, they’re nearly knocking me door down.’ But when she opened it to see Mary standing there looking distraught, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, Dot’s anger turned to fear. ‘Oh, my God, Mary, what on earth’s the matter?’

  ‘Dot, will yer help me please?’ Mary held out her open hands as she begged. ‘I’ve no one else to turn to.’

  Dot stepped on to the pavement and cupped her neighbour’s elbow. ‘Come inside, sunshine, and tell us what’s happened. Yer know we’ll help yer.’

  John jumped to his feet, his face anxious. ‘What is it? Has that husband of yours been up to his tricks again?’

  Her whole body shaking, Mary struggled to get her words out. ‘Me dad’s been taken ill. He’s been rushed to hospital.’

  Dot put her arm across her neighbour’s shoulders and held her tight. ‘How did yer find out, sunshine?’

  ‘Me mam sent a message down with one of the children in her street. She said me dad was bad and I should go to Walton Hospital right away.’ The tears flowed unchecked. ‘How can I go looking like this? I haven’t told me family I’m expecting and I don’t think this is the time to give me mam a shock. But I can’t hide it because the only coat I’ve got won’t fasten on me any more and me dress is too tight. And I haven’t got the tram-fare to go to the hospital.’

  ‘Isn’t your feller in?’ Dot asked. ‘Surely he can give yer the tram-fare?’

  ‘He said he’s got no money but he’s telling lies.’ Mary rubbed a hand across her forehead. ‘He’s sitting there with a smile on his face and I feel like killing him. He’s glad me dad’s ill, Dot, because he hates my family. If I got down on me knees and begged him, he wouldn’t give me the fare to go and see them, even though me dad might be dying.’

  ‘That’s because they know him for what he is, sunshine. Yer told me yerself they didn’t want yer to marry him. But forget about him for now, he’s useless. Yer’ve got to get to the hospital or yer’d never forgive yerself. I can give yer the money for the tram, and I can lend yer me loose swagger coat, that would help hide yer condition a bit. But I haven’t got a dress that would be loose on yer, ’cos the only dress I possess is tight-fitting.’

  John decided that under the circumstances he had to take a chance on Dot getting on her high horse again, and he leaned forward. ‘I hope you won’t take offence, Mary, but I have a wardrobe full of clothes that belonged to my late mother, and fashions haven’t changed so much that they’d make you look like an old woman. She was about the same height as you, but had a fuller figure, so they may well serve the purpose. However, if you don’t care for the idea, I will understand.’

  To his surprise, it was Dot who answered. ‘Of course she won’t take offence, will yer, sunshine? If the clothes fit she’ll be glad of them.’ Dot fingered the old raggedy dress that was stretched tight across Mary’s abdomen. ‘This thing is falling to pieces. It’s too tight on her now and she’s still got three months to go.’

  Mary turned her tear-stained face to John. ‘I’ll be very grateful for any help, thank you.’

  ‘In that case, I’d better move quick.’ John crossed the room in two strides to reach for his coat. ‘I’ll be back in twenty minutes – that should give you time to wash your face and borrow some powder off Dot to hide the trace of tears.’ He was gone before they could answer.

  ‘That man is full of surprises,’ Dot said. ‘And I’ll say this much for him, he’s very generous and thoughtful. Doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet, either. Yer only have to mention something and it’s done before yer can turn around. No wonder he’s a manager, and a ruddy good one, I’ll bet.’

  ‘He’s a man in a million, Dot,’ Mary said, nodding her head. ‘There’s not many like him around; they’re few and far between.’

  ‘Well, let’s get you ready before he comes back. Yer’ll have to douse yer face in cold water, I’m afraid, because I don’t use face powder. Neither does Katy, but she does have a lipstick yer can use. That should brighten yer face up.’

  Mary sighed as she stood up. ‘I keep asking meself what I’ve ever done to deserve all these troubles heaped on me. As far as I know, I’ve never harmed anyone in me life.’

  ‘No one goes through life without trouble, sunshine,’ Dot said, following her neighbour out to the kitchen. ‘I’ve had my share, believe me. But the cause of all your troubles is sitting next door. He’s selfish, mean and wicked. But he’ll get paid back at the end of the day, when he has to face his Maker.’

  Dot went back into the living room to fetch a clean towel and happened to glance at the window as a shadow passed. ‘Oh Katy,’ she groaned, ‘it’s young Billy. Will get yer coat on and take him for a walk for an hour? We can’t have him in here now. Mary doesn’t want the whole world to know her troubles.’

  Katy was up like a shot. ‘Yeah, OK, Mam.’ She went to the sideboard and brought a lipstick out of one of the drawers. ‘This is for Mary. Tell her I hope there’s good news for her when she gets to the hospital.’

  ‘Ye’re a good girl, Katy, I got a real treasure when I got you. I don’t know what I’d do without yer, I really don’t.’

  ‘Oh, you’d think of something, Mam.’ Katy got to the door and turned. ‘Are yer going to tell Mr Kershaw that yer think he’s generous and thoughtful, or shall I tell him?’ Without waiting for an answer she waved before answering the door to Billy’s impatient knocking.

  Dot was smiling as she took a towel out of the cupboard built into the recess at the side of the fireplace. She had two lovely children and she loved the bones of them. While she had them her Ted would always be alive in her heart. Without them, life would have no meaning.

  When John came back carrying a large suitcase, Dot grinned. ‘I was going to be my usual sarcastic self and say only you would have a suitcase the size of a single bed. But I won’t say it, John, so yer can see I am trying. Mind you, the size of yer, yer’d look daft walking along with a tiny case in yer hand.’

  John laid the case on the couch before facing her with a smile on his face. ‘Will I ever get used to you, D.D.?’

  ‘Oh, yer don’t do so bad for yerself, John Kershaw. We’ve had a few little squabbles, I’ll admit, but the last time I counted, you’d wo
n every one.’

  ‘I prefer to think they were amicable squabbles and they all ended in a draw.’

  When Mary walked through from the kitchen John’s eyes registered his surprise at the change in her. The untidy mousy hair had been brushed back off her face and tied at the nape of her neck with a piece of black ribbon. It was a severe style but it suited her, giving prominence to two of her best features, her deep brown eyes and her full lips which were now painted a deep pink. ‘By Jove, you look a different person.’ As he spoke, John was asking himself what was wrong with the man next door that he didn’t realise how lucky he was to have a wife who was not only a nice person, but also a very attractive one. The man was not only a rotter, he was a fool as well.

  ‘Ay, come on, let’s see what yer’ve got in the case.’ Dot gave him a sharp dig in the ribs. ‘Mary hasn’t got all day.’

  John snapped the locks either side of the case and threw back the lid. ‘I didn’t have time to sort them out properly, but I chose the ones I thought might suit.’

  ‘Ooh, ay, that looks nice.’ Dot lifted out a coat in brown and black small check. She could tell by the feel that it was made from the purest of wool and must have cost a fortune, but she wisely kept her thoughts to herself. ‘Try this on, Mary, it looks as though it might fit yer.’

  Mary slipped her arms into the coat and then wrapped it around the front of her. The fit was perfect and, for the first time, her smile was a genuinely happy one. She closed her eyes and stroked the material. ‘This feels so comfortable, like an old friend.’

  ‘It looks a treat on yer, sunshine. Anyone would think it had been made to measure for yer. Honest, kid, yer look a million dollars in it. And it hides what yer want it to hide.’

  Mary looked at John as she gloried in the luxury of the coat. ‘Will it be all right if I borrow this, John, just for today?’

  ‘Mary, the coat is yours if you want it. And everything else in the case.’

  Dot had been rooting through the clothes and now brought out a dress in dark brown. ‘This would go well with the coat, lovey. Why not run upstairs and try it on? And put a move on. Yer need to get to the hospital, don’t forget.’

  Mary took the dress from her. ‘I haven’t forgotten, Dot. Me inside’s turning over at the thought of what I’ll hear when I get there.’

  When Dot heard Mary reach the landing, she said in a low voice, ‘It must be serious or they wouldn’t have sent for her. Poor soul, she’s got nothing going for her at all. Her life is one long misery, thanks to her beloved husband.’

  ‘She’s got some good friends, Dot – you in particular. You really are a good and loyal friend to her.’

  Dot nodded at the case, and the clothes spilling out of it. ‘It was very generous of yer to bring those, John, very generous.’ She put her hand over her mouth and the words that came out were muffled. ‘And thoughtful.’

  John bent his long frame to gaze into her face. ‘What did you say, Dot?’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘Would it be very wrong of me to laugh at a time like this?’

  ‘Of course not! Your laughing isn’t going to have any effect on Mary’s problems.’

  ‘Well, I said yer were generous and thoughtful.’ Her body began to shake. ‘I’m telling yer that because our Katy said that if I didn’t, she would. So if she snitches on me, she’ll get her eye wiped.’

  ‘You’ve lost me somewhere along the way, Dot, but am I right in thinking there’s a compliment in there from you to me? That can’t be true, surely?’

  Dot was spared from answering by the sound of Mary’s footsteps on the stairs. And when her neighbour entered the room both she and John were too stunned to speak. In place of the dowdy woman who had knocked on the door just over half an hour ago, stood an elegant young lady who would turn heads.

  Mary stood inside the door waiting for comments. Her hands, clenching and unclenching, were the only sign of her nervousness. But inwardly she was shaking like a leaf. And the silence that greeted her appearance caused her to believe the clothes didn’t suit her as well as she thought they did. She gave a deep sigh and asked, ‘You don’t like them on me?’

  ‘Oh, sunshine, ye’re a sight for sore eyes.’ Dot felt quite emotional. To think someone with Mary’s looks had to walk around like a middle-aged tramp when she could appear as glamorous as this. ‘They look marvellous on yer.’

  ‘You look lovely, Mary,’ John said sincerely. ‘Very lovely.’

  ‘Thanks to you.’ Mary crossed to where he was sitting and cupped his face between her hands. Before kissing his cheek, she said, ‘I will always be indebted to you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.’

  ‘Are yer going in to see yer feller before yer go to the hospital?’ Dot asked. ‘He’ll get the shock of his ruddy life.’

  Mary shook her head. ‘No, I don’t want him to see me in these clothes, I know I’d get the height of abuse from him. I’ll go out the back way, save passing the window.’

  ‘But he’ll see yer in them tonight, so why worry? If it was me I’d parade up and down in front of him, with me tongue sticking out a mile.’

  ‘If my husband saw me in these clothes, Dot, he’d rip them off me back. I’m not allowed to look nice, you see. He likes me in the gutter, where he says I belong. He’d take a pair of scissors to them, I know he would. So, if yer don’t mind, I’ll call after the hospital and leave them here. Then in a couple of days I’ll tell him I got them off me mam.’

  Dot blew out her breath in anger. ‘It’s a pity his mother didn’t drown him when he was a pup, she’d have done us all a good turn. Anyway, sunshine, you’d better be on yer way.’

  ‘I’ll put a bit more lipstick on, if yer don’t mind. John’s got most of it on his cheek.’

  When she left the room, John handed Dot half-a-crown. ‘Give her this for her tram-fare. It looks better coming from you.’

  ‘I’ve got a shilling in me pocket for her, that should be enough. Put yer money away.’

  ‘Please, Dot, let me help her.’ John narrowed his eyes as he looked into her face. ‘Do my eyes deceive me, or are your nostrils flared, ready to do battle?’

  He was right, Dot was ready to do battle. But, looking at him now, she was having second thoughts. He always got round her in the end, so why cause a fuss, especially as Mary would hear them. She took his half-a-crown and closed her hand on it. ‘Ye’re so clever, John Kershaw, can yer tell me how to un-flare me nostrils?’

  ‘That’s easy, you just smile and they’ll fall back into place.’ John touched the curled fist holding his silver coin. ‘You are often stubborn and infuriating, D.D., but there are times when you are simply delightful.’

  Dot brushed his hand away when Mary came into the room. ‘I’ll walk down the yard with yer, sunshine, to make sure the queer feller isn’t around.’

  ‘I don’t know how long I’ll be, John, so in case ye’re not here when I get back I’ll say my thanks now. I really am grateful.’

  ‘Unless you’re very late, I’ll still be here when you get back. I’d like to know how your father is. And as for the clothes, I was glad I could help.’

  After seeing the other woman safely out, Dot came back to stand in front of the fire. ‘That March wind is bitter. I’ll be glad when the month’s over.’ She rubbed her arms briskly. ‘Did yer ever see such a change in anyone? Yer wouldn’t believe it was the same woman.’

  ‘She should always look like that, she’s a very attractive woman.’

  ‘Ye’re fond of her, aren’t yer, John?’

  ‘It would be difficult not to be fond of Mary, and sorry for her.’

  ‘It’s a pity she’s married ’cos yer’d make a lovely couple.’

  John lowered his head and clasped his hands between his knees. This woman had no idea how he felt about her. Why couldn’t she see it? Where was he going wrong? ‘I’m fond of Mary, yes, the same as I’m fond of Katy and Colin. But even if she was single, I’m not fond enough of her to want to marry her.’ He looke
d up to see Dot grinning like a Cheshire Cat. ‘What is so funny?’

  ‘Yer’ve got a bright pink Cupid’s bow on yer cheek, soft lad. I’d give yer something to wipe it off with, but I’ll bet a pound to a penny that yer’ve got a pure white, folded-up hankie in yer pocket, so I won’t bother.’

  John fished the hankie out of his pocket and shook it out of its creases. ‘Where is it?’

  ‘On yer cheek.’

  ‘Which one?’

  Dot rubbed her nose. ‘Er, yer left cheek.’

  ‘Show me.’

  ‘Oh, in the name of God, can’t yer do anything for yerself?’ Tutting loudly, Dot took the hankie and wet it on her tongue. Holding his chin in one hand, she rubbed at the lipstick mark. ‘How the hell you ever came to be a manager is beyond me. Ten foot tall and yer can’t even keep yerself clean.’

  John closed his eyes, enjoying every second. It was the closest Dot had been to him and she was only here because she was helping him. Suddenly he knew where he’d been going wrong. He’d been so keen for her to like him, he’d been doing everything for her. It would have found favour with most women, but not with Dot. She liked to do things for people – look how she was with Mary. Well, in future he was going to act helpless, see if that would do the trick.

  The rubbing stopped and John found himself wishing Mary had kissed him on both cheeks.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dot pulled a face when she looked at the clock for the umpteenth time. ‘Half past ten – I wonder where she could have got to? I thought she’d have been home long before this.’