Lost & Found

by Kitty Neale

  ‘Yes, let’s go,’ she said, climbing into the van.

  Pete closed the back door, and with only two small windows, it was gloomy, claustrophobic, as Mavis sat next to the children.

  Grace looked close to tears and bewildered as they set off, surrounded by cases and boxes. ‘Want to get out.’

  ‘Soon, darling.’

  ‘Mummy, where are we going?’ James asked.

  Mavis put an arm round each child to support them, doing her best to make it sound like an adventure, yet worried that she was failing dismally. ‘Isn’t this exciting? We’re moving into a nice flat for a while and it’s going to be lovely.’

  ‘Why?’ James asked.

  ‘Er…it’s a sort of holiday.’

  ‘Is Daddy coming?’

  ‘No, darling, it’ll be just us.’

  ‘Good,’ James said, quiet now as he cuddled closer.

  ‘Bobby coming too?’ Grace asked.

  ‘He’s in the front of the van and you’ll see him soon,’ she placated.

  ‘I want sit in front. Want Granny.’

  ‘You’ll see her soon,’ Mavis placated.

  Every time the van turned a corner they were thrown sideways, but Mavis held on to the children, making it a game until finally they began to giggle. It was an uncomfortable journey, but Mavis didn’t care. They were getting further and further away from Alec’s dominance, his violence, and at last she began to relax.

  Intent on keeping the children amused, Mavis had no idea how long the journey took, but then the van stopped and the back doors were thrown open.

  ‘We’re here,’ Pete said.

  Soon they were on the pavement and Mavis was looking at a large house. Jenny had said the flat was on the ground floor, and had warned that her cousin said it was in a bit of a mess, but she didn’t care. It was a place of safety until they could move next door to her mother.

  She shuddered to think she had once seen Ellington Avenue as a refuge, had loved going to Edith Pugh’s house; but instead it had turned into a prison. Well, she was free now. Taking a deep breath, Mavis exhaled loudly, her shoulders losing some of the tension that had gripped her for so long. Taking out the keys, she opened the door. ‘Right, come on then, let’s get inside.’

  ‘Well, this ain’t bad,’ Lily said as she looked into the first room.

  ‘Yes, it’s nice,’ Mavis said as she scanned the spacious lounge.

  ‘I’ll start bringing your stuff in,’ Pete said.

  ‘Mum, can you keep an eye on the children while I give him a hand?’

  ‘Of course I can. Come on, kids, let’s explore.’

  By the time everything was unloaded and carried into the flat, Mavis was dry-mouthed and worn out, gratified when her mother held out a mug of tea.

  ‘Here, get that down you,’ Lily said, then handed one to Pete. ‘I helped myself. I hope Jenny’s cousin won’t mind.’

  ‘Just in case, I’ll replace anything you used.’

  ‘You need to get yourself sorted out and there are two single beds in one room that need making up for the kids. While you get on with it, Pete can run me to the nearest shops to stock you up with groceries. Thankfully I found a guard to put round that fire,’ Lily said, nodding towards the children.

  Mavis felt tears of gratitude pooling in her eyes. Grace and James had Bobby between them, all sitting on a rug in front of the electric fire and giggling as they played happily.

  She had once wanted to escape her mother and Pete, but now, seeing such a lovely family scene, she was glad that living in this flat was only a temporary arrangement. She couldn’t wait to move close to them.

  Alec arrived home just after six, frowning when he walked into the kitchen. It was empty. Where was Mavis? Why wasn’t his dinner ready? The fire had gone out, the house cold, quiet, and he angrily stomped upstairs.

  James wasn’t in his room, and impatiently Alec went into Grace’s, only to pause, a frown on his face. It looked abandoned, a few toys scattered across the floor, her dolls that were usually arranged on shelves missing.

  Alec rushed into his own room where he threw open Mavis’s wardrobe. There were a few clothes, but the vast majority of hangers were empty, and when he pulled open drawers, he found most of hers empty too. No, she couldn’t have left him! She wouldn’t dare!

  Alec went back downstairs and into the cold kitchen, where it finally sank in. Mavis had gone, but where? Her mother’s house? Yes, it could only be her mother’s. He marched into the hall and indignantly dialled the woman’s number.

  ‘Is Mavis there?’ he snapped when Lily answered.

  ‘No, she ain’t.’

  ‘Do you know where she is?’

  ‘Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. In fact, if I was you I’d watch me back. You’ve been beating my daughter and one day you’re gonna pay for it.’

  ‘Wh…what?’ Alec blustered.

  ‘You heard me,’ Lily snapped.

  ‘Look, I don’t know what Mavis told you, but I hardly touched her.’

  ‘Shut your lying mouth. I saw the bruises for myself. Now bugger off—the next time you see my daughter it’ll be in court when she files for divorce.’

  Lily hung up, and Alec was left shaking, fear replacing anger as he gripped the receiver. Mavis had opened her mouth, told her mother, and Lily’s threat played over and over in his mind. Despite Lily’s denial, he was sure that Mavis was with her in Peckham, yet Alec knew he couldn’t go there to drag her back. He not only feared Lily, he feared Pete, the man built like a tank with a boxer’s face to match.

  At last Alec moved, and going into his mother’s room he stared at her empty bed. He had kept this room exactly as it was to serve as a reminder of her treachery and now he looked at the imprint on the pillow where she had once laid her head.

  ‘You did this, Mother,’ he spat. ‘You talked me into marrying Mavis, manipulated me, and all for your own ends. You wanted someone to keep this house immaculate, along with looking after you. Mavis fitted the bill, didn’t she, but she’s gone now, Mother and, like you, good riddance to her.

  ‘Oh, and as for this house,’ Alec continued, smiling sardonically, ‘it’s my house now. I might just sell it. Instead of this four-bedroom mausoleum, a nice little flat would do me. Yes, I’ll move out, leave you here, and then I’ll never have to listen to your voice again.’

  Satisfied that he’d said his piece, Alec returned to the kitchen where he slumped onto a chair and stared into the empty hearth. Lily had told him to watch his back, but how dare she threaten him? She was another tart, just like his own mother, and if she or her husband came near him he’d call the police, get them locked up, and it would serve them right.

  What was all the fuss about anyway? Yes, he’d hit Mavis, but she was useless and it was no more than she deserved. The room was cold and Alec shivered. He knelt down to light the fire, watching with satisfaction as flames began to lick the chimney.

  Right, Mavis had left him, but how did he really feel about it? It was an inconvenience, but that was all. He had no time for the female sex now, and in truth, all he’d really miss was the use of his wife’s body. At last Alec calmed.

  He went to search the cupboards and, finding a tin of beans, decided to have them on toast. Alec’s mind was now made up. He’d definitely sell this house, start afresh, and he’d manage perfectly well on his own in a small flat. Yet maybe something more than a flat beckoned. He was free now, free of his mother and of Mavis. There was something he’d always wanted to do, something that with the burden of his mother, of work, of supporting his wife and children, had been impossible.

  Alec’s thoughts turned to James and Grace. Mavis had taken them and to get them back, as her mother had said, he’d have to have his day with his wife in court. Did he want that? Did he want to have joint custody and the bother of looking after them probably every weekend and school holiday? They’d be in the way, a hindrance, and that was the last thing he needed. No, Alec thought, he didn’t want tha
t burden. He wanted to move forward, to do what he liked, to be who he wanted and the last thing he needed was constant reminders of the past.

  Mavis had had the audacity to leave him, and now she’d suffer for it. She could keep the children and would have to work to earn enough money to bring them up. His wife would be back to living in poverty again—back to the life she had come from. After the comfort he’d provided, she’d know nothing but hardship and that suited Alec just fine.

  Mavis flopped onto the sofa. Grace had been murder when her mother left, but she had finally settled. The living room floor was strewn with toys that she just couldn’t be bothered to pick up.

  It hadn’t helped that she couldn’t find any sheets or blankets for the single beds, so finally Mavis had popped them both into the double. Sleeping in the same bed, and the same room, was a novelty, their giggles making Mavis smile too. Both children might be unsettled, but they were happy to be away from Ellington Avenue and, after being told a story, they finally went to sleep.

  Alone now, Mavis yawned as she looked around the living room. It had been untidy when they arrived, but was worse now. Yet on the whole the flat was nice, if in need of a woman’s touch. It was past nine o’clock, but so far there was no sign of Jenny and her cousin.

  Mavis looked forward to meeting Willy. She wanted to thank this man, her heart full at his generosity of spirit. She was a stranger, but he had thought nothing of letting her take over his flat, even telling Jenny that she was welcome to stay for as long as she needed.

  It was dark outside but Mavis saw headlights and looked out of the window to see a van pulling in. Even in the gloom she recognised Jenny as she got out of the passenger side, but, with his head down, she didn’t see the driver’s face until she went to open the front door.

  ‘Hello, Mavis,’ Jenny said, the first one to walk inside. ‘Sorry it’s so late, but as usual Willy only came home an hour ago.’

  Mavis barely took in Jenny’s words, her eyes fixed on the man who had followed her inside. He looked equally shocked as they locked gazes, but it was Mavis who was the first to find her voice. ‘Tommy! Tommy Wilson! What are you doing here?’

  ‘I’ve come to pick up a few things.’

  ‘But…but surely this isn’t your flat? Jenny said it’s her cousin’s, a chap called Willy.’

  ‘It’s just a nickname, a joke really,’ Jenny said, ‘but Tommy earned it when he was a kid. You see he was a naughty little bugger and got into trouble a couple of times for flashing his willie to girls. Oh, sorry, Tom, me and my big mouth. I shouldn’t have told Mavis that.’

  ‘It’s all right,’ he said dryly. ‘Mavis was one of them.’

  ‘No! Really? Oh, blimey, I can’t believe you two know each other.’

  ‘We lived in the same street,’ Mavis said, ‘and as a child I used to be terrified of him.’

  ‘Was I that bad?’ Tommy asked.

  ‘Yes, but thankfully you changed.’

  ‘I think the last time we saw each other was when you told me you were getting married. I left Cullen Street soon afterwards to take up a course and for a while I lived in lodgings.’

  ‘When Tommy came to stay with me, the pair of you were in the same street again, or, should I say, avenue. It’s a wonder you didn’t bump into each other.’

  ‘Other than taking James to school, I hardly left the house, Jenny.’

  ‘Yeah, that’s true.’

  Tommy’s face was sober as he looked at Mavis. ‘When Jenny came to the yard and told me what her neighbour was going through, I still didn’t twig it was you. Your husband should be shot.’

  ‘At least I’ve got away from him now—I can’t thank you enough for letting us stay in your flat.’

  ‘I’m glad I could help, especially now I know it’s you.’ His face began to redden and he added hastily, ‘I’ll just grab a few of my things and then we’ll leave you in peace.’

  Jenny was grinning as Tommy hurried into his bedroom. ‘I still can’t take it in that you two know each other, and, by the look on his face, I reckon Willy, sorry, Tommy, has got a soft spot for you.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, of course he hasn’t,’ Mavis protested. ‘We might have lived in the same street, but we were just kids and hardly knew each other.’

  ‘You knew him well enough to have seen his willie,’ Jenny chuckled.

  ‘Don’t remind me. I was so scared when he did that. He used to frighten the life out of me and I avoided him as much as possible.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ve got to admit he was a right little sod, but he’s turned out fine, despite having my Aunt Olive for a mother. Oh, blimey, you must know her too.’

  ‘Yes, I remember her.’

  ‘I’m ready, Jenny,’ Tommy said as he returned to the room. ‘I should have enough stuff for a while, but if I need anything else, I can always come back. That’s if you don’t mind, Mavis?’

  ‘Of course I don’t, but with any luck I should be out of here in about a week.’

  ‘There’s no hurry,’ Tommy said. ‘Right then, let’s go, Jenny.’

  Jenny hugged Mavis, her voice now somber. ‘I know you had to leave Alec, but I’m going to miss you.’

  ‘Jenny, thank you so much for being such a good friend. I’m going to miss you too, and though I know I’ll be living in Peckham, if you get the chance, please, please come to see me.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I will,’ Jenny said, giving Mavis one final squeeze.

  Mavis watched them leave. Yes, she’d miss Jenny, but she was still unable to believe she was staying in Tommy Wilson’s flat.

  ‘Bloody hell, Jenny,’ Tommy said as they settled in the van. ‘Dumbo Jackson, I could hardly believe me eyes. When she got married, gossip was rife in Cullen Street and my mother said the bloke must be mad to take her on.’

  ‘Mavis is very intelligent and I’d thank you not to call her Dumbo!’

  ‘All right, I’m sorry, it just sort of slipped out, and I must admit I started to suspect that she wasn’t as daft as people made out.’

  ‘Mavis has a medical condition, something called word blindness. In all other ways she’s the same as anyone else and, if you must know, she’s brighter than me.’

  ‘Well, that doesn’t take much,’ Tommy joked.

  ‘You cheeky sod,’ Jenny said, but then chuckled, used to his teasing.

  ‘Yeah, but I’m nice with it.’

  ‘Tommy, did you hear that Mavis’s father died?’

  ‘Yes, but only because my mother admitted that, when she saw a bloke, a tramp, being carried out of an empty house in Cullen Street, for a moment she thought it was me.’

  ‘You! But why?’

  ‘I’d left my wife, asked my mother to take me in, but she’d refused. For a while she didn’t know where I was, but then of course I opened the yard. When she told me about Mavis’s father, I still didn’t twig that she was living next door to you. Still, it ain’t surprising. I hadn’t thought about Mavis in years.’

  ‘I suppose your mother still wants you to leave the area?’

  ‘Yes, but tough,’ Tommy said, and as they reached the main road he pretended to be intent on the traffic, but really his thoughts were all over the place. When Mavis left the street, he’d gone on to complete his training and had put her from his mind. When he’d qualified he hadn’t wanted to return to Cullen Street, had wanted more out of life—and he’d succeeded.

  It had been hard work, but he’d done it, started up his own signwriting business and made it a success. He’d then met Belinda, thought she was the girl of his dreams and had married her, only to be taken for a mug. When he found out about Belinda’s affairs, the number of men she’d slept with, he’d worked out the dates, sure that he’d been working away when Davie was conceived. Unable to prove it, he still provided for the boy and would do so until he left school. He wasn’t Davie’s father and, other than supporting him, Tommy had made the decision to stay out of the boy’s life. With one man after another coming in and out of his lif
e, the last thing Davie needed was another one who he would see only at weekends. Maybe one day Belinda would work it out and would be able to tell Davie who his father was—at least Tommy hoped so.

  Tommy found his grip tight on the steering wheel. Now, after all these years, he’d seen Mavis again, and he was still reeling with shock at her startling resemblance to Belinda.

  ‘Mavis has had a rotten life, a rotten marriage, and I feel so sorry for her. Are you listening to me, Willy?’ Jenny was saying.

  ‘Yes, I’m listening,’ he said, though in truth he was still thinking about his own marriage and subsequent divorce. He’d been taken for a ride, but it was nothing compared to what Mavis had been through. God, he’d forgotten what a stunner she was and he’d hardly been able to take his eyes off her.

  Still, stunning or not, the last thing he wanted was another woman in his life. Once bitten, twice shy, and all he was concentrating on now was his new business. Women! No thanks.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Lily knew that Mavis didn’t like to use the telephone in the flat so she had rung her daughter every day, but now, as Pete drove her to Wandsworth on Saturday, she wasn’t happy. She’d had a word with the landlord’s agent about the house, but so far he hadn’t got back to her.

  ‘You’re quiet, Lily. Are you all right?’ Pete asked.

  ‘I’m just worried about the house. It’s been empty for ages, but the agent hasn’t been in touch. What if it’s gone?’

  ‘Lily, you only spoke to him a few days ago. Give the bloke a chance.’

  ‘Yes, but if Mavis can’t have it she’ll be left in a fix. She won’t be able to stay in that bloke’s flat indefinitely.’

  ‘Then we’ll find her another place. Now stop worrying. Look, we’re here,’ he said, pulling in alongside the kerb.

  Lily climbed out of the van, Bobby in her arms. He was a chubby and contented baby, but so heavy now that she was glad Mavis was swift to open the door.

  The children squealed with delight when they saw Bobby. ‘Granny, Granny, put him down,’ Grace begged.