Walking Back to Happiness

by June Francis

  ‘We need to book the church and have the banns read,’ said Lucia.

  ‘Our Lady, Star of the Sea?’ asked Tim.

  Lucia nodded. ‘The first Saturday in December. We’d better speak to the priest when we go to church this week.’

  Tim agreed.

  ‘I hope Michael and Marjorie’s baby doesn’t decide to arrive too early,’ Lucia said.

  Shortly after, the dessert trolley arrived at their table. She stared at the various sweets on offer and finally chose the chocolate pudding with clotted cream. Tim decided to have sherry trifle and wasted no time digging in.

  Tim finished first, but Lucia took her time, savouring every mouthful, thinking that it would be best to have a buffet meal for the wedding breakfast. She would ask Josh and Maggie to make her a couple of their special sherry trifles as well as a coffee and walnut cake. She mentioned this to Tim on their way out of the restaurant and he agreed that was an excellent idea.

  ‘What about our honeymoon?’ Lucia asked.

  ‘Are you still of a mind to go to Llandudno?’ said Tim.

  ‘Yes, although the seaside in winter isn’t the most appealing of places.’

  ‘There are theatres and cinemas, so we’ll be able to go and see some shows and films, and the scenery is lovely. We can walk in the hills away from the sea.’

  ‘You’ve convinced me,’ Lucia said.

  ‘Then I’ll book us a room.’

  Having made several important decisions about their wedding, Tim and Lucia informed some of their nearest and dearest as soon as possible.

  Theresa said, ‘I’m glad you’ve made up your minds to go ahead and get married at last. But what are you going to say to Aunt Nellie?’

  ‘I’ll just remind her about what Aunt Babs told me about her and Uncle Michelangelo and her first husband.’

  ‘I didn’t know Aunt Nellie had been married before,’ Theresa said. ‘Tell me everything?’

  So Lucia told her sister about their aunt having married a Proddie and having been cut off from her family, only returning to her grandfather’s house after her mother was killed and sister Lottie had been injured. She had then had to cope with the death of her soldier husband and miscarrying their baby. Fortunately she had met Michelangelo, but their relationship had been far from smooth because he was an escaped POW and could have been sent back to Italy if Francis had not got involved. Francis had informed the authorities that Michelangelo’s mother had been English, and besides, by then he had officiated at Michelangelo’s and Nellie’s wedding, which meant Michelangelo could stay in England.

  Theresa had been aware of some of this, because Tony was proud of his father risking entering Italy towards the end of the war in search of him and his mother after the Germans had invaded Italy. Tony had been placed in an orphanage after the death of his mother. ‘Well, all I can say is, you stick to your guns if you want to marry Tim,’ said Theresa.

  When Lucia and Tim told his sister, Peggy, and her husband the news, she said, ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t snow.’ She gave Pete a dazzling smile.

  ‘Of course, you two were married in December,’ Lucia said.

  ‘Yes, and it snowed a few days before the wedding and the roads were icy,’ said Peggy.

  ‘And we’d booked a week in the Lake District for our honeymoon,’ recalled Pete. ‘The weather forecasts put the wind up us with advising people not to travel.’

  ‘As it was, everything worked out and the Lake District looked magical and we got there and back with little difficulty,’ said Peggy.

  ‘Well, I’m hoping nothing goes wrong for us,’ Lucia said.

  She was to wish that she had kept her mouth shut when, halfway through October, the newspapers were full of the news that the Russians planned to have a base on Cuba with nuclear weapons. Naturally the Americans objected and blockaded Cuba. Lucia feared that a Third World War was about to break out that would be even more devastating and destructive than the first two. It seemed that nobody could talk of anything other than the threat of nuclear war. Tim and Lucia discussed bringing the date of their wedding forward.

  Then President Khrushchev and President Kennedy decided to talk, and an extremely tense situation relaxed as both countries stepped back from the brink and the whole world breathed the easier. Lucia and Tim continued with their wedding plans, extremely grateful for what they had. She stopped worrying about something else happening to prevent their wedding.

  Even when Marjorie went into labour two weeks early, Lucia decided it should not affect her Big Day. Then the day after her nephew was born and all seemed well with mother and baby, Michael phoned to tell her that Marjorie’s mother had had a minor heart attack, and naturally Marjorie was in a bit of a state. She and her mother had always been close and she had been depending on her help during the early weeks after the birth. Suddenly Lucia was waiting for something else to go wrong. Although she had always claimed not to be superstitious, she was remembering her mother saying things came in threes. With only a week to go to the wedding, Lucia was at a loss what to do. She and Tim cancelled a planned journey to see the comedian Ken Dodd switch on the Christmas lights in Liverpool city centre – the decorations were reputed to have cost just over five thousand pounds – in order to spend time with Marjorie, having accepted what her brother said about Marjorie needing help. For although the girl had recovered physically from the birth, she was suffering from what was called ‘baby blues’, and on top of that she naturally felt depressed over her mother’s sudden heart attack. Of course Marjorie’s aunt and cousin were willing to be of help, but neither was available during the daytime.

  The next thing to happen was that Joseph came down with mumps. This complaint worried her more than if it had been chickenpox, or even measles again, because she was convinced that Jerry was bound to catch it, and that meant Tim was in danger of being infected. Lucia, Michael and Theresa had suffered from mumps as children, so she was not concerned for herself or them, but for an adult male to catch mumps was a serious matter. There was a danger that it could make a man sterile.

  She wasted no time in visiting Tim and telling him this. She suggested that Jerry move in with Joseph, and then it was a matter of hoping for the best and that Tim did not catch it too. This also meant that Lucia was unable to give Marjorie a helping hand with the baby. It really seemed that she and Tim had no choice but to postpone the wedding. The first thing Tim did was to cancel the hotel in Llandudno, as they could see no way of them getting away, and the next act was to cancel the wedding. It almost broke Lucia’s heart to do so, and she cried as she folded her wedding dress and placed it back in tissue paper in its box.

  Then, three days before the wedding had been due to take place (it appeared that Tim had managed to avoid catching the mumps, despite Jerry and Joseph still having a slight appearance of hamsters with cheeks stuffed with food), Lucia had a visit from Nellie and Francis.

  Lucia was pleased to see them, but one look from her aunt and uncle silenced her. She was told to leave off making cups of tea by Nellie, and to stay where she was, as Francis had something to say to her.

  As her aunt left the room, Lucia gazed expectantly at her priestly uncle. ‘Are you going to perform a miracle for me?’ she asked.

  ‘Not exactly! But I’m hoping what I’m planning will meet with yours and Tim’s approval.’

  ‘Should I go and phone Tim?’ she asked, excited but not convinced that Francis could make everything right.

  ‘No, you can tell him later. As I’m hoping he’ll have something to tell you, too. My plan’s not perfect but I’m hoping it’ll do.’

  Then Francis revealed his plan. Lucia and Tim’s wedding would go ahead, but he would officiate and it would take place at his church near Scotland Road. Michelangelo would give Lucia away so Michael could stay with Marjorie and the baby. On top of that, Francis had hired one of his parishioners, who was a private nurse and who had also been a midwife in her younger days. She would be available to assist Marjorie wi
th the baby and her mother. Nellie also suggested that the reception be held at her house, so that Lucia need not worry about anything but getting to the church on time.

  Lucia jumped to her feet and kissed her uncle. ‘I can’t tell you how much this means to me,’ she said.

  ‘Nellie and I want you to have your wedding. You deserve it and so does Tim. He’s really turned his life around and we admire him for that.’

  She kissed him again and kissed her aunt as well. Then she drank her tea before excusing herself and going to phone Tim. Before she could say more than, ‘Tim, is that you?’

  He said, ‘I’m leaving the apartment now and coming to see you.’

  The phone went down at his end and she replaced the receiver and returned to her aunt and uncle. ‘He’s on his way,’ she said brightly.

  She did not have to wait long before seeing the van pull up at the kerb. Opening the door, she ran down the step to greet him. He did not climb out but told her to get in. As soon as she was seated, he drove off.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she asked.

  ‘Formby, to see Maggie’s sister-in-law, Emma.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I had a phone call from her and she asked could I take you to meet her.’

  ‘What on earth for?’ Lucia asked.

  ‘She just said it would be to our advantage.’

  ‘I suppose you know her through Maggie,’ Lucia said.

  ‘That’s right.’ He paused. ‘So what have you got to tell me?’

  Lucia proceeded to tell him what Francis had said, and watched with pleasure as his blue eyes widened in astonishment. ‘It’s incredible,’ he said. ‘It means a lot to me that Father Francis and the rest of your family and friends are prepared to help us get married on the day we planned.’

  ‘Me, too. You don’t think Emma is in on this as well, do you?’

  ‘I can only think of one way she might be involved,’ said Tim.

  ‘Why do people have to be so secretive? I wish you’d told me over the phone about going to visit Emma. I’d have put on my best frock.’

  ‘What’s the point? We’ll have a walk in the woods and on the beach later, so best you’re not all dressed up,’ he said.

  She made no reply, wondering how he could be so dense. He just didn’t seem to understand that she wanted to look her best when visiting Maggie’s sister-in-law. Maggie had once been a model and dressed really stylishly, as well as being very pretty. Lucia had always felt drab in her company in the past. She could so easily imagine Emma comparing her to Maggie, and Lucia falling short.

  Neither spoke for a while.

  ‘What’s the long face for?’ Tim asked, glancing at her as they passed Formby Railway Station.

  ‘I’m remembering how marvellous Maggie always used to look.’

  ‘That was because it was her job to look like a fashion plate. It’s no longer necessary, so she can wear what she likes and eat what she likes,’ Tim said. ‘She’s happy now, isn’t she?’

  ‘I’m sure she is. Especially now there’s a baby on the way. I sometimes wonder, though, if she has any regrets.’

  ‘Why should you think that?’

  ‘Well, when you think about it, she’s gone down in the world, hasn’t she? Once she had her face on the covers of magazines, and now she spends more time in the kitchen wearing an apron. But I suppose that at least she followed her dream for a while before giving it all up for love.’

  ‘She didn’t give it up for love but for her wellbeing,’ Tim said. ‘You should know that her health would have suffered if she had stayed in London chasing her dream. Love just came along at the right time in the shape of Josh.’

  ‘But you went out with her first,’ blurted out Lucia.

  ‘Yeah, but I wasn’t the right one for her, so fate stepped in, and I for one am glad it did. I’m sure Maggie is, too. Fame isn’t everything, and Maggie has walked right back to happiness. It’s what I want for us, Lucia,’ he said. ‘I might have some regrets but I’ve never regretted taking your advice and coming to look at the apartment next door to your house. Now, stop worrying, you look great. Unless you’re regretting saying yes to my proposal of marriage, and wishing you were fancy-free to go off and do something that you’ve never told anyone about.’

  ‘I’ve never been free to please just myself. I’ve always had to consider other people,’ Lucia said. ‘But I don’t think I’m alone in that, and I just accept it’s the way things are. I reckon it’s better than having no one to care for or not being needed. A voice on the wireless is not enough to rid oneself of loneliness.’

  ‘Point taken,’ said Tim.

  It was not long before he parked the car at the kerb in front of a detached house. The front door opened as Tim helped Lucia down from the van. Hand in hand they walked up the path to the house.

  ‘How nice to see you again, Lucia,’ said Emma. ‘It’s a while since we last met.’

  Lucia agreed, remembering now waiting on the older woman at Josh and Maggie’s engagement party.

  ‘Come on in and have a coffee.’ Emma stood aside and ushered the pair in.

  They followed her into a large kitchen at the rear of the house, and sat at the kitchen table while Emma put the kettle on and spooned instant coffee into mugs. ‘It won’t be as good as what you serve at the coffee bar,’ said Emma, ‘but at least it will warm you up, and I can offer you a slice of homemade cake to go with it.’ Emma produced a Victoria sponge cake.

  ‘Lovely,’ said Lucia.

  Emma cut several slices and, placing them on plates, pushed two plates towards the couple. ‘Now, I won’t waste time getting to the point. I heard from Irene that Tim had to cancel your honeymoon hotel, and so I’d like to offer you my cottage in Whalley for a week, if you’d like to use it?’

  Lucia had heard about the cottage from Maggie and Josh so she said, ‘That would be lovely. It’s very generous of you, isn’t it, Tim?’

  ‘Exceedingly so,’ he replied, thinking the offer meant more to him than it did to Lucia, because it was a sign that not only had Irene forgiven him for his past failures by getting in touch with Emma, but also that Maggie’s brother and sister-in-law had forgiven him as well for his past behaviour towards Maggie. He was touched by the kindness being shown to him and Lucia, and knew he would never forget it.

  After they left Emma, Tim drove the van to the car park down by the beach, and he and Lucia walked hand in hand along the sand. There was no wind and all was still and silent, except for the lapping of waves on the beach and the occasional cry of an oystercatcher.

  ‘This is lovely,’ said Lucia.

  He agreed, squeezing her gently about the waist. ‘It’ll be just as lovely at the cottage in Whalley because we won’t have to go our separate ways at the end of the day or be disturbed by the kids. We’ll have the cottage all to ourselves.’

  ‘It’ll be heavenly; just the two of us for a whole seven days before having to settle down to ordinary life.’

  ‘Bliss,’ Tim said. ‘We’ll have to make the most of our time alone together.’

  ‘I can hardly believe we’re going to be married at last.’ Lucia sighed contentedly.

  ‘Me neither. But if we’d have rushed in to it, I doubt we’d have had the families alongside us,’ Tim said. ‘So we did the right thing taking things slowly.’

  The following week was far busier than they had expected, although it had little to do with their wedding. Christmas would be only a week away when they returned from their honeymoon, so they needed to do some shopping for the children, as well as to order food and drink in for the Christmas period. While in the city centre, they took the opportunity to go and see Live Now, Pay Later, starring Ian Hendry and John Gregson, at The Futurist cinema on Lime Street. They decided it was a film very much of its time, showing how life had changed from the austerity of post-war Britain to the consumerism of the late fifties. The Pathé News was interesting, covering among other items the engagement of Princess Alexandra to the H
onourable Angus Ogilvy.

  Tim and Lucia decided to leave buying a Christmas tree until their return, although Tim gave Theresa some money to buy balloons and the like to decorate downstairs. He also transferred the rest of his and Jerry’s possessions to Lucia’s house. The couple’s only regret was that Joseph and Jerry could not attend the wedding because they had not completely recovered from the mumps, but then Francis arranged for the two boys to sit upstairs in the church out of the way, where they could watch the service without mingling with the other guests. Something they boasted about in the days to come, saying they’d had the best view of all of the ceremony.

  Tim was not able to get on with his writing the way he would have liked, and was also concerned about the first three chapters and the synopsis of his crime novel, which he had posted to his existing publisher. He really needed to know if he had a fair chance of it being accepted if he was to support Lucia and the children in the future. But he waited in vain for a response during the days before the wedding. The weather was not what they would have wished for, either. But they reminded each other of the scare in October, when it appeared that the world had been on the brink of nuclear destruction. Tim and Lucia agreed that they could cope with ice, snow and a touch of fog in the circumstances.

  When Tim rose on the morning of the wedding in Marty and Irene’s home, he prayed that there wouldn’t be any nasty surprises today, but that everything would go off smoothly. Then, to his surprise, his former landlady in Crosby phoned to say that what looked like an important letter had arrived in the post for him that morning. He decided to go and collect it. He restrained himself from opening it until he was alone in the van. It was the news he had been waiting for – the publisher had enjoyed what he had sent and would like to see the rest of the manuscript as soon as possible. He made several suggestions for Tim to bear in mind when he was working on the rest of the manuscript. There was also a wedding card, wishing him and Lucia every happiness. He decided to keep the news to himself until after the ceremony, wanting to hug it to himself for a short while.

  ‘You’re cutting things rather fine,’ said Marty, emerging from the house as the van pulled up behind a shiny black wedding car. ‘Was it worth the journey?’