by Joan Jonker
Tess didn’t think she was hungry, but when the plate was put in front of her and the smell wafted up her nose, she smiled with pleasure. ‘Mam, can I eat it in my hand? If I cut it, all the juice will run on to the plate and be wasted.’
‘It isn’t good manners to eat with your fingers, Theresa, but I’ll let you off this once because I want you to get every bit of goodness out of it.’
There was a look of bliss on the girl’s face when she bit into the pie. And any juice that threatened to escape and run down her chin was quickly licked by a darting tongue. She ate with gusto, and Ann told herself it had been worth the few coppers to see her daughter enjoying it so much. George had been right all along, saying a little of what she fancied would do her more good than something she had no appetite for.
‘Mmm, that was good!’ Tess had her head turned towards the window and her brows drew together. ‘Mam, look! Old Mrs Critchley’s standing at her door and she’s got a funny look on her face.’
Ann went towards the window and pulled back the net curtain. ‘She’s looking up and down the road as though she’s expecting someone, but I’ve never known her to do that before. I think I’d better nip across and make sure everything’s all right.’
Freda and Arthur Critchley had lived in Hanford Avenue for as long as any could remember. They were a nice couple, always pleasant, never bothered anyone and as quiet as mice. They were both in their mid-seventies, Arthur having retired from his job as an insurance clerk ten years ago. They were a devoted couple, and since Arthur had retired you never saw one without the other.
‘Is everything all right, Mrs Critchley?’ Ann crossed the cobbled road. ‘Are you expecting visitors?’
The old lady was small and slim, with pure white hair and a face lined with age. Right now she was wringing her hands and looking greatly distressed. ‘I’m glad to see you, Ann, I don’t know which way to turn. It’s Arthur, he’s not well.’
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Ann asked, putting a hand on an arm that was shaking with fear. ‘Do you want me to come in and see if there’s anything I can do?’
‘Would you? He took a funny turn about half an hour ago, then he seemed to come round. But he’s got a hand to his chest now, as though he’s in pain. He told me he wasn’t, but I think he’s only saying that so as not to worry me.’
‘I’ll come in with you and see what I think. It might be nothing, but best to make sure.’
Arthur Critchley had been a fine-looking man when he was younger. Tall, broad shoulders and a healthy complexion. And always a natty dresser. He’d shrunk in size now, through age, but even at seventy-five he kept himself smartly dressed and his snow-white hair was always neatly combed. But when Ann walked into the living room, it was to find him slumped sideways in a fireside chair, with a hand pressed to his chest. It was obvious he was in great discomfort, but when he saw his neighbour he tried to sit up straight. ‘It’s nothing, Ann, a bit of indigestion, that’s all. The wife’s making a mountain out of a molehill.’
‘Best to be sure than sorry, Arthur.’ Ann didn’t like his colour; his face was grey. ‘Perhaps you should have the doctor, to be on the safe side.’
His wife, Freda, hovering in the background, said, ‘I told him he should have the doctor, but he won’t hear of it. Here’s me worrying meself sick, and he’s as stubborn as a mule. But perhaps he’ll take notice of you.’
‘Have you got pains in your chest, Arthur?’ Ann didn’t want to push for something the old man might later hold against her. And she really wasn’t qualified when it came to pains and sickness. ‘It’s no good shaking your head when I can see you are in pain. That attitude won’t do you any good. But as I’m hopeless when it comes to a situation like this, I wonder if you’d mind me asking Maisie to come over? She’s got more nous than I have.’
Freda ignored the warning in her husband’s eyes. ‘If you wouldn’t mind, Ann, me and Arthur would be grateful. I know he says it’s nothing, and perhaps he’s right. But he’s never had indigestion like this in the fifty-odd years I’ve known him. And as you say, it’s best to be sure than sorry.’
‘I’ll be back in a tick.’ Ann fled from the house and ran to her neighbour’s. It was a quarter to two, so even if it was one of Maisie’s afternoons for the pictures, she wouldn’t have left the house yet.
‘I was in the parlour and saw yer running across the cobbles like a bat out of hell.’ Maisie had opened the door before the sound of the knocker had died away. ‘What’s the rush for?’
‘Arthur Critchley’s not well, and I think he might be having a heart attack. I’m useless, Maisie, so would you come over and see what you think?’
‘Yeah, of course I will. I’ll just get me door key.’
Maisie didn’t mess around when she entered the house opposite with Ann hot on her heels. She took one look at Arthur and said, ‘You need a doctor, and pronto. To save time running to his surgery, I’ll ask the woman in the chippy to ring up and say it’s urgent. I know you’re with Dr Greenshields, same as us, and I’ve got his telephone number at home. If he hasn’t left on his rounds yet, he could be here in no time.’ She was running down the hall when she called, ‘I’ll be back in a few minutes.’
Freda started pacing the floor, her eyes never leaving her husband. ‘Shall I make you a cup of tea, love?’
‘Oh, I don’t think that’s wise,’ Ann told her. ‘Let’s just wait until the doctor comes.’
True to her word, Maisie was back within five minutes. Gasping for breath, she said, ‘We caught him at home, he’s on his way.’
‘Oh dear.’ Freda’s hands fluttered like a bird’s wings. ‘The place is not very tidy.’
Maisie, never one to mince words, laughed. ‘What are yer worrying about, missus, yer could eat yer dinner off the ruddy floor! There’s only one place I know as clean as this, and it’s my front path!’
Chapter Three
Dr Greenshields was a very well-known figure in the area. To the people on his panel he was greatly respected and trusted as a doctor, and they swore by him. He was devoted to his profession, his one aim to help people whether they be rich or poor. No sick person was ever turned away from his surgery because they had no money, nor would they be refused a home visit. But to those who didn’t know him, he was a figure of fun, an eccentric because of the clothes he wore, which were reminiscent of the garb worn by doctors fifty years ago. Black trousers, flared three-quarter frock coat, stiff stand-up narrow collar with wings and a gold pin in a cravat of muted colours. And on his head was a hard high hat with a narrow brim. Rumour had it that his parents had been wealthy and he was comfortably off. He lived with his sister, also a doctor, in a big rambling house in Orrell Lane. Half of the house was their living quarters, the rest served as waiting rooms and surgeries. Both had brilliant minds, but his sister was very religious and word was spreading that she was now getting people to kneel down in her surgery and say a prayer before they left. Women would go along with her even though they thought she was crazy, but not so the menfolk. They called her a religious maniac and switched over to her brother.
Maisie opened the door to him. ‘Good afternoon, Doctor. I’m the one what called yer out, ’cos I thought yer should see Arthur. If there’s nowt wrong with him he’ll never speak to me again.’
The doctor inclined his head and walked past her into the living room. After placing his well-worn bag on the couch, he laced his fingers across his tummy and stood in front of his patient. Seconds ticked by without a word, then he leaned forward and gently pulled Arthur’s hand away from his chest. ‘Have you any chest pains, Mr Critchley? No, I thought not. Well, tell me exactly what happened and how you feel. Then I’ll examine you.’
Speaking slowly, with a slight slur, Arthur said, ‘I just went funny all of a sudden, Doctor. Didn’t have no warning, nothing.’
‘Is it a heart attack, Dr Greenshields?’ Freda asked, imagining the worst. ‘He didn’t half give me a fright.’
‘It isn�
��t a heart attack, I’m sure of that. I believe your husband has had a slight stroke. But I’ll know more when I’ve given him a good examination.’
‘We’ll get out of your way for ten minutes, then,’ Maisie said. ‘Me and Mrs Richardson will just be over the road if yer want us.’ She glanced at Freda. ‘Would yer like to come with us?’
‘Oh no, I’ll stay with Arthur.’ Wild horses wouldn’t have dragged her away from her husband of more than fifty years. ‘But you will come back, won’t yer?’
‘Of course we will.’ The two women left the house, and when they were standing outside Maisie said, ‘Come to mine and I’ll make us a cuppa.’
Ann shook her head. ‘No, I’ve left Theresa and she’ll be wondering what’s happening. You come to ours, instead.’
Tess had been sitting at the window since her mother left, an exercise book on her knee. In between keeping an eye on the house opposite, she was writing an account of the walk she’d had this morning for her dad to read. But since she’d seen the doctor arrive, her pencil had been still. ‘Is Mr Critchley going to die, Mam?’
‘Certainly not! Whatever gave you that idea? We came out while the doctor examines him, but I don’t think it’s serious.’ Ann walked through to the kitchen. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’
‘Come to think of it, Ann, it’s not worth making a cuppa, we’d never have time to drink it. I’ll bet Freda comes knocking for us in a few minutes.’
Maisie wasn’t far out; it was ten minutes before Freda came running across the cobbles. ‘Will yer both come over, please, and hear what the doctor’s got to say? I can’t think straight at the moment, my head’s just going round and round.’
Dr Greenshields was putting his stethoscope back in his bag. A man of few words, he came straight to the point. ‘Mr Critchley has had a mild stroke which has affected him down his right side. But he’s very lucky because it hasn’t caused a lot of damage. His speech was affected for a while and the side of his face was numb, which is why he felt funny. But that is practically back to normal and he just needs complete rest for a few days. This has been a warning to him that he needs to take life easy, he is no longer a young man.’ He picked up his bag and donned his hat. ‘Call me if you think it necessary.’
While Freda was showing the good doctor out, Arthur was offering his thanks and apologies. ‘Thank you for your help, ladies. I won’t say I wasn’t worried, ’cos I’m no hero and I was scared. You were right, Maisie, and in future I’ll do as I’m told.’
‘No need to thank me, all I’ve done is harmless,’ Ann said. ‘I was only here to make the numbers up. I’m hopeless when it comes to sickness, that’s why I went for Maisie.’ Freda came back after seeing the doctor out and Ann told her, ‘If you want any shopping, washing or ironing doing, you only have to ask. And if you’re worried during the night, don’t hesitate to knock.’ She grinned and jerked her head at Maisie. ‘I might not be able to do anything for you, but I know someone who will.’
‘I don’t think yer’ve anything to worry about, Freda,’ Maisie said. ‘Arthur’s looking a lot better. But is there anything yer’d like me and Ann to do before we go?’
‘No thank you, yer’ve done enough.’ The old lady, still as white as a sheet, followed them to the door. ‘I really don’t know what I’d have done without the pair of yer. I’ll be all right now, but I’ve got to say, he gave me the fright of me life.’
‘Go in and make a nice pot of tea for the two of yer,’ Maisie said. ‘And sit and relax until yer nerves are back to normal. That’s what I’m going to do, make a pot of tea for me and Ann.’
But Ann declined. ‘No, we’ll have to leave that for another time, Maisie, I’ll get home and see to the dinner. But I’ll take you up on the offer when we’ve both got an hour to spare. And thanks for having a good head on your shoulders. If you hadn’t been in, me and Freda would still have been standing there biting our nails. Hopeless and helpless, that’s me.’
‘I’m not surprised Freda was upset,’ George said, over the dinner table. ‘When you get to their age you can’t stand shocks or cope like you could when you were younger. How is Arthur now?’
‘I went over just before you came in and he doesn’t seem so bad. His speech is a bit slurred, and he keeps holding his right hand as though it hasn’t any life in it, but he’s not grey like he was this afternoon. Me and Maisie are taking turns keeping an eye on him for a week or so, just to make sure.’
‘You never know the minute, do you, love? Especially at their age; they’ve both turned their three score years and ten.’
Maddy stood up her knife and fork either side of her plate like soldiers on guard. ‘What does that mean, Dad? Their three score years and ten?’
George cursed himself for not thinking before he spoke. The girls were very fond of the old couple opposite and the slightest hint they might be ill would bring on nightmares. ‘It’s just an old wives’ tale, pet. You know, a silly superstition, like it being bad luck to walk under a ladder. Or spilling salt.’
‘Or walking across the path of a black cat,’ Tess said. ‘That’s supposed to bring bad luck. We saw a black cat today, sitting in the sunshine outside the greengrocer’s shop. We walked past it, but I don’t think that’s the same as crossing its path. I hope not, anyway, ’cos I don’t want any bad luck.’
‘You’ve been out today, have you?’ George asked, glad to change the subject. ‘Where did you go to?’
‘I’m not telling, ’cos while Mam was out I wrote it down for you.’ Tess wagged her shoulders, feeling pleased with her achievement. ‘You can all read it when we’ve finished our meal and give me marks out of ten for it.’
George speared the last piece of bacon and popped it in his mouth. ‘I’m the first to finish, so it’s only fair I get first chance to read your masterpiece.’
‘Oh no you don’t!’ Ann said. ‘We’ll wait until the table is cleared and then you can read it out to us.’
It wasn’t until the green chenille cloth was back on the table and they were all seated that Tess, with an air of superiority, handed two pages over to her father. ‘I know I’ve made some spelling mistakes, but ignore those, Dad.’
Maddy leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her face in both her hands. ‘I can’t wait to hear what you’ve been up to today.’
George coughed to clear his throat before starting to read aloud how Tess and her mother had gone for a walk to Walton Vale. In great detail she told of the sunshine, the masses of people, how she’d admired the shoes with high heels and was going to get a pair just like them when she was older. And a pink blouse she’d fallen for. The park, the children on the swings, the smell from the cake shop, all were written down. And lastly, the pie, which had been delicious. There were a couple of spelling mistakes, but apart from that George thought his daughter had done very well. Better than he’d ever thought her capable of.
He held the pages up and looked at his wife. ‘Tess wrote this without your help?’
Ann nodded. ‘I wasn’t even here, George, I was over the road. And when I came back I had to see to the dinner. No, I didn’t ask her to do it, she did it off her own bat.’
Maddy was hugging her sister. ‘You did well, kid, I couldn’t have done better myself.’
‘Ah, but you wouldn’t have made any mistakes, I bet I made a lot.’
‘Only three, pet and that’s very good,’ George told her, passing the pages over to his wife. He was really amazed, he hadn’t expected anything so well written and interesting. ‘You’ve spelled “bought” incorrectly, and you’ve put “to” instead of “too”.’
Tess began to giggle. ‘It would have been one more, ’cos I didn’t fancy trying to spell “confectioner’s”, so I put “cake shop” instead.’
George reclaimed the pages from his wife’s hand. ‘This is marvellous, Tess, as good as you’d get from any ten-year-old. You’ve made me very pleased and proud.’ His eyes ran along the lines of words and he chuckled a couple of t
imes. ‘I can remember having to get a dictionary out once to see how to spell “delicious”.’
Ann looked at him as though he’d said something of great importance. Then, in a gesture never seen before by her two daughters, she cupped her husband’s face and kissed him full on the lips. ‘Thank you for being a poor speller when you were young, love. You see, I would never have thought of a dictionary, but it’s just the thing for Theresa!’
George was taken aback by the open show of affection, but quietly pleased. It seemed that Tess wasn’t the only one learning. His younger daughter was bringing about a change in his wife. And in such a short time. ‘Well, you have a dictionary, love, so lend it to Tess so she can look up any words she’s not sure of.’
Ann was off her chair like a shot to bring the rather worn book to the table. She slid it across to her daughter. ‘Take it upstairs with you later, and Madelaine will show you how to look up words like “delicious” and “confectioner’s”.’
Tess picked up the book with its well-thumbed pages, held it to her chest and looked pleadingly at her sister. ‘Come up with me now, Maddy, please? I just want you to show me how to find those two words.’
‘We can do it here,’ Maddy said, before catching the disappointed look on Tess’s face. ‘Come on then, we’ll go upstairs.’
When they were alone, George took his wife’s hand in his. ‘It seems to me that if Tess isn’t pushed, allowed to work at her own speed, she does far better. Knowing there’s no one looking over her shoulder, and she won’t be told off if she gets things wrong, she’ll try harder and come on better.’
They both looked to the ceiling when they heard loud laughter, and Maddy’s voice saying, ‘Go on, you soft nit!’ Normally Ann would have frowned at the expression, but not tonight. Not when it brought such laughter from her two daughters. ‘They seem to be enjoying themselves.’
George patted her hand. ‘That’s what I like to hear, Ann. There’s nothing as sweet to my ears as the sound of childish laughter. There should be a law that says all children must have a happy childhood because it will stand them in good stead when they grow up and have problems.’ He chortled when he heard the bed springs twanging overhead and Maddy’s infectious laugh. ‘We are very fortunate to have Maddy. Most other girls would be jealous of Tess getting so much attention, but not her. She loves her sister and is very patient with her. But I think it’s important that Maddy knows we love her as much as we do Tess.’
