by Joan Jonker
‘Yer deserve to be punished to put a stop to yer bullying, but it’s not up to me to punish yer. And from what I’ve seen, yer don’t get any discipline at home. So my best bet is to take my girl along to see your headmaster tomorrow and let him punish yer.’ Maisie took Ann’s arm. ‘Come on, let’s go.’ They’d only gone a few steps when they heard a loud howl. And they turned to see the boy with his head bent and a hand cupping his ear. He was crying out in pain and this brought about Ann’s temper.
‘Excuse me a minute.’ She took her arm from Maisie’s and walked back. ‘If you had brought your son up properly, shown him love instead of clouts, he wouldn’t be the young ruffian he is. Everything he does is down to you, because you haven’t brought him up the right way. I feel sorry for him having a mother like you, and you’re to be pitied.’
With the roar of a lion the woman moved forward, her fists curled ready for action. But Maisie acted quickly to stand between them. ‘Fancy a night in the police cells, do yer, Mrs Saunders? It can easily be arranged, all yer have to do is lay a hand on me or me friend. As I’m the nearest, yer may as well make it me.’ She tilted her head and pointed to her chin. ‘I dare yer.’
‘Don’t do it, Mam,’ the boy cried. ‘Me dad will kill me if the police come round.’ His words didn’t seem to be having any effect, and seeing his mother with nostrils flared and growling like an animal ready to attack, he said the only thing he knew that would stop her. ‘And he’ll belt you, as well. He told yer last time yer had a fight with one of the neighbours that if yer did it again he’d slaughter yer.’
This gave the woman food for thought, and as she hesitated, Maisie grabbed Ann’s arm. ‘Come on, we’ve got what we came for. We’ll have a word with our husbands and see if they want to take the matter further.’
As they walked away, the two women could hear muttering, peppered with swear words. Then the boy ran past to stand in front of them, causing them to stop. ‘I’m sorry, missus, I won’t do it no more.’
‘Yer better hadn’t, son, or next time I’ll have yer guts for garters. Now move out of our way, we’ve wasted enough time.’
‘Oh dear,’ Ann said when they were out of earshot. ‘I really thought she was going to let fly there. And one punch from her would have knocked me out.’
‘Yeah, she’s some woman, I’ll give yer that.’ Maisie squeezed her arm. ‘It was exciting, though, wasn’t it, girl? Wait until I tell my feller, he’ll be sorry he missed it.’
‘I’m afraid it’s not the sort of excitement I enjoy. I’m not cut out for dealing with people like Mrs Saunders, they terrify me.’
When they turned the corner into Hanford Avenue they could see a group outside their houses. ‘Looks like a welcoming committee,’ Maisie laughed. ‘That’s Will talking to George, he’s probably getting the low-down on what’s gone on. I hope his ruddy dinner hasn’t boiled dry or he won’t be a happy man.’
‘George will have been keeping an eye on mine. Mind you, I didn’t think we’d be away so long, not over two rubber balls.’
‘They only cost tuppence each, Ann, but it wasn’t the money, it was the principle. I’ll not have my girls bullied by anyone. And talking of my girls, here they come to see how I got on. Our Letty’s knee doesn’t seem to be bothering her, she can run all right.’ Maisie took the balls out of her pocket and lobbed them high. ‘Here yer are, catch!’
The girls were delighted and wanted to know what had happened and why they’d been away so long. But Maisie silenced them and said she’d tell all after they’d had their dinner. That was if there was any dinner left, like.
George was a very relieved man. ‘I thought you’d walked into trouble, love, the time you’ve been away.’
‘It could have turned out very nasty, and I’ve got to admit I was shaking in my shoes most of the time.’ Ann smiled when she saw the table nicely set. And thinking of the Saunders family, she told herself she was very lucky to have a good husband and two lovely daughters. ‘But Maisie found the one word Mrs Saunders didn’t like, and that was “police”. She was going to tear us apart until she heard that.’ Maddy and Tess were listening, wide-eyed and ready to hang on to every word. Well they weren’t going to hear every word, because most of them were not for the ears of children. Not in this house, anyway. ‘Do you remember the woman we met on the train, Vera Webster?’
‘You didn’t see her, did you, Mam?’ Maddy looked surprised. ‘I didn’t know she lived around here.’
‘No, I haven’t seen her, I just wanted to give you an idea of what Greg Saunders’ mother is like. You know how big Vera was, well, Mrs Saunders is twice the size of her. And her language is twice as bad.’
‘I believe you’re exaggerating a little,’ George said. ‘No one could be twice the size of Mrs Webster, it’s impossible.’
‘Well, let’s say she’s half as big again. And where I found myself liking Vera, I couldn’t like this woman if I was paid to.’ Ann bustled out to the kitchen. ‘Anyway, the girls got their balls back and that’s what it was all about. Any more questions will have to wait until after I’ve put the dinner out, because I’m famished.’
It was two o’clock on Saturday when Lizzie called with George’s wages. And as usual she brought the living room to life with her loud voice and laughter. ‘That feller what took your place, George, is a real head case. He’s as thick as two short planks and can’t add up for nuts.’ She allowed Maddy to relieve her of her coat before sitting down and holding her hands out towards the fire. ‘There’s a cold wind coming in from the Mersey and yer can’t half feel it down by the docks. I’m frozen through to me marrow. And we’re only into October, so God help us when winter sets in.’
‘Move closer to the fire, Lizzie,’ George said to the woman who had been more of a friend than anyone. She called at least one night through the week, and every Saturday. ‘You’ll soon thaw out.’
She gave her cheeky grin. ‘It’s the poor brass monkeys what I feel sorry for, George. Yer know what happens to them when it’s freezing.’
Tess was all ears. ‘What happens to the poor monkeys, Mrs Lizzie?’
‘Nothing bad happens to them,’ George said quickly, before the woman could say something that would horrify his wife. He could feel a chuckle deep inside him, but Ann wouldn’t think it a bit funny. ‘It’s just that they don’t have very thick fur to protect them from the cold.’
‘That’s just what I was going to say.’ Lizzie was thinking she’d nearly come a cropper there. ‘But yer dad beat me to it.’
Maddy had heard the expression about brass monkeys, because the girls in school used it and you couldn’t go around with your ears closed. But her parents wouldn’t appreciate that school was a place where you learned many things that weren’t taught by the teacher. ‘I didn’t know that, Mrs Lizzie. The poor things must hate the winter coming.’
‘Why can’t someone give them coats to wear?’ Tess asked. ‘And gloves and scarves, then they’d be nice and warm.’
‘Never mind worrying about monkeys,’ Ann said. ‘You want to go to Woolworth’s and I have my shopping to get in. So hurry and put your coats on, and scarves.’
‘Going to the Vale, are yer, Ann?’
‘Yes, there’s more selection there than the shops around here. But you stay by the fire and keep warm, we won’t be very long.’
‘I’ll stay for half an hour and have a natter to George,’ Lizzie told her. ‘But I’ll be gone before you get back ’cos I need some shopping meself. I’ll see yer through the week, though, as usual.’
When they were alone, Lizzie asked, ‘What did the doctor have to say this week, George?’
‘Same as last week, I’m doing fine but he won’t sign me off until the week after next. And that’s only if he feels sure I’m fit.’
‘How d’yer feel in yerself? Do you feel up to it?’
‘Some days I feel on top of the world, but I have the odd days when I don’t seem to have any energy. Still, in another two weeks I�
��ll be as right as rain.’
‘Ye’re going back to a light job, that’s a blessing. No heavy lifting, just walking and making an inventory of what comes in, what’s in stock and what goes out. And it’s less hours so yer can have an extra half-hour in bed every morning.’
George leaned his elbows on his knees and sighed. ‘It’s also less money, Lizzie, and we’ll have a struggle to manage.’
‘Yeah, I think that’s bleeding lousy, I really do. Through no fault of yer own, yer spend weeks in agony and then go back to work on less pay. It just don’t seem right to me.’
‘It could have been worse, Lizzie, I could have ended up in a wheelchair for life.’
‘Yeah, there’s that way of looking at it. And yer’ll get by, it’s just a case of cutting down on everything. After a while it becomes a way of life.’
‘I suppose so. Anyway, Lizzie, tell me about the bloke who’s got my job.’
‘His name’s Phil Easton, in his thirties, married with three kids. He’s as thin as a beanpole, with sandy hair and a pale face. He’s a nice enough bloke, but as I said, he’s as thick as two short planks. Definitely tuppence short of a shilling. Take yesterday, for instance, I was going to the chippy for the men. With the weather being colder most of them don’t bring sandwiches, they’d rather have something hot. He’d heard me asking all the men what they wanted, and it was the same as usual for all of them. A pennyworth of chips and a pennyworth of scallops. When I got to Bill, he said chips and scallops and the queer feller said he’d have the same. And he gave me a thrupenny joey. When I got back, I gave him his bag wrapped in newspaper and a penny change. Then he said I’d made a mistake, he should have tuppence change. I tried to keep me patience, and explained that two one pennies made tuppence and he was only entitled to one penny change. But would he have it? Would he buggery! He said he’d heard, with his own ears, Bill saying a penn’orth of chips and scallops and he’d said he’d have the same. I talked till I was blue in the face, and me own chips were getting cold. The men were standing around laughing their heads off, they thought it was hilarious. At least they thought it was until I blew my top and then they moved away. I was just about to clock this Phil one, when Bill came along and he tried to explain to the stupid nit that I wasn’t diddling him. What a bloody performance it was, all over a penny.’
George could see the scene in his mind’s eye, with Lizzie shaking a fist and getting more angry and red-faced by the minute. And he knew he would have found it funny, but he kept his face straight. ‘How did it end up, did Bill convince him?’
‘Did he hell! Nothing would convince the silly bugger that I wasn’t trying to do him out of a penny. So it ended up, George, with me opening his parcel and counting the bleeding chips and scallops into two piles on the newspaper. And he actually stood there and counted with me! That’s when I really lost me rag, and I did no more than pick the lot up and emptied it over his head. He’ll not ask me again to get anything from the chippy, I can tell yer.’
George chuckled. Oh, he’d be glad to get back to work to have a laugh with his mates.
Chapter Twelve
‘You don’t have to leave yet,’ Ann said as she watched her husband pulling on his coat. ‘Eight o’clock would give you plenty of time to get there.’
‘I don’t want to take a chance on being late on my first day back, love, it wouldn’t look too good.’ George suddenly remembered how he’d felt when he was fourteen and his mother was standing on the front step seeing him off to work on his first day. He’d been sick with excitement and apprehension. And that was the feeling he had now. The only difference being he was a forty-two-year-old man now, not a young boy. ‘I can’t walk as fast as I used to, so I’d rather give myself that bit of extra time.’
Maddy came running down the stairs, followed by Tess. When she saw her father ready to go out, she said, ‘We’re just in time for a kiss, Dad.’ And as she moved back to make way for her sister, she added, ‘I hope you get on all right at work.’
‘Yes,’ Tess told him, her face serious. ‘Remember what the doctor told you and don’t go lifting anything heavy.’
‘I’ll remember.’ George stroked their hair, which was ruffled after a night’s sleep. ‘Don’t forget, I’ll be home half an hour earlier. That’s one of the perks of the job.’
‘Let your dad be on his way now, girls, so he doesn’t have to rush. You get washed while I’m seeing him out and I’ll start your breakfast in a few minutes.’
George kissed his wife before stepping down on to the path. ‘I feel like a new boy, instead of someone who’s worked there for the last twenty-six years, except for the war years. I’m looking forward to seeing all my mates again and having a laugh, but I’ll be glad to get this first day over.’
‘Get the first half-hour over, love, and you’ll be fine. Just don’t try to do too much on your first day.’
George pulled the collar of his coat up to protect his ears against the cold wind. ‘I’ll see you tonight.’ With a wave of his hand he was off, and Ann watched until he’d turned the corner of the street before going back into the house. She knew he’d be all right because Lizzie had assured her she’d be keeping an eye on him and making sure he didn’t overdo things. And Ann had great faith in Lizzie.
George reported to the office as he’d been told to do, and was greeted warmly by the clerk and young typist. The clerk, Joe Brogan, had been with the firm as long as George and acted as book-keeper and wages clerk, while the young girl, Irene, did the typing and filing. ‘Glad to be back, are yer, George?’ Joe asked, his dark hair showing more white than George remembered, and he was getting quite a paunch. ‘I bet yer missed the old place, eh?’
‘I didn’t for the first few weeks, Joe, I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. But once I was on my feet I did. I missed all my mates, the smell of the Mersey and being busy. Right now, though, I feel like a loose end not knowing what I’m supposed to do.’
‘The man who’s doing the job now will show yer the ropes. He’s a friend of Mr Fisher and only came to help out until you were fit again. Proper gent he is, yer’ll like him.’ Joe grinned as he pointed to the man just coming through the door. ‘Speaking of the devil, here he comes, the man himself.’
George tried to hide his surprise as he shook hands with the man, who was introduced as Mr Hancock. He was much older than George, probably in his late sixties, slight of figure with sparse white hair. ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Mr Hancock.’
‘Call me Albert, and I’ll call you George, it sounds much more friendly.’ The man’s smile was kindly. ‘I can see you’re wondering what on earth an old codger like me is doing here. Well, my friend Mr Fisher asked me to fill in as a favour. I used to work in a solicitor’s office but have been retired now for some five years.’ It was obvious he was an educated man, well spoken and wearing a suit that, although showing wear, was made of the finest cloth. ‘I have enjoyed my stint here, but won’t be sorry to go back into retirement when you have settled into the job. And my wife will be very happy, she misses having me around to boss.’
‘I hope I won’t be a disappointment to you, Albert,’ George said. ‘I’m usually quite quick at picking things up, but this job is completely new to me.’
‘It was new to me, but it only took me a week to find my feet, it’s really very easy. I’ve found myself an old desk just outside this office, and I think it would be helpful if you and I sit down and I’ll go through this with you.’ Albert patted a thick hardback book he had under his arm. ‘Shall we get started? We’ll work until the bell goes, then we’ll have a break and a cup of tea.’
When the book was opened, and George saw all the figures, he wished he was back lifting the heavy sacks. He’d never get his head around this in a month of Sundays. But he was soon to find Albert had a way of explaining things that made them easy to understand. And he possessed the patience of a saint. ‘If there’s anything you don’t understand, George, tell me and I’ll go over it with you a
gain. Don’t be afraid to speak out.’
George quickly decided there was no point in nodding and trying to look intelligent when he hadn’t a clue, there would be nothing to gain by that and he’d soon find himself in hot water. So anything he wasn’t sure of, he would query. And he was so wrapped up in what his brain was taking in, he was amazed when the bell rang. ‘Good grief, is that the time? That hour has just flown over.’
Albert grinned. ‘Are you any the wiser?’
‘Let’s say I’m beginning to see the light.’ George returned his grin. ‘You’re a very good teacher, Albert.’
‘A teacher is only as good as his pupil. Now, when we’ve had a drink, I’ll take you around and show you where I’ve gathered all these figures from.’
George leaned back in his chair. ‘I’m a little confused, so perhaps you can help me. I was told the bloke who had this job for years, Dave Pilkington, had been put on my old job as a temporary measure. Then last week I was told another man, Phil Easton, was doing my job. So what has happened to Dave? He hasn’t been sacked to make way for me, has he?’
‘No, he’s upstairs in the weighing department. And he’s quite happy because the pay is better. This job doesn’t pay very well, I’m afraid.’
‘I know, I’m going to feel the pinch. But it’s a job, and there’s many a man would be glad of it.’
‘Ah, I see we’re being done proud today, the lovely Lizzie is bringing our tea.’
Lizzie’s smile stretched from ear to ear. ‘It’s good to see yer back, George.’ She plonked two mugs on the desk before standing back and folding her arms. ‘George is me best mate, Mr Hancock. Me very own heart-throb.’
‘Watch it, Lizzie, you’ll be getting me a bad name. Don’t think I’m not flattered, though, because what man wouldn’t be?’
‘See, I told yer he was a real gent, didn’t I? He wouldn’t hurt no one’s feelings would George.’ Lizzie nodded to emphasise her point. ‘He’s a gentleman, just like yerself, Mr Hancock. Not like the rest of them, I can tell yer. One of them once said I had a backside as big as a hippopotamus, and before I had time to clout him one, his mate, the cheeky bugger, said I had a face to match! Now, that’s no way to talk to a lady, is it?’
