The Pride of Polly Perkins

by Joan Jonker

  Polly’s face was animated as she walked down the corridor beside Charles. She was so looking forward to seeing her father. He would never, ever let her down. They had reached the ward doors when Charles heard her cry out at the same time as she grabbed his arm and brought him to a halt. He followed her gaze and saw Ada sitting on the side of a bed halfway down the ward. She was holding hands with the man Charles presumed was Polly’s father, and the couple were smiling into each other’s faces. ‘No! How can she! How can she do that to me dad!’

  Charles was stunned. ‘Polly, what is it?’

  ‘I’m going, I don’t want to see her.’ Polly turned and fled, leaving Charles no alternative but to follow her. She ran as though she had wings on her heels and was standing beside the car before he caught up with her.

  ‘Polly, my dear, you must tell me what is wrong.’ Charles put an arm across her shoulders and could feel her shaking. ‘Why didn’t you want to see your mother?’

  ‘I can’t tell you, Mr Charles,’ Polly sobbed. ‘But I don’t ever want to see her again.’

  ‘I can’t believe you mean that, my dear. You love your mother very much and she adores you. What has she done to make you behave this way?’

  ‘I used to love her, but I don’t any more.’

  ‘Nonsense! You don’t fall out of love with anyone unless they’ve done something very bad to hurt you, and I’m sure your mother would never do that.’

  ‘She has!’ Polly wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. ‘But I don’t want to talk about it, Mr Charles.’

  ‘You must talk about it or you’ll make yourself very ill.’ Charles opened the car door. ‘I’m going to take you home and I insist you tell my wife and I what is worrying you so much. I’m quite sure that somewhere along the line there has been a misunderstanding, and in your mind it’s been blown up out of all proportion. Now hop in the car, my dear. The sooner we get it sorted out, the sooner we’ll see a smile back on that pretty face of yours.’

  Ada ran a finger over the veins in Tommy’s hand as she smiled at him. ‘I was out of me mind yesterday when Mr John said he’d been to see yer, in case he’d upset yer.’ She remembered her feelings of anger and dismay when John had explained he’d been totally honest with her husband and told him everything. In fact, she’d been so upset John had insisted she came to see Tommy today to put her mind at rest.

  ‘I wasn’t upset, love, I admired the bloke for his honesty.’ Tommy cocked his head. ‘You know he’s in love with yer, don’t yer?’

  ‘We’ve been good for each other, Tommy, and I’ll not deny it. But there’s never been any question about it going any further than that. My heart belongs to you and always will do.’ Even as she said it, Ada knew that there would always be a place in her heart for John. He’d been so good, so kind, had always been there for her … how could she not love him for those things?

  ‘Aye, he told me that, an’ all! He was very straight, said I didn’t know how lucky I was to have a wife like you and two lovely children. In fact, he went as far as to say I shouldn’t be lying here waiting to die, I should buck me ideas up and get better.’

  Ada’s jaw dropped. ‘He didn’t!’

  ‘Perhaps not in those words, but what he said amounted to the same thing. And when he told me about the hard time you’d had, how often yer cried over me – well, I was glad that he’d been there to help yer.’ Tommy lowered his eyes. ‘If anything does happen to me, like say I didn’t make it, then Mr John would be good for you and the kids.’

  ‘Don’t you dare say that, Tommy Perkins! Yer can get that idea out of yer head right this minute! Me and the kids want you, nobody else, so make up yer mind yer going to get better.’

  ‘Like I told Mr John, love, I can’t just wave a magic wand. It’s out of my hands, what happens to me.’ He raised his eyes and Ada saw there was a brightness there she hadn’t seen for a long time. ‘By the way, did he tell you that when, or if, I get out of here, he’ll give me a job?’

  Ada nodded. ‘As a rent-collector. It would be just the job for yer, Tommy, out in the fresh air all day. It would do yer the world of good.’

  ‘I know, I’ve thought of nothin’ else since yesterday. It’s just a pity that the opportunity didn’t come up a few years ago.’

  Ada gently slapped the hand she was holding. ‘Stop looking on the black side, Tommy Perkins, and get it into yer head that it’s not too late. You’ve got an aim in life now, so start fighting, sweetheart, for me and Polly and Joey.’

  Lucy put the tray down and looked towards Victoria. ‘Shall I pour the tea, ma’am?’

  Victoria dismissed her with a wave of her hand. ‘I’ll see to it, Lucy. You may go.’

  Once the door was closed behind the maid, Charles took a seat on the settee next to Polly. The girl was sitting with her head bent and her hands folded on her lap. ‘Now, Polly, won’t you tell us what your mother is supposed to have done that is so wrong?’

  Polly shook her head, and in a low voice said, ‘I can’t, Mr Charles.’

  ‘If you don’t tell us, my dear, we can’t help. And we do so want to help you.’

  When Polly shook her head and remained tight-lipped, Charles looked at his wife and shrugged his shoulders. He saw her mouth the words, ‘Let me sit next to her,’ and he pushed himself from the settee and moved across to his chair.

  Victoria offered the china cup and saucer. ‘Drink this, Polly, it will make you feel better.’

  When Polly lifted her face, tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheeks to fall in drops on her dress. ‘It won’t make me feel better – nothing will!’

  Seeing the girl looking so agitated and distraught, Victoria handed the drink to Charles and sat herself next to Polly. ‘There now, my dear,’ she drew her into her arms, ‘you have a good cry and when when you feel able, you must tell my husband and I what is causing such distress.’

  Polly laid her head on Victoria’s breast, and when she felt the comforting arms enfold her, she gave way to her tears. Her sobs were so heartbreaking, Victoria was herself moved to tears. She could feel them running down her cheeks to add to the damp patch on her light beige shot-silk dress.

  Charles watched in silence, wanting to help but not knowing how. He could feel himself becoming emotional too, and sipped on the cup of tea he was holding, hoping to move the hard lump that was forming in his throat. He saw Polly wiping at the tears with her hand and took a handkerchief from his pocket. ‘Here you are, my dear, wipe your eyes.’

  Polly took the hankie and dabbed at her face. It seemed her whole world had been turned upside down and she had no one to turn to. As her mind tried to sort out the sequence of events that had led to this, her tears ceased to flow and her racking sobs became hiccups. She was still in the comfort of Victoria’s arms, where she felt safe and wanted. The Denholmes are so good to me, she thought. They are the only real friends I have now. It was this thought that decided her.

  Polly drew back her head and looked into Victoria’s eyes. In a low voice she said, ‘I saw Mr John with his arms around me mam, and he was kissing her.’ Her voice grew stronger when she cried, ‘He had no right to do that, and me mam’s as much to blame for letting him.’

  Victoria gasped in horror, then glanced over to see Charles leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. ‘Oh no, my dear, you must have been mistaken!’

  Polly’s head shook vigorously. ‘I saw them! They didn’t see me, but I stood and watched them. Then I ran away and was sick in the entry.’

  ‘You should have told us this before, Polly,’ Charles said, ‘instead of making yourself ill. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for what you think you saw, and if you’d mentioned it right away you would have been spared all this heartache.’

  Victoria put a finger under the girl’s chin and lifted her face. ‘Is this why you haven’t seen your boyfriend for over a week?’

  ‘No!’ Polly pulled her head free and dropped it to stare at her hands. ‘Steve’s
fallen out with me.’ Her voice choked, she told them, ‘It was on the same day, too. Everything seemed to happen at once and I couldn’t bear it.’

  ‘Why has Steve fallen out with you?’ Charles asked. ‘Did you have a quarrel?’

  ‘He wants me to go back home to live, and he wouldn’t listen when I tried to explain. He thinks if I stay here I’ll get too big for me boots, and he won’t be good enough for me. I didn’t tell him about me mam and Mr John, I wasn’t ever going to tell anyone, so I couldn’t tell him that I’ll never live at home again unless me dad comes out of hospital. I wouldn’t be happy living in the same house as me mam, not after what I’d seen.’

  Clutching the handkerchief, Polly looked at Charles, and the unhappiness in her eyes touched his heart. ‘Steve just said we were finished and he walked off and left me. It was terrible, Mr Charles. I didn’t know what to do, who to turn to. Now I’ve lost everyone … I won’t even be able to see our Joey again, and I can’t go down to see Sarah Jane or Irish Mary in case Steve is there.’

  ‘Do you miss your mother, Polly?’ Charles asked, his voice soft. ‘And Steve?’

  ‘I miss them terrible.’ Her nerves shattered, Polly began to smooth out the handkerchief on her lap. ‘But none of it was my fault, Mr Charles, I didn’t do anything wrong. In a way I can understand Steve ’cos I’d broken a promise, but he should have been more understanding. He can’t have everything his own way, that’s being childish. But what me mam and Mr John were doing was bad, and I’ll never forgive them.’

  ‘Polly, when you are young a tiny insignificant incident can be magnified a hundred times in your mind, until it becomes a disaster. As you grow older you will learn through experience that the only way to deal with a problem is head-on. Talk to the person, or persons involved, tell them of your fears or suspicions and ask for an explanation. It is only fair to those people that you do that.’ Charles took out his fob-watch and feigned surprise at the time. He gave his wife a look which asked that she didn’t query what he was about to say. ‘Look, I should have met a colleague half an hour ago, so I must leave you for a short while. When I get back we’ll talk some more.’

  ‘I’m sorry to be such a nuisance to yer, Mr Charles,’ Polly said, looking very young and vulnerable. ‘I bet you and Mrs Denholme would be glad to see the back of me.’

  ‘Nonsense!’ Victoria took the girl in her arms once more. ‘You are like one of our family and we care deeply what happens to you. When you are happy, we are happy; when you are sad, we too are sad.’

  She waved her husband off. ‘Try not to be too long, darling.’

  John was sitting at his desk checking an account book when he cocked his head. Was that someone shouting or was he hearing things? He laid his pencil down and pushed his chair back. Someone was definitely shouting, or talking rather loudly. He walked out to the landing and, peering over the bannister, he was pleasantly surprised to see Agnes struggling up the stairs, muttering darkly with each step.

  John quickly ran to the kitchen to alert Ada and Fanny. ‘Just come and see who’s come to visit us.’

  The three were at the top of the staircase when Aggie finally reached it. ‘These bleedin’ stairs don’t get any less, do they? I’ve slogged me flamin’ guts out gettin’ up here – and what sort of a welcome do I get? Three silly sods grinnin’ like gormless idiots.’

  Fanny pushed her mobcap back, a look of sheer pleasure on her thin face. ‘If you were standin’ here with us, there’d be four silly sods grinnin’ like gormless idiots.’

  ‘There wouldn’t, yer know,’ Aggie huffed, ‘’cos I haven’t got enough energy to grin, so there! Another couple of bleedin’ steps an’ yer’d have been burying me from here. Bloody murder they are!’

  ‘Wasn’t it worth the effort to see three of yer best mates?’ Ada asked, with a look of tenderness for the woman she’d grown to love. ‘We’re all glad to see you, even though you are moaning an’ groaning.’

  ‘Perhaps when I get me breath back I’ll be glad to see yer, but right now I’m puffed out.’

  John took her arm. ‘Come and sit on the couch and we’ll ask Fanny to make a nice cup of tea.’

  Aggie had enough strength to pull her arm free. ‘Sod that for a lark, Mr John. I came here for a bit of gossip an’ I’ll not get any perched on your bleedin’ couch, that’s a dead cert.’

  Fanny cackled. ‘Come on, girl, into the kitchen with yer. Yer can sit on the stool while I make yer a drink and tell yer about one of me neighbours who’s havin’ it off with the milkman.’

  ‘Go ’way!’ Aggie winked at John as she followed her friend. ‘See what I mean, Mr John? Now you couldn’t come up with anythin’ to beat that, could yer?’

  Ada and John shook their heads as they watched the two women disappear into the kitchen. ‘What would you do with them?’ John asked.

  ‘I know what I shall do,’ Ada grinned. ‘I intend to find out what’s going on between this neighbour and the milkman.’

  ‘And I refuse to be left out,’ John said. ‘So lead on, my dear, I’ll be right behind you.’

  Now that she had an audience, Fanny was in her apple-cart. Her facial expressions and her gestures spoke volumes as she exaggerated the story out of all proportion. ‘Her feller leaves for work at half-past seven, her kids leave for school at half-eight, and at nine o’clock the bold laddo is sneaking in her back door! They don’t think anyone knows about it but she’s the talk of the street.’

  ‘Perhaps she’s asked for an extra pint of milk,’ Aggie said, keeping her face straight. ‘I mean, it doesn’t do to jump to conclusions.’

  There was a look of disgust on Fanny’s face. ‘Oh, she’s asked for somethin’ extra, all right, but it ain’t milk and it don’t come in a bottle!’ Her thin shoulders began to shake. ‘I’ve heard it called some things, but never a bottle! Anyway, whatever he gives her puts a smile on her face that lasts all day.’

  Aggie’s face was the picture of innocence as she asked, ‘Do you get yer milk off him, Fanny?’

  Now the little woman’s whole body was shaking with laughter. ‘Not at the moment, but there’s six of us in the street changin’ to him from next Monday.’

  ‘Six of yer!’ Aggie cried. ‘Yer’ll kill the poor feller between the lot of yer!’

  ‘Can yer think of a better way for him to die?’

  Gales of laughter greeted Charles Denholme. He’d called out on his way up the stairs but when there was no answer he’d followed the noise. ‘Well, this is a happy little scene.’

  ‘Charles, my dear fellow!’ John took a hankie from his breast pocket and wiped his streaming eyes. ‘Come on in.’

  Despite the unpleasant task ahead of him, Charles couldn’t help smiling. ‘Has Aggie been telling you one of her dirty jokes?’

  Fanny gasped. Hands on her narrow hips, she glared. ‘Hey, it was me what told the joke. I’m not havin’ her steal me bleedin’ limelight!’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Fanny, please forgive me.’ Charles bowed from his waist. ‘Am I allowed to hear this joke?’

  Fanny’s face brightened. ‘Well, it’s this neighbour of mine, yer see. She’s havin’ it off with the ruddy milkman! An’ as I was—’

  Ada cut in. ‘I don’t think Mr Denholme would be interested in your milk deliveries, Fanny. Perhaps it would be better if Mr John told him, man to man, like.’

  ‘A good idea,’ John said. ‘We’ll go into the office, shall we, Charles?’

  His friend nodded. ‘I don’t have much time and there’s something I want to discuss with you.’

  ‘Shall I bring a drink through?’ Ada asked. ‘Tea or whisky?’

  ‘Thank you, Ada, but no. I really am tied for time.’

  ‘Then let’s not waste any.’ John motioned for Charles to follow him, and when they were seated at his desk, he asked, ‘What is it, Charles?’

  ‘I find myself in a very embarrassing situation, John. I thought very carefully before coming to see you, but there was really no alternative.
I have Polly’s welfare at heart and at the moment, although she is not sick physically as you have been led to believe, she is very disturbed mentally.’

  Charles sat back in the chair and crossed his legs. ‘It’s been clear for a week now that she was worried and upset about something, but it wasn’t until this morning that we could get her to open up and talk about it. I would be grateful if you would hear me through.’

  John remained silent while his friend related everything that Polly had told him, but his expression showed that he was shocked to the core.

  Charles finished by saying, ‘To end her day, her boyfriend Steve told her they were finished because she wouldn’t go back home to live. And the child has been existing for a week with all that on her mind.’

  John shook his head sadly. ‘If only she’d stayed and confronted us, we’d have been able to explain and put her mind at rest. Yes, I did have my arms around Ada, as I have done on many occasions. She’d been to visit her husband the day before and was in a state of distress. I was comforting her, Charles, as you yourself would have done. Oh, I admit I have loving feelings for Ada, but I can promise you there has never been any impropriety. If you knew Ada, there would be no need for me to tell you that.’

  John leaned his elbows on the desk and was thoughtful for a while. Then he said, ‘I have told her husband everything. He knows I have held and kissed his wife, and he understands that she needed someone to lean on.’

  Charles’s jaw dropped. ‘You told her husband!’

  ‘I may be many things, Charles, but a complete bounder I am not. I love Ada, but I don’t want her at the expense of another man’s life. And Tommy is the man whom Ada loves. She was upset that day because she said he didn’t seem to want to get better. So I took it upon myself to visit him in hospital and I told him a few home truths. I even offered him a job as a rent-collector when he comes out, hoping that will be an incentive for him to fight for his life.’

  ‘I don’t know what to say, John. I’m at a loss for words.’ Charles let out a deep sigh. ‘In your position, I doubt if I would be as generous. I am full of admiration for you.’