A Family's Heartbreak

by Kitty Neale

  ‘The silly old bat is getting so forgetful I doubt she noticed.’

  Coming downstairs had taken its toll on Jenny. She was tired and didn’t have the energy to argue with Gloria but knew her gran would be beside herself with worry. It was painful just to stand up, so Jenny knew she wouldn’t be able to walk there. It was pointless asking Gloria to go, but she’d send Pamela to see her tomorrow.

  Gloria sipped her tea then studied her painted fingernails while Jenny watched, thinking that her father was right. Gloria was very much like their mother. Both were vain and self-centred, though she hoped that, without their mother around to influence her, Gloria would lose some of her selfish streak. Once again Jenny had to admit that Gloria had stepped up since she came home from hospital, and for that she was grateful, but to leave their gran to fret showed there was still some way to go.

  At six o’clock, Craig packed up his tools and prepared to go home, though he wasn’t looking forward to spending yet another weekend alone. As he padlocked the door to his furniture workshop, he thought again how lucky he was to have found the place. Mr Rendall owned the small building and had worked in it for years, but since his retirement he’d been happy to rent it to Craig.

  When he arrived home and walked into the house, Craig paused briefly outside Edith’s door. He hadn’t seen her for a while, or Jenny. They’d arranged another date, and he’d been more than disappointed when Jenny stood him up. He shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, he didn’t think any pretty young woman in their right mind would want to be lumbered with a deaf boyfriend.

  He’d avoided Edith since then, but as he was about to walk upstairs, on impulse he turned back and knocked on her door. It wasn’t the old woman’s fault that Jenny wasn’t interested in him, he thought as he knocked again, harder this time. He waited a minute or two, but when Edith didn’t come to the door, worry began to niggle at him. Edith was almost always at home and he had a feeling that something wasn’t right. He hammered the door now and called out her name. The door had a lock but no letterbox, so when there was still no response he dashed outside and peered through her front room window. It wasn’t easy to see much through Edith’s net curtains, but panic rose when he spotted her legs. She looked as if she was lying in the doorway, but her top half was obscured.

  ‘It’s all right, Edith,’ Craig shouted, ‘I’m coming.’

  He ran back inside and threw his shoulder at her door, but it didn’t budge. Then, as his mind raced, he darted upstairs and a few moments later came back down with a crowbar. ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to get this door open,’ he shouted.

  Thankfully, with leverage, it gave way and Craig ran up the small hallway and almost slid to his knees beside Edith. She was flat on her back and he couldn’t see her chest moving. If she was breathing, it was very shallowly.

  ‘Edith,’ he said, gently shaking the old woman and silently praying that she was alive, ‘Edith, it’s me, Craig. Can you move?’

  To his relief, she groaned and slowly opened her eyes. ‘Oh … Craig … I’ve had a bit of a fall,’ she croaked weakly, and grasped his hand.

  He couldn’t see any signs of obvious injury. ‘I can see that. Do you think you’ve broken anything?’ he asked.

  ‘No, I … I think I’m all right.’

  ‘Shall we see if I can help you up?’

  ‘Yes,’ she agreed.

  ‘Good, come on then, gently does it,’ Craig said as he eased Edith to a sitting position. ‘Right, good, stay there a moment and I’ll get you a glass of water.’

  Craig left Edith and rushed to her kitchen then returned with the refreshment. ‘Here you go, sip slowly on this,’ he said, offering her the glass.

  Edith gulped a few mouthfuls, then said, ‘I’ve been lying here since yesterday. I was banging and shouting as loud as I could, but of course you couldn’t have heard me. Silly old sod, aren’t I?’

  ‘No, and I’m so sorry. Do you think you can stand up or should I call the doctor, or an ambulance?’

  ‘I don’t need an ambulance, or the doctor. I just feel a bit dizzy, that’s all. Perhaps you could pop around to Jenny’s for me? Ask her if she, or one of the other girls, can come here to look after me tonight.’

  ‘Yes, of course, but if you’re feeling dizzy perhaps you really should see the doctor.’

  ‘No, Craig, there’s no need to make a fuss. I just tripped over, nothing to worry about. Now, take this glass and give me a hand up.’

  The woman looked frail, but Craig liked her spirit. She was made of strong stuff and wasn’t prepared to let a little fall faze her. ‘What’s Jenny’s address?’ he asked. ‘I’ll make you a cup of tea then go straight there. I’m not sure she’ll be too pleased to see me, though. We were supposed to be going out again the week before last, but she didn’t turn up.’

  ‘Didn’t she? That’s not like her. In fact, I haven’t seen her since you two went off to see a film. I’ve been worried sick that she hasn’t been in to see me. The other kids don’t call in that often, but Jenny always comes at least once a week. I hope everything’s all right.’

  Craig managed to get Edith into her armchair. ‘I’m sure it is. Jenny probably stayed away to avoid me.’

  ‘No, my Jenny isn’t like that. I hope her bleedin’ father hasn’t given her another good hiding. Pass me that pen and paper on the table please. I’ll write down the address while you make me that cuppa.’

  Craig couldn’t hear the urgency in Edith’s voice, but he noticed how worried she looked.

  ‘Sorry, Edith, did you say that her father hits her?’

  ‘Yes, he’s not been right since their mother walked out. But don’t say anything. She doesn’t like people to know.’

  Craig tried to get his head around what Edith had said. It was outrageous! He’d never understand how any man could hit a woman, let alone his own daughter. Jenny hadn’t told him about it, but he recalled how she’d tensed when he’d mentioned her father, then she’d quickly changed the subject. He hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but now it made sense. As he waited for the water to boil, he could feel his heart pounding faster at the thought of seeing Jenny again. He liked her. He liked her a lot and couldn’t stand the thought of her being hurt. Something had to be done. He didn’t know what, but there would be no way he’d stand by and allow anyone to ever lay a hand on her again.

  Jenny checked the clock. Their dad wasn’t home yet so she assumed he was in the pub. Pamela had come back with two very hungry and tired boys. Gloria had fed them and they were now tucked up in bed. Jenny sat back on the sofa with thoughts of Craig. She felt awful about not meeting him for their date but it’d been impossible to get word to him.

  Gloria broke into her thoughts, saying, ‘That’ll be another dinner wasted then.’

  ‘Keep it warm, he might eat it when he gets home,’ Jenny answered, though she doubted he would, he rarely did.

  ‘I think I’ll go up and read my book. Night, night,’ Pamela said quietly, and slipped from the room.

  ‘She’s been pissing the bed every blinkin’ night since Dad bashed you up, and I can’t stand it,’ Gloria hissed.

  ‘Pamela can’t help it. Maybe she should have my room until she stops, and I’ll share with you.’

  ‘Why can’t I have your room and you share with Pam?’

  ‘No, Gloria, the idea is that if Pam has her own bed, she won’t bother anyone when she has her accidents.’

  ‘But it isn’t only Pam. I hate sleeping in a room with the boys. Peter’s always crying for Mum and Timmy has nightmares, waking us all up.’

  ‘Well, I’m sorry, but there are only three bedrooms and my room isn’t big enough to swing a cat. You’ll have to put up with it and as soon as my ribs feel better, I’ll swap with Pam,’ she said. Any further protests from Gloria were halted by a knock on the door.

  ‘I’ll get it. It’ll probably be Joan next door on the cadge for some tea or milk again.’

  While Gloria went to answer t
he door, Jenny strained to hear what was said. She hoped her sister would be polite to Joan, who was really struggling since her husband had been laid off. She could hardly believe her ears when she recognised Craig’s voice. Her stomach flipped.

  ‘Hello, I’m Craig. Is Jenny at home, please?’

  ‘Yes, just a minute.’

  Gloria came back into the room all wide-eyed and smiley. ‘There’s a good-looking bloke at the door for you,’ she said teasingly.

  ‘I know! I heard! It’s Craig! What’s he doing here?’

  ‘I don’t know, shall I invite him in?’

  ‘No, I’ll come out. I don’t want Dad to come home and find him in here. Oh gawd, look at the state of me,’ she exclaimed as she stood up and tried to straighten her old dress before walking tentatively down the hallway, eager to see Craig, yet also dreading it. She was also conscious that her cheeks would be glowing bright red.

  ‘Jenny, hello.’ Craig smiled.

  Jenny thought her heart had missed a beat at the sight of him. ‘Hello,’ she answered shyly. She heard a muffled giggle and guessed that Gloria was probably standing behind the door, trying unsuccessfully to suppress her mirth as she eavesdropped on them.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind me calling like this, but your gran has had a bit of a fall and asked me to come round. Oh, blimey, are you all right? You look like you’ve been in the wars too.’

  ‘I … I’m nearly better now, but what about my gran? Is she all right?’

  ‘She hasn’t broken any bones, but it’s left her a bit weak and dizzy. She’s hoping you, or one of your sisters, would stay the night with her.’

  ‘Oh, no! Poor Gran! Are you sure she hasn’t broken anything?’

  ‘She seems fine, just but a bit shaky. She tripped over and couldn’t get herself back up. She’s a bit unsteady on her feet at the moment though and that’s why she’d like someone with her.’

  ‘Yes, of course. I won’t bother to ask my sister Gloria, she’ll only make some excuse not to go, but I’ll send Pamela straight over. In fact, as it’s dark now, would you mind if she walked back with you?’

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘Gloria, I know you’re there, so go and tell Pam to pack an overnight bag. Tell her to hurry up.’

  Gloria emerged sheepishly from behind the door and flashed Craig a smile before running upstairs.

  ‘How have you been?’ Craig asked.

  ‘Not bad, thanks. Look, I’m sorry about the other week.’

  ‘It’s all right, I understand,’ Craig answered.

  ‘No, I don’t think you do. I did want to go out with you, but after the accident I was kept in hospital for a few days.’

  ‘An accident? What happened?’

  ‘I fell down the stairs. Silly really, just missed my footing,’ Jenny said. She didn’t like telling him lies but couldn’t bring herself to reveal the awful truth. ‘I fractured a couple of ribs and I’ve been in bed since I was sent home. I’m a lot better now though and this is my first day up.’

  ‘That sounds painful, Jenny, but I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better. Your gran will be pleased to know that it wasn’t your father again.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Shit, sorry, I wasn’t meant to say anything. Edith was worried, she told me about your dad.’

  ‘Oh, I see. Well, she shouldn’t have, and as it happens, the accident had nothing to do with my father,’ Jenny replied, and lowered her eyes. She was embarrassed and didn’t want Craig to see that she’d been untruthful.

  ‘She didn’t mean any harm, but Jenny, does this mean that when you’ve fully recovered I can take you out again?’

  Jenny wanted to shout yes please! – there was nothing she would like more. Instead she shyly nodded her head.

  ‘Great, well, when you’re ready, I’ll take you out to dinner.’

  When Pamela came downstairs, Jenny turned to her and said, ‘Give Gran my love and tell her I’ll call in to see her as soon as I can.’

  ‘Yeah, all right,’ Pam agreed.

  ‘See you soon, Jenny,’ Craig husked, smiling softly.

  She felt her cheeks flush, and before closing the door, stammered, ‘Y-yes, see you.’

  As they walked back along the hall, Gloria smiled and said, ‘He really fancies you.’

  ‘Stop it, we’re just friends.’

  ‘Pull the other leg, it’s got bells on it. I only got the tail end of what was said when I came downstairs with Pam, but from what I heard it sounds like you’ve arranged another date?’

  ‘Yes, we have, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.’

  ‘Why on earth not?’

  ‘If Dad does this to me again, I’m not sure how Craig would react. It’s not fair to involve him in my problems.’

  ‘Your problem is that you think too much. Just go out with the man and enjoy yourself.’

  ‘Maybe, but I can’t think about it now. I’m tired, Gloria, and I’m going to bed.’

  ‘Righto, nighty night.’

  Jenny wearily climbed the stairs to her room. She wished Gloria had called in to see their gran when she’d been asked to, but at least Pamela would be with her now. She undid the buttons on her dress and allowed it to fall to the floor then stepped into her winceyette nightclothes. It was easier to pull the nightdress up than put it over her head.

  She slowly climbed into bed, with thoughts of Craig flying around her mind. It had thrilled her to see him again, and though it was against her better judgement, she liked the idea of going to dinner with him. Maybe she should take Gloria’s advice to just go out with the man and enjoy it. As long as she kept Craig and her father apart, surely it would be all right?

  Even though it was almost dark, Pamela would have preferred to walk alone to her gran’s flat. She felt awkward with Craig and hoped he wouldn’t talk to her. Jenny had already told her to make sure he could see her lips, so he’d be able to understand what she was saying, but she still didn’t feel comfortable.

  ‘How old are you, Pamela?’ Craig asked.

  Oh no, she thought, he’d gone and asked her a question. She turned her face to look at him, then answered, ‘Thirteen.’

  ‘Thirteen, a ripe old age. Do you know what you want to do when you leave school?’

  ‘I dunno. Work in a factory, I suppose, like my sister.’

  ‘A factory, eh? Have you ever thought about doing anything else?’

  This wasn’t as bad as Pamela had thought it was going to be. Craig understood everything she said. ‘I did think about hairdressing, but I really want to be a fashion designer, like Mary Quant. Fat chance though. Things like that don’t happen to girls like me.’

  ‘Don’t say that, you never know what the future holds. Who’s Mary Quant? I’ve never heard of her.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Pamela said, smiling.

  She found herself warming to Craig and decided she quite liked him. They were soon at her gran’s, and she was pleased to see the old woman was mostly unharmed from her ordeal. ‘Can I get you anything, Gran?’

  ‘Yes, love, a cup of hot milk and a couple of aspirins. It might help me to sleep.’

  Pamela scuttled off to the kitchen, but she could still hear what was being said in the living room.

  ‘How was Jenny?’ her gran asked.

  ‘She’s as bad as you, Edith. She’s taken a tumble down the stairs and that’s why she hasn’t been to see you for a while.’

  ‘Stairs, my arse! Is that what she told you?’

  ‘Yes, why, don’t you believe her?’

  ‘No, I bloody don’t! You can bet your last farthing that her old man has given her what for. I’m telling you, Craig, if I was younger and fitter I’d skin that man alive.’

  As soon as Pamela returned to the lounge, her gran asked pointedly, ‘Did Jenny hurt herself badly when she “fell down the stairs”?’

  Pamela hated having to fib, but she’d promised her sister she wouldn’t tell anyone what really happened, though from what she�
��d just overheard they’d worked it out for themselves. ‘Yes, it was pretty bad. We had to get an ambulance for her. She wasn’t awake for a while … and … and it was really scary.’

  ‘Oh, sweetheart, it must have been terrifying for you all, especially Jenny. Was your dad at home? Did he call the ambulance?’

  Pamela suddenly felt she was being interrogated and hoped she wouldn’t crack under pressure. ‘Yes, er, no … he … er … he was out,’ she stuttered nervously.

  Her gran seemed to be scrutinising her, then asked, ‘Did he go out before or after Jenny fell down the stairs?’

  ‘I … I think it was before.’

  ‘Are you trying to hide something from me, young lady? I don’t know who you think you’re protecting, but I know when you’re fibbing to me.’

  Her gran’s voice was unusually stern, and Pamela could feel herself beginning to crumple. ‘Oh, Gran,’ she blurted and felt a sob catch in her throat. It was as if all the fear and sadness she’d bottled up for weeks were suddenly unleashed. ‘I thought he was going to kill her … I thought he was going to kill us all!’

  Pamela ran to Edith, dropped to her knees and then cried into her gran’s lap.

  Edith softly stroked her hair, and soothed, ‘It’s all right, love, you’re safe here.’

  Pamela wished she could stay in her gran’s flat forever, away from her father’s aggression and the pain he caused. It wasn’t possible, though: there was no room, and anyway, they all needed to escape, not just her.

  With her head still in the old woman’s lap, Pamela didn’t see her gran look up at Craig and silently mouth, ‘I’d like to kill the bastard.’

  Chapter 6

  Jenny hadn’t slept well. It wasn’t just the discomfort of her ribs that had kept her awake; she hadn’t been able to shift thoughts of Craig from her head. She managed to get out of bed and dressed and was about to creep downstairs when she heard a small voice.

  ‘Morning, Jen,’ chirped Timmy as he emerged from his bedroom, rubbing his eyes.

  ‘Good morning,’ Jenny answered quietly. ‘Is your brother still asleep?’