by Kitty Neale
‘Never mind that. You said you’ll be away. Where are you going?’ Jenny asked as she handed around cups of tea.
‘Spain, a small fishing village called Benidorm. Owen showed me some pictures … miles of golden sand and clear blue sea.’
‘Can we come?’ Peter begged.
‘I’m afraid not, darling.’
‘Mummy, I’ve only been to Margate. Where’s Spain?’ Timmy piped.
‘It’s a long way away and we’ll be travelling on an aeroplane! I’m a bit scared. I don’t understand how those big tubes of metal stay up in the sky. But, no, before you ask the same question as Peter, you won’t be able to come as you’d miss too much school.’
‘But school is boring,’ Timmy whined.
‘So, you said you’re going to be away for a few months?’ Gloria mused.
Edith could see the cogs of her granddaughter’s brain turning and knew where this line of questioning was going. She smiled wryly, thinking this could put Lizzie in an awkward situation.
‘Yes, Gloria, that’s right. Owen has booked us into a fabulous hotel. We fly out on Saturday and won’t be home until the end of March. I’m sorry I’m going to miss Peter’s and Pamela’s birthdays, but I’ll make it up to them when I get back.’
‘So Owen’s three-bedroom flat … is it going to be empty?’
‘Well … yes … apart from the cleaner who comes in twice a week.’
‘Seeing as it’s your fault we’re living here, just while you’re away, couldn’t we stay in Owen’s flat?’
As much as Edith was mortified by Gloria’s behaviour with a married man, she had to admire her audacity now. It would be interesting to see how Lizzie reacted.
Lizzie looked uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. ‘I … I … I erm … don’t know about that.’
Owen cleared his throat before saying, ‘I don’t see any reason why not.’
Lizzie’s eyes widened, she blinked and said, ‘Are you sure, sweetie?’
‘It seems ludicrous that your children are living here when there’s an empty flat available. That’s as long as you don’t mind, Mrs Austin?’
Owen had gone right up in Edith’s estimation and she smiled at the man. ‘I think it’s a lovely idea, and please call me Edith.’
‘If you pack your things, I’ll pick you up on Saturday before we fly out.’
‘We don’t have much, most of our stuff is still at Dad’s house,’ Gloria said.
‘Oh, I see,’ Owen said, now looking as uncomfortable as Lizzie had.
‘That’s very kind of you, and thank you, Owen. I’m afraid we can’t afford to offer much in the way of rent,’ Jenny said.
‘I wouldn’t hear of it,’ Owen replied.
Now that the man was showing some decency, Edith decided she’d like to know a bit more about him and fired questions at him about his occupation, his family and, finally, his age. She learned he was a retired accountant who had sold his successful accountancy firm. His mother was widowed, he had no living brothers or sisters and had never been married. When he told her he was seventy-two, Edith tried not to splutter her mouthful of tea across the room. She wasn’t a genius and it didn’t take one to guess that Lizzie was slyly waiting to get her grubby hands on Owen’s wealth.
‘Jenny, perhaps Owen would like a slice of my fruit cake?’ Edith said, warming to the old gentleman but thinking he was a fool.
‘No, thank you, we’d better be off. My mother will be expecting us for lunch. Edith, it has been a pleasure to meet you.’
‘Likewise,’ Edith replied.
‘Please don’t go, Mummy,’ Peter began to cry.
‘You heard your Uncle Owen, they’ve got to be somewhere else for now, but you’ll see Mummy next week,’ Edith soothed, and pulled the boy onto her lap.
Jenny saw them out, and as soon as she had closed the front door and walked back into the front room, Gloria and Edith broke out into giggles.
‘What’s so funny?’ Pamela asked, the first time she’d spoken since they’d arrived.
‘Your Uncle Owen …’ Edith said as tears of laughter streaked her face.
‘What about him?’
‘Oh … oh …’ Edith said, and tried to catch her breath. ‘It doesn’t matter, sweetheart, but … but take the boys into the bedroom and sort out a game for them to play.’
Pamela tutted as she walked off with the boys, and as soon as they were out of sight, Edith spluttered, ‘Can you believe he ain’t got a clue about your mother’s game?’
‘I know, and did you notice how she was trying to talk all posh?’ Gloria said.
‘What game?’ Jenny asked.
‘Well, love, if your mother sticks this one out, she could end up a wealthy woman!’
‘I doubt that. They never last,’ Jenny said.
‘Oh dear, there’s us laughing but you look down in the dumps,’ Edith said. ‘Are you all right, love?’
‘Yes … it’s just that this move will only be a temporary measure. When they come back, Owen will want us to move out.’
‘You don’t know that, love. He seems a nice bloke, and with three bedrooms he might let you stay.’
‘Two noisy boys and three girls. Huh, pigs might fly,’ said Gloria.
‘Maybe we should just stay here and save up the deposit to rent our own place as planned,’ Jenny said.
‘No, even if it’s temporary we should still move in and it’ll give Gran a break. We can still save. Owen said he doesn’t want any rent money from us,’ Gloria answered.
Edith eyed Gloria suspiciously. The girl had never shown concern for her before, so why now? Still, she had to admit having them staying had been disruptive. She was accustomed to peace and quiet, but now she was used to them, she’d probably miss them. She said, ‘If he wants you to move out when they return, you can always come back here.’
‘Thanks, Gran, but hopefully by then we’ll have enough saved to look for a place of our own.’
Edith saw Gloria flush, but had no idea why. At least Lizzie’s visit had eased the tension between the girls, and that was something, but she had a sinking feeling that Gloria was up to no good. She just didn’t know what.
Henry staggered outside with an empty whiskey bottle and squinted against the late-morning sun. His dirty shirt was unbuttoned, his feet bare and his face unshaven. He lifted the lid of his dustbin to discover it was full and hadn’t been emptied again. He was sure the rest of the street had empty bins and guessed his ex-colleagues were boycotting his house. ‘Wankers,’ he shouted, and threw the lid to one side. The sound of it clattering to the ground attracted the attention of his neighbour.
The elderly woman was sweeping her doorstep but stopped to call out, ‘The rent man has been around again, looking for you.’
‘He can fuck off!’
‘There’s no need for that, Henry. If you ain’t careful, you’ll find yourself on the streets.’
‘Fuck ’em … Fuck the lot of ya,’ Henry answered, and stumbled back indoors.
He threw himself onto the sofa and reached down the edge of the cushion in search of lost change. He found an old sweet, but no money. Not even enough for a bottle of beer. He looked around his front room in despair. The place was no longer a home, just a burden choking him. He couldn’t pay the rent or the bills and even if he did have money, he knew he’d spend it in the off-licence. Everything surrounding him was a cruel reminder of the terrible thing he’d done to Jenny, and now there was no whiskey left to blur the memory. He’d been ostracised by his friends from work and pushed out of a job he loved. His children had left and were never coming back. There was nothing for him here.
Henry stood up and swayed as he buttoned his shirt. It took him a while, but he managed, albeit unevenly. He found his boots and pulled them on but couldn’t be bothered to lace them. Then he grabbed his coat, stuck two fingers up to the house, and walked out.
Chapter 36
It was mid-week, and though Jenny and Gloria walked to work toge
ther, they’d done so in silence. Gloria refused to discuss anything to do with Brian, and Jenny had given up trying. It was Gloria who broke the silence. ‘We really need to think about picking our things up from Dad’s.’
‘I know, but to be honest I’ve avoided it because the thought of seeing him scares the life out of me.’
‘Maybe me and Pamela could go?’ Gloria offered.
‘No, I won’t have either of you put in that situation. I’ll do it.’
‘I don’t want you going there alone. I’ll come with you.’
Jenny thought about it for a while, then agreed. ‘Right then, let’s get it over with. We’ll go tonight on our way home from work.’
They carried on without any further conversation, but as they approached the factory gates, Jenny noticed that Thelma and Nora were outside. They were glaring at Gloria which made Jenny’s heart sink.
‘Here she is, the tart,’ Thelma said, her cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth as usual. Then she threw the cigarette on the ground in front of Gloria and stepped out to tread on it. ‘You’re the spit of your mother. She’s an old slag too,’ she sneered.
Gloria went to sidestep the woman, but Nora quickly moved in front of her.
‘Nothing to say for yourself?’ she asked snidely.
‘Not to the likes of you, no, I haven’t,’ Gloria answered calmly.
‘The likes of me? Did you hear the cheeky bitch, Thelma? We all know what you’ve been up to with Brian and it ain’t on.’
‘It’s none of your business.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong, see. His wife Sarah is my cousin so that makes it my business. And the women here, they all have a lot of time for Sarah. The same can’t be said for you.’
‘I couldn’t give two hoots about what you lot of gossiping old cows think. Move out of my way, or else.’
‘Or else what?’ Nora said, leaning towards Gloria.
Jenny could see the situation escalating, and quickly intervened. ‘Come on, that’s enough. You’re acting like kids fighting in the school playground. Nora, let Gloria pass before we’re all late for work.’
‘I’d stay out of it if I was you,’ Thelma warned.
‘Yeah, that’s right, Jenny, ’cos you might act all sweet and innocent but we all know you was up the duff and you weren’t married. They say it’s the quiet ones you’ve got to watch. If you ask me, you’re no better than your sister,’ Nora goaded.
Jenny felt as if the woman had shoved a knife into her heart but refused to allow her distress to show. Before she could say anything, she heard a loud crack, and gasped as Gloria slapped Nora across the face.
‘Don’t you ever talk about my sister like that,’ Gloria shouted, then roughly shoved Nora out of her way. ‘Jenny, come on,’ she ordered.
Jenny was shocked but quickly followed her sister.
‘Bloody interfering witches. Who do they think they are?’ Gloria said, clearly fuming.
‘I did warn you this would happen. I wonder how they found out?’
‘I dunno. Me and Brian have been careful not to be seen together. They’ve probably noticed him looking at me and are just jealous.’
Jenny didn’t think jealousy had anything to do with Nora and Thelma’s animosity and worried what was going to come next. If Nora and Thelma knew about Gloria, then she had no doubt that the whole factory knew too. As she took her clocking-on card, her hand was shaking, unlike Gloria, who acted blasé.
Gloria must have picked up on Jenny’s nerves and said, ‘Don’t worry about them. I won’t have them saying anything about you.’
Jenny wasn’t concerned for herself. She was anxious for Gloria and knew how the women could be. Walking onto the factory floor would be like entering the lion’s den.
Lizzie looked at the open suitcase on the bed. If she wanted to get the lid closed, she’d have to forgo taking so many outfits. She hadn’t realised how difficult it would be to pack for such a long holiday, and re-read her checklist.
Owen walked into the room and chuckled at the sight of the overflowing case.
‘It’s not funny,’ she told him. ‘I’ve got to leave some of these things behind, but I don’t know how I’ll manage without it all.’
‘How many pairs of shoes have you packed?’
‘Only seven. I’ve already taken out one pair of slippers.’
‘Seven? How can you possibly need fourteen shoes when you only have two feet?’
‘I need different styles for different outfits. You wouldn’t understand,’ Lizzie said and pouted.
‘I certainly don’t, and I’ll leave you to ponder your dilemma whilst I go to the bank to collect the pesetas. By the way, your passport arrived this morning. I’ve put it with mine in the bureau.’
‘How exciting! I’ve never had a passport before. I hope my picture has done me justice.’
‘It’s not a fashion shoot, Lizzie, it’s a legal document. Anyway, I’ll see you later.’
Lizzie waited until she heard the front door close then dashed through to the large lounge. Thankfully, Owen had left the key to the bureau in the lock. She eagerly opened the pull-down lid and soon found her passport on top of a pile of official-looking papers. She was pleased with the image of herself, especially as it made her look ten years younger.
Before she locked it away again, Lizzie had a quick nose at the rest of the documents. She found their flight tickets, some legal jargon about ownership of the property and Owen’s birth certificate. It was all very boring, but then her interest was piqued when she came across a long, white envelope with the words Last Will and Testament in fancy writing on it.
Lizzie pulled the will from the envelope. She knew she shouldn’t be looking but couldn’t resist. She quickly scanned the words, most of which she didn’t understand, then saw the sole beneficiary of Owen’s estate – Caroline Hancock.
‘Who the hell is Caroline Hancock?’ Lizzie said out loud and read the name again. She couldn’t recall Owen ever mentioning her, and as he’d never been married, she wondered if the woman was an ex-girlfriend. Lizzie’s lips were tight as she put the will back in the envelope. Whoever this woman turned out to be, Lizzie was determined that it would be her name on Owen’s will, not Caroline Hancock’s.
‘What did Miss Aston want?’ Jenny asked Gloria as they headed to their father’s house after a long day.
‘She told me not to bother to come to work tomorrow.’
‘Oh no, Gloria, that’s all we need! I told you seeing Brian would cause problems.’
‘Actually, it was nothing to do with Brian. It was Nora, she told Miss Aston about me slapping her.’
‘That’s still to do with Brian,’ Jenny said through pursed lips. ‘To tell you the truth, after today’s events I can’t say I’m looking forward to going back in tomorrow.’ There’d been snide comments all day from the women, though mostly directed at Gloria. Tina had confided in Jenny that the cat was out of the bag because Brian had been boasting about how easy Gloria was. Jenny had cringed when she’d heard and wondered if she should tell Gloria. Surely it would stop her seeing him?
‘Anyway, you don’t have to worry about me and Brian. It’s over,’ said Gloria.
‘Good, I’m glad you finally came to your senses. Better late than never, I suppose,’ Jenny answered with relief.
‘I didn’t come to my senses – he dumped me,’ Gloria said, though she didn’t appear too upset.
‘Oh, well, I hope you’ve learned your lesson and you’ll stay away from married men in the future.’
The look on Gloria’s face told Jenny that she was about to say something sarcastic, but both women stopped in their tracks and stared open-mouthed at their dad’s house.
‘What on earth …?’ Gloria muttered.
They quickened their pace and, as they drew closer, they saw their belongings stacked up on the pavement against the small garden wall.
‘He’s thrown all our stuff out! It’ll be ruined,’ Gloria said, aghast.
Jenny opened a bag to see her father’s clothes too, not just their things, and she looked at them, bewildered.
‘Your father did a bunk owing a load of rent money,’ a woman’s voice called out.
Jenny turned to see her neighbour. ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Boghurst. I don’t understand. Do you mean my dad’s moved out?’
‘Yes, like I said, he done a bunk. He walked out on Sunday, leaving the door wide open. He’d been hiding from the rent man for weeks and when they saw he’d left, they chucked out all your stuff. I’ve got a few bits indoors I saved for you, stuff I thought might be worth a few bob, but ’alf your things have already been pinched and the rest will be soaked through from the rain we had last night.’
Jenny couldn’t understand why her dad hadn’t paid the rent. He’d always made sure he was up to date. It didn’t sound like him. ‘Do you know where he is?’ she asked.
‘No, but he was stinking drunk again. From what I’ve seen he ain’t been sober since Christmas, and as he ain’t been going to work it’s no wonder he couldn’t cough up the rent money. The locks have been changed and I’ve heard there’s a new family moving in.’
‘Great!’ Gloria moaned as she continued to rummage. ‘So we can’t get in to get my perfume or nothing.’
‘Or the boys’ seesaw that Craig made for them, and the picture they painted for my birthday,’ Jenny whispered sadly.
‘Do you want to come in and pick up your bits?’ Mrs Boghurst asked.
‘Yes, thank you,’ Jenny replied. ‘I’ll just help Gloria to sort through the rest of this stuff, then we’ll be round.’
Together they sifted through the damp piles of clothes and broken toys. Whoever had put their belongings outside hadn’t taken any care. Jenny managed to find a few outfits for them that looked salvageable and stuffed them into a large bag they had borrowed from Tina. It was disappointing to find so many of their things ruined, but what they’d saved would have to do. Gloria grabbed the bag and said, ‘Let’s go and see what Mrs Boghurst has got.’
There wasn’t much, but Gloria was pleased to find her perfume and some make-up, along with her manicure set. There were a few toys too, in one piece, and, fortunately, Jenny’s birthday picture. She thanked the woman for saving them. They didn’t stay long, and between them they struggled home with the heavy bag of damp clothes, and the things Mrs Boghurst had rescued.
