For Better, For Worse

by June Francis

  Without further ado, Fergie resumed his place on Simon’s lap in the bath chair and Grace steered them onto the path that led to the bridge over the boating lake. There weren’t many people rowing, but there were some ducks and Canada geese which made a beeline for them as soon as several morsels of their bread crusts hit the water. The birds had not received such largesse for a long time as most families ate their bread down to the last crumb in these difficult times. But with only herself and her father, Grace had always managed to save some scraps for the birds, having a soft spot for sparrows and pigeons as well as ducks.

  Grace was enjoying herself not only because the sun was shining, the park looked lovely and she was having a break from housework, but because she had found her conversation with Simon interesting. She had wondered whether they would both find each other’s company boring, but it appeared not, and she had discovered a different side to the boy’s father. She would have liked to have seen Ben laughing at the ducks. Had it been Simon or Ben who had suggested a walk in the park on Christmas Day, both of them needing to leave the house which lacked a woman’s touch on that special day? She wondered what they had eaten, most likely it would not have been a traditional dinner with all the trimmings. That thought led her on to thinking about Dougie and what kind of Christmas he would have Down Under. Hopefully, he would have made some close friends by then and found a job, as it was four or so months off. Of course, he would meet other emigrants on the voyage. Would he get used to being without her or would he regret their parting?

  Grace was interrupted from her musings by a loud splash, and Simon shouting, ‘Dog overboard!’ She glanced at the boy and her startled eyes met his worried ones. He pointed through the metal bars of the railings to the lake and she leaned over and gazed down and saw Fergie scaring the ducks away as he paddled in the water. One of the geese, though, refused to give way and aimed a peck at him. He yelped and looked for a way to escape.

  ‘Damn and blast!’ exploded Grace. ‘How did he end up in the water?’

  ‘Sorry, he wriggled out and through the railings and must have overbalanced on the parapet,’ retorted Simon. ‘I had my arms folded and he was balanced on them. He’s not going to drown, though. He’s doggy-paddling.’

  ‘He still has to climb out of the water and he only has short legs,’ Grace said crossly, bending to put on the brake of the bath chair. But she was in such a hurry that she did not realise she had not put the brake on properly until she glanced back as she made her way down to the water’s edge. She quickly changed direction though when she realised the bath chair was moving down the other side of the bridge and picking up speed. Grace was running so fast down the other side of the bridge that she felt in danger of losing her balance and landing flat on her face. She noticed that fortunately there was a man heading towards the bridge and he looked poised to seize hold of the bath chair and bring it to a halt, thank God! He was also with a woman who then took control of the chair. Grace recognised Milly as she got closer, but she could still not stop herself as she drew level with them, only for the man to grab her by the arm and bring her to a swinging halt.

  Even so she almost toppled over, he steadied her, holding her by both arms. Panting, Grace sagged against him and tried to get her breath back. Eventually, her breathing eased, she gasped, ‘Thank you, there could have been a couple of nasty accidents if you hadn’t helped out.’

  ‘It was my good deed for the day,’ he said, grinning down at her.

  He seemed familiar, but it was not until Milly said, ‘Well done, Kyle!’ that Grace recognised him as a friend of Milly’s and her husband, Jimmy. Kyle was also a volunteer at the Seaman’s Orphanage, located not far from the park. He had married one of Grace’s old neighbours, Jane Fraser, a few years back. Grace had been friendly with her, and despite Kyle and Jane moving to a bigger house overlooking the park on Newsham Drive, she had tried to keep up with Jane every few months or so with Milly, even though Dougie was not in favour of her visiting a woman she had come to know through Milly who was half-Irish and was friends with Jane’s brother, a journalist and his wife Anne. Dougie did not like journalists or the Irish.

  Grace glanced in the direction of Simon. ‘You all right?’ she asked.

  His eyes were sparkling. ‘I’m fine. It was a bit scary, but exciting. We’d better not mention it to Dad, though.’ He paused. ‘What about Fergie?’

  ‘Oh hell!’ cried Grace, freeing herself from Kyle’s hold. ‘I’d better go and rescue him.’ She hurried over the bridge and down the other side and through the shrubbery to the lake where she could see Fergie a short distance away. She called him and clicked her fingers. The dog spotted her almost immediately and paddled furiously away from the pursuing goose towards his mistress. As he drew nearer, Grace stretched out, but he was just out of reach. She edged closer and felt herself over-reaching. She managed to seize hold of his collar, but her centre of gravity shifted as she grabbed him and her arms went under the water up to her elbows as her shoes slid in the mud on the bank. She swore even as cheers rang out on the bridge. Again, she felt herself seized and dragged away by two pairs of hands. Before she could express her thanks, she heard a familiar feminine voice say, ‘It’s a good job it was only the dog in the water, and not Simon.’

  Grace looked up at Milly and Kyle. ‘Did you see all that happened?’

  Milly nodded. ‘Simon is mortified.’

  ‘So, he should be,’ panted Grace, placing Fergie on the ground where he proceeded to shake himself, causing the three of them to step back hastily. ‘Have you seen the front of my frock?’ she added, gazing down at the muddied garment in dismay.

  ‘You should have held him away from you by the scruff of his neck,’ said Kyle.

  ‘He was shivering, and I instinctively pulled him in,’ said Grace. ‘Anyway, I’m going to have to go back home and change. I’ll have to fetch Simon first, though.’

  The three of them hurried back up to the bridge with a whining Fergie at Grace’s heels. Simon greeted them with a shout and the words, ‘I never thought this morning was going to be so exciting.’

  ‘Neither did I,’ said Grace tersely. ‘Now we’re going to head for home. I need to clean myself up, change, and have a cup of tea.’

  Once again, she thanked Kyle for his help and taking a good grip of the handle on the bath chair set off through the park, trying to appear oblivious to the curious stares she was receiving from passers-by. Fergie was on his lead now, and if he slowed down, she dragged him along until they reached the main road where she lifted him up and placed him in the bath chair. As she turned left into Whitefield Road, Grace remembered she needed a few things from the Co-op; she did not feel like going home and then coming out again after the morning’s adventures. She dithered outside, knowing that she would have to explain her bedraggled appearance to the staff who all knew her. She took a deep breath and went inside, having decided to cut the story down to just rescuing Fergie from the lake.

  By the time Ben arrived to pick up Simon, Grace had calmed down and was able to laugh with Simon over what had happened. She was reminded again of how much she had enjoyed his company in the park before the near disaster and decided she would like children of her own one day. Now she and Simon had forgiven each other for their mistakes and were working together on a jigsaw of a London street scene when the knocker sounded. Grace invited Ben in for a cup of tea, but he declined, saying there was a job he needed to do back home. He asked after their day and Grace told him they had been to the park and watched a game of cricket. She felt slightly guilty about not telling him the whole truth, but as Simon had warned her to keep it quiet, she decided not to go against him, as Ben was very protective of his son. As she waved them off, she felt quite restored, and called out cheerfully, ‘See you the day after tomorrow!’

  But the following evening Ben turned up alone on her doorstep. His expression was such that Grace knew that somehow he had found out what else had happened at the lake. She invited him insid
e, and at first, he appeared reluctant to accept until she said, ‘I refuse to discuss matters with you on the doorstep and have the neighbours listening in.’

  He followed her silently into the kitchen. She bid him sit down, but he remained standing, so Grace stayed standing as well to face him. ‘So, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from you?’

  ‘I’m sure you can guess,’ he replied in a tight voice.

  She said lightly, ‘The episode on the bridge in the park.’

  ‘I can guess why you kept it from me,’ he said, running a hand through his dark hair.

  ‘Why was that?’ she asked, leaning against the table.

  ‘You behaved irresponsibly. My son could have been badly hurt.’

  ‘I know, and the thought almost frightens me to death. Thank God, he wasn’t hurt at all, but seemed to enjoy the experience.’

  ‘No thanks to you,’ Ben said quietly.

  She flushed. ‘Who told you about it?’

  ‘Jimmy mentioned it this morning at work, he thought I knew.’

  ‘So, Simon kept quiet.’ Grace moved away from the table and sat down, thinking Milly must have told her husband about it. ‘Accidents happen.’ She toyed with her fingers.

  ‘I know that,’ Ben said fiercely. ‘But it’s obvious that taking my son out in that chair is too much for you.’

  Grace glared at him. ‘I agree it’s no piece of cake, but everything was going fine and we were getting on well until I heard a splash and I saw that Fergie was in the water.’

  ‘How did that happen?’

  ‘I suggest you ask Simon,’ Grace said in a low voice.

  ‘I will! Perhaps it’s best if he stays at home in future.’

  ‘You mean all on his own, all day? What if he fell and lay there by himself? And even if he wasn’t injured, he can’t go without food or drink!’

  ‘I can go home for lunch and check up on him.’

  Grace hugged herself and said coolly, ‘Won’t that be a rush for you?’

  ‘I’ll cope,’ he replied.

  ‘I’ll see you out then, shall I?’

  ‘Want to get rid of me, do you?’ he said, making a move towards the lobby.

  ‘I don’t mean to be rude – I’m only thinking of Simon all on his own. Has he had his tea?’

  ‘I’ll cook it when I get back. I wanted to have a word with you first.’

  She stared at him disbelievingly and almost offered to cook for him. ‘What was the rush? It’s not as if I was leaving the country.’

  ‘Simon would have tried to get me to change my mind. He likes you, your dad and Fergie.’

  ‘I’m sure you could have withstood his pleas,’ she said, a smile creeping into her voice. ‘We like him, too. Please, let him come and see us?’

  ‘Don’t you start,’ he said ruefully. ‘He’s aware you like him and he’ll go on and on just like his mother used to when she wanted her own way.’

  ‘Until she wore you down, I suppose,’ said Grace, warming to him but determined not to go on and on.

  ‘I shouldn’t have brought her into this conversation. I’d best go.’

  ‘Goodnight. Give my best to Simon. I wish things could have worked out. Dad will be home tomorrow and Simon was so good for him.’ Just like a surrogate grandson, she mused.

  ‘Goodnight,’ Ben said, hurrying away.

  She watched him go, and stuck her tongue out at his retreating back, until he turned a corner into the wide entry that ran between their two streets. Then she went back inside and switched on the wireless, thinking she was going to miss Simon – spending the day with him had stopped her from dwelling too much on Dougie, just as her father had suggested it might. It had also made her realise she would like a child of her own, but Dougie not answering her question about children almost convinced her that if she wanted children of her own, she was going to have to look elsewhere, despite his suggestion in the past that he get her pregnant in order to force the parents to agree to an early wedding.

  Chapter 4

  Grace overslept the following morning as it had been some time before she had nodded off because she had been angry and disappointed. Her mind was too active, going over and over that conversation with Ben.

  In the bright light of the morning it all seemed nonsense and she was annoyed to have lost sleep over Ben not giving her a second chance to help the boy. Remembering that her father would arrive home later that day, she climbed out of bed and went downstairs. She let Fergie out into the yard, paid a visit to the lavatory down the backyard herself, washed at the sink in the back kitchen, dressed and brushed her hair quickly and made herself a jam butty before pouring the last of yesterday’s milk into a cup and letting Fergie back in and feeding him. Then she cleared out the grate and set the fire ready to light late afternoon to cook a meal for herself and her father.

  She did a quick sweep of the floor, a light dust and polish of the parlour, before making a shopping list and checking the money in her purse. She then clipped Fergie’s lead on and left the house. After taking the dog for a walk, she planned on dropping in at Milly’s to see if she wanted any shopping. She also wanted to see if Simon was at her house for an extra day since Ben didn’t think she could be trusted to look after him today.

  Her suspicions were confirmed, and to Grace’s satisfaction she was welcomed into Milly’s home and found Simon partaking of orange juice and a digestive biscuit in the kitchen. He attempted to half-rise as she entered the room. Grace unclipped Fergie’s leash, and the dog, wagging his stubby tail, went over to the boy.

  ‘Cup of tea and slice of toast?’ asked Milly.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Grace. ‘How are you this morning?’

  ‘Wishing the baby would come,’ Milly replied. ‘Being so big and what with the heatwave still with us I’m finding moving about exhausting.’

  ‘I could make the tea myself,’ offered Grace.

  ‘No. I tell myself the baby will get a move on if I try and keep busy.’ Milly lumbered into the back kitchen and lit a ring on the gas stove and put on the kettle.

  Grace followed her. ‘How are you going to cope with Simon today all day?’

  ‘I had Jimmy buy a comic from the newsagents. He came back with two. One is a recent publication, in colour, called Famous Funnies. He was reading it himself last night. By the way, I’m sorry I let the cat out of the bag by telling Jimmy what happened in the park. Ben told me when he asked me to take Simon today. I didn’t realise it was such a big thing, it was quite funny really, when you think about it.’

  ‘That’s all right,’ Grace said with a shrug. ‘I should have made certain the brake was on the chair, instead of being in such a rush. Anyway, I can help you with Simon if you like? I enjoyed his company.’

  ‘I never liked boys when I was a kid,’ said Milly. ‘I had this cousin, Liam, I couldn’t stand, not that I saw much of him. But he was rough and used to tease the life out of me when Mam took me to visit his family.’

  ‘You’re like me, an only,’ Grace said. ‘How will you feel if your baby is a boy?’

  ‘I’ll love it whatever sex it is,’ replied Milly, keeping quiet about her two younger half-brothers. ‘I’d like to have more children and I think it’s nice for a girl to have a sister. Besides which, my mother-in-law is wanting a granddaughter. Although, she does say that the most important thing is that the baby is healthy.’

  ‘Agreed,’ said Grace, moving towards the stove as the kettle began to boil.

  Once the tea was poured out, they returned to the main kitchen and sat down. Simon said, ‘Grace, did you finish the jigsaw we were doing?’

  She shook her head. ‘I was hoping you’d be back to help me, but your dad appears to believe you won’t be safe with me.’

  ‘He’s overprotective since Mam died,’ apologised Simon.

  ‘Your falling out of that tree has to have something to do with it,’ Milly said mildly.

  Simon blushed to the tips of his ears. ‘It was a dare,’ he mumbled. />
  The two women sighed. Then Grace said, ‘I remember playing Truth, Dare, Command or Promise in the street with other kids when I was young.’

  ‘Kids have little sense of danger,’ Milly said breathlessly.

  Grace stared at her. ‘Are you all right?’

  Milly did not reply but put down her cup and went slowly into the back kitchen. Grace exchanged glances with Simon before following Milly, who was over by the sink and taking deep breaths.

  ‘Something’s up,’ said Grace, then she noticed Milly was standing in a puddle.

  ‘My waters have broken,’ she said, gnawing her lower lip. ‘That means my labour has started or will do soon.’

  Immediately Grace felt herself panicking. ‘What can I do?’

  ‘Fetch the midwife and get word to Jimmy. His boss’s phone number is on the calendar above the sideboard in the kitchen.’

  ‘And the midwife’s address?’

  ‘That’s on the calendar, too.’

  ‘What about Simon? Will I take him to our house when I get back? Dad will be home later today.’

  ‘Yeah, whatever you think,’ gasped Milly. Grace helped her back into the kitchen and into a chair while she rattled off to Simon that the baby was on its way and that she was going for the midwife. She then grabbed her handbag and the calendar from the wall and ran out of the house. Grace did not bother closing the front door after her, but left it ajar, and headed for Richmond Terrace where the midwife, Maggie, lived, praying that the woman would be in. Luck was with her, and within less than half an hour, Maggie was on her way to Milly’s while Grace headed for the telephone at the Post Office on Breckfield Road North. Her fingers shook as she removed pennies from her purse and dialled the works’ number. She managed to put the coins in the slot without dropping any of them. A woman’s voice answered, which threw her for a moment as she was expecting a man. For a moment she was lost for words as she couldn’t remember Jimmy’s surname.

  ‘Who is that?’ said the woman. ‘How can I help you?’

  ‘I’m phoning on behalf of a neighbour to inform her husband Jimmy that she’s gone into labour,’ said Grace, her voice shaky with nerves.