A Cheat and a Liar, page 53
‘Yes, he did, and we are lucky enough that it comes with some furniture also, not wonderful but sufficient. I am sure whenever you ask, James will explain how he managed to purchase and give you whatever details you require.’
‘Thank you, Ruby. Congratulations to you both. James, if you feel inclined one day soon, I would like to know a few details. I just want to ensure you have not taken on a task that is too hard for you to manage.’
‘Certainly, Mother,’ he replied. ‘I will take you there in the morning to inspect, and if Henry is still in bed and not with us, I will explain anything you want to know.’
‘Oh, well done to you both. I cannot believe my first-married son is going to be one of my neighbours.’
Neither brother spoke to the other for the rest of the evening. Sister Annie, who had been taking it all in but saying nothing, finally added her congratulations and asked, ‘Can I come and have a look in the morning too?’
Life continued on, with nothing unusual, or particularly different for any of the family.
Then, three months later, Annie arrived home, late one afternoon, and found her mother, Anna, had collapsed at home on the kitchen floor. ‘Mum, what’s happened!’ she yelled. ‘Oh gosh, are you all right?’ Her mother was sprawled, almost on her side with her head turned away, and Annie could not see her face.
She knelt down, and when her mother did not turn to look at her, she put her hand on her face and gently turned it towards her. ‘Oh, Mum, oh, Mum, oh, oh, just stay there. You need help. I will call the doctor now. Can you hear me?’ and with that, she grabbed a cushion from the settee and put it under her mother’s head.
There weren’t many numbers on the piece of cardboard beside the phone, but Anna had always insisted their doctor’s name was at the top. ‘Dr Earl,’ and she recited the four-digit number to herself several times as she wound the fury out of the handle on the side of the phone.
The telephone-exchange operator asked for the number, and Annie, in the rush, started, ‘I think my mother has had a stroke.’
‘Who is your doctor, madam?’ was the reply.
‘Oh, sorry, yes, umm, Dr Earl, please, and be quick.’
‘I only need to plug you into his number, but I cannot be sure he will answer quickly.’
The doctor’s phone was answered by his nurse. ‘Dr Earl’s surgery. How may I help?’
‘Oh, good afternoon. I’ve just arrived home, and my mother is lying on the floor. I think she has had a stroke. Oh, ah, can the doctor please come immediately, or arrange an ambulance to take her to hospital?’
There was a pause. ‘Is your mother a patient of Dr Earl, and what is your name?’
‘I’m Annie, and, yes, he is her doctor.’
Then the nurse replied, ‘The doctor is with a patient at present, but I believe he is almost finished. Then, is your address the same—93 Wicksteed?’
‘Yes, yes, what should I do?’
‘Just make sure your mother is lying flat. Don’t try and move her. Put a pillow under her head and a blanket over her to keep her warm. I will speak with the doctor now, and he will there in a few minutes. If he thinks it necessary, he will arrange for an ambulance also. Just stay there with your mother.’
‘Thank you,’ said Annie and replaced the receiver. She looked at her mother and put her hand on her chest. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing quite evenly, Annie thought. I’ll get the blanket like the nurse suggested, she said to herself and, with that, stood up and rushed to her own bedroom and took the warm rug that lay across the bottom of her bed and rushed back to her mother.
It seemed that she had barely opened it, folded it in half again, and laid it over her mother when there was a knock on the door. It was the doctor himself, and as soon as the door was opened, he stepped inside. ‘Hello, I’m Dr Earl, where is your mother?’ and he followed Annie to where her mother was lying. ‘There is an ambulance on its way. We will put her in hospital and stabilise her and see how she responds, and all going well, we will have her back home in a few days. We just need to monitor how it has affected her and make decisions from there.’
‘Thank you, Doctor’ was all Annie could say.
There was a knock at the door, and Annie went to answer it while the doctor attended to Anna. It was the ambulance driver and assistant, and without a word being spoken, Annie turned and walked back down the hallway, and the two men followed. Dr Earl informed the men that the lady had collapsed when nobody else was in the house, so maybe an hour or two before; and then talked out of earshot of both Annie and her mother, as a stretcher was brought in to carry her to the ambulance.
Anna was in hospital for just over three weeks. As family were allowed in to visit her, they saw improvement in her condition, but very gradual. Her legs were very weak. They were told that with exercise, she may eventually be able to stand with walking canes. Her right arm seemed quite strong, but her left, not so much; but with exercise again, she was told it should strengthen. Her speech was not good, but Anna being Anna was, in a different sort of way, able to let nurses know what she wanted, or didn’t want, at any particular time.
The day came for her to be discharged. This should have been a happy time for the family, but each of them discussed the difficulties that were to be faced. Annie, being the only female, was, of course, delegated all duties that only one of her sex should have to undertake: dressing, undressing, toileting, bathing; or more probably sponging her mother with a warm damp towel.
The boys were instructed by Annie that if all the aforesaid was her domain, then she expected the male family to make their mother breakfast, take breakfast to her, lift their mother when she needed to be moved, and share the duties: washing, cleaning, shopping, and all other chores that were not gender-selective.
As the weeks rolled on, a routine did develop. Without doubt, Annie had more close involvement with her mother, although from the time Anna came home from the hospital, James’s fiancée, Ruby, had regularly visited and, as James on several occasions mentioned, seemed to be the only one who could make Anna smile. ‘She likes you, Ruby. You should have been a nurse,’ said Fred.
A month or so later, Anna had improved a little more. Ruby would sit beside her quite often of an evening, and they would talk; well, Ruby would talk, but to the rest of the family, Anna’s conversation might just as well have been spoken in Italian or Spanish or Chinese; they could understand almost none of what she said. One evening, they were having tea, and there was a discussion on what each had done that particular day. Ruby had been invited to join them, and suddenly there was a loud noise from Anna, sitting on a lounge chair with Ruby beside her, helping her eat, when Anna suddenly let out a yell and waved her good right arm in the air. Nobody could understand what she had said, except Ruby. ‘What is Mother unhappy about? Why is she shouting?’ asked Henry.
Ruby smiled. ‘She is just yelling at you and telling me to tell you to eat off your fork the correct way.’ Anna sort of smiled and nodded and then glared at Henry when he did the same thing again just to annoy his mother.
‘You are our interpreter, Ruby,’ said Fred. ‘How did you know that is what Mother said?’
‘Well,’ she replied, ‘I can understand many words she says, and I understood when she said, “Henry”, “fork”, and “properly,” I knew what he had done wrong, because I believe correct English and manners are most important to her.’
‘I am sorry, Mother. I will eat right in future,’ Henry said, and with that, his mother was waving her right hand and calling out again. ‘Oh, what have I done wrong now? I wasn’t even eating.’
Anna said a few words to Ruby, and Ruby smiled and said to Henry, ‘Your mother has just corrected you again. You said you will “eat right”, but you should have said you will “eat correctly” in future.’
‘Oh,’ Henry grumbled and shook his head.
Over the next few months, Anna and her future daughter-in-law grew quite close. As Anna’s health perhaps improved, but more probably stabilised, the two of them would see quite a lot of each other. Ruby had had a change of occupation and was working in a ladies’ hair salon and so would spend time at the weekend trimming, tidying Anna’s greying locks. Anna would look in the mirror once Ruby had finished and smile her now-crooked smile and nod her approval. One time during such a session, she managed to say in a very long and repetitive conversation that only Ruby could understand that she was very grateful that Ruby and James had not taken advantage of her paralysis by attempting to sleep together and were keeping each other for their wedding day. She also managed to inform Ruby that she really appreciated that she and James had continued their promise not to marry before Ruby was twenty. ‘You are the perfect daughter-in-law,’ she said.
That night, Ruby repeated the message she had received from Anna to James and how she was the ‘perfect’ daughter-in-law. ‘Aren’t we just the perfect couple with the greatest self-control in the world?’ he replied. They laughed, and he put his arms around her, and they kissed.
The date had been set and was now only days away. There was a wedding in town; James was to marry his sweetheart on 8 November 1928. The excitement in both families was building. Over the last few months, James had learnt to drive and had said to Ruby that now they had a home of their own, his next big purchase was going to be a car. ‘It won’t be a new one, of course, but I want something reliable, so we can drive from your parents’ home to town without fear of breaking down; and I want to teach you to drive also, Ruby.’
James had kept his promise to his mother at the time of his engagement two years ago that he would not marry Ruby until she was twenty; well, the promise was going to be nearly kept—Ruby would not turn twenty, until the eleventh of the month, and their wedding was set for Thursday, the eighth. Mother Anna conceded; three days was close enough.
Anna had improved quite a lot since her initial collapse, but it was the doctor’s opinion that she could not expect to improve much more; what she was now able to do was probably the full extent of her recovery. Daughter Annie had become her primary carer, but strong as Annie was, there were many occasions where she required the assistance of one of the boys, particularly in lifting her or getting her back onto a chair when she fell. Annie and daughter-in-law-to-be Ruby were able to do most things, but Ruby, of course, was not always available; she and James were not yet wed—quite.
On the Monday through Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, of the week of the wedding, there was a snooker tournament in town, and both James and brother Henry had entered. They both won their respective games on the first evening, but Henry was eliminated in his quarter-final game on the second night. James won the first semi-final. He was good but now had to play the top-seeded player for the tournament and knew he needed to stay calm to win. There was about a twenty-minute break, and then they tossed, and James was called to break. It was close, very close, but with just two balls left on the table, James needed both. He chalked his cue and bent low over the table. Everyone in the room was silent. He lined up the shot and gently played the white. He stayed down on his cue and watched. The white gently brushed the pink and rolled to be behind and touching the black. Snooker! There was applause all round. All his opponent could do was play away; then back to James; sink either ball, and the game was his. He stepped up to the table, breathed in heavily, and chalked his cue. Just a gentle push to the centre pocket, he told himself. Don’t rush, look at it, and if you don’t sink the pink, leave it all safe, he told himself. He leant over the table and gently stroked the pink into the centre pocket. There was loud applause, and the two men shook hands. There were many handshakes and pats on the back. Then the presentation. It had cost every participant two pounds to enter, and George was to receive the winner’s cheque. More applause as James was presented, and in his speech of thanks, he informed everyone of his marriage the following day and thanked them one and all for paying for his honeymoon. ‘Thirty-two pounds,’ he said to Henry on the way home. ‘Oh, what a night.’
Thursday, 8 November 1928, and the big day had arrived. At the White household, ten o’clock passed, and last-minute arrangements were being made. Ruby looked lovely in her three-quarter-length bridal gown of satin and tulle. She wore a delicate headpiece from which her short veil dropped to just below her shoulders, and she held a modest but beautiful bouquet of sweet peas, white stocks, and budding dahlias. Elder sister Doris, was her bridesmaid, and young sister, Betty, her flower girl. The service was at eleven, and Bert was to drive her into town to the church. Brother Les was to drive his mother and brother, and all were busy making last-minute decisions.
At her home, Anna’s brother was preparing to drive her to the church, which was located half a mile or so from where she lived. Daughter Annie and youngest son, Fred, were to accompany their mother, and everybody in that house was making last-minute arrangements also.
Anna could stand briefly but needed assistance trying to walk, so a wheelchair was in place in the church foyer, all ready for her. However, her ability to sit in one place for more than five to ten minutes meant that the service was to be shortened, to not even include hymns simply to suit Anna.
The groom and his best man – brother Henry, arrived, and the church was already half full, and took their place in the usual place, near the altar. The organist was enjoying the opportunity to play, and then close relatives arrived and were led forward to pews just behind family members.
With perfect timing, Bert drove the bride and maids into the church grounds, and they entered the church greeted by the minister at 11.30 a.m. The customary organ playing blared through the church as the bridal entourage made their way up the central aisle to where the groom stood.
The minister turned to face the congregation and invited everyone to sit; and so the service began. There were nervous smiles from the bride and groom and tears from the two mothers. James intentionally took hold of his bride as the minister spoke the usual words spoken on such occasions, inviting ‘anyone who knows of any just reason why these two people should not be joined in holy matrimony, to speak now or forever hold their peace’. Then James made the usual fumble as he reached for Ruby’s hand, and she held out the correct finger to wear the little band of gold.
A few words from the reverend and then those important few, ‘I now declare you husband and wife.’ The organist seemed to open all pipes, and the organ burst into life again as the bridal party made their way into the vestry to sign the register. Within a few minutes, they reappeared and made their way, back along the aisle to the entrance way.
Handshakes and kisses, laughter, and backslapping, and soon everyone moved to the church hall, where Sunday school for children was held each Sunday but had been decorated for the wedding reception and meal.
Anna wished her son and new daughter-in-law all the best as tears ran down her cheeks. ‘Never seen my mother cry,’ James told Ruby. ‘I’ve seen her make plenty of people, especially kids, cry. She must be mellowing in her old age.’ Sister Annie and another lady relative went with Anna back to her home. A crowded situation and difficulty in making herself understood meant Anna was happier to return home and greet those that wished to visit later when the day was done. The bride and groom and their attendants, left for their formal wedding photos, at one of the studios in town, before returning to join their guests, in the usual wedding breakfast and celebrations.
By two o’clock, most folk had left and moved to the home of whichever family they had the closest association with. A few family members remained to tidy the church and hall, and James and Ruby left with Ruby’s parents, to drive to their home to change out of their wedding attire. They spent almost an hour there before driving into town to spend a little time with James’s family at their home before departing for their week-long honeymoon.
Chapter 27
Bucoda, Washington, USA. School had just closed for the year. Everyone could now look forward to Christmas and the festivities attached to the highlight of the Christian calendar. Most folk in the town had enjoyed a good year. There was good employment, the weather had in the main remained temperate, and only over the last ten or so days had the annual chill crept into town.
George had cut up plenty of wood. He had built a shed to store wood at his home and a smaller shed at the cottage where Ruth was living.
A routine had developed where one of them would eat at the other’s residence each Friday evening, and the other would cook for Friday’s host on Saturdays. Then on Sunday morning, George would drive to collect Ruth, and both would go to church. If George was the preacher, then Ruth would sit with friends; but, if it happened that George was not required on any particular Sunday to lead the service, then they would sit together. They had for a month or more been recognised as a couple, and three or four parishioners had invited George to tea, ‘and, of course, if your friend Ruth is available, we would be happy to welcome her too’.
George had been reluctant at first, but one Sunday, probably back in the fall, he had spoken to Gerard, his late wife’s uncle, and his wife, Cecille and had introduced them both to ‘my very good friend Ruth, who recently took up a position at the school’.
‘Oh, lovely to meet you, Ruth,’ they had both said, and at a later meeting, Gerard had confided in George.
‘Don’t feel bad or embarrassed, George, that you are seeing another lady. Your—our darling Nettie was taken from this world far too soon. We know you loved her and miss her, but nothing can bring her back, and “life moves on”, as they say. If you see your life continuing with Ruth in it, Cecille and I want to only wish you luck and happiness.’ George was grateful of the understanding of the pair. He had for a little while felt reluctant to introduce Ruth, but the discussion with the older pair had allayed his fears that they might disapprove.
