A Cheat and a Liar, page 61
‘Yes,’ she said, and with that, James returned home.
He sat up for a while, and then with Annie’s urgings, he went and lay on the bed just with a blanket over himself. Annie said she was closer to the phone so she would answer it, if he was agreeable, and come and get him.
At 2.10 a.m., the phone went. James met his sister just as she was about to lift the receiver. ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Yes, it is . . . yes . . . and everybody is all fine? Good, good . . . ah, tell my wife I will come now and see her shortly. Thank you,’ and he hung the receiver back in its cradle. He tried not to make any noise. He had a wide smile on his face. He put his forefinger up to his lips. ‘Don’t wake Mother,’ he said.
‘What did she have?’ asked Annie. ‘Are she and baby fine?’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. They’re fine, ah, she had a little boy.’
‘Oh, lovely,’ she said.
‘I guess Mum will not be over the moon,’ he replied.
‘Oh, yes, she will. Once she sees the wee fella, of course, she will love him,’ replied Annie. She kissed her brother. Then he was off.
‘Oh, bloody good, ho, ho, I’m a dad. Yes, I love it. Good work, Ruby.’
Then he was in his car and off down the road. Then he was walking up the steps to see his darling wife and the little man she had produced for them both. A nurse met him at the door and put her finger to her lips, indicating he must be quiet. He followed her along the passage, and into a room with only a moderate light glowing. ‘Please don’t be longer than fifteen minutes, sir. Your wife needs to rest.’ James just nodded to the nurse, and she left the room, closing the door behind her.
‘She’s a bit of a grumpy bum,’ he said to Ruby and then leant over and gave her a kiss. ‘Aren’t you just the smartest girl alive? You have done very well, I love you.’
She smiled and then leant over and pulled back a sheet covering a crib beside the bed. ‘Look. Here’s our little boy.’
‘Oh, I didn’t realise he was here with you. I thought the old crabby nurse had gone to get him so I could have a look.’ They laughed quietly.
‘No, no,’ Ruby replied in a very quiet voice. ‘That is why the light is dim so I can attend to him if need be, and it’s not too bright for me to see you or the nurse if you come in.’
James walked over to the crib. There was not much to see; just a little face showing out above the blankets, framed by a little woollen hat. A little bit of black hair poked out from under his hat. James remarked at the hair. ‘Definitely must be our baby; the nurse hasn’t mixed them up. His hair matches yours and mine.’
‘I didn’t mind whether we had a boy or a girl,’ said Ruby. ‘I hope your mum will not be too disappointed about him being a boy. I know she was hoping for a girl.’
‘No, don’t worry about it. I think she only was hoping for a girl because she lost little Maud. It is not as if we walk in here and take our pick. Anyway, I think it is quite nice to start off with a boy. Now, how are you?’ They talked for several minutes, and Ruby said she was fine but felt tired. ‘I’m sure you are. I might go now. Can I visit anytime, or do I have to wait for visiting hours?’
‘I think you will,’ she replied, ‘and for the first two days, only you and our parents can visit.’
‘OK,’ he said, ‘I will ring your parents early in the morning and tell them I will meet them here tomorrow.’
‘Oh, Dad will probably be working,’ she replied.
‘In that case, I will tell your mother I will pick her up after lunch, and she and I will be here at about two o’clock.’
‘Thank you, love,’ she replied, and with that, James went around to the crib, and as he pulled the blanket away from baby’s face so he could see him better, he said in a quiet voice,
‘OK, son, ya father’s gotta go now. Behave yaself for your mother, and don’t have too much to drink. Ya grandmother doesn’t tolerate men that drink, so take it easy.’
‘Oh, be quiet, James,’ Ruby whispered. ‘Go, and I will see you tomorrow.’
James moved towards the bed and bent over and kissed Ruby. ‘Thanks for that little chap. He looks great. While you are lying there, best you decide on one or two of those names we discussed a week or two ago.’
‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘but I don’t want to talk names in front of other people. We will wait until just the two of us are here. Perhaps tomorrow night.’
‘OK love,’ he said, and as he opened the door, there was the nurse. ‘Just on my way, young lady,’ said James.
‘I was just coming to tell you to leave,’ she replied.
Old bat, he thought and walked briskly in the cool night air towards his car.
James was as quiet as he could be on his return home. He parked the car and quietly pushed the door shut and locked it and then made his way inside. The house was in darkness, so next it was into bed and a little nap, or so it seemed, before it was dawn, and he was awake.
Annie was up and dressed about the same time as James was, but their mother was still in bed. They knew she would be waiting for him to deliver all possible details if there had been a new arrival overnight. One of the first things she said, after James had informed her, and that he could understand was, ‘it is lovely having a grandchild, but I wish it had been a girl.’
James, had never appeared angry in front of his mother before, but he thought her expressing such thoughts and not really showing the delight of a first-time grandmother was in poor taste. ‘Listen, Mum,’ he started. ‘I think it is pretty poor taste that you cannot be excited and delighted that you have your first grandchild. It doesn’t matter a toss whether it is male or female; as long as it is healthy and well, that is all that matters. If you had half a dozen grandsons already, then perhaps you could suggest we change the formula for the next one. You know that nobody can decide what sex their next child will be. Now, be happy like the rest of us.’ With that, he left the room and told sister Annie not to give her any sympathy. James got in his car and left the house.
He did keep driving all the way to Castlecliff. I bet Ruby’s mum and dad won’t be all bloody grizzly at the news. He swung in through their gate. Bert had already gone to work, but Laura was on the doorstep to meet him. ‘Oh, hello, James,’ she said as she came towards him. ‘Have we got our first grandchild?’
‘Too right,’ he replied with a beaming smile across his face. ‘Last night, at about 1.30 a.m.’
‘Oh, lovely,’ Laura said. ‘What did she have?’
‘A fine-looking boy,’ he replied.
‘Oh, lovely. Come in. Have you had breakfast?’
‘No,’ he replied. ‘I have just been giving my mother an earful.’ James went inside and told her why he was annoyed with his mother. ‘What say I pick you up at about one-thirty, and we go and see mother and baby together?’
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘I’ll be ready and waiting when you arrive.’ Laura then set about making toast and a cup of tea for her son-in-law, and they talked for a while before James drove back home.
Eight days later, Ruby and baby were discharged. The proud parents had discussed names when they were alone, and they had agreed that all would be revealed when the little fella arrived home. Ruby took him inside and sat down beside her mother-in-law, pulled the shawl away from his face, and said, ‘There we are, Grandma. Say hello to your first grandson, Ewen Gilbert.’
Ruby understood when she said, ‘Gilbert was my mother-in-law’s surname before she married.’
‘That’s what James told me,’ she replied, ‘so we have chosen a name we liked and a family name for him too. So do you like it, Grandma?’
The old lady thought for a few seconds and then, in her own way, said, ‘I would have liked it better if they had been names for a little girl.’
Ruby didn’t like her remark but, out of respect, simply said, ‘It was of God’s choosing; not ours. So we must choose a boy’s name, mustn’t we?’ Anna did not reply.
It was September, spring 1929; the weather was improving as spring headed for summer, and the infant was growing like a little weed. But as delight and happiness surrounded the little one, concern was mounting over Anna’s health. Her doctor visited on a regular basis, and one evening, he was called as Anna seemed in distress and had trouble with her breathing, and there was concern that she might develop congestion of her lungs. After spending some time with her, he sat with James and Ruby to discuss the situation. ‘Your mother is failing, James, and I am afraid she may only be with us for a month or two at the most. As your dear wife has pointed out, she is eating and drinking less, and her will to fight on appears to be waning. I have here a prescription for an additional medicine that should prevent or, might I suggest, delay any bronchial problems worsening. Please take it to the chemist tomorrow and ensure she is given it as prescribed. Keep her warm, and if she does not want much solid food, then perhaps a vegetable soup or similar would help. She must take all I have prescribed, and she must eat as much as you can encourage her to have; and if she is kept warm, which, with warmer weather approaching, should not be a problem, there is not a lot more any of us can do. Otherwise, I will see her at the end of my day in a week’s time.’ With that, he stood up, shook James’s hand, put on his hat, and departed.
After he had gone, James and Ruby sat, saying nothing but thinking about the days and weeks ahead. ‘Best I ring Henry, and at the weekend, we will try and get a message to Fred. Let’s hope Mother is fine until the New Year. It is best we ensure everyone has Christmas Day here at our home this year,’ said James.
‘What about my mum and dad?’ Ruby asked. ‘I’d like them to be here too. What do you think?’
‘Of course, love,’ James replied. ‘Mum will be confined to her bed, so we will have Christmas dinner here; of course, if Mum rallies, we will bring her out to see us all, but if she is not the best, everyone can go in and wish her Happy Christmas.’
So it was decided, and on Christmas Day, which was a Wednesday that year, both families converged on the Wicksteed Street home of James and Ruby; all taking time to see baby Ewen, all with a gift; and, without exception, one by one, couple by couple, they went into the front bedroom to wish Anna their season’s greetings too.
Of course, there were gifts exchanged within each family. James, with the assistance and advice of sister Annie, had bought Ruby a new dress, and Ruby gave James a new cigarette case. ‘I don’t know why I bought you such a thing; I wish you would give the filthy habit up, but if you must continue, then you should have something nice to carry them in,’ she said.
Late in the day, the minister arrived. ‘Very nice to see you, Reverend,’ said James when he arrived. ‘Sorry, none of us were at the service this morning. Probably the first time for about twenty years none of us have been there.’
‘Oh, gosh’ was the reply. ‘Twenty years. That’s a pretty good effort. No, we noticed your mother, in particular, was not there, and several of the ladies said she was quite poorly. I am so sorry, so thought the least I could do was to visit her today.’
‘Very nice of you, sir. Come on in, and I will show you through to her room.’
Ruby and Annie, meanwhile, had heard the conversation at the door and rushed to Anna’s side to try and warn her of her visitor and to sit her up in the bed and put a shawl around her to keep her warm. ‘You stay in the room while the minister is here, Ruby,’ said Annie, ‘otherwise, he will never understand a word she says.’ The two ladies smiled, and as the minister walked in, only Ruby remained in the room. It was not a long visit. Anna was asked how she was feeling and told she was missed at the Christmas Day service that morning, and several had said she was not well, so they had all prayed for her speedy recovery. Ruby said thank you on Anna’s behalf and wiped a few tears from her mother-in-law’s cheeks. Anna spoke as best she could, and again, Ruby informed the reverend that Anna had said thank you and appreciated his visit and was thankful of the concern of everyone who had prayed for her that morning. That was probably more than Anna truly said, but the smile on her face and the nodding of her head obviously indicated that was what she certainly meant.
A week later, it was New Year, and whilst James and Ruby, did not retire to their bed, until they had ‘seen in,’ the New Year, they had sent their apologies to Ruby’s parents, who were holding a family party at the White household. They explained that not only did they want to be company for James’ mother, but they of course felt their son, at just four months was a little young to be partying, just yet.
The next morning, however, Annie relayed events of the previous evening. Henry had a young lady for company, Ruby’s brother Les had one with him also, and younger brother Cyril had a couple of male friends. There were neighbours and workmates of Bert coming and going all evening. ‘Oh, what young people get up to these days,’ said James, sounding more like a grandfather than a brother. Everyone laughed.
Anna was slowly slipping away, and a month later, on 2 February 1930, she gave up her battle to carry on. Everyone knew the inevitable was going to happen. It was expected, but it was a terribly sad time. The figurehead of the family, who had suffered heartbreak seventeen years prior when her darling husband failed to return home after a trip north to buy timber, had been forced to step up and carry on; always the solid pillar that supported the family, and now she had gone.
She was staunch, strong, and secure. Her family knew they could always ask for advice and receive in return a sensible, balanced answer. Children throughout the district who had been taught by her probably hated her at the time for her strict disciplinary ways, which she enforced if necessary, but as they had grown to adulthood, all could have looked back at what they had learnt from her and been grateful.
Three days later, after a huge congregation gathered in her church to farewell her, the family’s ‘rock’ was laid to rest. The whole town mourned, and for those who may not have ever met her, the local newspaper, in addition to the standard bereavement notice, inserted a separate headlined news item that the great lady had died.
Anna was laid to rest in the double plot the family had purchased in the Whanganui Cemetery, situated not far from the hospital. At the time of little Evelyn’s sudden death, Anna and George decided that in purchasing a large plot, their daughter would always know in death that her parents would join her one day. Now, she had her mother with her again, and there was still some little hope that her father would one day be returned to her also; maybe he might return to live with his family, or if he had already met her in her heavenly home, his mortal remains, if found, could lie beside her also.
The family mourned and missed their mother for the rest of their lives. She had been a pillar that held up the family. They gained good advice from her. She had set an example of how families should bond and help each other; how individuals should interact with others; how, to be a friend, made two individuals happy. But there was a side of Anna that was hard. In her mind, there was only one way—her way. She tended to think that if a person did not agree with what she did or said, then that individual was the one in the wrong. Man must not drink alcohol—at all. It was not right to have just one sip to be sociable. One sip, and you might want more; want more, and you were not welcome in God’s house, or her house either—ever, she would say. ‘It was her way or the highway,’ the boys used to tell their friends. They loved her and they learnt from her but did not always agree with her.
Chapter 29
Gordon drove into the driveway of the big house, and George heard the car as it arrived. He got up from the table where he had been finishing the following day’s sermon, and moved those notes and other relevant papers and his Bible to the bookshelf in the lounge. He then walked to the front door, ready to greet his guest.
Ruth had been in the kitchen preparing food, but she, too, stopped what she was doing, removed the apron she was wearing, and followed George out onto the veranda.
Gordon opened the car door and was soon standing, looking around the house. ‘Every time I come here, the place looks nicer and nicer,’ he said.
‘In what way, do you think?’ George asked.
‘Oh, I don’t know; the trees you planted when you first moved in have all doubled in size, or so it seems, the grass now covers the ground with no gaps or spaces, the gardens look great; yes, the whole place continues to improve.’
‘I suppose, when one lives in a house, for a while,’ said George, ‘you don’t realise the changes as they happen so gradually, but let’s say it is all credit to my resident tenant; Gordon, meet Ruth.’ ‘I did meet you briefly near the hotel,’ he replied. ‘You and George were just on your way to supper there.’ ‘Yes, that’s right Gordon. Nice to see you again,’ Ruth replied
‘Nice to meet you, too, ma’am,’ Gordon said. ‘So do you live here, and do you live in the cottage, George?’
‘It’s only really just happened; Ruth’s parents came to stay, so it was better that they were here, and Ruth stayed here with them too, and then when they went home, I said to Ruth that she may as well stay and get used to the place, and I will move in when we marry at the end of August.’
‘Good planning, old fella,’ Gordon replied. The three of them ambled towards the front door onto the veranda and inside. Again, Gordon stopped and took in the décor and what he remembered from the last time he had visited.
There was good conversation. Gordon asked where she was from; how long she had been in Bucoda; how long had she been teaching, and what line of work her father was in. He asked George if he was the preacher the next day, and many other catch-up questions that brought him up to date on things he was interested enough to ask and know about.
Then, sometime later, supper was served. While they ate, Gordon had a few questions and asked about arrangements for the wedding; what was arranged for the day before; what time was the ceremony; how many maids was Ruth having; and a few matters concerning what was to be asked of him that he should know about. In the end, he conceded it was all very similar to when George and Nettie wed, and he expressed his gratitude for being asked. Gordon preferred to drive to Portland a few days before, and George was to let him know in due course where they both would stay prior to the wedding day. Gordon would stay on the Tuesday night after the big day finished. He also asked the names of the bridesmaids so he could name them in his speech that he knew he must deliver. Ruth said nothing and looked straight at Gordon. ‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘Have I said something wrong?’
