MB06 - The Sunshine of your Smile, page 16
Jack put a match to his Woodbine and puffed at it until it was lit. Then he threw the match in the fire and turned his attention to Molly. ‘If yer want my view, love, I’d leave things be for now. Ye’re going on a short description Mrs Mowbray gave yer, and that description could fit nearly half the male population hereabouts. I mean, she’s never actually seen Tom Bradley, so the man she saw could be anybody.’
‘I hope ye’re right, sunshine, but I think we’ve got to look at it from both sides and then consider what to do if it was him. I don’t want to tell Doreen or Phil because it would upset their lives. They look the picture of happiness when yer see them together, and they adore Bobby and Victoria. The very mention of the name Bradley would shatter all that.’
‘But their name isn’t Bradley now, it’s Mitchell. Apart from Fanny Bradley being his mother, the rest of the family have no claim on Phil. He’s turned twenty-one and can do as he wishes. I say leave well alone. If Bradley does turn up again, then I agree with you that something will have to be done. What, I don’t know. But I’ll think of some way to stop him from ruining my daughter’s life.’
‘If he’s seen in the neighbourhood again, me and Nellie will find him and I’ll put the fear of God into him. In fact, although I shouldn’t say it, I bet Nellie is hoping he shows his face in the street so she can have a go at him. Not that I’d let her, ’cos think of the humiliation and embarrassment it would cause Phil. No, if we get him it will be near his home, not around here. As Nellie said, we found him once, we can find him again.’
Jack sat forward in his chair. ‘I don’t want you getting involved, love, in case yer get hurt. He’s a devious swine is Tom Bradley, and I wouldn’t put anything past him. Better for a man to deal with him than a woman. So promise me yer’ll do nothing without first telling me?’
‘I’m sorry, sunshine, but I can’t do that! Suppose you’re at work and he comes knocking on Doreen’s door? I can’t stand by and do nothing, or ask him to sit and have a cup of tea while we wait for you to come home to sort him out.’
‘If I could be here waiting for him to show his face, I would be, love, but I have to go to work. I can’t alter that. But I want yer to promise not to get yerself into a situation yer can’t get yerself out of. And just remember, yer can’t trust that rotter as far as yer could throw him. Don’t fall for any sob story he gives yer.’ Jack shook his head. ‘What am I going on about it for when it may never happen! Mrs Mowbray saw a man acting suspiciously and brought all this on. The man could have had a perfectly good reason to be there. He could have been a bookie’s runner for all we know. So don’t be getting yerself all upset and meeting worry halfway. Put it out of yer mind and think of something nice, like Christmas, and what ye’re buying for yer grandson.’
Molly nodded. ‘I’ll do what yer say, love, I’ll forget about it.’ But she only spoke those words to stop her husband from worrying. She had no intention of forgetting it. How could she when someone in her family might be hurt?
Molly opened the door to Nellie the next morning with an apology on her lips. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t come last night, sunshine, but I had to wait until Ruthie went to bed to tell Jack about the mystery man Beryl saw.’
Nellie walked in rubbing her arms. ‘It’s not often I feel the cold, me fat usually keeps me warm, but it’s bitter out today.’ She made for the fire which Molly had stoked up for her friend’s arrival. ‘Don’t worry about last night, I told Lily yer had something on.’ She turned from the fire with a grin on her face. ‘They got through a lot last night, girl. The guest list is done, but Archie said to allow for another couple just in case. And he’s going to see Edna on Saturday with Lily. They want Hanley’s to make the wedding cake with three tiers, girl, like they did for Doreen’s and Jill’s reception.’
Seeing her friend’s happy face cheered Molly up. ‘I knew they’d get everything sorted, Archie is a very organized man who always seems to have things under control. Have they made up their minds on bridesmaids and best man?’
Nellie waddled over to get her carver chair. And while she always felt posh sitting in that chair, today she felt powerful as well as posh. ‘They have, girl, but they warned me not to say anything. They want to ask everyone themselves first.’ She set the chair down before looking up at her mate. ‘It’s no good looking at me like that, girl, it’s not my fault. And anyway, yer can understand why Archie wants to ask the bloke he wants as best man before the feller hears the news from someone else. It would spoil the surprise. The same with the bridesmaids. Lily wants to ask them herself, and discuss material and colours and what not.’
‘The kettle’s been boiled, it won’t take me long to make a cuppa. And I can even manage a fig biscuit each.’ Molly walked through to the kitchen where she allowed herself a very quiet titter. Nellie would be full of good intentions about keeping her promise to Lily, and she’d have crossed her heart and sworn to her daughter that she’d die before giving the game away. But that was last night, and this was another day. There was no way she could keep it all bottled up for a whole twenty-four hours. So although Molly was nosy enough to want to know everything right now, if she kept her patience she knew she’d find out soon enough.
‘Here yer are, sunshine, tea up.’ Molly had brought the tray in with a plate of biscuits on it. ‘I’ve emptied the biscuit tin on to the plate, but that doesn’t mean you and me are going to eat them all. I want to save a few because Jack and Ruthie love fig biscuits.’
‘Okay, girl, I’ll make sure I leave them one each.’
‘Oh, don’t starve yerself, Nellie, whatever yer do.’
Nellie didn’t hear that bit of sarcasm, she was too busy filling her mouth with half a fig biscuit and sighing with bliss. ‘Ay, what did Jack have to say about Tom Bradley turning up again after all this time?’
‘He said we don’t know for sure it was him, and he’s right, Nellie! As he said, it could have been a bookie’s runner, or someone like that. And he doesn’t want me to do anything unless I know for sure what’s going on. So I’ll keep me eyes open from now on, and I’ll be keeping a watch on our Doreen’s house and peeping down all the entries.’
‘I’ll be doing the same, girl, and so will Beryl. If he shows his face around here one of us is bound to see him.’
‘Yer didn’t tell yer family, did yer, sunshine? Not after me asking yer not to.’
‘No, I didn’t tell them, girl, and I’ll tell yer straight I’m getting fed up with being told to keep me mouth shut. If it keeps up I’ll be terrified to speak to a soul. I’ll have to pretend I’m dumb if someone asks me anything. You’ve told me not to say a word about Tom Bradley, and our Lily and Archie have sworn me to silence over Archie asking your Tommy to be his best man.’
Molly didn’t know whether to laugh, pretend she hadn’t heard or show surprise. In the end she decided on the latter. ‘Ooh, is he?’
‘Is he what, girl?’
‘Is Archie going to ask our Tommy to be best man?’
‘I couldn’t tell yer that, girl! Whoever told yer that knows more than I do. But they want to try keeping their mouth shut in future.’
‘All right, sunshine, I won’t ask yer anything else. I must have misheard what yer said, so we’ll forget about it, eh?’
‘The best thing all round, girl, then no one can get the blame.’ Nellie put her cup back in the saucer. ‘Yer didn’t get to yer ma’s last night, then?’
Molly shook her head. ‘Our Ruthie brought Bella over for a game of Snakes and Ladders, and it was nine before she went home. I shouldn’t complain because our Ruthie is over in the Watsons’ every night. But the one time I wanted to talk to Jack privately had to be the night she brought Bella over to ours. Still, I’ll go to me ma’s tonight.’
‘You do that, girl, ’cos I’ve got a feeling yer might hear something to cheer yer up.’
‘Do I look as though I need cheering up?’
‘Well, all I can say, girl, is that when yer opened the door to me before, I said to meself, I hope she’s up-to-date with her insurance policy.’
‘Oh, come on now, Nellie, I don’t look that bad.’
‘Have yer looked at yerself in the mirror this morning? Yer look at though yer’ve been awake all night.’
‘Half the night, sunshine, and what sleep I did get wasn’t restful, I kept tossing and turning. It’s a wonder I didn’t wake Jack up, but he slept like a baby. I couldn’t get Tom Bradley out of me mind and it’s left me with a splitting headache. If it was anyone else I wouldn’t worry, I’d tell them to get lost and that would be the end of it. But I kept thinking of all the bad things his family did in the short time they lived here. The way those two young daughters of his stole from Lizzie Corkhill and frightened her into giving them food. It’s hard to get yer own back on someone who has no scruples and no feelings.’
‘I can tell yer how we can get rid of yer headache, girl, and cheer yer up. Shall I tell yer?’
‘If I said I didn’t want to know, yer’d still tell me, sunshine, so go ahead.’
‘Instead of going to the shops, we’ll skip them today and go to Paddy’s Market. We could have a look for some Christmas presents for the family. It’s not long off now, girl, and we’ve got nothing in yet.’
‘I’ve got to go to the shops, Nellie, I’ve nothing in for the dinner. And I need bread, I used the last of the loaf for breakfast.’
‘Oh, sod the shops for one day, girl! Let’s enjoy ourselves and live dangerously. We’ve both got enough spuds in to make chips, and we could buy half a dozen eggs and a tin of peas on Great Homer Street. We could get our bread there, too! The family won’t mind for once, and even if they do it’s too bloody bad, they can sod off.’
Molly was warming to the idea. The bustle of the market and the humour of the stallholders would take her mind off things. ‘I don’t think Jack or Ruthie would mind because they both love egg and chips.’
Nellie was happy inside because she didn’t like to see her friend upset and worried. ‘That’s settled then. And when we get to Paddy’s Market we could go and see Mary Ann and Sadie, see how they’re getting on. Sadie was getting engaged last time we were there, remember?’
Molly made a quick decision. ‘We’ll do as yer say, sunshine, and to hell with Tom Bradley and everything else. I’d love to see Mary Ann and Sadie, they always cheer me up. And I’ve got a few pounds put away for Christmas presents, so we could make a start.’
Nellie put her two hands flat on the table and pushed herself up. ‘That’s my girl! I’ll go and put something decent on, this coat has seen better days. In fact there’s probably better coats on the second-hand stalls than this one, I might just mug meself. I only want one to go to the shops in, I don’t have to look like a mannequin.’ She got as far as the door before looking over her shoulder. ‘I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea before we go out, girl, to warm us up. Yer wouldn’t want yer best mate to be cold, would yer?’
‘Ay, I want to get meself changed, yer know, I don’t want to go out looking like a scruff. So it will be just a quick cup, sunshine, and yer can drink it standing up. Once you put yer backside on that chair, it’s hard to get yer off.’
‘I don’t mind standing up to drink me tea, girl.’ Nellie opened the front door with a smile on her face. ‘I’ll even stand up to eat another fig biscuit as well.’
The cushion Molly threw at her missed her by inches and she chuckled all the way home. Her mate was looking more cheerful than she had before, and that made Nellie happy.
Chapter Ten
‘It’s not as busy here as I thought it would be, girl. Remember last time we came we nearly got trampled underfoot?’
‘There’s not much money around on a weekday, sunshine. It’s on a Saturday, after the men get their wages, that this place gets mad busy. Wait until next week when the tontines are paid out. Yer won’t be able to move here, it’ll be packed.’
‘We should join a tontine, yer know, girl, because it comes in handy at Christmas. There’s a woman lives a couple of streets from us who runs one, and all the women are in it. A shilling a week they pay, and at Christmas they get two pound ten shillings. And we wouldn’t miss a shilling a week.’
‘It was a shilling a week before the war, Nellie, and two pound ten shillings was a lot of money then. But prices have shot up since and the money from a tontine wouldn’t get yer very much now.’
‘It’s better than a kick in the teeth, girl!’
Molly shook her head. ‘No, I’ll stick to paying into the shop clubs. I know where I’m working then. At least I don’t have to worry about the turkey, or the potatoes, veg and fruit. And the sweetshop club comes in very handy.’
‘Yer forgot to mention the corner shop, girl, and we’ve both got a few pound in there.’
‘Yes, I know, and I’m quite proud of meself. After all the money me and Jack spent on Tommy’s wedding, I thought Christmas was going to be a poor do this year with no money for presents. But it shows what yer can do when yer put yer mind to it. We haven’t gone hungry, but I did pinch and scrape over everything and I’m really glad I did because I’m reaping the reward now. I’m not loaded by any means, but everyone will get a present.’
Nellie gave her a nudge. ‘Hey, look, girl, that stall looks as though it sells stuff worth looking at. Yer said yer wanted long stockings for Ruthie, well, I can see some on the stall.’
The stallholder was coaxing passersby to stop and see what good value his goods were. ‘I’m not only the cheapest in the market, ladies, not only the cheapest in the whole of Liverpool even. No, you can go anywhere in England and if yer find such quality goods cheaper than mine, then I’ll give yer the difference in the money back.’
When he saw Molly and Nellie showing interest in his wares, he said, ‘I’m telling yer, I’m the cheapest in the market so why waste yer shoe leather looking elsewhere?’
Nellie was ready for a bit of fun. ‘How much are those long stockings, lad?’
‘Elevenpence ha’penny, queen, and yer’ll not get them cheaper anywhere.’
‘Yeah, I heard yer saying yer’d refund the money if someone found them any cheaper in another market. Well, lad, I’m sorry to tell yer, but last week I saw them a penny cheaper in another market. Which means that unless ye’re all talk, yer’ve got to sell yours for the same price. That’s tenpence ha’penny.’
The stallholder scratched his head. ‘Anyone that sold them for that price would be losing money on them. And I’ve got a family to keep, I can’t afford to give stuff away.’
‘Then yer shouldn’t tell lies to people, should yer, lad? I can understand yer having a family to keep, ’cos I’ve got three kids meself, but that doesn’t give yer the right to mislead yer customers.’
There were a few women at the stall now, all showing interest in the conversation going on between Nellie and the by now red-faced stallholder. And they all seemed to be on Nellie’s side because they were nodding their heads in agreement with her words. Trying to keep his voice even because he knew he could lose custom here, he spread out his hands. ‘If yer can prove yer’ve seen those stockings cheaper elsewhere, then I’ll do what I said I would. But I need proof in the form of a receipt.’
Molly’s eyes were wide. She hadn’t got a clue what her mate was up to because never once had the price of stockings been mentioned. And as she was always with Nellie at the shops, she’d know if she’d bought stockings. But like the rest of the women now listening in, she’d have to wait and see what came next.
‘Oh, I haven’t got no receipt, lad, I threw it out of the train window.’
‘What are yer on about, missus, which train window?’
‘The train I was sitting on with the stockings in a bag on me knee.’
‘Yer’ve lost me now, missus.’ The man knew he couldn’t afford to lose his temper. Even though his patience was wearing thin he controlled his words and voice. ‘What has the train got to do with the price of my stockings?’
‘Nothing really, lad. I was just telling yer, I was sitting on a train. Yer see, I bought the stockings in a market in Glasgow and was on me way home, on the Glasgow to Liverpool train.’
The man saw Molly put a hand over her mouth to keep the laughter back, and heard the tittering of the other women. And because he wouldn’t have lasted a week on the market, never mind ten years, if he hadn’t a sense of humour, he threw his head back and roared. ‘Oh, dear, oh, dear, yer really had me going then, missus. I didn’t know whether to ask yer politely to move on, or strangle yer. And now I don’t know whether to ask yer to marry me, or offer yer a job.’
‘Oh, I’ve already got one feller, lad, and as I’m very fond of him I wouldn’t want to swap him for a younger model. And I’m not after a job, either, but the offer was a nice thought and I thank yer. What I would accept is an offer to sell me those long stockings for tenpence ha’penny a pair.’
‘No can do, missus, ’cos I can’t stand the sight of me kids crying with hunger. What I will do, because yer’ve been a good sport and livened up me day, I’ll split me loss with yer and yer can have the stockings for elevenpence. How’s that?’
Nellie’s grin stretched from ear to ear. It didn’t take her long to count how many girls there were she could give stockings to for Christmas. And she didn’t forget her mate, either. There was Jill, Doreen, Rosie, Lily, Phoebe and Ruthie. And the same again for Molly. ‘Seeing as ye’re being so kind, I’ll take twelve pairs of stockings off yer hands for elevenpence a pair. What d’yer say, is that a deal?’
