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Authors: Glenice Crossland

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BOOK: A Family Christmas
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‘I think we’d better go and let our Nellie and Lucy come in.’ Ben wasn’t in the mood to begin making excuses for their Jane.

‘Aye, I want to talk to our Lucy.’

The two sisters were so intent on cheering up their mother that Annie never got round to saying whatever she intended saying to her youngest daughter, before the bell sounded indicating the end of visiting. For the first time in years the girls received a kiss from their mother, which might have caused the tears to start, had they not hurried out to join the others. ‘What are we going to do about
caring
for her?’ Lucy worried. ‘Will I have to leave work?’

‘No!’ Ben was emphatic. ‘We’ll sort something out.’

‘Aye, but what?’ Nellie knew her mother would need full-time care.

‘We’ll get a bed downstairs for a start.’ Ben hadn’t thought beyond that. ‘It wouldn’t be fair to expect one of us to carry all the burden.’

It was a dispirited and silent foursome who boarded the bus back to Millington, each of them dreading what the future was to bring.

Whatever they had been dreading couldn’t possibly have been as bad as the reality. Annie had been in good spirits and recovering well until five days after the operation. She had told Ben to bring Lucy the next day and because Ben had never missed a visit Lucy told him to have a night off and she would visit her mother on her own. Annie was sweating and her face was flushed. She didn’t look as well as when Lucy had last seen her. ‘Are you all right, Mam?’ She held her hand on Annie’s forehead. ‘You’re ever so hot.’

‘I’m right enough. A bit of a headache, that’s all. Come and sit on the bed; I want to tell yer summat.’ Lucy checked to see if the stony-faced matron was anywhere in sight before perching on the bed and taking hold of her mother’s hand.

‘I’m sorry, Lucy.’

‘What for?’

‘Oh don’t pretend, lass, we both know I ’aven’t treated you right. I’m not making excuses, but I thought I was doing the right thing, saving every penny I got instead of spending it on summat nice for you all. Well, I still think I did the right thing, especially now. It’ll come in when I’ve gone.’

‘Mam!’

‘No, let me finish. When yer father died I was frightened – in fact before he died. I knew he hadn’t got long to live; I’d been told by the doctor. I began to wonder what’d become of yer all when we’d both gone. What with the worry and the pain in me leg, I turned into a wicked old woman instead of a caring mother.’

‘You were never wicked and you’re not that old either.’

‘Any road up, I decided that if owt ’appened to me I’d leave you all right, financially I mean.’ Annie wiped the sweat from her upper lip. She felt bad.

‘I’m going to call the nurse. You’re not well.’

‘No, let me finish. I want you to go to the top drawer in me tallboy. You’ll find one of yer dad’s socks. Inside it you’ll find me savings, and there’s the money yer Aunt Kate gave me when she went away; she said it was for any emergencies.’

‘But we had an emergency, Mam, when the miners were out on strike.’ Lucy cringed as she remembered having nothing in the house to spread on the bread. They had had the option of either a sprinkling of salt
or
a sprinkling of sugar. ‘Why didn’t you use the money to feed us?’

‘I objected to where it came from. The man she was keeping house for left it to Kate in his will. She was keeping ’im warm in his bed more like. But I was wrong, Lucy. Kate meant well when she gave it to us. Anyway it’s there for you all now.’ Annie could hardly get the words out. ‘It’ll tide you over until our William’s old enough to start work. Promise me you’ll look after him, love. I know you’re the youngest but I can trust you more than our Jane. She’s not a bad lass, just a bit flighty, that’s all. Promise me, Lucy.’

‘Of course I’ll look after him. What do you take me for?’

‘A good lass, that’s what I take yer for.’

‘I don’t know why you’re saying all this; you’ll be home next week.’

‘No, Lucy. Summat’s gone wrong, I know it ’as. Listen, don’t give up yer job; you’re too young to be stuck at ’ome all day, and don’t let our Jane spend the money on daft things. It’s for the three of yer. The others are old enough to be independent. Our William’s well able to get ’imself off to school in a morning and Enid Slater’ll keep an eye on ’im until yer come ’ome at night. There’s a letter in the drawer I wrote to Enid in case owt like this ’appened to me. You can depend on Mrs Slater, remember that.’

‘Nothing’s going to happen, Mam.’

‘Ee’ll ’ave to go in’t pit, our William. I were ’oping for summat better for me youngest but he’ll need his name on the rent book when our Ben marries, and I expect he will soon.’

‘Oh Mam, let me fetch a nurse.’

‘Aye, yer can fetch ’er before yer go.’ The bell interrupted Annie and she clung tighter to Lucy’s hand. ‘Keep the money safe, Lucy, and keep a good table. God knows I never did. Tell all me bairns I love ’em.’

‘Mam, stop talking like this. You can tell them yourself when you see them.’ By now Lucy was trying to control the tears.

‘I love ’em all, Lucy, but you’re the most like yer dad so I’ve a special love for you. I didn’t want ’em to know that so I treated you more harshly to cover up. God bless, love.’

Lucy escaped before her mother saw the tears. She went to the table in the centre of the ward where a nurse kept a constant watch over her patients. ‘Nurse, my mother isn’t right; she’s sweating and flushed but her hands are like ice.’

‘I’ll see to her.’ The nurse went towards Annie Gabbitas’s bed. She knew without a doctor’s examination that Annie had a fever. She also realised the patient was probably suffering from septicaemia. Poisoning of the blood was all too common in amputees, and unfortunately there was little to be done except pray. She applied a cold cloth to Annie’s forehead in an attempt to bring
down
her temperature. Annie was shivering and rapidly becoming delirious, but at least she had made her peace with her daughter. The nurse went off to find the doctor. She didn’t bother hurrying. There was little anyone could do for Annie Gabbitas; septicaemia was a killer and the nurse was experienced enough to know that.

As soon as Lucy arrived home she went upstairs to her mother’s room. She hadn’t been in here since the day she had bought the material for the new dresses. It seemed months away and Lucy couldn’t believe what a happy day that had been; even their Nellie leaving home hadn’t quite spoiled the excitement. Now it was as though the family would never be happy again. How could they be with a mam with only one leg? She wished Annie hadn’t told her about the money. It was as though she thought she was going to die. She opened the top drawer and shifted her mother’s few possessions; a bible handed down from Bill Gabbitas’s family; Annie’s hymn and prayer book; her Sunday gloves, soft kid with a tiny button at the wrist and a fur cuff; a flower, pressed in tissue paper, given to her by Bill on her coming of age. She found the sock, heavy with coins and even some notes, obviously accumulated over a number of years. She found a letter addressed to My Good and Loyal Friend, Enid Slater. Another envelope, To Annie and Bill from Kate. She didn’t count the money, but put it back
where
she had found it. It would be there when her mam came home. Lucy felt a chill run down her spine – if her mam came home.

When Annie Gabbitas did come home it was to be prepared for her funeral. Once again the family was grateful that the insurance had been kept up to date, especially as there was an added cost of fifteen shillings this time for the conveying of the body home from Sheffield. The full cost of twenty pounds and five shillings could have been reduced by ten shillings if Ben had not insisted on a wreath. ‘It’ll be in memory of me father as well as me mother,’ he explained to the family. ‘And we’ll be ’aving tea for the mourners this time at the Co-op.’ Lucy wondered if this was the time to tell the family about the money in the drawer, but decided to wait until her mam was buried and resting in peace.

Almost everyone on Top Row turned out to attend the funeral. Ben arranged for a carriage and two cars to follow the hearse. The Slaters, the Marshalls and Mr Brown joined the family mourners on the journey to Cragstone Church, where Reverend Goodman was to conduct the ceremony. Ben, who had kept his emotions under control as an example to the younger ones, finally gave in to his feelings at the sight of the packed church. The thought of all these friends, neighbours and relatives making a journey of several miles and probably losing a few hours’ work in order to do so brought a lump to
his
throat and tears to his eyes. Even people Ben hadn’t seen since his father died had turned up like a flurry of rooks in their black coats and hats.

After the last of the mourners had left for home Lucy asked Mary and Jacob to stay. ‘You too, Nellie. I’ve got something to tell you.’ She mashed a pot of tea and asked them all to sit down.

‘You all know I was the last one to see me mam whilst she was still rational.’ Lucy couldn’t help showing off a bit with the new word she’d learned from the hospital doctor.

She poured the tea and sat down at the table. ‘Well, she asked me to tell you how much she loved you all and apologised for being mean with the money and explained that she’d done it for a reason.’ Lucy paused to take a breath, then continued. ‘The reason being that she was worried about what would become of us after she’d gone. She said her leg had been worrying her even before me dad died.’

‘Why didn’t she tell us?’ Jane was in tears. ‘If I’d known how bad it was I’d ’ave gone to visit her.’

‘None of us knew, Jane and anyway, me mam understood why you didn’t go. She loved you, she told me she did, and she proved it by saving all the money she could have spent on herself. Every penny, so that we should have security when she had gone. She did it for our William and you and me.’ Lucy stood up and ran upstairs. When she returned she emptied the sock on the table. ‘She said it was for us three, but I don’t think that’s fair. You’ve all gone
short
, especially our Ben who’s tipped up the most. I shall put my share back for when our Will needs new clothes, which he will because he’s growing so fast. But you must share the rest. Me mam said I had to stop you spending your share on daft things.’ Lucy smiled at Jane. ‘She said you were a good lass but a bit flighty.’

Jane blushed but the tears had ceased by now and she was grateful for the chance to make amends for her neglect of her mother. ‘You must have my share for our Will, and we’ll come to some agreement about how much we shall be able to manage on for running the house.’

‘No, Jane. If me mother said it was for you three then we must respect her wishes.’ Ben looked questioningly at Mary and Nellie.

‘Of course they must have it. I wouldn’t dream of taking any of it. I don’t need it,’ Nellie said. ‘In fact I can contribute a bit each week if necessary.’

‘It won’t be necessary whilst I live here, though if I leave I don’t know what will happen. It looks like I’m stuck ’ere until you start at pit, Will.’

‘I don’t want to go to’t pit; I’d be scared shut in all’t time in the dark.’ William had turned pale.

‘Me mam didn’t want you to go, but I can’t see any alternative,’ Lucy said, ‘not if our Ben wants a home of his own.’

‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’ Ben said. ‘In the meantime I think this little lot should go in the bank for safety.’

‘In our Will’s name,’ Jane stressed. ‘How much is there?’

‘I don’t know. I haven’t counted it.’

‘Then we’d better do it now, and the first chance we get we’ll take it to the Yorkshire Bank.

‘Come on, Jacob, you work with money. Would you like to count it for us?’ Jacob nodded. As an accountant he was pleased to be of assistance to his wife’s family and even more pleased to be included in their affairs. Being an only child he considered this family – who admittedly had just lost their mother but had a close relationship with their brothers and sisters – to be so much more fortunate than him. He counted the money and delved into his pocket, bringing out a florin, which he added to the rest of the money. ‘Exactly two hundred and forty pounds.’

‘What? Bloody ’ell.’ Ben usually reserved any bad language for the pit, but he was too shocked to notice. ‘How did she manage that?’

‘Well, I reckon she must have saved all of her pension since your father died. There’s also a hundred pounds from Aunt Kate and a donation from the colliers at the time of your father’s death.’

‘She’d been scrimping before me dad died, she told me.’ Lucy was proud that her mother had chosen her to confide in.

‘Ah yes, but there would have been a time of hardship during the strike, with bills to be paid,’ Jacob reasoned. Nobody informed him about how
mean
Annie had been. In fact they would all have been willing to exist on stew for the rest of their lives just to have their mother back. Only in one piece though – none of them would have wished her back to suffer. And each and every one of them was relieved not to have the worry of caring for an invalid, though none of them would ever have admitted it.

Chapter Seven

IT WAS TWO
o’clock in the morning when Lucy woke. Her pillow was wet with tears and the realisation that she would never see her mother again dawned on her for the first time. She looked to the bottom of the bed and wasn’t at all surprised to see her mother standing there. She was wearing the new flannel nighty with the embroidered Peter Pan collar, which had been folded neatly in her mother’s drawer ready for her laying out. Mrs Slater had done her the honour of making her look nice; she had laid her on the best cotton sheets with the lace edging ready for visitors to call and pay their last respects. ‘Mam, you’ve let your hair down; you look lovely,’ Lucy said. Annie merely smiled and floated away through the wall into the next room. Lucy sighed, snuggled down into the lumpy flock pillow and drifted off to sleep.

Jane was packing Nestlé Milk sandwiches the next morning, for the two of them to take to work and for Will to take for his school lunch. Ben would already have been slaving for a couple of hours. Lucy poured the tea. ‘Me mam came last night,’ she said.

BOOK: A Family Christmas
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ads

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