A Mother's Duty (7 page)

Ben was just starting to think of finding his way back home when John turned a corner. The boy hurried after him and to his relief the Scottie stopped outside a shop halfway up the street and went inside.

The boy paused outside to get his breath back and gaze in the window. Delight brightened his sweaty little face as he stared at a litter of puppies curled up in straw. Immediately one came over to the window and, rearing up on its hind legs, barked shrilly at him. There were not only puppies but rabbits, a cockatoo chained to a perch and a cage of canaries. There was no sign of the monkey so Ben decided to go inside.

A bell tinkled as he entered. There was a big girl behind the counter and a woman talking ten to the dozen to the Scottie in a shrill voice. Ben was delighted to see the man was in the act of clipping a lead to the monkey’s collar.

The girl looked in his direction before coming over to him. ‘What do you want, little boy?’ She smiled and he did not know what to say. It had suddenly struck him that the man might be angry with him for following him. ‘Cat got your tongue? I bet it’s a white mouse? All the boys want a white mouse.’

Ben nodded and followed her over to a large cage which stood against a wall in a far corner. Instantly he was captivated and gazed enraptured at the mice, wishing he had some money.

‘Well, do you want to buy one?’

‘Can I think about it?’ He had heard his mother say that when she wanted something but couldn’t afford to buy it.

The girl nodded and moved away. Ben stared at the mice, desperate to hold one. He glanced around and saw he wasn’t being watched and opened the cage. The mice’s reactions were swifter than his and several of them escaped. ‘The mice! The mice are out!’ he shrilled, and dropping on his hands and knees he scrabbled about the floor.

The others spun round and the woman shrieked, ‘Shut the cage, Celia, and be quick!’

The girl shot across the floor and closed the cage. John slammed the shop door. The woman approached Ben with her hand raised. ‘You pest! You nuisance!’

Having managed to catch one of the mice, Ben rose to his feet and held it out beaming up at her. ‘Here’s one. Isn’t he lovely? Or is it a she?’

The woman stared at him seemingly lost for words as he stroked the teeny creature’s back. ‘What about the rest?’ she said.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think they’d be so fast.’

‘I bet he didn’t think at all, Ma,’ said Celia.

John’s expression was exasperated as he gazed down at Ben. ‘What were you thinking of following me all the way here? Your mother’s going to be worried sick.’

‘I wanted to see the monkey.’ He held the mouse out to the girl and smiled up at John who did not return his smile.

‘Mrs McDonald is right. You’re a pest and a nuisance. What am I going to do with you?’

‘Take me with you,’ said Ben eagerly, wiping his hands on the sides of his trousers. ‘I’ll be good. I’ll look after your monkey for you.’

‘Ach, I can’t do that. Your mother wouldn’t like it and it would take you past your bedtime.’

‘You know this boy?’ said Mrs McDonald, pursing her lips.

‘Barely at all,’ said John, taking up his fiddle. ‘And I’ve no urge to become better acquainted. Ben, you’re trouble!’

‘I’d take him with you,’ said Celia with a grin on her freckled face. ‘With that smile, Little John, he’ll win hearts for you.’

John stared at Ben who was holding out a tentative hand to the monkey. ‘I’ll take him so far then he can go the rest of the way on his own.’ His tone was decisive. ‘Come on, Ben. If we don’t get going I’ll be late catching the crowds.’ He nodded in the woman’s direction. ‘I’ll be back with the monkey. You’ll know it’s me by my knock.’ He pulled the girl’s plait gently and then pushed the boy before him and out of the shop.

John’s eyes searched doorways as he strode along the darkened street with the monkey scampering behind him and Ben trotting at his side. Even this early in the evening one could never be too careful and he had made a dangerous enemy. He was also pretty sure that spunky little widow Mrs Ryan would have his life if anything happened to her son. He thought back over what had happened since he had met her and it was only gradually he became aware that Ben was panting in such a way that it was impossible for him to ignore. John halted and gazed down at him. ‘Are your legs tired?’

Ben nodded wordlessly.

‘Up with you then.’ John almost doubled himself. Without any more encouragement Ben scrambled on his back and clung tightly as any monkey. The man hurried on faster than before, across St John’s Gardens and on up Lime Street until they came to the Futurist where a queue was shuffling slowly along in the direction of the cinema entrance. For a moment he hesitated, wondering whether to skip playing that evening and take the lad home to his mother, but then he thought how he needed new boots. He lowered the boy to the ground and told him his mother would be worrying about him and to skedaddle.

Ben walked slowly away but only went a few yards before stopping in a doorway. He watched John take his fiddle from its case and begin to play. The monkey reared up on its hind legs and performed a kind of dance so that Ben was entranced by the creature all over again. He forgot about food and his mother worrying, and a few moments later came out of hiding and joined the monkey, jigging along and following John along the queue as he played tune after tune.

Kitty was in a panic. She had seen no sign of Ben on the return journey and when she arrived home he was not there. Annie was not around for her to ask about him and Teddy and Mick were not in yet. She searched high and low, looking in the most unlikely places, such as the pantry, because Ben liked hiding. She even checked the Smoking Room, although it was forbidden to her youngest son when guests were around. In the end she went back down to the basement where she found that her two elder sons had arrived home and were listening to the Brown’s wireless which Mick had put together with his father’s help in 1929 before the Crash.

‘Ben’s missing,’ she said loudly. ‘You’re going to have to look for him. I’ve got fish to cook.’

Teddy opened his eyes. ‘He’s nothing but a worry is our Ben but he probably hasn’t gone far.’ He stared into space and got to his feet slowly. ‘I’ve got a feeling he went past me when I was playing ollies in the gutter. I remember thinking those fat little legs looked familiar as they went down the road.’

‘Why didn’t you stop him?’ cried Kitty, even more worried as she tied her apron on. She seized Teddy by the shoulders and hustled him out of the door to the area. ‘Go and look for him. You too, Mick.’

‘Hang on, Ma! Let me get me coat,’ cried Teddy.

‘Where are we supposed to look?’ asked Mick, shrugging on an overcoat.

Kitty stared at him, thinking with half a mind that his overcoat would not last another winter and perhaps she had been wrong in agreeing to him staying on at school another year. What was the use of a grammar school education when she needed him here? ‘Anywhere! Everywhere!’ She waved her arms about. ‘Use your common sense! You were his age once, weren’t you?’

‘Yeah! But I never did half the things he does,’ protested Mick.

‘I know that! Ju-just try and think like him,’ said Kitty and headed upstairs where she found Annie in the kitchen.

‘I see that big fella’s fixed the chair,’ said her cousin.

‘Yes, of course he has,’ said Kitty and realised that for a whole twenty minutes she had forgotten about the Scottie. ‘Where’ve you been? You haven’t seen Ben have you? Only he’s gone missing.’

‘I just slipped out on a message. Your Ben was here not half an hour ago mithering the life out of the big fella. Something about a monkey. He wasn’t going to take him with him, though. Didn’t want him from what I could make out.’

Kitty stopped in her tracks. ‘Mr McLeod’s left?’

‘I’m sure he has.’

Of course he has
, thought Kitty. She had not seen sight nor sound of him as she searched for Ben. ‘I bet he’s followed him,’ she groaned and sank onto a chair. ‘I hope he doesn’t get lost in the dark.’

‘Perhaps the big fella’s noticed him,’ said Annie.

‘I hope so.’ She felt a bit brighter thinking that he had and rose to her feet again. ‘I wonder where he’s gone?’

‘I don’t doubt you’ll find out sooner or later,’ said Annie cryptically.

Kitty was not so sure but hoped she would and that it would be sooner rather than later.

Mick and Teddy returned half an hour or so later, empty-handed and famished. Kitty told them that Ben might be with the big Scottie.

‘You let that Scottie come here!’ exploded Teddy. ‘You must be mad! For all you know he might have been out to rob us and has kidnapped our Ben.’

‘Don’t be daft!’ said Mick, sprawling in a chair and yawning. ‘Our Ben would be more trouble than he’s worth.’

‘You just never know,’ said Teddy darkly, thrusting his hands in his pockets. ‘Everybody keeps saying these are hard times and some people would do anything for money.’

Kitty disputed that. ‘Mr McLeod isn’t like that. He helped me get my money from Mr Potter.’

The boys looked at her. ‘Why did he have to help you?’

She told them. ‘It was a good job Mr McLeod was there. Otherwise I don’t know what I’d have done.’ She smiled at them. ‘You should have seen him ram Mr Potter’s hat down over his eyes. I could have cheered.’

Teddy looked disgruntled but Mick said, ‘I suppose we should be grateful to him.’

‘Yes, you should,’ she retorted. ‘I don’t know where I’d have been without him.’

There was a silence which Mick broke by saying, ‘So Potter wasn’t a magician after all. That figures. Most magicians would have shown off with at least one trick. He had nothing up his sleeve.’

Teddy threw a cushion at his brother’s head. ‘What happened to the dummy?’ he asked.

‘In the yard. And don’t throw cushions. Let’s hope Ben’ll be back in time for supper. He must be starving.’

But Ben was not back and Kitty was really worried by then. Perhaps he wasn’t with Mr McLeod after all. She put on her coat and told the boys to do the same.

‘But what about our supper?’ protested Teddy. ‘Couldn’t we eat first?’

‘I couldn’t eat at a time like this! You’ll just have to wait.’ She rammed on her hat and despite their groans the boys did as they were told.

It was outside Mount Pleasant Post Office they met up with John. Ben was perched up on his shoulders with his arms clamped round his neck and his head drooping against his plaid bonnet.

A rush of relief and anger surged through Kitty. ‘I’ve been worried sick,’ she cried. ‘Where on earth have you been?’

Before John could speak Ben lifted his head and said, ‘I’ve had a luv’ly time. Me and the monkey collected piles of money for Little John.’

‘You’ve what!’ Kitty could scarcely believe her ears. There was her worrying all this time and this – this busker had been using Ben. She was disappointed in him. ‘How could you?’ she cried, gazing up at the man. ‘He’s only seven years old and you’ve had him begging in the streets. What will the neighbours think?’

‘Why should the neighbours think anything? They probably haven’t seen him,’ said John. ‘Calm down, woman! He did it off his own bat. I didn’t know he was there until it was too late. He’d been singing and dancing a fair treat for ages, so some woman said, but he kept out of sight behind me. You should keep a better watch on him if he’s prone to wander.’

His words went home and guilt was now a lethal ingredient in the cocktail of her worry and anger. Her eyes blazed. ‘How dare you suggest I don’t look after my children properly! I went to meet him but I was late because of you.’

‘It was you that wanted me to go back to your place,’ said John.

Ben interrupted them, ‘The girl in the pet shop said I’d melt their hearts and I did, didn’t I, Little John?’

‘The pet shop! Melt their hearts,’ gasped Kitty. ‘So it was suggested to you, you use my son and you’ve just said—’

‘I know what I said,’ said John, ‘and it’s true.’

‘So you say! How do I know you’re telling the truth? You could have deliberately exploited him! You might as well have sent him up a chimney!’

‘Don’t be daft, woman. There’s no comparison between singing and dancing and sweeping chimneys.’

‘It’s child labour and there’s a law against it! I’ll pay you for the jobs you’ve done and after that I don’t want to see you again.’ She turned on her heel and marched up the Mount. Over her shoulder she called, ‘And don’t you dare bring that monkey onto my premises!’

‘Phew!’ said Mick. ‘She’s in a real paddy.’

‘She was worried,’ snapped Teddy. ‘You know she’s always worrying about our Ben since Jimmy went.’

John swore under his breath and hoisted Ben from his shoulders. He held Joey’s lead out to Mick. ‘You look after them both.’

He loped in Kitty’s wake and caught up with her outside Mrs McKeon’s corset-making premises. He seized her arm and brought her to a halt. ‘You are one unreasonable woman,’ he yelled, exasperated. ‘Chimney sweeps! I’ve never heard the like. Didn’t you hear a word Ben said or see his face? The lad enjoyed himself! Doesn’t that mean anything to you after what you said about him missing your brother-in-law?’

She realised guiltily that she had not given thought to how Ben had felt, but that still did not make her feel any better about her youngest son begging in the streets. ‘I’m not against him enjoying himself,’ she said stiffly, tilting back her head and staring up at John, ‘but doing what he did wasn’t what I had in mind. I’ve my reputation to think about.’

‘Your reputation comes before your son I suppose.’

‘That’s unfair! My reputation is my livelihood and if it got about what Ben had been doing, people might think I’m short of money.’

‘And would that matter?’

‘Of course it would matter,’ she said, suddenly remembering where she was and lowering her voice. ‘I have to appear to be making a success of things with my mother and Jimmy gone – and Mr McLeod, I’d appreciate it if you could keep your voice down. I don’t want to be heard arguing in the street.’

‘It’s you that started this, Mrs Ryan,’ he hissed. ‘Shrieking at me like a seagull! You should be
proud
Ben’s got some initiative. He won’t sit and starve if he’s ever in a fix.’