Stay as Sweet as You Are (16 page)

‘I’ve said I’ll go, so there’s no need for a lecture. And I’d
better see to that tea, it’ll be stiff by now. I’ll add more boiling water to it ’cos I can’t afford to throw another pot away.’

Bob cocked an ear. ‘Here’s Lucy. Remember, not a word.’

There was a half-smile on Ruby’s face as she struck a match under the kettle. The silly bugger thinks he’s got one over on me, and I’m going to be the dutiful little wife. If that makes him happy, then let him get on with it. When next Saturday comes I might just be feeling sick with a bad headache or an upset tummy. And if that doesn’t work – well, what the hell. A couple of hours of misery won’t kill me. I’ll just think of the weeks ahead when I’m in the money and can doll meself up and go out and really enjoy meself.

She could hear Bob talking to Lucy, and her smile turned into a full one as an idea came into her head. This is where I put on me act as the dutiful wife and mother, she thought, and I can’t wait to see their faces. Popping her head around the kitchen door, and her smile still intact, she said, ‘There’s a pot of tea made, Lucy, would yer like a cup?’

Lucy’s surprised expression turned to one of suspicion. She never ever got a smile off her mother, and the offer of a cup of tea was unheard of. There had to be a catch in it somewhere. ‘I’ll have one if me dad’s having one,’ she said cautiously.

‘Of course he’s having one, I made it for him.’

‘I was just saying she looks pale today,’ Bob said. ‘She’s got no colour in her cheeks and her eyes look dull.’

Ruby threw a brief glance at her daughter. ‘She looks all right to me.’

‘I am all right, Dad, honest! I don’t know why me face is pale, ’cos I feel the same as I always do.’

But Bob wasn’t convinced. He’d got a hug and a smile off his daughter when she came in, but he’d noticed the smile didn’t reach her eyes. ‘I think yer might be sickening for something, so to be on the safe side yer can take a Beecham’s Powder before yer go to bed.’

‘Ah, ay, Dad! I promised Rhoda I’d play out with her until dinner was ready. Just for half an hour, please?’

When those large green eyes looked so appealing, he didn’t have the heart to refuse. ‘Okay, after yer’ve had a cup of tea. But remember, it’s a Beecham’s before yer go to bed.’

Lucy looked to make sure her mother was in the kitchen before throwing her arms around his neck. ‘I love you, Dad.’

‘And I love you, pet, more than yer’ll ever know.’

Lucy stretched her arms wide. ‘As much as this?’

‘Oh, much more than that.’ Bob smiled. ‘Run around the world twice, and that’s how much I love yer.’

A sparkle appeared briefly in Lucy’s eyes. ‘If I ran around the world twice, Dad, there’d be nothing left of me for yer to love.’

Ruby carried two cups of tea through and set them on the table. ‘Come and sit here and drink it, it’s too hot to hold in yer hands.’

Lucy blew on the piping hot tea, wishing she dared ask for more milk to cool it down. ‘I can’t drink any more, Dad, I’ve had enough. Can I go out now?’

‘Yeah, okay, we’ll give yer a shout when dinner’s ready.’

She was near the front door when Lucy heard her mother’s voice. ‘I’ve told yer, ye’re making a rod for yer own back, spoiling her like that.’

And she heard her dad answer, ‘It’s my back, Ruby, not yours.’

Lucy sighed as she jumped down the step, right into the path of Jack and Greg.

‘Hey, watch where ye’re going, yer nearly sent us flying,’ Jack said, securing the football under his arm. ‘Where are yer going in such a hurry?’

‘I’m not in a hurry, I just jumped off the step, that’s all. I can’t see around corners, clever clogs.’ Lucy nodded to the ball. ‘I see ye’re off for a game of footie.’

‘He’s making the most of it,’ Greg said, chuckling. ‘Me mam said that this time next week, footie will be a thing of
the past. And marbles and kick-the-can. It’ll be long kecks, hair combed and flattened down with sugar and water, a tie when he’s going out, and mind yer manners if yer please.’

Lucy grinned. ‘It’ll be worth it when he’s got money jingling in his pocket.’

‘Yeah, too true.’ Jack gave his brother a dig. ‘And before yer start making cracks when I put me long kecks on, just remember yer penny pocket money is at stake.’

‘Blimey, what I’ve got to do to get this penny is nobody’s business. I’ve got to polish his shoes and run any messages he wants. I haven’t got to laugh when he’s got his long kecks on in case he thinks I’m laughing at him, which means on top of everything else I’ve got to lose me sense of humour, as well.’ Greg appealed to Lucy. ‘Be fair, now, don’t yer think all that is worth more than a miserly penny?’

‘Oh, I’m not taking sides, Greg, that wouldn’t be right. But when Jack sees how well yer polish his shoes, I’m sure he’ll think it’s worth tuppence.’ Lucy wanted to be on her way, there was something she had to do. ‘I’ll have to go, or Rhoda will think I’m not coming. Enjoy yer game of footie, but don’t break any windows.’

She waited until the boys reached the end of the street, then went to stand in front of their house. She was nervous, and biting her fingernails. But Mrs Pollard had told her to knock if she ever needed help, and right now Lucy was desperate to talk to someone. And she’d never get another chance like this. The boys were out and Mr Pollard wouldn’t be home from work until six o’clock. Plucking up courage, she knocked on the door.

‘Hello, sunshine.’ Irene’s smile was welcoming to the frightened girl. ‘Come in.’

Lucy stood by the table in the living room, wondering how to start. ‘Yer said I could come to yer if I needed anything, Mrs Pollard, so yer don’t mind, do yer?’

‘Of course not, sunshine, sit down.’ Irene’s heart went out to the girl who had a look of fear in her eyes. Her voice
gentle, she coaxed, ‘Come on, out with it. Whatever it is will remain a secret between the two of us, I promise.’

‘I’ve got a sore at the top of me leg and it’s getting worse. I don’t want to tell me mam, and I can’t show it to me dad because of where it is. So I wondered if yer’d look at it for me and tell me what to do to make it better.’

‘Is that all! Come on, don’t be shy, show it to me.’

When Lucy lifted her dress and took away the dirty pad, Irene gasped. There were large bruise marks which had now faded to a pale blue and yellow, but there were two slits in the skin which were oozing a yellow pus. And in the pus were bits of navy-blue fleece from the piece of knickers. ‘In the name of God, sunshine, how did yer do that?’

Lucy dropped her head. ‘One of the girls in school did it in the playground.’

‘Good God! Did yer tell the teacher? Yer should have done and she’d have cleaned it up for yer and put a dressing on.’

‘I didn’t want to get the girl into trouble.’

Irene closed her eyes and tried to calm her rising temper. Lucy was telling lies, and she wasn’t very good at it. ‘Come into the kitchen and I’ll bathe it in warm water. I’ve got some antiseptic ointment we can put on, and I’ve got lint and plasters. We’ll have yer cleaned up and comfortable in no time.’ Gently, Irene cleaned the wound and dressed it. ‘Ye’re lucky, sunshine, it was about to turn septic. Yer should have told me before, instead of going round with a dirty old piece of cloth on it. And how have yer managed to walk? Yer must have been in agony.’

Not used to tenderness and sympathy, Lucy was near to tears. ‘It has been sore. But I couldn’t come to yer before because yer were never on yer own.’

Irene used two strips of plaster to keep the lint in place. ‘There yer go, all done and dusted. I’ll have a look at it tomorrow and put a clean dressing on. In a few days yer’ll be as right as rain, please God. Now come and sit down.’ She led the girl to the couch and sat down beside her. Taking her
hand, she said softly, ‘I promised this would be our little secret, and I meant it. But we’ve got to be honest with each other. And I’m afraid yer haven’t told me the truth, have yer, sunshine?’

Lucy hung her head in shame. Shame for having lied to this warm, kind-hearted woman, and ashamed to have to admit that her own mother would deliberately hurt her. ‘No, I told yer a lie, and I’m very sorry.’

‘It’s not a sin to tell a lie to protect someone, Lucy, and that’s what ye’re doing, isn’t it? But yer don’t have to tell me who did it if you don’t want to.’

The tears came then, and rolled down Lucy’s face to fall on Irene’s hand. ‘Me mam did it, but she didn’t mean to hurt me, she was acting daft. She does love me, yer know.’

Irene took her in her arms and held her tight. ‘I’m sure she does, sunshine. She couldn’t help but love yer.’ She rocked her like a baby. No mother who loved her child could be so cruel to her, it wasn’t natural. But they were the words Lucy wanted to hear. ‘She wasn’t to know she’d hurt yer that much. She’d never forgive herself if she knew.’

‘Ooh, yer won’t tell her, will yer?’ Two large frightened eyes begged. ‘Yer won’t tell anyone, will yer, ’cos yer promised.’

‘I won’t tell a living soul, cross my heart and hope to die.’ Irene held her away so they could face each other. ‘Anytime ye’re worried about anything, even if it’s only a little worry, yer can come to me knowing it won’t go no further. And if ever I need a shoulder to cry on, or I’m feeling down in the dumps, I’ll come to you, eh?’

‘You’re never down in the dumps, Mrs Pollard, ye’re always happy and laughing.’

‘Everybody has times when they’re down, sunshine, and I’m no different. Sometimes I feel dead miserable without even knowing why. I don’t tell George or the boys because men don’t understand how temperamental a woman can be when she’s having an off day. So I’d be glad to have someone
to talk to and get all me moans off me chest. It’s surprising how much it helps.’ Lucy’s tears had stopped now and Irene kept on talking in a matter-of-fact way. ‘If yer could see me on a Monday morning standing in front of the pile of dirty clothes I’ve got to wash, yer’d soon find out I’m not always happy and laughing. Monday is one day I could do without.’

‘Yer could talk to me, Mrs Pollard, but I couldn’t help yer ’cos I’m only young. I would if I could, though.’

‘There’s lots of ways yer could help. For instance, if I change me hairstyle and ask the boys or George if they like it, they always say they do without even looking at it. Now if I asked you, it would be different. You could tell me which style suited me best.’

Lucy’s eyes brightened with interest. ‘Ooh, I could do that! That would be easy, ’cos I could comb yer hair in different ways and see which suited yer best.’

Irene’s heart lifted. ‘Right, that’s settled then. I’ll be your confidante and you can be mine.’

‘What does that word mean, Mrs Pollard?’

‘A confidante is someone yer tell yer secrets to. And that’s what we’re going to be from now on. But right now, I think yer’d better get down to Rhoda’s before she decides to call for yer. We don’t want yer dad having the police out looking for yer, do we?’

Lucy, a much happier girl now, grinned and jumped to her feet. ‘We’re going to have a game of skipping, to see who can do the most cross-overs. And it’s Rhoda’s turn to cheat. So before we start, she’s the winner.’

Irene followed her to the door. ‘She’s a good friend, isn’t she?’

‘Yeah, she’s the best.’ Lucy turned before stepping into the street. ‘Thanks for doing me leg for me, Mrs Pollard, it feels a lot better now. I’ve been really worried about it.’

‘Call in tomorrow and I’ll get rid of the boys for five minutes while I change the dressing. It’s thanks to them I had all the stuff to dress it with. They’re always coming in with
cuts and scrapes.’ Irene waved a hand. ‘Poppy off now and enjoy yer game of skipping.’

‘Ta-ra, Mrs Pollard.’ Now her worries were over, Lucy ran up the street with wings on her heels. She felt so relieved and happy, she didn’t mind that it was her friend’s turn to cheat.

‘Ah, ay, Rhoda, I know it’s your turn to win, but ye’re not half cheating.’ Lucy was leaning against the wall outside her friend’s house, her arms folded and a look of impatience on her face. ‘Ye’re not even doing proper cross-overs! Little Milly Simpson could do what ye’re doing and she’s only five.’

‘I am doing proper cross-overs, so there!’ Rhoda was red in the face with jumping up and down. ‘This is the way you do them, so if I’m wrong, then you are as well.’

‘I do not do them like that!’ Lucy dropped her arms and stood to attention. Cheating proper was one thing, but this was double cheating. ‘All ye’re doing is crossing yer wrists and ye’re supposed to cross yer arms.’

‘Here, you have a go.’ Rhoda was happy to pass the piece of clothes line over. She had more weight to heave up and down and she was out of breath. It was all right for Lucy, she was a real skinny links and never got puffed. And as for her mother telling her it was only puppy fat she was carrying and she’d soon lose it – well, she was getting fed up hearing about it and it never happening. ‘Let’s see how you do it, clever clogs.’

Lucy took in her friend’s red face and the beads of sweat on her forehead, and was immediately contrite. ‘Let’s not do any more cross-overs, yer’ve won anyway. So how about tying one end to the lamp-post and take turns swinging the rope?’

Rhoda looked relieved. ‘Yeah, that’s more like it.’

Lucy was tying the rope when a boy came up behind her. ‘If yer want any help, Lucy, just sing out.’

‘Hello, Steve.’ Lucy gave him a bright smile. ‘I’ve done it now, so I don’t need no help. But thanks for asking.’

Rhoda’s face was set. She glared at the boy who was so poorly dressed he looked like a tramp. His pullover was full of holes, his short trousers torn and frayed, and both his shoes and socks looked as though they were going to fall to pieces any minute. ‘Even if we did need help, Steve Fletcher, we wouldn’t want it off you, ’cos ye’re all dirty.’

‘Rhoda!’ Lucy looked horrified. ‘That wasn’t a nice thing to say.’

Her friend was unrepentant. ‘Well, he is dirty, just look at him. And he’s got scabs on his legs, as well.’

The boy’s face flushed a bright red. He was thirteen, and tall and well-built for his age. And anyone bothering to ignore the clothes and look at the lad himself, would see he had the makings of a fine-looking young man. His untidy hair was fair, his eyes a bright blue and he had a cleft in his chin. He stared at Rhoda and half opened his mouth as though he was going to answer her. Then he shook his head and began to walk away. ‘I’ll see yer, Lucy.’