Stay as Sweet as You Are (39 page)

‘If we go to the pictures while ye’re home, Mr Titch, I can pay for meself this time.’

Olive hurried through from the kitchen. ‘Steve, don’t be so forward.’

‘He’s all right love, don’t be getting at him. As a matter of fact, I was going to suggest we all go on Saturday night. That’s yerself, me ma, Irene and all the kids. It would have to be first house because of Lucy and Greg, but I thought the grown-ups could go for a drink afterwards. Just to the corner pub, like. We could meet up with George and Bob.’

Steve’s face was a joy to behold. ‘That would be the gear, Mr Titch.’

‘Excuse me,’ Olive said. ‘But have yer forgotten I work in the pub?’

‘What difference does that make? Yer don’t work there at night. And if you came, I’m sure we could persuade Irene and me ma to come. The children would be all right in the Pollards’ for an hour or so. Jack and Steve are old enough to see the others don’t come to any harm.’

‘Go on, Mam,’ Steve urged. ‘Yer never go out for a drink.’

Her son’s face looked so eager, Olive didn’t have the heart to refuse outright. Anyway, she was probably reading more into this than there really was. Irene always got a peck on the cheek off Titch when he came home, and he called her love. It was just his way of being friendly, that’s all. ‘See what Aggie and Irene say first. If they go, I’ll come too.’

Rhoda had her arm across Lucy’s shoulder as they turned the corner of the street. ‘Are yer playing out after?’

‘I don’t know yet. I’m not playing skipping or hopscotch, though, ’cos we’re too big for that now.’

‘Well, come over to ours and have a game of Ludo, if yer like. But it’ll have to be after we’ve had our tea and me mam’s cleared away.’

‘We’ll see, eh?’ Although Lucy didn’t feel in the mood for games, the prospect of staying in the house all evening with her mother was even less appealing. ‘I’ll call for yer after tea and see what we want to do.’ They stopped opposite Rhoda’s house and Lucy watched her friend skipping over the cobblestones. ‘See yer later.’

Irene Pollard stepped from her doorway and into Lucy’s path. ‘I’ve been watching for yer, sunshine, I want to have a word with yer. But yer better go home first to see if yer mam wants yer for anything. I’ll leave the door ajar, so just walk in.’

‘Yeah, okay, Mrs Pollard.’ A smile came to Lucy’s face. ‘Did Mr Titch get home?’

Irene nodded. ‘He came yesterday, but he didn’t call to yours with yer dad being at work. He asked about yer, though, and he’s looking forward to seeing yer.’

‘I can’t wait to see him. I love Mr Titch, he always makes me laugh.’

‘He has that effect on everyone, sunshine. Like his mother,
he can turn any situation into a joke. He wouldn’t let yer be miserable, even if yer wanted to.’ Irene thought the word ‘miserable’ summed up Lucy’s life. They never heard laughter coming through the wall of the Mellors’, only Ruby’s bawling and screeching. And this pretty girl standing in front of her deserved better than that. She deserved to be loved and cherished. ‘I’ll tell yer what, sunshine, I’ll come up to Aggie’s with yer when we’ve had our talk. Then yer can see yer heart-throb. How does that sound to yer?’

‘Oh, yes, please! But I’d better go and see if me mam wants me first.’

‘I’ll leave the door open for yer.’

Irene was seated in the chair, her hands in her lap when she heard the front door crashing back against the hall wall. ‘I’m home, Mam!’

‘I gathered that, sunshine. I hope the front door’s still on its hinges?’

Greg grinned. ‘The door’s fine, Mam. There’s a big hole in the wall, like, but as I say, the door’s fine.’

‘Listen, son, I want yer to go on a message for me. And I want yer to take at least half an hour over it.’

‘Where’s the shop yer want me to go to, Mam? In Scotland?’

‘I haven’t got time to explain, son, except to say I need a quiet word with Lucy. And I want you out of the way. So I’ll give yer a penny for some sweets and yer can go and play with yer mates and annoy the neighbours.’

Greg held out his hand. ‘Sounds like a fair exchange to me, Mam.’

There was a timid knock at the door. ‘It’s me, Mrs Pollard.’

‘Come in, sunshine. Greg’s just going on a message for me.’

‘Hi, Greg!’

‘Lucy, the button millionaire.’ Greg patted her cheek. ‘I’m going to marry you when I grow up, just so I can get me buttons back.’

‘Chance is a fine thing, Greg Pollard. When I get married it’ll be to someone handsome and rich.’

‘Yer need look no further, ’cos he’s standing in front of yer. At the moment I’m only handsome, but one day I’ll be rich as well.’

Irene tutted. ‘Will yer get going, son, I’ve got a lot to do before yer dad gets in.’

When her son’s footsteps had died away, Irene moved to the couch and patted the seat next to her. ‘Come and sit down, love, I want to have one of our little discussions.’

‘What about, Mrs Pollard?’

‘It’s about you, Lucy. Yer look so miserable and sad lately that I’m worried about yer. And anything that is said in this room will go no further, yer know that.’

Lucy looked down at her hands and laced her fingers. ‘I’m all right, Mrs Pollard. I feel a bit fed up sometimes, but it’s nothing, really.’

‘I’m sorry, Lucy, but I don’t believe yer.’ Irene put a finger under the girl’s chin and lifted her face. ‘I thought you and me were friends, and yer trusted me.’

‘Oh, we are, Mrs Pollard, ye’re me very best friend. And I trust yer more than anyone, except me dad.’

‘Then tell me what’s worrying yer. And don’t say ye’re not worried because I know full well that yer are – and have been for months now. I give yer me solemn promise I will not say or do anything about it, but I need to know to set me mind at rest. And don’t forget, sunshine, a trouble shared is a trouble halved. Yer’ll feel a lot better if yer get it off yer chest.’

‘It’s me mam,’ Lucy said in a quiet voice. ‘She’s been going out at night when me dad’s at work. And I’ve been real worried because I feel I’m doing wrong by not telling me dad. I know I should have told him in the beginning, but she said I’d only cause trouble and I was frightened.’

Irene’s temper was rising but she kept her voice calm. ‘And is she still doing it?’

‘I pulled her up about it on Tuesday night when I saw her
dolling herself up. I said if she didn’t stop I would tell on her. She promised she wouldn’t do it again, but I don’t believe her. I know I shouldn’t say things like that about me mother, but I’d be lying if I said otherwise. She’s a married woman and she shouldn’t be going out drinking when me dad thinks she’s at home minding me. That’s cheating, and she’s making me into a cheat as well.’ Lucy’s voice became stronger with emotion. ‘Me dad’s a good husband to her but she hasn’t got a kind word for him. And that makes me sad because he’s a lovely man and I idolise him.’

‘Yer dad
is
a lovely man, one of the best. And I know yer dote on each other. As for yer mother – well, we’ll just wait and see if she keeps her promise, eh?’ Irene had no intention of setting the girl against her mother, that wouldn’t be fair. So her thoughts on Ruby stayed in her head. ‘Perhaps one day yer mam will come to her senses and realise what a good husband and daughter she’s got. So forget about it, sunshine, and see how things go.’

‘D’yer really think she will change, Mrs Pollard?’

If Irene were to be honest, she’d have said there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of Ruby Mellor ever changing. But she hadn’t the heart to extinguish the light of hope she could see in the girl’s eyes. ‘Only time will tell, Lucy. But if yer’ll take my advice yer’ll put it out of yer mind for now. There’s no point in making yerself ill over it, that wouldn’t solve anything. And yer’ve got yer dad to think about. If he sees you’re unhappy, it’s going to make him unhappy as well. I’m sure yer don’t want that, do yer?’

‘I would never do anything to make me dad unhappy, never.’

‘Then let’s see a smile back on yer pretty face and the laughter back in yer voice. Then everyone that loves yer will be happy.’ Irene held out her arms and Lucy moved into the shelter of them as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

‘Yer really are me very best friend.’ She looked up into
Irene’s face. ‘And I do feel better now I’ve told yer what’s been worrying me.’

‘I said yer would, didn’t I? So in future, don’t keep things bottled up inside yer.’ Irene held the girl away from her. ‘Now, let’s go and see your Mr Titch. I won’t be able to stay long because I’ll have to put the dinner on soon.’

Titch saw them passing the window and had the door open before the knock had even sounded. His face creased in a smile as he held his arms wide. ‘My little sweetheart.’

Lucy seemed to fly through the air. ‘I don’t half love it when ye’re home, Mr Titch.’ Her arms around his waist, she grinned up at him. ‘And I’m not so little any more. See, I’m up to yer shoulder now.’

‘That’s ’cos I’m bending down, soft girl.’ He stretched to his full height. ‘Another couple of inches, then yer’ll be up to me shoulder.’

Aggie’s voice called out, ‘Will yer come in so I can hear what ye’re saying? I’m sitting here like a bleedin’ stuffed dummy, straining me ears.’

Titch pushed Lucy towards the living room and waited for Irene to follow before closing the door. ‘Yer haven’t missed anything, Ma.’

‘That’s for me to decide.’ Aggie moved to the side of her rocking chair to make room for Lucy to sit beside her. ‘If I don’t hear what’s said, I won’t know whether I’ve missed anything, will I?’

‘I’ll tell yer what Mr Titch said, Mrs Aggie.’ The rocking chair wasn’t made for two people and when Lucy turned she could feel her bottom slipping off the seat. So she held on to Aggie’s arm for safety. ‘He said he was going to take me back to the ship with him and hide me in one of the lifeboats until the ship was hundreds of miles out at sea. He’d bring me food every day, of course, and make sure I was warm enough. Then when we were that far out the skipper couldn’t turn back, Mr Titch would pretend he’d found a stowaway.’

‘Well, I never!’ Aggie’s eyes were wide. ‘He told yer all
that in a couple of minutes? He’s a fast talker, is my son.’

‘Yer’ve got to be fast these days, Ma,’ Titch said. ‘All the prettiest girls get snapped up in no time. If I don’t watch out I’ll be left on the shelf.’

‘And what did yer tell him, queen?’

Lucy giggled. ‘I told him I would give it serious consideration.’

‘Well, now yer’ve had time for this serious consideration, queen, thank him for his kind offer, but say that unfortunately yer’ll have to decline. If he wants to know why, tell him yer have too many friends here who wouldn’t be without yer.’

Lucy played her part well. With a hand over her heart, she said, ‘But he’ll be broken-hearted, Mrs Aggie.’

‘He’ll get over it, queen. I mean, he can always give Irene a kiss if he’s feeling lonely. That’s as long as George doesn’t catch him at it.’

‘Ay, hang about, Aggie!’ Irene said. ‘If any of the neighbours heard yer say that, they’d think there was something going on between me and Titch.’

Titch chuckled. ‘I should be so lucky.’

‘Sod the neighbours, Irene, they shouldn’t be so bleedin’ bad-minded.’ Aggie thought it was time to throw another name into the pot. ‘Anyway, ye’re not the only one me son has taken to kissing. Olive’s on his list now, as well.’

‘Go ’way!’ This wasn’t news to Irene, but she pretended it was. ‘Well, you fickle thing, Titch McBride. Here’s me thinking I was yer one and only.’

‘And I thought yer were waiting for me to grow up.’ Lucy put a sob in her voice. ‘Ye’re a flirt, Mr Titch.’

‘Oh dear, I’m in the doghouse now.’ Titch sat down and held his head in his hands. ‘I can see I’m better to conduct me love-life in another country. The girl in Rotterdam, now she’s a nice quiet little thing – I wouldn’t get any trouble from her. Or there’s Anna, a beautiful Chinese girl. And I mustn’t forget my French girlfriend, Giselle. Now there’s a beauty if ever there was one.’

‘Don’t yer be bringing no foreign girls to this house, me lad. I’m too old to be learning to speak Chinese or bleedin’ French.’

‘Yer’d have no trouble with the Dutch girl, though, Ma, ’cos yer speak double Dutch all the time. Yer’d get on like a house on fire with Bertha.’

‘Listen to me, buggerlugs, there’s enough English girls around for yer to choose from.’ Aggie was really enjoying herself. And part of her enjoyment came from seeing a genuine smile on Lucy’s face. ‘If yer can’t find one of yer own kind to marry, then all I can say is ye’re too bleedin’ hard to please and yer deserve to stay a bachelor for the rest of yer life.’

‘See what yer’ve started, Lucy?’ Irene asked, her face straight. ‘If yer’d told Titch right away that yer didn’t want to be a stowaway, none of this would have happened.’

‘It’s been funny, though, hasn’t it, Mrs Pollard? Especially the part about Mr Titch and his girlfriends.’

‘Yes, it has, sunshine. But I’d better get home and put the dinner on. My feller won’t see the funny side if his meal’s not ready for him. He says he’s got no sense of humour when his tummy’s empty.’ Irene waved goodbye. ‘I’ll see you folks later.’

Lucy slipped from the chair. ‘I’d better go as well.’

‘Hang on for a few minutes, sweetheart, while I tell yer what we’ve got planned for Saturday night. Then yer’ll have something to look forward to.’

Aggie patted the chair. ‘Sit down again, queen.’

Lucy was wide-eyed as Titch’s plan unfolded. ‘We’re all going to the pictures, first house. That’s me ma, Irene and the two boys, Olive and Steve and yerself. And after the pictures, the grown ups are going to the corner pub for a drink, while you youngsters can amuse yerselves playing cards in the Pollards’ house. I saw yer dad this morning before he went to work to make sure it was all right with him.’

‘It sounds wonderful, Mr Titch, I really will look forward
to it.’ There was mischief in Lucy’s eyes. ‘Can I just say that no matter how beautiful yer Dutch and Chinese girlfriends are, they can’t have yer. I mean, how could yer take us to the pictures if yer were living in China? Yer couldn’t travel on the twenty-two tram, ’cos it doesn’t go any further than the Pier Head terminus.’