One Rainy Day (21 page)

A loud tut-tut came from Jane. ‘You’re making more noise telling her to keep quiet than she’s making!’

Poppy saw the funny side, and it was with great difficulty that she stifled her laughter. As she started to copy what was on the blackboard, a little voice in her head told her to pull herself together and act her age, or she’d never get a decent job.

However, when she was called over to the teacher’s desk, her tummy started to do cartwheels. She’d die of embarrassment if Mr Jones told her she was wasting his time as well as her own. But the teacher said she was doing fairly well, seeing it was her first attempt. ‘Keep at it, Miss Meadows,’ he said. ‘You have a way to go yet, but your homework shows promise. Well done!’

Poppy almost skipped back to her seat, she was so pleased. She had been given the incentive to carry on now, and carry on she would. No one would be allowed to knock her off course, and that was a rule she would stick to. If she ever felt herself weakening, she would just conjure up Mr John’s face with his searching eyes. That would do the trick if nothing else did.

‘We’re ready to go, Poppy. Are yer coming?’ Jane asked. ‘It’s taken you ages to write the homework down, so will yer put a move on, please?’

‘Is yer boyfriend meeting yer?’ Joy sounded eager. ‘Is he?’

‘What boyfriend are you talking about?’ Poppy looked puzzled. ‘I don’t have one.’

‘Oh, don’t come that with us.’ Jane laughed. ‘We don’t miss much, do we, Joy? We saw him meet yer the other night. He’s a smashing-looking bloke.’

Nosy beggars, Poppy thought. I don’t want them knowing any of my business. ‘Oh, I know who you mean. But he’s not my boyfriend, just someone I know.’

‘In that case,’ Jane said, ‘if he’s not spoken for, introduce him to me and Joy. We’re both on the lookout for a feller.’

‘He wouldn’t be any good to you, I’m afraid.’ Poppy found herself telling lies again. ‘He’s married with two children. And his wife is a real beauty, the image of Doris Day.’ She was thanking her lucky stars that she’d told Peter she definitely
didn’t want him to meet her tonight. She could just imagine these two fawning over him. ‘I might as well walk with you to the bus stop. I don’t like being on my own in the dark.’

‘Do yer live far?’ Joy asked. ‘Me and Jane only live two streets from each other.’

‘Two bus stops, that’s all. I could walk it in ten minutes, but as I said, I don’t fancy walking in the dark.’

‘If you’re frightened, we’ll come with yer,’ Joy said. ‘We wouldn’t mind, would we, Jane? Half an hour is neither here nor there, and it wouldn’t take any longer than that.’

‘Yeah, we wouldn’t mind coming with yer for company.’ Jane nodded agreement. ‘I’m not too happy about walking alone in the dark meself: that’s why me and Joy stick together.’

Poppy felt terrible. She’d lied to them, called them for everything in her mind, and here they were being so kind to her. God would punish her for being a hypocrite. ‘That’s very kind of you, and I do appreciate it. But I couldn’t take you so far out of your way. If you see me on the bus, then I’ll be fine. The stop I get off is just at the top of the street I live in. I’ve only got to cross the road and walk about twenty yards.’

‘Well, if you’re sure, we’ll just see you on the bus,’ Jane said. ‘I won’t be sorry to get home meself. My feet are freezing.’ The couple walked either side of Poppy and linked arms with her. ‘A hot water bottle tonight without fail. It can be warming the bed while I’m drinking me Horlicks.’

‘Oh, hot chocolate for me,’ Joy said. ‘Horlicks is too sickly sweet for my liking.’

‘Mine’s a cup of tea,’ Poppy said, as they gathered at the bus stop. ‘You can’t beat a cup of tea.’

‘Here’s your bus,’ Joy said, freeing Poppy’s arm. ‘You’ll be home before we are.’

‘Thanks for walking with me.’ Poppy jumped on the platform and turned to add, ‘You’re good mates.’

The two friends waved. ‘See yer on Monday.’

Poppy sat on the first seat inside the bus, and waved to the two girls before sitting up straight and pulling her skirt down over her knees. She noticed a man sitting in the seat opposite looking at her, so she turned her head away. He was well dressed, in a smart overcoat and trilby hat, and was probably on his way home to his wife and children.

As the bus neared the second stop, Poppy felt in her pocket for the two pennies she’d put there in readiness for the fare. The conductor was standing by the driver, and Poppy passed the coins over when the bus came to a halt. ‘Thanks, love,’ the conductor said. ‘Here, take yer ticket.’

Accepting the ticket, Poppy stuck it in her pocket and jumped off the platform. She stood on the pavement waiting for a lull in the traffic, and then hurried across the road into her street. There was a bitterly cold wind out, and she pulled the collar of her coat up to cover her ears as she moved swiftly past houses darkened by drawn curtains. It was very quiet, the only sound being Poppy’s high heels on the pavement. Suddenly she felt her body stiffen, and she sensed someone walking close behind her. Filled with fear, she moved faster, now only six doors from her house and safety. But she was pulled up sharp when an arm went round her waist and another round her neck, cutting off her breathing. Her brain wasn’t working, and it was by instinct that she brought her right leg forward, bent her knee, then kicked her foot back as hard as she could. Her heel caught the shin of her attacker and he squealed in agony, allowing the arm across Poppy’s throat to relax. She took a deep breath, then screamed at the
top of her voice. And luck was with her, for at that moment one of her neighbours was leaving his house to go to work on the night shift at Seaforth docks. Ally Boden had just closed the door when he heard the scream, and he was out of the gate in seconds. He quickly took in the scene: Poppy bent double, breathless and crying, and a bloke running fast up the street. He was quick-witted was Ally, and he knew it was a choice between helping Poppy or going after the man. His anger took him sprinting up the street after the coward who had picked on a lone woman.

Inside the Boden house Marg stood in the middle of the room, her ears cocked. ‘Did you hear a scream, Sarah, or was I hearing things?’

‘I thought I heard something,’ her elder daughter said. ‘Just before me dad banged the door after himself. But it might have been the wind.’

‘I’ll have a look,’ Marg said, ‘put me mind at rest.’ She walked through the hall and shivered when she felt a draught coming from under the front door. ‘The number of times I’ve asked Ally to get a draught excluder for this door, and he still hasn’t done it. I might as well talk to meself.’

It was dark outside, and it took Marg a few seconds for her eyes to focus properly. Then she heard someone sobbing, and she switched the hall light on before stepping down on to the short path.

Poppy saw the light go on in her neighbour’s hall, and she called, ‘Marg, can you give us a hand?’

‘In the name of God, what’s happened?’ Marg saw Poppy’s bag and contents strewn across the pavement, with papers fluttering in the wind. ‘Did yer fall over, queen?’

Poppy shook her head. Her throat was sore, for the bloke had been really rough with her. ‘Some bloke attacked me.
Thank God Ally came out when he did, or it might have been a lot worse.’

‘Where is Ally?’ Marg asked. ‘He hasn’t gone off to work and left yer like this, has he? I’ll break his bleeding neck for him!’

‘No, he ran after the bloke, Marg! I don’t know what’s happened to him. I’ve only just got me breath back. I really thought the bloke was going to choke me.’ Poppy bent down to retrieve her bag. ‘I suppose he was after me bag, but he would have got his eye wiped ’cos there’s only coppers in it, and a bit of make-up.’

‘Are these books yours, queen?’ Marg picked them up and handed them over. ‘They’ll be dirty, so watch yer coat.’

‘It’s homework from night school,’ Poppy said, a quiver in her voice. ‘I told yer about the shorthand course.’

‘Here’s Ally coming now,’ Marg said. ‘I’ll give yer mother a knock.’

‘He got away, the bastard.’ Ally was out of breath. ‘I got as near as touching him, but he was too quick for me.’ He held out a trilby hat to Marg as she passed him. ‘I managed to knock this off, and I only wish his head had been in it.’

Eva came hurrying up, followed by David. ‘Oh, sweetheart, what happened to yer?’

Seeing her mother brought Poppy’s tears. ‘Oh, Mam, he gave me the fright of me life.’

Ally touched her arm. ‘I’ll have to go, love, or I’ll be late for work. I’m sorry I didn’t catch the bugger. I would love to have belted him one.’

‘I’m just glad you came out when yer did, Ally,’ Poppy told him, ‘’cos heaven knows what would have happened if you hadn’t. I managed to give him a kick, but I was no match for him.’

‘You go to yer work, Ally,’ Eva said. ‘We don’t want yer getting yer wages docked. But I can’t thank you enough. We’re beholden to yer.’

‘Yes, you go, love,’ Marg said. ‘I’ll go to Eva’s to make sure Poppy’s all right.’ She stood on tiptoe and pecked his cheek. ‘See yer in the morning.’

Back in the Meadows’ house, Eva and Marg fussed over Poppy. Her coat was taken off, and a chair was placed by the fire to warm her through. She was shivering, partly from the cold, but mostly from shock. Eva put her arms round her daughter, while Marg went to the kitchen to put on the kettle. The one person who hadn’t uttered a word was David, for he was too angry. And his anger was directed at himself, for he felt he’d let his sister down. There was no logic to his thoughts, for he couldn’t be with Poppy everywhere she went. But all that was going round in his head was that he was the man of the house, Poppy’s older brother. He was supposed to protect his mother and sister. ‘Did you know the man, sis?’ He finally found his voice. ‘Had you seen him before?’

Eva rubbed her daughter’s back. ‘Don’t talk about it if it’s going to upset you, sweetheart. Give yerself time for yer nerves to calm down and get over the shock.’

‘I’m all right, Mam, don’t you worry about me. It was a real shock, and me nerves are shattered, but I’m not badly hurt, and I haven’t been robbed. Things could have been worse, and after a good night’s sleep I’ll feel better. Anyway, what was it you asked, David?’

‘If you had seen the bloke before, and if you’d know him again?’

‘I’m all confused in me head. I never saw his face but I’m sure it was nobody I know. There was a bloke on the bus I
noticed looking at me, but I can’t remember him getting off the bus with me. And anyway, he didn’t look the type to attack a woman.’

David leaned forward. ‘Would you know him if you saw him again?’

‘Not really.’ Poppy sighed. ‘All I noticed was he was wearing a good overcoat, and he had a trilby on.’

Marg came out of the kitchen carrying a cup of tea in one hand, and holding a trilby hat aloft with the other. ‘Was the hat anything like this? Ally managed to knock this off the bloke’s head.’ She handed the tea to Poppy, and the hat to David. ‘Pity he couldn’t have caught the bugger. He’d have knocked the stuffing out of him. He’s handy when it comes to fighting, is my Ally.’

David held the hat in front of his sister. ‘Does this look like the trilby he was wearing?’

‘It could be,’ Poppy said. ‘But I couldn’t be sure because I didn’t take that much notice. And lots of men wear hats like that. It would be impossible to pick one out.’

‘You get that tea down yer, queen,’ Marg said. ‘I made it sweet ’cos sweet tea is good for the nerves. And if yer don’t need me to do anything for yer, I’ll get home. Sarah will wonder where I’ve got to. I’ll give yer a knock in the morning, just to see how things are.’ She squeezed Poppy’s arm. ‘Goodnight and God bless, queen.’

As Marg walked into the hall, Poppy called after her. ‘Thank Ally in the morning for me, Marg. If he hadn’t come to my rescue, heaven knows what the blighter would have done. I could have been really hurt.’

When the door closed on their neighbour, Eva said, ‘You can thank Ally yourself in the morning, sweetheart, because yer won’t be going in to work.’

‘Of course I’ll be going in to work, Mam! I can’t afford to take a day off.’

‘The firm wouldn’t dock your wages if they knew why you took the day off,’ David said. ‘You’re entitled to so many paid sick days every year.’

Poppy was agitated. ‘I’m not taking the day off! I’ll be fine in the morning, you’ll see. I’m not going to let some thug change my life.’ She pointed to the table where her night school books were looking the worse for wear. ‘I’ve got homework to do, and Jean in work helps me with it. I learn more in five minutes with Jean than in a whole lesson. There’s over twenty in the class, whereas I get private tuition off Jean. It was thanks to her help that the teacher said my homework was promising. So while I’m doing well, I want to keep at it.’

She stared at the flames licking the pieces of coal in the grate, and her mind was turning over. ‘D’yer know, I’ve never been really frightened of being out on me own in the dark, but tonight has been really weird. First, Peter wanted to meet me outside the school to walk me home, but I said I definitely didn’t want him to. And there’s two girls I’ve made friends with in the class, who walked to the bus stop with me and saw me on the bus. They offered to walk home with me as well, but I said there was no need to, ’cos I’d be fine. That’s some coincidence, isn’t it? The one night I turn down two offers of help, I get attacked! That’s what I call uncanny.’

‘I’ll meet you outside night school in future,’ David said. ‘Then no harm can come to you. Otherwise me and our mam will worry ourselves sick every night. If you’re five minutes late, we’ll be tearing our hair out. So I’ll be there, at the school gates, to meet you.’

‘No, I’ll let Peter meet me. It’s no good you losing two nights of yer social life when Peter wants to do it. It’s not for
ever, only until the course finishes, and the nights will be lighter then anyhow. But it’s taught me a lesson. I’ll be on me guard in future. Night time or day time, I’ll have eyes in the back of me head. But what’s the world coming to, when a girl can’t walk the streets in safety?’

‘All men are not thugs, sis. This was a one-off. I think he was the bloke on the bus. He saw yer were alone, noticed yer had a handbag, and with it being dark he took a chance. He probably thought he’d grab yer bag and run. But you and Ally foiled him.’