The Girl From Number 22 (17 page)

Outside the shop, Ada said, ‘Yer wouldn’t believe the things people dream up, would yer? It’s a pity they haven’t got better things to do.’

‘What makes yer so sure they’re not true, girl? They might be, for all you know. Anyone who knew Eliza would know she kept her house like a little palace. And yer wouldn’t blame them for wanting a house that was ready to walk into.’

‘I don’t care one way or another who gets the keys to the house, sunshine, as long as they don’t interfere with me or my family. We’ll know soon enough who we’ll have as neighbours, so can we change the subject now?’

‘Yeah, ye’re right, girl, we’ve got more to worry about. We’ll know for sure in a couple of weeks, so best forget it until then.’

On the Wednesday morning, Ada went to the front door to see the children off to school. There was a nip in the air and she rubbed her arms as she told Monica and Paul to pull their collars up to cover their ears. ‘Run all the way, and that’ll keep yer warm.’

The children dallied. ‘It was lovely coming down to the living room this morning, Mam,’ Monica said. ‘And it’ll be nice to come home to.’

Paul nodded. ‘Yeah, I bet our house is the best in the street now.’

Ada ruffled his hair. ‘Don’t let me hear yer saying that to any of yer mates, sunshine, d’yer hear me? That’s bragging, and I can’t stand snobs. Now get going, the pair of yer, or yer’ll be getting the cane for being late.’ Ada watched them running down the street, pushing each other playfully. Then she went
indoors, shivering and rubbing her arms. And when her eyes lit on the teapot on the table, she hurried over to feel if it was still hot. ‘Mmm, not as hot as I’d like. Still, it would be a waste to pour it down the sink, when it would do more good being poured down my throat.’ So after pulling a chair out, Ada sat down and poured herself a cup of tepid tea. ‘I’ll have a ten minute break, then wash the dishes before I start in here,’ she told the new wallpaper. She felt a sense of pride and well-being as she gazed at the bright walls and gleaming paintwork. Jimmy had worked really hard the last two nights, painting the skirting boards, picture rail and two doors. ‘I take me hat off to him,’ she told one of the green leaves on the wallpaper. ‘To do a full day’s work, then come home and do another couple of hours, it’s a wonder he’s not dead on his feet. I’ll make it up to him tonight, though, by cooking his favourite meal of liver and onions. That’ll buck him up no end, when he walks through the door and the aroma reaches his nose.’

Ada drained her cup and pushed herself up. ‘Much as I’d like to, I can’t sit all day admiring the decoration. I’ll rinse the dishes through, then start on this room.’ As she was passing the kitchen door, she stood to admire the lovely white gloss. ‘I’ll not be laying a finger on you, sunshine, ’cos yer’ll show every mark. And I’ll warn the rest of the family, too! If I see a dirty or jammy fingermark, there’ll be ructions.’

Singing ‘We Ain’t Got a Barrel of Money’, Ada felt on top of the world as she washed the dishes in warm water and placed them upside down on the draining board. ‘Who cares about money when they’ve got a living room fit for the Queen?’

As she walked back into the living room, Ada noticed the sideboard was a few inches away from the wall, and she instinctively put her hands on it to put it back in place. Then
just in time she remembered Jimmy’s warning about the paint not being dry yet, and pulled her hands back. He’d have her guts for garters if she blotched his paintwork. But those few extra inches the sideboard was taking up made less space between it and the dining chairs. ‘Ye’re in the way now,’ Ada told it, ‘but yer’ll have to stay there until my feller comes home from work. The paint should be well dry by the time we go to bed, ’cos when I light the fire it will make the room nice and warm. So yer’ll be back in yer own speck then.’

The beds were made, the fire ready for lighting, and it was still only ten o’clock. And one thing Ada wasn’t good at was hanging around with nothing to do. It was an hour before Hetty was due, and there was nothing that needed doing to fill the hour in. ‘I’m not sitting twiddling me ruddy thumbs,’ Ada told the hearth. ‘I can’t abide sitting doing sweet Fanny Adams. I’ll give me mate a knock, see if she’ll come to the shops earlier. I know I bit her head off on Monday for coming here early, but me mate’s not as bad-tempered as me. Besides, she’d never get me head in her mouth.’

Taking her shoe off, Ada used the heel to knock on the dividing wall. And within seconds Hetty was knocking back. Ada scratched her head. ‘She’s not supposed to knock back, the silly nit, she’s supposed to come and see what I want. I mean, we could spend the day knocking on the wall, all to no avail! I’ll give one more knock, and if she isn’t at me door in a few minutes, I’ll light a fire in the yard and make smoke signals like the Indians do. If that fails, I’ll buy a drum and do a war dance.’

However, Ada’s weird and wonderful ideas were not required, for soon Hetty was rapping on the window and peering through the net curtains. ‘Are yer all right?’ she asked, when Ada opened the door. ‘Yer gave me a fright, ’cos I thought it must be
something serious if yer were knocking on the wall when it’s just been papered.’

Ada’s jaw dropped and she flew back into the living room to examine the wall. ‘Oh, my God, Jimmy will kill me! How stupid can yer get?’

Hetty, being smaller than Ada, had to bend to see under her mate’s arm. ‘Have yer marked, it, girl?’

‘I don’t think so.’ Ada blew out her breath. ‘I can’t see anything, and Jimmy won’t be going round with a magnifying glass.’

‘It was a silly thing to do, though, girl, ’cos yer could have torn the paper, or even knocked some plaster off the wall. What did yer want me for, anyway?’

‘Tell the truth and shame the devil, me ma used to say,’ Ada told her. ‘And even though yer’ll think I’ve got a screw loose, I’m going to tell yer the truth. I had nothing to do, so I thought we could go to the shops early. All this kerfuffle just for that. There must be something wrong with me, when I can’t sit quietly for an hour and enjoy the peace. I’ve got to be on the go the whole time, or me nerves go to pot.’ She pulled a sorrowful face. ‘That was God paying me back for the way I treated you the morning yer came early. I called yer all the names under the sun when yer knocked that day, so if yer want to have a go at me, sunshine, then be my guest, for it’s what I deserve.’

‘Don’t be daft, girl, yer didn’t call me all the names under the sun. At least yer might have done under yer breath, but yer didn’t to me face. And anyway, the only reason I did knock that day was because I was nosy. So let’s call it quits, eh? And if yer want to go out early I’ve only got the dishes to wash, then I’ll be ready. So give me ten minutes to make meself look presentable.’

When Hetty stepped down on to the pavement, she heard the sound of a car coming up the street. It was an unusual sight and sound, for cars were seldom seen in those narrow streets. So after pulling the door closed, Hetty stood and watched as the car drew nearer, and when she recognised the driver, she quickly covered the few steps to Ada’s. ‘Look who’s in Eliza’s house,’ she said as soon as she was standing in the tiny hall. ‘It’s Mr Stone. I saw the car coming up the street, but I didn’t know it was his until he got close.’

Ada was looking through the living room window before Hetty had finished speaking. ‘He hasn’t wasted any time, has he? I bet he’s checking to make sure everything’s been left as it should be. Well, he won’t see many houses left as clean as Eliza’s.’ She turned to face her friend. ‘I think I’ll go over and see if I can get anything out of him.’

‘Ooh, d’yer think yer should?’ A million pounds wouldn’t have tempted Hetty to walk across and speak to her landlord. She wouldn’t know what to say to him. ‘You can go if yer want to, but I’m not.’

‘I’ll put me coat on, and we can go out together. But you needn’t come in Eliza’s with me if yer don’t want to. Yer can wait outside.’

‘It’s cold out there, girl, and I’ll look a right lemon standing doing nothing.’

‘Yer would only be there for a few minutes, sunshine. Mr Stone isn’t likely to stand gassing to me for any length of time. I’ll just pretend to be passing the time of day with him, he wouldn’t see anything strange in that.’

‘If that’s what yer want to do, girl, then do it. Yer’ll only moan all day if I talk yer out of it. But don’t bring me in, I’m not as forward as you.’

Ada chuckled. ‘In a nice way, sunshine, ye’re trying to say ye’re not as brazen as me, aren’t yer?’

‘If you say so.’ Hetty waved a hand. ‘Go on, get it over with so we can go about our business. But don’t take it out on me if he sends yer away with a flea in yer ear.’

Ada knocked on the door, which had been left ajar by the landlord. ‘Mr Stone, it’s only Ada Fenwick from thirty-five.’

‘Come in, Mrs Fenwick. It’s a long time since we met.’

Ada found him standing in the middle of the living room, which looked stark without the furnture and Eliza sitting in her rocking chair. She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry I came in now, ’cos seeing it like this makes me feel sad. Her close neighbours are going to miss Eliza, Mr Stone. We all loved the bones of her.’

‘That wouldn’t be hard to do, Mrs Fenwick, for she was a lovely person. One of a dying breed, unfortunately. I’ve just come to look round, see if any work is needed on the house before it’s let again.’

‘Yer’ll not find anything needs doing here, Mr Stone,’ Ada said, her hackles rising at the very thought. ‘Eliza kept this house spotless all the years I’ve known her. The day she left she was worried in case the removal men left any rubbish around. So me and the neighbours either side, we all got stuck in and cleaned it from top to bottom.’

Vincent Stone grinned. ‘I thought it must have been something like that, for you can smell the cleanliness as soon as you open the door. You were lucky to have known Mrs Porter for so long, but she in turn was lucky with her neighbours. I keep tabs on all my tenants, and I know she was well looked after in the last few years. You are all to be admired for that. Please pass on my gratitude to all her friends. I was sorry when I heard she was
leaving, but understand her son’s reasons for wanting her with them.’

Ada thought, here goes, it’s now or never. ‘I hope the tenants yer put in will be as good to have as neighbours as Eliza was, Mr Stone. All the near neighbours are hoping the new tenants will be clean, respectable and friendly.’

Once again Vincent Stone grinned. ‘Are you the messenger for your neighbours, Mrs Fenwick?’

She chuckled. ‘No, they’re not as cheeky as me. They’d die if they knew I was mentioning them, even if what I’m saying is true. All the neighbours on both sides of this end of the street get on fine. There’s never any trouble.’ She couldn’t keep back another chuckle. ‘Unless Ivy Thompson decides to pay one of us a visit. That doesn’t happen very often, though, and there’s enough of us to deal with her. In fact, she breaks the monotony ’cos she’s so over the top yer can’t help laughing at her.’

‘I take it you’re not afraid of the Ivy Thompsons of this world?’

‘Certainly not! She’s a bully, and if yer don’t show that ye’re not frightened of her, she’d make yer life a misery. My mate, who’s standing outside in the cold because she’s too shy to come in, well, she’s terrified of Ivy. Unless she’s with me, when she puts on a brave face ’cos she knows Ivy won’t tangle with me.’

‘I understand that your best friends are Mrs Watson, Mrs Bowers and Mrs Benson? Am I correct?’

‘Good grief, Mr Stone, yer are well informed. We used to be five good mates, but with Eliza leaving us, we’re down to four. We look out for each other, always have done since the day we became neighbours. But how did you know? Does Bob keep yer informed?’

‘He does. And he passed the message on about you hoping
for decent neighbours in this house. Well, I do have a family at the top of my list who appear to be what you’re hoping for. I have never seen the husband, but the wife, Mrs Phillips, is a very quietly spoken woman who I’m sure you would get on with. The reason I have never met the husband is because he’s at work every day, but I know they have two children, a girl and a boy, both working. That is as much as I can tell you, Mrs Fenwick, but it may be enough to put your fears to rest.’

‘Did yer say their name’s Phillips, Mr Stone? I only want to know so I can say hello to them when they move in. Make them feel welcome, like.’ Ada turned towards the door. ‘It’s been nice talking to yer, it’s not very often we see yer. Now I better get out to my mate, she’ll be calling me fit to burn.’

Hetty was indeed calling her mate names, for her feet were getting cold standing in the one spot. And when Ada came out of the house, Hetty had her mouth ready to tell her off. But the conspiratorial wink that came her way changed her annoyance to anticipation. ‘Well, how did yer get on? Yer’ve been in there long enough to get his life story.’

Ada linked her arm and they walked quickly down the street. ‘I wasn’t after his life story, sunshine, but I did get what I was after. Our new neighbours are the Phillips family. Mother, father, and two children who are both working.’

Hetty was flabbergasted, and only managed, ‘Ooh, er, go ’way!’

‘Is that you, Ada?’ Hetty kept her voice low, for what she had to say was for her friend’s ears only. ‘Ada, are yer there?’

Ada took the two wooden pegs from her mouth and pegged a towel on the line. ‘If I’m not here, sunshine, ye’re going to feel daft when yer find out yer’ve been talking to yerself. Of course I’m here, I’m pegging me washing out. There’s not much chance of it drying, but at least it’ll get the wet out.’ She suddenly remembered it was Hetty who had called to her. ‘Did yer want something, sunshine?’

‘I wouldn’t have called yer if I didn’t want yer for something, would I?’

‘What the heck are yer whispering for? I can barely hear yer.’

‘Because I don’t want the whole neighbourhood hearing what I’ve got to say. Open yer entry door and I’ll come round.’

‘I’ve got me dolly tub out, sunshine, yer can’t move in me kitchen. Whatever it is, can’t it wait for an hour, until I’ve got meself sorted out?’