The Girl From Number 22 (32 page)

‘They’re probably in the middle of a game of ludo, or snakes and ladders. Yer can’t expect them to leave off in the middle of a game. They’ll be along any minute.’

‘If they’re not in by the time I’ve drunk me tea,’ Danny said, ‘I’ll go and look for them.’

‘They’ll be in before yer’ve had time to drink yer tea,’ Ada told him. ‘And they won’t come to any harm, they’re only in the next street.’

But when there was no sign of Monica or Paul fifteen minutes later, Ada began to get worried. ‘I’ll break their necks for them when they get in. Worrying the life out of me like this.’

Danny was grinning as he pushed his chair back. ‘I’ll go and get them. I know where their friends live, so it’ll only take me ten minutes.’ He leaned across the table and put his face close to Ada’s. ‘I won’t tell them they’re coming home to get their necks broken, Mam, it might just put them off.’

‘Go and get them, soft lad, before me hair turns white with worry.’

Jenny stood up. ‘I’d better be going, too. Me mam will think I’ve left home.’

Danny’s dimples appeared. ‘I’ll walk yer home.’

‘I only live in the house facing. I can see meself home.’

Danny put a hand to his forehead. ‘Did yer hear that, Mam? I’ve been turned down!’

‘Serves yer right, bighead. Now get going and find my two children.’

Outside the front door, Danny cupped Jenny’s elbow. ‘Whether yer can see yerself home or not, I’ll never let it be
said that Danny Fenwick left a girl to walk home on her own.’

‘You’re daft, you are,’ Jenny said. ‘I can reach our house in ten strides.’

‘Talking about strides, Jenny,’ Danny said, ‘can yer dance?’

She bit on her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing. ‘That’s a secret. Now go and look for yer brother and sister so yer can put yer mother’s mind at rest.’

‘Yeah, I better had. Yer can let me into yer secret next time I see yer.’

‘What secret is that?’

‘The one about whether yer like a slow foxtrot best, or a waltz.’

‘Goodnight, Danny.’ Jenny let herself into the house with a smile on her face, and calling, ‘It’s only me, Mam.’

‘Me and Ben thought yer’d left home, sweetheart.’ Annie smiled at her daughter. ‘Yer said yer’d only be five minutes.’ She saw Jenny’s eyes dart to the kitchen, and was quick to put her mind at rest. ‘It’s all right, sweetheart, there’s only me and Ben here. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of yer father. He’s probably in the pub, and will stay there until throwing out time. That means he’ll have had a bellyful of ale and be roaring drunk. So it would be wise for us to be in bed before he gets home.’

Jenny hung her coat up and moved towards the fire, rubbing her hands. ‘Are yer sleeping with me again tonight? I think yer better had. If me dad hasn’t had anything to eat, he’ll have been mad before he went to the pub. So yer can imagine what he’ll be like after a few pints of beer. He’ll be like a raging bull, and we wouldn’t be able to handle him.’

Annie bent forward to put the poker between the bars of the grate. The fire was dying down, but she couldn’t afford to be putting more coal on at this time of night. So she lifted the dying embers, hoping for a warm glow to cheer them up. ‘We’ve got half an hour before the pub shuts, so tell us why yer were so long over the road. Me and Ben are curious.’

‘Well, I thought Mrs Fenwick would open the door, and was just going to thank her for helping yer today. But her son, Danny,
came to the door, and although I asked him if I could speak to his mam for a minute, he would have it that I went in. In fact, he said if his mam knew he was keeping someone standing on the step, she’d give him a thick ear.’

Annie chuckled. ‘That sounds like Danny, from what I’ve heard about him. But I was led to believe he goes out dancing every night.’

‘He mentioned dancing.’ Jenny smiled. ‘He’s not half funny. He was going out to bring Mrs Fenwick’s two other children home, ’cos it was getting late for them. And he insisted on walking me home! I told him he was daft, that I only lived about ten strides away, but he said he would never let a girl walk home on her own.’ When she giggled at the memory, her mother and brother laughed with her. It was strange to hear the sound of laughter in the house. ‘It was then he asked me if I could dance.’

‘Ooh, he must have taken a fancy to yer, sweetheart, to ask that.’

Ben leaned forward with interest in his eyes. ‘What did yer say to that, our Jenny?’

‘I told him it was a secret, that’s all.’ Jenny changed the subject. ‘I was shy at first, Mam, but Mr and Mrs Fenwick are so easy to get on with, I soon felt at home. And they made me have a cup of tea, which Mr Fenwick and Danny made. Not that they wanted to make it, they were ordered. They get on really well together, and yer can tell by the atmosphere that it’s a warm, happy home. They’re not sloppy, but yer can almost feel the love in the room. Not like here, when me dad’s in. We can’t laugh and joke in case it offends him, and we never know when he’s going to lash out at us. You in particular, Mam, he picks on you for the least thing. I can’t picture Mr Fenwick beating his wife, he’s so easy-going.’

‘Ada wouldn’t stand for it, sweetheart. She’s got more guts than me.’

‘Mam, having guts doesn’t come into it over there. You need them here, because me dad is a madman. But not in the house over the road. They’re a loving family, and yer can feel it as soon as yer walk in the door.’

Ben lifted his hand. ‘Hush, I think I can hear me dad.’ There was silence for a few seconds, then the boy jumped to his feet. ‘It is me dad, and he’s shouting in the street.’

Annie’s hand went to her throat. ‘Oh, my God, he’s rotten drunk. He’ll make a holy show of us.’ She reached to pull the chain at the side of the gas light and the room was plunged into darkness. ‘Up the stairs, quick, before he comes in. We can’t stop him making a show of us, but we can protect ourselves by keeping out of his way. With a bit of luck he’ll be too drunk to climb the stairs. Hurry up, sweethearts, I couldn’t stand another fight with yer dad.’

The three huddled together in Jenny’s small bedroom, and they listened for the key turning in the lock. But the noise came from outside in the street. And it was the sound of Tom Phillips shouting at the top of his voice. What he was shouting didn’t make sense, except for the obscenities. And then came the angry voices of neighbours who had been brought out by the row. It was too much for Annie, who covered her ears with her hands. ‘I’ll not be able to show me face in the street after this. What have I ever done to him that he makes my life a hell?’

Jenny put an arm around her mother’s shoulders. ‘Sit on the bed, Mam, and I’ll go and bring me dad in.’

Ben was quick to side with his sister. ‘Go on, Mam, me and Jenny will get him in.’

Annie shook her head. ‘I’ll not let me children fight me
battles for me. I married him, fool that I was, and he’s my burden, not yours.’

Across the street, Ada pulled the curtain aside. ‘Just listen to the language out of him. He’s got half the street out.’

Danny stood behind her. ‘Is that Jenny’s dad making that racket? I thought Mrs Phillips was exaggerating, but she certainly wasn’t.’ He turned to his father. ‘Can yer hear him, Dad? He’s blind drunk. It’s a wonder he can stand up straight.’

‘I can hear him all right. The whole neighbourhood must be able to hear him. Why doesn’t he go in and sleep it off, instead of making a racket?’

Ada turned her head from the window. ‘Why doesn’t he do a lot of things? Like stop beating his wife and children. Why doesn’t he behave like a man who appreciates he has a wonderful family? And, most of all, why doesn’t he love them?’

As Ada turned back to the window, she saw the door opposite open, and Annie stepped into the street, followed by Jenny and Ben. ‘Oh, my God, she can’t handle him, not the state he’s in. I’m going out there, and so help me I’ll clock him one.’

Jimmy shook his head. ‘You’ll stay right where yer are, love, and me and Danny will sort the queer feller out. We’ll send Annie and the kids inside, then we’ll throw him in and he can sleep it off on the floor.’

But Ada wasn’t having that. ‘I’ll come with yer to see to Annie and the kids. I won’t get involved in fisticuffs, I promise.’ Then, as she was slipping her coat on, she added, ‘Unless he hits me, like, ’cos then I’d have to hit him back.’

When Jenny saw Danny crossing the cobbles, she felt like hiding her head in shame. And the hate she felt for her father grew. She tried to take hold of one of his arms, but he was
waving them about like a madman. With tears threatening, she said, ‘We can manage him.’

‘Yer can’t manage him.’ Danny pushed her gently towards the front door. ‘Go inside with yer mam and brother, we’ll see to yer dad. And don’t worry about the neighbours, they’ll go back in their houses when Mr Phillips is inside.’

‘Danny’s right,’ Ada said. ‘Take yer mam and Ben into the house. Jimmy and Danny will soon have yer dad sorted. I’ll come in after yer, to make sure yer mam’s all right.’ She watched Jenny leading Annie inside the house, then turned to where Tom Phillips was wrestling with Jimmy and Danny. There were a few neighbours standing near, but they weren’t shouting any more, they were staying out of interest, to see what the outcome would be. It would be the talk of the street in the morning, and they wanted to be able to say they’d been there, and to add their little bit of spice to what was said. And they were glad they had stayed when Ada added a piece of unexpected excitement. Standing in front of the man struggling with her husband and son, she curled her fists. Her right went to his stomach with some force, which had him gasping, and her left caught him on the jaw. Then she dusted her hands and said, ‘That’s for hitting a friend of mine. And now I’ll go and wash me hands to take the dirt away.’ With that, she smiled sweetly at her husband and made her way into number twenty-two.

Jimmy looked across at his son. ‘The way we were going on, we’d have been here all night, son. We should have done what yer mam just did, and we’d have been back in our house by this time.’

‘Leave him to me now, Dad. I’ll put him over me shoulder and get him inside.’ Tom had stopped struggling and Danny picked him up as he would have done a sack of coal. Then he
grinned at his father. ‘I think it was the left hook that did it, Dad. It was a belter.’

Maggie Richardson, a little woman who lived a few doors away from the Fenwicks, tapped him on his arm. ‘No, Danny boy, it was the first punch what did it. Knocked the wind out of him it did. I’m glad Ada gave him what he deserved. And yer can tell her from me it was as good as going to the pictures any day.’

Danny chuckled. ‘We should have sold tickets, Mrs Richardson. We’ll do that next time, and we’ll bring a chair out for yer so yer don’t get tired standing. But this feller’s a bit of a weight, so I’d better get him inside before I drop him.’

‘I’ll give yer a hand, son,’ Jimmy said. ‘We’ll carry him between us.’

‘No, leave it, Dad, it’s no good messing around now. I can carry his weight, and once I get inside I can dump him on the couch.’

‘I’m coming in anyway,’ Jimmy told him. ‘Just to make sure the queer feller is out for the count. He sounds a crafty bugger, and he might not be as drunk as he’s making out. I don’t want him taking off on Annie and the kids when we’ve left.’

Annie was putting a light to the gas mantle when Danny walked in with Tom over his shoulder. Her hands were shaking, and her face was as white as a sheet. She felt so humiliated she was afraid to look anyone in the face. ‘Put him down on the couch, lad, and then leave him be. He’ll sleep through the night, so we’ll come to no harm.’

Ben was looking down at the form of his father, and he was filled with disgust. The smell of beer filled the room, and saliva was running down the chin of the man who was so drunk he didn’t know what was going on. It’s a good job we didn’t try and bring him in on our own, the boy thought. We’d never have
managed it. He looked at Danny, shrugged his shoulders and sighed. ‘He’s no good, my dad. He’s always doing this and making a show of us. And although I’m sorry your family’s been dragged into it, I’m glad yer were there. We couldn’t have coped with him, he’s too much for us.’

Jenny wouldn’t meet Danny’s eyes. He must think we’re a right lot, she was thinking. He’ll not be inviting me in for a cup of tea again in a hurry. ‘We’ll be all right now,’ she said to Ada. ‘He’ll still be like that when it’s time for us to go to work in the morning. He doesn’t think about us, only himself. It wouldn’t ever occur to him that he shames us in front of everyone. He’s not fit to be a husband, or a father.’

‘No one can blame you,’ Danny said. Seeing how sad she looked, he wished it was him who’d belted Tom Phillips, and not his mother. ‘None of you are responsible for his actions, so don’t let it worry yer.’

Still avoiding his eyes, Jenny said with bitterness, ‘You don’t have to live with him. It’s like living with the devil himself. In fact, the only friend me dad’s got is the devil. They’re both wicked.’

Ada could see the girl was tormented with shame, and she could hear it in her voice. And she hadn’t failed to notice that Jenny had never once looked at Danny. I’d feel the same if I was her age and in her shoes, Ada told herself. It must be a dreadful life for a young girl, having a rotter for a father. ‘Come here, sunshine.’ She held the girl close. ‘Just put this thought in yer head, and remember it whenever yer dad takes off. You are not responsible for him, you don’t owe him anything, and you have a life of yer own to lead.’

‘Ada’s right, sweetheart,’ Annie said. ‘You and Ben are growing into adults now, and it’s time to make yer own way in life. Not
that I want yer to leave home, God forbid, ’cos I’d be lost and heartbroken without yer. But yer must carve out a future for yerselves. If yer want to go out with friends, then go out. Yer don’t have to stay in every night because ye’re afraid I might bear the brunt of yer father’s bad temper. I’m going to make a stand, and not be browbeaten by a man who isn’t worth worrying about. And you and Ben must do the same.’

Jimmy watched and listened in silence. He’d often heard of men who beat up their wives and kids, but he’d never seen it close at hand before. And he was horrified. His eyes went from Annie to her two children. Nice, friendly woman, mother of two lovely, polite children. What more could anyone ask for? Then he looked down at Tom Phillips, and felt sick from the stench and the grunts coming from the man. He deserved to be locked up in a cell, and the key thrown away.