Try a Little Tenderness (56 page)

‘She’ll still be in bed queen.’

‘She was in bed last time I came, but I got her up. If you ladies will give me fifteen minutes after I get in, then will yer stand in a group outside her window?’ Mary waited for their nods, before tapping her daughter on the shoulder. ‘Come on, sunshine, let’s go.’

Celia heard the banging on the door and pulled the bedclothes up to her chin. ‘Whoever it is can sod off, I’m not getting up for no one.’ The banging became louder but she still ignored it. ‘Bleedin’ cheek knocking like that, I’ve a good mind to go down and belt them one.’

But the sound of breaking glass had her slipping her legs
out of bed and struggling into a scruffy dressing gown. ‘Just wait, whoever yer are. Yer’ll be sorry yer signed by the time I’ve finished with yer.’

Celia was prepared for a slanging match, but she was not prepared for the two people who confronted her when she opened the door. Her surprise showed briefly, then an evil smile crossed a face that still bore the traces of yesterday’s make-up. ‘Well, if it isn’t the stuck-up bitch herself, and her lying daughter.’ Her laugh was scornful. ‘I don’t know which window yer broke, but it doesn’t worry me ’cos yer old feller will pay for it. Now, yer can just bugger off to where yer came from, ’cos this time ye’re not getting in.’

Laura moved before her mother. She was in the hall before Celia had time to stop her. ‘Come in, Mam, it’s me grandad’s house, not hers.’

‘Oh, you’ll be sorry, yer little bitch. Wait until I tell yer dear mother what you’ve been up to.’

Mary squeezed between them and went straight to the living room. She shut her eyes at the sight that met her, but she couldn’t stop the smell of dirt from invading her nostrils. And her beloved father had to live in this pigsty. She shook her head; not any more he didn’t, not after today.

Celia crossed to the mantelpiece and picked up a packet of cigarettes. She lit one and took a few puffs before brazenly staring at her husband’s daughter and granddaughter. ‘I don’t know why ye’re here, but seeing as yer are, yer may as well listen to a few home truths about this daughter of yours. Perhaps yer won’t be so high-and-mighty when I’ve finished.’ She moved to stand in front of Laura and pushed her sneering face close. ‘I wonder where I should start?’

Laura put her hand in the middle of Celia’s chest and pushed with all her might, sending the woman reeling backwards. ‘Don’t come near me, yer smell dirty.’

Mary stood in front of her daughter when, mad with rage, Celia went to grab her. ‘Take yer filthy hands off her. And I know about the underskirt, the lies, the smoking and
Gary. So that leaves yer with little to say to me. But I have a lot to say to
you
. We’ll start off with the baby ye’re carrying, and its father, Charlie.’ She heard Celia gasp and smiled. ‘Oh, there’s much we know about you. Down the back entry with every Tom, Dick and Harry, like a woman of the streets. Well, yer heydays are over, at least from this house. It’s up to Charlie to look after yer now, ye’re his responsibility. So I want you out of here now. And I mean within the next half-hour.’

Celia’s lip curled. ‘Some hope you’ve got, yer stupid bitch. I’m not going anywhere so yer can forget it and bugger off.’

‘Ye’re leaving, Celia, if I have to kick yer out.’

‘Just you try it, yer bleedin’ cow! Wait until Joe hears about this.’

Laura lunged forward. ‘Don’t yer call my mother names.’ She smacked Celia across the face. ‘Ye’re not fit to be in the same room as her.’

Mary pulled her daughter back. ‘She’s not worth it, sunshine, just leave her. She’s got half an hour to pack her things and get out. Then we can clean this place up before yer grandad gets home.’

‘Are yer deaf or something?’ Celia asked. ‘I’m not going anywhere, and you can’t make me.’

Mary’s eyes went to the window. ‘The neighbours can make you.’

‘Neighbours! They’re not going to chase me, why should they?’

‘Because they don’t like yer. And they can chase yer, don’t worry. They’ll be glad to see the back of yer.’ Mary jerked her thumb. ‘Look out of the window, Celia – can yer see them? They know all about yer baby, and Charlie, and what ye’re trying to do to me dad.’

Celia saw five women, all with their arms folded across the handles of stiff brushes. And she no longer felt sure of her ground. ‘They can’t throw me out, it’s my home.’

‘Shall we invite them in and yer can ask them? But I’d take my word for it if I were you, ’cos they don’t think very kindly of yer at the moment and I wouldn’t vouch for yer safety. If I don’t go out there in the next five minutes and tell them yer’ve agreed to leave, then heaven help yer. And if ye’re wondering why they’re doing it, it’s because they know ye’re an out-and-out rotter, not fit to lick me dad’s shoes.’

‘I’d better go and tell them what’s happening, Mam,’ Laura said. ‘Otherwise they might break the door down.’

‘Yes, okay, sunshine. Tell them to give me another five minutes.’

As soon as Laura was out of the room, Mary turned on Celia. ‘If yer know what’s good for yer, yer’ll leave without fuss. And yer won’t show yer face in this street again.’

‘How the hell can I leave? I’ve got nowhere to go.’

‘Oh yes, yer have! Yer can make a home with the father of yer baby. In fact, Hettie Owens will probably be expecting yer any time.’

The colour drained from Celia’s face. ‘You cow. You bleedin’, stuck-up, toffee-nosed cow. One of these days I’ll meet yer when ye’re on yer own and I’ll scratch yer bleedin’ eyes out.’

‘I’ll give yer two bits of advice before yer go upstairs to pack yer things. Don’t even think of retaliating ’cos yer’d come off worse, I promise. And secondly, keep away from my father. Don’t be waiting for him outside work to wheedle money off him, because I’ll find out and yer’ll live to regret it. From this day, you and the baby are Charlie’s responsibility. He’s had his fun, now let him pay for it.’

Laura came running in. ‘Mam, the neighbours said they’re coming over.’

‘Go and tell them to wait, Celia’s just going upstairs to pack her things.’

Mary and Laura got home five minutes before Stan was
due. Jenny was already there and had set the table. ‘I didn’t know what yer had in for tea, Mam, otherwise I’d have got it ready.’

‘That’s all right, sunshine, we’ll have to make do with egg and chips. Yer can start peeling the spuds if yer will, to give me time to get me breath back.’

‘Tell me how yer got on first, I’m dying to know. I’ve been a bundle of nerves all day, I couldn’t settle to work.’

‘Can yer wait until yer dad gets in? He’ll be here any minute. If I start telling you, it would mean me starting all over again with him. And it’s a long story, sunshine, I can’t tell it in five minutes.’

Stan popped his head around the door. ‘I’m here now, and I’ll have a heart attack if I have to wait much longer to hear how it went.’

Mary looked surprised. ‘I didn’t hear yer coming in!’

‘One of yer had left the door open.’ Stan slung his cap on the couch and sat down. ‘Ye’re all in one piece, so yer didn’t have a fight on yer hands, thank God. Now tell us, is Celia still at yer dad’s house?’

‘I don’t want to tell it in dribs and drabs, so wouldn’t yer like yer dinner first? Not that ye’re getting anything to write home about, I’m afraid, just egg and chips. But if it’s any consolation, Ben and Seamus are having the same, ’cos Amy and Molly have only just got home.’

‘Me dinner can wait, I want to know what happened.’

‘Okay, let’s all sit around the table and I’ll start from half seven this morning, when I knocked on Amy’s door.’

It took well over half an hour, and in that time Stan smoked three cigarettes. He wasn’t normally a heavy smoker, but his nerves were on edge. He did raise a smile when Amy’s and Molly’s part in the operation was told. But although he had many questions flying around in his head, he never spoke. And Jenny felt as though she was sitting in the pictures watching a sad but exciting film.

Mary was coming to the end of the saga. ‘So the last I
saw of Celia, she was walking down the street carrying a suitcase with all her belongings in. And behind her marched five women clutching stiff sweeping brushes. Amy and Molly had arrived by then, and they helped me clean me dad’s house. We sent Laura to the shops for everything we needed because there was no Aunt Sally, no dusters or floorcloths. In fact, there was nothing – she must never have done any housework. Anyway, I left me mates to it and went down to me dad’s works when I knew he’d be on his dinner break. That was the hardest part, because I didn’t know how he’d take it. But he seemed relieved, although ashamed that we’d done what he couldn’t bring himself to do. And he did no more than ask his boss for the rest of the day off, saying there was a problem at home. On our way back, I did some shopping and made a big pan of scouse for him.’

‘I can’t take it all in, yer’ve done so much in one day.’ Stan gazed at his wife with love and admiration. ‘I take me hat off to yer.’

‘I didn’t do it on me own, love. I had all my friends to help, and also me mam’s. I could never have done it without them.’

‘And all without a fight! I thought she’d be like a raving banshee!’

‘Ah, well, I was saving that until the last.’ Mary gazed across the table at her eldest daughter. ‘There wasn’t a fight, but there was a hand raised. Celia called me a not very nice name and Laura gave her a really hard slap across the face.’

Jenny looked at her sister in awe. Then she put an arm across her shoulders and squeezed. ‘I’m glad yer did that, sis. I’m proud of yer.’

‘And me, too, love,’ Stan said. ‘Thanks for sticking up for yer mam.’

Mary was dog-tired, but it was a pleasant tiredness. ‘Me dad’s coming here straight from work tomorrow dinnertime, and he’s staying for dinner and tea. And talking of food, I’d
better get cracking on feeding yer, ’cos Amy and Molly are coming over later to go over it all again.’

She stretched her arms above her head. ‘I’ll sleep without rocking tonight, with no worries on me mind. Oh, peace, perfect peace.’

They were just finishing their meal when Laura saw a figure pass the window. She was off her chair like a shot. ‘I’ll open the door – it’s Gary.’

‘It looks like he’s the one for her,’ Stan said, smiling at his wife. ‘He seems to have done wonders for her.’

‘He’ll do for me, he’s a nice boy,’ Mary said. ‘And we’ve got him to thank for what we’ve achieved today.’

Gary was laughing as he was pulled into the room. ‘Nice to see yer again, Mr and Mrs Nightingale – and you, Jenny. I’ve only heard a few garbled words, but it sounded as though yer’ve had a good day.’

‘A brilliant day, son, thanks to you. But I’ll leave Laura to tell yer the part we played, and Amy and Molly will be here soon to tell yer theirs. I must warn yer though, that me best mate, Amy, has a wicked sense of humour and a vocabulary that includes quite a few words yer won’t find in no dictionary. So I hope ye’re not easily offended.’

‘Laura’s told me about her Auntie Amy, and I can’t wait to meet her. She sounds like a barrel of fun.’

Stan grinned. ‘She’s the funniest thing on two legs, son, and as sound as a pound.’ He’d only just finished speaking when there was a knock on the window that had the pane of glass quivering in its frame. ‘Yer didn’t have to wait long, this is her.’

‘Oh Lord, look at the state of the place.’ Mary tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. ‘Dirty dishes still on the table and me without the energy to move.’

‘I’ll clear the table, Mam.’ Jenny was already collecting the plates. ‘Laura can open the front door.’

Amy waddled in, followed by Molly. ‘Is your Laura stuck to that feller? Silly buggers, they shouldn’t mess around with glue, their hands are stuck together now. We had to flamingwell squeeze past them.’

‘This is me boyfriend, Auntie Amy,’ Laura looked so proud as she said it, ‘and his name’s Gary. I told him all about yer and he said he was dying to meet yer.’

Amy stretched to her full height, which was up to Gary’s chest. ‘Me reputation has gone before me, has it? Anyway, lad, it’s nice to meet yer.’ Amy pumped his hand before saying, ‘This is me partner in crime, Molly Moynihan.’

Molly held out her hand. ‘It’s a pleasure, so it is. Mary has told us about yer.’

‘Will yer all sit down,’ Mary said, ‘yer make the place look untidy.’ She noticed Laura was still gripping Gary’s hand. ‘If ye’re not going to let go, you two had better sit on the couch.’

Amy gave Stan a dig in the arm before plonking herself on one of the wooden chairs. ‘Eh, Stan, have yer heard I’ve added another string to me bow? I’m in the acting lark now, and if I do say so meself, Ethel Barrymore’s got nothing on me.’ She leaned forward to seek confirmation from Molly, and being top heavy, nearly overbalanced. Everyone held their breath as she steadied herself, and laughed when she muttered, ‘God strewth, I nearly went arse over elbow.’ She covered them all with her cheeky grin. ‘Anyway, Molly, me darlin’, am I right about me acting, or am I right?’

‘Yer were so convincing, me darlin’, didn’t meself get carried along? I felt so sorry for the pregnant girl who was being thrown out by her family, I only just stopped meself in time from saying I had a spare room she could have. And didn’t poor Hettie Owens look as though she’d been struck by lightning?’

‘Amy has that effect on people, Molly,’ Mary said. ‘I
often feel I’ve been struck by a thunderbolt.’

‘It’s what yer need, girl.’ Amy’s chins did a quickstep as she nodded her head. ‘Ye’re that bleedin’ slow on the uptake, sometimes I feel like sticking a firework up a certain part of yer – er – yer atemy.’

‘The word is anatomy, Amy,’ Mary told her, biting on the inside of her cheek to keep a smile at bay, ‘and I’d prefer yer not to mention my unmentionables in mixed company, if yer don’t mind.’

The chair seat was hidden under Amy’s rather large bottom, but it creaked its protest when she shook with laughter. ‘Ay, girl, if I had to go through life without mentioning the unmentionables, I’d never open me bleedin’ gob! And, anyway, God gave us everything we’ve got, and He wouldn’t have done if we couldn’t mention them.’ There was more than a hint of mischief in the look she gave Mary. ‘Or make good use of them. I can’t speak for you lot, but me and Ben make good use of what the Lord gave us.’