Two Strangers (5 page)

She had to stop and rest twice on the way, but when she reached the shop she walked in, a bright smile on her face. They weren’t going to know she could hardly put one foot in front of the other. Regular food and a real bed to sleep in would soon get rid of these awful feelings.

‘Ah, good, you’re back.’ Flo was waiting in the shop. ‘Put your things in your room, then we’ll have a nice cup of tea and an hour in the shop.’

Still smiling, Vicki did as ordered. Her room! It was hard to take in what had happened, but she must be very careful or she could find herself back in that nightmare. The bundle was tucked under the bed, out of sight. They mustn’t see that because it had all her girls’ clothes in it. As soon as there was time – and a little money – she had to buy more shirts, and perhaps a pair of pyjamas.

Flo already had the tea brewing when Vicki came out of the room. The barber and his assistant, Sid, joined them, and they all sat down together. After drinking the tea, Vicki began to feel better and even managed to eat a biscuit.

The shop bell rang and the two men went back to work. Flo studied Vicki carefully. ‘Do you want another cup, Jim?’

‘No, thank you, Mrs Howard.’

She nodded. ‘At least you’ve got a bit of colour in your face now. You were as white as a sheet when you returned. Are you sure you feel well enough to run through your duties in the shop?’

‘Oh, yes.’ Vicki stood up, smiling. ‘I’m fine, and looking forward to finding out what I will be doing.’

The next hour took every ounce of her concentration as she made herself move with speed when the floor needed sweeping. She gathered the towels and put them in the basket ready for washing, and helped customers on with their hats and coats when they were preparing to leave. The fog of fatigue was draining what little strength she had, but she would not give in or show any outward sign that she wouldn’t be capable of doing this job.

‘Well done, Jim,’ Flo said. ‘That will do for today.’

Vicki smiled and took the towels out of the basket. ‘I’ll wash these ready for tomorrow, shall I?’

Flo took them out of her hands and put them back in the basket. ‘We’ll deal with these later. We have plenty of clean ones. Now, you go and have a rest. Dinner will be in an hour.’

By the time Vicki went to her room, she was shaking badly and threw herself on to the bed. It felt wonderful after the hard stone floor of the warehouse, but she was too tired to cry. This time, though, they would have been tears of relief. She had a job with nice people and a lovely place to stay. And she had managed to get through the day without collapsing. That was quite an achievement, and now she had an hour to gather her strength. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

Oh, she did hope this was real … and that the dream would last.

Five

‘I hope we’ve done the right thing, Flo,’ Bob said later that evening as his wife cleared away the dishes.

‘Only time will tell. There was such a heartbreaking look of desperation in his eyes, I couldn’t turn him away.’ She smiled sadly. ‘But I also believe he is an honest boy and will work hard for us. He didn’t try to hide the situation he was in.’

‘That’s true, but there’s something about him that doesn’t set right with me.’ Bob shook his head, puzzled. ‘I can’t fathom it at the moment, but I have the feeling he’s guarding a secret of some kind. Something he’s frightened we will find out.’

‘I know what you mean, but with the life he’s been leading he’s bound to have things he doesn’t want to talk about.’ Flo patted her husband’s hand. ‘Well, whatever it is, we’ve given him a chance, and all we can do now is wait and see how he works out. I’ll just pop down and see if he’s settled in all right. He’s so frail it worries me.’

There was no sign of Jim, but the back room was tidy, and, to her amazement, the dirty towels had all been washed and were strung across the stove to dry. The door to the outhouse was locked and bolted, so the boy wasn’t out there. Flo wandered into the shop, thinking he might be there, and looked around. The chairs had been straightened, all shelves cleaned and everything arranged neatly. Clean towels were also stacked ready for use. On closer inspection, she saw that the combs and brushes had been washed. The shop was spotless and ready for the next day.

‘My word,’ she murmured, ‘the lad could hardly stand up, yet he’s obviously been working hard. What determination.’ But where was he? The poor little devil must have gone to bed exhausted. Returning to the back room, she listened at his door and heard a muffled sound – like someone crying softly.

Alarmed, Flo rushed upstairs. ‘Bob!’

He jumped to his feet. ‘What’s happened?’

‘You’ve got to see what Jim’s done! I don’t know how he managed it. He was so weak it was an effort for him to get through an hour in the shop. He’s in bed now and I’m sure I heard him crying. What should I do, Bob? Should I go in and see if he’s all right?’

‘Slow down, Flo.’ Bob tried to calm her down. ‘First, show me what you’re talking about.’

They went into the shop and Flo watched her husband inspect everything, noting his nods of approval.

‘Excellent. I’ve never seen the place look so pristine, but he didn’t need to do all this tonight. Did you tell him to?’

‘No.’ Flo shook her head. ‘He’s done this on his own. I told him to rest after dinner.’

Bob pursed his lips, walked into the back room and listened by Jim’s door, and then he stepped back and motioned Flo to follow him back upstairs again.

‘Well?’ she asked, once they were in the sitting room.

‘Not a sound from him now. He’s probably fast asleep, so it’s best if we don’t disturb him, Flo. The kid’s got problems, and that’s probably the first proper bed he’s slept in for some time. I expect it all seems a bit overwhelming at the moment. He’s obviously going to work hard to keep this job, but I’m worried that we might have taken on a load of trouble with him.’

Flo shook her head. ‘He’ll settle in as soon as he gets his strength back, and we will discover we have found a treasure.’

‘I’ve always trusted your judgement, my dear, but don’t you think you might have allowed your emotions to take over this time?’

‘A bit, I suppose, but I still think he’s right for us and will be a hard, loyal worker.’

‘Not like some we’ve had, eh?’ her husband joked.

‘No.’ Flo laughed softly. ‘The lazy tykes.’

Vicki was up, washed and dressed when Bob and Flo came downstairs. The towels left to dry overnight were in a neat pile on the table. She had also made her bed and tidied the room. She was still feeling weak, but, after the first sound night’s sleep she’d had in a long time, she was feeling a little more energetic.

‘Good morning, Jim.’ Flo came in with a bright smile on her face as she studied Vicki intently. ‘Did you sleep well?’

‘Yes, thank you, Mrs Howard. The bed is lovely and comfortable. Is there anything you would like me to do now?’

‘Not until we’ve had breakfast. Anyway, you did it all last night. Now, what would you like to eat?’

‘Anything – a piece of bread …’

‘That’s not enough for a growing lad. Give him a fry-up like we all have, Flo, and perhaps some porridge first.’

Remembering the sickness the day before, Vicki knew she must eat sparingly until her stomach got used to regular food again. ‘Please, sir, that will be too much. I haven’t had much to eat for some time, and I can’t seem to manage a lot at the moment.’

‘Sit down, Jim.’ Bob motioned to a chair. ‘We didn’t have much time to talk yesterday, so now tell me just how bad things have been for you.’

Vicki clenched her hands together tightly under the table. She was well aware how thin she looked, so there was no point in telling lies. ‘I was starving, sir. I had to get a job or I wasn’t going to last much longer.’

‘You said you had something to eat at the cafe up the road. How did you have enough money for that?’

‘A kind man gave me a little money, and I needed to eat if I was going to keep looking for a job.’

‘And who was this man?’

‘A stranger, sir. He saw me when he was about to catch a train. I was … I was there … begging.’ Vicki looked down in shame, gulping back emotion. ‘He bought me a meal at the station, and then gave me some money. He said he hoped he had saved a life that day – and he had, sir.’

‘And then he caught his train?’

Vicki nodded. ‘He never even told me his name, but I owe him a lot.’

‘At least there are some decent people around.’ Bob looked furious when he turned to his wife. ‘Flo, give Jim whatever he wants. A little and often might be the best for a couple of days.’

‘Of course. Could you eat a bacon sandwich, Jim?’

‘That would be lovely. Thank you, Mrs Howard. Would you like me to cook breakfast for you?’

‘No, thank you, son. You sit there and get ready for the busy day ahead.’ She smiled, looking amused. ‘Can you cook, then?’

‘Oh, yes. I used to do all the cooking and cleaning at home.’

‘Really? What did your mother do?’

‘Not much.’ Vicki only just stopped herself from saying that she was always pregnant, trying for a son. ‘She … er … wasn’t all that well.’

‘If you did so much for her, she must miss you.’

Vicki shook her head, not liking this conversation. ‘I don’t think she cared if I was there or not. Oh, there’s the shop bell, sir. Shall I go and see who it is?’

‘That will be my first appointment – Mr Knight. Go and tell him I’ll be right there,’ Bob told her, quickly drinking his cup of tea. ‘I’ll eat when I’ve finished, Flo.’

Vicki rushed into the shop, relieved to get away from the awkward questions. ‘Good morning, sir. Mr Howard will be here in a moment. May I take your hat and coat?’

When he nodded, she helped him off with his coat and hung it carefully on the stand, then turned with a smile on her face. ‘Are you having a haircut today, Mr Knight?’

He ran a hand over his chin. ‘And a shave.’

‘Very well, sir. If you would sit here, please.’ She placed a gown on him, as she had seen the barber do, and then put clean towels on the stand.

When the barber came into the shop, everything was ready for him to start straight away, and Vicki watched his expression anxiously, hoping she had done the right thing. She breathed a sigh of relief when he gave her a brief nod of approval.

The two men were talking as the barber set to work, and it was obvious to Vicki that this was a very regular customer. She waited with the broom in her hands, ready to sweep the floor as soon as needed, desperate to make a good impression. She watched every move the barber made, fascinated by his skill with scissors and a cut-throat razor.

At a nod from Bob, she stepped forward and swept the fallen hair away from the chair, careful not to leave even a small shaving there. Then she stood back again.

When the customer stood up, Vicki was there at once to help him on with his coat and hat. While he paid his bill, she collected the used towels and tidied the barber’s tools. She noticed that the razor was by the sink and decided to leave that until she could ask Mr Howard what he wanted done with it.

‘You did well, Jim,’ the barber told her. ‘Mr Knight said you had looked after him well. He left this for you.’

Vicki gazed at the threepenny piece being held out to her, then looked up in amazement. ‘For me?’

Bob laughed at her expression. ‘Take it, Jim. He’s a good customer and he said it was lovely to be greeted by such a bright, well-spoken young man.’

‘Oh, thank you, sir.’ She put the money in her pocket. ‘I’ve cleared everything up, but I’m not sure what to do about the razor.’

‘I don’t want you to touch that. It’s too dangerous, and I like to see to that myself.’ He smiled. ‘Now let’s go and eat before anyone else arrives. We’ve got a busy day today.’

They had barely finished breakfast when the barber’s assistant, Sid, arrived, and he was immediately followed by a steady flow of customers. It didn’t take Vicki long to realize that this was a well-respected establishment, and that Sid was nearly as good as Mr Howard. She knew she was so lucky to have got this job, and she would do everything she could to make sure she kept it. She swept, cleared up and made sure they always had a fresh supply of towels without being told. It was a nice bright day and the towels were drying quickly as they fluttered on the line in the yard.

During the afternoon, two young women came in and Flo greeted them. There was a section at the end of the shop where a curtain could be pulled across to make it more private for the ladies.

‘Go and help my wife, Jim. We’ll be all right out here for a while.’

‘Yes, sir.’ The girls these days were wearing their hair short, and Vicki couldn’t take her eyes off them as they had their hair cut and waved. They looked so lovely and happy when admiring their finished styles. She also looked at Mrs Howard with fresh eyes. She was as talented with hair as her husband.

‘Thank you, Jim, you were a great help,’ Flo said as she pulled back the curtain.

‘I enjoyed it.’ Vicki smiled. ‘You’re very good, Mrs Howard.’

‘My husband taught me. More and more young ladies are having the latest styles.’ She smiled. ‘Let’s go and have a cup of tea. We deserve it.’

‘Oh, I must go back to Mr Howard now.’

‘No, you need a break. We’re taking fifteen minutes, Bob,’ she said to her husband.

He nodded. ‘We’ll join you in a minute. There’s half an hour before our next customers.’

‘Any of your famous fruit cake left?’ Sid asked, winking at Flo.

‘I think you have hollow legs, Sid. Don’t worry, I made one last night.’

When Vicki went to pick up the kettle, Flo stopped her. ‘You sit down, son. I’ll make the tea. You can take over the job when you’ve found your way around.’

Grateful for the chance to rest her legs, Vicki sat at the table and watched Flo, noting where everything was kept. She would insist on doing the tea from tomorrow, but now she was so tired her entire body was beginning to shake. It had been a very busy day, and there were still two hours to go before they closed.

The two men arrived, laughing about something, and Vicki couldn’t help smiling. It was a sound that had been sadly lacking in her life, and it gave her a glow of pleasure.