Under the July Sun (9 page)

‘If you want. My nan's here.'

‘Well, that's good. Will ye tell her I'm here then?'

The boy nodded. ‘Yes. But what's your name?'

‘Miss Delaney.'

He disappeared around the side of the house and soon Cat heard footsteps approaching the front door. A small woman of about sixty opened the door with the boy close behind her.

‘Yes?'

‘I'm a friend of Louis',' Cat explained.

‘Yes?' she repeated.

‘Well, actually, Louis wrote and said his sister may put me up for a while if I were to come over.'

‘Did 'e?' She sounded disinterested. ‘Well you'd better come in outa the rain.' She stood back from the door to allow Cat inside. ‘Shut the door after yerself,' she said and marched off down the hall.

Cat called after the woman. ‘Is it all right if I leave my bag here?'

‘'Spect so,' came her distant reply.

Cat thought she sounded exactly like the woman she had spoken to across the common and just as indifferent, but she had no option other than to put up with the woman's attitude. She put down her bag and went along the hallway to the kitchen where she discovered the woman had seated herself at the kitchen table and was drinking tea. Cat stood in the middle of the kitchen until the woman looked at her.

‘S'pose you wantacupoftea?'

Cat hesitated, trying to translate what she had said. ‘Thank you. But don't go to any trouble on my account.'

‘I won't. It'sallreadyinthe pot.' She sniffed and got up to get a cup and saucer from the dresser, but something attracted her attention in the garden. She opened the window and bellowed at the boy Cat had just met.

‘Put that bleeding rake down, Reggie! And both of yougetinoutathe rain!'

‘Ye must be Louis' mother,' Cat said as the woman poured out her tea.

‘No! I'm Lize's Mother-in-law, formesins. Mrs. Collis is me name,' she replied waving cat into a chair. Mrs. Collis sat down opposite Cat and lapsed into silence reading the newspaper she had spread out on the table. Cat wondered whether she should talk or remain quiet.

In the heat of the kitchen, Cat's woollen coat began to steam, giving off a distinct and unpleasant odour of damp wool, so she undid it and slipped it over the back of the chair along with her headscarf. She picked up her cup and sipped the tea. It was very bitter and there was hardly any milk in it. The mud-coloured liquid slid down her throat scalding it, but she just didn't feel she could ask her for more milk. Cat decided Mrs. Collis didn't seem the sort of woman she could ask for more of anything.

In the silence, Cat felt she was making horrible swallowing noises, but Mrs. Collis didn't appear to notice; it was as though she had completely forgotten she was there.

It felt like an age before Cat heard a key in the lock of the front door and a voice calling out to the children.

‘Reggie. Iris. I'm home.'

Thank Heavens, Cat thought, at least the voice sounded cheerful! Then simultaneously, the boy she had met before, followed by a flaxen-haired, blue-eyed girl of about seven, burst in through the back door just as the owner of the voice entered the kitchen pulling off her headscarf. Cat stood up.

‘Hello, who's this?' Lize asked her mother-in-law.

‘FriendaLouis,' Mrs. Collis grumbled without lifting her eyes from the newspaper. Then she folded it shut and looked up at Lize. ‘Think she's Irish. Yer later than you said you'd be and now I'm late meself.' She stood up. ‘I'llbeyoff.'

Cat was trying hard to understand what Mrs. Collis was saying and as she was just deciphering the last sentence, Lize spoke. To Cat's relief she understood every syllable Lize said as she had a very clear and slow way of speaking, in much the same accent as Louis.

‘Yes, I'm so sorry I got held up Mother.' She turned to look at Cat. ‘You must be Cat,' she said stretching out her hand. ‘Pleased to meet you. You're very welcome. Very welcome indeed. Please, sit down and finish your tea.'

Cat sat with a fixed grin on her face, searching Lize's face for any resemblance to Louis. Her hair was mousy brown and she was very thin. She had a distinctly hooked nose and blue eyes. She didn't look like him at all and Cat felt strangely disappointed.

The children stared at Cat until Lize noticed.

‘Iris, Reggie, stop staring. Where are your manners? Go on now, sit up at the table, it's time for tea.'

They scrambled up to the table and Cat, feeling awkward, wondered if she would be asked to join them. She hoped so, as her growling stomach reminded her that she had not eaten all day.

‘I'm so pleased to meet ye, Lize. I hope ye don't mind me arrivin' like this, but I did write. Ye may not have got the letter though.'

‘Oh yes I got it,' she laughed. ‘But I just did not have time to reply, what with the move and everything. You know how it is. It went clean out of my head. Sorry.'

‘Well is it all right if I stay here for a bit?'

‘Yes of course. It'll be company for me. My brother said you were a nice person, so you come with good recommendation.' Lize smiled and started putting fish and chips on the plates.

Mrs. Collis put her coat on and began buttoning it up. ‘Well I'm off now Lize. D'ya want me to come tomorro' to help finish the unpacking?'

‘No, that's all right. I can manage now thank you, Mother.'

Mrs. Collis said no more but turned on her heel, marched through to the hallway and left, slamming the door behind her. Reggie and Iris looked at each other, then at their mother.

‘She didn't say goodbye,' Reggie said

‘Who is
she
?' Lize asked, ‘I think you are referring to your grandmother. Is that so?'

‘Yes, I'm sorry, Mummy. But grandmother still didn't say goodbye.'

‘Don't be cheeky and eat your food,' Lize said and clipped Reggie round the head with her hand.

Cat thought the boy was right. The woman had just gone, and not even given the children a kiss. What a strange sort of grandmother she must be or perhaps this was just the English way. Well one thing was certain, she hoped she didn't have to meet her too soon or too often.

Lize watched Cat pegging out the washing. It was good to have another adult indoors, especially one that was proving so useful. She began buttering the children's bread, daydreaming about how she would spend her day, when someone knocked on the front door.

She called out to Reggie asking him to open the door. The next moment Lize's mother stormed into the kitchen and began shouting at her.

‘You crafty little bitch! Thought you'd steal a march on me did you?'

Lize continued buttering toast, but her hands shook. She put down the knife and began pouring tea, but the pot quivered noticeably as her mother continued shouting at her.

‘Not a word! Not a flaming goodbye or anything! I'm only around the corner, and you couldn't as much as tell me you were going!'

‘No, that's right, Mum, I didn't.' Lize put the teapot down, and glared at her mother. ‘This house was suddenly left to Louis by a Mrs. White. So I took the opportunity to get out of
your
house. You've done nothing but remind me since Charlie died, that I was getting it at a cheap rent. You certainly didn't waste any time telling me you wanted your money on time the minute he was killed, and that his death did not make any difference – you still wanted your rent!'

Lize became aware of Reggie and Iris staring wide-eyed at them both.

‘Anyway, Mum, you can charge a higher rent now can't you?' Lize said pouring milk into the cups. ‘You were always so fond of telling me you could charge more for the house!'

‘Yes. I can and I will! Make no mistake about that my girl. And you needn't think Louis will let you stay here once he's back. If he's thinking of inviting that Irish bitch to live over here permanently, you can bet your life he's got other ideas in his mind.'

‘Like what exactly?'

‘You think you're sitting pretty now don't you? The older woman jabbed Lize in the shoulder with a finger. ‘But mark my words, Miss High and Mighty, you'll laugh on the other side of your face one day. You'll see. And you won't be drawing his army pay for ever, you grabbing little bitch!' She poked Lize again. ‘I brought him up! It's me who should be reaping the benefit, not you.' She pushed Lize. ‘All those years of putting up with your drunken father; spending every penny in the pub. Years of scraping money together to get some capital behind me 'cos he'd never provided it!'

Lize watched her mother's lips opening and closing as she raged at her. She coldly met her mother's gaze then turned her back and resumed buttering bread.

After a short while Lize very calmly turned to face her mother. ‘Oh and for your information Mum, the Irish bitch is already here!'

The back door opened and Cat came in. Lize stopped what she was doing and smiled at her.

‘Cat, this is my mother.'

Cat held out her hand. ‘Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Ross.'

Jessie Ross stared at Cat; gave Lize a withering look, turned on her heel and marched out of the house.

‘Shut the door on your way out, Mum,' Lize said.

Sighing, Lize put the bread on the plates. ‘Don't take any notice of her, Cat. She can be really awkward when she chooses.' She looked down at the children. ‘Come on now you two, eat up.'

Reggie picked up his toast and looked up at Lize with an innocent expression on his face and asked her.

‘Mum, who's the Irish bitch?'

Ned blew on his fingertips to warm them before beginning to dig out the rotten gatepost. As he worked his mind returned, as it always did, to Cat. He wondered what she was doing right now in London. Was she happy at Louis' sister's?
Surely
, he thought,
she must miss them and would come home soon
.

The postman called to him from the main road and said he had a letter from England, so Ned leaned the spade against the gate, wiped his hands on his trousers and hurried up the boreen to collect it. He was hardly able to contain his excitement as he saw Cat's familiar handwriting and rushed back to the cottage to share the news with Maeve.

‘Maeve, we've a letter at last!'

‘Well read it man, g'w'on, read it!' she said, wiping her hands on a towel.

Ned screwed up his eyes and began to read.

‘Seventeen Roydene Road, Plumstead, England. That's the address, then she goes on to say,

“Dear Mummy and Dada

I have not been able to write before as it took a while to settle into my new accommodation and get into the swing of things
.

I am, as you know, staying at Louis' sister's house, though it is not at the address given previously because she had moved by the time I arrived. The address at the top of this letter is where you should write to me
.

The weather has been fine for this time of year, though I see little of the sun because I have two jobs
.

My main job is at Woolwich Arsenal, where I am in the armaments shop packing bullets. This is fairly boring work, but it allows me time to sit and think of ye all at home. I was quite slow at first, but I am becoming quicker now. The more I pack, the more I earn
.

The girls I work with are a friendly bunch, though it took me some time to understand what they were saying, and they me. I work from eight in the morning to six at night with a half hour for lunch. We have a uniform for work, so it does not matter too much what I wear, though my normal clothes seem very old fashioned over here. I shall have to spend a little on some new skirts and blouses, as I do not want to look as though I have just come from a field digging up potatoes
.

My other job is taking care of the house and children for Louis' sister, Lize who is a nurse in a hospital. She has been so kind to me. We have an arrangement that if I run the house and take care of the children, it allows her to work the nightshift at the hospital. In return I only have to pay her a very low rent
.

It seems a good arrangement because it means I get to keep most of my earnings, so I shall be able to send you some money soon, Please God
.

I have not seen Louis yet as he is still away, but I hope he will return soon
.

Look after yourselves and love to all of you. Tell Ellie, if she's thinking of following me to England, there's plenty of work here for her. Just let me know
.

I'll write again soon, but until then, God bless ye both
.

Your loving daughter, Cat.”'

Ned frowned and put the letter back in the envelope. ‘Well it looks as though she's fallen on her feet,' he said, scratching the back of his head. He was quiet for a while then said, ‘I'd better get back to work.'

He dared not look at Maeve for fear she would see the tears in his eyes and discover his vulnerability. He rose and walked slowly out of the cottage and across the yard to the gatepost he was replacing.

Suddenly he did not feel like bothering to mend it, and with a sigh, he dug into the black soil reluctantly and thought about Cat sitting in a dingy factory packing bullets. Jesus,
is that what she's been brought to, working in an old factory packing bullets? And what about when the war ends, what then?
He thought she should be out in the fresh air with him now, digging up the spuds and laughing with him about some fresh joke.

Ned looked towards the Clashawly River and remembered the time before she left when they collected sallies in the sun last summer. It seemed so long ago.

Why was it he wondered, one child could twist up your heart so badly? The letter had upset him because he had hoped she would say she was homesick and was coming home.

Leaning on his spade staring into the distance, his thoughts were confused. What was the world coming to? Everything had gone topsy turvey. They'd had foreign soldiers sauntering about their streets, then his own countrymen had become savage murderers, his daughter frightened off overseas to live amongst a bunch of heathens and pack bullets for a living! It was not what he had planned.