When Wishes Come True (11 page)

Bessie didn’t reply for a while as she stared down at a tea leaf floating on top of her cup. Of course she would have the child, she would love to. And she knew jolly well the girl would be overjoyed. But although her first instinct had been to tell her neighbour to stick her shilling where Paddy stuck his nuts, a voice in her head told her she would be stupid not to take the money. She could use it to buy treats for Amelia because she had never seen the child with a bag of sweets in her hand in the three years she’d lived next door.

‘I’m not always home before Amelia, it depends whether I start at seven or half-past. We sometimes have to pack orders, yer see, and they need to be on the cart by eight. Mind you, some of the women go in at seven all the time, so they can be home for their kids coming in from school. I could do the same thing.’ She pretended to give the idea some thought, but it was only to keep the queer one in suspense for a while. Then she said, slowly, as though she wasn’t really keen, ‘I suppose we could try it for a week to two, see if it works out. I mean, I’m not used to having children in the house, and on the other hand, Amelia might not like sitting with an old woman every night.’ Then she felt like a little bit of devilment, and came out with something she knew would fill her neighbour with horror. ‘She would be better playing out in the street with the other children. I could keep me eye on her through the window, make sure she came to no harm.’

The colour drained from Evelyn’s face, and Bessie, who held conversations with herself as people who live alone often do, told the frying pan later that night as she was washing the dishes that her neighbour looked so shocked anyone would think a doctor had just told her she dying, and only had minutes to live.

‘Oh, I can’t allow Amelia to play in the street, Miss Maudsley, not under any circumstances. Heaven alone knows what sort of diseases those children could be carrying, not to mention head lice. It is entirely out of the question. I will not subject my daughter to their lack of hygiene or their ignorance. And I must insist that you do not allow her to play in the street.’

How Bessie kept her temper she would never know. There wasn’t a woman in this street wouldn’t lay down her life for her children, and many of them were going hungry to give food to their families but never moaned about going without themselves. Family always came first. But if Bessie told Miss High and Mighty what she really thought of her, she’d be cutting off her nose to spite her face. The stuck-up snob might take the huff and say she had decided it wasn’t appropriate to leave Amelia in her care, which would mean Bessie and the girl losing out on something they would both enjoy.

‘If that is the way you want it, Mrs Sinclair, then of course that’s the way it shall be. She is your daughter after all. So shall we start our trial period on Monday and see how it goes?’

Evelyn kept her sigh of relief silent. Although she’d meant what she had said about her daughter playing in the street, she knew she needed Bessie more than Bessie needed her. She hadn’t the slightest intention of telling Mr Simon she wouldn’t be taking the job, for his nephew was at the forefront of all her plans. And she wasn’t letting the welfare of her daughter get in the way of those plans. If all else failed, the girl would have to be in the house on her own for two hours each night, whether she was frightened or not. In her twisted mind, Evelyn put the blame on Amelia for everything that had gone wrong in her own life.

‘You are very kind, Miss Maudsley,’ she said now, ‘and I’m sure we shall both benefit from it. And Amelia, of course, will be delighted when I tell her the result of our conversation.’ Evelyn got to her feet. ‘I must go now, Amelia will be waiting for her tea. I want you to know I am very grateful, and hope our little arrangement is of mutual benefit. And I do apologise for calling when you were about to have your meal.’

‘I’ll see you out.’ Bessie pushed her chair back and began to walk towards the front door with her. ‘Tell Amelia I’m looking forward to seeing her. Oh, and remind her it’s only two weeks on Saturday to our birthday party.’

But as Evelyn pulled on Bessie’s arm it was herself she was thinking off, no one else. ‘I’ll go out the back way, Miss Maudsley, I don’t want to be seen by the neighbours. Especially those two from opposite, who seem to spend their whole lives gossiping in the street. It’s a pity they haven’t got anything better to do. I do not want them knowing my business so, if you don’t mind, I’ll go out the back way.’

‘Please yerself.’ Bessie followed her through to the kitchen, and when she’d closed the door after her, muttered, ‘Good riddance to bad rubbish.’

Then she went back to the table for the remains of her sandwich, and a conversation with the fireplace. ‘I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, I really don’t. There’s something wrong in the head with that bleeding woman. She’s definitely not normal, yet the silly bugger thinks we’re all mad and she’s the only sane one! I mean, how does she think I can have her daughter coming here every night straight from school, and not one of the neighbours will see her and start asking questions? Is the silly bugger going to give everyone in the street a ruddy blindfold and insist they wear them?’

Then Bessie chuckled. ‘She’d do her nut if she knew Rita is coming over tonight, and seeing as she’s me best friend in the street, it’s only natural I’ll tell her me bit of news. She’s bound to find out, living opposite, and she’d think me a fine friend if I hadn’t let on. In fact, she’d think it was sneaky, and I’d agree with her. So Rita will be told of our little arrangement when she comes tonight, and sure as eggs is eggs she’ll tell Aggie first thing in the morning. I’ll tell them to keep it to themselves, of course, but I can’t help it if they can’t keep a secret. But I’d better not mention what her Ladyship said about the other kids having diseases and head lice, ’cos then they’d lynch her. I think Rita might laugh and see the funny side, but not Aggie. Aggie Gordon has a good sense of humour, but not when someone is saying her two children are diseased and lousy. She’d be over there like a shot, with all guns blazing, and if she didn’t get an answer, she’d boot the ruddy door in. I don’t want no trouble, so I’ll be careful what I say and make sure me tongue doesn’t run away with me. I don’t like the woman, it’s no use saying I do, she gets up me bleeding nose with her airs and graces – but I’d hate to see her getting her hair pulled out and losing her front teeth.’

Bessie chuckled and pointed a finger at the fireplace. ‘That’s the best thing about having a conversation with you, yer never repeat it. And yer don’t use no bad language either.’ She’d picked up her cup and saucer, put them on the plate and was carrying them out to the kitchen when she turned and looked back at the grate. ‘Don’t start getting big-headed, ’cos I’ll still be taking me poker to yer in the morning to rake out the ashes. So behave yerself, and don’t be spitting no live coals on to me hearth rug either.’

‘Don’t die of surprise, will yer,’ Rita said, passing Bessie on her way in, ‘but I’ve got a few biscuits to have with the cup of tea I know ye’re going to insist on making. I hopped in lucky when I went to the corner shop for a gas mantle, and Sally was sorting the biscuit tins out. She was emptying the crumbs into a bag ready to put in the bin when I spotted that the tin next to the one she was emptying was the broken biscuit one, and there were some decent ones in there. So I acted daft and pretended I thought she was going to throw them away too! And although she said she wasn’t mad enough, nor rich enough, to throw out nearly good as new biscuits, she did take pity on me eventually. God love her cotton socks, she picked a few of the best out and put them in this bag.’ She waved a small paper bag in the air. ‘So when we’re having our cuppa, we’ll raise our cups to Sally.’

‘You’re me second visitor since I got in from work, I’m getting to be very popular.’ Bessie waited until her friend was seated. ‘Only I didn’t ask the other one if she wanted a drink ’cos I knew she wouldn’t drink out of one of my cups in case it had a crack in it. And I bet she’s never heard of broken biscuits in her life.’

As Rita passed the bag over, she said, ‘I don’t need three guesses for this one, sunshine, I’ll lay odds it was the queer one next door?’

‘Right first time, girl. But I’ll bet yer’d never guess in a month of Sundays what she came to see me about.’

Rita rolled her eyes. ‘She was on the cadge for something?’ When Bessie shook her head, her mate racked her brain for inspiration, then said, ‘Ooh, don’t keep me in suspense, sunshine, me heart won’t stand it. Come on, I’m all ears.’

Bessie pushed her chair under the table before striking a pose. She straightened her back, stuck her nose in the air, then laced her fingers across her tummy. And only being the size of sixpennyworth of copper, she looked so funny Rita was laughing before the little woman opened her mouth.

‘I was honoured today when one of the senior partners in the office asked me if I would like the position of private secretary to a new partner who is starting on Monday. It is a great advance and brings a not insignificant increase in my salary.’

Unable to keep up the pose, Bessie burst out laughing. ‘It’s all right for you, Rita Wells, but I had to keep me face straight while she was going on, in that posh voice of hers, about how delighted she was. And d’yer know what was going through me head as she went on about it? Well, I was thinking that while not one soul in this street likes her, she doesn’t see it ’cos she’s too busy loving herself.’

‘I’m surprised she told yer, sunshine, ’cos she never talks to anyone else. None of us knows the first thing about her, so how come she’s suddenly opening up to you? She must be after something, so I’d watch out.’

‘Oh, she was after something all right. I knew that as soon as I saw her passing me kitchen window. But what she was after suited me, so while I dragged it out for a while, I knew she was going to get her own way.’ Bessie pulled the chair back out and sat down. ‘I may as well sit while I tell yer the whole story. But before I start, I want yer to know I only let her carry on because of young Amelia. I’m very fond of that girl and think she leads a lousy life. Otherwise I wouldn’t have let Lady Muck over the doorstep.’

Rita listened wide-eyed, clicking her tongue a few times. But she didn’t interrupt until Bessie had finished. When she did open her mouth to give her opinion, she was asked to wait until they had a pot of tea on the table. Then they sat facing each other across the table with cups of tea in front of them and some biscuits in the saucers.

‘She’s done me a favour, girl, ’cos since they moved in I’ve wanted to make friends with Amelia seeing as she doesn’t have any young friends. Not that I’m young, like, but at least I talk to her as I would a young girl, not as if to an adult like her mother does. I think we’ll both enjoy being together for a few hours each night. It’ll be a change for me to have young company, and I’ll be able to take her to the park or round the shops, something her own mother never does. And she can’t say she hasn’t got time, ’cos she’s in from work about the same time as me. Anyway, that’ll all change on Monday ’cos she’s working full-time then, and what the eye don’t see, the heart don’t grieve over.’ Bessie put her cup down on the saucer. ‘It goes against the grain with me, taking a shilling a week off her, and I almost told her what she could do with it. Then I thought of how I could spend it on Amelia, buy a few books I can keep in here for her to read, and a game of Snakes and Ladders or Tiddly-winks. She’d like those. I’d rather she had it than the mother who doesn’t show any love for her. No hugs or kisses, no sign of affection even.’

‘That’s because there isn’t any, sunshine,’ Rita said. ‘I can see a lot from our house, and it’s not because I’m nosy but yer can’t help noticing that she never sees the girl off to school, never stands at the door to give her a kiss or shout after her to tell her to hurry home. They’d only been living there a couple of months when I started to notice those things. I’ve never said anything to anyone ’cos it’s not my worry, but I’d say that woman has no feelings, no emotions, and no love to give her own daughter. In fact, I doubt if she has ever known what true love is.’

‘I’ve noticed all those things too!’ Bessie was thinking of Amelia’s happy expression when she’d been able to get a loaf for a penny. She’d been so sure her mother would be pleased with her, yet her only thanks was a smack across the face. ‘That’s why I want to show the kid all women aren’t like that. I want to try and show her the love, affection and fun that every other kid in this street knows. They might not have any shoes on their feet, but by God, they know what love is. And laughter too.’ Bessie looked surprised that she’d only just thought of this. ‘D’yer know, Rita, I’ve never once heard laughter coming through the wall of that house. I think Amelia is afraid of her mother, afraid to look as though she’s enjoying herself.’ She banged one clenched fist on the table. ‘By God, I’m going to change all that, starting on Monday. I don’t care if I have to lie to the stuck-up snob, I’m determined to show that young girl what a real home is like.’ She grinned. ‘I’ll keep God informed every night, and I’m sure He will be on my side.’

‘Yer can count on me to be on your side as well, sunshine, I’ll help all I can. And yer can take it from me, I’ll be doing it willingly. And I’ll have a word with God too, ’cos yer never know, an extra voice might add more weight.’

It was Monday morning. Rita was waving her sons off when the front door to the next house opened and Aggie’s eleven-year-old daughter Kitty stepped down on to the pavement, followed by her brother, ten-year-old Kenny. Close behind came Aggie, who never missed seeing her children off.

‘The start of another week, eh, girl? The flaming time just flies over.’ Aggie held on to the door frame for support as she carefully lowered her eighteen stone down the steps. ‘You two better get a move on ’cos ye’re a bit late this morning. Too bleeding lazy to get out of bed.’

‘It was your fault, Mam, yer never called us.’ Kitty wagged her head from side to side, a habit she had acquired from her mother. She also had her mother’s features, plus her quick tongue and sense of humour, and was already showing signs of being plump. But woe betide anyone who dare mention this. ‘It was you what slept in, so don’t be trying to get out of it.’