Women on the Home Front (44 page)

Clifford was due to come back on a Saturday and so Connie took Mandy out for the day in order to give her mother a little space. They went to Arundel on the bus and on to Swanbourne Lake. Pip invited himself too and had been as good as gold on the bus, lying by their feet until it was time to get out. Mandy fed the ducks with some crusts of bread and then they walked right around the lake. Pip loved it. He didn't chase a single duck but enjoyed his freedom to scent and smell as he pleased. They stayed until late afternoon and Connie treated them to tea in a little tea rooms while Pip lay on the pavement outside and waited for them.

As it turned out, Clifford had come through his experiences with little evidence of trauma. A clean shaven man with a strong jawline and firm resolve, he looked a little too small for his demob suit but he was still good looking enough to cut a dash. His Brylcreemed brown hair had retained its colour although there were a few grey hairs at either side of his ears. When he spotted Connie and Mandy walking up the road, he ran to meet them, and catching Mandy into the air he swung her up. Pip barked and jumped at his legs and Connie laughed. Clifford's daughter was a little more reserved in her greeting and wriggling out of his arms, as soon as he put her down she ran and hid behind Connie's skirts.

‘She'll be all right,' Connie whispered when she saw the look of disappointment on his face. ‘Just give her time.'

Clifford put his hand lightly on her shoulder and kissed Connie on the cheek. ‘Is it good to be back?' she asked.

Her mother was standing by the front door, looking on. ‘I'll say,' he smiled, adding out of the corner of his mouth, ‘although your mother looks a bit pasty.'

‘I've tried to persuade her to go to Dr Andrews,' Connie whispered as she smiled brightly, ‘but she won't go.'

‘I'll get her to make an appointment as soon as I can,' he said as they turned to walk back to the nurseries.

‘She probably won't tell you,' Connie said while they were still far enough away from the door to be out of earshot, ‘but I've offered to look after Mandy if you want to go away for a holiday.'

‘Can I go on holiday too?' Mandy piped up.

‘Oh my, what big ears you have,' laughed Connie and Clifford ruffled Mandy's hair.

‘Was Ga all right with you?' Connie asked as her sister skipped up the garden path.

‘Same as usual,' said Clifford grimly. ‘I swear that woman looks more miserable than Queen Victoria with every passing year.'

Connie put her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

The rest of the weekend was good because everyone was on their best behaviour. Clifford insisted her mother go to the doctor on Monday. A touch of anaemia, that's all it was, and she was prescribed a tonic. ‘Take a rest if you can,' he advised and so Clifford went ahead with his plans for them to go to Eastbourne for a few days.

A week went by and slowly the family readjusted itself back into some sort of normality. Aunt Aggie turned up as usual and although she probed Clifford with questions, thankfully she wasn't too intrusive. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about his experiences. He'd lost too many friends and three years of his life. Ga continued making her barbed remarks, the worst being one day when the four of them were in the shop.

‘It'll be hard for you to settle down,' Ga told Clifford. She was smiling but her eyes were bright with insincerity. ‘No pretty girls throwing themselves at the liberators here.'

‘Ga!' said Connie, shocked.

‘Don't tell me he didn't enjoy the attention,' Ga went on. ‘Sailors have a girl in every port so I don't suppose the army is much different?'

‘Not everybody is sex mad, Miss Dixon.'

They turned to look at Sally who was clearing overripe fruit from the display. They'd all forgotten she was there. Sally straightened up and blushed deeply, realising at once that she had overstepped the mark and been too familiar with her employers.

‘And I'll thank you to keep your nose out of other people's conversations, Sally,' said Ga haughtily. The girl turned back to her work and said no more.

Clifford walked away, the door banging against the wood as he left.

‘Pay no attention, dear,' said Aggie when she saw the crestfallen look on her friend's face.

‘Some people just can't take a joke,' said Ga.

As Connie walked with Mandy to the gypsy camp the day after her mother and Clifford had gone away, she already felt more relaxed. She might not have met anyone at the dance, but each week she'd had a bit of fun, something singularly lacking in her life up to now. It was incredible that Kez and her family had spent so long in the lane and there was always that sinking feeling that they might be gone when she turned the corner.

‘Susan Revel says gypsies are smelly and shouldn't be allowed here,' said Mandy, taking Connie's hand as they came to the lane. Pip came bounding along to join them. ‘She said they steal people's babies and turn them to stone.'

‘Does she now?' said Connie.

‘And Gary Philips says they are short in the arm and thick in the head.'

Connie suppressed a smile. ‘If I were you, I wouldn't repeat what someone else says,' she said gently. ‘I'll tell you what, after we've been there, you tell me what
you
think.'

Mandy nodded gravely. ‘Can I share my sweeties with Sam?'

So that was why Connie had seen her squirrelling away a couple of farthing chews from her sweetie box. Mandy hadn't asked if she could have one but Connie hadn't said anything. Why not let her have them? They were her sweets after all. She had no idea Mandy was planning to share them with Kezia's son. ‘I'm sure he'd love that,' said Connie, ‘but ask his mummy first.'

Somewhere along the lane, Pip joined them again. ‘Where have you been?' said Connie, patting his side.

The two sisters were very close. Connie adored Mandy and it was plain to see that Mandy enjoyed being with her. Kez took to her straight away especially when Mandy began to mother little Samuel.

The women spent the rest of the afternoon rubbing down handmade clothes pegs and putting them into bundles. On Monday, Kez and some of the other women would take them around the big houses in Goring and sell them. As they worked, Pen told them tales about the old days … ‘Little Mac took the tattooed lady's mare then Abe gave Little Mac a piece of bread and a quart of ale but there was none for 'e so he died …' Mandy listened spellbound and for Connie it felt just like old times. Peninnah always used the same form of words and if anyone interrupted her, she'd go back a bit and start again.

While Connie helped Kez with the meal, Reuben let Mandy feed the horse tethered in the field. By the end of the afternoon, they'd both had a wonderful time and it was time to go home.

‘Where's Isaac?' said Connie, suddenly missing him.

‘He's with Simeon and the Frenchie,' said Kez. She was putting Blossom to the breast.

‘What are they doing?' Connie frowned.

‘Go and see for yourself,' said Kez mysteriously. ‘It's on your way home.'

Connie was curious. It was unusual for a gypsy to be working with a non-Romani. She wondered how the Frenchie got on with someone like Isaac who was so surly. They said their goodbyes and Connie and Mandy set off for home with Pip.

‘I like Auntie Kez and Sam,' said Mandy as they walked towards Goring Street. ‘And Uncle Reuben.'

‘So what do you think about gypsies then?' Connie asked.

Mandy thought for a bit and then said, ‘Just because you are different, doesn't mean you're bad, does it?'

Connie squeezed her hand. ‘I think you've got the right idea, darling.'

‘Can we sing my song?' Mandy asked.

Connie smiled. ‘I'm amazed that you still like it so much.'

Mandy nodded and holding her sister's hand, they swung their arms as they sang ‘
You are my sunshine …'

The dog had run on ahead and was surprised to see them turn away from Goring Street and towards Jupp's barn. As Connie approached Sam Haffenden's blacksmith's forge, she craned her neck. So where were the men? Beyond the forge and the two thatched cottages, everything melted away into farm land. It was then that she noticed a corrugated iron shed to the right of the forge. She'd never noticed that before even though it was obvious it wasn't new. It was just off the road, and the only access was via a short lane entrance littered with old bits of wood. The potholed pathway opened out into a weed-filled yard. There was no sign of Isaac or Simeon but Connie heard the sound of raised men's voices coming from inside the shed. She reached for her little sister's hand and held on tight. Perhaps she should leave it for now and come back another time. She was about to turn around but Pip sped past her barking excitedly.

The Frenchie's workshop, cluttered, untidy and littered with bicycle parts, doubled as an artist's studio. She and Mandy stopped singing as they went through the door. There were pencil drawings and paintings everywhere. Connie spotted a fantastic drawing of Reuben sitting on the steps of his caravan smoking his pipe. High on the wall she saw a watercolour of two local fishermen she recognised from the beach at Goring from where they sold their fresh fish from the jetty. She looked at their rugged faces and rheumy eyes and knew that whoever had painted them had caught their likeness exactly. Kenneth had been good at drawing but nowhere near as good as this. The room itself smelled of engine oil and paint.

As she and Mandy walked in, it was obvious that the men had reached a crucial stage of their work. There were about four of them in the large open area in the middle of the building, Isaac, Simeon and two other men. Which one was the Frenchie? They were all working together using a series of pulleys and chains to lower a large wooden frame onto a chassis on wheels.

Calling the dog to heel, Connie stood in the corner by the door and drew Mandy into a protective embrace. One man was acting as instructor and guiding their every move. ‘Steady, steady. Keep that end nice and straight. Take your time, steady … Right, that's it.'

Someone let go of the chains and they clattered across the roof.

‘Careful,' said the man. ‘Don't damage the bodywork.'

Once the bulky frame was secure, Simeon began screwing it into place. It was a very solid piece of work and she could see that with the door at one end, it would be like a small house on wheels.

‘Well, I'd best be off,' said an older man Connie had never seen before.

‘Thanks for your help, Bob,' said the one who had been giving the orders.

Isaac grabbed his jacket and turned with a scowl on his face. ‘What do you want?' he demanded when he saw Connie and her sister. Pip growled.

Connie jumped. ‘I-I'm sorry,' she spluttered. ‘Kez said you and Simeon were here and I thought … Sorry.'

‘That's no way to speak to a lady.' The instructor had come out of the shadows and into the light. Connie's heart skipped a beat. He was broad shouldered and muscular. She could tell by the bulge at the top of his rolled-up sleeves that this man was used to heavy work and yet he moved fluidly and effortlessly. This must be the Frenchie. His brown hair was curled, not with tight curls but with more of an attractive wave. His face was streaked with perspiration. He glanced at her and Mandy and smiled. The smile transformed his whole face, revealing a long dimple on his left cheek. ‘Good afternoon, Madam,' he said, bending to stroke the dog. His voice was like deep velvet, and he spoke like a Canadian with just a hint of a French accent. Connie felt her face flush and her heart began to beat a little faster.

‘She ain't no lady, Frenchie,' said Isaac bringing Connie back to the here and now.

Connie's jaw dropped but Mandy interrupted before she could say something.

‘We came to see where Simeon works,' she piped up.

The Frenchie waved his arm expansively and smiled. ‘And here it is!'

Emboldened, Mandy started asking questions. ‘What are you doing? What's that for? Why did you put that in there? Is that a picture of Mr Light?' He answered all her questions patiently and with good humour, explaining that they had just repaired the van and were reconstructing it onto a new chassis. ‘That's a very solid looking thing,' Connie remarked.

‘It used to be called a living van,' he explained. ‘It was the sort of thing road menders used to use when they stayed on the job. This one dates back to the turn of the century.' He patted the wooden sides as he looked down at Mandy. ‘Back then you would see a steam engine on the front, then the living van, followed by a cart with all the equipment and finally the water cart to top up the engine, so the old timers tell me. It was a bit like a road train.'

Connie was puzzled. ‘But what are you going to use it for now?'

‘This mush is full of ideas,' said Simeon coming around the vehicle with a smile. ‘This is a travelling shop.'

Connie was impressed. She could see it now. They were obviously going to put shelving along the sides and with the driver's cab at the front, it would be ready to go.

‘And these paintings,' Connie said with a wave of her hand, ‘did you do them as well?'

The Frenchie glanced at Connie and gave her a shy smile. ‘Yes, I did. A hobby of mine.'

‘They're very good,' said Connie.

‘Thank you,' he said, wiping his hands on an oily rag.

‘And now I have to go,' he told Mandy. ‘I have to get ready to go out. It was nice to have met you and your mummy. I hope you'll come again.'

Mandy glared at him crossly. ‘She's not my mummy. She's my sister.'

The Frenchie turned to Connie. ‘I apologise,' he said quietly. ‘My mistake.'

Connie's heart was beating fast. She had never felt quite like this before. It was both alarming and exciting. ‘That's quite all right,' she said feebly. ‘I hope we didn't intrude.'