Kay Brellend 3-Book Collection: The Street, The Family, Coronation Day. Kay Brellend
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on pain of a thrashing: no swearing, no thieving and no drinking. It didn’t seem to matter that their parents, especially their mother, indulged liberally in at least two of those sins. If Tilly had also been light-fingered on occasion, when working as a charwoman for wealthy clients, she’d been shrewder than those colleagues who brazenly boasted that having a few of their employer’s little bits was their right considering the pittance they were paid. She’d also kept any hint of it from her family, including her husband. Keivers didn’t lower themselves to steal; that was Tilly’s motto.’Don’t let Mum hear you talk like that,’ Alice cautioned with a grimace at the door.
‘Is Dan really sorry, d’you think?’ Sophy asked forlornly.
Alice shrugged. She wished now she’d not let on what Geoff had told her. She felt as though she’d broken a confidence even though he’d not asked her to keep their conversation to herself. ‘Hope they’re not gonna be long chin-wagging; I’m starving and want me tea.’ She stood up abruptly, shaking off a feeling of melancholy. Besides, it had just occurred to Alice that, what with the commotion earlier, and her fight to keep her job, she’d gone without a morsel to eat all day.
‘Won’t be nothing much to have,’ Sophy said morosely. ‘Bit of bread ‘n’ scrape if we’re lucky.’
‘Fancy chips,’ Alice said, smacking her lips. ‘Chips with loads of salt ‘n’ vinegar. I wish it were Friday and I’d got paid. On Friday I’m eating me tea in a caff down Blackstock Road. I’ll treat you too this week.’ Alice knew that Sophy always took her payday tea in a café, despite her mum insisting she come straight home with her wages. Sophy knew better than to do so: she could end up losing the lot if their mother was in a particularly foul mood. Several times Sophy had treated Alice to a cup of tea and a big sticky bun too out of her wages. Alice thought it was only fair that she returned the favour now she was able. But the thought of such delights now, when she was hungry, simply made her stomach grumble noisily.
‘D’you reckon Beth’ll get a few coppers off old Beattie for running her errand?’
Alice nodded, knowing at once what Sophy was thinking. ‘How much you got?’ she asked bluntly.
‘Enough for a ha’penny and a ha’porth.’ For those two coins she’d get a piece of fish and a portion of chips.
‘I got sixpence,’ Alice said triumphantly and pulled the coin out to show her sister.
‘We got enough for a drink ‘n’ all then,’ Sophy said with a giggle.
‘You fit to go out?’ Alice asked anxiously as her sister got up feebly from the bed edge.
‘Yeah, already sorted meself out,’ Sophy said succinctly.
‘We’ll catch Beth outside, before she comes back in, and say we’re all off up the road to tell Sarah Whitton about me job. If Mum thinks we’re out for fish ‘n’ chips she’ll have our pockets turned out.’ She added as a solemn afterthought, ‘Then Dad’ll lose his scarf fer sure.’
‘Just as well neither of them’s old enough to join up and be a sailor in the navy. They’d sink a ship before the war’s properly started.’ Alice’s rueful comment made her two companions burst out laughing as they observed the boys’ unsuccessful efforts to row their boat in a straight line.
It was a hot Saturday at the beginning of August and Alice, Sophy and Sarah Whitton were lounging on scratchy parched grass that sloped up and away from the Finsbury Park boating lake. They had walked from Campbell Road the short distance in the blistering heat and found a shady spot beneath trees. Gratefully they’d collapsed down on the ground to have a rest. They had begun to pool pennies to see if between them they had enough cash to take a boat out on the lake and still have some left to stop off at a café for a bite to eat on the way home.
A long, low whistle had curtailed their calculations. A moment later a group of youths had bowled up and sat down close by. Danny and Geoff Lovat – who were on friendly terms again now Sophy was back to normal – had been amongst a quartet of young hounds. Herbert Banks, also from Campbell Road, was with them; so was a boy Alice recognised as being out of Queensland Road.
A session of good-natured catcalling back and forth had taken place between the groups of boys and girls for some while. Bored with that, Geoff and Herbert Banks had stood up and wandered off towards the lake. A little while later Alice had watched the two of them – in possession of an oar each – rotating a boat in clumsy circles towards the centre of the lake. It was that amusing sight that had prompted her to make her remark about the war that’d recently been declared on Germany.
The news that they were at war had been shocking, and oddly exciting, but it all seemed very distant and unreal, especially on a glorious carefree summer day such as this.
‘I saw me dad in the week,’ Sarah said. ‘He reckons now he’s lost his job he’s going to volunteer for the army. It’s regular pay ‘n’ grub, he says. And he wants to do his bit for his country.’
Alice frowned. ‘He’s a bit old, ain’t he?’
‘Thirty-seven, I think. I hope they don’t let him in. I don’t want him to be hurt or nuthin’.’
‘Me dad brought in the newspaper and we read all about it. It’s all going to be over by Christmas anyhow,’ Alice told her friend reassuringly. ‘So even if your dad does go to war he’ll be back home before you know it.’
‘I heard Herbert Banks’s been boasting he’s going to go to the recruitin’ office and pretend he’s nineteen so’s he can join up.’
Alice snorted derisively. ‘He don’t even look fifteen even though he is. He won’t get away with that, not even if he draws on whiskers.’
Suddenly the two younger girls realised that Sophy had been unusually quiet during this lively discussion. Presently it was the main topic of conversation for most people. In the factory where Alice worked all the talk at dinnertime was about how the Hun were due a good thrashing.
Alice and Sarah turned their attention on Sophy. She blushed and pouted defensively as she was caught out exchanging a significant stare with Danny.
Danny suddenly leapt up and strolled the few yards over towards them.
‘Wanna take a boat out?’ He directed that exclusively at Sophy. ‘I got the money to pay for it,’ he added with gruff persuasion.
Alice glanced at her sister, expecting to hear Sophy tell him where he could stick his boat and the oars too. But after a moment, and looking bashful, Sophy sprung up and, with a mumble for the girls, went off with him towards the water’s edge. Alice rolled onto her stomach and watched them. Danny helped Sophy get in then they were off and he was having more success than his brother had managed in getting going into deep water. Soon they had caught up with the little craft carrying Geoff and Herbert.
The boy from the Land, stranded alone on the grass, sent Alice and Sarah a hopeful look. But getting no encouragement he obviously came to the conclusion he’d be wasting his time. He got up and slouched back towards the park gate.
‘Thought your Sophy weren’t having no more to do with Danny Lovat.’
Alice raised herself up lazily onto an elbow and gazed again at the sight that had prompted Sarah’s sly remark. Danny looked to be heading towards a secluded part of the lake sheltered from prying eyes by low branches that in places skimmed the still water.
‘Bet Sophy’s glad she weren’t expecting after all. She’d better hope she can keep it that way.’
Alice continued plucking grass stalks and chewing on them. She ignored Sarah’s deliberate comment. She wasn’t getting into that conversation with anyone. Of course, Sarah had known about Sophy thinking she was pregnant. Everyone who’d been home in Campbell Road that Sunday dinnertime had known about Sophy thinking Danny Lovat had got her into