Kay Brellend 3-Book Collection: The Street, The Family, Coronation Day. Kay Brellend
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man with me kids relyin’ on me to provide for ’em I’d be enlisted. But I got responsibilities, y’see …’ he added on a sigh.
‘Yeah,’ Geoff said. ‘I see alright.’
Jimmy stepped closer, his chin poking out pugnaciously but at that moment his mate called him from where he was sitting at the bar. ‘’Ere … drink’s going cold, Jim.’
‘Comin’, Ben. Done ’ere.’ Following a lopsided smile for Alice, that went unreturned, Jimmy swaggered off.
‘Finished your tea?’ Geoff asked Alice quietly.
Alice nodded and stood up at once.
‘See yer then, Al.’ Jimmy called that from the bar as Geoff opened the door.
‘Coming over to see the boys someday soon. Might see you later then. Mind how yer go, sweet’eart.’
Alice simply gave a nod before she went out into the drear afternoon.
‘He back with your aunt then?’ Geoff asked as they set out at a fast pace for home.
Alice huddled in to her coat. ‘Not as far as I know. If he is you can bet it’s only ’cos his fancy woman’s had enough of him and chucked him out.’ She cast a look up at Geoff. ‘Either that or he’s pretending he’s a family man with a wife ‘n’ kids, instead of a cheating layabout, so he don’t have to explain why he’s not joined up.’
‘You won’t get the likes of him to join up till the Hun send out armies of frauleins,’ Geoff observed sourly.
‘That what you’re waiting for?’ Alice joked then regretted her remark. ‘Didn’t mean that … sorry,’ she mumbled, thoroughly ashamed. ‘You must be sick of people dropping hints about you joinin’ up when you’re not even old enough to go.’
‘’S’alright,’ Geoff said. ‘I know you don’t mean no harm.’ He smiled thinly. ‘Got a feeling your uncle don’t like me though,’ he added.
‘Well, don’t worry about that!’ Alice returned forcefully. ‘None of us like him! He’s a pig and I hope he don’t come round The Bunk to see Bobbie ‘n’ Stevie. I hope he gets himself back down Finsbury Park with that old bag and stays put with the ponces!’
‘I saw Uncle Jimmy when I was out,’ Alice told her mum as she sat down at the table. ‘He came in to Kenny’s café when I was in there with Geoff.’ She watched her parents exchange a look. Her dad then continued reading the paper.
‘You just ignore him,’ her mother firmly instructed. ‘We’re well rid of the likes of him round here.’
‘He said he’s coming to see Bobbie ‘n’ Stevie,’ Alice informed her.
Again her parents exchanged a look.
‘He won’t be by,’ Jack reassured Tilly. ‘He’ll be too worried Fran’ll want money off him fer the kids.’
‘If Nellie’s kicked him out he’ll be by,’ Tilly responded roughly. ‘He’ll come crawling back as soon as he needs a bed to stick his boots under.’
Alice could sense the atmosphere getting a bit strained between her parents and wished she’d kept her news about Uncle Jimmy to herself. ‘Who’s coming over tonight? Same lot?’ she asked cheerily about the Saturday night singsong.
‘’Spect so,’ her mother replied grumpily.
Alice tried another diversion.
‘Some Belgian refugees started at the factory. Some of them can’t hardly talk any English. Feel right sorry for ’em, I do.’ Again this got no more response from her mother than a grunt. Alice looked at her; she could tell that the news that Jimmy was prowling about close by had unsettled her mother.
In fact it was six weeks later that Jimmy put in appearance in Campbell Road.
Alice came face to face with him as she was setting off at a fast pace for work one morning. She’d forgotten all about his talk of coming back there to see his sons. Too much that was sensational and important had gone on for her to bother thinking about the likes of him and his pathetic promises. Everyone thereabouts had been preoccupied with the war because it had come close to home: houses in the East End of London had been bombed and people killed and injured and made homeless. Added to that had been the awful news weeks ago that a ship called the Lusitania had been sunk off the coast of Ireland with such a great loss of life that it was hard for Alice to comprehend something so dreadful.
So the sight of Jimmy Wild slinking along with a dog end drooping from his lips came as an unwelcome interruption to the brooding thoughts circling in Alice’s head. The most important of those currently was that her beloved dad had started dropping hints that he felt it his duty to go and help the war effort as the situation was getting grave. And that had started an almighty row with her mum. She’d got very little sleep last night as they carried on shouting at one another into the small hours.
As Jimmy greeted Alice she came to a halt and mumbled a response.
‘Bobbie ‘n’ Stevie gone off to school yet?’
‘Dunno,’ Alice said. ‘Probably.’ In fact she did know very well that they were still at home. But she hoped that by saying she thought they’d left already their wastrel father might turn around and take himself off elsewhere. Alice understood now that there would only be trouble wherever Jimmy was.
Jimmy looked Alice up and down. ‘You’re all grown up, Alice, and quite a looker. Off to work?’
Alice nodded.
‘Where’s that?’
Alice felt an odd reluctance to tell him. ‘Munitions factory,’ she said. ‘Soldering stuff like weapons ‘n’ so on.’
‘Yeah?’ Jimmy affected to look impressed. ‘Doing yer bit for the war effort; that’s my gel.’
‘Gotta go. Be late,’ Alice said swiftly. A weak smile was slanted up at him then she was on her way and uncomfortably aware that he’d turned to watch her walking away.
‘Wot the fuck d’you want?’
Jimmy carried on up the stairs towards his wife’s rooms. ‘That ain’t a nice way to say hello,’ he sneered, sending a sidelong look up at Tilly. ‘Specially when you ain’t seen me for a while. Bet you missed me, ain’t you, Til?’
‘Yeah … like I missed getting smallpox,’ Tilly snapped. ‘Why don’t you just turn around and piss off.’
‘Why don’t you just mind yer own business?’ Jimmy responded. ‘You know if you don’t, I’ll have to make you … just like before. Remember?’ A menacing smile followed the warning and he stopped climbing the stairs to pose against the banister. ‘Y’know sometimes, gel, I think it’s why you goad me so much. You’re after a repeat performance, ‘n’t yer?’
Tilly’s features hardened into a mask of utter loathing. ‘You disgust me. But you’ll never beat me down so you can poke yer threats right up yer arse. Fran’s me sister ‘n’ I’ll look out for her when needs be. We’re family … something you’ll never be, you evil bastard.’
As the door to her room opened and Jack came out Tilly fell silent. Jack’s features set into stone when he noticed who was talking to his wife.
‘Alright, Jack?’ Jimmy asked chummily as though he’d never dream of threatening the fellow’s wife.
‘I was till I saw you.’
‘That ain’t nice, Jack,’ Jimmy protested in a whine. ‘We’re brothers-in-law, you ‘n’ me.’
‘Yeah …’ Jack intoned. ‘And I wish we weren’t ’cos I’ve had more’n enough trouble with you being part of me family.’
‘Bleedin’ hell,’ Jimmy huffed, all