Homecoming (22 page)

Sam's mother looked at Judy as if she'd taken leave of her senses. ‘All our family go to Blackpool for their honeymoon, dear. It's a lovely place.'

‘I've been there and I don't want to go there again.' Judy looked to Sam for support, but he appeared to be engrossed in his pie.

‘You didn't like it?' Ena couldn't have been more affronted if Judy had insulted her personally.

‘Perhaps Sam and Judy have somewhere else in mind, Ena,' Joy suggested smoothly, as Judy began to look mutinous.

‘Sam! What do you have to say about this?' Mrs Davies turned to her son.

‘We might go to Jersey, Mam.'

‘Jersey! I've never heard of anything so extravagant in my life. Going abroad just when you're starting out and have so many things to buy? And that's another thing, Judy, I've lots of odd cups and plates you can have and some old blankets. They've gone a bit – well, bobbly – you know what I mean, but they're perfectly serviceable, good and warm.'

‘I have my own things, in my own flat.'

‘You've been living as a single girl, Judy. Not a married woman. You have Sam to look after now.'

Judy closed her mouth, as Joy kicked her ankle. Sam still refused to meet her eye, so she did the most politic thing she could think of. Left the table and walked down the garden to the ty bach.

‘Are you sure you two won't come in for a cup of tea?' Joy asked Judy and Sam, as Roy lifted a sleepy Billy from the back of Judy's car and carried him to his front door.

‘No thanks, Mam,' Judy refused. ‘I've had about as much tea as I can drink for one day.'

‘See you soon then, darling.'

‘Yes, see you soon.' Judy revved the engine and her mother closed the door.

‘I warned you that my mother would be interested in our wedding preparations,' Sam said, as she drove along Carlton Terrace.

‘Interested!' Judy swerved the car around the corner. ‘She's taking over. Bridesmaids' dresses, flowers, cars, even the honeymoon.'

‘You have to learn to put your foot down.'

‘Like you, I suppose. You hardly said a word to her all afternoon and if what you did say was indicative of putting your foot down, I for one, missed the message.'

‘It's the only way to deal with her. It's what my father used to do when he was alive and it's the way my brother and I cope with her now. It makes for a quiet life if you listen to what she has to say. Afterwards you can do your own thing.'

‘Like boycott Blackpool as a honeymoon venue. And since when are we going to Jersey?' she questioned angrily.

‘I didn't say we were going, I said I was thinking about it.'

‘You didn't tell me you were thinking about it.'

‘Because I only picked up the brochure last Friday and since then we've been a bit preoccupied with other things. Come on, Judy, I know my mother can be overbearing, but don't you think you're being too sensitive? Bridal nerves and all that?'

‘No, I don't!'

‘She means well.'

‘So did Attila the Hun.'

‘Are you sure?' He smiled as she glanced across at him. ‘As I'm still on afternoons next week, I'll go shopping with you on Tuesday morning and try to keep her under control.'

‘We'll be going to dress shops,' she warned.

‘It will prove how much I love you.'

As Judy continued to drive along the road that skirted the broad sweep of Swansea Bay, she couldn't help feeling that the world was closing in on her, claustrophobic, constraining. It was almost as though her marriage to Sam was going to mark the end of her life, not the beginning. Time was racing, preparations were being made; in a few weeks she'd find herself married and, if her mother-in-law had her way, honeymooning in a hotel in Blackpool. And she felt absolutely powerless to stop it.

‘Jack, is that you?' Helen called downstairs as she heard a key turn in the lock of the front door.

‘No, it's the bogeyman,' he shouted, as he stepped into the hall. He caught sight of his rust and grease-stained overalls in the mirror and remained standing on the tiled floor.

‘You're late. I promised my father we'd be at his house by half past seven and it's after seven now.' Helen appeared at the top of the stairs. ‘You look as though Martin and Brian used you as a mop to clean the garage.'

He bent down and unlaced his boots. ‘It wasn't the garage, Brian had that professionally cleaned, it was the second-hand tools Marty bought. They were filthy.'

‘I hope you've finished, because if you haven't, you'll be putting those clothes on again tomorrow. There's no way I'm risking clogging my washing machine or staining my mangle with them, they can go in the bin.'

‘Every tool is now sparkling.'

‘Unlike you.'

‘If you think I'm bad, you should see Marty. God only knows why he insisted on cleaning every piece back to the bare metal. They're only going to get dirty again as soon as he uses them.'

‘Is everything ready for the opening on Monday?'

‘It will be after Brian, Marty and I put in another couple of hours tomorrow. But as it's mainly sorting the office and racking the tools, we shouldn't get into anything like this state again.' Removing his boots, he went to put them on the doormat.

‘No!'

‘Then where?'

‘Leave them on the tiles, they're easier to clean.'

He smiled up at her. ‘If you're thinking of going to the party in that petticoat, it's only fair to warn you I can see right through it. And those rollers.' He shook his head, ‘I'm not up on fashion but that particular shade of pink plastic doesn't go with blonde hair.'

‘It's easy to see who you've been working with all day, you even sound like Brian.' A towel landed at his feet. ‘Strip.'

‘That sounds hopeful.'

‘Forget any thoughts you had in that direction, we're late, remember?'

‘After Katie and Glyn's welcome home party?' he suggested.

‘That depends entirely on how much you drink. If your feet are clean under your socks, bundle everything you're wearing into your vest, inside out. As it's furthest from those overalls it should be the cleanest and least likely to drip dirt around the place. Then dump everything in the bin in the back porch. I'll start running you a bath. From where I'm standing, it looks as though I should tip in a dozen handfuls of washing soda and the scrubbing brush, and that's just to get the dirt out of your hair.'

‘Don't bother to clean the bath after Marty, Lily, I'll do it, and,' Brian gave her a rueful smile, ‘I promise to scrub it out again after I've used it.'

‘I thought Marty came home from the council depot filthy, but he's never been in this state before.'

‘Don't touch the linen bin,' Brian warned as she went to pick it up, ‘not until I've cleaned off the greasy finger marks.'

‘I'll leave you to it.' Closing the bathroom door, she walked into the bedroom where Martin was towelling himself dry. ‘Have you finished cleaning the tools, or can I expect you two in the same state tomorrow?'

‘We have to put in a couple of hours tomorrow to get everything ready but it'll be relatively clean work.'

‘I know your idea of relatively clean.'

‘I'll just be racking the tools and sorting where to put things in the workshops so they'll be to hand.' His face shone as he turned towards her. ‘It was a brilliant idea of Brian's to go to that auction. We had some real bargains.'

‘Even after all the elbow grease you put into cleaning everything.' She smiled at the expression on his face. He looked like a little boy who had been given his first bike.

‘The work we put in was worth it. I knew I'd bought some good stuff, but I didn't realise just how good until we stripped off the rust and grease. Why don't you drive over with us tomorrow and take a look at the workshops? They're not as big as the ones in the depot but thanks to the auction, they'll be better equipped. They're a mechanic's dream.'

‘And I'm forgiven for organising the loan,' she interrupted hopefully, as she opened his wardrobe and lifted out a clean shirt.

‘You can't blame me for worrying,' he murmured defensively.

‘Here, you missed a bit.' Taking the towel from him she dried his back between his shoulder blades.

‘I won't be happy about the overdraft until we've repaid every penny, but from the way the place looks, if we fail, it won't be from the want of trying.' He retrieved the damp towel and tossed it on to the bed.

‘You'll soak the bed,' she reprimanded, picking it up and folding it over the towel stand.

‘Sorry.' He held out his arms and looked down at the bed.

‘Dress, or we'll never get next door.'

‘There's bags of time. Brian isn't even out of the bath yet and he has to scrub it and dress. And besides, you look fantastically and deliciously plump, just like a wife should.'

‘Plump!' Her heart missed a beat. Had he guessed her secret?

‘Rounded in all the right places or is it the blouse? I've never noticed it so tight over your bust before. I have this uncontrollable urge to flick the buttons …'

‘Don't you dare!' She glanced in the mirror as she backed away from him and realised it had been optimistic of her to hope that Martin wouldn't notice she had gone up two bra sizes in the last two months. ‘My blouse must have shrunk in the wash,' she lied.

‘Then I advise you to shrink all your blouses.' He caught her and opened the top few buttons.

‘Marty,' she protested half-heartedly, laughing as he imprisoned her in his arms. ‘I'm all ready …'

‘You were all ready.' He pulled her gently down on to the counterpane.

‘Am I clean?'

Helen looked critically at Jack and rummaged in the bottom of her handbag. ‘I can't see. Turn around. You had a great big black mark on the back of your head when you came in.'

‘Has it gone?' He straightened the sleeves on his sports jacket.

‘It has. Jack, why don't you wear a suit? Both of them are –'

‘Too small.'

‘Not your suits as well,' she sighed. ‘You only wore them once or twice before you went into the army. Have you any idea how much I paid to have them cleaned?'

‘Sorry, love, but the sports coat will have to do until the next wedding.'

‘Which is Judy's and only a couple of months away. Damn!'

‘Problem?' he asked innocently, as she turned her handbag upside down and tipped the contents on to the hall table.

‘I can't find my keys.' She looked at him in exasperation. ‘Instead of standing there grinning like a fool, you could help me to look for them.'

‘Want me to drive?' He dangled them in front of her.

‘Not after what you did the last time you got behind the wheel of my car.'

‘Then come on the back of my bike.'

‘In this dress, absolutely not! You're infuriating.' She snatched the keys from him.

‘You shouldn't leave them where you can't find them.'

‘Which was?' She held out her arms so he could help her on with her coat.

‘The kitchen table.'

‘Blast, I left them there so I wouldn't forget the –'

‘Cake you promised to pick up from Eynon's for your father?' He held up the box.

‘Think you're so smart.'

‘Yes, I do.' He kissed her lips before opening the door. ‘Look who I married for a start.'

‘Damn!' she reiterated, as she started the car.

‘What now?' Jack asked patiently.

‘A letter came for you, second post today. I meant to give it to you.'

‘Whatever it is, it can't be important enough to make us any later than we already are.'

‘You sure?' Helen pushed the gear into reverse.

‘I'll read it when we get home.'

*……*……*

‘It's nothing but parties for us these days. First Jack's homecoming, now this, and in eleven weeks mine and Judy's wedding.' Teetering on the edge between merry and drunk, Sam beamed benignly at John and every man in the kitchen, with the exception of Brian.

‘Pity Glyn isn't old enough to join us, John. This malt of yours is nectar, the best I've ever tasted, and I've tasted some corkers in my time.' Roy sniffed his glass before sipping it slowly and appreciatively.

‘From the way the women are fussing over Glyn in the living room, I'd say he's not faring too badly.' Brian offered his cigarettes around. ‘And you left one party out, Sam, we'll be organising an event to mark the opening of the garage. At Will and Ronnie's expense,' Brian added quickly when Martin scowled.

‘Good idea.' Jack drew his brother aside. ‘I've been thinking …'

‘I thought you were on your second honeymoon.'

‘Very funny, Marty. You know that apprentice you're thinking of taking on?'

‘After I've sorted just how much work I'll have for him and how much money will be coming in,' Martin qualified.

‘I've come up with someone.'

‘Who?'

‘Me.'

‘You?' Martin scoffed. ‘You don't know one end of a car from the other.'

‘I would if I went to night school.'

‘Apprentices only earn a couple of quid a week. You're a married man with a wife to support.'

‘And an apprentice's wages will be a nice little boost to the wages and commission Brian will be paying me to sell cars.' Jack opened a bottle of beer and topped up both their glasses.

‘You want to work for both of us at the same time?'

‘The penny has finally dropped.'

Martin's frown deepened. ‘It wouldn't work.'

‘Why not? It's not as if the garage is going to be that busy when it opens, at first anyway, and you'd save the cost of a worker between you.'