Lily of Love Lane (29 page)

‘Nice boy ain’t so nice,’ came the cold words and with them the glint of a blade.

Ben gasped as it flashed to his chin. He had five pounds in his pocket, but he’d be damned if he was going to give it up.

‘You pay Mai,’ she demanded, her voice thick with menace. ‘No coppers round here. This Mai’s place. You pay money or else.’ She levelled the knife at his
throat.

He had never hit a woman in his life before but it was her or them. He felt the knife prick his skin. ‘All right,’ he nodded, and she smiled.

Ben curled his fist and struck out. She staggered and fell and seizing his chance, he hauled his friend up the stairs.

As they stumbled into the lantern glow, the Lascar barred their way. ‘Let me pass,’ Ben warned as the guard came towards them, arms outstretched. As they struggled, the lantern fell
and a slick of oil leapt into fire. It spun across the rotten boards and nipped at the Lascar’s feet.

Taking advantage of the distraction Ben hurled himself and Bob Bright at the door. It gave with a snap and they stumbled through the splintered wood. Grasping the older man’s arm he
dragged him forward towards the lorry, hauling the pure air deep into his lungs.

Josie was waiting anxiously in the parlour. Getting up from the chair she went to the window and carefully moved aside the curtain. Would they bring her husband home? Would she
be able to hold her head up high again? Word would soon get round after this. Tears of self pity filled her eyes.

‘How could you do this to me, Bob?’ she asked the empty street. ‘How could you bring shame on our family?’

She had managed to keep his secret hidden until now. Who had seen her husband leave the house whilst they were at the wedding? People thought he was housebound, that it was his chest that made
him unable to walk very far. But now they would know different.

What was she going to do? She sank down on the couch again and trembled with a sudden shudder. How unfair life was! If Bob had been injured in the war he would have been thought of as a hero,
like Sylvester. As a young man, her husband had been strong and healthy. That was before the conflict and the Depression. Now he was old before his time. She still loved him but he wasn’t the
man she married.

Josie pushed her hands over her face. Her pale blue eyes were full of tears. She had tried to do her best and keep her daughter from the worry of knowing what her father had become. Instead,
Lily had blamed her. Life was unjust!

It was all Noah’s fault. Taking Bob to that place – how could he? Josie felt a sob rise in her throat as she plucked at the loose thread of her cardigan sleeve. She looked down at
the holes in her clothes. Once, she was a young girl with a good figure and nice hair, just like Lily’s. Now her hair had turned grey and lines of worry had carved themselves into her
skin.

She felt like running away. But she had nowhere to go.

An hour later the lorry rumbled into Love Lane. Lily glanced at her father who sat in between her and her uncle. It was a bit squashed in the cab, but Ben had said he could
drive well enough. Her father looked ravaged and very old. Every now and then his head dropped on his chest. He muttered some strange words in his confused state and he smelt rather badly. Lily
knew that whatever had happened to him in that place, he simply hadn’t known what was going on. Now he was beginning to shake and hold himself tightly. Was this what the drug had done?

When the engine stopped, she took his hand. ‘We’re home now, Dad.’

He raised his head wearily and nodded. He must have understood her, she thought with relief.

Ben helped her uncle down first, then taking her father’s weight, took him inside.

‘Oh, Bob, why did you go off like that?’ gasped her mother as she rushed towards them. ‘Look at the state of you!’ She turned to Lily. ‘Did anyone see you get out
of the lorry?’

Lily took her arm. ‘Put the kettle on, Mum, and I’ll get Dad upstairs.’

‘Come along, Josie,’ said her uncle, ‘let’s make ourselves useful and leave the young ’uns to it.’

Lily helped Ben to get her father upstairs. ‘I’ll take his clothes off and give him a wash and shave if you like,’ Ben offered, lowering him onto the bed.

Lily nodded. ‘I’ll get his things.’ Going downstairs she hung her coat on the stand and stood still for a moment trying to calm herself. She was shaking.

‘I’ll take up Dad’s shaving soap and razor and a bowl of hot water,’ she told her mum in the kitchen.

‘Did your dad say why he ran off like that?’ Josie asked as she collected the items together and gave them to Lily.

‘No, and it don’t matter why, Mum. We’ve got him back and that’s what counts.’

Half an hour later, her dad was washed, shaved and lying in bed. ‘You’ll be all right now, Mr Bright,’ Ben said as he gave Lily the dirty clothing.

Lily saw her dad’s lips move before he closed his eyes again.

‘He’ll have a bit of kip now,’ said Ben as they stood out on the landing. ‘Meanwhile I’m off for the doc.’

‘Mum won’t like that.’

‘Why?’

‘She’s worried about everyone knowing.’

Ben shrugged. ‘She’ll soon see it’s for the best.’

Lily had one question. ‘When we drove away from that place I saw smoke coming out.’

He nodded. ‘The lamp went over and caught fire. I couldn’t do nothing, Lil. It was your dad I was looking out for.’

The tears pricked Lily’s eyes. She didn’t wish harm on anyone. But what if someone was hurt?

Ben reached into his pocket. ‘Look, I want you to take this. It’s only a few quid, but it will help.’

‘You’ve already done enough for us.’

He pushed the notes in her hand, then hurrying down the stairs he slipped quietly out of the house. Deep in thought, Lily went to the kitchen.

‘I’ve made the tea,’ her mother said. ‘Is Ben coming down?’

‘No, he’s gone for the doctor,’ Lily replied.

Her mother almost dropped the cup she was holding. She sat down with a sob and the tears gushed forth, trickling down her already tear-stained cheeks.

Lily walked to the factory early the next morning. She had spent most of the night sitting at her father’s bedside, watching him slip in and out of delirium. The medicine
Dr Tapper had prescribed soothed his racking cough but did very little else. As she had sat in the darkness her thoughts had turned to Charles. Selfishly, she was afraid that she wouldn’t be
able to go out with him. Sunday was going to be a wonderful day. Now she could see her happiness slipping slowly away. What would he think if she didn’t turn up? Would he go away again?

Lily tried to put these thoughts from her mind as she hurried up the long flight of stairs to the foreman’s office. She hoped he would let her have a week’s leave. But when she told
him her father was sick, he laughed.

‘If I gave everyone a week off for sickness in the family, the factory would close,’ he stormed. ‘If you ain’t at your place in five minutes, I’ll fill it within
the hour.’

‘What about me pay?’ Lily protested.

‘You had it on Friday. And don’t expect more as it’s you that’s let me down.’

She looked into the foreman’s hard face. What of all the overtime she had put in? But she knew arguing would get her nowhere. At least she had Ben’s five pounds, enough for several
weeks. Would her dad be better by then?

Josie was up in the bedroom when she arrived home. ‘He’s got a fever,’ she sighed. ‘What happened at the factory?’

Lily took the wet rag from her. ‘I won’t be going back.’

‘Why not?’ Josie asked, alarmed.

‘The foreman sacked me.’

Her mother let out a wail. ‘What will we do now? We counted on your money.’

Lily rinsed out the rag in the bowl beside the bed. Gently she soothed her father’s forehead. ‘We’ll think of something. Now go and have forty winks as you look all
in.’

‘I couldn’t sleep last night. So perhaps I will.’

Later that day, Lily gave two pounds to her mother. ‘Ben gave us this. Go to the market and buy some vegetables and meat. We’ll make a broth for Dad and make it last all
week.’

‘The rent’s due today.’

‘I’ve got enough for that.’

Josie put on her coat. ‘I don’t feel like going out.’

Lily gave her the basket. ‘Course you do.’ She knew her mother didn’t want to talk to the neighbours.

‘If anyone asks me about your father I’m going to say it’s a mystery illness!’

This brought a smile to Lily’s lips. As she watched her mother walk hurriedly down the road, she decided that although losing her job was a setback, losing her father would have been much
worse. With time and patience, he would recover. And Lily was determined to see that he did. No matter what.

The days passed and Lily spent long hours at her father’s bedside. Slowly the fever receded, and gradually he began to eat the broth that Lily and Josie had made for him.
In moments he seemed to know what they were doing for him was for the best. At others, he would argue, push away the dish and try to get up. But he was too weak to go far. One night, when Lily had
fallen deeply asleep on the couch downstairs, he tried to escape again. But Lily had locked the front door, putting the key safely in her pocket. She had finally persuaded him back to bed, where he
had fallen into a deep sleep.

On Friday, Lily woke up in the chair. She had slept there all night. Her heart gave a violent jerk when she saw the empty bed. Hurrying to her bedroom, she found Josie asleep, as was her uncle
next door.

She went downstairs to the parlour. It was deserted. Where was her father? He couldn’t have gone out the front door. The key was in her pocket.

Lily went to the kitchen. What if he had escaped over the fence? Then through the window, she saw movement. Peering out, she saw the closet door open. A frail figure emerged. Her father stood in
his pyjamas, looking round uncertainly.

Lily rushed out. ‘Oh, Dad, you’re here!’ She put her arms round him. ‘I thought you’d gone off again.’

‘Why should I do that?’

She stepped back in surprise. Had his memory come back?

‘I went to the lav. I ain’t gonna use that bloody pail in the bedroom again.’

‘You’ve been in bed for a while.’

‘Well, I’m up now.’ He frowned as she took his arm. ‘Where are me clothes?’

‘We put them away.’

‘Why’s that? They’re always over the chair for work. There’s a new boat coming in an’ all.’

Lily’s heart sank. He had forgotten the last four years and still thought he was on the boats. ‘You must have been dreaming,’ she told him.

‘It weren’t no dream.’

‘You’ve been sick,’ she explained gently. ‘This is the first time you’ve got up for days.’

He stopped as they entered the kitchen. It was as though he’d never seen the room before. His brow wrinkled under his shock of pure white hair. ‘I’m a bit muddled, ducks.
What’s been wrong with me?’

‘You’ve had a fever.’ She wasn’t going to say any more as the doctor said it would take time before his memory came fully back.

‘Me mind is a bit of a blank. What day is it?’

‘Friday.’

‘Is it really? What month?’

‘It’s August. Now, come inside and I’ll make you a cup of tea.’

‘I could do with one.’

Lily felt her spirits rise. Even though he was finding it hard to remember, he didn’t seem upset. ‘Sit down at the table.’

He nodded and sat, putting his arms around himself as he started to shiver and shake. ‘Now you come to mention it, I don’t feel so good, gel. And me stomach has a touch of the
gripes.’

‘Yes, but you’ll get over it.’ She put on the kettle. When would he remember what terrible things had happened to him? As she turned to look at him, his lined face was full of
confusion, his eyes set deep in dark hollows. She knew that as the days wore on, events would come back to him that perhaps he would prefer not to remember.

It was late on Saturday night and Noah Kelly was making his niece some supper. The sandwich comprised two hefty slices of bread and a layer of dripping. She was getting thin.
He would have to keep an eye on her. She had spent long hours nursing, determined to effect a recovery. Noah wasn’t so sure that in Bob’s case, there would ever be a full one. The
crisis might be over, but he was still sick. Although he had dressed, he stayed in the bedroom, smoking and shaking. Even reading the newspaper was beyond him. Noah knew that his belly was aching
for the laudanum. It would take many weeks before his stomach and bowels were right again.

‘This is for you, gel,’ he said as he entered the parlour. Lily was sitting by the window sewing a patch on her dad’s trousers. ‘You ain’t eaten much all
day.’

She put down her work and laughed. ‘I can’t eat all that.’

‘Yes, you can.’

She took a small bite. ‘Have you looked in on Dad?’

‘Yes and he’s asleep, just as you should be.’

She nodded. ‘I’ll finish this first, then get me blankets out.’

‘You can’t sleep here on the couch for ever, gel.’

‘Mum needs a bed more than me.’

‘This house has got to get back to normal.’

She laughed again. ‘Oh, things ain’t so bad.’

‘I’ve been thinking.’

She looked up at him warily. ‘About what?’

‘How we’re going to manage,’ he said, indicating the hardly touched sandwich. ‘That money Ben gave you ain’t gonna last forever.’

‘I know. But we’ll manage.’

‘How?’ he said gently, wishing that he didn’t have to upset her, but he knew that what he was about to suggest would do just that.

‘I’ll get meself a job, of course.’

‘You can’t do everything. Besides which, you’ll need references, won’t you? Is the factory gonna give you them? That foreman was a cussed old blighter. He might not make
it easy.’

‘I’ll cross the bridge when we come to it, Uncle Noah.’

‘We could go to the Welfare.’

‘What! Mum would never have that!’

‘She don’t have much choice. Your dad is ill. They’ll give us something, even if it’s only a pittance.’

Lily was shaking her head. ‘They’d give us a means test and we’ll have to sell every stick before they give us anything.’

‘It’s the only way, Lil. The Relieving Officer would let us keep the beds and a table. I know that ’cos I saw it often enough on me rounds. But the piano and Talking Machine
will have to go, along with all the records.’