The Girl From Number 22 (7 page)

‘Right, I’m ready for the off,’ Ada told them. ‘You walk down the stairs in front of me, Jean, and yer can guide me feet. In five minutes we’ll have yer lying on the couch, Eliza, and we can have a look at this ankle of yours.’

When she’d been sitting on her bed, all alone and worried in case nobody missed her until the next day, Eliza thought she’d never laugh again. But the performance of getting down the stairs was so hilarious, all three woman ended up giggling and laughing. Jean was supposed to be walking in front of Ada and telling her when to step down to the next stair. But to do that, Jean had to walk down backwards herself, and with Eliza’s backside practically in her face, it was no easy task. ‘Don’t take this as personal, Jean,’ Ada croaked, ‘but I wouldn’t like to climb a mountain with you as a guide. Yer might get us up there, but God help us when it came to finding our way down.’

‘If we were climbing a mountain, I wouldn’t have a backside in me face, and a pair of dangling legs.’ Jean patted Eliza’s bottom. ‘Not that yer haven’t got a nice little bottom, girl, or a pair of legs many a person half your age would be proud of. It’s just that I have to keep me eye on the step below me, or I’d end up falling down the lot. And while I don’t mind ending up at the bottom
of the stairs with you on top of me, I draw the line at Ada falling on me as well.’

Having made a pot of tea, and a plate of toast, Hetty came from the kitchen to find out what the commotion was about. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, she said, ‘What in the name of goodness is taking yer so long? And for the life of me I can’t see what yer all find so amusing. Eliza is in agony, and it’s nothing to laugh about.’

‘I’m all right, sweetheart,’ Eliza told her. ‘In fact I’m enjoying meself. I have to say, though, that it’s a different kettle of fish for Ada. I’m nearly choking the poor woman to death.’

‘Yes, I have noticed me mate is croaking a bit. But it’s nothing for you to worry about, queen.’ Hetty winked before realising they all had their backs to her. ‘There’s a few people will be pleased if she loses her voice for a while.’

‘If yer haven’t come to help, then bugger off, Hetty.’ Ada’s voice was rough. ‘To make yerself useful, yer could take over from Jean, give her a break.’

‘Okay, Jean, yer heard what me boss said. You go and pour four cups of tea out, and we’ll have Eliza on the couch in no time.’

When Jean had made her escape to the safety of the kitchen, Hetty climbed the few stairs to reach the old lady. ‘Now let’s get down to business, and we’ll have no more laughing out of the pair of yer. Not until we’ve got the patient in the living room in one piece. There’s only four stairs now, Ada, so if yer come down another two, then I’ll relieve yer of Eliza. I could lift her down the other two, she’s not heavy. Are yer fit, Ada?’

‘Fit as a fiddle, sunshine.’ Ada wouldn’t complain for the world, but her neck was sore. Eliza was small and thin, but it was still a heavy weight for Ada’s neck to support. It would have
been easier if she could have carried the old lady, but she needed the use of the banister for safety. ‘Let’s get it over as quickly as possible.’

Hetty’s presence gave Ada more confidence, and she managed to get down the two steps without fear of tripping with her frail neighbour. And from the next to bottom stair, Hetty put her arms round Eliza’s waist and carried her through to the living room, and the couch. ‘There yer are, that wasn’t too bad, was it?’

The old lady was shaking a bit, but that was from shock, not cold. Heaven knows what would have happened if Ada hadn’t remembered the spare key. But she was soon tucked up with a cover over her knees, a cup of tea in her hand, and a plate of toast on her lap. ‘I don’t know how to thank you. You’ve all been marvellous.’

‘No thanks needed, sunshine, we’re getting a nice cup of tea in return.’ Ada felt she hadn’t really been fair on Jean, so she gave her a big smile. ‘It’s all down to Jean, anyway. She was the one who was worried enough to find out why yer weren’t opening the door.’

The laughter was back in Jean’s eyes now Eliza was safe and well. ‘I’ll put the key back in the lavatory, sweetheart, but I hope yer never have the need for it again.’

‘Drink your tea, sunshine, and eat some of the toast,’ Ada said. ‘Then we’ll have a look at yer ankle. If it’s broken, I’m afraid we’ll have to send for the doctor, ’cos none of us would know what to do. If it’s only a sprain, though, a couple of days resting on the couch should do the trick. We’ll all be keeping an eye on yer to make sure yer do as ye’re told, and we’ll take turns making yer cups of tea and bringing meals in to yer.’

Hetty nodded in agreement. ‘We’ll make sure yer don’t starve, queen, yer can depend on that.’

Tears came to the faded blue eyes. ‘I am so lucky to have such kind neighbours. What would I do without you?’

‘Oh, I know what yer’d do if we didn’t keep our eyes on yer,’ Ada said, chuckling. ‘Yer’d have a different fancy man in here every night and get the street a bad name.’

Hetty agreed. ‘None of our husbands would be safe. We’d have to lock them in every night, or tie them to a chair.’

Eliza finished her tea and passed the cup and saucer over. ‘You are all lucky with the men you married. They’re good husbands and fathers.’

Ada put her cup on the table with Eliza’s. ‘Now let’s have a look at this ankle of yours. That’s unless yer’ve been having us on, and were playing the wounded soldier ’cos yer wanted some company.’

The old lady smiled. ‘Yes, I’m fond of doing tricks like that, Ada. I put yer through all this just so I could see yer happy faces.’

‘We’ll be a lot happier when we’ve seen that ankle, sunshine, so I’m taking this cover off yer.’ Ada dropped down on to her knees. She didn’t need to touch the thin leg, for she only had to look at the ankle to see it was swollen to twice its normal size. ‘Hetty, come and have a look at this, will yer? I’d say it was a sprain, meself. If it was broken, Eliza would be in agony and the foot would be out of shape. What do you think?’

‘I think ye’re probably right, queen.’ Hetty knelt at the side of her mate, and smiled into the old lady’s face. ‘I’m going to touch yer ankle, queen, and if it really hurts, then shout out.’ She gently touched the area around the ankle, then when there was no cry of pain, she ran her hand over it. ‘Did that hurt very much, queen?’

‘Me ankle is very sore, sweetheart, but your touching it didn’t make it any worse.’

‘Then it definitely isn’t broken, or yer’d have been screaming the house down. What we’ll do is put a cold compress on it, and see if that eases it for yer. Have yer got anything I can use, like an old pillowcase or something?’

Eliza pointed to the cupboard in the alcove at the side of the fireplace. ‘Yer’ll find what yer want in there, sweetheart. Don’t worry about looking for an old one if all ye’re going to do is wet it. I’m quite well off for sheets and pillowcases.’

‘Ay, don’t be sitting there like Lady Muck, telling us how well off yer are.’ Ada opened the cupboard door and smiled when she saw the sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths and tea towels in neat piles. She took out a pillowcase and passed it to Hetty, before saying, ‘Yer put me to shame, Eliza. My cupboard looks a shambles compared to yours. If Jimmy or one of the kids want anything, they just pull it out and leave the rest crumpled up.’

Jean came through from the kitchen carrying a bowl of water. ‘While ye’re near the cupboard, Ada, would yer get one of the big towels out, please?’ She put the bowl down on the table. ‘Eliza will need a thick towel under her foot so the couch won’t get wet.’

Hetty stayed on her knees and passed the pillowcase to Jean. ‘Soak it in the water, girl, and then wring most of the water out.’

Ten minutes later, the old lady had a cushion under her foot to keep it raised, and a cold compress wrapped around the swollen ankle. ‘The compress will need changing quite often, so if you want to go to the shops, Jean, me and Hetty will stay here until yer come back.’

Jean shook her head. ‘No, you were on yer way to the shops when I nabbed yer, so you do yer shopping first and I’ll sit with Eliza.’

Struggling to her feet, Ada nodded. ‘We’ll be back as quick as we can, to relieve yer. Then yer can get yer own shopping done, and whatever Eliza wants.’ She bent to kiss the old lady’s cheek. ‘A couple of days, sunshine, and yer’ll be running around like a two-year-old. Until then, sit back and let us spoil yer.’

Linking arms with Hetty as they walked down the street, Ada said, ‘Poor old soul. It must be rotten to get to that age and live on yer own.’

‘Yeah,’ Hetty agreed. ‘From all accounts she is someone who was always on the go, kept her house spotless, and helped anyone in the street who was down on their luck.’

‘Growing old is something that comes to all of us, sunshine, it’s the one thing we can do nothing about. But don’t let’s make ourselves miserable by thinking of it. We’ve got a good way to go to reach Eliza’s age.’

They were outside the butcher’s by this time, and Hetty asked, ‘What are yer getting for tonight’s dinner?’

Ada chuckled. ‘I put it to the vote last night, and all hands went up for Cumberland sausage fried with onions, on top of mashed potatoes.’

‘That sounds good, queen,’ Hetty said. ‘Yer won’t mind if I copy yer, will yer?’

‘Of course I don’t mind. Yer know what they say, sunshine, about copying being the most sincere form of flattery.’

When they walked into the shop the butcher raised his brows. ‘Ye’re late today, ladies. I’d almost given yer up. In fact, and Barry here will tell yer it’s true, I was beginning to think I’d got me days mixed up, and today was Friday.’

‘We got waylaid, Ronnie,’ Hetty told him. ‘One of our neighbours needed help.’

‘Yeah, we haven’t half had some excitement, Ronnie. It’s been like something yer see in the pictures.’

Hetty looked up at her friend, puzzlement on her face. She hadn’t found the events of the morning exciting. Worrying, yes, but never exciting. She was about to query Ada’s remark when a sharp kick in the shin told her it would be to her advantage to keep her mouth shut.

‘I could do with a bit of excitement,’ Ronnie said, ‘so what’s been happening?’

Ada leaned her two elbows on the counter, a sure sign she had a tale to tell. ‘One of our neighbours is elderly, in her eighties. She’s a lovely old soul; everyone in the street thinks the world of her.’

Now Ronnie wanted a bit of excitement to liven things up a bit, but he didn’t want any sad news. ‘Ay, ye’re not going to tell me she’s died, are yer, Ada? It’s nourishment I want, not ruddy punishment.’

‘Of course she hasn’t died, yer soft nit! She fell over in her bedroom and twisted her ankle. She couldn’t move ’cos she was in agony. She couldn’t get down the stairs, so she was sat on the edge of the bed from seven o’clock until one of the neighbours knocked. And although she shouted down the stairs, Jean, the neighbour, couldn’t hear her. And Jean was worried about her, what with not hearing any noise from the house and getting no answer. So she told me and Hetty. We looked through the window and couldn’t see any sign of life.’ She put her hand on Hetty’s shoulder. ‘Me mate here will tell yer I’m not lying, Ronnie.’

‘No one said yer were lying, Ada, so just get on with it! Is the old lady still sitting on the side of the bed? And if she couldn’t open the door to yer, how did yer know she’d hurt her ankle?’

Ada stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. ‘Who’s telling this story, Ronnie Atwill, you or me?’

The butcher held his hands up in surrender. ‘You are, Ada, but ye’re not half spinning it out. Why not let Hetty tell us? She’ll be quicker.’

‘Because it wasn’t Hetty what went for the ladder, that’s why!’

It was hard to know which face showed the most surprise, Ronnie, his young assistant Barry, or Hetty. But Hetty was quick to avert her face, and she left it to the butcher to ask, ‘What ladder, Ada? Where does a ladder come into it?’

‘Because we couldn’t get in the house any other way, soft lad, and we had to find out whether the old lady was all right or not. So yer know Bob Gibbons, the glazier who lives a few streets away? Well, I had to run round to his house to borrow a ladder. He was at work, and of course he had all his big ladders with him in his van. But his wife was very helpful, and let me take the one he keeps in the yard for emergencies. It’s what yer call an extending ladder, like two ladders in one. It wasn’t half heavy to carry. I bet me shoulder’s black and blue with the weight.’

When Ada stopped for breath, and for inspiration, Ronnie asked, ‘Yer didn’t carry that heavy ladder on yer own, did yer?’

Hetty said a little prayer asking God to forgive her for telling lies, but she had to help her mate out. ‘She did, Ronnie, all on her own. I would have helped, but she didn’t ask, she just ran off without saying where she was going.’

‘Well, when I left yer, I didn’t know Bob was going to be out at work and I’d have to carry the bloody ladder meself, did I? Anyway, I managed to carry it, even though it did take it out of me. And carrying the ladder was the easy part. The worst part
was climbing up it, and then having to hold on with one hand while shoving the window up with the other.’

‘And don’t forget to tell Ronnie yer were also worried about people looking up yer clothes and seeing yer knickers.’ Hetty was getting into the spirit of things now. In her mind’s eye, she could see Ada on top of the ladder, hanging on like grim death. ‘Ronnie won’t get embarrassed, he’s a married man.’

‘Yer didn’t climb through the window, did yer, Ada?’ Ronnie thought she was having him on at first, but she looked so serious he started to believe her.

‘There was no other way of getting into the house, Ronnie, unless we’d broken the door down. And there was no point in me lugging a big ladder the length of three streets if I wasn’t going to make use of it.’ Ada gave a good imitation of a heartfelt sigh. ‘I was terrified climbing through that window, though. I had to hang on tight when I cocked me leg through. Me heart was in me mouth the whole time. I’ve always been afraid of heights, so how I did it, I’ll never know. I just kept telling meself there was an old lady in the house, and she could be very ill for all we knew.’