Two Strangers (9 page)

‘Oh, good.’ Flo sighed with relief. ‘We’re too tired to cook.’

‘You both deserve a night off. Come on, up you get.’ Bob pulled his wife out of the chair. ‘Harry’s laying the table and making the tea.’

Over the next few weeks, the business of both shops steadily increased, and Flo had decided that Vicki was proficient enough to cut and set hair. She was even beginning to get a few of her own clients. That promotion meant that they had to employ a young girl to help in the shop. Her name was Annie, the daughter of someone the Howards knew, and she was eager and working out well. Bob hadn’t had any luck finding a suitable boy for the barber’s, and Harry was still working there. He groused about being kept so busy at his age, but no one took any notice because he was obviously enjoying himself. He had led quite a solitary life in his retirement, lost in his books, but now he was talking and laughing with customers, and appeared to be happy. However, working in the shop left him little time to help Vicki track down the two strangers. But she, also, had been too busy to give it much thought. In the quiet moments, though, they were never far from her mind, and her desire to trace them never wavered. The happier she became, the more determined she was to find them one day.

Another busy week was coming to an end, and as Vicki was showing a customer the back of her hair after cutting it, she heard a voice she had never expected to hear again.

‘So, this is where you’ve bloody well been hiding yourself!’

Vicki spun round, horrified, and nearly dropped the hand mirror. He was in his usual state after work – drunk!

‘Quite the young lady,’ he sneered, ‘and doing all right for yourself. Well, you can forget all that. And you can hand over the money you’re earning. We need it more than you.’

There was only one thought in Vicki’s mind, and that was to get the belligerent man out of the shop. They were finishing up, but there were still three customers, and they were looking at him in disgust.

Although shocked at seeing him again, Vicki was determined to face him as she always had, with courage and without flinching. She took a moment to put the mirror down and apologize to her customer, and then she strode over and pushed him out of the shop.

‘Don’t you push me around, girl!’ he shouted. ‘Get your things. You’re coming home with me.’

‘This is my home, and I’m not going anywhere with you. And stop shouting. You’re making people stare.’

‘Let them!’ He glared at the small crowd and then turned his attention back to Vicki. ‘You heard what I said.’

‘And you heard my reply. Go away, and don’t come back here again. If you do, I’ll call the police and have you removed.’

‘Don’t you talk to me like that, girl!’

He moved so quickly that Vicki didn’t have time to duck, and the blow made her stagger back, her head ringing so much she nearly lost consciousness.

Someone caught her and held her firmly so she didn’t collapse on to the pavement. When her vision cleared, she could see Bob, Sid and Harry surrounding her attacker; Flo was the one holding her from behind.

‘You will not touch our girl again!’ Sid was a tall, well-built young man, and his tone was threatening.

‘I’ll do what I like with her! She’s my kid, so mind your own bloody business.’

‘It is our business,’ Bob said. ‘She is my daughter.’

‘Don’t be daft!’ he snorted. ‘She might be dressed posh and speak proper now, but she belongs to me, and she’s coming with me.’

Vicki watched the scene with horror, not taking in what was being said. All she could think about was how Bob and Flo must be feeling. They had taken her in, lavished her with kindness and understanding, and now she had brought this disgraceful scene to their doorstep. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry … so sorry,’ she gasped.

‘You’ve no need to apologize, my dear,’ Flo said gently. ‘We’ll see that this obnoxious man doesn’t come near you again.’

‘But the shame … and outside your lovely shops … Oh, no, now a policeman has arrived.’

‘It’s all right. We sent Harry to find him.’

Vicki turned her head to look at Flo. ‘But why? It will only make things worse. Look at the crowd gathering to watch. It will harm your business.’

‘I doubt that. Most of the onlookers know and like you, Vicki. That man needs to be dealt with for hitting you like that. We won’t have you treated so badly, my dear, and certainly not by that monster. He threw you out and disowned you. He has no rights to you now.’

‘What’s the trouble here? Stop shouting, sir; you are causing a disturbance.’

‘That’s my kid, and they’re stopping me from taking her home. She ran away and I’ve been looking for her.’

‘Liar!’ Pulling herself away from Flo’s supporting arm, Vicki faced her father, furious now. ‘He’s lying, officer. He threw me out when I was fourteen and told me never to come back. I’m sixteen now and he can’t tell me what to do any more!’

‘That’s the truth,’ Bob told the policeman. ‘Victoria is our daughter now, and we want him arrested for assaulting her.’

‘She’s my kid, and I can hit her if I want to.’ He swayed as he tried to focus on the policeman before turning his attention back to Vicki.

When he lifted his hand to hit her again, she stood her ground, as she always had done in the past, never allowing him to intimidate or frighten her.

Sid’s hand shot out and blocked the blow, and there was menace in his tone when he said, ‘Don’t you dare hit her again! This man is drunk and out of control, officer. Do you need any more proof that he is violent?’

‘You can come with me to the station and sober up.’ The officer took hold of his arm. ‘We’ll sort this out when you’re more coherent.’

‘I ain’t coming with you. I ain’t done nothing!’

‘Come along now. We’ll lock you up until you’ve calmed down.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ Sid offered.

‘Thank you, sir.’ The policeman looked at the Howards. ‘I’ll expect you all to come to the station tomorrow and give us the full story. The young lady, as well.’

‘We’ll be there,’ Flo assured him.

They watched them until they turned the corner of the street, then Flo took hold of Vicki’s arm. ‘We must see to your poor face. That was a savage blow he gave you, and your lip is badly cut.’

Vicki looked down and saw the blood dripping down her pristine salon apron. ‘Oh, this will be ruined. I didn’t realize it was bleeding.’

‘Don’t worry about that. A good soak and it will come out all right.’

She was led back to the house and sat patiently while her injuries were dealt with.

‘Good, the bleeding has stopped,’ Flo said gently. ‘Put the kettle on, Harry. We all need a strong cup of tea to calm our nerves.’

Still terribly worried about the Howards being drawn into that disgraceful scene, Vicki said, ‘I can go the station on my own tomorrow; I can deal with him. I don’t want you involved in this.’

‘We’re already involved.’ Bob gave a wry smile. ‘Did you see Sid’s face? He really wanted to knock the daylights out of him.’

Harry nodded, and there was an amused smile on his face. ‘I don’t know how he stopped himself, but it was a good job he did or he would have been arrested as well. That copper was in no mood for more trouble.’

When they all laughed, Vicki gazed in wonder from one to the other. They didn’t seem to be at all troubled that an unpleasant scene had taken place right outside their shops. ‘But … but … it wasn’t good for your business.’

‘On the contrary, people will be flocking in to find out more details. Don’t you worry about a thing.’ Flo smiled and squeezed her hand. ‘You are not facing this alone.’

It was a long night as the events outside the shop filled Vicki’s mind, denying her any sleep at all. She couldn’t understand why her father should have demanded that she return home to them after all this time. And she couldn’t believe he hadn’t known what was happening to her. She would have been seen and recognized by someone in the area, and word would have got back to him. It just didn’t make sense. He hated her; she had never had any doubt about that, so what on earth had he been shouting about? He was drunk – that was obvious – so perhaps he didn’t know what he was saying.

As the first glimmer of morning light filtered through her window, she had come to a decision. Washing her bruised face carefully, she dressed and went upstairs. Bob and Flo were already up, and the smell of cooking bacon and eggs filled the kitchen.

‘Oh, my dear, you’ve got a nasty bruise there. Did you manage to get any sleep?’

‘Not much,’ Vicki admitted.

‘Let me have a look at your lip.’ Flo gently examined the swollen injury, a concerned frown on her face. Finally, she nodded. ‘At least the cut hasn’t opened again, but it must be painful. I want you to try to eat some breakfast, but chewing might be painful. Do you think you would be able to manage some scrambled eggs?’

‘Yes, please.’ To be truthful, she wasn’t feeling much like eating, but they were concerned and she didn’t want to upset them more than necessary.

‘Has that man hit you before, Vicki?’ Bob asked, sitting next to her.

‘He’s always been handy with his fists when he’s had a few beers, and he’d obviously been drinking. If he hadn’t, I don’t think he would have stopped, but I can only think he must have been furious to see me looking so well.’

‘A man like that doesn’t deserve to have children!’

‘It isn’t children he dislikes; it’s only me. If he’d had a couple of boys as well, he could have ignored me. He wants a son.’

‘What does it matter?’ Flo shook her head. ‘He’d been blessed with a lovely, intelligent daughter. He should have been grateful to have you.’

‘Gratitude and love don’t belong in his vocabulary,’ Vicki told them. ‘I don’t think he even knows the meaning of the words.’

‘Well, he never wanted you, but we do, Vicki.’ Bob smiled. ‘From now on, you are our daughter. That’s if it’s all right with you, of course?’

‘I would be honoured to be called your daughter,’ Vicki told them, her voice full of emotion.

‘Good. Now try to eat something, and then we’ll go to the police station. Sid and Harry are going to meet us there at ten o’clock. We’ll give our report, like they asked, and then we’re all going to have a nice lunch out.’

Vicki took a small amount of scrambled egg and let it slip down without causing too much pain. Then she put the knife and fork down and turned to Bob. ‘I have decided, for my mother’s sake, that I won’t have him charged with assault. All I want is for him to be warned to stay away from me, and if he doesn’t he will be charged next time.’

‘Of course we’ll do what you want, but are you sure, my dear?’ Flo took her hand and held it.

‘Yes, I’m positive. I’ve had all night to think about it.’

Bob nodded. ‘Then we won’t file any charges against him, but he doesn’t deserve your kindness.’

Vicki gave a lopsided grimace. ‘Nevertheless, I want to do this – not for his sake, but for mine. There has been enough unkindness, and it’s got to end.’

Nine

The police were thorough, taking statements from each of them. Vicki was taken to a room by two officers who wanted to know everything from the time she was turned out to fend for herself. She kept it brief, not wanting to go into details about the horror of that time. Even after all these months, it still turned her stomach inside out to bring it all to mind.

When she had finished, the senior officer nodded. ‘That’s what Mr and Mrs Howard told us. They also said that when you came to them you were so weak you could hardly stand up. Is that right?’

‘Yes, sir,’ she admitted. ‘I was starving. They saved my life.’

‘And after the way your father has treated you, you still don’t want to charge him with assault?’

‘No, sir. All I want is for him to go away and leave me alone. If he goes to prison, it will only cause my mother more grief.’

‘And was your mother kind to you?’

‘No, sir. She didn’t care what happened to me, but it wasn’t her fault. She’s too tired and worn out trying to have a son, but something like this will only add to her problems. I’m with people who are kind to me, and I’m learning to become a hairdresser. The Howards are my family now.’

‘Very well. We’ll warn him to stay away from you or he will be arrested again.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

With the interview over, they returned to the front desk where the others were waiting.

‘Bring Mr Keats from the cells,’ the officer ordered the desk sergeant.

Vicki knew her father’s every mood and was struck by the change in him. A night in the cells had frightened him. The belligerence had been replaced by a subdued man who was visibly scared of being sent to prison.

‘Mr Keats, because of the kindness of your daughter, no charges are being made against you. However, you are hereby warned to stay away from her and the shops owned by Mr and Mrs Howard. If you disobey this order, you will be arrested again. Is that understood?’ the officer asked.

‘Yes.’

‘Then you are free to go.’

Without giving any of them even a glance, Mr Keats was out of the door as fast as his legs would carry him.

‘He didn’t even thank you, Vicki,’ Bob remarked in disgust.

‘For all his bluster, that man is a coward,’ Sid said. ‘He didn’t have the courage to look at his daughter.’

‘We don’t think you will have any more trouble with him, Miss Keats, but you call us if you do.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

It was with profound relief that Vicki walked out of the police station. She had done the right thing and now felt it was time to put the past behind her – if she could. That man was no longer her father, and he had no claim on her from now on. She was free.

‘Right. Where are we going to eat?’ Sid wanted to know as they walked along. ‘I’m starving after that.’

They all laughed, the tension broken. Sid was always hungry.

‘There’s a nice little place just along here,’ Flo told him. ‘They do a nice roast on a Sunday.’

‘Good. Ah, but will you be able to chew properly?’ Sid asked, studying Vicki’s damaged face.

‘I’ll manage.’ The way they were heading took them past the railway station, and Vicki paused; the place held bad memories for her. Memories of shame and despair, but one stranger had taken the time to stop and help her. Who was he?