Faded Glory (27 page)

Matron came by, inspecting the ward. She hovered, her nose twitching.

“What’s that smell?” she asked. “Smells like fish.”

“Sorry Matron,” Albert said. “It’s my friend here, Lenny. He works in Billingsgate Fish Market.” He looked at Lenny. “I told you to take a bath before you came here, didn’t I Len?”

An outraged Lenny could only nod his head in reluctant agreement.

Matron looked Lenny up and down with disapproval, then continued with her inspection. No sooner had she gone than Albert was tucking in. He didn’t even offer Lenny a chip.

“I brought you some stuff from home too, make it feel a bit less like a hospital,” Lenny said, and showed Albert the book and photos.

“What d’ya wanna do that for?”

“Thought it might help, that’s all.”

Albert sighed. “Stick ’em on the side. How was Rocky, all right?”

“You mean Marion?” Lenny teased. “She was fine.”

Albert broke into a smile. “Thanks mate,” he said. “I appreciate it. Seen Danny and Patsy since you got back?”

“Not yet. I’ll probably see them at the gym tonight.”

Lenny felt uncomfortable. He had not let either Danny or Patsy know that Albert was laid up in hospital yet.

“What did Danny say when you told him about me?” asked Albert. “Probably couldn’t care less.”

“He was really upset,” Lenny lied.

Albert looked pleased and surprised. “Was he?”

Lenny cleared his throat. “I’d better be off,” he said. “Give me the evidence.”

Checking for Matron, Albert passed him the empty fish and chip paper stashed under his pillow.

“Thanks, Lenny mate,” he said.

“Yeah,” said Lenny. “See you tomorrow.”

Lenny was suddenly eager to get to the Live and Let Live to let Danny and Patsy know Albert’s unhappy fate. He felt guilty that he had told Albert a lie, and wanted to put it right as soon as possible. He drove to his workshop and parked his car, then walked on to the pub, thinking how much things had changed – and not for the better.

Inside, Maria was manning the bar for the sprinkling of early-drinking locals.

“Did you see Albert, Len?” she asked.

“Yes, I paid him a visit,” said Lenny.

“And how was the silly sod?”

“Grumpy but all right.”

“So when is he coming back?” Maria demanded. “I get no help from that lazy sod,” she added with venom, pointing at Maurice.

“I think it’s gonna take time,” admitted Lenny. “He’s bust up pretty good, leg and wrist and ribs.”

Maria uttered a few Italian swear words under her breath as Maurice silently poured Lenny his usual.

“All right, Maurice?” said Lenny.

“All right,” Maurice grunted.

Maurice was a man of few words who seemed to have the world on his shoulders. Maria’s nagging over the years had taken its toll, worn him down, and he seemed almost detached from the world around him. He drank too much and was hardly ever without a slim, cheap cigar stuck tentatively in the corner of his downturned lips. Lenny could only remember seeing him smile once, when a horse he had backed came in at thirty-three to one and Maurice secured, unusually for him, a win at the bookies.

Lenny accepted Maurice’s usual lack of bonhomie and headed off to make more meaningful conversation with a couple of locals. They had just started discussing Danny’s loss, when the man himself came bouncing through the door.

“You got back then, Lenny?” Danny said. “You missed a good drink.”

To Lenny, Danny seemed high on something, his eyes unfocused and his hands trembling.

“Yeah, I bet,” Lenny remarked. “Drowning your sorrows ain’t no bad thing. But I needed to get back as soon as I could.”

“Why’s that, Len?”

Lenny patted the seat beside him. “Sit down, Danny,” he said. “I’ve got something to tell you. I should have probably told you last night, but I couldn’t add to your problems. It’s about Albert.”

Danny’s eyes stopped darting around the pub and fixed on Lenny at once.

“Sit down,” Lenny repeated.

Danny sat down. “You’re making me nervous, Len,” he said. “What’s happened to Albert?”

“Albert got knocked down by a car a couple of days ago,” said Lenny. “He’s in hospital.”

Danny’s face went pale with shock and disbelief. “When?”

“The same night as the fight.”

All the air seemed to go out of Danny. He looked down at the faded red carpet that covered the bar floor. “How bad is it?”

“It’s pretty bad. Broken bones, the lot.”

Danny slammed the table with his fist. “If he had been with us, this wouldn’t have happened, stubborn old git! Where is he?”

“In the hospital in Whitechapel.”

“So what, you’ve seen him then?”

“Yeah,” Lenny said, smiling slightly. “I took him some fish and chips.”

“Typical,” said Danny. “I’m gonna go and see him.”

“We can go together if you like,” Lenny suggested.

“I’ll come and get you at two,” Danny said.

*

Danny went upstairs to the gym to calm down. The lights were out, and as he stood trembling at the top of the stairs, he could see the shadows of the punch bags and the ropes around the ring from the street lights. The smell of leather and sweat pervaded the emotive surroundings.

He remembered the very first night he’d walked into the place. It had felt strange, like another world then. But now, it felt like
his
world. A world of late he had forgotten. Warm thoughts of Albert filled him. The old man had been the spark that lit the fire.

Albert was here in spirit. Danny could feel him. Taking one last look at the darkened gym, he nodded respectfully.

“Thank you, Albert,” he said.

*

The next afternoon at two o’clock sharp, Danny pulled up at Lenny’s garage, armed with a bunch of flowers and a bunch of bananas.

“Ready when you are, Lenny,” Danny said, flowers in hand.

“Oh you shouldn’t have,” replied Lenny, taking the flowers from Danny and doing his best blushing-bride impersonation.

“They’re for Albert, you git,” said Danny, snatching the flowers back. “I just wanted to know if you reckon he’d like ’em.”

Lenny clapped him on the back. “I don’t think he’ll think much of them, but he’ll think a lot of the thought behind them.”

“So I should take ’em then?” asked Danny, now in two minds.

“Yeah man, he’ll be pleased to see you, and the bananas.”

“What about the flowers?”

“Beautiful.”

They got into Danny’s car and headed for the hospital.

“So he’s in a bad way?” Danny asked as they drove.

“He’s a war horse,” Lenny said reassuringly. “He’ll be all right.”

Danny squinted through the windscreen. His eyes had been doing something funny lately, blurring and giving him bother.

“Do you want me to drive?” Lenny asked.

Danny shook his head. “No you’re all right. My eyes get a bit blurry sometimes.”

“You should get ’em tested,” said Lenny.

Danny said nothing.

As they approached the hospital, Danny had mixed feelings. Things of late with Albert had been a little frosty. He wanted to see Albert, but wasn’t totally convinced Albert wanted to see him. There was that other feeling you get too, a feeling of apprehension when visiting someone in hospital, when you want to see them, but don’t want to see what they have become.

Danny parked up and walked to the hospital entrance with Lenny.

“Come on, it’s this way,” said Lenny.

They walked down the corridors. Danny tried to tune out the cries of pain and reflected on mortality. He was a young and fit man who hadn’t been around sick and hurting people much. Maybe losing a boxing match was not the end of the world. There were worse things in life.

“Tough times for some folk,” Lenny said, noticing Danny’s change of mood as they took the stairs.

“When I go,” Danny told Lenny, “I don’t wanna go in a place like this. I wanna go under a big oak tree in a field in the country, with Wendy and Ruby by my side.”

Lenny put his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “I understand, man,” he said.

Danny brought his thoughts back to the purpose of their visit. “So where’s Albert then?”

“He’s up here on the left. Come on.”

Albert was napping when they reached his bed. Danny was shocked to see the state he was in. He and Lenny stood at Albert’s bedside, unable to decide whether to wake him or let him sleep on.

Albert made the decision for them by opening one eye.

“Afternoon Albert,” Lenny said. “Look who’s here to see you.”

Albert raised his head with difficulty. “Hello Danny.”

Danny tried to cover his shock. “Blimey Albert,” he said. “You have been in the wars.”

“You could say that,” Albert agreed.

“It’s good to see you,” Danny said truthfully. “Did you hear about the fight? Technical knock-out, they called it.”

“Lenny told me all about it,” Albert replied. “I’m sorry, Danny.”

Danny fiddled with his collar. “So how you feeling?” he asked. “Are they looking after you?”

“They’re good people,” said Albert. “Lenny’s been to see me a few times, brought me a few bits from home. But I just wanna get out of here, really.”

Lenny had brought Albert a couple of photos, a boxing magazine, some tea bags and a bird book. One of the photos caught Danny’s eye. It looked like the one of his father. They probably all had them done like that in the army. Reaching up, he wiped his forehead. He was sweating profusely. Thoughts of the pills in the glove compartment of his car were beginning to overwhelm him.

“You need to put that fight with Livermore out of your mind,” Albert observed, watching him. “It’s done. On to the next, right?”

“Not that easy though, is it?” said Danny. “I feel I let a lot of people down.”

Albert just smiled back in an understanding way.

Danny couldn’t stop thinking about his pills. “Well,” he said. “It’s been good to see you. I better get going, you know. Things to do.”

Albert nodded. “Come by again if you can, it was good to see you.”

Danny wiped his nose. “Will do,” he said. “You staying, Len?”

Lenny nodded. “Don’t worry. I can make my own way back.”

“Right,” said Danny, backing towards the door. “See you both soon.”

*

Albert watched Danny leave. He didn’t like the look of the boy.

“He seems a bit shook up, Len,” he observed.

“Yeah,” said Lenny. “Losing the fight and his break-up with Wendy must be hurting.”

“Keep an eye on him, will you?”

“I’ll do my best.”

*

Calmer now that he’d had his pills, Danny thought about how sad it had been to see Albert bedridden as he drove home. He’d always been full of energy with a sparkle in his eyes, so this different Albert had been a shock. He’d looked old. Danny had never thought of Albert as old, but it was obvious the accident had hit him hard.

He thought about the army photo on Albert’s bedside table and the resemblance to the photograph of his dead father.

Kemp.

Kemp had been Danny’s surname before Rosie changed it to his step-father’s name, Watson. Danny wondered why he had not noticed the coincidence before.

Albert was Albert Kemp.

The moment he reached Rosie’s house, Danny went straight to the tin box, took out the photo and studied it.

“Kemp,” he said aloud.

Seizing the photo and popping a couple more pills for good measure, Danny jumped back in his car and headed back to the hospital.

When he got to the ward, Lenny was still there.

“Albert,” said Danny, rushing to Albert’s bedside.

“You’re back soon,” said Albert, looking startled. “Did you forget something?”

Danny grabbed one of the photographs on Albert’s bedside table and studied it. His hands couldn’t stop shaking.

“That’s my son,” said Albert.

“But that’s my dad,” Danny blurted, holding his cherished photo next to Albert’s.

Danny and Albert stared at each other in shell-shocked silence.

“Your dad was Tommy Kemp?” said Albert at last.

“I never thought about the surname,” Danny said. His head was spinning. “Mum changed it to Watson when she married my step-dad, Watson’s all I’ve ever known. But yeah, his name was Tommy. Tommy Kemp.”

Albert leaned forward. “What’s your mum’s name?”

“Rosie Watson.” Danny couldn’t believe he was having this conversation.

“Do you know her middle name?”

“Yeah, she hates it,” Danny whispered. “It’s Olive.”

Albert sank back in his pillow. He looked older than Danny had ever seen him. “Rosie Olive Watson is your mum,” he said, almost to himself. “Did she tell you about your dad and what happened?”

Danny shook his head. “No, not much. I always thought it was too painful for her to talk about.”

“It was painful,” said Albert quietly. “Yes. Within days of being told that Tommy had died in battle, she was off like a bullet, living with another man. Pregnant with Tommy’s baby. Pregnant with you.”

Danny’s legs felt like they were about to give way beneath him. “You knew about me?”

“Her behaviour angered us,” Albert said simply. “Me and Vera. It caused a massive family rift. I ain’t seen Rosie since, and I never saw my unborn grandchild. She – you – moved away. I had no idea where.”

Lenny, who had been sitting as still as a stone, came to life.

“Wait now,” he said, looking bewildered. “You saying what I think you’re saying here, Albert?”

“Reckon I am.” Albert hadn’t taken his eyes off Danny. “Looks like I’m your grandad, Danny.”

A wide-eyed Lenny broke into uncontrollable laughter.

“Grandad!” he spluttered.

“Keep it down please,” said a passing nurse.

“Grandad!” gasped Lenny, a little more quietly.

Danny was struggling to take it in. There had always been a bond between him and Albert, but this was incredible. They were family. Albert was his dad’s father. Albert was his grandfather.

He could not help himself. He bent down and hugged Albert.

Something stirred in Albert’s eyes. “Nice, son,” he whispered in Danny’s ear. “But this is really hurting my ribs.”

Danny pulled back, half-laughing. “Sorry! I couldn’t help it. This is... This...”