'When will your husband be coming back?'
'I've no idea.' Maureen gauged her answer carefully. 'Like
'I say, he's working for a developer, and they're building right across the South. So there's no telling how long it might be before he comes back.'
Such lies! But, if she and Johnny were to lead normal lives, the truth must be kept from everyone…even the lovely Amy. 'He's got our new address, so I'm sure he'll let me know when he's on his way back.'
Amy knew instinctively that Maureen had not confided everything in her. There was a great deal more, she could tell, but it was not for her to press this poor woman, who had been through so much. Besides, it was not her business. All that mattered was that whenever Maureen and Johnny needed her, she would be there.
For Amy's part, she was glad that Maureen had found the courage to confide this much in her. Now Maureen seemed easier with herself; her smile was brighter and she was more relaxed than Amy had ever seen her.
As for Johnny, he had been in his element at the park and now, hand in hand with them both, he was as carefree and happy as any young child should be. It was heartwarming to see.
'Are you sure you don't mind me going early?' In the last hour there had been a continuous flow of customers, and Amy was concerned about leaving her mother to deal with them on her own. 'With four people to serve and probably more on the way, it wouldn't be fair to leave you on your own, Mam.'
Marie waved aside her concern. 'I'm more than capable.' She lifted the bag of dolly-blues from the cupboard. 'You get off and meet Daisy.' She glanced at the wall clock. 'If you don't get away now, you'll miss the tram and she'll think you've let her down.' Giving her a gentle prod she added cautiously, 'With the way things are between her parents, you're the only light in that girl's life, so be off with you!'
'Only if you're sure.' Amy couldn't help but feel guilty.
A sharp voice interrupted them. 'Are you serving us, or what? We've been waiting ages and I need to get back. My sister's coming up from Buckingham, and I've not even got her bed ready!' That was old Alice, complaining as usual.
'Well, you are a lazy bugger, Alice.' That was John Tupp, a wily old fellow from Whalley Banks, on the way to Clitheroe; he often came into the shop to have a chat. 'It were Monday last when you told me your sister were coming to stay, and here you are not even got her bed ready. By! What the devil do you do with your time, eh? That's what I'd like to know.'
'I reckon she's got a man tucked away somewhere.' Tiny Mrs Jacobs was the pawnbroker's wife. 'If you ask me, there's more to Alice than any of us know.'
'Gerraway!' A bit of a randy devil himself, Ronnie Leatherhead had been through more relationships than all the neighbours put together. 'A man would have more sense than to link up with Alice. She's too bloody mean and crotchety.'
'One thing's for sure,' Alice bit back,
'you'd
never get the chance to "link up" with me, not in a month o' Sundays!'
Chuckling at Alice's remarks, Marie propelled Amy to the end of the counter. 'Get yourself ready and catch that tram,' she said. 'I'll be fine on my own. Just you go and enjoy yourself, lass. Lord knows, you've earned it.' She was amazed at how hard Amy worked, from the minute they opened the shop, to the minute they cashed up. Tireless, she was, and thorough with it.
As Amy went out of the shop and into the living quarters, she heard her mother chiding the customers, 'Hey! That's enough of the arguing. Now then, who's first?'
There was a span of shocked silence, before the arguing started again.
A short time later, Amy returned to the shop, to find the customers quietly behaved and her mother dealing with them in her own calm, collected manner. 'Give Daisy my love.' She gave Amy a peck on the cheek. 'And mind you don't spend all your hard-earned money.'
'You look nice, lass.' Old John's eyes lit up. 'By! I wish I were young again. Off to see young Daisy Robertson, are you?'
'Yes, she is!' Marie pushed Amy towards the end of the counter. 'And if you keep her talking, she'll never catch her tram.'
To Amy she murmured, 'He's right though, lass. You do look lovely.' Amy had on a pale pink blouse with loose neck and long sleeves, and a brown straight skirt that showed off her curves. Her hair was bouncy and her eyes were shining, and altogether she looked lovely.
'Thanks, Mam.'
Amy was really looking forward to spending a few hours with Daisy. 'I wonder if she remembers where we're meeting this time?' she remarked with a hearty chuckle. 'Last time we arranged to meet, she waited on Ackeroyd Street instead of under the market-clock. It was nearly an hour before she remembered. Then it started raining and by the time she got to me, the pair of us were all wet and bedraggled.'
Marie laughed out loud. 'That's Daisy for you!'
As Amy went out the door, she heard the old man telling Marie, 'I feel for that young Robertson lass. Her father is a right bad lot, and as for the mother, well…every man in Blackburn knows how she earns her spending money.'
When the other customers joined in to condemn Daisy's parents, Marie wisely and light-heartedly put a stop to it. She knew what they were saying was the hard truth, but it wasn't the kind of banter she wanted to hear; especially not when Daisy was her daughter's best friend.
The shouting and screaming had gone on for a full hour.
'Get your hands off her, you bastard!' Painted with rouge and lipstick, her hair bleached to the roots and wearing a dress that revealed too much for comfort, Daisy's mother knew how to handle herself.
Taking the poker from its stand, she confronted Daisy's father. A mountain of a man, he had Daisy pinned to the door, his two arms folded across her neck and his considerable weight pressing against her. 'You're going nowhere!' he growled. 'Not till you tell me who was in here last night. And don't try lying through your teeth, because I know she had a bloke in here. I might be thick, but I'm not bloody stupid!'
Her face stained with tears, Daisy stared him out. 'I've already told you,' her words came out in a strangled muffle, 'I don't know anything.'
'You're a madman! Let go of her!' Daisy's mother screamed, prodding him repeatedly with the poker. 'There's been no fella in here…not last night or any other sodding night! There were only me and Daisy. Now let her go, or I swear to God, I'll do for you!'
In a sudden move that left her buckled against the door, he threw Daisy aside and, grabbing hold of the woman, wrapped his hands about her neck. 'So! You'll "do for me", will you?' he laughed. 'Well now, let's see you try, eh?' Wrenching the poker from her hands, he grappled her to the ground. There then followed a lot of shouting and threats as they tore at each other with blind hatred.
Suddenly there was a bang on the wall, and a neighbour yelled, 'If you don't stop the racket this minute, I'm fetching the police!'
'See what you've done now, you silly, jealous bugger!' As he continued to bear down on her, Daisy's mother fought like a tiger. 'You'll be getting us thrown out on the streets with your shenanigans!'
'Aw, come on, tek no notice of them buggers next door.' Stroking her breast he gave a knowing grin. 'What say we make up, eh?'
In a matter of minutes, the two of them were rolling about on the floor, laughing and teasing, and blatantly petting each other.
'You make me sick!' Disgusted with what was now happening before her eyes, Daisy ran to the scullery where she sobbed for a while. Then she washed her face, tidied her hair, straightened her tight little dress and checked her stocking seams, then, going out the back door, prayed the neighbours would not stop her as she ran down the street.
'I hate them!' she muttered. 'I wish they'd kill each other!'
Twenty minutes later, she stepped off the bus at the market square, where Amy was patiently waiting under the clock.
'Daisy!' Catching sight of her, she ran forward. 'Where in God's name have you been? I began to think you weren't coming.'
Daisy hurried to meet her. 'No you didn't,' she teased. 'You thought I'd forgotten and gone to the wrong place again, didn't you?'
Amy laughed. 'The thought did cross my mind.'
'Well, I'm here now,' Daisy told her, 'so stop nattering and let's get going.'
Amy hesitated. In spite of Daisy's jolly manner, she could see she'd been crying and, knowing how Daisy was sometimes reluctant to talk about what was going on at home, Amy offered all the same. 'You can tell me what happened if you like?'
Daisy shrugged. 'Who says anything happened?'
'I can see for myself. All I'm saying is,' Amy gently assured her, 'if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you.'
On the way to the shops Daisy outlined the cause of the trouble. 'It's always the same. He keeps accusing her of having a fella in the house when he's not around. Oh, I'm not defending her, because she's a disgrace—one man after another, and no shame to go with it. But she never brings them home…not as far as I know, anyway.'
'Why don't they split?' It seemed a natural solution to Amy. These were two people who already seemed to live separate lives, with each carrying on with whomever they fancied. Yet they fought over each other like a pair of crazed animals, with poor Daisy caught in the middle of it all.
'They'll never split,' Daisy answered. 'They love each other—at least that's what they say.'
'But it doesn't make sense.' Amy had never been able to understand it.
Daisy was quiet for a time, then in a sombre voice she confessed, 'Sometimes, Amy, I hate them so much it frightens me.'
Then suddenly, and before Amy could answer, Daisy was running ahead. 'Come on, slowcoach!' she cried. 'Let's get a move on, or the shops will be shut before we get there.'
Realising it was Daisy's way of telling her she didn't want to talk about her parents any more, Amy went along with her. 'Race you to the Co-op!' she called, and the two of them ran down the street as though everything was right with the world.
They wanted new dresses to wear to a dance that evening. But the Co-op, even in the town centre, didn't carry much stock, so could not really help.
'We haven't got such a big dress selection,' the assistant told them, 'but we're looking to move to larger premises soon, and when we do, we'll have much more room for a clothes department.'
Leading the way, she ushered them into a small area at the back of the shop. 'There.' Pointing to the rack of garments, she said confidently, 'I'm sure you'll find something suitable.'
As the assistant walked away, Daisy sniggered. 'Bloody Nora! Now
there's
a frightening sight, I must say.'
Amy discreetly glanced at the woman. 'As long as she helps us to find what we want, she's all right by me.'
Though Amy had to admit she hadn't felt altogether comfortable in the woman's company. With her straight black skirt, starched white blouse and her dark hair scraped back so tightly it threatened to spring from the roots, the woman really did look quite unfriendly.
It didn't take long for the girls to realise they would not find what they wanted here. After fifteen minutes of rummaging through the rack, they had seen and tried all the frocks, and none of them was right.
'Have you found anything suitable?' The woman was back, arms folded and a grim look on her face, as though she was ready for a fight.
Amy shook her head. 'Sorry, but there's nothing there we fancy.' It was no use beating about the bush, she thought.
The woman was not pleased, and it showed. 'If that's the case, you might as well leave, because that's all we have, I'm afraid.' That said she turned her back on them and began straightening the dresses, all the time muttering and complaining.
'I wouldn't like to meet
her
on a dark night,' Daisy said as they made their way out.
'Happen she wouldn't care to meet
you
neither!' Amy quipped.
They were in merry mood as they burst into the secondhand shop.
'We're looking for party dresses,' Daisy informed the proprietor. 'We'd like something pretty and cheap, with no stains or holes.'
'Well, now…' Bald-headed and round as a pumpkin, the man looked like a leprechaun perched on a stool. 'You've come to the right place, ladies.'
When he showed them through to the back room, they were confronted with three racks of dresses in all sizes, colours and styles. He left them to browse.
'We're gonna have a good time here, lass!' Laughing, Daisy wasted no time in sorting out four dresses to try.
'They've all been cleaned and pressed,' the odd little man informed them on his return. 'So don't go wiping lipstick and powder on 'em, or I'll have to charge you for the cleaning!' With that he loped out and left them to browse further. · Daisy and Amy had the time of their lives trying on the dresses. 'What do you think to this one?' When Daisy came out from behind the curtain, Amy almost collapsed in hysterics. Tight across her stomach and loose about her chest, the crimson dress clung to her backside, and when she bent down Amy could see her knickers.
'Put it back, for God's sake!' Amy urged. 'If you go out like that, you'll get arrested!'
'Does that mean you don't like it?' Daisy groaned, feigning disappointment. \
'Trust me,' Amy laughed. 'Wear that and you'll have a trail of dogs behind, wherever you go.'
Daisy giggled naughtily. 'Men-dogs, or dog-dogs?' she asked. 'Both!' Amy answered.
For a bit of fun, Amy tried on a green dress with a trailing hem that reached halfway across the room, and a feather boa.
'If you keep messing about we'll never find what we want,' Daisy chided. 'Let's get on with it.'
'Are you ladies all right in there?' the leprechaun enquired from the front room.
'We're fine,' Amy answered. 'You've got so many, it's difficult to choose.'
'I knew you'd be pleased,' he replied smugly. 'Take your time; we don't shut for another hour.'
In the end, Amy chose a straight, pale blue dress with a stand-up collar and belted waist, which fitted as if it was made for her.