Try a Little Tenderness (14 page)

They both looked up in surprise when Laura came through the door, bright and breezy. It was the first time since she started work that she’d got up without being called half-a-dozen times. ‘You’re up early,’ Mary smiled, determined there would be no angry words exchanged over breakfast, otherwise she’d have a splitting headache all day. ‘Pour yerself a cup of tea out while I put yer egg on to boil.’ As she was walking to the kitchen, she muttered aloud, ‘I may as well put our Jenny’s on at the same time.’

‘She’s on her way down now,’ Laura called through. ‘Yer know what Miss Prim and Proper’s like for being early. She doesn’t start work until half eight, but she needs the time to titivate herself up.’

Stan dipped a finger of toast into his egg and kept his head down. That was another thing he wanted to talk to Laura about, the way she treated her sister. Young Jenny had done well for herself, but she’d worked for what she’d got and deserved it. And there’d been no argument over pocket-money, like there had been with Laura. She handed her wage-packet over to Mary and took what she was given with a smile.

‘Good morning!’ Jenny’s bright smile seemed out of place in the room, but she appeared not to notice. ‘It looks as though it’s going to be a nice day, the sun’s trying to shine.’

Mary came to the door and glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. ‘The eggs will only be two minutes, so pour yerself a cup of tea, sunshine. I hope ye’re right about the weather because me and Amy are going into town for a couple of hours.’

‘Are yer going to buy something nice, Mam?’ Jenny put the cosy back on the teapot. ‘Yer could do with a new dress.’

‘I could do with a lot of things but they’ll have to wait. We desperately need pillowcases, the ones we’ve got are on their last legs.’

‘Ooh, would yer let me embroider one, Mam?’ Jenny’s face was eager. ‘I can do it, I learned it at school. Just some flowers and leaves in the corner to make it look nice.’

‘Of course yer can, sunshine, but yer need coloured silk thread for that and there’s none in the house.’

‘You could get some in town, I’ll pay for it. I’d only need green and pink to be going on with, until I get me hand in. We only learned a few stitches in school, but when I’ve had some practice I can try more intricate patterns.’

‘More intricate patterns? Oh, how exciting!’ Laura’s voice was mocking. ‘All on a flippin’ pillowslip that no one will ever see. Yer’ll be making yer own clothes, next.’

Jenny turned and looked her sister straight in the eyes. ‘Seeing as ye’re so interested, and for your information, I have every intention of learning how to make me own clothes. One of the women in the office makes all hers and yer’d never know they were homemade. She can make a dress for a couple of shillings, and that includes the cotton.’

Mary came through with an eggcup in each hand just as Stan was pushing his chair back. ‘Ye’re off, are yer, love?’

‘Yeah, it’s a nice morning so I won’t bother with the tram, I’ll go on shanks’s pony.’ Stan reached for his donkey jacket. ‘If yer see a dress yer like, love, you get it for yerself. It’s about time yer started thinking of yerself, instead of everybody else.’

‘I can’t afford it, Stan, there’s things we badly need for the house.’

‘To hell with the house. It’ll be here when we’re dead and gone,’ Stan said gruffly as he picked up his carry-out. ‘I’ll give yer a bob towards it.’

‘And me, too!’ Jenny’s offer came quickly. ‘I don’t spend all me pocket-money so I can help towards a new dress for yer.’

‘If yer’ve got money to spare, pass it over here,’ Laura said, spooning the yolk of the egg on to a piece of toast. ‘I can always find a use for it.’

Mary clamped her lips together as she followed her husband to the door. Why couldn’t Laura see for herself how selfish she was? Never once, since she started work, had she bought a sweet for anyone. Mary didn’t mind for herself, but she felt for her husband. He’d always been generous with his firstborn, spoiled her rotten, yet she couldn’t even buy him five Woodbines. Jenny did. Every Saturday she came home with a packet of ciggies for her dad and a slab of chocolate for her. Laura knew this, but it didn’t put her to shame. Every halfpenny she could get her hands on was spent on herself.

Mary stood on the top step and looked down at her husband. ‘I’ll see yer tonight, love. You take care now.’

‘And you get that dress, d’yer hear? I’ll be annoyed if I come home and yer tell me yer’ve got pillowslips but no dress.’

‘Ah well, we can’t have you getting annoyed, can we?’ Mary ran a finger down his cheek. ‘If me purse runs to it, I’ll mug meself – okay?’

She waited until he reached the end of the street, like she always did, and returned his wave. Then she went back into the living room to find Laura standing in front of the mirror liberally applying bright red lipstick. ‘You’d better put a move on if yer don’t want to be late. And why yer have to put so much make-up on, I’ll never
know. Yer look much nicer without it.’

‘Ye’re old-fashioned, Mam – all the girls wear make-up.’

Mary sighed. She wanted to say that all the girls didn’t put it on with a trowel, but what was the use? The only person Laura listened to was herself. ‘You get yerself ready, Jenny, while I put the kettle on for a fresh pot of tea. I’m going to park me backside for ten minutes before I start on the beds.’

While she was in the kitchen, Mary heard the front door slam and knew Laura had, as usual, gone off without a word of goodbye. Then she heard Jenny’s footsteps running lightly up the stairs. How was it possible for two people like her and Stan, who loved each other dearly, to bring two daughters into the world who were so different in every way? She just couldn’t fathom it out, there was no sense nor make in it. If Laura had been badly treated as a child then there could be an excuse for her being so hard. But she hadn’t. There’d always been plenty of love and they’d given her everything it was in their power to give her.

Mary carried the fresh pot of tea through just as Jenny came downstairs. ‘Sit down, sunshine, and relax for ten minutes.’

Jenny pulled out a chair facing her mother and as she sat down she slid half-a-crown across the table. ‘The silk shouldn’t come to more than sixpence, Mam, so the other two bob can go towards yer dress.’

‘I’m not taking any money off yer. That half-a-crown is yer whole week’s pocket-money. Yer haven’t exactly got a wardrobe full of clothes yerself, sunshine, so splash out and mug yerself to whatever yer want.’

‘I’ve still got some money left upstairs, Mam, ’cos I don’t spend very much. Anyway, I want you to have it, so take it to please me. As me dad said, it’s about time yer started looking after yerself for a change. So take it, as a little gift from me for being the best mam in the world. And because I love the bones of yer.’

Mary swallowed hard. ‘Keep that up, sunshine, and there’ll be more tears in me cup than there is tea! But to keep you and yer dad happy, I’ll buy meself a dress. And I’ll have it on when yer come home from work, so yer can see where yer money’s gone.’ She studied her daughter’s face. ‘Aren’t there any young girls where yer work, someone yer could go to the pictures with?’

Jenny shook her head. ‘There’s only three of us in the office, and the other two are at least three times my age. They’re very nice, and I get on well with them, but they’re too old to make friends with.’

‘Yer could do with a friend, sunshine, ’cos a young girl shouldn’t be sitting in every night with two oldies like me and yer dad. What about Janet, yer friend from school?’

‘I haven’t seen her since we started work. I could go around to her house, though, she only lives two streets away.’ Jenny glanced at the clock before getting to her feet. ‘I’ll go round tonight, Mam, and see how she’s getting on.’

‘Ask her to go to the pictures with yer one night, it’ll do you good to get out with someone yer own age. Everybody needs a friend, sunshine.’ Mary deliberated as she watched her daughter pick up her bag, then decided quickly. ‘Laura was very late getting in last night and although me and yer dad both told her off, we want to sit her down and give her a real good talking to. So if you could go out for an hour after we’ve had our tea, it would give us the chance. She might pay more attention if you’re not here. Yer know how quick she is to flare up and you listening wouldn’t help.’

‘Yeah, okay, Mam.’ Jenny rested her handbag on the table. ‘I heard her coming in. I stayed awake because if I’d gone to sleep she’d only have woke me up getting into bed. Where had she been until that time?’

‘She went to yer grandad’s.’

Jenny’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. ‘What made her go there? She’s never done that before. I’m surprised Grandad didn’t chase her home earlier.’

‘Aye, well, we didn’t go into it last night because it was so late. But we’ll have a good talk to her tonight and get to the bottom of it.’ Mary put her palms flat on the table and pushed herself up. ‘You’d better go, sunshine, or yer’ll have to run for it. I’ll see yer out.’

Jenny never left the house without giving her mother a kiss and a hug. ‘Don’t forget the dress, will yer? And get a blue one, ’cos yer don’t half look nice in blue.’

‘I’ll get one, even if it’s only to keep you and yer dad happy.’

‘Here’s the tram, girl, you get on first so I can take me time.’ Amy waited until Mary was on the platform, then, with a look of determination on her face, she wrapped her two hands around the steel post and pulled herself up. ‘Why the hell they have to make the bleedin’ steps so high, I’ll never know.’ She prodded the driver on his arm. ‘Did yer hear that, Mr Tram Driver?’

‘Did I hear what, missus?’

‘Whoever made those bleedin’ steps so high, they must have a wicked streak in them. How is someone with short legs supposed to manage?’

‘How should I know? Have you got short legs, missus? If ye’re not sure, I could measure them for yer and put in a complaint on your behalf.’ The tram driver was delighted by the diversion. It got really boring standing there all day like a lemon, with yer eyes peeled for some stupid bugger who might walk out in front of you. ‘I could say that your legs are too short for the tram steps or, if yer’d rather, I could say the tram steps are too high for your short legs. I can put a good letter together when I put me mind to it, even if I do say so meself.’

‘Yer cheeky bugger! Did yer hear that, Mary?’

There came the clattering of feet as the conductor descended from the top deck. ‘What’s the hold-up, Jim? I’ve rung the ruddy bell six times.’

‘Well, it’s like this, Tom.’ The driver was chuckling. ‘This lady wants me to measure her legs for her, so she can put a complaint in. She reckons they’re too short, yer see?’ He rubbed his chin. ‘Or did she say our steps are too high? I’m not sure now.’

The conductor looked at Amy and tutted, ‘Oh, it’s you, is it? I might have known. Whenever you get on me tram, I may as well throw the timetable away. We’ll have people moaning at every flippin’ stop now because we’re late.’

‘So, yer know the lady, do yer, Tom?’

‘Know her! She’s the bane of me life!’ But Tom was smiling. ‘If I’d have been downstairs I’d have made yer go past the stop and let the next tram pick her up. Let some other poor bugger put up with her shenanigans.’ His grin turned into a full-blown laugh. ‘D’yer know why she’s got short legs? It’s because her mother used to pat her on the head a lot when she was little, and it stunted her growth.’

‘Huh! Ye’re a fine one to talk, you are. Yer remind me of a flippin’ bean stalk, ye’re that tall and skinny. While my mother was patting me on the head, yours must have been putting yer through the mangle.’

With the chortling of the men ringing in her ears, Mary put her arm through Amy’s and pulled with all her might until she had her in the aisle. Pointing to a seat, she said, ‘Sit down, sunshine, for heaven’s sake, and let the men get on with their work.’

Amy’s friendly grin covered the passengers who were enjoying themselves so much they wouldn’t have cared if the tram never took off. ‘Do yerself a favour, girl, and you sit by the window. If I get in first there’ll be no room on the seat for yer backside, even though the one yer’ve got is that small it’s not worth writing home about.’

‘I dunno,’ Mary said as she slipped along the seat. ‘Coming out with you is becoming a test of endurance. We’ve only been out of the house five minutes and me
nerves are shattered. I hope ye’re not going to carry on like that in TJs, I couldn’t stand it.’ She turned to see her friend gripping the bar that ran across the back of the seat in front with both hands to keep herself from falling off, while half of her backside was suspended in mid-air. And as she clung on like grim death, her face was set and her tongue was sticking out of the side of her mouth. Mary felt a rush of tenderness towards the woman who could bring smiles to a tram full of people, all because she had short legs. ‘Just look at the state of yer,’ she said. ‘Why don’t yer go and sit over there and have a whole seat to yerself?’

‘No, I’ll stick with you, girl.’ Amy just managed to throw herself sideways as the tram lurched around a corner and threatened to unseat her. ‘That’s the worst of having a backside the size of a rhinoceros – they don’t make seats big enough to accommodate it. Mind you, it wouldn’t be worth their while when yer come to think of it because they probably don’t get many rhinoceroses round here.’ The eyes she turned on Mary were full of laughter. ‘Except for that Madge Phillips – have yer seen the backside on her? Blimey, she puts me in the meg specks.’

Tom and Jim were talking on the platform when the tram came to a halt in London Road, and they watched with amusement as Amy prepared herself for the step down. ‘Close yer eyes, love, and jump for it,’ Jim laughed. ‘That’s the best way.’

‘Sod off, the pair of yer.’ Amy reached down to where Mary was standing on the pavement with her hand extended ready to help. And when she was safely on the ground, she gave one of her cheeky grins. ‘If me prayers are answered, some big bloke is going to give one of yer a black eye for not running on time and making him late for work. Yer’d be laughing the other side of yer faces, then.’

‘Amy, will yer knock it off and let’s get to the shops? And if yer start acting the goat in TJs I’ll pretend ye’re not with me.’