A Wartime Christmas (21 page)

Kay studied her friend’s face. What was she thinking?

‘The kids will be pleased to see their dad,’ Babs murmured.

Kay wanted Babs to be back to her old self; the Babs she knew, whose emotions weren’t confused and made her sound like another person. And with Eddie home soon, perhaps everything was
going to be all right again.

Though the East End wasn’t seriously targeted, Kay woke up each morning to depressing news. There were many aerial assaults over Britain. Beautiful, historic towns like
Exeter, Bath, Norwich, York and Canterbury had all been bombed. Other towns followed. The attacks continued well into May and every night Kay prepared a flask – just in case.

‘Says here,’ read Vi from the newspaper late one Friday afternoon as she sat on the wall, ‘these hit-and-run missions of Germany’s Focke-Wulf fighting planes is
Hitler’s latest tactics. There’s just the pilot in the plane and he risks life and limb to swoop low and drop his bombs.’

Kay paused in her sweeping of the yard and let the warmth of the day wash over her as Vi continued to read the article. Eddie had been home on leave since the weekend and they all had a good
chat earlier that morning. It had been good to see the family together once more. Eddie had asked about Alan but there wasn’t much news to tell. Instead, Eddie had lifted Alfie into his arms
and thrown him in the air, making him giggle, just like Alan used to. Alan would smile if he could see what Alfie was up to now. The yard was full of the kids’ things, including an old wooden
box that Tim and Alfie were making into a cart. She had loaned them the wheels from the pram, a length of rope and some other bits and pieces. Though without Tim, Alfie had no idea what to do with
them and he was just sitting on the ground, winding the rope around the box.

Just then there was a distant rumble above, bringing Kay sharply out of her thoughts. The droning of planes was coming closer. ‘Talk of the devil,’ called Vi, closing the newspaper
quickly and lowering herself from the wall. ‘Is that the Luftwaffe or our boys?’

Kay scooped Alfie to his feet. They all went to stand at the Anderson’s door, ready to dash inside.

‘Whoever it is, it’s someone in trouble,’ said Vi, as they all stared upwards. ‘Looks like Jerry’s being chased by a couple of Spits.’

Kay shielded her eyes against the sun as the planes flew over at low altitude. It was clear the enemy plane was being chased by several British fighters. Before very long a dull groaning sounded
and a plume of black smoke trailed in the sky.

The sickening whine of the Luftwaffe bomber going down caused Kay to look away. He might bail out in time or he might not. But everyone knew the chances of survival weren’t good.

‘Don’t make sense, does it?’ sighed Vi, blinking her eyes after looking into the sun. ‘He might be the enemy but that don’t help when you know it’s his dying
moments. Could’ve been one of ours. In the end, it’s tit for tat, like these Baedeker raids. They’re doing it ’cos we done it to them.’

‘Let’s go inside,’ Kay suggested. On this lovely day she didn’t want to think about the tragedies of war. ‘Alfie, you’ll have to make do with us for company
this afternoon. Tim and Gill have gone to the park with their daddy.’

‘Where’s my daddy gone?’ asked Alfie, pleating his small brow under his shock of dark hair.

‘He’s away fighting,’ Kay answered. She bent down on one knee and wrapped her arms around him. ‘But one day he’ll be home. And we’ll all walk down to the
river again.’

Alfie gave a big grin. At three-and-a-half, he had strong pearly-white baby teeth and had lost his puppy fat. He looked so much like Alan that her heart skipped a beat. She was about to ask him
if he would like some dinner when there was a knock at the front door. Vi went to answer it.

Expecting it to be the Chapmans back from their outing, Kay was disappointed to hear another voice.

‘Not you again!’ Vi protested. ‘You ain’t welcome here.’

Kay took Alfie in her arms and hurried to the front door. Dolly Lewis and her son stood beside a man. Dressed in a garish, checked, oversized jacket and a wide-brimmed fedora hat, his narrowed
eyes were fixed menacingly on Vi.

‘What do you want?’ Kay demanded. ‘And who’s this?’

‘He’s a pal of mine,’ announced Dolly. ‘Here to look after my interests.’

‘What interests?’

‘I want what’s mine. What that blighter Alan stole from me.’

‘Look, I’ve told you already,’ Kay insisted, ‘the man you’re after isn’t my husband.’

Dolly nodded at the man and he pushed his way in. Dolly quickly followed, dragging the boy with her.

‘This ain’t a bad gaff,’ the man said as he strolled into the front room. ‘It’d be a shame to mess it all up. You had better hand over the goods to Dolly or
else.’

‘Don’t you try threatening us!’ exclaimed Vi. ‘Now, clear out, the pair of you.’

The man pushed Vi’s shoulder. ‘Shut up, you!’

‘Leave her alone!’ Kay stepped in front of Vi. ‘Who do you think you are, forcing your way in like this? Get out before I call the police.’

‘I told you, call ’em,’ Dolly challenged again. ‘When Alan ran out on me, he took some things that weren’t his to take. When I reported the theft the coppers told
me he was an ex-con and knew him of old.’ Dolly drew in a quick breath. ‘Now, if you’ve got me stuff tucked away somewhere, then you’d better own up before I get Sid on the
job.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ replied Kay. ‘There’s nothing in this house that belongs to you.’

‘We’ll see about that,’ said the man, striding over to the sideboard. He peered in and knocked out the glasses. They crashed to the floor. One by one he went through the
drawers, throwing everything out. Kay was terrified but she was angry too. She tried to stop him as he went to the wardrobe, but he pushed her roughly aside. ‘There’s only the old
trout’s tat in here and a train set,’ he told Dolly as he tore down Vi’s clothes.

‘Who are you calling an old trout?’ Vi yelled, but Kay caught her arm, shaking her head as the man strode up to her.

‘Any more out of you and you’ll get this.’ He shook his fist in Vi’s face.

‘You’d better look upstairs,’ said Dolly. ‘And hurry. We ain’t got all day.’

As he left the room Kay wondered if there was a policeman close by. If not, was it possible to run to the station with Alfie in her arms? But she didn’t want to leave Vi alone with these
two.

‘Christ, Sean, what’s the matter with you now?’ snapped Dolly as Sean began to cry. ‘You’re a blessed nuisance, always moaning. Pull yourself together.’ She
walked to the door and looked up the stairs. ‘Sid, what’s keeping you?’

The little boy went very white. Kay went to him and, putting Alfie on the floor, she looked into Sean’s ashen face. ‘Are you all right, Sean?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m gonna be sick.’

‘I’m coming, I’m coming,’ shouted the man as he ran down the stairs.

‘What did you find?’ Dolly demanded.

‘Nothing. But then I ain’t had time to turn the place over properly.’

Dolly turned to Kay and screwed up her face in anger. ‘If you’re so worried about my boy then you’d better see what you can do for him. He’s your family after all,
ain’t he? Your kid and mine – they’re the spit of one another.’ She slid her hand through the man’s arm. ‘Come on, Sid, we’ll leave Sean here while we go
for a drink.’

‘You can’t do that!’ gasped Vi.

‘Who says?’ sneered Dolly as she tossed back her head. ‘If you decide not to cough up my things, it’ll be the worse for you.’ They walked out, slamming the door
after them.

‘The heartless hussy,’ spluttered Vi. ‘How could she leave her boy with strangers? And why does she think we’re hiding her stuff?’

Kay didn’t have time to reply as Sean leaned over and was sick.

Kay looked at the couch where Sean was lying. After she and Vi had cleared the mess, which had luckily gone over the tiles in the hearth and not on the square of carpet, Sean
had fallen asleep.

‘Poor little lamb,’ sighed Vi as Kay swept the last of the broken glass into the dustpan and emptied it into the bin. ‘What do you think’s wrong with him?’

‘Don’t know, Vi. But he’s dreadfully thin. How could she let him get like that?’ Kay looked with pity at the little boy, his chin hidden under one of Vi’s blankets.
Alfie sat quietly at Sean’s feet, holding the blue train that he had unsuccessfully tried to persuade Sean to play with.

‘Is ’e gonna be sick again?’ Alfie asked in concern.

‘No, love. He’ll be all right now.’ Kay smiled.

‘Will ’e play with me?’

‘We’ll have to see when he wakes up.’

‘It’s hard to believe she just walked off like that,’ repeated Vi with a shake of her head. ‘And that slimy spiv! Smashing our glasses and turning out all me clothes!
I’ll give him old trout!’

‘What kind of things were they looking for?’ wondered Kay.

‘Did he do much damage upstairs?’

‘No. Just looked through all me drawers. At least he didn’t find the money that Alan left.’

‘Where is it?’

Kay nodded outside. ‘In the Anderson.’

Vi smiled, though she quickly returned to being angry as she gazed at Sean. ‘All that about Alan being in prison and nicking her stuff. Do you reckon we should tell the law?’

‘I’d have to go up to the local station. And they might come back while I’m gone.’

‘I wouldn’t let ’em in.’

Just then, Sean stirred, rubbing his eyes. ‘Do you want to be sick again?’ asked Kay.

‘Where’s me mum?’

‘She’ll be back soon.’

He stared at Alfie over the top of the blanket.

‘Do you feel better?’ Kay asked. ‘Would you like something to eat?’

He nodded, wiping his dirty nose with the back of his hand.

‘Me an’ all,’ said Alfie, grinning.

‘You as well, tiger,’ said Kay with a smile.

It was clear that Alfie had taken a shine to their young visitor.

‘Look like little angels, don’t they?’ whispered Vi as they stood in Alfie’s bedroom that night.

The two boys were asleep, both top-and-tailed and dressed in pyjamas. Though Sean was older he wasn’t much taller than Alfie and the striped pyjamas, both sets old and darned, were a big
improvement on his dirty clothes. Alfie slept in the bed while Sean occupied one of the Anderson mattresses placed on the floor. ‘He was happy to play with Alfie,’ Kay replied softly.
‘And didn’t seem to mind staying the night.’

‘Not a murmur out of him,’ agreed Vi, pulling her old cardigan across her chest. ‘That woman should be put behind bars.’

‘I won’t go to work in the morning,’ decided Kay. ‘Dolly and her minder are certain to appear.’

‘Your boss won’t like that.’

‘He’ll have to lump it.’ Kay switched off the light and they went downstairs.

‘Don’t fancy letting that flash package in again,’ said Vi as they sat by the fire.

‘We won’t,’ Kay said firmly. ‘We’ll keep both the front and back doors locked, like they are now. Then when they knock, I’ll take Sean out through the yard
and into the Cut, then go round to the front.’

‘What if that idiot gets stroppy?’

‘He won’t, not where everyone can see him.’

‘You could ask Eddie to help,’ suggested Vi.

‘It’s his leave. I don’t want to spoil it.’

With their plans made, they decided to go to bed. But Kay didn’t sleep very well. She couldn’t rest, thinking of what was going to happen tomorrow. To her surprise, both boys were
sleeping soundly when she got up in the morning and it was only when Vi called them for breakfast that they appeared with yawns and sleepy faces.

‘Is me mum coming?’ Sean asked as he ate his porridge.

‘I should think so,’ said Kay, glancing at Vi. ‘Do you live round here?’

But Sean only lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

After the boys were dressed, they played with the train set.

‘It felt a sin to put them dirty clothes back on him,’ said Vi as she and Kay kept watch at the window.

‘I’d have rinsed them out if there was time,’ agreed Kay.

‘Still can’t believe she just left him here.’

‘Neither can I.’

All day they waited for the knock to come. But it never did.

After breakfast the next morning, Kay and Vi carried in the tin bath. ‘Your mum and her pal will have to wait in the street if they come,’ said Vi to Sean as she
secured the back door again. ‘A good scrub is long overdue. Now, drop your towel, love, and in you climb.’

‘Don’t want to.’ Sean looked frightened of the water.

‘Water ain’t going to bite you, son,’ coaxed Vi. ‘And there’s a niff in this kitchen that’s making the place smell like a gorilla’s armpit.’

‘You’ll like it, I promise,’ Kay urged.

‘Don’t think he’s ever seen a bath before,’ frowned Vi, ‘let alone sat in one. Tell you what, Alfie, you get in first.’

Kay nodded and Alfie enthusiastically stripped down and climbed into the water. ‘See, it won’t hurt you,’ said Kay. ‘It’s lovely.’

‘C’mon, Sean!’ Alfie splashed the water. Sean jumped back but soon he was laughing. After a few minutes, Kay was relieved to see one foot go in and then the other.

‘That’s the ticket,’ grinned Vi. ‘Now have a good soak.’

It was painful for Kay to look at Sean’s thin body. His bow legs, pronounced rib cage and stick-like arms were startling against Alfie’s well-fed physique. But soon laughter was
echoing in the kitchen as Vi attempted to wash them both with the Lifebuoy soap.

Kay found herself thinking again of what Dolly had said. With their wet hair slicked back and big brown eyes, the likeness between them was remarkable.

Monday 1 June dawned bright and clear. Once again, Dolly had not shown up. Leaving Vi briefly with the boys, Kay went to the factory very early. She had decided to ask for a
few days off. She couldn’t leave Vi to shoulder the responsibility of Sean. There was nothing else to be done but stay at home until Dolly put in an appearance.

‘If everyone in this factory wanted to take their holiday on the spur of the moment, our planes wouldn’t have no wings to fly with,’ her supervisor complained. She felt guilty,
but had her way in the end.