Christmas Past (30 page)

Doug shook the girl’s hand, even more embarrassed. It had taken some courage to visit one girl, and now there were two.

Avril realised she was in the way. ‘Shall I put the kettle on, Jacqueline?’ she asked.

Her friend nodded, smiling at Doug. She went towards him. ‘Oh, it’s lovely to see you. I am glad you’ve come.’

‘Aye, it’s been a long time.’ A hell of a long time, he thought. He stared at Jacqueline, noticing the shadows beneath her eyes, but they only seemed to emphasise the depths of
those eyes’ warm beauty.

Jacqueline was overcome by an urge to run into the strong waiting arms, to feel them circle her body and draw her towards the hard muscular chest, just as they had on the day Pepper had died.
She could hear Billy Fury on the radio. The words ‘so near yet so far away’ filled her with confusion, and she stopped within arm’s length of her friend.

Doug wanted to gather her to him, had wanted to since she was hardly more than a child, but then he had told himself that he was too old. He had been then, but now the six years’
difference seemed irrelevant.

‘I brought you your cards. I happened to be coming into Millington so they asked me to call.’ It was only a slight white lie, he could have filled up the tank of the van in
Longfield, but he had jumped at the opportunity when his mother had mentioned forgetting to post the cards for Jacqueline’s birthday. ‘It wouldn’t have mattered much if she
hadn’t been home,’ Mrs Downing had said, ‘but we really ought to have made sure they arrived on the right day.’ Bessie had volunteered to deliver them after finishing work
but Doug had already picked them up and popped them in his pocket.

‘I’ve to go into Millington this afternoon,’ he had said. ‘I’ll pop them in at the shop.’

Now he was here and he was standing like a dope, unable to think of anything to say and staring at Jacqueline as though she was made of bone china, wanting to touch her and not daring.

‘Your mum never forgets our birthdays.’ Jacqueline smiled at Doug.

Mary had been upstairs, but now she walked into the sitting room and stopped dead in her tracks, going cold with shock. Except for the stylish haircut and the Slim Jim tie the dark-haired man in
the navy suit could have been Tom Downing himself. She was confused at first, not sure if it was Cyril or Douglas. It was a long time since she had seen either of them.

‘Doug’s brought me my birthday cards, Mam,’ Jacqueline said. Mary noticed the sparkle in her daughter’s eyes, and the way she had lapsed in her speech and come out with
Mam instead of Mother. She smiled at Doug. ‘Well, sit down and tell us all the news. How are your mother and father?’

‘Fine.’ He grinned and sat on the edge of the settee.

‘Lucy calls in occasionally,’ Mary volunteered. ‘But I see more of her daughter nowadays. She’s just at the age to be buying new clothes every week.’

‘Have you seen our Bessie lately?’

‘Not for some months. Not married yet, I gather?’

Doug laughed. ‘That’ll be the day. She’s too fond of a good time is our Bessie, popping off to Spain for holidays two or three times a year.’

‘The last time I saw her she looked well on it.’

Doug chuckled. ‘Well, I reckon she’s put on a couple of stone over the last year.’ His tone became more serious. ‘I think there may be wedding bells soon, actually. Her
friend Sam isn’t too well and she’s spending more and more time at his place. I reckon she’s about ready for settling down.’

‘And how’s Cyril?’ Jacqueline enquired.

‘Working till he drops most of the time, saving up for a place of his own. He’s courting a girl from the other side Sheffield.’

Avril brought in the tea and Jacqueline opened her cards. There was one from Mrs Downing, another signed Bessie and Sam, though Jacqueline had never seen Bessie’s man friend, and a
beautiful scented one with cut-out red roses. She opened it slowly and read the words written in a neat hand: ‘To Jacqueline from your loving friend Doug.’

By the look in Jacqueline’s eyes it might have been a romantic love poem of at least ten verses. ‘Oh, it’s beautiful.’ She smiled radiantly at Doug and his face turned
crimson.

‘Well,’ he mumbled, ‘I’d better be off. Thanks for the tea, Mary.’

The way he pronounced her name caused a stirring in Mary’s stomach; he reminded her so much of his brother, it seemed almost like yesterday. She pulled herself together as he asked
Jacqueline, ‘Will you be at the house over Christmas?’

‘Boxing Day, all being well,’ she answered quickly.

He grinned. ‘I’ll probably be seeing you again then before you go back.’

‘I suppose so.’ She smiled.

‘I, er, I don’t suppose you’ll be at the dance on Christmas Eve?’

Jacqueline looked towards Avril. ‘Shall we? Do you feel like shaking a leg?’

Avril shrugged. ‘Sure, that would be lovely.’

Her friend followed Doug out into the shop, and then out on to the pavement, both reluctant to say goodbye.

‘Oh-oh,’ Avril said, ‘I think Jacqueline’s in love again.’

Mary picked up the word quickly. ‘Again?’

‘Oh, dear – you weren’t supposed to know. Anyway, it’s over – has been for a while.’

‘I would say it’s certainly over, and it looks like another has begun.’ Mary smiled at Avril as Jacqueline walked nonchalantly back into the room.

‘Now where can I make room for some more cards?’

Every surface in the room was filled with either Christmas or birthday cards, but Jacqueline managed to find room for three more, with the one from Doug noticeably given pride of place.

She wondered why she hadn’t realised before how much she liked Doug. Well, more than liked, actually. And this time she had a notion that the feeling was mutual.

When they entered the dance hall on Christmas Eve Jacqueline, Avril and Pam were already in high spirits after Jack had insisted on treating the friends to a drink at the
Working Men’s Club. Unused to alcohol, the trio had needed no more than a couple of gin and oranges to go off into a fit of giggles, and Uncle Harry and Alan hadn’t helped by insisting
on telling a string of jokes. Most of them were absolutely awful, but the friends were so happy to be together that they found it easy to laugh at anything.

Avril was surprised at the size of the hall and the quality of the music. The floor was throbbing as dancers let down their hair and gyrated to a rousing version of ‘Summertime
Blues’, oblivious of the fact that it was midwinter.

Suddenly, her attention caught, Jacqueline peered across the dimly lit room to where a large ungainly figure was twisting away to the music. It couldn’t be, yet she was sure it was Charlie
Barker.

‘Pam, am I seeing things?’ she asked her friend, ‘or is that Charlie over there?’

‘It’s Charlie all right.’ Pam laughed. ‘Didn’t Alan tell you? He never misses a dance these days. It’s completely transformed his life since Alan and his
mates took him under their wing.’

Suddenly Charlie spotted Jacqueline and started across the floor towards her, elbowing everybody out of the way in an effort to reach his long-lost friend. With a grin as big as a teacup he
grabbed her, gesticulating wildly as he attempted to make himself understood. Although it was more than a year since she had last seen him, she had no difficulty gathering he was trying to ask her
to dance.

‘Oh, no.’ Pam winced. ‘You’ll be black and blue. If ever anyone had two left feet it’s Charlie. Do the same as everyone else and ignore him. He’s quite happy
jigging about on his own.’

But Jacqueline was so delighted to see her childhood friend enjoying a normal lifestyle that she was oblivious of Pam’s warning. Besides, the gin had given her extra confidence, enough to
make a spectacle of herself without caring. So she said, ‘OK, Charlie, come on,’ and pulled him on to the dance floor.

Charlie was wearing a gaudily checked sports jacket, but then he always had been one for bright colours, and he had now apparently found a new love in his life: dance music. The band suddenly
hushed as the drummer began a solo, and the dancers paused to listen and to watch the manoeuvres of the musician. But Charlie had no intention of standing still, and continued his clumsy gyrations.
Jacqueline tried to calm him, but for once he realised he was being watched, and so twisted and turned even more violently, lifting his partner off her feet and spinning her round until she began
to feel quite giddy. As the beat of the drums reached its finale, he threw himself onto the floor, kicking his legs in the air, and Jacqueline slunk away in the direction of her friends. Then, as
the music finished and the crowd applauded and screamed for more, Charlie, believing the applause was for him alone, stood up and bowed, grinning widely, without a doubt the proudest man in the
room.

‘You can’t say I didn’t warn you.’ Pam laughed.

‘I know.’ Jacqueline chuckled. ‘Come on, let’s escape to the refreshment room before he comes over again.’

Alan turned up just as they were finishing their tea and biscuits.

‘Well, you might have come a bit sooner and rescued me from Charlie,’ Jacqueline said.

Alan chuckled. ‘Why? I’ve just been told how much you enjoyed yourself.’

‘Oh, Lord, they’re talking about me already. Anyway, how long has Charlie been part of the human race?’

‘Oh, it began when I cadged a potato picking job for Freddie Cartwright up at Barker’s. Freddie might be a tough nut but he’s a soft streak about him when it comes to helping
the underdog. He became quite upset when he found out what a lonely life Charlie was leading.’

‘Oh! How is Freddie? Is he here tonight? I do write to him sometimes but he never replies.’

‘Too busy courting.’ Alan laughed. ‘Anyway, Freddie thought we should get Charlie to come out with us. Mind you, I think he had a notion that Charlie might make a good goalie,
but that didn’t work out.’ Alan laughed. ‘Charlie kept wandering off and we couldn’t make him understand he was supposed to stop the ball going into the net. Anyway, with
Freddie and the gang for protection Charlie followed us about like a shadow. It was then we found out how much he liked music. When we told his father he went out and bought him a record player.
Since then Charlie’s never looked back. The only sufferers are his poor old parents. He’s driving them mad playing “Sweet Nothings” over and over again. Seems he’s
fallen for Brenda Lee.’ Alan laughed and then looked serious. ‘It is puzzling, though.’ He hesitated thoughtfully.

‘What is?’ Pam asked.

‘Well, we all know Charlie can’t read, but yet he can pick out his favourite record from all the rest.’

‘It’s probably the colour of the label,’ volunteered Avril.

‘Not so. We’ve tried mixing it up with a whole lot of other Brunswick labels, but he still picks it out with no trouble at all.’ He looked in Avril’s teacup. ‘If
you’ve finished, would you like to dance?’ As Avril rose to her feet Alan said to Jacqueline, ‘Oh, I almost forgot, Doug asked me if I’d seen you. He’s over by the
stage.’

Jacqueline’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Are you ready, Pam? Shall we go back in? I think it’s almost time for the cabaret.’

Pam followed her friend into the crowded hall, just as a velvety male voice began to sing ‘It’s Now Or Never’. She hoped Doug Downing wasn’t about to steal Jacqueline
away. She saw little enough of her friend as it was, and they had so much news to catch up on and so little time.

Pam had achieved a lot considering she had left school at sixteen, unable to face striving for more exams. She had taken a job on a switchboard at a wholesalers in town and had worked hard, been
noticed by the manager and landed promotion. Luck had been with her when his private secretary had married and moved away, and Pam had been given the job. Though it was a demanding position she
seemed to thrive on the challenge, and would have been ecstatic if only Jacqueline was living at home. The pair had never needed to be part of a crowd and since her friend had left for London Pam
had found it difficult to make new friends. Now Jacqueline seemed to be close to Avril, and though she was nice Pam couldn’t quite control a feeling of jealousy.

She watched as her friend circled the floor with Doug Downing. His dark head was bent towards Jacqueline’s and they were smiling and chatting. He was holding her close, his hand slipping
every so often from her waist down to her bottom, and though she took his hand and returned it to where it should be Jacqueline didn’t look the least bit offended. In fact, Pam couldn’t
help thinking how right they looked together, he in his dark well-cut suit, and she in a pencil slim cocktail dress of kingfisher blue jersey wool. Oh well, it looked as if her friend was lost to
her even though she was at home.

‘Want to dance, Pam?’ The voice startled her and she smiled up at the ginger-haired foreman. He had fancied her for a while, and frankly she quite fancied him too. Perhaps it was
time to stop playing hard to get.

‘OK.’ They walked with his arm circling her waist until they found an empty space on the floor, and then he drew her towards him.

‘I’d been looking for you, then I spotted your hair,’ he said.

Pam’s hair, once held back with slides, now hung sleek and shimmering to her waist. She laughed. ‘Well, with hair the colour of ours, we should stand out a mile. Funny – when I
was little I hated it, and now it seems everyone is dying theirs auburn, so we’re in fashion at last, just when I was thinking of changing the colour.’

‘Don’t you dare. I like you just the way you are.’ He hugged her closer, and the cabaret singer, who sounded remarkably like Connie Francis, broke into her thoughts.
‘Hey, that’s Una Bacon.’

‘Hmm. I think she’s for the big time, that girl. She’s certainly talented.’

‘And lovely.’

‘So are you,’ he whispered, and Pam snuggled closer. Una sang on, her voice ideally suited to romantic numbers.

Jacqueline and Doug made their way across the room towards them. ‘Are you going to introduce us?’ Jacqueline asked, still a little tipsy from the earlier gins.

‘Sure.’ Her friend stopped dancing. ‘This is Brian. He works at Congleton’s too. Brian, this is my best friend Jacqueline, and Doug Downing.’