Secrets of the Past (7 page)

“Hello me dear, been lookin
g for you, where’s your mother.”

Then he gazed into my eyes, with so much affection.

He took my hand and gently kissed my palm. I stood amazed, I
could not
speak, a bit
tongue-tied
I said
.

“Oh father she has just popped along to see Mr. Abbot about some fish, she is cooking us a lovely dinner this evening, and she knows
you like a nice piece of fish.”

He
replied.

“Oh that is good, how are you
Anna
?
”

I replied.

“Fine father,
are you staying long?

H
e replied.

“No more questions go now
let father read his newspaper.”

As I started to head for the door, he grabbed my hand.

“My dear you are looking so much like your mother every day, you are fast becoming the young woman, and the years are taking you through time, relish these days, as they will never be again
.
”

I went to the kitchen butterflies in my tummy, and gl
anced around, it was eerily cold
, everything so dark, there lay a wooden board with bread, and cheese in
large dish. I composed myself, and then returned to the lounge where father sat with his newspaper.

As I entered, he spoke and told me to sit with him, so I sat opposite on the sofa, and he began reading to me a newspaper report.

He read ‘A young man who had lost his life, his name was Sydney Pilkington.

A carriage, in a street in London, had knocked him down; he had received very serious injuries and had died.

He then told me that Sydney w
as the son of his friends Harold
and Iris
Pilkington, and that he had met Sydney many times.

“Sydney was not of the smartest appearance
.
”

H
e said,
and then
added.

“
Sydney used to wear his shirt unbuttoned at the neck and when he spoke his throat used to jerk up and down as though he had a ball inside
.
”

  
Then
he smiled slightly.

He wore little round glasses on the end of his nose, and looked up when he spoke to me.

He was very sad to hear of this news. He added he
would be writing to Harold and Iris
abou
t this to offer his condolences, als
o to learn the
funeral arrangements.

I was very sad to hear this story of a young man like that losing his life, so tragically, funny I thought, it was as though I knew these people.

Father looked so sad.
 

“Go now child, leave me now, I need to write a letter and I wish not to be disturbed.

I th
en left father to his newspaper.

Decided to have another look around, there was another door off the hallway, so quietly opened it, I
crept in there was another bedroom, but whose could this be?

A painting large
gazed at me, there stood a man about twentyish in a police officer’s uniform, very good looking. His hat wedged
under his arm, a top hat. His jacket was long with a wide leather belt.

I had not seen him before. Could he be there son?

Thought I would just check around a bit,
on
the cup
board another picture of a girl, with blonde ringlets.

Opened the top drawer, handkerchiefs, and braces, weird some of these stuff men had at this time.

The bookshelves wer
e bursting, full of books.

Then I heard a noise, people talking, so I tried to peep out the edge of the door.

It was he the bloke in the pi
cture, laughing, with Anastasia, as
they walk to the kitchen,

S
o I scamp out the room tiptoeing.

As I get
to my bedroom door, he shouts.

“C
aught you,
Anna, where have you
been?

I was
searching for you earlier.

Stuttering I whispered

“Hello
John
, I must have been in my room, I have been writing a letter to my friend, Eve
lyn, You know the one who lives
in Chatham
.
”

“Oh I did knock.
”

“How would you like
,
to accompany me to
the
police station
.
I have to go there to collect some
papers
.
”

I immediately answered.

“Yes please”

He said, “Better ask Father first
, wait there
”

Off he went to the sitting room where Father was reading.  The door closed behind him. I then recalled
that we must always shut the doors, as the
cold
draught from the stairway travelled into the rooms rapidly.

He then returned
saying

“Come quickly, before mother calls you for the chores
, you know she will call you soon.
”

I grabbed my coat from the hall peg and ran after him, a bit difficult with the dress to the floor.

As we reached the street, he turned
.

“Anna, take your apr
on off, quickly take it off now?

I ripped it off and stuffed it in my pocket and run after him. We went right
,
started walking, I was here in the st
reet this was amazing.

It must have been around the eighteen hundre
ds
,
eighteen fiftyish I reckon
by what they are wearing.

Top hats, the
women’s
dress
es to the floor, and they had
tiny umbrellas. Urchin kids everywhere, begging,

Women carried little bags on their arms, some had baskets filled with vegetables and bread.

The place stank, like smelly sewer
s. No one else seemed to notice, but I was reaching.

   
John did not notice me
peering at him as we walked, how did I know he was my brother?

Strange I thought but exciting never less
.

.
We reached Star Hill, was hard to cross the road, every time we stepped out a carriage roared by.

I call it a road more like a mud track. Only the buildings made
it look like a street.

We went round the corner, into Corporation Street. Into a building on the left, I just followed.

As we walked, my boots hurt
,
my feet were killing me
, squeezing my toes tight.

He told me to sit on the bench, so I slowly sat down. Next to me sat a woman, as she turned to me, she
glanced at me looking up and down. Then she
spoke

”Hello darling, what you ere for then”

As she spoke, I could n
ot but notice her teeth.

‘Boy do you need to see a dentist urgently’

Her teeth black, her face dirty looking, and her hair well, imagine rolling straw into a ball and sticking it on your head, well that is what she looked like.

Her clothing, shabby, dirty but she did have some nice earrings with necklace to match.
She wore dirty fingerless gloves, her nails filthy.

I answered her
.

“I’m not here for nothing, just waiting for my brother”

She then said putting her hand on mine.

“Don’t
trust anyone
ere, if you want my
advice, tell em nothink, nothink
at all”

I turned away from her, thinking she is a nutcase better ignore her.
She kept jumping around.

As I glance up, the cop on the desk, smiles at me, then he gives me a little wink. I turn away embarrassed, he must know who I am I thought.

At that moment John appears, smiling from ear to ear-carrying papers in his hand. He ushers me to follow him towards the door.

When we get outside,
he had excitement in his voice; he then
tells me he has been
,
promoted to a new job, patrolling the streets in the high street where we live. Strange I thought as that is what I thought he done anyway, but then he goes on to say, no more travelling to Canterbury and staying for weeks at a time.

Mother will be elated to hear the news.

I asked why he had been in Canterbury all the
time
and he said he always wanted to work the streets of Rochester, but unfortunately, to work there he needed
far more experience than he had, but n
ow his ready for the experience, his dream job at last.

At the hearing of this news, I was very proud of my new brother, so unlike
my other brother
Tom, John was a little rough around the edges
, where
as Tom was clean cut.

It then dawned on me
.

‘What the hell are you doing here? This is not your place, go home now’

John
told me to link arms with him and off we walked towards home. He was very
happy
after hearing this
news, m
ust have been waiting a long while.

I shared his smiles, as we walked and talked, him telling me of his plans. He then mentioned Isabella, must be his girl I thought.

She worked in a shop selling hats in Strood,
her
father also was a police officer in the London area, and John hoped to become engaged to her very soon. He also reminded me that was a secret between us as mother and father would not approve at this time, saying they were both so young.

I agreed it was our secret and I would not tell.

We arrived
home;
John whispered
,
blowing his fingers

“Remember our secret Anna
.
”

We entered
and
removed our coats
, as we did father called out.
“Is that you
,
John
my son
”
?

H
e
replied,
“Yes father,
I
will be just in to see you, have some news
”.

He grabbed my hand

“Come
Anna;
let’s
share the news with them both
.
”

They were both seated, father in his chair and mother crocheting on the sofa.

As we went in Mother rose to greet us, then sat as John
had told her to.

John then told them about the promotion.

Mother
s eyes lit up, she almost dived
off the sofa into his arms, almost teary. Father a bit slower also rose up and shook hands with his son.

It all seemed a bit too personal; to me they were not my real family, so I should leave them now to celebrate their news.

I felt a bit like an actor, playing a part in a film, pretending these people were my family, and they doing the same.

I left hurriedly
.

“I just need to go to the bathroom”

I shouted as I left the room, I glanced back, but John’s news had taken them by surprise, that they must have been
waiting for it for some time.

I was now
,
ignored.

CHAPTER SIX

A
s I got outside the door
,
I felt the locket in my hand and opened it quickly, returning to my time.

I was now standing outside my door, so I entered to make sure I was alone, which thankfully I was. The room was mine again.

I wondered how I knew that Anastasia had gone to buy fish, but brushed it aside in my mind, who knows, I said to myself. In addition, why did I call him father, he was not my dad, but it had come out so naturally.