Women on the Home Front (39 page)

He rose to his feet, yawned, stretched lazily and she noticed that he was getting quite a few grey hairs around his muzzle. He was nine years old, much more than that in doggie years. She watched him turn around and walk ahead of her to the front door where he waited. When she got to him, Connie reached down and patted his side before ringing the doorbell. ‘Silly old dog,' she said softly.

As the door opened and her mother stood on the step, Pip came to life, panting and jumping in the small porchway like a thing demented. ‘Connie!' Gwen laughed as Pip's joyful barks obviously delighted her. ‘What a wonderful homecoming Pip is giving you.'

‘Warm welcome my eye,' Connie laughed. ‘He hasn't even come to my call. He's doing all that jumping about for your benefit.'

Her mother smiled uncertainly. ‘Well, come on in, darling, let me look at you. I like your new hair.'

‘They're called Victory curls,' said Connie patting the back of her head. ‘I have to curl them up with Kirby grips every night and wear a scarf in bed but I think it looks quite nice.'

‘It certainly does,' her mother enthused.

Gwen Craig was small with high cheekbones and an oval face. Her hair was still dark but Connie could see a few grey hairs and she had tired eyes. It alarmed her to see that her mother had lost weight. Her clothes positively hung on her. Gwen had married Connie's father Jim Dixon in 1919 when she was only eighteen and bore him two children, Kenneth, now twenty-three, and Connie aged twenty-one. 1936 was an eventful year. First she'd had Pip, then soon after their father had died after a long illness, and Kenneth had left home abruptly. Her father's illness had sapped them of all their money and because they were living in a tithed cottage, Gwen and Connie would have been homeless if Ga hadn't come to the rescue. In exchange for housework, Gwen and Connie moved in with her in her small cottage in the same village. A couple of years later, and much to Connie's surprise, Gwen had married Clifford Craig, a man she had thought was only a nodding acquaintance. Their union had produced Mandy now aged six and the exact image of her mother. Gwen held out her arms and, dropping her case on the mat, Connie went to her.

Behind her, a commanding voice boomed out of the sitting room. ‘Gwen? Is that Constance?'

Connie grinned and ignoring her great aunt's calls, she deliberately stayed in her mother's warm embrace for several more minutes. ‘It's sooo good to see you, Mum.'

‘And you too,' said Gwen. ‘Where's Emmett? I half expected him to be with you.'

Connie shook her head. ‘I'm not with him anymore, Mum.'

Her mother looked concerned.

‘It's all right,' Connie said quickly. ‘It wasn't very serious and we lost touch soon after VE Day.'

‘I'm sorry,' said Gwen shaking her head sadly. ‘I thought he seemed like a good man.'

Connie couldn't argue with that. She had wanted Emmett to get in touch again but it never happened. She had eventually written to his last known address only to have her letter returned to her unopened. Someone had written in the top left-hand corner, ‘Unknown at this address'. Connie had been upset, of course, but what could she do? She had cried. She had gone over and over their last date in her mind, Saturday night at the pictures followed by a fish and chip supper on a park bench, but there was nothing to say why he hadn't contacted her again. Maybe his mother had taken a turn for the worse, or, perish the thought, maybe she had died. Connie had no idea where she lived so there was little point in fretting about it. ‘Well, it's all over now,' she said again.

‘If that's you, Constance,' Ga called imperiously, ‘come in here where I can see you.'

Gwen kissed her daughter and let her go, the two of them rolling their eyes in sympathetic unison.

‘Come on,' her mother smiled, ‘or we'll never hear the last of it.'

Connie advanced but her mother caught her arm. ‘Shoes.'

Connie bent to unlace her shoes. Pip watched her and Connie patted his side again.

‘You certainly fooled Mum,' she whispered, ‘but you don't fool me. We'll go for a walk later, okay?' Ignoring her, the dog yawned in a bored way and sauntered towards the kitchen where he flopped into his basket.

‘Hello Ga,' Connie said cheerfully as she walked into the sitting room.

‘What took you so long?' said Ga, feigning her disapproval. ‘And what were you whispering about out there?'

‘Mum was asking me about Emmett, that's all,' said Connie, ‘and I was explaining that it's all off.'

Connie kissed her proffered cheek. ‘I can't say I'm sorry,' she said into Connie's neck. ‘I didn't really take to him.'

Olive Dixon was a formidable woman. She was solidly built with spade-like hands from working the small market garden, which brought in the lion's share of the family income. Unlike most women of her age, her sunburnt face was relatively free of wrinkles and she wore her steel grey hair piled on the top of her head in a flat squashed bun.

‘What the devil have you done to your hair?' she frowned.

‘Don't you like it?' said Connie.

‘Indeed I do not,' said Ga. ‘With all those silly curls you look like something out of a Greek tragedy.'

Connie chose to ignore her. Usually when Olive said jump, everybody said, how high. Ever since Gwen and Connie had come to live with her after Jim Dixon died, she had quickly established herself as the undoubted head of the family. When Clifford and Gwen married in 1938, he had tried to exert his authority, but at a mere five feet, Olive towered over everybody by the sheer force of her personality. They had moved from Patching to Goring to make a completely new start but because Ga had bought the Belvedere Nurseries and the house they all lived in, Gwen and Clifford were expected to run everything, while she remained firmly in charge.

‘I'll get the tea,' said Gwen, leaving the room.

Ga was sitting at her beloved writing bureau and Connie noticed for the first time that her right leg was raised up on a pouf. Her knee was very swollen.

‘Ouch, that looks painful,' said Connie reaching out.

‘Don't touch it!' Olive cried. ‘I'm waiting for Peninnah Cooper.'

Connie took in her breath. ‘The gypsies are here?'

‘They turned up about a week ago,' said Olive. ‘Reuben parked the caravan down by the lay-by near the field.'

‘And Kez?'

Ga pursed her lips. ‘I never did understand why you wanted to hang around with that ignorant girl. Yes, she's here too. She's married now, with children.'

Connie was thrilled. She couldn't wait to see her old childhood friend. Kez a wife and mother … Imagine that …

The gypsies had been a part of her life as far back as she could remember. When the family lived at Patching, they had turned up at different times of year to work in the fields.

The Roma like Kez and Peninnah had no time for other travellers like the fairground showman, the circus performer or the Irish tinkers, because they felt they had given them a bad name. The Roma were in a class of their own. Normally they didn't even mix socially with Gorgias, a name they gave all house dwellers, which is what made Kez and Connie's friendship all the more unusual. They had met as children during the short periods of time that Kez went to Connie's school. Because Kezia's parents always kept to the familiar patterns, Connie would wait in the lane in early May when the bluebells came out in profusion in the local woods. Kezia and her family would pick them by the basketful, tie them into bunches held together by the thick leaves and hawk them around Worthing. Connie was allowed to help with the picking and tying but her father drew the line at selling what God had given to the world for free. It was always a bad time when the season was over, but Kez would be back in the autumn to harvest in the local apple orchards.

Everything changed in 1938. Kezia's mother had died, old before her time. Then there was that business with Kenneth, after which Connie's mother married Clifford and they had moved to Goring.

‘Why is Pen coming?' Connie asked.

‘She's bringing a couple of bees.'

Connie raised an eyebrow. ‘A couple of bees?'

‘For my knee,' said Olive impatiently. Ga feigned disapproval of the gypsies until it suited her to call upon them.

Peninnah Cooper, Kez's grandmother, was well known for her country cures and many people swore by them. They may have been part of a bygone era but funnily enough, Pen's ‘cures' often worked. All the same, Connie couldn't imagine how bringing some bees could help Olive's bad leg.

She heard the sound of tinkling cups and her mother came in with the tea trolley. Connie took off her coat and sat down. Teatime in the Dixon household was always a cosy affair and today her mother had tried to make it a bit special. She had got out the willow pattern tea service and the silver spoons Ga had kept in the top drawer. Connie appreciated her mother's effort. ‘Thanks Mum,' she smiled.

Whenever she was homesick, Connie used to picture this little ritual. Gwen put the tea strainer over the cup and poured the tea. When the first cup was full, Connie handed it to Ga.

‘So,' said Olive, ‘now that you're finally out of it, we'll be glad of your help in the nursery.'

Connie winced. She had stayed on in the WAAFs for an extra couple of weeks because there had been a lot to do in the aftermath of the war. As well as doing her usual general office duties, her work had mainly been making sure that war-damaged RAF personnel were being followed up and getting help from the right channels. Not that there was a lot she could do. Most men were simply discharged and left to get on with it, something which left her with a yearning to do something constructive with her life.

‘Actually,' said Connie taking a deep breath, ‘I've made some plans of my own. I've decided that I want to be a nurse.'

She knew they'd be surprised but Gwen almost dropped her teacup and Ga's mouth fell open. ‘A nurse?' she said in a measured tone. ‘Do you think you have the stomach for it?'

‘I've toughened up a lot because of the war,' said Connie.

‘We really need another pair of hands on the smallholding,' said Ga, glancing at Connie's mother.

‘We'll manage,' Gwen smiled.

‘Manage?' Ga challenged. ‘It's hard enough to cope now. Your mother and I are not getting any younger and we'll need every pair of hands we can get.'

The nurseries weren't large by the standards of other nurseries in the area. They grew seedlings and vegetables and her mother kept hens for the eggs. There were a couple of stretches of waste ground which had never been developed but there was plenty of work to be done. Connie knew that if she stayed at home she would be expected to work in the small lean-to shop attached to the side of the house or in the greenhouse. She didn't mind helping out, but she certainly didn't want to do it for the rest of her life and besides, she wasn't sure the nursery could support so many people.

Connie sipped her tea. She'd always known it would be a bit of a job persuading Ga and her mother that she wanted a career of her own. She wasn't afraid to go ahead with or without their blessing, although she would much prefer them to be happy to let her go. She was determined to stand her ground, come what may. She was nearly twenty-two for heaven's sake. The war had changed everything. Girls had more opportunities than they'd ever had before, and besides, now that Emmett was out of the picture what else was there? She didn't want to leave it any longer. The training took four years. By the time she'd finished, she would be twenty-six … quite old really. Ga's reaction was predictable but it took Connie by surprise that her mother didn't put up more of a fight.

Pip barked.

‘That'll be Mandy, home from school,' said Gwen as the dog hurried outside. Connie's younger sister Mandy had been at infants' school for about a year. ‘Mrs Bawden, next door, and I take it in turns to take Mandy and Joan to school. It's her turn this week.'

Connie stood up as Mandy burst through the door and threw herself into her arms. ‘Connie, Connie!' Laughing, Connie twirled Mandy around in a circle.

‘How many times do I have to tell you, Mandy?' Olive grumbled petulantly. ‘No outdoor shoes in the house.'

Connie let her go and Mandy slid to the floor. Obediently the little girl retraced her steps to the back door and took off her shoes, placing them next to the umbrella stand. Connie caught her breath. With her hair in plaits and wearing a grey pinafore and white blouse her little sister looked so grown up.

A couple of minutes later, Pen Cooper knocked on the door and stepped into the house. She had a jam jar in her hand. Inside the jar, an angry bee knocked itself against the glass. Pen was not only a gypsy but she was also a bit of an eccentric. She wore a long flowing dress and plenty of beads. She had make-up too, which was unusual for a traveller. Thickly layered powder and some kohl around her pale mischievous eyes. When she saw Connie she stopped and held out her arms. ‘'Tis good to see ye.'

‘It's good to see you too, Pen,' Connie smiled. ‘I'll come up later and see Kez if that's all right.'

‘You knows it is,' Pen beamed, ‘and welcome.' She turned her attention to Olive. ‘Now, are you ready, dear?'

‘As ready as I'll ever be,' said Olive. ‘It's killing me and
someone's
got to get the ground ready for the calabrese and winter cabbages.'

Connie saw her mother's back stiffen.

‘Yoohoo.' They heard another voice call from the front door and Aunt Aggie came into the room. Aunt Aggie wasn't really a relation but she was Ga's oldest friend. A rather prim woman, Aggie never had a hair out of place. She always seemed to be dressed in her Sunday best and today was no exception. She wore a yellow floral dress, white peep-toe shoes, newly whitened, and she carried a white handbag. She and Olive had been friends since they were at school together. Peeling off her white crochet gloves, Aggie offered Connie a cold cheek to kiss. ‘How nice to have you home again.'