A Moment to Remember (17 page)

‘You can kip in ’ere with Bert, Iris and Rosie.’

Milly shuddered at the thought of lying on that. ‘What about you and the baby?’

‘We’re in Dad’s room.’

‘Why can’t you sleep in here with the others?’

‘Cos Dad likes Freddie in with him. And Freddie needs feeding in the night so I ’ave ter do it. ’Sides, it’s nice being in a proper bed.’

‘I would have thought that Dad would have preferred to be on his own.’

‘Well he don’t, and you know what ’e was like with Helen.’

‘He’s been like that with all the babies, then as soon as they start to toddle he don’t want to know.’

‘Fink that was because there was always annuver on the way.’

‘I would rather be on my own in the kitchen if you don’t mind.’

‘Please yerself. There ain’t any bedding ter spare, but it’s warm in there. You’ll have ter kip on the chair and make do with yer coat.’

‘That’s all right.’ Milly wanted to be on her own. Tomorrow she would go and look for a job. If she was going to stay here, she needed to be out all day.

In the night it was very quiet in the house and Milly sat thinking about the Greens and Betty. How she wished she could turn the clock back to when Jane was still alive and they were laughing together, but then she would see Jane struggling under that blanket, a picture that would haunt her for the rest of her days. Why didn’t I take the damn cover away? she asked herself over and over again. But she knew why. Jane would never let her do that in public, as she hated anyone to see her thin white legs. Although her long dresses hid her legs, her stockings always hung in wrinkles, and no matter how she tried to keep them up, they always slipped down to her ankles. Poor Jane. Milly shifted about in the chair and let her thoughts go to the good times, and how wonderful her life had been. Then there was Richard. She loved him. Could she ever love anyone else? She whispered a prayer. ‘Please God, look after Jane and my mum.’ She hadn’t really been surprised when Pammy told her their mother had died; she had been exhausted for years. After baby Helen was born, the woman who had brought her into the world told Ivy not to have any more children as it could kill her, but women didn’t tell their husbands what to do. Milly thought about her father. He was a strange person. Fancy wanting Pammy and little Freddie in with him.

Milly screamed as she tried to pull the blanket away from her face. She was drowning and fighting for breath. She sat up quickly. Where was she? Daylight was just beginning to come through the window, and as she looked around her she remembered what had happened and why she was here. She began to cry. ‘Jane,’ she whispered. ‘Jane. What did I do to you?’ She sat for a moment thinking again of all that had happened. She knew that those memories were going to haunt her for the rest of her life. She got up. Today she had to find a job.

She was in the scullery washing herself when her father walked in. She hurriedly pulled the small piece of towelling close to hide herself.

‘What yer doing standing there showing yerself orf?’

‘I’m having a wash.’

‘Why’s that? Think yer dirty just cos yer slept ’ere?’

‘No. I always wash in the mornings.’ Milly wished she was in that wonderful bathroom.

‘Not in this house yer don’t. Now get out the way and make me a cuppa.’

‘I’m waiting for the kettle to boil.’ Milly had remembered that the kettle was always left overnight on the low fire for tea in the mornings, but had thought it was too early for her father to be up and so had used it to wash with.

He came towards her. ‘You used the water to ’ave a wash?’

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be up just yet.’

‘Well yer thought wrong, didn’t yer? Me tea comes first in this house, so remember that if yer gonna stay.’

Milly quickly gathered her clothes and hurried outside to the lav to get dressed. Back in the kitchen she stood in front of the mottled piece of mirror that even after all this time was still wedged up on the mantelpiece. She combed her hair and arranged her hat, then picked up her bag and left.

As she closed the door she wondered what today would bring forth. She just hoped she could get a job so that she could bring some money into this sad household.

 

Today being Friday, everywhere was busy with women doing their shopping. All morning Milly had been walking along the familiar streets, pushing her way through the crowds at the market, looking at the shopkeepers standing in their doorways hoping to attract customers with their wares. The market traders tried to tempt people to part with their money, the smell of rotting fruit and veg mixed with horse dung filled the air, and the stallholders shouted at kids as they tried to pinch their goods. Nothing had changed. Passing the organ grinder, who was rolling out his tinny tunes, Milly went into a couple of the shops, asking if there were any jobs, but was a shop a wise place for her to work? She pulled her brown felt hat down over her eyes. What if someone recognised her? She could finish up in prison. She decided that shop work was not for her.

After walking the streets for what seemed like hours, the smells coming from the food factories and cafés made her stomach churn with hunger. She was parched, too. After her father had come into the scullery this morning, she hadn’t even stayed long enough to have a cup of tea. She went into a café and sat at a table away from the window. She looked in her purse; she knew she had to be careful with money. She had all the money she had saved while she was living with the Greens. She hadn’t had anything to spend it on there, only the odd ice cream when she was out with Jane, or presents at Christmas and Jane’s birthday. Those days were over now.

‘You all right, love?’ asked the waitress, coming over to her.

‘Yes thanks.’ She wiped away a tear that had trickled down her cheek. ‘Can I have a cup of tea, please?

‘Course.’

A few minutes later the girl was back. Putting the tea on the table she said, ‘This should buck you up.’

‘Thanks.’ Milly gave her a smile.

The young girl went about her business and Milly sat drinking her tea very slowly. What could she do? Could she wait on tables? No, that would bring her face to face with the public. Had the accident been in the papers? She bent her head. Would the girl know of any jobs going round here? ‘Excuse me, miss,’ she called.

‘Another cuppa?’

‘No thank you. I was wondering. You don’t happen to know if there are any vacancies for young women round here at all?’

‘Not really. What can you do?’

‘Anything.’

‘Well, there’s the biscuit place round the corner. They always seem to be looking for people.’

A smile lifted Milly’s sad face. ‘Thank you. I’ll go round and enquire.’

‘You do talk ever so nice and they might want somebody. Some of ’em who work there come in here at lunchtime. They seem a nice bunch of girls, and there’s some blokes with ’em as well, but that’s all I can tell you.’ She looked round when another customer called her. ‘Coming,’ she called and turned away.

When Milly had left home this morning, she had thought about getting a job in the shirt factory nearby, but decided against that in case someone recognised her. This factory would be different. It was further away from home, so nobody would know her. She gathered her bag to her, and thanking the girl, left and walked round the corner.

There were plenty of impressive-looking buildings around; some were very old and beautiful, with carving and fancy stonework and chimneys belching black smoke. She felt a little bit happier than she had felt for days. This could be where she would find work. She stood watching and noted people going in and out, and they weren’t all workmen. Getting closer, she could see a board announcing that they wanted girls. Should she go in? After a while she pushed open the door. They could only say no, she decided.

The lady sitting behind the desk looked up as Milly walked in. ‘Yes?’ she asked.

‘I was wondering if you have any vacancies.’

The woman leafed through a book. ‘Have a seat and I’ll get someone to take you round to the factory.’

Milly noted that the woman had sharp features and greying hair pulled back into a bun. As she moved over to a switchboard, Milly admired her white blouse with big leg-of-mutton sleeves, and the waist of her navy blue skirt held in with a wide belt. She looked very elegant. After putting some plugs into the board, she asked for a Mr Forest to come to the office.

‘Could I have your name?’ she said to Milly.

Milly froze. Should she use her real name? What if the police come looking for her? She panicked ‘Millicent Rose.’ It was all she could think of.

‘Have you worked in a factory before?’ the woman asked.

‘No.’

‘Do you think you’ll like it?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Where were you before?’

‘I was a nanny.’

‘You speak very nice, and that makes a change.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Have you had some education?’

Milly was getting embarrassed with all these questions. ‘Yes, I have.’

‘That could be interesting.’ The woman looked up as a tall man wearing brown overalls came in. ‘Mr Forest, Miss Rose here would like a job.’

‘Right. Come with me and we’ll see what you can do.’

 

The sickly smell in the factory was almost as bad as the noise.

‘You’ll get used to the stench, and the racket. We’ll go along to the packing room. It’s not so bad in there.’

Milly followed him.

The large room they entered was quieter. The row of women standing next to a long moving table were busy packing tins of biscuits into cardboard boxes. They all looked very bored.

‘Sometimes it’s tins and sometimes it’s packets; it depends where they have to be shipped to.’

Milly could see by his expression as Mr Forest smiled and nodded to the girls that he really loved his job.

They slowly made their way along the long table. As they passed the row of girls and women, Mr Forest acknowledged them all with a word or two.

Milly was fascinated. As soon as the cardboard boxes were full, the girls expertly folded the tops down. Young men took the boxes away and piled them up, and empty ones were put in their place.

‘What did you do before?’ Mr Forest asked Milly.

‘I was a nanny.’

‘Can see you’re well dressed. What made you leave?’

‘The family was moving abroad and the little girl was getting too old for a nanny.’ Milly was surprised at how easy it was to lie.

‘Do you live near here?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s good. Come back to the office with me and I’ll get Miss Toms to take down your particulars.’

‘Thank you. Have I got a job?’

‘Can’t see why not.’

‘Where will I be working?’ She was hoping it would be in the quiet packing place.

‘Not up ter me.’

Miss Toms smiled when they walked back in. ‘Well, will she do?’ she asked Mr Forest.

‘Only time will tell.’ He turned to Milly. ‘We have a good relationship with our workers. Mind you, we don’t stand for any larking about.’

‘Take a seat, Miss Rose, and I’ll take down your particulars.’ Miss Toms smiled at Mr Forest. ‘That’ll be all for now.’

He turned and walked away. ‘Could be seeing you later then?’

Milly smiled too.

‘Could you give me the name and address of your previous employer?’ asked Miss Toms.

Milly was stunned. She hadn’t thought about that. ‘They’ve gone abroad,’ she said hastily. She thought that Miss Toms was eyeing her very suspiciously.

‘Do you think you will be happy here?’ Miss Toms was busy writing.

‘Yes. Yes, I’m sure I will.’

‘Good. Now we expect you to be here at eight o’clock. Can you start on Monday?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s good. You get five shillings a week to start with, then after a month, and if you’re satisfactory, your wages will go up to seven and six. We keep a week’s wages in hand and you will be on trial for a month.’

Milly went to stand up.

Miss Toms continued. ‘We also expect you to look clean and smart at all times.’

‘I understand.’

A slight smile lifted Miss Toms’ face. ‘That’s all for now. You come in through the factory gates, which are round the corner.’

‘Thank you.’

‘We will see you on Monday.’

Outside, Milly wanted to jump for joy. She had a job; she was going to get five shillings now and then seven and six. It sounded like a fortune. She didn’t have to stay in that house all day, and now that she was Milly Rose, nobody would recognise her. She couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in two days.

A
S MILLY WALKED home, her mind was turning over and over. She knew that she had to be very careful with her money, but for the first time in her life she was going out to work and getting paid. She remembered the nights she and her mother had sat sewing buttons on shirts for just a few pence. That was a lifetime away, and now her mother has gone. All the while she was living at Jane’s, her own family had hardly filled her mind. She had been so selfish, and she had never even thought that she would come back and live in Winter Street again.