A Rare Ruby (7 page)

‘You staying then, Ruby?’ asked Doris.

Ruby broke into a grin. ‘Looks like it.’

‘Good for you, girl. Who knows, she may even give yer a better job.’

‘D’you think she will?’

‘Dunno. Wouldn’t like ter say.’

 

On Saturday Ruby took the envelope Mrs Watson handed her.

‘I want you to carry on in the washroom on Monday.’

Ruby’s heart sank. She wanted another job, but knew she couldn’t argue.

Mrs Watson turned and walked away. ‘Have a nice weekend.’

Ruby quickly tore open the packet. Inside was a ten-shilling note. She wanted to sing out. She had got her first week’s wages. Ten shillings.

Even though it was cold and she had wet feet, Ruby was glowing while she waited outside for Elsie. ‘You look nice,’ said Ruby.

‘Always like to tart meself up a bit on me half-day. You look pleased with yourself. You staying?’

Ruby nodded.

‘Good for you. Where’re you going to be next week?’

‘I’ve still got to stay in the washroom, but I don’t mind. I got ten shillings.’

‘Well, I’ll say that for old Watson, I don’t think she’s twisted you. I told you that’s the best-paid job. Nearly everybody else is on piecework.’

‘Are you on piecework?’

‘Yes. I still only get about ten bob, the same as you; sometimes I can make a bit more, but not very often. It depends on what I have to handle. Sometimes I have to hold me nose the stuff is so rotten and stinky. There’re a dirty lot of buggers about. I think some of the old women in the ironing room get a bit more than that, especially those that iron the toffs’ shirts.’

Ruby looked at her wage packet. ‘I hope me mum’ll be pleased.’

‘She should be. You’ve worked bloody hard for it.’

‘I’m going to the market to get some new boots, can you come with me?’

‘Why not? I might get a better deal than you.’

They stepped over the horse dung and pressed themselves against the arch when the horse pulling the laundry van came racing through.

‘You should be more careful,’ yelled Elsie. ‘That’s Frank Stone, he’s one of the boss’s sons. You wonner watch him. He’s always after the girls. He’s even got some of them the sack.’

‘Why?’

‘Think he was worried some of ’em might blab about what he got up to. He’s married, you see.’

‘That ain’t fair.’

‘That’s life, love. His younger brother Ben ain’t so bad.’

‘You know everybody.’

‘I make it me business - you never know if it might come in useful some day.’ Elsie pointed to the horse and cart. ‘So don’t get involved with him. He thinks he owns the place.’

Ruby laughed.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘Well, he will own the place one day, won’t he?’

‘Oh, you. Come on, let’s be moving on.’ As always, Elsie tucked her arm through Ruby’s and they marched off together laughing.

 

Wandering round the market Ruby priced up the boots on the second-hand stall. The pair she wanted was two shillings. She didn’t want to spend that much on herself. After they had been back three times, Elsie had managed to get them down to one and six.

‘I’m going to wear them home.’ Ruby sat on the kerb and put them on. ‘Well, what d’you think?’ She paraded up and down in front of Elsie.

‘They look very nice.’

‘They’re a bit big, but at least they ain’t squashing the chilblains on me toes, and I might even grow into them.’

Elsie grinned. ‘You daft ’aporth.’

‘I feel so happy. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.’

Elsie looked embarrassed. ‘As I said, you’re daft. I ain’t done nothing.’

‘You got me the job and now the boots with a quarter knocked off. I’ll buy you a present next week.’

Elsie stood in front of her. ‘Now you listen to me. You look after your money, you work bloody hard for it.’

Ruby’s mouth turned down.

Elsie grinned. ‘Tell you what, you can buy me a Christmas present.’

‘But that’s weeks away.’

Elsie laughed. ‘You’ll have more time to save up and spend on me then. I’m only joking. As I said, you look after your money.’

Ruby was so happy. She couldn’t believe her good luck: to have found work
and
a friend. At the flower stall Ruby couldn’t resist buying her mother some flowers. As it was the end of the day, they had been reduced to tuppence. Ruby didn’t mind that some of the petals were falling off. ‘Me mum ain’t had flowers for a long while.’

‘Will she mind you wasting your money on things like that?’ asked Elsie.

‘I hadn’t thought of that.’ Suddenly Ruby felt guilty. She should have gone home first and given all the money to her mother. ‘I don’t think she’ll mind. After all, this is the first wages I’ve ever had.’

‘Didn’t your mum pay you?’

Ruby had told Elsie about how they struggled. ‘No, I couldn’t take money off her.’

 

Ruby walked in the kitchen with the flowers behind her back. Right away her mother said, ‘New boots?’

Ruby looked down. ‘You don’t mind, do you?’

A smile filled her mother’s face. ‘No, course not, love. You deserve ’em.’

‘I’ve bought you something.’ With a flurry Ruby brought the flowers out from behind her back. Some more of the petals had gone and there were quite a few stalks.

‘Oh Ruby. This is so kind. They’re lovely. I’ll put ’em in water. It’ll have to be in a milk jug - ain’t got any fancy vases now. So, how much wages did you get then?’

‘Ten shillings.’

‘Ten bob? That ain’t bad for a young girl.’

‘I only spent one and six on me boots, and the flowers were ever so cheap.’

‘Don’t look so worried. I ain’t gonner tell you off.’

‘I did need some boots, me others were . . .’

‘As I said, I don’t mind.’

‘You can have the rest.’

‘You just give me seven shillings. That’ll be like a King’s ransom. What with your money and Mrs Norton’s, looks as if we could be having a decent Christmas.’

Ruby felt her heart lift. She was at last contributing. She was going to keep one and fourpence for herself. She knew she would be able to help make their Christmas the best they’d had for many, many years. ‘I’ll be able to buy lots of Christmas presents,’ she said.

‘Now don’t you go wasting your money,’ said her mother.

‘But I want to. You’ll want a present, won’t you, Dad?’

Her father looked at her. ‘Christmas presents?’

‘I will,’ said Tom.

Ruby smiled at her brother, remembering her certainty a week ago that from now on things would only get better. She’d been right.

For the next two weeks Ruby was as happy as she could be working in the laundry’s washroom. The thing that kept her going, apart from the wages she was bringing home, was the fact that Beth Norton was now helping Tom do some of the delivering of the clean laundry, and collecting the dirty washing for her mother.

‘Mum, if Beth is charging you too much to go out with Tom, I can still do it, you know.’ Ruby was in the washhouse with her mother, busy sorting and peeling the potatoes she’d brought in the day before.

Her mother looked up, putting a strand of hair behind her ears. She smiled. ‘D’you know, she said she didn’t want paying.’

‘Why?’

‘Seems she’s quite happy taking the baby for a walk, and she said she might as well be doing something useful at the same time.’

‘Why’s she doing that?’

‘She said it was because she was so grateful we took her in.’

‘That’s nice of her.’

‘I know. At least it saves you a job. And she’s good with your father. He thinks the world of that baby.’

‘See. I told you it would be all right her living here.’

‘Yes, you did.’

Ruby smiled as she continued doing the potatoes. It was nice having Beth here. Perhaps next year, when the weather got better, they could go for a walk round the park or something. Danny was a nice little baby. But would Beth still be living there in the spring? ‘Mum, has Beth said when her husband might be home?’

‘No. In fact she don’t say anything about him.’

That evening, Ruby was sitting at the table with Tom making paper chains. They had a bowl of flour and water paste and were busy sticking the strips of coloured paper Ruby had cut up.

‘Look, Dad. Don’t they look pretty?’ Ruby held up the length of paper chains. ‘They’re for Christmas.’

He smiled and sat up. A faraway look came into his eyes. ‘I remember a Christmas a long while ago. Played football with the Germans, we did . . .’ There was a short silence. Then he added, ‘They killed me mate the next day,’ and slumped back into his chair and pulled his blanket tighter round his shoulders.

Ruby felt sad. It was the first time she’d heard him say that. She wanted to ask him more, but knew it wasn’t any good. He always clammed up if they spoke about the war, and only told them things out of the blue, like just now.

‘I’ll make a cup of tea,’ said Mary Jenkins, jumping up.

‘Beth should finish feeding Danny soon.’

‘I’ll do it,’ said Ruby.

‘No, you carry on helping Tom.’

Tom sat looking at his father, then turned to Ruby and said softly, ‘I miss going with you to get the washing.’

‘I can’t be in two places at once. ’Sides, you’re all right with Beth, ain’t you?’

‘Yes. But . . .’ He hesitated and looked at his father again, who now had his eyes closed. He then glanced at the washhouse door: his mother was out there making the tea. Beth was in the bedroom feeding her baby. ‘She don’t like going to the buildings.’

‘I’m not surprised. I shouldn’t think anyone likes going there.’

‘She leaves me to go up on me own. I’m frightened. I always think that Alfie Anderson’s gang’s gonner be round the corner.’

Ruby looked at her brother. He was clearly worried. ‘I’ll have a word with her.’

‘No, don’t. I don’t want her to think I’m a baby.’

Ruby grinned. ‘She won’t think that. She’ll understand. I think we’d better start putting these away for tonight, Mum’ll be in with the tea.’ Ruby gathered up the paper chains and put them in a box. ‘I think we’ve done enough.’

‘When we gonner put ’em up?’

‘I don’t know. I’ve got to get some drawing pins.’ Ruby sat back. ‘Cheer up, Tom. This Christmas is going to be the best we’ve had in years now we’ve got Beth’s money and me working. Mum’s even made a Christmas pudding. I think she put a thrupenny bit in it as well.’

‘I hope I get it.’

‘So do I. I’m just going out to the lav.’

Ruby shivered when she opened the door and the cold air hit her; she pulled her cardigan tighter round her. As she walked out into the yard she banged her feet on the concrete to discourage any mice or rats that were hanging about. The usual sounds came through the night air. A couple of cats were having a scrap and somebody’s dog was barking; she could hear a man shouting. The men round their way were always yelling, making the kids cry and the women shriek. Ruby pushed open the door. It was the spiders she hated most. They hung from the roof of the lav and sometimes in the dark she would walk into a cobweb. She would throw her arms about praying the spider wasn’t still on her. When it was dark she couldn’t even read the cut-up squares of newspaper that hung on the string. At night, when she knew Mr Cox was out, she always sat with the door wide open. She sat on her hands. It must be lovely to sit inside in a warm room that had a lav instead of having to rush in and out of the cold. She was quietly singing to herself when she heard the back door from the passage shut. Fear filled her; the family didn’t come through that door, they always used the door from the washhouse. Ruby shuddered when she heard Mr Cox clear his throat and spit. He stood in front of her, silhouetted against the light from the kitchen. Ruby was terrified as she leapt up from the pan.

‘You should shut the door, young lady.’

‘I thought you was out.’

‘I was.’ He laughed. ‘I’d love to be able to see your face. I bet you look like a startled rabbit. Here, let me help you.’ He went to move towards Ruby. ‘Your frock’s all bunched up.’

‘I’m all right,’ she said, scurrying away.

‘That Mr Cox came out,’ she said to her mother as she walked into the washhouse.

‘And I bet you didn’t shut the door.’

‘I thought he was out.’

‘You’re getting to be a big girl now, Ruby, you can’t sit there with the door open. Tell Tom that as soon as Beth’s finished feeding Danny, he’d better go to bed.’

Ruby went back into the kitchen as Beth walked in. ‘Well, that’s got him down for the night. They look interesting.’ She peered into the box of paper chains. ‘I used to love Christmas.’

‘You’ve never told us where you used to live,’ said Ruby.

‘I thought you knew I was with the Manns.’

‘No, before that.’

‘If I told you, you wouldn’t be any the wiser.’

Mrs Jenkins came into the kitchen. ‘Beth, if you want to wash the baby’s nappies out now, I’ve finished in the sink.’

‘Thanks.’

Ruby watched her leave. ‘Seems strange she’s been here a few weeks now, but she’s not had any letters from her husband. D’you think the Manns will send them on?’

‘Of course. She may even go round there to pick them up. She don’t have to tell us all about her private life.’

‘I’d just like to know a bit more about her.’

‘Why?’

Ruby shrugged.

‘It’s this going to work that has started to put strange ideas in your head. What sort of women work there?’

‘They’re all right.’

‘Well, all the time Beth helps out, I’m happy. And she’s good for your father, the way she sits and talks to him. I tell you I’ve seen a big change in him since her and Danny arrived, so don’t you go upsetting the boat.’