One Rainy Day (53 page)

‘I bet he’s not as nervous as me.’ Poppy had a habit of pulling one of her golden curls and watching it spring back. She was doing it now, until her mother slapped her hand. ‘I can’t help it, Mam, but I will give myself a good talking to on the bus going into town. Or I’ll hum a happy tune. Anything to keep my mind occupied.’

Eva tutted. ‘I’ve never seen you so nervous since the first day I took you to school when you were five. I had hold of your hand and had to push you through the gates. You had me so worried, I went back to the school halfway through the morning, only to find it was playtime, and you were running and skipping with all the other children, as happy as could be. You were having the time of your life. And today will be like
that day. After an hour, you’ll be asking yourself what you were worried for.’

Poppy managed to put a smile on her face. ‘I’ll go to work like a little lamb, if you’ll come with me and hold my hand.’

‘You’re a young lady now, with a very important position, so just remember that. And yer can also remember how yer felt about learning shorthand. You never thought you’d get your head round it, but you did. And I’ll bet you any money you’ll come in tonight from work with a smile on your face as wide as the River Mersey.’

‘Oh, I’ll do that, Mam, even if I’m a nervous wreck inside. I’ll be smiling because I’ve got through the first day all in one piece.’

‘Come on, put yer coat on and we’ll walk up the street together.’ Eva patted her daughter’s cheek. ‘You’ll be fine, sweetheart.’

Mother and daughter linked arms and walked to the top of the street, where they parted company to go their separate ways. Poppy reached the stop just as the bus ground to a halt, and she hopped on board. At least she wouldn’t be late on her first day.

The conductor was on the platform, chatting to the driver, and Poppy paid her fare before walking down the aisle seeking an empty seat, so she could sit by a window. She thought if she gazed out on the passing scenery, it would take her mind off the day ahead. However, she had her mind taken off the scenery, and the ordeal ahead, when a woman came and sat down beside her, complaining loudly about the lazy, ill-mannered conductor. Groaning inside, Poppy forced a smile in reply. And this was her undoing, for the woman didn’t stop at the conductor. In fact she didn’t stop talking at all, not even to take a breath. Her neighbours were so noisy she couldn’t
hear herself think. They had the radio on so loud, it was affecting her hearing. The rowdy family had no consideration for anyone.

By this time everyone on the bus was listening, and Poppy could see them cocking their ears in case they missed anything, then putting hands over their mouths to silence their titters. The woman’s next target was her landlord. He should be made to paint all the houses in the street which he owned, because they were a disgrace. He was quick enough to take the rent money every week, oh, yes, but too mean to spend a penny keeping the houses looking neat and tidy.

When Poppy looked out of the window, she saw the next stop was hers, and she stood up. ‘Excuse me, please,’ she said. But the woman took no notice, still rambling on. The target of her complaints this time was the manager of the local shop. While Poppy sympathized with the poor man, she had no intention of allowing the woman to make her late for work. Not on this day of all days. ‘Would you let me pass, please?’ Poppy could see her office building looming up and squeezed past the woman, who still hadn’t once stopped for breath.

The conductor was just about to ring the bell to tell the driver it was clear to move on, when Poppy caught his eye. ‘Yer nearly left it too late, love.’

On the pavement, Poppy let out a sigh of relief. Another couple of seconds and she’d have been on her way down to the bus depot at the Pier Head. She happened to glance up at the bus as it was moving away, and a smile came to her face when she saw the woman moving to sit by another lady, her mouth still working. She pitied the poor unfortunate victim, but one good thing had come out of the episode for Poppy. She wasn’t nervous any more. And surprisingly, she didn’t have an earache, either.

Poppy mounted the steps, and the only time she felt her tummy turn over was when she was passing her old office. In her mind’s eye, she could see Mr John’s face, and he was sneering. But she rubbed the image from her mind as she climbed the steps. She wasn’t going to let him spoil the day for her. He wasn’t worth it.

When Poppy opened the door of the room that was to be her office, she was met by a smiling Mr Hammond, and she could feel a difference in the atmosphere. There was no tension, just a smiling welcome. And she knew then she was going to enjoy working there.

‘Good morning, Miss Meadows.’ Cecil thought that just the sight of the new secretary’s face was enough to brighten any day. ‘I think we should take things slowly today, at an easy pace. Just until you get used to the routine running of the office. I know you are used to the filing system, so we won’t touch on that today. You can hang your coat in the room next door, which will be your office. There is a typist in there who will share the office with you, and I will introduce her to you when we’ve had a little chat.’

Poppy lifted the arm she’d draped her coat over. ‘Hang coat first, Mr Hammond, or little chat first?’

Cecil Hammond smiled. ‘Good question, Miss Meadows. I think coat first, and I can then introduce you to your colleague, Miss Simpson.’ He came from behind the desk. ‘Come with me.’

There was interest in Lorna Simpson’s eyes when the door opened, for she was eager to know whom she’d be working with. She left her desk to take Poppy’s coat. ‘Let me hang it up for you.’ Then she held out her hand. ‘Lorna Simpson, and I believe we’ll be working together.’

Poppy shook her hand. ‘Poppy Meadows.’ She instinctively
knew she would get on with her new colleague. She seemed friendly, was smartly dressed, and at a guess was about ten years Poppy’s senior. ‘I’ll be looking to you for help in the first few weeks, but I’ll try not to be a nuisance.’

Lorna smiled. ‘I’m always here if you need assistance.’

Cecil Hammond turned towards his office. ‘I’m going through the morning routine with Miss Meadows. Would you collect the morning post, Miss Simpsom, and bring it to my office? Then, if you have time, a cup of tea would be much appreciated.’

Lorna nodded. ‘Do you take sugar, Miss Meadows?’

‘One spoonful, please.’

The next hour passed over smoothly, with Mr Hammond explaining that each morning Miss Simpsom would bring the post into Mr Sutherland’s office, and it would be opened by himself, or Poppy when she’d had time to settle in. The letters would then be left on the desk in a neat pile, until Mr Sutherland arrived. He would read the letters through before dictating the replies. Then he would read the typed replies before signing them and handing them over to be put into envelopes and taken downstairs to the post room.

It was turned ten o’clock when Mr Sutherland came in, and Cecil vacated the chair to allow his friend and boss to sit behind his desk, with the correspondence laid out ready for him to read. ‘I’ll leave you with Miss Meadows, John, and I’ll be next door in the filing room.’ Cecil added, ‘Give me a call if you need me.’

Mr S. sat back in his chair with a letter in his hand which he’d taken off the top of the pile. As his eyes were scanning the lines, he asked, ‘Do you think you’ll enjoy working here, Miss Meadows?’

‘If I didn’t, I’d be a very hard person to please, Mr S., for
Mr Hammond and Miss Simpson have been very kind, friendly and helpful.’

He picked up a second letter and read it through. ‘These two letters need an immediate reply, so are you ready to take dictation?’

Poppy lifted the pad that had been on her knee for ages, and from her mass of curls she produced a pencil from behind her ear. ‘Ready, willing and able.’ She chuckled. ‘Well, I’m ready and willing. But the big question is, am I able?’

Both Cecil Hammond and Lorna Simpson heard the hearty laugh. And because they were both very fond of the older Mr Sutherland, they smiled.

Poppy might have sounded light-hearted and confident on the outside, but inside she wasn’t so sure of herself. She was praying she could keep up with him, and wouldn’t have to keep asking him to repeat himself, or slow down. But her fears were groundless, for Mr S. spoke slowly and clearly, and her confidence was soon restored. In fact she was doing so well, she dared to say, ‘You don’t have to make allowances for me being new, Mr S. I’m having no problem keeping up with you.’

The lined face broke into a smile. ‘I’m always slow at the start of the day, my dear. And at my age I’m allowed that. The only time you will hear me growl is if a letter from a client annoys me. Then you will see me come to life, and my dictation will be somewhat faster.’

‘I’ll still keep up with you.’ Then Poppy had a thought. And because he seemed to have a sense of humour, she decided to share the thought with him. ‘However, it has just crossed my mind that if one letter can make you angry enough to dictate at speed, then what about when you have two such letters? I must remember to have an extra pencil within easy reach, sharpened and at the ready.’

‘That will not be necessary, Miss Meadows, for I have mellowed a lot over the last few years, and I rarely lose my temper.’

Poppy settled into the routine easily, and several times she thought how lucky she was to have been given this job. Mr Sutherland was easy to work for, and a perfect gentleman. A far cry from his son. There were no orders snapped at her, no leering eyes, no touching of hands. In this office there was peace, perfect peace. And it was run like clockwork. Poppy finished taking dictation, typed out the replies to the letters, and gave them to Mr S. to read and sign. Then they were passed over to Lorna Simpson, who addressed the envelopes and made sure the letters caught the lunchtime post. And it was all done in a pleasant atmosphere, without a voice raised in anger.

When Poppy was putting her coat on at lunchtime, she was feeling very happy. She couldn’t wait to tell Charlotte – and Jean, if she could join them – how lucky she felt. And, of course, she wanted to know how Jean had fared on the first morning of her new job.

Poppy’s feet had barely touched the pavement when she was smothered by Charlotte’s arms wrapped round her neck. ‘Oh, Poppy, I’ve been thinking about you all weekend. Do you like your new job? Were they kind to you?’

Her voice muffled, but her heart singing with happiness, Poppy said, ‘If you’ll give me room to breathe, sweetheart, I’ll tell you.’

Charlotte linked her arm and squeezed. ‘It seems ages since I saw you, Poppy, and I have missed you, even though it’s only been two days. But I can see you every day now and we can have lunch together. Jean is meeting us in the café, and
I’ve had strict instructions that I am not to ask you any questions about your job until she’s with us. She doesn’t want to miss one word.’

‘And I’m eager to know how she got on,’ Poppy said, as they walked towards the café. ‘I’ve got so much to tell you both, and then we’ve got Jean’s news to listen to, so it’s going to be a busy lunch hour. We’ll have so much to talk about, we’ll have no time to eat.’

‘You must eat something, or you’ll make yourself ill.’ Charlotte nodded in agreement with her words. Then she thought she’d better put into action the plan she’d drawn up that morning. It wasn’t something she wanted Jean to hear. ‘Andrew and I are going to drive you home tonight, as a little celebration of your new job. We’ll drop you at the corner of your street again, so don’t worry about your mother not being prepared for visitors. Then on the way, you can tell Andrew how your day has gone, for he will be interested. Will you come up to our office when you finish work? It’s very difficult to park outside your office, with it being such a busy street.’

Poppy nodded before pushing open the café door. ‘Thank you. It’s kind of you, and I do appreciate it. Don’t mention it in front of Jean, though, ’cos I’d feel embarrassed. And it had better be the last time, or I’m going to be spoiled for getting on a crowded bus.’

Jean got up from where she was sitting at a table for three, and the two women, who had worked together for several years in an office where the atmosphere was always tense, smiled before holding out their arms and hugging each other.

‘I can tell by your face you’ve hopped in as lucky as me,’ Jean said, looking relaxed and years younger. ‘I still can’t believe how quickly it’s all happened.’

‘You two sit down and I’ll go to the counter and order,’ Charlotte said. ‘Soup as usual, with bread, and a cream cake to follow by way of a small celebration.’

It was a noisy lunch, with Poppy and Jean telling excitedly of the difference in their new jobs from working for Mr John. And they both agreed they were stupid to put up with his temper and rudeness for so long. They should have had the courage to walk out long ago. ‘Yes, we should,’ Poppy said, ‘but in this case it’s all well that ends well. We could have found other jobs, I suppose, but I’m sure I’d never have found a nicer boss than Mr Sutherland Senior. He is quiet and gentle, but can be businesslike when he feels like it. I get on with him like a house on fire, and we’ve had a few laughs already. I’m not afraid to speak to him on a level, and he seems to appreciate that.’

‘Ooh, I’m not that sure of myself yet,’ Jean admitted. ‘My boss is very pleasant and friendly. But it’ll be a while before I can get Mr John out of my system, and be more outgoing.’

The lunch break passed quickly, and when it was time for them to go their separate ways, they agreed to meet the next day at the café. After kissing Poppy, Charlotte said she might not make it for lunch the next day. ‘But Andrew and I will see you at the Grafton tomorrow night. I’m looking forward to it.’

Jean was standing at the edge of the pavement, waiting for a break in the traffic, when Charlotte said, ‘I’ll walk up to the office with you, Jean, because I want to have a word with Father.’ She blew a kiss to Poppy. ‘’Bye for now.’

Poppy watched for a while as they walked up Castle Street, then turned and ran up the steps to her new office. She was humming softly, and felt lighter in heart than she ever had.