Try a Little Tenderness (48 page)

When he left the pub, Joe’s mind was still in a daze. He didn’t know what to do for the best. The best for his family, not for Celia. So he went home to bed, to lie staring at the ceiling for hours while asking God to help him do the right thing.

Celia didn’t come home all night, but he no longer cared.

‘Grandad’s just passed the window, Mam.’ Jenny shot out of her chair. ‘I’ll open the door for him.’

‘Good, he’s just in time, I’m dishing the dinner out.’ Mary was wiping her hands on a towel when she came through to the living room. She grinned when she saw Joe being hugged by Jenny, with Laura waiting for her turn. ‘Yer’ve got a good sense of smell, Dad, the dinner’s ready.’

‘I could smell it from the top of the street.’ Joe smiled as Laura let go of him and Mary’s arms came around his neck. ‘I felt like one of the Bisto Kids, with me nose following the smell.’

‘Where did yer get to last night? Yer had us worried to death.’

‘I knew yer would be, sweetheart, but there was no way of letting yer know.’ Joe felt the lie sticking in his throat. But what else could he do with the two girls there? ‘The boss asked me to stay on until four, to get a job finished. By the time I got home I was whacked.’

Jenny’s squeal brought Mary spinning round. ‘I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! Look, Mam, what Grandad bought me.’ Jenny was holding up the necklace and her face couldn’t have been happier. ‘Yer’ve got to be the most wonderful grandad in the whole world, and I love you, I love you, I love you!’

Laura held out her hand for a better view. ‘I’ll be borrowing this.’

Jenny didn’t answer at once, then she said, ‘Yeah, okay, yer can borrow it if yer take good care of it.’

Mary clapped her hands as she bustled out to the kitchen. ‘Come on, set the table before the dinners go cold. Give yer dad a shout, Jenny, he’s down the yard.’

Joe was struggling to get his dinner down, for he had no appetite. And Mary watched him anxiously. He looked dreadful, really tired and worn out. But what could you expect when he was working such long hours? He should be letting up a bit now, instead of working all the hours God sends. It wasn’t as though yer could see where the money was going; he never looked as smart as he used to. When her mam was alive, she always made sure he was well turned out. Always a pure white collar and shirt, neatly tied tie, shoes so highly polished you could see your face in them, and the creases in his trousers always ironed to perfection. But then her mam had idolised him. She’d have worked her fingers to the bone for him if it had been necessary. What a far cry from the woman he was married to now.

‘I couldn’t eat any more, sweetheart, I’m bloated.’ Joe put his knife and fork down and pushed the plate away. ‘I had a lie-in and it’s not long since I had me breakfast.’

‘That’s all right, Dad, at least yer’ve eaten half of it.’ Mary smiled at her daughters who had polished their dinners off in no time. ‘Yer dad’s nearly finished, so be a pair of angels and start taking the dishes out.’

‘We’ll wash them for yer, Mam,’ Jenny said, touching the necklace which was now her proudest possession. ‘I’ll wash and our Laura can dry.’

‘Come on, Joe, sit yerself by the fire,’ Stan said, taking the Sunday paper off the seat of the fireside chair. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something not quite right about his father-in-law. He reminded Stan of a little lad who’d broken a neighbour’s window playing footie and was terrified of telling his mam. ‘Let’s leave the work to the women.’

Mary watched with interest as Laura helped clear the table before standing by the side of the sink to dry the dishes as Jenny washed them. That’s a change, she thought, not a murmur out of her. And Jenny was doing her best to improve relations between the two of them. Look how she’d offered to lend Laura her new necklace; not many girls would do that for a sister who barely passed her the time of day. That was definitely extending a hand of friendship. I’m not going to knock it either, Mary thought. I just hope it lasts. She cocked her ears when she heard her husband talking to her father.

‘How’s life treating yer, Joe?’ Stan asked. ‘Everything okay?’

‘Just so-so, Stan, same as everybody else. We all have to muddle along as best we can, I suppose.’

Laura came through rolling her sleeves down. ‘I’m going to Cynthia’s, Mam, and I might stay there for me tea.’

‘She’s not seeing Bill, then?’

‘No, not tonight. We’re having a game of cards with her mam and dad.’

Jenny’s head appeared over her sister’s shoulder. ‘I’m going to Jan’s. I promised to comb her hair for her before we take our presents over to Auntie Lizzie. She didn’t want to come to the party but she said she’d love to see what we got.’

‘Are the boys going, or don’t I need to ask?’

‘Yeah, they said they were. And I better warn yer, Mam, they’re coming to see yer one night to ask if they can take me and Janet to a dance. It’s not a big dance hall, just a little place belonging to a church.’

‘Do yer want to go?’ Stan asked, trying to hide a smile at his daughter’s naivety. ‘It’s no good me and yer mam wasting time spending hours in discussion over this serious matter if yer don’t want to go.’

‘Oh yes, Dad, I’m dying to go. Especially as I’ve got those lovely shiny dancing shoes. I’ve been walking up
and down me bedroom in them, to get used to the high heels. I don’t want to fall flat on me face in them, do I? Not if I’m dancing with Mick or John, ’cos I’d never hear the end of it. And yer know they’d both take good care of us.’

‘Don’t worry, sunshine,’ Mary laughed. ‘Yer wouldn’t be allowed to go with them if I wasn’t sure about that. I have complete trust in both those lads.’

They could hear Jenny humming as she ran up the stairs, then her voice saying, ‘Wait for me, Laura, I’ll walk out with yer.’

Joe’s nerves were taut; he couldn’t sit still. He clasped and unclasped his hands, ran his fingers through his hair and fidgeted with the buttons on his cardi. He’d get it off his chest as soon as the girls went out. He couldn’t stand the strain much longer or he’d crack.

Laura gave him a kiss. ‘Ta-ra, Grandad. Yer’ll be gone by the time I get in, so I’ll see yer through the week.’

Jenny kissed him as well, even though she said, ‘I’ll see yer later, Grandad, ’cos I’m coming home for me tea.’

Mary and Stan watched the two girls pass the window and smiled when they saw Jenny talking to her sister. Her face was animated and the words were pouring from her mouth fifteen to the dozen. It was a rare sight, but a very welcome one.

‘Jenny loves her present, Joe,’ Stan said. ‘Yer couldn’t have chosen anything better.’

‘I’m lucky – one of me mates in work has a daughter roughly the same age. It was his wife’s idea to get the bracelets at Christmas, and as they went down a treat I asked if she’d help me out again.’

‘Are you feeling all right, Dad?’ The more Mary looked into her father’s face, the more concerned she became. ‘Yer don’t look yerself today and I think ye’re working too hard. Cut down on the overtime – I’m sure there’s plenty of fellers would be glad of it. Don’t forget, ye’re not getting any younger.’

Now is the right time, Joe thought, curling his fists and digging his nails into his palms until he could feel the pain. And with the pain came the courage to speak the words which would devastate his daughter. ‘Celia’s expecting a baby.’

Mary gripped the narrow wooden arms of her chair and pressed until the skin on her knuckles was stretched to show blue veins standing out in stark relief. She felt as though her heart had stopped beating, and the room was starting to spin around. No, it’s not true, a voice in her head kept repeating. My dad wouldn’t do that to us! I’m older than his wife, for God’s sake, and he’s got grown-up granddaughters! We’d all be a laughing stock! And how would she tell the girls? She couldn’t, she’d die of shame.

Then Mary looked at her father’s face, and the pain etched there. And all thoughts of shame vanished. He looked like an old man who had the troubles of the world on his shoulders. He was her father, she loved him dearly, and he needed her now more than he’d ever needed her. She left her chair to kneel before him and they wrapped their arms around each other. With tears streaming down her face, she sobbed, ‘I’m sorry, Dad, I really am, but I’ve got to be truthful and tell yer I’m not happy about it.’

There were tears in Joe’s eyes as he stroked her hair. ‘I didn’t expect yer to be, sweetheart. I didn’t want it meself, but these things happen.’

Stan had had time to recover from the shock, and looking at his father-in-law, he felt heartily sorry for him. He was too old to be starting a new family, especially as his wife couldn’t look after him, never mind a new baby. But as Joe said, these things happen and you couldn’t do anything about it. It was sad, though, because the old man looked anything but overjoyed about the situation himself.

‘Come and sit down, love. It’s no good crying, it doesn’t solve anything.’ Stan cupped his wife’s elbows and raised
her up. ‘What’s done is done, and nothing can change things.’

Mary ran the back of her hands across her eyes. ‘I’m sorry for upsetting yer, Dad, but I don’t think it’s right and there’s no use pretending otherwise. And I’ve got to speak me mind. Apart from yer being too old to start again with all the work a baby brings, that wife of yours is not fit to be a mother. The child will never get the love and care it needs.’

Joe felt like blurting the truth out, but knew the consequences would bring more hurt than his daughter was feeling now. Because anger would take over all the other emotions and she’d want to have it out with Celia. And Joe would die rather than see his beloved daughter getting into a fight with a woman who wouldn’t fight fair. She was good at biting and scratching was his wife, as he knew from experience. So he had to stick with the lies and the pretence. ‘I’ve had words with Celia, and there’s going to be a lot of changes. I’m going to come down hard on her if there isn’t.’

Mary sighed, thinking, Aye – and pigs might fly. ‘And how d’yer think I’m going to tell the girls, Dad? I don’t think I could.’

‘Don’t tell them yet, sweetheart, it’s still early days.’ Joe was certain his wife was pregnant, she wouldn’t make up a tale like that. But he was hoping against hope that whoever the father was would turn up and take her off his hands. ‘And don’t forget, I’ve got to face them, too.’

Stan got to his feet. ‘I’ll stick the kettle on, we could all do with a cuppa.’ And in his mind he added, ‘especially Joe.’ His father-in-law looked as though he would like nothing better than to curl up and die, leaving his pain and worries behind him.

Jenny steadied herself by holding on to the walls on either side as she tottered along the hall of Lizzie’s house in her two-inch heels. Giggling as she went, she called back over
her shoulder, ‘I can’t even walk in them, never mind dance.’

She opened the door to see two beaming, happy faces. ‘Yer’ll be all right when ye’re dancing, Jenny,’ Mick said, ‘’cos I’ll be keeping tight hold of yer.’

Cheeky beggar, John thought. He’s always got to get in first. ‘And when he’s not, I’ll be holding yer tight, Jenny.’

‘Close the door after yerselves.’ Jenny tried the journey back with just one hand on the wall, and when she reached the living-room door she became daring and walked into the room unaided. ‘See, Jan, it’s easy when yer know how.’ She held her arms slightly away from her body, and much to the amusement of the two boys, swayed over to Auntie Lizzie like a mannequin. ‘D’yer think I’ll get a feller, Auntie Lizzie?’

The old lady laughed. ‘Yer’ve already got two, how many more d’yer want?’

‘No, I’ve got two mates. I mean a feller of me own. Yer know, like a boyfriend.’

‘I’ll be yer boyfriend, Jenny,’ Mick said. ‘I’d be honoured if yer’d have me.’

‘And me.’ John gave his mate a look to kill. ‘I’ll be yer boyfriend and I’d be more honoured than Mick would be. He’s not very good at being honoured.’

‘Excuse me,’ Janet said huffily, ‘I’d like a boyfriend, too.’

John grinned at her. ‘Hello, curly top. I see Jenny’s been busy with yer hair again. It doesn’t half suit yer.’

‘Ooh, er, I’ve come down in the world, haven’t I? I was a bobby dazzler last night, Auntie Lizzie, and now I’m just curly top.’

‘Ye’re still a bobby dazzler, Janet.’ Mick put a finger in one of her curls and smiled when he let go and it bounced back into place. ‘And a humdinger.’

Mollified, Janet said, ‘I’ll let yer off. Anyway, we’ve shown Auntie Lizzie all our presents, and we’re agreed that the shoes were our best present. Except that Jenny’s a lucky beggar, she’s got two best presents.’

Jenny put her fingers under the necklace and lifted it
from her neck. ‘Me grandad gave me this, isn’t it gorgeous?’

She was fifteen now and Mick was in for the kill. ‘It’s not half as gorgeous as you.’

John, whose thoughts were running on the same track, was right behind him. ‘You put it in the shade, Jenny.’

Jenny stamped her foot. ‘Will you two stop acting the goat? If we’re going to the dance with yer on Wednesday, I don’t want everyone thinking we’re raw beginners. So will yer behave yerselves for once, and teach us a few steps?’

‘Did yer mam say yer could come with us?’ Both boys spoke as one, then turned to grin at each other. Rivalry hadn’t spoilt their friendship or their sense of humour. ‘That’s the gear!’

‘Me mam hasn’t said I can, but she will when yer ask her.’ Jenny raised her brows in a haughty expression. Indeed, with her beautiful necklace and bracelet, and such posh dancing shoes, she was feeling haughty. ‘As long as yer ask politely.’

‘The boys are always polite, Jenny,’ Lizzie said. ‘I’ve never known them to be anything else but polite.’

Jenny turned her head to look at the old lady, and her wink was so broad her whole cheek moved upwards. And there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. ‘Yes, they are always polite, Auntie Lizzie, when they’re not acting the fool. But if me and Janet have got to act like grown-ups now, then these two have, as well.’

‘Oh, I am grown-up, Jenny,’ Mick said, his dimples beginning to deepen. ‘In fact, everyone says I’m old for me age.’