why had he agreed to her going off to train?
‘Leave your ring at home,’ Dave had advised her when she had gone to Newcastle. ‘Someone will see it.’ But she couldn’t do that, it would be bad luck. Why, Gran thought that if you took your wedding ring off your finger something bad would happen to your marriage. And she’d been right, an’ all, Karen thought miserably. For Dave had seen the notice pasted to a wall in Bishop Auckland and he was going to emigrate. Miners were wanted for the goldfields of Australia and her men were going. There would be only Da left.
‘Gold must pay better than coal, eh?’ Dave said to Karen, and she stared at him, disbelieving. But all he could think about was Aus tralia. Even when she came home on her days off and he took her roughly, swiftly, he seemed far away from her. The distance was there in his eyes, it was a mechanical kind of loving only. And now the day had come, he was going. And not only Dave but Joe and most of the other boys she had grown up with. Oh, she thought desperately, she knew the wages had been cut at Morton Main Colliery and things were bad in the village, the future was bleak for the young lads. But Australia?
‘Howay, lass, smile,’ said Dave as he held her hands on the station platform as they waited for the train, ‘I’ll be gone in a minute.’
Karen smiled. The muscles of her face felt stiff and unyielding but Dave didn’t notice. He grinned, excitement creeping back into his eyes. Once again his thoughts were in Australia.
‘I don’t know what you have to grin about,’ Mrs Mitchell said in a voice rough with weeping.
‘Nay, Mother,’ he answered, ‘don’t be upset. You want me to get on, don’t you?’
‘There’s nowt the matter with England. You can get on in England,’ snapped Mrs Mitchell. ‘There’s plenty of coal to dig here.’
Her mouth worked and her voice rose so that the other members of the group began to take notice. Both Joe and Da had turned to look, concerned, for if only one of the mothers broke down they all would.
They were saved by the whistle of the approaching train. There was a sudden flurry of activity as last hugs and kisses were given and boxes lifted on to shoulders strong from hewing coal underground.
‘I’ll send for you, Karen, I promise I will,’ whispered Dave yet again. He was the first to jump on the train when the doors opened. There was a chorus of farewells and the doors were closed and the train was on its way, puffing out of Durham and taking away so many of the young men of Morton Main.
Karen waved until her arm ached, everyone left behind did. But it was Joe who stuck his head out of the window and waved back. There was no sign of Dave.
‘Will you have time for a bite before you go back?’
Karen looked round at the sound of her sister’s voice. Kezia was standing with Da and Mam, all three wearing that same look of anti-climax. There would only be Kezia left in the village to give an eye to Mam now, thought Karen with a pang of guilt, and glanced at her mother.
Rachel seemed weary, and was very pale. Now that Joe had gone she had dropped her brave front and looked as though she could do with a sit down and a cup of tea. Karen studied her, remembering the last time Mam had worn that exhausted look. It had ended in her being confined to bed for a month on the orders of the panel doctor, the one Da paid fourpence a week for. Kezia and Karen noticed the look at the same time and moved forward together, both of them watching for signs of collapse in their mother.
‘We’ll go to the tea-room, it’s not far, can you manage?’ asked Karen as she took Mam’s arm. ‘I have a couple of hours before I have to be back on duty.’
They settled Mam on a seat in the tea-room and Karen brought her tea from the buffet and sat down herself before she remembered Mrs Mitchell. She would have to have a word with her mother-in-law, she realized, and hurried out on to the platform again. There
‘Leave your ring at home,’ Dave had advised her when she had gone to Newcastle. ‘Someone will see it.’ But she couldn’t do that, it would be bad luck. Why, Gran thought that if you took your wedding ring off your finger something bad would happen to your marriage. And she’d been right, an’ all, Karen thought miserably. For Dave had seen the notice pasted to a wall in Bishop Auckland and he was going to emigrate. Miners were wanted for the goldfields of Australia and her men were going. There would be only Da left.
‘Gold must pay better than coal, eh?’ Dave said to Karen, and she stared at him, disbelieving. But all he could think about was Aus tralia. Even when she came home on her days off and he took her roughly, swiftly, he seemed far away from her. The distance was there in his eyes, it was a mechanical kind of loving only. And now the day had come, he was going. And not only Dave but Joe and most of the other boys she had grown up with. Oh, she thought desperately, she knew the wages had been cut at Morton Main Colliery and things were bad in the village, the future was bleak for the young lads. But Australia?
‘Howay, lass, smile,’ said Dave as he held her hands on the station platform as they waited for the train, ‘I’ll be gone in a minute.’
Karen smiled. The muscles of her face felt stiff and unyielding but Dave didn’t notice. He grinned, excitement creeping back into his eyes. Once again his thoughts were in Australia.
‘I don’t know what you have to grin about,’ Mrs Mitchell said in a voice rough with weeping.
‘Nay, Mother,’ he answered, ‘don’t be upset. You want me to get on, don’t you?’
‘There’s nowt the matter with England. You can get on in England,’ snapped Mrs Mitchell. ‘There’s plenty of coal to dig here.’
Her mouth worked and her voice rose so that the other members of the group began to take notice. Both Joe and Da had turned to look, concerned, for if only one of the mothers broke down they all would.
They were saved by the whistle of the approaching train. There was a sudden flurry of activity as last hugs and kisses were given and boxes lifted on to shoulders strong from hewing coal underground.
‘I’ll send for you, Karen, I promise I will,’ whispered Dave yet again. He was the first to jump on the train when the doors opened. There was a chorus of farewells and the doors were closed and the train was on its way, puffing out of Durham and taking away so many of the young men of Morton Main.
Karen waved until her arm ached, everyone left behind did. But it was Joe who stuck his head out of the window and waved back. There was no sign of Dave.
‘Will you have time for a bite before you go back?’
Karen looked round at the sound of her sister’s voice. Kezia was standing with Da and Mam, all three wearing that same look of anti-climax. There would only be Kezia left in the village to give an eye to Mam now, thought Karen with a pang of guilt, and glanced at her mother.
Rachel seemed weary, and was very pale. Now that Joe had gone she had dropped her brave front and looked as though she could do with a sit down and a cup of tea. Karen studied her, remembering the last time Mam had worn that exhausted look. It had ended in her being confined to bed for a month on the orders of the panel doctor, the one Da paid fourpence a week for. Kezia and Karen noticed the look at the same time and moved forward together, both of them watching for signs of collapse in their mother.
‘We’ll go to the tea-room, it’s not far, can you manage?’ asked Karen as she took Mam’s arm. ‘I have a couple of hours before I have to be back on duty.’
They settled Mam on a seat in the tea-room and Karen brought her tea from the buffet and sat down herself before she remembered Mrs Mitchell. She would have to have a word with her mother-in-law, she realized, and hurried out on to the platform again. There
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