not just with her confession about having had a child before marriage. On the surface she appeared almost mousy, yet it occurred to Janet that she understood the vagaries of life and dealt with them better than most people.
The next day was Coronation Eve. It was also Pamela’s birthday and she was to have a party at the semi-detached where they now lived.
Colin had suggested that everyone wear their Coronation fancy dress seeing as the little girl’s birthday was so close to the enthronement of a new monarch and that they were all going to different places on the great day itself.
Colin’s parents were dressed as John Bull and Rule Britannia – the latter costume consisted of some suitably draped bed-sheets and a cardboard helmet coloured in with child’s crayons.
The room was a riot of noise. Children and adults were getting into the swing of things, talking, singing and helping small hands handle big spoons and wobbly red jelly.
Polly’s daughter, Carol, was dressed in a Bo-Peep costume. At nine she was the eldest child there, and had her mother’s looks and the cheek to match.
Edna overheard Colin’s mother ask Charlotte how her children were getting on.
‘Geoffrey’s enjoying university very much. And Janet loves her job at the hospital’
‘I always thought your Geoffrey wanted to be a soldier,’ Polly said as she took Charlotte’s empty teacup.
‘I didn’t want him to be. Neither did David. He wanted him to be a doctor.’
‘How’s Janet?’ asked Edna from behind a tray of tea, bread and butter plus a pot of strawberry jam.
‘Fine,’ said Charlotte.
‘Good,’ said Edna, smiled and wished she didn’t know that Janet was far from fine.
‘Who’s for jelly?’ Polly in her Pearly King costume, an obvious choice for someone who favoured wearing black and white, had a large glass bowl jammed under her arm and close to her bosom. Rows of podgy little hands shot into the air.
‘Not if yer gonna dip yer titty in it,’ said Carol, her hands on her hips and a perky tilt to her chin. The comment earned her a clipped ear.
The house in Kingscott Avenue was blessed with a garage and an inside toilet and bathroom located at the top of the stairs. A television sat like a small cupboard in one corner of the room and was drawing plenty of admiring glances and perhaps a little envy from some quarters.
‘Puts me in mind of a bloody gert eye watching me,’ said Polly between ladling out jelly and readjusting the bowl beneath her generous breast.
‘I can’t wait to see the Coronation,’ said Edna, her face as bright as any child’s and her eyes gleaming. ‘Fancy being ableto see the Queen and Westminster Abbey in my own living room. It’s a miracle, it really is. I’ve invited some of the neighbours.’
‘Ain’t they got radios?’ asked Polly. Edna ignored the sarcasm and tried again. ‘It’ll be quite a little party. You can come yourself if you like.’
‘Don’t need to, do I? I’ll be seeing the Coronation on the big screen up the Broadway. That’s the great thing about working in a picture ’ouse. They’ll be showing it for days after and I’ll get to know every single detail’
Edna persisted. ‘But it’s better on the day. In fact it’ll be quite a party.’
‘You just said that.’
Edna blushed. ‘I’m sorry, I just thought—’
‘Don’t bother. We’re ’avin’ a street party on the night. I got a lot of stuff to get ready. Anyway I prefer a bigger screen. Like I said, I can see it all at the pictures.’
Charlotte, who had heard the conversation, made a big thing of wiping Pamela’s face. It wasn’t really that bad, but she had to hide her smile. She knew her friends so well. Edna was being generous, longing to share her enthusiasm for the television set with anyone. But Polly was proud. She had no intention of appearing hard done by.
Polly’s daughter Carol chose that moment to push between Edna and her mother. ‘Got any more of that
The next day was Coronation Eve. It was also Pamela’s birthday and she was to have a party at the semi-detached where they now lived.
Colin had suggested that everyone wear their Coronation fancy dress seeing as the little girl’s birthday was so close to the enthronement of a new monarch and that they were all going to different places on the great day itself.
Colin’s parents were dressed as John Bull and Rule Britannia – the latter costume consisted of some suitably draped bed-sheets and a cardboard helmet coloured in with child’s crayons.
The room was a riot of noise. Children and adults were getting into the swing of things, talking, singing and helping small hands handle big spoons and wobbly red jelly.
Polly’s daughter, Carol, was dressed in a Bo-Peep costume. At nine she was the eldest child there, and had her mother’s looks and the cheek to match.
Edna overheard Colin’s mother ask Charlotte how her children were getting on.
‘Geoffrey’s enjoying university very much. And Janet loves her job at the hospital’
‘I always thought your Geoffrey wanted to be a soldier,’ Polly said as she took Charlotte’s empty teacup.
‘I didn’t want him to be. Neither did David. He wanted him to be a doctor.’
‘How’s Janet?’ asked Edna from behind a tray of tea, bread and butter plus a pot of strawberry jam.
‘Fine,’ said Charlotte.
‘Good,’ said Edna, smiled and wished she didn’t know that Janet was far from fine.
‘Who’s for jelly?’ Polly in her Pearly King costume, an obvious choice for someone who favoured wearing black and white, had a large glass bowl jammed under her arm and close to her bosom. Rows of podgy little hands shot into the air.
‘Not if yer gonna dip yer titty in it,’ said Carol, her hands on her hips and a perky tilt to her chin. The comment earned her a clipped ear.
The house in Kingscott Avenue was blessed with a garage and an inside toilet and bathroom located at the top of the stairs. A television sat like a small cupboard in one corner of the room and was drawing plenty of admiring glances and perhaps a little envy from some quarters.
‘Puts me in mind of a bloody gert eye watching me,’ said Polly between ladling out jelly and readjusting the bowl beneath her generous breast.
‘I can’t wait to see the Coronation,’ said Edna, her face as bright as any child’s and her eyes gleaming. ‘Fancy being ableto see the Queen and Westminster Abbey in my own living room. It’s a miracle, it really is. I’ve invited some of the neighbours.’
‘Ain’t they got radios?’ asked Polly. Edna ignored the sarcasm and tried again. ‘It’ll be quite a little party. You can come yourself if you like.’
‘Don’t need to, do I? I’ll be seeing the Coronation on the big screen up the Broadway. That’s the great thing about working in a picture ’ouse. They’ll be showing it for days after and I’ll get to know every single detail’
Edna persisted. ‘But it’s better on the day. In fact it’ll be quite a party.’
‘You just said that.’
Edna blushed. ‘I’m sorry, I just thought—’
‘Don’t bother. We’re ’avin’ a street party on the night. I got a lot of stuff to get ready. Anyway I prefer a bigger screen. Like I said, I can see it all at the pictures.’
Charlotte, who had heard the conversation, made a big thing of wiping Pamela’s face. It wasn’t really that bad, but she had to hide her smile. She knew her friends so well. Edna was being generous, longing to share her enthusiasm for the television set with anyone. But Polly was proud. She had no intention of appearing hard done by.
Polly’s daughter Carol chose that moment to push between Edna and her mother. ‘Got any more of that
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