trying to pinch apples from a market stall. He was a bad influence, and she still didn’t want her daughter mixing with him.
* * *
At three o’clock Mary came to see them, but as she walked in, Sadie said, ‘You ain’t bringing that black geezer in here again. If he’s with you, bugger off.’
There was no curt response, no argument and instead Mary looked at them with pain-filled eyes. It was Ruth who spoke now, asking worriedly, ‘Mary, what’s wrong?’
She just continued to stand there, trembling, and worried too, Sally focused on her aunt. There were no dark patches in her aura, no signs of illness.
‘Mary, what’s wrong?’ Ruth asked.
‘I . . . I’m not pregnant.’
‘I told you that,’ Ruth said smugly.
Sadie pursed her lips. ‘Does this mean you won’t be marrying that nigger?’
‘Please, Mother, please don’t call him that, but yes, it’s over and Leroy has gone.’
With a smile of satisfaction Sadie said, ‘Good riddance to bad rubbish.’
At last Mary reacted as she’d have done in the past, fire in her eyes as she glared at her mother. ‘Leroy is a wonderful man and I won’t have you calling him rubbish.’
‘If he’s so wonderful, how come he’s buggered off ?’
‘Because I told him to.’
‘But why?’ Sally blurted out.
Mary crumbled again, her eyes flooding with tears, and jumping up she fled the room. Ruth was about to follow her, but Sally quickly said, ‘I’ll go, Mum.’
‘Yes, all right. You two were always as thick as thieves and no doubt she’d prefer to talk to you.’
Sally found her aunt in the bathroom, perched on the edge of the bath, leaning forward with her arms wrapped around her waist and rocking as though in pain. She looked up at Sally, crying in anguish, ‘Oh, I’ve been such a fool.’
‘Why?’ Sally said softly, hoping to draw her aunt out.
Her voice cracking with emotion, Mary said, ‘Since your uncle’s death, I’ve occasionally been out with men, but I’ve never been able to – to, be, err, intimate with them. Leroy changed all that and somehow he managed to break through my barriers. He was wonderful, but now I’ve had to send him away.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘No, of course you don’t, but you see when I thought I was having a baby, I almost burst with happiness.’
‘I’m so sorry, Auntie. It must have been awful to miscarry,’ Sally said as she sat down next to her on the edge of the bath.
‘I didn’t miscarry. Your mother was right and I’ve been a stupid, stupid woman,’ Mary cried. ‘I’m eight years older than Leroy, but it didn’t seem to matter and like me he was thrilled when he thought I was pregnant. But I’ll never be pregnant, Sally. I’ll never be able to have a baby. It . . . it’s too late.’
‘But why?’
‘Instead of confirming my pregnancy the doctor told me that I’m going through the change of life. It was only then that I realised what an idiot I’d been.’
Sally did a rapid calculation of her aunt’s age and realised that though she always took great care of her appearance, she was actually in her late forties. ‘It must have been awful for you, but I don’t understand why you sent Leroy away.’
Mary took another deep breath as she again fought for composure. ‘Leroy couldn’t wait to have a family, so when I found out I wasn’t pregnant, how could I marry him? He needs to meet a young woman, not a dried-up old prune like me, one who can give him the children he wants.’
‘Did you tell him that?’
‘No, I just told him that the pregnancy was a false alarm and then went on to say that I didn’t want to marry him after all.’
‘If you had told him the truth, it might not have mattered.’
‘He may have stayed, but eventually Leroy would have grown to resent me.’
‘Oh, Auntie, I’m so sorry,’ Sally sighed.
Visibly straightening, Mary managed a lopsided smile. ‘I was mad to come here expecting any sympathy from my mother. I’ll
* * *
At three o’clock Mary came to see them, but as she walked in, Sadie said, ‘You ain’t bringing that black geezer in here again. If he’s with you, bugger off.’
There was no curt response, no argument and instead Mary looked at them with pain-filled eyes. It was Ruth who spoke now, asking worriedly, ‘Mary, what’s wrong?’
She just continued to stand there, trembling, and worried too, Sally focused on her aunt. There were no dark patches in her aura, no signs of illness.
‘Mary, what’s wrong?’ Ruth asked.
‘I . . . I’m not pregnant.’
‘I told you that,’ Ruth said smugly.
Sadie pursed her lips. ‘Does this mean you won’t be marrying that nigger?’
‘Please, Mother, please don’t call him that, but yes, it’s over and Leroy has gone.’
With a smile of satisfaction Sadie said, ‘Good riddance to bad rubbish.’
At last Mary reacted as she’d have done in the past, fire in her eyes as she glared at her mother. ‘Leroy is a wonderful man and I won’t have you calling him rubbish.’
‘If he’s so wonderful, how come he’s buggered off ?’
‘Because I told him to.’
‘But why?’ Sally blurted out.
Mary crumbled again, her eyes flooding with tears, and jumping up she fled the room. Ruth was about to follow her, but Sally quickly said, ‘I’ll go, Mum.’
‘Yes, all right. You two were always as thick as thieves and no doubt she’d prefer to talk to you.’
Sally found her aunt in the bathroom, perched on the edge of the bath, leaning forward with her arms wrapped around her waist and rocking as though in pain. She looked up at Sally, crying in anguish, ‘Oh, I’ve been such a fool.’
‘Why?’ Sally said softly, hoping to draw her aunt out.
Her voice cracking with emotion, Mary said, ‘Since your uncle’s death, I’ve occasionally been out with men, but I’ve never been able to – to, be, err, intimate with them. Leroy changed all that and somehow he managed to break through my barriers. He was wonderful, but now I’ve had to send him away.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘No, of course you don’t, but you see when I thought I was having a baby, I almost burst with happiness.’
‘I’m so sorry, Auntie. It must have been awful to miscarry,’ Sally said as she sat down next to her on the edge of the bath.
‘I didn’t miscarry. Your mother was right and I’ve been a stupid, stupid woman,’ Mary cried. ‘I’m eight years older than Leroy, but it didn’t seem to matter and like me he was thrilled when he thought I was pregnant. But I’ll never be pregnant, Sally. I’ll never be able to have a baby. It . . . it’s too late.’
‘But why?’
‘Instead of confirming my pregnancy the doctor told me that I’m going through the change of life. It was only then that I realised what an idiot I’d been.’
Sally did a rapid calculation of her aunt’s age and realised that though she always took great care of her appearance, she was actually in her late forties. ‘It must have been awful for you, but I don’t understand why you sent Leroy away.’
Mary took another deep breath as she again fought for composure. ‘Leroy couldn’t wait to have a family, so when I found out I wasn’t pregnant, how could I marry him? He needs to meet a young woman, not a dried-up old prune like me, one who can give him the children he wants.’
‘Did you tell him that?’
‘No, I just told him that the pregnancy was a false alarm and then went on to say that I didn’t want to marry him after all.’
‘If you had told him the truth, it might not have mattered.’
‘He may have stayed, but eventually Leroy would have grown to resent me.’
‘Oh, Auntie, I’m so sorry,’ Sally sighed.
Visibly straightening, Mary managed a lopsided smile. ‘I was mad to come here expecting any sympathy from my mother. I’ll
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