Read Online The Bells of Bow by Gilda O'Neill - Free Book Online

it is, yer jealous of him, ain’t yer? Just ’cos he’s made something of himself and not wound up a useless drunk like you.’
    Babs grabbed hold of Evie’s arm and swung her round. ‘Shut up, Eve. That’s enough.’
    ‘I ain’t even
started
yet,’ hissed Evie, turning back to face her father.
    Georgie hung his head. ‘Yer wouldn’t talk to me like that if yer mother was still around,’ he mumbled pathetically.
    ‘You, you’re a hypocrite just like her!’ Evie screeched at him, jerking her thumb in Babs’s direction. ‘No wonder yer can’t look me in the eye.’
    ‘Evie, shut up, please! Don’t talk to Dad like that.’
    ‘No.
You
shut up, Babs. What does he know about what Mum’d have let us do? If it wasn’t for him, Mum’d never have left us in the first place.’
    Babs sat down on one of the hard kitchen chairs and stared at the floor, wishing that her sister would just be quiet and leave it alone before she said something they might all regret.
    But Evie couldn’t stop herself, not now; she had to carry on shouting. She didn’t care who could hear her or what they thought, or what pain she caused. She considered herself too badly hurt for any of that to matter. And so it all come blurting out. ‘We might have been little but we heard yer rowing the night before she left us. Did yer know that?’ She spat the words at him. ‘And who could blame her for going? Just look at yer. You ain’t had a shave for days and yer stink o’ beer. I bet she couldn’t stand the sight of yer, just like I can’t. Yer make me sick just looking at yer.’
    ‘I never used to be like this.’ Georgie said the words so softly the girls could barely hear them. ‘Not till she run off and left us for that bloke down the market.’
    ‘Don’t give me that.’ Evie’s voice quavered as she fought back the tears. ‘If it wasn’t for you, me and Babs’d still have Mum here with us now. And everything’d be … Everything’d …’ The tears won and began flowing down her cheeks. ‘Aw, just get out of me way, can’t yer.’
    Georgie moved placidly to one side as Evie stormed out of the kitchen. They heard her crash her way up the uncarpeted stairs and almost smash the bedroom door as she swung it back on its hinges.
    ‘She’ll calm down in a minute, Dad,’ said Babs softly. ‘Fancy a cup o’ tea?’
    Georgie sank down in the carver chair that stood by the stove and nodded.
    ‘I’ll see if Evie wants one.’ Babs went to the bottom of the stairs to call up to her sister. ‘Wanna cuppa, Eve?’
    Evie appeared on the tiny, unlit landing; she was wearing her hat and jacket. ‘No thanks,’ she answered tersely, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. ‘I’ve decided to go out early.’
    Babs stood to one side to let her past. ‘Don’t be too late, Evie,’ she said quietly. ‘Remember it’s work in the morning.’
    Evie waited till she had opened the street door before shouting down the passage loud enough to ensure that Georgie would hear, ‘I hardly think I’ll be working in that rotten workshop much longer, do you, Babs?’
    ‘Evie,’ Babs pleaded. ‘Keep yer noise down. Please.’
    ‘What’s the matter, Babs, worried that gossiping old cow over the road’ll hear?’
    ‘I couldn’t care less about her, I just don’t want yer getting Dad going, that’s all.’
    ‘Well, perhaps he won’t have to put up with me for much longer. ’Cos now I’m seeing Albie Denham, I don’t reckon I’ll stay a machinist in no poxy dress factory. Albie’s got class, yer see. So I’ll be leaving here soon, and I won’t be around to upset none of yer no more.’
    ‘Do us a favour and leave off, Eve,’ Babs said wearily. ‘Yer really getting on me nerves.’ She rubbed her hands over her face; she didn’t know what to do, but she knew it was pointless to try and argue with her sister. She shook her head and sighed. ‘Just leave off.’
    ‘No,
you
leave off, Babs.’ Evie was shouting even louder