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Authors: Robert Leeson
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up and get his homework out of the way for the weekend. I’m off to the Club for my meeting.” He rose. Mum looked displeased but said nothing. Alec and Kim began to clear the table and Granddad went quietly out of the back door.
“Did you say Wallace?” Kim asked Alec.
He nodded.
“I think I know his mother. She works on our section at the factory. She’s all right. Her daughter goes to your school, a smashing looking girl called Eulalia.”
“Eulalia?”
“That’s right. Do you know her, Alec?” Kim suddenly looked across the table and Alec blushed.
“What are you blushing for? Hey, Mum, our Alec’s blushing.”
“Gerroff,” growled Alec.
“He’s growing up, you know. He’s started noticing the other sex.”
“Shut up, will you?” said Alec.
“Stop it, you two! Leave those tea things and get out of here. You make my head ache with your rowing.”
Alec went upstairs. His homework was done in under an hour. There was plenty of light. But he felt fed up with everything.
All that argument at the tea table had spoilt the Friday evening feeling. Why did people have to row about everything? Why did Mum have to worry about Councillor Blaggett nosing round? He changed into his jumper and jeans and wandered out to the back. Granddad was sitting on the caravan steps looking glum.
“Is it right, Granddad, what Mum said about Councillor Blaggett? Could he make trouble for you?”
“Well, he could and all. I’m supposed to be living in the house, not in the caravan. Your dad’s only supposed to use that for holidays.”
“Well, never mind, Granddad. If he comes round, you can have my room, and I’ll go in the boxroom.”
Granddad ruffled Alec’s hair.
“You’re a good lad, Alec. But you’re forgetting that our Tom, Elaine and the baby are moving back in as well. If I were you, I’d keep that under your hat, too. If some helpful person reported that to the council, there’d be trouble.”
“But couldn’t Tom and Elaine get a flat in one of those blocks out at Moorside?”
“They might. Now Moorside’s a lovely place. Well, it was anyway. But it’s best for peewits and skylarks, not for people. One pub and two shops, no place for the kids and four miles out from Penfold, let alone six miles from Bugletown. It gets parky there in winter, I can tell you.”
Alec was silent for a moment, then:
“Granddad. Do you reckon it’s right, what Miss Morris said about the Wallaces keeping coal in the bath?”
Granddad chuckled.
“How should I know? I’ve never been in the Wallaces’ and I’ll bet Hetty Morris never did. But I’ll tell you something for nothing. When we first moved into these council houses before the war, the people down in Boner’s Street used to say we kept coal in the bath. It’s an old sort of joke, if you can call it a joke.
“Gracie Fields used to sing a song, you know…
“We’ll have a bathroom, a beeyootiful bathroom
And a lovely bath where we can keep the coal…”
Granddad sang so loudly that Alec felt embarrassed and looked round to see if anyone was listening. Granddad stopped singing just as suddenly as he started and burst into laughter.
“People in Boner’s Street were very posh in those days. When I was a lad, we lived in Upshaw Street, off School Lane. When kids from Boner’s Street came down our way, going to the grammar school, that’s where your school is now, we used to make them go the long way round. We used to give them a right pasting if they didn’t.”
Granddad looked at Alec’s amazed expression.
“Why, what’s up, lad? Have I said something wrong?”
“Oh no, Granddad. You just made me think of something, that’s all.”
Next day, Alec was allowed to stay in bed as long as he liked. But he felt restless and got up to moon around the kitchen until his mother sent him out to Station Road, to pick up something she had forgotten when she and Dad did the shopping on Friday. Alec suddenly had an idea.
He raced upstairs,
“Did you say Wallace?” Kim asked Alec.
He nodded.
“I think I know his mother. She works on our section at the factory. She’s all right. Her daughter goes to your school, a smashing looking girl called Eulalia.”
“Eulalia?”
“That’s right. Do you know her, Alec?” Kim suddenly looked across the table and Alec blushed.
“What are you blushing for? Hey, Mum, our Alec’s blushing.”
“Gerroff,” growled Alec.
“He’s growing up, you know. He’s started noticing the other sex.”
“Shut up, will you?” said Alec.
“Stop it, you two! Leave those tea things and get out of here. You make my head ache with your rowing.”
Alec went upstairs. His homework was done in under an hour. There was plenty of light. But he felt fed up with everything.
All that argument at the tea table had spoilt the Friday evening feeling. Why did people have to row about everything? Why did Mum have to worry about Councillor Blaggett nosing round? He changed into his jumper and jeans and wandered out to the back. Granddad was sitting on the caravan steps looking glum.
“Is it right, Granddad, what Mum said about Councillor Blaggett? Could he make trouble for you?”
“Well, he could and all. I’m supposed to be living in the house, not in the caravan. Your dad’s only supposed to use that for holidays.”
“Well, never mind, Granddad. If he comes round, you can have my room, and I’ll go in the boxroom.”
Granddad ruffled Alec’s hair.
“You’re a good lad, Alec. But you’re forgetting that our Tom, Elaine and the baby are moving back in as well. If I were you, I’d keep that under your hat, too. If some helpful person reported that to the council, there’d be trouble.”
“But couldn’t Tom and Elaine get a flat in one of those blocks out at Moorside?”
“They might. Now Moorside’s a lovely place. Well, it was anyway. But it’s best for peewits and skylarks, not for people. One pub and two shops, no place for the kids and four miles out from Penfold, let alone six miles from Bugletown. It gets parky there in winter, I can tell you.”
Alec was silent for a moment, then:
“Granddad. Do you reckon it’s right, what Miss Morris said about the Wallaces keeping coal in the bath?”
Granddad chuckled.
“How should I know? I’ve never been in the Wallaces’ and I’ll bet Hetty Morris never did. But I’ll tell you something for nothing. When we first moved into these council houses before the war, the people down in Boner’s Street used to say we kept coal in the bath. It’s an old sort of joke, if you can call it a joke.
“Gracie Fields used to sing a song, you know…
“We’ll have a bathroom, a beeyootiful bathroom
And a lovely bath where we can keep the coal…”
Granddad sang so loudly that Alec felt embarrassed and looked round to see if anyone was listening. Granddad stopped singing just as suddenly as he started and burst into laughter.
“People in Boner’s Street were very posh in those days. When I was a lad, we lived in Upshaw Street, off School Lane. When kids from Boner’s Street came down our way, going to the grammar school, that’s where your school is now, we used to make them go the long way round. We used to give them a right pasting if they didn’t.”
Granddad looked at Alec’s amazed expression.
“Why, what’s up, lad? Have I said something wrong?”
“Oh no, Granddad. You just made me think of something, that’s all.”
Next day, Alec was allowed to stay in bed as long as he liked. But he felt restless and got up to moon around the kitchen until his mother sent him out to Station Road, to pick up something she had forgotten when she and Dad did the shopping on Friday. Alec suddenly had an idea.
He raced upstairs,
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