Read Online Welcome Home by Margaret Dickinson - Free Book Online
Authors: Margaret Dickinson
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‘Food, I mean.’
‘I remember our mam sending me out to buy extra sugar and tea,’ Jessie said. ‘And soap. She was terrified we’d run out of soap.’
Lil laughed wryly. ‘That didn’t bother anyone in our house. We must have been a mucky lot, looking back. No wonder I never had any friends.’
Edie reached across the table to touch her hand. ‘You’ve got plenty of friends now, duck.’
Lil smiled gratefully at her. ‘I think the only thing we bought extra of was Dad’s baccy. Selfish to the last, he was.’
‘I know what I’m going to do,’ Edie said suddenly. ‘I’m going to clear the top shelf in my pantry and put some extra things there that will keep – tins of
corned beef, salmon, mebbe cocoa and tinned fruit that I can bring out on special occasions.’
‘Just be careful it’s not too much of any one thing, Edie,’ Jessie warned, ‘or you might get accused of hoarding.’
Edie waved her hand dismissively. ‘That’s when you stockpile stuff – far more than you could ever need. I won’t be doing that, Jessie.’
On the day that Edie and Lil had presented themselves at the WVS centre, they found that Jessie was already there, organizing with a cheerful firmness that had everyone
following her orders without question. All except one person, who stood on her own at the back of the room, her mouth pursed in disapproval.
‘Oh heck!
She
’s here?’ Lil had muttered to Edie.
Edie glanced around. There were several women from their street and from the surrounding area too. And then she saw Norma.
‘Let’s ask Jessie what she wants us to do,’ Lil said, firmly, leading the way across the busy room towards her.
‘Aren’t you going to speak to your sister?’
Lil paused and glanced once more across the room before saying tersely, ‘Eventually.’
That first day was taken up with everyone getting to know each other. And gradually, Norma was included in the work, though it was obvious to Lil, if to no one else, that her sister resented
anyone else taking charge. It was true what they said about leopards and their spots, Lil thought, hiding her smile. Norma had always been the bossy one even though she was two years younger than
Lil.
So, too young to be conscripted, and now also married, Frank continued to go to sea whenever he could, though as the weeks and months passed more and more trawlers stopped
fishing. Many were turned into minesweepers to assist the war effort.
The time came when Frank could no longer find regular work.
‘You could take him with you, Archie. You’ve still got a ship,’ Edie pleaded once more.
‘You know my feelings about family members on the same ship. I won’t do it, love.’
And then, Edie broke her golden rule never to quarrel with Archie just before he put to sea. ‘You’d sooner see your own son be shot by Hitler’s Nazis than take his chances with
you at sea, would you?’
Archie had sighed heavily, patiently holding on to his resolve. ‘Edie, love, you know fishermen are a superstitious lot. I’m not, in general, but in this one thing I am. I always
have been and I won’t break my rule now.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Not even for Frank.’
Six
‘Archie Kelsey, if you think I’m going to let you dig up the only strip of garden I’ve got – or am ever likely to get – for a shelter then
you’ve got another think coming.’
‘We could have moved to a better part of the town years ago,’ Archie said mildly with a twinkle in his eyes, for he knew very well what was coming next. ‘You could have had as
big a garden as you wanted.’
‘There’s no better part of town than our street, let me tell you. I’ve lived here all me life and I aren’t going to live anywhere else. Besides, I wouldn’t leave me
neighbours. Salt of the earth, they are, each and every one of them. And you know I couldn’t bear to be living anywhere else but next door to Lil. Really, Archie, fancy bringing that up
again.’
Archie
‘I remember our mam sending me out to buy extra sugar and tea,’ Jessie said. ‘And soap. She was terrified we’d run out of soap.’
Lil laughed wryly. ‘That didn’t bother anyone in our house. We must have been a mucky lot, looking back. No wonder I never had any friends.’
Edie reached across the table to touch her hand. ‘You’ve got plenty of friends now, duck.’
Lil smiled gratefully at her. ‘I think the only thing we bought extra of was Dad’s baccy. Selfish to the last, he was.’
‘I know what I’m going to do,’ Edie said suddenly. ‘I’m going to clear the top shelf in my pantry and put some extra things there that will keep – tins of
corned beef, salmon, mebbe cocoa and tinned fruit that I can bring out on special occasions.’
‘Just be careful it’s not too much of any one thing, Edie,’ Jessie warned, ‘or you might get accused of hoarding.’
Edie waved her hand dismissively. ‘That’s when you stockpile stuff – far more than you could ever need. I won’t be doing that, Jessie.’
On the day that Edie and Lil had presented themselves at the WVS centre, they found that Jessie was already there, organizing with a cheerful firmness that had everyone
following her orders without question. All except one person, who stood on her own at the back of the room, her mouth pursed in disapproval.
‘Oh heck!
She
’s here?’ Lil had muttered to Edie.
Edie glanced around. There were several women from their street and from the surrounding area too. And then she saw Norma.
‘Let’s ask Jessie what she wants us to do,’ Lil said, firmly, leading the way across the busy room towards her.
‘Aren’t you going to speak to your sister?’
Lil paused and glanced once more across the room before saying tersely, ‘Eventually.’
That first day was taken up with everyone getting to know each other. And gradually, Norma was included in the work, though it was obvious to Lil, if to no one else, that her sister resented
anyone else taking charge. It was true what they said about leopards and their spots, Lil thought, hiding her smile. Norma had always been the bossy one even though she was two years younger than
Lil.
So, too young to be conscripted, and now also married, Frank continued to go to sea whenever he could, though as the weeks and months passed more and more trawlers stopped
fishing. Many were turned into minesweepers to assist the war effort.
The time came when Frank could no longer find regular work.
‘You could take him with you, Archie. You’ve still got a ship,’ Edie pleaded once more.
‘You know my feelings about family members on the same ship. I won’t do it, love.’
And then, Edie broke her golden rule never to quarrel with Archie just before he put to sea. ‘You’d sooner see your own son be shot by Hitler’s Nazis than take his chances with
you at sea, would you?’
Archie had sighed heavily, patiently holding on to his resolve. ‘Edie, love, you know fishermen are a superstitious lot. I’m not, in general, but in this one thing I am. I always
have been and I won’t break my rule now.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Not even for Frank.’
Six
‘Archie Kelsey, if you think I’m going to let you dig up the only strip of garden I’ve got – or am ever likely to get – for a shelter then
you’ve got another think coming.’
‘We could have moved to a better part of the town years ago,’ Archie said mildly with a twinkle in his eyes, for he knew very well what was coming next. ‘You could have had as
big a garden as you wanted.’
‘There’s no better part of town than our street, let me tell you. I’ve lived here all me life and I aren’t going to live anywhere else. Besides, I wouldn’t leave me
neighbours. Salt of the earth, they are, each and every one of them. And you know I couldn’t bear to be living anywhere else but next door to Lil. Really, Archie, fancy bringing that up
again.’
Archie
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