Walking My Baby Back Home

by Joan Jonker

Genres: Family Life; Siblings; Friendship; World War II; Sagas

Synopsis

A young widow learns to love again after a tragic loss... In Walking My Baby Back Home, Joan Jonker, beloved author of the Molly and Nellie series, gives a moving insight into the life of a family learning to hope again after the devastation of the Second World War. Perfect for fans of Cathy Sharp and Katie Flynn. 'A hilarious but touching story of life in Liverpool' - Woman's Realm Ever since Dot Baker lost her husband in the war she's tried to keep his memory alive. But when John Kershaw turns up on her doorstep, she can't blame her kids, Katy and Colin, for wanting another man about the house. John's the boss of a local factory, and a kind and caring man who can't seem to do enough for the Bakers and their friends and neighbours. He defends Mary Campbell when she is attacked by her violent husband; he encourages Colin and Katy in all that they do; and he puts a smile on Dot's face that's been missing since her husband's death. Everyone in the street can see they're meant to be together, but the one person who's blind to John's charm is Dot herself. What's it going to take to make her realise where her happiness lies...? What readers are saying about Walking My Baby Back Home : 'As usual a warm, cosy, lovely story by Joan Jonker. Written in her usual wonderful style making the reader feel a part of the story. Super characters with humour, love, friendships and heartache - recipe for any super book. Thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put the book down' 'Easy to read and relax to. Great characters who you can't help but feel for and relate to. A brilliant story told with kindness and emotion. Well worth a read on a rainy night indoors or sunbathing on the beach!'

Release date: February 2, 2012

Publisher: Headline

Print pages: 452

Sample

Dot Baker shivered as she hurried down Edith Road, her thin coat no protection from the bitterly cold wind. She’d been late getting out of work and was worried because she wouldn’t be home for the kids coming in from school. No fire lit for them to warm themselves in front of, no smell of dinner cooking on the stove. Still, it wasn’t often she was asked to work late so they wouldn’t mind just this once. And it meant a few extra coppers in her wage packet next week which would go towards having Colin’s shoes soled.

As soon as she turned the key in the lock, Dot could hear her son and daughter talking, and when she stepped into the tiny hall she could hear the crackle of wood. She hoped it was Katy lighting the fire because she was very sensible for a thirteen-year-old, but eleven-year-old Colin was different. A real boy, who would do anything his mates dared him to. He had no sense of danger and she wouldn’t trust him with a box of matches.

‘Ye’re late tonight, Mam.’ Katy was kneeling in front of the hearth and she turned her head to smile at her mother. She was holding a poker through the bars of the grate, lifting the sticks of firewood to let the draught in to fan the flames. ‘I’d have started the dinner but I didn’t know what we were havin’.’

‘I don’t know meself what we’re having, sunshine. I wasn’t expectin’ to work late or I’d have peeled the spuds last night.’

Colin sidled up to her. ‘Can we have chips from the chippy, Mam?’

Dot slipped her coat off and threw it on the couch. ‘You and yer flamin’ chippy! We can’t afford to be forkin’ out to buy chips, we’re not made of money.’

‘Ah, go on, Mam, just this once,’ he coaxed. ‘Three pennyworth of chip and scallops between the three of us.’

Dot’s husband had died ten years ago, in 1924, of pneumonia – a young man of twenty-eight. They’d had four blissfully happy years together in their little house in the Orrel area of Liverpool before fate stepped in and took him from her. She still missed him so much, and every time she looked at her son it was like a knife turning in her heart. He was the image of the father he couldn’t even remember – the same jet-black hair, hazel eyes and lopsided grin, even the way he held his head and walked with a slight swagger. All constant reminders and the reason she found it hard to refuse Colin anything. ‘Oh, all right, just this once,’ she conceded.

‘Yer shouldn’t ask when yer know me mam’s struggling as it is,’ Katy said, hands flat on the floor to push herself up. ‘It’s cheaper to make a pan of chips than go to the chippy.’

Colin grinned. ‘I’m glad you’re not me mam, we’d never get anythin’.’

‘I wouldn’t be so soft with yer, that’s a dead cert.’

Dot sighed. ‘That’s enough, I’m too tired and hungry to listen to you two squabbling.’ She reached for her coat and took a purse from the pocket. ‘Here’s a threepenny bit, son. Run all the way an’ I’ll have a pot of tea brewed by the time yer get back.’

When the door closed on him, Katy shook her head. ‘Ye’re spoiling him, Mam. He’s got to learn that he can’t have everythin’ he wants.’

‘I know, sunshine, but I feel sorry for him. All the other kids in the street have dads that can take them to the park for a game of football, buy them comics and give them pocket money for the Saturday matinée. Colin’s missing all those things.’

‘He’s not the only one suffering, Mam! I can’t have anything I want, and look at yerself – out working at the British Enka every day except Sunday, and then yer’ve the housework to do. Our Colin should be made to pull his weight. He’s eleven years old, not a baby.’

‘He’s not a bad lad, Katy, don’t be hard on him. At least he doesn’t bring trouble to the door like some lads do.’

‘I know he’s not a bad lad, Mam, I love the bones of him. But he’s got to learn to grow up – you can’t carry him for ever.’

‘Let’s leave it for now, sunshine, I’m too tired to argue. I’ll stick the kettle on an’ butter some bread for when he gets back.’

‘I’ll see to that, Mam, you sit down and rest yer legs. The fire’s caught now, so take yer shoes off and warm yer feet.’ Katy picked up her mother’s coat and hung it on a hook behind the door. ‘We’ll eat the chips out of the newspaper, eh? They always taste nicer.’

Dot smiled at her daughter. What she’d do without her she didn’t know. Katy could do the housework as well as herself, and the washing and ironing. And when it came to shopping she could spot a bargain as quick as someone twice her age. The local shopkeepers knew better than to try and fob Katy Baker off with a rotten cabbage or a stale loaf. ‘Ye’re a good girl, sunshine. I’d be lost without yer, I really would.’

Katy giggled. She was a pretty girl, very like her mother. They were both slim, had the same thick auburn hair, turned-up noses and perfect white teeth. But while Dot’s eyes were hazel, her daughter’s were a vivid blue. ‘Flattery will get yer nowhere, Mam, except for a cup of tea and a buttie. Yer’ll have to settle for that.’

She had reached the door of the tiny kitchen when they heard shouting coming through the wall of the house next door. It was a man’s voice, loud and angry. ‘He’s at it again, Mam. Why is he always shouting at her?’

‘He’s just a bad ’un, Katy, a real bully. How Mary ever came to marry him I’ll never know. She’s just the opposite, quiet and pleasant.’

‘They haven’t been married long, have they?’

‘They got married just before they moved here, four years ago. Mary’s only twenty-six now, and the queer feller’s twenty-eight. He looks older because he spends every night in the pub knockin’ the beer back. Yer can tell he’s a boozer by the colour of his face and the beer belly he’s got hangin’ over his trousers.’ Dot kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes in front of the fire. ‘That’s probably what he’s shoutin’ for now. He’s after money for the pub and she’s got none.’

Katy filled the kettle and lit the gas ring. ‘How many rounds of bread shall I cut?’

‘Two rounds each should do. We can always cut more if we need it.’

The roar from next door brought Katy from the kitchen. ‘Mam, does he hit Mary?’

Dot gazed into the flames for a moment, wondering whether it was fair to worry her daughter. But she’d be leaving school at Christmas, entering the world of the grown-ups. Perhaps it would be better to prepare her for that world, rather than let her think life was all sunshine and roses. ‘Have you ever noticed that sometimes we don’t see Mary for days on end?’ she said quietly. ‘Or that she uses the entry when it’s dark to get to the corner shop for her messages? Well, those are the times she’s covered in bruises after the bold lad has given her a good hiding.’

Katy looked horrified. ‘But that’s not fair! There’s nothing of Mary – she’s as thin as a rake, she couldn’t stick up for herself! Why would he want to hurt her?’

‘I gave up trying to figure Tom Campbell out a long time ago, my duck. He’s got a good wife in Mary, I don’t know what more he wants. She keeps the house spotlessly clean and feeds him well, considerin’ the little money he gives her. In fact, that’s why she’s so thin – she starves herself to feed him.’

‘Hasn’t anybody said anythin’ to him, tried to stop him?’

Dot’s laugh was hollow. ‘Apart from us, and the O’Connors on the other side of them, nobody knows. He’s as nice as pie to everyone, butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s an angel outside the house and a devil inside. And what makes him tick, only the devil himself knows.’ There was a rap on the window and Dot hastily slipped on her shoes. ‘That’s Colin, don’t mention next door in front of him. Yer know what he’s like for repeating things, and Mary would die of shame if the whole street knew her business.’

‘It’s her horrible husband that should die of shame, not Mary,’ Katy said as she went to open the door. And as she stood aside to let her brother pass, she muttered under her breath, ‘If he was my husband I’d hit him with the poker. I’ll never let any man knock me around.’

Colin breezed in, his cheeks whipped to a rosy red by the wind. ‘That feller next door’s not half givin’ the pay-out. He’s got a right cob on over something.’

‘It doesn’t take much to start him off, son, he’s a bad-tempered bugger if ever there was one.’ Dot took the steaming parcel from him and the smell of chips set her mouth watering. ‘You can have yours on a plate if yer like, but me and Katy are eating ours from the paper.’

‘Yeah, me too! I asked the man to put plenty of salt and vinegar on an’ he did, he put lashings on.’ Colin licked his lips. ‘Yer can’t beat chips from the chippy. They always taste better than the ones made at home.’

The fire was crackling merrily now, making the room look more cosy. ‘Push the couch nearer the fire, son, might as well make ourselves comfortable.’ Dot set the parcel on the table and after opening the newspaper she tore it into three and shared the chips and scallops out evenly. ‘Dig in, kids, while they’re still hot.’

‘I got the cane in school today.’ Colin’s voice was matter-of-fact. As well it might be, since getting the cane was nothing unusual.

Dot’s hand paused on its way to her mouth. ‘What did yer get it for this time?’

‘I wasn’t the only one – half the class got it.’ The lad grinned when he pulled out a chip that was about six inches long. ‘Look at the size of this, Mam, it’s a whopper.’

‘Colin, I asked yer what yer got the cane for. It’s nothin’ to be proud of, yer know.’

‘It wasn’t my fault, it was a stupid lesson! Even you couldn’t have done it, Mam, or our Katy.’ Colin put that bit in for spite. His sister was always in the top three of her class while he had never been higher than sixth from bottom. ‘It was a music lesson and Mr Jarvis told us to draw ten lines across a piece of paper. I did that all right, it was easy. Then he told us to put one of those musical notes on each line, and we had to make a tune out of it. I thought he was havin’ us on at first, it was that far-fetched. I mean, fancy expectin’ us to be able to make a tune! Me mates were all the same, they just sat lookin’ at the piece of paper, not a clue what he was on about.’ Colin tore at the newspaper to make sure he hadn’t missed any chips before screwing it into a ball and throwing it on the fire. ‘Then Mr Jarvis came around, rapped us all on the knuckles with a ruler and told us to get stuck in.’

‘I don’t believe that!’ Katy looked at her mother and winked. ‘Mr Jarvis wouldn’t tell yer to get stuck in.’

‘No, he didn’t use those words.’ The boy’s eyes were full of mischief as he sprang to his feet and plucked the poker from the brass companion set. ‘This is what he said. “You, boy, don’t sit staring into space, get those notes down”.’ He had his teacher’s nasal voice off to a T, and his stance. Even his lips were set in a straight line and his eyelids were blinking fifteen to the dozen, both familiar features of Mr Jarvis.

Dot and Katy were doubled over with laughter. ‘If the poor man could see yer now, it would be ten strokes of the cane across yer backside.’ Dot wiped her eyes. ‘And yer’d deserve every one of them, yer little monkey.’

‘Go on, finish the tale,’ Katy urged. ‘What happened?’

Colin put the poker back on the companion set. ‘We had to hum the tune we’d made up.’ Once again, his eyes danced with mischief. ‘He started off with the clever clogs, you know, like David Conway and Peter Flynn. Yer might know they’d do well – both of them are too clever for their own good. They’d managed to make a tune up and Mr Jarvis was delighted with them. He’d praised them to high heaven, said they were a credit to the class and would make somethin’ of themselves when they grew up. They were sittin’ there with silly smiles on their gobs and I felt like clouting them one.’

‘Don’t be going all around the world, son,’ Dot said. ‘How did you get on?’

‘I wouldn’t ask if I were you, Mam, ’cos yer won’t like it.’

‘I’m askin’, Colin, so spit it out.’

‘I did the notes all right, they’re easy. All yer do is draw a line down, put a little egg shape on the bottom and fill it in with black pencil. And I made eight of ’em, like Mr Jarvis said. The only trouble was, I put them all on the same line and when he asked me to hum the tune, I had to hum the same eight notes. He wasn’t very happy about that.’

‘I can’t say I blame him,’ his sister giggled. ‘It must be like trying to flog a dead horse teaching the likes of you.’

‘Oh, yer ain’t heard nothing yet, Sis, the fun was only just startin’.’ Colin’s high, boyish laughter filled the room. ‘Yer know Spud Murphy who sits next to me – well, he hadn’t got a clue either, so he copied me. And Danny, next to him, copied him. Half the class had done what I did, that’s why half the class got the cane.’

‘I don’t know what I’m laughin’ at,’ Dot said, wiping her eyes. ‘I’ve got an idiot for a son and I’m sittin’ here laughing me ruddy head off.’

‘I was goin’ to tell yer not to worry, Mam, ’cos it’s not catching,’ Katy put in, ‘but I could be wrong in our Colin’s case if half the class have caught it off him.’

‘Oh, very funny.’ Colin put a thumb in each ear, wiggled his fingers, rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. ‘If I’m such an idiot, yer wouldn’t trust me to put the kettle on for a cuppa, would yer?’

‘I’ll do it.’ Dot rose to her feet and ruffled her son’s hair. ‘You two have a game of Ludo or Snakes and Ladders, pass the time away before bed.’

‘Can I have the oven shelf in me bed, Mam, to warm it up?’ Colin wheedled. ‘I was freezin’ last night, I couldn’t get warm. It’s all right for you two, yer can snuggle up together.’

‘Take it up now, then, and by the time yer go to bed it’ll be lovely and warm. But don’t forget to wrap that piece of old sheet around it or the bedclothes will be filthy.’ Dot rubbed her arms briskly when she walked into the kitchen, it was like ice. It was only October, the bad weather had come early this year. They were in for a long winter.

After Colin had gone to bed, mother and daughter curled up on the couch, their feet tucked under them. They both looked forward to this hour on their own, when the house was still and they could relax and talk about their day in work or at school. The fire was dying down and Katy asked, ‘Shall I put a few cobs of coal on, Mam?’

‘No, sunshine, we’ll have to take it easy with the coal.’ Dot didn’t hide anything from her daughter, although she sometimes worried she was making her old before her time. But she had to have someone to confide in and Katy was sensible and understanding. ‘I was thinking I’d be able to have Colin’s shoes repaired with me bit of overtime money, but if the cold weather keeps up I’ll have to ask the coalman to drop me an extra bag of coal in, otherwise we’ll freeze to death with the draughts in this house.’

‘I’ve only got two more months at school, Mam, then I’ll be working. Yer won’t be so hard up for money then. I know I won’t be earning much, but every little helps, doesn’t it?’

‘Whatever you bring in will be a godsend, sunshine, believe me. A few extra shillings a week will make all the difference.’ Dot gazed around the room which was exactly as it had been when her Ted died. Not a thing had been renewed, not even the wallpaper, because she’d never had the money. Her wages were spoken for before she even got them. Every Saturday she put the rent money away without fail. If they had nothing else they would have a roof over their heads. And coppers for the gas were put on a shelf in the kitchen alongside a two-bob piece to pay for a bag of coal. The little she had left over had to keep them in food and clothes, and both were in short supply. Nearly all her neighbours lived on tick from the corner shop, but although she’d been forced into it on a few occasions, Dot was dead against going into debt. If you couldn’t pay one week, you certainly couldn’t pay double the next.

‘The teacher was talkin’ to us today about when we leave school, Mam, an’ she asked us where we’d like to work an’ if we had any ambitions.’

Dot forgot her troubles to smile at her daughter. ‘Oh, aye! Did yer tell her yer had ambitions to become a film star?’

‘You can laugh, Mam, but Miss Ferguson certainly didn’t think it was funny when Bella Knight told her that.’

‘Go ’way! She didn’t, did she? I was only kiddin’, I honestly didn’t think anyone would be daft enough to say that to a teacher.’

‘She did.’ Katy swung her legs off the couch and stood in front of her mother. ‘Imagine I’m Bella Knight and I’ve got blonde hair in a plait that reaches to me backside. And now Miss Ferguson has asked if we have any ambitions.’ Katy straightened her face and pouted her lips before sticking her hand in the air. ‘“Please Miss, my dad says I’m beautiful enough to be a film star”.’

Dot gasped. ‘What did the teacher say?’

‘It took her a couple of minutes to quieten the class down, as all the girls were in stitches. Then she said, “Humility is a virtue, Bella, vanity is a sin. When you go home, tell your parents what I said. Now, has anyone got a sensible answer for me?”.’

‘There’s somethin’ wrong with that girl, there must be! Has she got all her marbles?’

‘She’s like a big soft baby, Mam.’ Katy curled herself up on the couch again. ‘Her mam and dad spoil her rotten. She’s only got to say she wants something and they get it for her.’

‘They’re making a rod for their own backs, if yer ask me. The parents must have more money than sense.’

‘She’s got two older brothers workin’, so there’s three wages going into the house. Bella gets a new dress practically every week, and they don’t come from a stall at Great Homer Street market, either.’

Dot patted her daughter’s hand. It grieved her that she couldn’t give her children the things other kids had. ‘Even if she was dressed like a princess, sunshine, she wouldn’t hold a candle to you.’

‘Oh, I don’t mind, Mam. I’m not jealous of Bella – in fact, I wouldn’t change places with her for a big clock. She’s nothing but a snob, bragging all the time. It’s no wonder she hasn’t got one friend; none of the girls like her.’

‘And what do you want to do when yer leave school? Any ideas?’

‘I’ve given it plenty of thought, Mam, but it’s more a case of what job I can get, never mind what I’d like. I could try Vernon’s at Linacre Lane, they take school-leavers on and it’s only five minutes’ walk. But they work all day Saturday, right through until nine o’clock, and if I got a job there it would mean our Colin being on his own until you got in.’

‘It would also mean yer’d never have a Saturday night out, sunshine, and Saturday’s the best night for young ones. It’s pay-day for everyone, and when yer get yerself a boyfriend he wouldn’t be very happy if he couldn’t take yer out on the one night he’s sure to have a few bob in his pocket.’

Katy blushed. ‘It’ll be a long time before I get meself a boyfriend.’

‘Don’t you kid yerself! Yer’ll have the boys running after yer, you take my word for it. And, Katy, get as much as yer can out of life while ye’re young, sunshine.’

‘I’ll only be fourteen, Mam! That’s too young to be thinkin’ of boyfriends.’

There was a catch in Dot’s voice when she said, softly, ‘I was only fourteen when I met your dad. It was a few years before we started courting seriously, but I knew from the minute I laid eyes on him that he was the one I wanted to spend the rest of me life with.’ She closed her eyes and a lone tear trickled down the side of her nose. ‘It wasn’t to be, but the ten years I knew him were the happiest of my life. Your father was a good man, Katy, and I worshipped the ground he walked on.’

Katy’s young face was anxious. ‘Don’t upset yourself, Mam. You have all those happy years to look back on, which is more than a lot of women have. Look at poor Mary, next door. She won’t have many happy memories of her husband, will she?’

‘I can tell yer this much, my love – if my Ted were alive he wouldn’t sit here listening to a woman being knocked around. He’d be in there like a shot, and it would be the queer feller nursing bruises, not Mary.’

Katy shivered. ‘I’m gettin’ cold now, Mam. Shall we go to bed and snuggle up?’

‘Hang on, I’ll put the flat iron on the gas stove for a few minutes. If we stick it at the bottom of the bed while we’re getting undressed, it’ll be warm for our feet.’

‘Mam, ye’re going to spoil me, like Bella’s mum does.’

Dot put her arms around her daughter and hugged her tight. ‘No one could spoil you, Katy Baker, ye’re unspoilable.’

Katy rapped on the brass knocker and smiled when her friend’s mother answered the door. ‘Is your Doreen ready, Mrs Mason?’

‘She won’t be two ticks, girl, she’s just nipped down the yard to the lavvy.’ The Masons lived a few doors up from the Bakers, and Doreen had been Katy’s friend since the day they’d started school together. Betty Mason was a big woman, with a huge bosom and stomach, a round, fat, happy face, and a ready smile. ‘It’s this bleedin’ cold weather, Katy. It’s got us all runnin’ down the yard every few minutes. My feller said this mornin’ that it was a toss-up which I had less control over, me mouth or me bladder.’ Her bosom and stomach shook as her raucous laugh echoed in the almost deserted street of two-up two-down terraced houses. ‘He’s a real caution, is my feller. Yer never know what he’s goin’ to come out with next. A laugh a minute, he is.’

‘Mam, can I get past or we’ll be late for school.’ Doreen squeezed by into the street. She was the same build as Katy, but she had fair hair and blue eyes. And where Katy had a slightly turned-up nose, Doreen’s was long and thin. ‘Come on, if we don’t get a move on we’ll miss the bell and that means being kept back tonight to do lines.’

‘Give them a good excuse an’ they won’t keep yer back.’ Every ounce of fat on the huge body wobbled with mirth. Betty thought up what she was going to say next. ‘Tell the miserable buggers that yer mam went into labour an’ yer couldn’t leave her.’

‘Mam!’ Doreen was mortified. ‘Come on, Katy, before she comes out with any more of her pearls of wisdom.’

Katy was grinning as she was pulled along by her arm. ‘Ta-ra, Mrs Mason, see yer tonight.’ She loved Doreen’s mam; she was so cuddly and warm, always happy and always ready to do a good turn.

They reached the end of Edith Road and a boy who had been lounging against the wall came towards them. ‘Ye’re late this morning, I thought I might have missed yer.’

‘Yer should have gone on, Billy,’ Katy scolded. ‘Yer shouldn’t have waited for us.’

‘Nah, I don’t mind waitin’ for yer. If we run we’ll make the gates before the bell goes.’ Billy Harlow lived a few streets away and neither of the girls could remember how, when or why he’d taken to waiting for them so he could walk to school with them. It wasn’t that he’d ever been one for playing with girls, he was a real boy. He was the leader of the gang of local boys who liked nothing better than to play footie or marbles, and when he was younger he always had patches on his short grey trousers where he’d torn them climbing trees or sliding down the railway embankment.

The three ran all the way to the school and sighed with relief to find the gates were still open. The girls turned into the playground of the girls’ school while Billy ran on to the boys’ playground. ‘I’ll wait for yer tonight,’ he called, ‘but if you’re out first you wait for me.’

‘Well, hurry out,’ Katy called back, ‘’cos I’ve got to get home for our Colin.’

Doreen slipped her arm through Katy’s. ‘Not long to go now before we won’t ever have to worry about being late and missing the bell.’

‘No, we’ll have other things to worry about, like clocking in at work on time. At least in school they only give yer lines or the cane if ye’re late, but in work they stop yer pay.’

‘I’m getting excited, are you, Katy? Just think, they’ll be giving us a wage packet every week. Me mam said if I buy me own clothes I can have more pocket money, but if I want her to buy them I’m only getting one or two shillings, dependin’ on how much wage I get.’

They were walking down the corridor, jostled by other children rushing to be at their desk before the priest arrived for morning prayers. ‘I’m goin’ to give me mam as much as I can,’ Katy said, ‘at least until she can straighten herself out. She’s been living from hand to mouth for as long as I can remember, and she never buys anythin’ for herself. If she had nice clothes, my mam would be really pretty.’

‘Come on,’ Doreen whispered, rushing ahead. ‘Here’s Father Kelly and yer know what a tyrant he can be.’

When school was over for the day, Billy was waiting outside for them. He was a well-made lad, with sandy hair and hazel eyes, and he was head and shoulders over other boys his age. Some of his class-mates sniggered and gave him sidelong glances as he stood waiting outside the girls’ entrance, but no one dared say anything because Billy Harlow was noted for being able to take care of himself.

‘What are you goin’ to do when yer leave school, Billy?’ Doreen asked. ‘Have yer made up yer mind what yer want to be?’

‘I’d like to go to sea, but me mam said she’d have me hide first.’ His voice was breaking and it moved from a high note to a deep growl. ‘She wants me to be a plumber, like me dad, ’cos she said there’s always work for plumbers. So me dad’s goin’ to see if he can get me in as an apprentice.’

Katy chuckled. ‘At least yer’ll be workin’ with water, even if yer can’t sail on it.’

‘I will go to sea when I’m older, and me mam can’t stop me. I want to see somethin’ of the world before I settle down an’ get married.’

‘Huh, you’ll be lucky!’ Doreen grinned. ‘Who’d have you?’

Billy grinned back. ‘They say there’s a fool born every minute, Dot, so there’s bound to be someone daft enough to have me.’

Katy had stopped listening; she was watching the familiar figure ahead of them. It was Mary Campbell, scurrying along with a basket over her arm, her head bent and her eyes on the ground. Mary was ten years younger than her mam, but she looked ten years older in the dowdy black coat that almost reached the ground. ‘Billy, has your dad ever hit yer mam?’ she asked suddenly.

Billy looked puzzled for a moment, then he let his head drop back and he roared with laughter. ‘Katy, yer’ve seen the size of my mam! Me dad wouldn’t stand an earthly with her! He wouldn’t want to hit her anyway, ’cos they get on great together, but if he was ever daft enough to try, she’d flatten him with one belt.’ The very idea had Billy’s imagination running wild. ‘In fact, she wouldn’t need to give him a clout, she’d just have to blow on him an’ he’d be down for the count.’

‘That’s a funny question to ask, Katy,’ Doreen said. ‘What brought it on?’

‘Nothing really.’ Katy shrugged her shoulders. ‘It was just that I heard of a woman bein’ knocked around by her husband and I wondered if it was a common thing.’

‘Not in our house, it’s not,’ Billy said. ‘And it wouldn’t be anywhere if I was around. No man should lay a finger on his wife, and I wouldn’t stand by and let it happen.’

‘In that case I’ll marry you, Billy,’ Katy chuckled. ‘And I’ll remind yer of those words every time yer lift yer hand . . . even if it’s only to scratch yer head.’

Billy squared his shoulders and threw out his chest. ‘Did yer hear that, Doreen? Yer see, I told her there was a fool born every minute.’

‘Hey, Billy Harlow!’ Katy gave a good impression of being indignant. ‘Don’t you be callin’ me a fool or I’ll clock yer one.’

‘Oh, ye’re not a fool, Katy, not when yer’ve said yer’ll marry me. It proves how sensible yer are and what very good taste in men yer have.’

‘Well, I’ll have to take me taste with me now, ’cos I’ve got to go an’ see to our Colin. Come on, Doreen, it’s all right for you, yer’ve nowt to worry about.’

‘I’ll see yer in the mornin’, then,’ Billy said, ‘and I’ll walk to school with yer.’

‘Yeah, OK, Billy,’ the girls chorused. ‘Ta-ra for now.’

‘D’yer feel like walking down to Edwards’ shop with us, Katy?’ Doreen looked up at her friend who had opened the door to her. ‘Me mam wants me to get her a quarter of their homemade walnut toffee.’

‘We’ve just finished our tea, I’m helpin’ me mam wash the dishes.’ Katy held the door open. ‘Yer can come in and wait, if yer like.’

‘Yeah, OK, as long as it’s only a few minutes.’ Doreen slipped past her friend and waited until she’d closed the door. ‘Me mam said she just fancied some, her