Across the Mersey - Annie Groves [47]
‘Well, that’s a fine thing to say, and about your own son too. I’m surprised at you, Edwin, I really am,’ Vi retaliated. ‘Poor Charlie’s doing his best. It was gone eight o’clock three evenings last week before he came in for his meal.’
‘He needs to spend more time working and less time at that ruddy Tennis Club,’ Edwin told her.
‘Edwin! Language!’ Vi reproved him. ‘Jean’s going to be getting herself in a state. She was all for telling me I’d done the wrong thing when I said that we’d had Jack evacuated, but she’ll be wishing she’d had the sense to do the same with her twins now, I shouldn’t wonder.’
Edwin gave a bored grunt.
‘Edwin, I really do think you should speak to Alan’s father, you know. Poor Bella’s terrified that that dreadful mother of Alan’s is going to try to make them live with them after they’re married. It’s like I was saying to my WVS group, it doesn’t look very good when a prominent Wallasey Village businessman and a local councillor acts as though he can’t afford to set his newly married son up in a house of his own. I’d be ashamed if that was us and our Charlie.’
Edwin gave another grunt.
‘If you were to ask me then I’d have to say that I’m a bit worried that Mrs Parker is one of those mothers who have to have her son tied to their apron strings. I’ve already told Bella that she’ll have to watch out for that. She will be Alan’s wife, after all. You know, I was thinking, if you were to mention to Mr Parker when you see him tomorrow at the council meeting that you’re prepared to give the young ones a cheque to pay for the new furniture they’ll need for that house that’s up for sale near the Parkers, then that just might make him realise—’
‘Give it a rest, will you, Vi? If the Parkers won’t buy them a house then there’s nothing I can do about it. Get me another drink, will you?’
Vi got up and took the glass he was holding out to her. She knew when not to cross her husband, but at least she had planted the right seed in his mind. Bella had sobbed her heart out after they’d got back from church this morning after Alan had told her that he thought they should move in with his parents instead of setting up their own home.
Well, she’d see about that, Vi assured herself. She wasn’t going to have her Bella getting less than her due. If push came to shove then she’d see to it that Edwin bought them a house, and she’d make sure that everyone knew who’d had to pay for it.
She was very disappointed in the Parkers. Very disappointed.
‘Hey, Charlie, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to pick me up over half an hour ago.’
Charlie grinned, ignoring the harassed and irritated expression on the face of his friend, as Brian got into the passenger seat of Charlie’s car. It was true that Charlie had promised to pick him up outside his house, prior to them both attending a regular Territorial Army meeting, and it was equally true that Charlie was very late. Not that Charlie himself cared.
‘Sorry, Brian, but I had a bit of important business to attend to,’ he told him, winking meaningfully. ‘A certain pretty girl had heard that war had been declared and she wanted to say a proper goodbye to me. I tell you, mate, this TA uniform is worth its weight in gold for the effect it has on the girls.’
‘Oh, yes? Well, you won’t be feeling so pleased with yourself when you hear what I’ve got to tell you. We’re in deep shit.’
‘Ruddy hell, what for?’ Charlie scratched irritably at his neck where the rough fabric of his TA battledress had chafed his skin. Girl pleasing or not, he would be glad to get out of it and into his civvies. To tell the truth, the last thing he felt like doing now was going down to the local drill hall where his unit of the Territorial Army volunteers was based. For one thing, he suspected that his father would want to give him a lecture about the effects of the war on the business and the importance of