Rhona was leaving the factory gates after her shift on Monday, her mind on the story she’d seen in the paper yesterday and what it meant for Mavis. She’d rushed over to check that she knew and if she was all right, but Mavis had been fine, more than fine in fact. She’d had a few extra days to adjust to the news, and the wonderful thing was she was now formally engaged to Tommy. Rhona couldn’t bring herself to feel sorry for Alec, and was delighted that Mavis was at last out of limbo. Even James and Grace didn’t seem too bothered; Grace had had a hard time understanding what someone being dead meant, but neither was sad at the idea of never seeing Alec again.
So Rhona was miles away when she caught sight of a figure leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the road. She groaned to herself. This was the last person she wanted to see, but there was no way of avoiding her, short of turning round and going back inside the gates, which would be stupid. Sighing, she decided to find out what the girl wanted.
Penny made her way across the road, huddled into a light coat, her expression miserable. Her hair was flat and looked like it hadn’t been washed in a while. Rhona thought that if she hadn’t known better, this didn’t look like someone who could steal their best friend’s boyfriend.
‘Hello, Penny.’
Penny looked up in what might have been relief at not being ignored. ‘Rhona. I came to see you. Actually I came last …’
‘Yeah, I heard.’ Rhona stood still and folded her arms. ‘What is it that you want exactly?’
Penny shuffled her feet and looked uneasy. ‘It’s a bit … well, I can’t quite …’
‘Spit it out.’ Rhona wasn’t in the mood to make things easy for the young woman who’d betrayed her so badly when she’d been in no state to do anything about it.
Penny glanced around, checking to see if anyone was close enough to overhear. Then she plucked up her courage and came out with it. ‘Rhona, I need your help.’
Rhona raised her eyebrows. ‘Blimey. You got a nerve. Why would I help you, when you went off with Gary?’
‘Please, Rhona. I haven’t got anyone else I can turn to,’ Penny gazed at her imploringly. ‘I can’t talk to Mum, and everyone at my new job down the fruit and veg warehouse is miles older so they wouldn’t understand. You’re the only person who would know what to do.’
Rhona thought this sounded like trouble, but in spite of herself she was interested. She should send Penny away with a flea in her ear, but instead said brusquely, ‘You’ve got the time it takes me to walk home.’
‘All right.’ Penny said, but struggled to keep up. ‘Please, Rhona, slow down. Sorry, I’m just a bit tired.’
Rhona slowed her pace, noting that though Penny had always been fair-skinned, she now looked an unhealthy shade of white. She was also breathing heavily and a bit of Rhona’s hardness towards her softened. ‘You obviously can’t talk and walk, so when we get to my place you’d better come in.’
‘Oh, thanks, Rhona.’
When they arrived at the house, Rhona shoved open the door and headed for the kitchen where her mother looked up in surprise when she saw their visitor. ‘Penny, I didn’t expect to see you here.’
‘Hello,’ Penny said weakly.
Marilyn looked at her daughter, but Rhona just shrugged. Sighing, she said, ‘Cup of tea?’
‘Yes please, Mum, I’m parched,’ said Rhona at once.
‘No thanks,’ said Penny. ‘Could I have a glass of water?’
‘Yes, and I’ll make the tea,’ Rhona said, staring meaningfully at her mother, willing her to leave them alone.
Marilyn got the message. ‘Now you’re back I’ll just pop out to see if they’ve got anything at the bakery going cheap at the end of the day. You never know.’ She picked up her bag and went out of the back door.
Rhona handed Penny her glass of water and indicated the kitchen chair. ‘So, what’s up?’
Penny sat at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands. ‘I don’t know how to begin.’
Rhona made herself a cup of tea and sighed impatiently. She already had her suspicions, but said, ‘I can’t help you if I don’t know what the problem is.’
Penny raised her head and wiped away a tear that was trickling down her face. ‘Do you remember when I asked your advice about … about …?’
‘Sex!’ Rhona snapped.
Penny lowered her head, nodded and stammered, ‘I … nearly did what you advised, but … well …’
Rhona took a sip of her tea to compose herself, then put her cup down. She suspected that this was the problem during their walk from the factory. ‘So you’re telling me you’re pregnant?’
Miserably Penny nodded. ‘I think so. I hoped it was just that I’m a bit run down or something, but I’ve missed two of my monthlies now. Oh, what am I gonna do?’
Rhona bit down the answer that came to her lips. She just didn’t have the heart to berate someone who was clearly in desperate straits. ‘So you didn’t take precautions then.’
Penny began to cry properly. ‘I did try. But sometimes I just forgot. You know, when you get carried away …’
‘So you just trusted to luck,’ Rhona said sharply. ‘That was a silly thing to do.’
‘I know that now …’ Penny sobbed as she wiped her face with a grubby hanky.
‘What do you expect from me?’ Rhona asked.
‘I don’t really know. I just needed to tell somebody, and everyone else would have said it’s my fault for going all the way before marriage. I knew you wouldn’t judge me like that.’
Rhona sat down opposite her former friend. ‘Have you told Gary?’
Penny shook her head. ‘I don’t know what he’ll say. He’s so busy at the moment. He’s trying out all these different bands to play with so I don’t want to worry him.’
‘He’s going to have to know some time,’ Rhona pointed out. ‘After all, when your belly swells he’s going to notice.’
‘I’m scared of how he’ll react, and I know that he’ll never agree to marry me,’ Penny started crying again. ‘And I can’t tell my mum. She’s never met Gary, but she doesn’t like me going out with him, and when she finds out I’m pregnant she’ll go crazy.’
Rhona didn’t want to admit it, but she felt she wasn’t exactly blame-free. She’d encouraged her friend to go ahead and enjoy herself, even telling her how to protect herself against pregnancy. All right, Penny had been lax, but it could so easily have been her in the same position. She also knew that Gary would never agree to marriage. He liked a good time too much to get tied down and he’d deny that he was the father. ‘Look, this has come as a bit of a surprise, and I need time to think about what you can do. Leave it with me, but don’t go home with a face like that or your mum will know something is up. Come over to the sink and give it a wash.’
She stood to one side as Penny did as she suggested, and handed her a towel. ‘That’s an improvement already. Go home, have a bath, do your hair and don’t give up just yet. We’ll come up with something.’
‘You’re too good to me,’ sniffed Penny. ‘I don’t deserve it.’
Rhona thought about the night in the cellar and what the two men had said. She knew she couldn’t blame Penny; just like she had been, her former friend was only out to have a bit of fun. The difference was, she’d got caught out, whereas thankfully, Rhona had never found herself pregnant.
‘I’d better go before your mum gets back.’ Penny hung the towel on its hook again.
‘Yeah, that might be best.’ Rhona led the way through to the front door. ‘Come on, chin up.’
‘Thanks, Rhona.’ Penny leant forward on the doorstep and gave Rhona a hug, before turning and hurrying down the street.
Blimey, thought Rhona. If anyone had asked her before, she would have said she never wanted to see Penny again, and that if she got herself in trouble then that was her look-out. But when it came to it, Rhona couldn’t abandon her old friend.