Chapter Forty-Nine

“Hello Sadie ... I thought it was you I could see at the back of the bus queue,”

Tom had circled around the queue in his car to be sure it was Sadie as she looked different somehow and he didn’t want to sound his horn if it was a total stranger. God knows what Mary would think of that.

Sadie looked away. It was as if she didn’t want to know him, but he called to her again.

“Sadie, Sadie ... Let me give you a lift ... please.” Reluctantly she left the others who were waiting for the bus and joined him. “I’m going home, but I’d be pleased to drop you anywhere you want to go. Mary will be delighted that I saw you. We haven’t heard from you for over a week.”

She sat still in Tom’s car with her headscarf tied loosely around her head and as he put out his hand to touch her, she flinched and her body tightened as she sat beside him.

“Sadie ... Sadie, what’s the matter Love. It’s me ...Tom.”

Sadie turned slowly to face him and removed her headscarf.

“Oh! My God! What has happened to you?”

Sadie began to cry. Her head was thickly bandaged and the right side of her cheek was swollen and dark. She looked at Tom with fear in her eyes.

“For God’s sake Tom, please don’t tell Mammy about this ... please,” she gasped, but Tom patted her hand affectionately as he began to drive away.

“I’m going to take you to tea somewhere nice and we can have a good talk,” he said, as he drove on without looking at her.

“No Tom ... Please, I don’t want anyone to see me like this,” she muttered, but he continued to drive in silence for some little way and then he stopped at a cafe where he left Sadie in the car before he went inside and ordered some tea and scones, to take away . The waitress looked at him in surprise.

“TO TAKE AWAY?” she enquired, “Why ever should you do that. You can have tea and scones here in the cafe, surely like everyone else.”

Tom removed his gloves.

“But I’m not everyone else,” he snapped and I have someone waiting for me in my car, just outside the door. Now that friend does not want to come in here, so will you serve me as I ask, or do I have to go elsewhere?”

The waitress gaped at him, wide mouthed and swallowed hard.

“Tea and scones, coming up ...to take away,” she murmured and Tom returned to Sadie with his tray.

“There’s no sugar, Love ... the rationing, you know and the scones are made with brown flour.” He looked at Sadie sadly with his apology, but she dried her eyes and smiled.

“Thanks Tom. You are kind.” Sadie looked deeply into Tom’s eyes, “Mammy is so lucky,” she said.

“Never mind that young lady. Now please tell me what has happened to you?”

Sadie looked despairingly through the windscreen as she nibbled a scone.

“It’s just a domestic problem, Tom ...Nothing I can’t handle,” she said softly but Tom looked long and hard into Sadie’s face and remembered the vivacious young girl, she had once been. He could see again the lovely young thing with the heavy lipstick; with the broadest of smiles and the blackest of eye make-up and he had thought how funny she had looked at that time, but there was always a certain innocence about her which made up for all the appearances of the ‘tart’, she made herself out to be. Sadie had always been an extremist ... Mary was right about her.

“Is there anything at all I can do Sadie? ...Anything? You know I will help if I can.”

Tom could feel an anger welling up within him as he spoke. He knew that Robert was involved in this, but he did not want to embarrass Sadie any more than he needed.

“I’ll be alright, Tom. Really I will. I’m ... I’m getting used to it.”

He took her hand in his and rubbed her fingers gently and for a moment he was looking, not into Sadie’s eyes, but Mary’s. He took a twenty pound note from his wallet and pressed it into her coat pocket.

“No, Tom ...No.”

“Yes Sadie Yes, yes, yes “ he went on “Get yourself something nice and a wee something for Fiona, if you have enough left and if not, let me know. Mary and I will be sending a parcel to you all soon.” He checked that he had her correct address from a slip of paper in his wallet, but Sadie put her hand over his.

“No Tom ... We don’t live there any more. Robert is out of work and we have a room in a house off Ward Street. I’ll give you the address.”

“Better still I’ll take you there now in the car, Sadie.

She looked troubled when he suggested that to her.

“Well, just drop me at the end of the street if you don’t mind, Tom. I think that would be best.”

He took her ‘home’ and dropped her where she wanted to get off, but he could see the dilapidated houses as she walked away from the car. He wanted to call her back and take her home to Mary with him and he would have done if Fiona had been with her. Sadie looked back and waved. Her headscarf was in place again, but her step was heavy and reluctant, despite the fact that she had assured him she was alright. He felt sorry that he had promised her that he would not tell Mary of the incident and hoped for some way that he could retract his allegiance and help her to get this matter resolved, as he drove home with a heavy heart.

Mary greeted him as usual when he went into the house, but her inner sense told her that something just wasn’t quite right.

“Are you alright, Tom? You look a wee bit under the weather.” she said calmly and he took her in his arms and cuddled her warmly.

“I’m alright, my Love but I met a friend today who is having rather a hard time and I thought of how happy I am, in comparison.”

“Isn’t there something we could do to help him?” Mary enquired, presuming it to be a male friend of her husband a business associate, perhaps, although she did not ask.

“I think a few of your good prayers might not go amiss, my Darling,” he sighed and Mary kissed him.

“Come and have some tea, Love. I’ve just baked some scones, but its brown flour I’m afraid. I couldn’t get any white this morning with the rationing again.”

Tom looked at his hands and his eyes clouded over with a sadness that would not leave him.

“Brown flour is just fine, Sweetheart .Just fine,” he said.