Chapter Fifty- Five

Mary watched Willie as he put on his tie. He had made several attempts but the thing still did not look right.

“Let me,” she said and stood on tip toe to assist her over six foot charming son.

“Och ... I can never get a tie to look right, Mammy. It’s no use, no matter how I try. It always looks crooked.”

Mary looked at him with pride and wondered was there a girlfriend waiting for him ...somewhere ...

“Will you be late getting home, dear,” she enquired, hoping he might elaborate her enquiry.

“Not very late, I shouldn’t think Mammy. I’m just goin’ for a drink wi’ Wattie. He’s been called up for the army and he’s leavin’ in a few days time, you know.”

Mary’s heart didn’t exactly flutter over Willie’s answer, but she was pleased he was beginning to go out again as she had been worried about his long, silent moods of late.

“That’s nice Willie. Give Wattie my love, won’t you and tell him I send my best wishes to his Mammy too,” she left the room, but reappeared a few moments after. “And tell Wattie to come to dinner one evening, before he leaves for the army.”

“Thanks Mammy, I’ll do that.”

Willie went through the old ritual of dusting his trousers and slapping his thighs as he gazed out of the window. It was a habit he had acquired at the Building Site. The night outside was dark and cold and he shivered as he stood there, thinking ...He wished the war was over and he wished the black-out would end. He was fed up staggering about at night with a torch and bumping into sand bags that people had built up around the entrance to their homes to counteract the blast ... if there was any. He hated all the signs that reminded him of war ... and of death.

“Stand still now,” Mary asked dutifully as she appeared with a clothes brush, taking a further opportunity to look up into the face of her handsome, clean-cut son. She looked at him for a long time.

“What is it Mammy?” Willie asked, but Mary kept on looking, with the clothes brush excuse, no longer necessary.

“My God ...You’re the image of your father,” she whispered and hugged him close to hide the tear that would not leave her eye. “Those eyelashes will drive some young madam wild. Be off with you Darling boy.”

Willie blushed and kissed his mother’s cheek. He lowered his head and cupped hers in his hands.

“If I have anything that’s attractive Mammy, it’s because you are so beautiful,” he said as he kissed her again and left the house with his Burberry over his arm.

***

Wattie was waiting for Willie when he arrived at the Ship Inn

“Blackie shouldn’t be long. I told him eight o’clock ...What time is it now?”

Wattie sniffed in the cold night air as he spoke and little vapour clouds of breath ejected into the cooling breeze, punctuating his pronouncement.

“A couple of minutes to go ...” said Willie as he studied Wattie’s face and marvelled at the change that had come over his old friend ... His suit was new and of very good quality cloth. His shirt was immaculate and his tie matched perfectly. Willie just knew that the shoes would be impeccable but he didn’t look down. Instead, he rubbed his own right shoe on the back of his left trouser leg and at that moment, Blackie stepped out from the darkness. He was almost as smart as Wattie.

“Right ...Let’s go then,” Wattie suggested as they spied an empty table in the pub.

“My round lads ...What’s it to be?” Wattie made for the bar, feeling quite the young man with his wallet firmly in his pocket and left Blackie and Willie at the table.

“Bitter,” they called out simultaneously and grinned. It was so strange to be drinking together and even stranger that they had the same choice of beer ...

“I’m sorry to hear about your brother, Willie” Blackie spoke first but Willie did not answer. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to force a smile as Blackie put his large hand forward on the table and placed it over Willie’s. He squeezed gently and Willie felt the warmth of a true friendship beginning. Blackie smiled.

“No Billys or Dans tonight, Mate. What do you say?”

Willie’s teeth flashed in a broad smile.

“Let’s get pissed Blackie Let’s get truly rat-assed, eh?”

The evening passed convivially and the three boys were happy in each other’s company.

The war made no class distinctions men were men regardless Billys , Dans or Old Tin Cans Were they not fodder against the enemy to make a new and wholesome Britain, where people could live in peace and hold their heads high whatever their religion

“Time gentlemen please “ The bell rang and the barmaid shouted her ultimatum as the trio left the Ship Inn arm-in-arm and singing “Auld Lang Syne” adding words of their own and breaking into peels of laughter. Blackie lit a cigarette and held the lighted match in the air as he mimicked the barmaid’s last words as they left the pub.

“You boys go straight home now and don’t get into any mischief you understand?”

Blackie winced as the match burned his thumb and he quickly lit another and held it to the sky. “Opportunity would be a fine thing,” shouted Wattie as he keeled over and caught Willie’s arm. “Ooops! ...”

“Put that light out” a voice demanded nearby and a steel helmet glimmered silkily as the moon came out from behind a dark cloud as if to enquire what was going on

“S’cuse me,” a young lady said as she clip-clopped past them in the shadows and the boys looked at her aghast.

“Where did she come from?” asked Blackie as he rubbed his eyes with his fists.

“Never saw her until she was on me,” said Wattie, with a silly grin across his face.

“I think she was in fancy dress... Did you see that hat she was wearin’?” added Willie, swaying as he walked and bumping into a lamp post.

“S’cuse me,” he said and they all giggled together.

“No use chattin’ that thing up, Willie It won’t move ...”

“And you mustn’t get into mischief boy,” added Blackie as he strained to see ahead in the dark. “Is there any place where we can go for another drink?”

“The night is young and I think Morri’s Restaurant should be still open,” Willie said as he strained to look at his watch and Blackie threw his arms in the air.

“What are we waiting for Morri,laddie ... Here we come.” He shouted and his feet went in all directions, but not in the way he wanted them to go.”

Clip-Clop ... Clip-Clop ... The young lady passed them again, in the opposite direction.

“S’cuse me,” she said as the boys had obstructed the pavement and Wattie laughed as the others joined in before he began to sing with his famous falsetto voice which made the others cringe.

“Show me the way to go home

I’m tired and I wanna go to bed ...”

He raised his voice to a higher than high falsetto on the last line as he glanced in the direction in which the young lady had taken off.

“I had a little drink about an hour ago,

The other two joined in again for the finale.

And it’s gone right to my head

They fell about laughing when the clip-clop lady passed them again.

“S’cuse me,” she said, for the third time that evening, as she minced past and the boys giggled.

“I don’t know whether she’s comin’ or goin’,” remarked Blackie, “But she sure smells nice.”

Wattie stood aside to let her pass and made a profound bow.

“I like the ‘at,” added Willie as Blackie gave a robust wolf-whistle. “Genuine crepe paper that one is ... wherever she got it ...AMEN.”

***

The three lads decided to go to Morri’s. They would be sure to get a good drink there and it was always open until way into the sma’ oors so Wattie led the chorus again in his high pitched voice.

“Wherever I do roam, on land on sea or foam,

I can hear those voices singin’ along.

SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME ...”

The last line was part melody, part laughter, but for the most part, rowdy nonsense as they all joined in ...

“Less o’ that bleedin row, there,” the air-raid warden screamed and the clip-clop lady passed the boys again, for the fourth time. Blackie looked at her in amusement as he grabbed her hat and threw it into the air. She lifted her hand to her head and giggled.

“Oh ... You boys will have me naked before the night’s out,” she said and dropped her eyes very demurely, but Blackie raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes.

“Brrrrrh!”... he shook his head violently from side to side and laughed aloud. “Wish ah had the strength, Hen,” he called out as the crepe paper hat came floating back and he caught it in his hand before it fell to the street.

“You can buy me a wee drink, if you like,” she asked coyly and joined them without further invitation. Willie and Blackie, each took one of her arms and carried her with them to Morri’s. Her tiny feet never left the ground as they took her with them on their route to Morri’s and they all sang again in chorus, keeping in tone as best they were able.

“SHOW US THE WAY TO GO HOME.”

Wattie tripped along behind and grinned as he passed the air-raid warden.

“Don’t work too hard Mister an’ keep yer ‘at on ... It might rain.”

The four marauders made their way to Morri’s.

“Keep right on to the end of the road,”

They sang, but the voices faded with their swift exit from the scene and the warden twisted his little finger in his right ear to resume his hearing and raised his eyes to the darkened skies as he crossed his arms and beat out the cold on either side of his great-coat.

“It’s a cold enough night, right enough Ah could do wi’ a wee drop o’ the hard stuff masel, ah could,” he muttered into his thick woolly scarf that covered his mouth and hoped that the enemy would give him peace on such a calm, if cold winter night.

***

All the lights at Morri’s were out, of course. The blackout was intense and there appeared to be no sign of life when the songsters arrived.

“Look at that?” It was Wattie who spoke as he pointed upwards.

“What is it?” asked Willie as he screwed his eyes up to look in the direction in which Wattie was pointing. Silhouetted against the dark grey sky with only a glimmer of fading moonlight, a lion’s head appeared. It seemed to grow out of the main entrance to Morri’s

“That’s new, isn’t it?” asked Blackie, “I’ve never seen that before and doesn’t it look real?” he said as the clip-clop girl gave a little squeal.

The four vagrants stood out on the road, away from the pavement to get a better view of the apparition. It was truly a lion’s head, with its mouth open as if it was about to roar. Blackie looked at the other three and rubbed his eyes.

“I didn’t think I had drunk that much .” he said but the girl put his mind to rest.

“No ... no,” she screamed, “it is a lion’s head. Look! The moon is coming out and you can see it clearer now from where I’m standing. . What’s that on the doo r? ...”

They traipsed back onto the pavement to read the notice that was pinned up on the main entrance to the restaurant.

“Can’t see a thing, Wattie Can you?” Willie asked, bleary eyed and Wattie was no better, but Miss clip-clop came to the rescue again as she struck a match to have a quick look before the air raid warden shouted his urgent instructions.

“This bloody black out is a sod,” she said, “It reads ... It reads ... UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT -MEMBERSHIP ONLY...”

Despite the warning, they knocked sharply on the door, but there was no answer. They knocked a second time as they could hear music coming faintly from inside and within a few seconds a little square door at eye level shot open and the music instantly became clear and loud.

“What do you want?”

“We’d like a little drink please?”

The eye in the square window shifted warily.

“Got a card?” the voice rasped.

“Card ... What card? We only want a drink, Mate.”

“Membership card ... You need a membership card. Can’t you bloody read?”

“We only want a wee drink you see my friends are going into the Forces at the weekend and we’re havin’ a little send off party that’s all.”

“Then piss off and have it elsewhere. We’re closed.”

The girl hung onto Blackie’s coat as they stood there in the cold of the night.

“I can smell something ... something in there. I think we had better go,” she whispered into Blackie’s ear.

“What?”

“Ssshh! Let’s get away from here quickly,” she whispered again.

Willie looked at the door again. It was dark and foreboding, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to shout out in the darkness, despite the warden who may be hovering nearby.

“My friends might be sent to the Russian front, you big bastard. It would do you good to get a uniform on and do your bit, instead of simpering behind that bloody wee window. If I could get at you I’d ...”

Wattie pulled him away and Blackie suggested that if they were sent to the Russian front, they might at least get some vodka ... then he turned to Willie.

“Come on, Willie Get on my back.” he said.

“What? What the hell for?”

“Never mind ...Just do it and I’ll show you what for.”

Willie stood on Blackie’s back as he knelt down and slipped his legs over his friend’s shoulders as he stood up.

“Is that high enough, Willie?”

“Blackie what are you doing. You’re” ... Willie giggled as he realized he was face to face with the lion’s head. “Aye Just aboot,” he cackled and the others laughed. “That’s it,” he concluded as he slid down from Blackie’s shoulders to the ground.

“Show me the way to go home,

I’m tired and I wanna go to bed...”

“Whose bed ...” Wattie enquired and Blackie blew a loud raspberry into the air.

“Anybody’s bed,” shouted Blackie and Willie doubled up laughing.

***

The following morning, the police were called by the new management of Morri’s Restaurant now transformed into a Night Club, to remove a large, floppy, beer-sodden pink crepe paper hat from the head of the roaring lion. It took them quite some time to undo the streamers that were tied under the animal’s chin, just to ensure that the hat didn’t fall off in the wind

“Bloody revellers,” said the new manager, “They need their young airses well kicked. That’s what they need.”

But three young men and a certain young lady, all slept sound in their beds until noon that day. Well, it was Saturday, after all... and they all did end up in their own beds.