Val woke suddenly with severe abdominal pain. It was a Monday morning at the beginning of May, the start of her last week at the office. She had been looking forward to finishing work as she was getting rather tired, but apart from that she felt fit and well and was still very active. She knew that she would miss the company of her friends. Looking forward to the birth of their baby, though, would more than compensate for the lack of companionship.
She sat up in bed and nudged Sam, who stirred sleepily. ‘What? What’s the matter? It’s not time to get up, is it?’
‘No… but I think there’s something wrong, Sam. I’ve got such an awful pain.’
Instantly, he was wide awake. He glanced at the alarm clock which went off at seven o’clock. It was half past six.
‘You’re not…? You don’t think it’s the baby, do you? It’s far too soon.’ She still had fourteen weeks or so to go. He looked at her in alarm. ‘Shall I go and make you a cup of tea? It might only be a twinge. Perhaps it will go off.’
‘Yes, please…’ she murmured. The pain did seem to be subsiding a little.
By the time Sam came back with the tea, though, it was obvious that something was amiss. The pain was recurring regularly and Val’s face was ashen.
‘I’d better get you straight to hospital,’ he said. ‘Do you want to get dressed?’
Val shook her head. ‘Best not to, I think.’ She was quite scared by now. ‘I’d better just go as I am. Oh, Sam… do you think we’re losing the baby?’
‘Let’s hope not, love. You’ve not…? There’s no blood or anything?’
‘No, just this pain…’
Sam dressed quickly and drank the tea that Val had left after taking a few sips. She was still wearing her nightdress with a dressing gown over it, and had put on a pair of briefs to make her feel more comfortable. There was nothing much on the roads and they were soon at the hospital at the other side of the town.
When they arrived she was helped into a wheelchair and taken straight to the maternity ward. Sam kissed her gently before she was wheeled inside. ‘You’ll be all right, darling. They’ll take good care of you.’
Val could only smile feebly at him as she grasped at his hand. Sam waited in a small room outside the main ward for what seemed like hours and hours. It was, in fact, less than an hour, but he could tell when the doctor came in and spoke his name that the news was not good.
‘Mr Walker… I’m very sorry, your wife has had a miscarriage. We did all we could, but I’m afraid she’s lost the baby.’
‘And what about Valerie?’ he asked. She was really his main consideration. ‘Is she all right?’
‘Yes, she will be in a little while. She’s lost a lot of blood and it’s a traumatic experience to go through but she will be all right. She’s sedated at the moment and I’d like her to rest now. Perhaps you could come back later in the day. You don’t need to wait for visiting hours.’
‘Thank you, Doctor,’ said Sam. ‘Could you tell me…? What was the baby? A boy or a…?’
‘It was a boy, Mr Walker.’
Sam felt his eyes mist with tears but he knew it was nothing compared to the heartache that Val must be feeling. She had been so anxious to have this baby.
He went into work mid-morning; he had phoned his father to say he would be late as Val was not well. He broke the news to Joshua, who was truly sorry. He had become very fond of Val and had been looking forward to another grandchild.
‘It would have been a boy,’ Sam told him. ‘Not that I was too concerned about the sex of the child but I expect you would have liked a grandson, eh, Dad?’
‘Maybe,’ replied Joshua. ‘But never mind, lad. Better luck next time. You and Valerie are still young and strong. These things happen for a reason, you know. There may have been something wrong and it’s nature’s way of not letting it go on. You take the rest of the day off and give my love to that lovely wife of yours and your mother as well. She’ll be sorry to hear about it, she’s got quite fond of the lass, you know.’
‘Yes, I do believe she has… I’ll go and tell the girls in the office. Val was due to start her last week there.’
‘Aye. I passed on the message that she wasn’t feeling too good. They’ll be sorry to hear the news. She was a good worker there as well.’
The office girls were all dismayed at the news and Rita, the youngest one, shed a few tears.
‘Oh, how awful for Val! She was looking forward to it so much. We knew we would miss her, though. She was real nice to work with.’
Sam wondered, then, if it might be best for Val to return to work but he did not mention it, nor would he say anything to her, not yet. Rita had fitted well into the post left by Pauline. Susan, who was slightly senior to Jill, was due to take over Val’s post as senior clerk but a replacement had not been found yet to do her own job.
‘Thanks for your kind messages,’ said Sam. ‘I expect Val will be home in a day or two and she’ll no doubt come in to see you when she feels up to it. Bye for now…’
Sam drove into town to buy a large bunch of early roses for Val and a box of her favourite chocolates. Little consolation, he knew, but he must do something to cheer her up. He made himself a quick lunch of scrambled eggs on toast before driving to the hospital in the early afternoon.
Val was in a small private room. He wondered if it might be better for her to have the company of other women in the general ward, but then he realised that might not be such a good idea as they all had their babies with them in cots at the end of the beds. Val was sitting up in bed looking very forlorn. She smiled when she saw Sam, but when he went to put his arms around her she burst into tears.
‘Oh, Sam! Isn’t it dreadful? We’ve lost the baby…’
‘Never mind, darling. So long as you’re all right, that’s the main thing at the moment. You are feeling OK, aren’t you? As well as you can be, I mean? I know you’re very upset about it, of course.’
‘Yes, I’ll be OK.’ Val sighed. ‘I’ve to stay here for a day or two… But you must be so disappointed with me, Sam. This is the second time, isn’t it? Suppose we can never have a baby?’
‘Don’t be silly, darling. How long have we been married? Little more than a year, that’s all.’
‘And during that time I’ve had two miscarriages…’
‘We don’t really know about the first time, it was only a few weeks. But this time, yes, I know it’s heartbreaking for you, for both of us. We’ll talk to the doctors – the one here and our own doctor. I’m sure they’ll tell us there’s nothing to be concerned about. And then we’ll just have to relax and let things take their course.’
‘You’re right, I know you are,’ said Val, still sounding tearful. ‘I’ll try not to get upset each month when nothing happens.’
Sam kissed her cheek. ‘Yes, that’s right. We mustn’t spoil these first years of our marriage by worrying. We couldn’t plan a holiday in August, could we? Now we’ll be able to so that will be something to look forward to. And then there’s the opening of Janice and Phil’s cafe. All sorts of nice things are happening.’
Val was a little more cheerful by the time he left her, and when she came home after two days she seemed more resigned to what had happened. Both doctors told them it was too soon to have any real concerns. Perhaps if nothing had happened by the end of the year it would be time to investigate further.
As Sam had predicted, Val found that time hung heavy when she was at home day after day. She had plenty of time to fulfil her desire to be a perfect housewife but she also had more time to brood, and she had promised Sam she would try not to do that.
When he suggested, tentatively, that she might consider going back to work, she agreed readily. The vacancy had not been filled and she was happy to let Susan continue as chief clerk and take a subsidiary role herself. She trusted that it would not be for very long.
Janice was pleased to be able to further her friendship with Val now that she was living in Yorkshire. Her school friends from Blackpool were all away at training college or university and she had missed them during the term times. She had no regrets, though, that she had been unable to go to university as had originally been planned. It had been her own decision when her mother was taken ill to give up her college place and stay at home to keep the hotel going to the best of her ability. Phil had worked along with her for a while, leaving his home and work in Yorkshire to make use of his talents as a chef at the Butler family hotel. It seemed to her now that fate had played a hand when she had met him at the Winter Gardens on that memorable night in the August of 1955. Now they were married and looking forward to starting their own business and living in their own home.
Phil drove her to Val’s home one Saturday in early June. He was off to Harrogate to see how the work was progressing on their property and would call back for her later.
Janice was pleased to see that Val was quite cheerful and optimistic following the great disappointment of losing her baby the previous month.
‘It’s done me a world of good going back to the office,’ she told Janice. ‘I was looking forward so much to being at home but I found that I didn’t settle to it at all. I was so used to going off each morning and being busy that I couldn’t get used to having all that free time. And I also had too much time to think about everything. Anyway, it’s great to see you, Janice. So… have you any news?’
‘Well, I’m getting on OK with my in-laws!’ replied Janice. ‘I knew it would work out all right, though. Patience and Ralph have always made me feel welcome, but it will be nice to get into our own place. It’ll be a couple of months, though, yet. We must try not to be impatient. I do have some other news, though. My dad is getting married at the end of this month. He rang to tell us last week.’
‘Oh… I see.’ Val looked taken aback, as though she did not know whether to say how nice it was… or not. ‘So how do you feel about it?’ she asked.
‘It was not really a surprise,’ answered Janice. ‘I think we had been expecting it. Norma is a very pleasant person – nothing like Mum, though, which is just as well. She’s certainly been good for Dad. He’s cheered up and he’s out and about a lot more and made new friends. Yes, it’s… good.’
‘How long is it since your mum…?’
‘It’s two years now, so we can’t accuse him of rushing into it. I’m much more resigned to it than Ian, though. I’ve tried to talk to him and tell him that Dad loves us as much as ever and that he’ll never forget Mum. But I suppose I can understand his feelings.’
‘You’ll be going to the wedding, of course?’
‘Yes. It’s on the last Saturday in June at the registry office. I think Dad wants it to be a quiet occasion. They’re having a “do” though, afterwards, at the club they both belong to. They probably couldn’t get out of that – all their friends will insist on making merry, no doubt. I hope it will be a happy occasion for Dad, and for Norma, too. I do like her and I feel sorry about the situation with Ian. She’s doing her best to be tolerant with him. He’s not really rude to her or unpleasant, just not very welcoming… Anyway, enough about me. How’s Cissie getting on? I won’t have time to see her today. Give her my love, won’t you?’
‘Yes, I’ll do that. She’s very busy with her little ones. I don’t see her as much as I did at one time. We used to walk home from work together when our shifts coincided and we always went to the pictures at least once a week. That was in the days before we were married, of course. Now, as I say, she’s too busy with her home and her children – the children above all. I never thought she would settle down to motherhood as well as she has done.’
‘And she and Walter… They’re getting on well together?’
‘Yes, I think so… I hope so. Why do you ask?’
‘Well, there was a bit of a spat at your party, wasn’t there? I know it’s a while ago but I remember how she had a go at Walter because he was chatting to a girl from your office.’
‘Oh, yes, Rita. The poor girl was really upset – Rita, I mean. Walter was only being friendly because she was new to the firm but Cissie got it all wrong. Rita wouldn’t say boo to a goose. She was really shy at first when she came to work with us but she’s coming out of her shell now. Walter mentioned to her that he was a member of a cycling club and she joined it soon afterwards. We believe she’s got a boyfriend there now but she doesn’t say a great deal about him… To get back to Walter and Cissie – I think they’re getting on OK. I never had much time for him, to be honest, before they were married, but he’s changed a lot. He’s much more friendly and chatty. I did wonder, though, when they got married how it would work out.’
‘Yes. She had a bit of a fling with a lad in Blackpool, didn’t she?’
‘She did, but he let her down and she turned back to Walter, her old flame.’
‘And now they’ve got two children…’
‘Yes, and I think there’d be more if Cissie had her way! I really think she should devote more time to her husband. I’d better say no more, though. I’m speaking out of turn… Tell me about your cafe, restaurant – whatever it’s going to be. Do you have a name for it yet?’
‘We might just call it “Grundy’s”. It’s short and to the point.’
‘Like “Betty’s”, eh? They do well with just the one word. You may become as famous as they are!’
‘Oh, we’re not setting up in opposition,’ Janice hastened to assure her friend.
‘I was only joking…’
‘Yes, I know, but I wouldn’t want anyone to think we were. Phil says there’s plenty of room for all of us. There are already a lot of cafes in Harrogate, so we’ll have to try to be a bit different.’
She told Val of their plans to open in the morning for coffee or tea, followed by light lunches, then afternoon teas. ‘Nothing too adventurous at first.’
‘It sounds like quite enough to be getting on with,’ remarked Val. ‘Are you having a grand opening?’
‘It’s not large enough to invite everyone. Just family and friends and special guests, maybe, for a private “do” before we open to the public.’
‘Well, Sam and I will be away the second week in August, when the mill closes down. We’ll plan a holiday in Scotland, probably, seeing as there’s nothing else on the agenda…’ She looked pensive for a moment. ‘And I expect Walter and Cissie will be away that week with the children.’
‘If things go according to plan it may well be before that but we’ll let you know in good time.’
Sam came in from the garden where he spent most of his Saturday afternoons. Val put the kettle on and by the time it had boiled Phil had arrived back from Harrogate. Over a cup of tea and a sample of Val’s homemade Victoria sponge cake, Phil reported that all was going well and he hoped they would be able to open the cafe by the end of July.