Constance was looking out of the window when Penny and Melvin turned up at seven that evening. She had begun to think that Penny wasn’t interested in her offer, but looking at the suitcase and folding pram that Melvin was taking out of the taxi, it seemed she was. She watched as they looked up at the house, both agog, and she could understand why. It did look impressive, but she hoped they wouldn’t feel intimidated. Instead of the quiet, cold home she had grown up in, Constance wanted to turn it into a welcoming haven.
She went to the front door, opened it and ran lightly down the steps to give Melvin a hand. With a warm smile she said, ‘Hello, Penny.’
‘Hello, Connie. Thank you so much for this. I can’t get over the size of your house.’
‘I told you, she’s Constance again now,’ Melvin told her.
‘Oh, yeah. Sorry. I’ll try to remember.’
Constance grabbed the pram and said, ‘Right, in you come.’
They followed her inside, their eyes still wide as they took in the opulent entrance, and Constance decided they might be more relaxed in the basement flat. ‘I’ll show you the rest of the house later, but for now I expect you’d like to see where you’ll be living.’
‘Yes, please,’ said Penny in little more than a whisper.
Once downstairs Constance said, ‘Sit down and I’ll make us a drink. What do you fancy, a cup of tea, coffee or a cola?’
‘Cola, please,’ they both said and Constance’s eyes were drawn to the baby in Penny’s arms.
‘Oh, she’s gorgeous,’ she enthused, enchanted by the dark-eyed baby. ‘What have you called her?’
‘Kimberly.’
‘How lovely,’ Constance said, then went to get the bottles of cola and sat down too. ‘This flat has its own entrance, and a back door to the garden. It only has one bedroom, but there’s a bathroom and living room too. Has Melvin told you that I want to turn the house into a refuge?’
‘Yes, but are you sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for?’
‘I’ve given it a lot of thought, so yes. However, this is the only kitchen so that could be a problem as it means sharing it.’
Penny pursed her lips in consideration. ‘As long as I can lock the doors to my flat, I don’t mind that.’
‘Yes, you can, but it won’t be necessary just yet,’ Constance said, and went on to discuss her plans. It was nice to be able to share her ideas and perhaps get some helpful feedback. ‘I’ve got builders coming to convert the top floor into an apartment for me, and that needs to be completed before I take anyone in. There are another eight bedrooms, and if the need arises I can also convert the library and study into two more. I’ll leave the breakfast room as it is for a communal eating place. That just leaves the drawing room, and once again I’ll leave it as a communal area.’
‘Crikey! All those rooms. It must have been a proper comedown when you moved to Kibble Street,’ Penny said, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
Constance leaned forward, her eyes meeting Penny’s as she said, ‘If this is going to work, we need to get a few things straight. None of us can help the life we were born into, and this is all I knew. Yes, it was a shock when I saw where I would be living in Kibble Street, but I did my best to fit in. It wasn’t made easy for me and my marriage wasn’t a happy one, but I’ve never looked down on you, or anyone else. But I suffered from it being the other way round – inverted snobbery, people condemning me for the way I talk, which is a product of my upbringing, just as yours is.’
‘Yeah, sorry, I shouldn’t be mean. I think that seeing this house has made me a bit jealous of you.’
‘Thank you for your honesty, but I didn’t find any happiness in this house either. My mother was cold, she drank heavily, and my father was hardly at home. I was an only, and lonely, child, so maybe that’s another reason why I want to offer this place as a refuge. It will be lovely to have the house full and put to good use. Now, with that out of the way, can we be friends, Penny?’
She nodded vigorously. ‘Yeah, I’d like that.’
Melvin had been quiet, but now said, ‘Constance, if I can be of any help, you only have to ask. I could do a bit of maintenance when necessary and maybe sort out the garden.’
‘That would be marvellous,’ she replied, smiling warmly. ‘But I’d insist on paying you.’
‘I don’t want pay. That isn’t why I offered. Seeing the home you’re providing my sister and niece is reward enough. Not only that, I’ve always wanted to try my hand at gardening, but with just a small back yard at my mother’s it’s never been possible. I haven’t any experience, but I can find books on the subject.’
‘Right then, consider it a deal. Now, Penny, let me show you the flat.’
Penny’s eyes grew wide again as she looked at the rooms. ‘Look at the furniture, Melvin. It’s proper posh.’
‘I think you’ve fallen on your feet, Penny.’
‘The furniture is old, but solid,’ Constance said.
‘Oh,’ Penny enthused, ‘I love it.’
‘Good. I’d best check on William to make sure he’s still asleep, so I’ll leave you to settle in and unpack.’
To Constance’s surprise Penny gave her a spontaneous hug, and she found herself hugging her back. It was so nice to be shown open affection and she was glad now that she’d offered Penny the job. ‘I’ll be back down later, but if you want to come upstairs at any time you’ll be welcome. I want you to feel that this is your home.’
‘Thanks,’ Penny said warmly.
‘If you’re happy to sort yourself out, Sis, I’d like to see the rest of the house and the garden before I leave.’
‘Yeah, go on, I’ll be fine.’
Melvin followed Constance upstairs, and admired every room. ‘It’s a beautiful house,’ he said, ‘but if Albie finds out that your father has died, I don’t think you’ll be able to keep him out of it.’
‘Don’t worry, I have a plan. I just hope it works.’
‘Good luck with it,’ Melvin said.
Constance knew she needed it; her position was precarious, but nevertheless she was determined to put her plans for the house into action.
At the same time, Dora was sitting by the fire in Kibble Street, knitting, when she heard someone rapping on her back door.
Huffing she went to answer it, her face stretching when she saw Ivy. ‘Yeah, what do you want?’
‘Please, Dora, can we talk?’
‘I’ve got nothing to say to you.’
‘Will you at least let me apologise? Please, believe me, I was going out of my mind with worry when Penny went and got herself pregnant. I know I shouldn’t have tried to name Albie, but I was desperate.’
‘You could have wrecked his marriage.’
‘Dora, please, let’s at least be honest. The fact that Connie has now left Albie proves it wasn’t a happy marriage.’
‘How do you know that she’s left him?’
‘Huh, this is Kibble Street and there ain’t much that escapes the prying eyes here.’
‘You’ve got that right.’
‘Dora, I’ve missed you. Can’t we be friends again?’
With a sigh Dora looked down at the worn lino on the floor, knowing that in truth she had missed Ivy too. ‘All right, come on in and I’ll make us a cuppa.’
‘Thanks. I won’t say no,’ Ivy said and as she sat down added, ‘Do you miss Connie?’
‘A bit, but I miss Billy the most.’
‘I saw that she was here earlier. Does that mean she’s going to come back?’
‘No, she just brought Billy to see us. She’s gonna do that every other week.’
‘That’s something then.’
‘Has Ivy had her baby?’
‘Don’t talk to me about that girl. She refused to give it up, and I was livid. I wouldn’t let her come back to live with me, and from what Melvin has told me she’s living in some grotty bedsit. Serves her right.’
‘Oh, Ivy, you don’t know what you’re missing. From the first time I saw Billy I loved him, just as I loved Albie when he was born.’
‘Yeah, but Billy ain’t black.’
‘I wouldn’t have cared if he was. If you go to see your grandchild you might feel the same and change your mind.’
‘There’s no chance of that. Can you imagine the reaction to a black baby in Kibble Street? I’d never be able to hold my head up again.’
‘Well, it’s up to you, but I think it’s a shame that Penny’s been ostracised. You’d think she’d murdered someone the way you talk about her. Granted, she made a mistake by getting pregnant without a ring on her finger, but so did Connie. Anyhow, Penny isn’t the only one on this street who’s made a mistake. I can name two more.’
‘None of them slept with a black man.’
‘So what if she did! We’re all the same under the skin and one day perhaps colour won’t matter. At least I hope it won’t.’
‘I can’t see that ever happening.’
‘It might. It used to be the Jews that were treated like pariahs, then the Irish, and now it’s the blacks. I wonder who it’ll be next?’
‘Oh, for Gawd’s sake, let’s change the subject.’
‘Yes, all right, but one day I hope you’ll see sense.’
‘I’m not the only one. My Dave feels the same about them as me.’
‘That surprises me. He’s always struck me as open-minded.’
‘With most things, yeah, but a lot of the Jamaicans work on the railways, and he doesn’t like them taking our blokes’ jobs.’
‘If our men had wanted the jobs, there wouldn’t be any vacancies,’ Dora snapped.
‘Oh you, always with an answer for everything.’
‘No, not really. They were encouraged to come here and I think we should give them a chance.’
‘I’m changing the subject again because we’re not going to agree on this for now. Where’s Albie this evening?’
‘He’s out as usual, but don’t ask me where. He works nights in a factory, and as Sunday is his only day off, he likes to make the most of it.’
‘What factory?’
‘The one down by the river. Mason’s, I think it’s called.’
‘Nah, that can’t be right. Mason’s closed down last year.’
‘Oh, I must have got the name wrong then,’ Dora said, yet she was sure she hadn’t. Albie had definitely said he had a job in Mason’s, so why had he lied?