—

Nancy Dickenson handed the official postcard back to May Archer.

‘I think that’s terrible. Not even an envelope?’

‘No. Just as is. Walter Archer, Missing, believed killed. See, they crossed out “in action” – rubbing salt into the wounds. My poor Wally, he was a good boy and they treated him like shit just because he never wanted to kill nobody. When he called men Brothers or Comrades, he meant it. He never wanted to shoot none of them, yet there was some that come and chucked dog-muck at the windows and we had offal in the yard more ’n once. He’d say don’t blame’ em for their ignorance, Mum, one day they’ll see that I’m right.’ She wiped her eyes. She had not cried over Wally, but her nose had run and her eyes had not been dry for all day.

‘I know, May, it’s what made me like him better than any man I met. But I’m not going to talk about him as though he’s gone. It does say “believed” killed. We’ve got to hope.’

‘I never set much store on hoping things would get better. I taught Wally that. If you want things to get better, I used to tell him, then you damn well got to get out there and do something about it. It’s landed him in trouble a time or two, but it’s the truth, Nance, isn’t it?’

‘It’s the truth, May.’

‘If it wasn’t then I couldn’t live with myself, because it was me bringing him up like that what made him get into unions and politics.’

‘I’ll let you take the credit for making such a good sort of man, but you don’t take any blame for his conscience. He’s a big grown-up man, and he makes up his own mind.’

‘He do, Nance, don’t he?’

‘There you are, love, you said that as though he was still alive, which he just as likely is. You know your Wally.’ She gave the scraggy old lady a brief hug.

‘Right, Nance. I know my Wally, he just as likely will come turning up like a bad penny. I ain’t counting on it, but you’re right. I shan’t give away his good boots or his coat or nothing like that.’

‘Nor his books. He’ll never forgive you if he got back and found you’d got rid of his books.’

The two women comforted one another, each keeping their end up for the other. They had both known enough death and disappointment in life to know not to let it drag you down.

‘You’ll come and see me when you start your new job. It’s a long way away up Hampstead.’

‘Of course I shall. It’s not really far, a couple of twopenny tram rides.’

‘I don’t know why you want to go back into service. You’re your own woman on the trams. I like to see that. It’s one reason I took to you straight away.’

‘I just feel that I’ve got to do it. It’s like I’m the only one who can do the job. It’s not like going back as I used to be. I knew the family years ago. The mother died in labour and now the daughter has lost one straight after her husband taking Lysol.’

‘That’s a terrible death. I once saw a woman who done that, she was a dreadful mess.’

‘This one, the girl – well, woman she is now – she took something: aspirin I think it must have been.’

‘I’m glad you ain’t the sort to do nothing stupid like that, Nance. Money people never know how to stand up to things.’

‘They don’t usually get that much to stand up to, so they don’t have as many lessons as you and me.’

‘What she want you to do?’

‘I don’t know, just keep an eye on things according to what the father said. I don’t even know the daughter wants me. I never hardly knew him in the old days, but the wife was the sweetest thing, and so was the daughter then. I’ll have to be off now, May, she’s coming out of the nursing home and the father wants me there when she comes.’

‘Be a court case will there? Attempted suicide.’

‘Father’s a high-up in the police.’

‘Oh well, ’nough said. He’ll hush it up somehow.’