‘Well, of all the reactions I didn’t expect this!’ Cissy laughed nervously.
‘What did you expect? Hell’s bells, it’s like you’ve risen from the dead!’ Nellie shrieked. ‘You gave me the shock of me life, and not in a good way!’
Cissy grinned uncertainly. ‘Now that’s more like the Nellie I know and love.’
‘You don’t know me. And you certainly don’t love me. It’s been over thirty years!’
‘I wrote,’ she said, perching on the side of the bed.
‘What use are bloody letters!’ Nellie snarled. ‘You do a midnight flit, leaving me alone to nurse Mum, and you think I’ll just welcome you back with open arms? I wrote you a letter too,’ she said. ‘Begging you to come home. Or at least visit. And then Mum died and you didn’t even come to the bloody funeral. At least I thought you’d come for that.’
‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘And I’m sorry. I should’ve come, but I couldn’t. When you sent that letter, I was expectin’ and were too ill to come. Then, my little Gracie came – I wrote to tell you later, but you never replied.’
Nellie snorted. ‘It were too late by then. Mum had died, and I married Donald, so I figured as you’d moved on with your life, then so would I!’
‘You never read them?’
‘Not one,’ Nellie said stonily. ‘They went into the fire where they belonged.’
A tear escaped Cissy’s eye and ran down her cheek, leaving a dark trail in the powder.
‘You should leave,’ Nellie continued. ‘I’ve managed perfectly well without you all this time, I reckon I can manage now.’
‘Not accordin’ to Jasper, you can’t!’ Cissy swiped at the tear. ‘An’ just so’s you know, my Gracie were born with a heart condition. She needed constant care. And she died just a few days after her first birthday. So excuse me for not rushin’ to help you! And even though you didn’t reply to the letter I sent about her death, I still kept tryin’. Thirty years, Nell! Thirty years, I’ve written to you with not a single reply. It’s a wonder I bothered comin’ after Jasper sent that telegram to say you needed me. And do you know what I did when I received it? I dropped everythin’! Packed a bag and came straight here, cos I thought it were you that’d asked! If I’d known you didn’t want me here, I never would have come. So, I’ll stay with Jasper and catch the train back to Birmingham in the mornin’.’ She stood up and marched towards the door.
The pain in Cissy’s voice cut through Nellie’s self-pity, and she felt a sharp stab of conscience. ‘I didn’t know about Gracie, love. I’m so sorry,’ she said quietly.
Cissy pulled her handkerchief out of her sleeve and blew her nose. ‘Now you do. And I hope it gives you some answers. But I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.’ She put her hand on the doorknob.
‘Wait! Don’t go, Ciss.’ Nellie swung her legs off the bed and came over to her, putting her hands on her shoulders – Cissy was one of the few women who was shorter than her; it had been a source of great pride to her when they were growing up.
She studied Cissy’s face. The small dark eyes with fair lashes, laughter lines fanning out from the sides – she always had been a great one for laughing. Her lips were painted bright red, and her orange hair was curled tightly round her head.
Nellie swallowed back the lump that had formed in her throat. God it was good to see her face again. It was almost as if Cissy’s presence was an answer to her prayers.
She pulled her into her arms. ‘I missed you,’ she mumbled brokenly.
With a cry of relief, Cissy returned the hug. ‘Oh, Nellie. I am sorry for leaving like that. Abandoning you just when life was getting so tough.’
‘I’m sorry about your girl,’ Nellie responded, ashamed of her selfishness. Why hadn’t she tried to find out what had happened? She’d known Cissy better than anyone; she should have realised that she wouldn’t have stayed away without a good reason. Her bloody stubborn nature again. She was more like her mum than she liked to admit.
‘It was a long time ago now. And though my heart broke and I never had any more kids, my Ernie were the best husband a woman could ask for. Jasper told me everythin’ that was goin’ on here. I know how tough it’s been. You won’t know the number of times I nearly came. But Ernie thought I’d only be invitin’ heartbreak, and so I stayed where I was. And we were so busy with the orchestra.’ She sniffed. ‘I wish I’d come now.’
Nellie led her back to the bed and they sat in silence, clinging on to each other’s hands, heads resting against each other.
‘You can stay if you want,’ Nellie said eventually. ‘Jasper’s right. I really do need help.’
Cissy squeezed her hands. ‘You won’t regret this, Nell. I swear you won’t. And you know, with Ernie gone now these two years, I’ve been strugglin’ meself. We can help each other. It’ll be so good to catch up on old times, don’t you think? You and me against the world, just like it always was. Now tell me . . . What’s happened to the others. Ethel, Phyllis, Mavis . . . ? We’ll be a gang again—’
‘Cissy, stop!’ Nellie interrupted her. ‘Look, you can stay. I’m happy to have you. But please, the talking . . . You ain’t changed, have you? You can still give me a headache after five minutes.’
Cissy laughed ruefully. ‘My Ernie used to say I talked enough for the two of us. And since he’s been gone, I’ve missed havin’ someone to chat to.’
‘Try to keep a lid on it, love. For my sake, if nothing else.’
Lily came in then with two cups of tea. ‘You two all right?’ she asked, eyes darting between them. ‘Perhaps you’re ready to introduce us now, Mum?’
‘Oh! You must be the youngest. Blonde hair, Jasper said. And you have such beautiful golden hair. You don’t know how happy I am to meet you, love! You don’t look a bit like Donald, though . . . Or your mum, come to that. No blondes in our family were there, Nellie? Mum was—’
‘Cissy!’ Nellie started to laugh, and she realised it was the first time since Gladys had died that she’d even felt the desire to smile. She put her hand on her cousin’s cheek. ‘Just keep your gob shut once in a while, and we’ll be golden, all right?’
The two women grinned at each other, and Nellie’s heart lifted further. With Cissy there, she felt a new resolve pouring through her. One way or another, she would find a way to pay off Terence, and as for Gladys – she looked surreptitiously around the room to see if everything was as it should be – she would ignore her; just as she had when they’d had disagreements in the past. She wasn’t going to risk losing her family to satisfy a ghost. It was time she came back to her senses! The café needed her, her children needed her, and there was a bloody war on! There was no time for wallowing.
Jasper popped his head around the door and looked over at her, his expression watchful, but seeing Nellie’s laughter, his face relaxed into a grin. ‘Am I allowed to say I told you so, Nell?’ he asked.
‘Don’t push your luck, Jasper,’ Nellie retorted.