Cat looked around the room that had been her home for so many years: remembering how she had first acquired the wooden home which was no more than a log hut, and the time she had spent there first with her sister Ellie, then Louis and the children.
Then Ellie had gone to America with Michael Nagle and she had not seen her for years. Sure, they kept in touch by letter and she was thrilled when she heard they had called their little girl Catherine after her, but the years had passed so quickly and though Ellie was still important to her, Cat had to admit that her own family had now taken centre stage in her day-to-day focus.
She smiled as she remembered the tricks they had played on Michael, pretending there was a dinner on his plate when it was totally empty. How they had laughed, feeling they had nearly convinced the poor man they were mad.
Michael had been a good match for Ellie, but her letters of late had worried Cat. She told of Michael’s drinking and constantly losing his job because he was too drunk to go to work. Reading through the lines, Cat wondered if they would ever return from America; Ellie had certainly hinted that she would if she had the money for the passage. She could not help her, though she would dearly love to, because every penny she earned was spoken for.
Cat sighed as she put the last of the crockery and cooking pans into a tea chest. Billy was away in London at the hospital training school so would not be there to help. How glad she was that at least one of them would be ‘making it’ in the world. He was advancing quickly to fulfil his dream of becoming a doctor and Cat was so proud of this she could burst. She had a job not to keep slipping it into her conversation at the slightest opportunity, because Eileen had made it clear to her that she was sounding very boastful, and this was frowned upon by the church.
Eileen worked in a shoe shop in the High Street near Reggie’s butcher’s shop, and Anna had a job in an office above an electrical engineering works. She helped to make up the men’s wages and was learning how to enter the accounts as well as general filing. On Tuesday evenings she went to night school to learn typing and was picking it up well, though it was not her first choice. But as Cat often told her, she was lucky to have a job at all so she had better be satisfied with not liking it.
Mr. Pierce next door had offered to help Cat with the move and she had accepted because she would not let the girls stay off work and lose money. Mr. Pierce was retired and glad to have something useful to do.
Cat would miss Mr. and Mrs. Pierce; they had been good neighbours and had helped her through her loss of Louis years ago. She would of course no longer hear Mr. Pierce riding around on Louis’ motorbike, but maybe that was a good thing because it never ceased to stir memories that evoked sadness.
‘When ye leave work tonight,’ she had told Eileen and Anna, ‘make yer way to Alwold Crescent. Number fifty one. I’ll be there. Now off ye go so’s ye’re not late into work and get yer money stopped.’
The girls had said goodbye and waved as they trotted down the road. Both of them turned and looked back at their home, sighed, and continued on their way.
‘Well, that’s that then,’ Anna said resignedly, ‘we won’t be going home to that house ever again.’
‘No,’ Eileen said.
‘Are you sorry or glad?’
‘A bit of both I suppose. It won’t make much difference; we’ll still have a jolly long walk to work every day.’
‘Yes, but I’m excited about having a new place to live, aren’t you?’
‘Suppose so.’ Eileen sounded uninterested. ‘So which of us is Elizabeth sharing with?’
‘I don’t mind. If she wants to share with you it’s fine by me but if she wants to share with me, then that’s fine too.’ Anna was not going to get into an argument about this. ‘When Billy comes home, we’ll all have to share I suppose.’
Eileen shrugged. ‘He won’t be back for a while, so we can count him out.’
‘Maybe,’ she said, and then added, ‘I miss him. Do you?’
‘No, not really. I don’t miss his bossiness and lazy attitude, just because he’s a boy and doesn’t do the housework. I’m telling you that if ever I have a boy he’ll do the whole lot.’
Anna laughed. She could not imagine Eileen having a baby, or herself for that matter. She decided to change the subject as they continued walking. ‘I’m going to Laura Kennedy’s on Friday night.’
‘What, more black shirt meetings?’ Eileen sounded annoyed.
‘You could come too if you wanted,’ Anna offered.
‘No thank you, I have better things to do.’
‘Oh. What’s that?’
‘Never you mind.’
‘Come on tell me.’
‘No.’
‘Please yourself.’
‘Anyway Mummy doesn’t like you getting involved with Laura’s crowd, she thinks it has sinister overtones, and I agree with her.’
‘What sinister overtones?’ Anna sounded surprised.
‘Ask her yourself.’
‘I will.’
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the High Street where they normally parted company. Anna paused before continuing in the direction of her work.
‘Eileen, you can come Friday night if you want.’
‘I’ll see if I’m busy or not.’
Anna knew then that she did not have anything better to do and was merely covering up the fact that nobody ever asked her to join them. She wondered why.
Anna accepted that Eileen could be rather sharp-tongued, but she knew of other girls with equally scathing ways who didn’t seem to go short of invites. Perhaps, she thought, it was because Eileen was inclined to be quarrelsome and wasn’t much fun to be with. She is rather dull and boring Anna decided, crossing the High Street.
She then made her way jauntily down the other side of the road as Eileen entered the shoe shop where she worked. Maybe handling feet all day is what made her so sour, thought Anna.
As soon as she arrived in the office, Anna asked her boss Mr. Catherall if he would like a cup of tea. They had fallen into this ritual right from the beginning of her employment and it seemed to cement their relationship. Anna thought he was a nice old gentleman and often daydreamed that he was her father and she was doing things for him because of that.
Mr. Catherall never stood too close, or breathed on her neck or touched her when he should not, and slowly she came to trust his company.
Before that, she cringed when a man came within her arm’s length of her and froze if one as much as brushed against her accidentally.
Mr. Catherall was safe Anna had decided. Other men were not.