Kay Brellend 3-Book Collection: The Street, The Family, Coronation Day. Kay Brellend

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ went on, swinging a leer between the young couple, oblivious or uncaring of the fact that they clearly wanted him gone.

      ‘No …’ Alice said.

      ‘Yeah …’ Geoff said.

      They’d spoken at the same time and Jimmy chuckled. ‘Right … right … geddit.’ He gave Geoff a jokey punch on the arm. ‘Gotta try harder, mate. Change her mind. Little Alice’ll be well worth the trouble, I reckon. Pretty as a pitcher, ain’t she?’

      Geoff stood up swiftly in a way that made Jimmy back off a step. They locked eyes for a minute then Jimmy chuckled again. ‘How old are yer, son? Never could tell who was older out of you ‘n’ your brother. Both lanky sods. Surprised you ain’t got yourself off fighting the Hun. You’d have no trouble passing yourself off as nineteen.’

      ‘He’s not yet sixteen.’ Alice slid that in quickly. She could tell just by glancing at Geoff that he was getting riled.

      ‘Right …’ Jimmy drawled in a sarcastic tone. ‘Gonna wait are you, till you get a bit taller?’

      ‘Surprised you ain’t got yourself down the recruiting office,’ Geoff said through his teeth. ‘Fit bloke like you, who’s keen on using his fists, is just what they’re after for a bit of hand ter hand in the trenches.’

      Despite the sneer in Geoff’s tone Jimmy couldn’t resist flexing his toned biceps at the backhanded compliment. ‘If I weren’t a family man with me kids relyin’ on me to provide for ’em I’d be enlisted. But I got responsibilities, y’see …’ he added on a sigh.

      ‘Yeah,’ Geoff said. ‘I see alright.’

      Jimmy stepped closer, his chin poking out pugnaciously but at that moment his mate called him from where he was sitting at the bar. ‘’Ere … drink’s going cold, Jim.’

      ‘Comin’, Ben. Done ’ere.’ Following a lopsided smile for Alice, that went unreturned, Jimmy swaggered off.

      ‘Finished your tea?’ Geoff asked Alice quietly.

      Alice nodded and stood up at once.

      ‘See yer then, Al.’ Jimmy called that from the bar as Geoff opened the door.

      ‘Coming over to see the boys someday soon. Might see you later then. Mind how yer go, sweet’eart.’

      Alice simply gave a nod before she went out into the drear afternoon.

      ‘He back with your aunt then?’ Geoff asked as they set out at a fast pace for home.

      Alice huddled in to her coat. ‘Not as far as I know. If he is you can bet it’s only ’cos his fancy woman’s had enough of him and chucked him out.’ She cast a look up at Geoff. ‘Either that or he’s pretending he’s a family man with a wife ‘n’ kids, instead of a cheating layabout, so he don’t have to explain why he’s not joined up.’

      ‘You won’t get the likes of him to join up till the Hun send out armies of frauleins,’ Geoff observed sourly.

      ‘That what you’re waiting for?’ Alice joked then regretted her remark. ‘Didn’t mean that … sorry,’ she mumbled, thoroughly ashamed. ‘You must be sick of people dropping hints about you joinin’ up when you’re not even old enough to go.’

      ‘’S’alright,’ Geoff said. ‘I know you don’t mean no harm.’ He smiled thinly. ‘Got a feeling your uncle don’t like me though,’ he added.

      ‘Well, don’t worry about that!’ Alice returned forcefully. ‘None of us like him! He’s a pig and I hope he don’t come round The Bunk to see Bobbie ‘n’ Stevie. I hope he gets himself back down Finsbury Park with that old bag and stays put with the ponces!’

      ‘I saw Uncle Jimmy when I was out,’ Alice told her mum as she sat down at the table. ‘He came in to Kenny’s café when I was in there with Geoff.’ She watched her parents exchange a look. Her dad then continued reading the paper.

      ‘You just ignore him,’ her mother firmly instructed. ‘We’re well rid of the likes of him round here.’

      ‘He said he’s coming to see Bobbie ‘n’ Stevie,’ Alice informed her.

      Again her parents exchanged a look.

      ‘He won’t be by,’ Jack reassured Tilly. ‘He’ll be too worried Fran’ll want money off him fer the kids.’

      ‘If Nellie’s kicked him out he’ll be by,’ Tilly responded roughly. ‘He’ll come crawling back as soon as he needs a bed to stick his boots under.’

      Alice could sense the atmosphere getting a bit strained between her parents and wished she’d kept her news about Uncle Jimmy to herself. ‘Who’s coming over tonight? Same lot?’ she asked cheerily about the Saturday night singsong.

      ‘’Spect so,’ her mother replied grumpily.

      Alice tried another diversion.

      ‘Some Belgian refugees started at the factory. Some of them can’t hardly talk any English. Feel right sorry for ’em, I do.’ Again this got no more response from her mother than a grunt. Alice looked at her; she could tell that the news that Jimmy was prowling about close by had unsettled her mother.

      In fact it was six weeks later that Jimmy put in appearance in Campbell Road.

      Alice came face to face with him as she was setting off at a fast pace for work one morning. She’d forgotten all about his talk of coming back there to see his sons. Too much that was sensational and important had gone on for her to bother thinking about the likes of him and his pathetic promises. Everyone thereabouts had been preoccupied with the war because it had come close to home: houses in the East End of London had been bombed and people killed and injured and made homeless. Added to that had been the awful news weeks ago that a ship called the Lusitania had been sunk off the coast of Ireland with such a great loss of life that it was hard for Alice to comprehend something so dreadful.

      So the sight of Jimmy Wild slinking along with a dog end drooping from his lips came as an unwelcome interruption to the brooding thoughts circling in Alice’s head. The most important of those currently was that her beloved dad had started dropping hints that he felt it his duty to go and help the war effort as the situation was getting grave. And that had started an almighty row with her mum. She’d got very little sleep last night as they carried on shouting at one another into the small hours.

      As Jimmy greeted Alice she came to a halt and mumbled a response.

      ‘Bobbie ‘n’ Stevie gone off to school yet?’

      ‘Dunno,’ Alice said. ‘Probably.’ In fact she did know very well that they were still at home. But she hoped that by saying she thought they’d left already their wastrel father might turn around and take himself off elsewhere. Alice understood now that there would only be trouble wherever Jimmy was.

      Jimmy looked Alice up and down. ‘You’re all grown up, Alice, and quite a looker. Off to work?’

      Alice nodded.

      ‘Where’s that?’

      Alice СКАЧАТЬ