The War Widows Read Free Page B

bring youngsters with all that swearing and rough talk, and there’s germs to think about.’
    ‘It never did us any harm,’ she replied, surprised by his attitude.
    ‘Mother says it’s all that standing as did my back in. I grew too tall for my bones.’
    ‘I thought the doctor said you had a bit of a curved spine…’
    ‘It’s the same thing,’ he replied.
    ‘No, it’s not. It means you’re born with a bend in your back,’ she continued.
    ‘Oh, you do like to go into things, Lil. All I know is, it never bothered me until I was out of short trousers, when my legs just sprouted like rhubarb. I bent over one day and couldn’t get up. Never bin right since. You’ve no idea what it’s like to live with backache.’
    ‘I’m sorry, it must be a pain,’ she said, seeing the grimace on his face.
    ‘So you should be. You’re going to have to nurse it when we’re wed, with one of your liniment oils.’
    ‘Shall I give you a rub down later?’ she winked.
    ‘Lily Winstanley, none of that sauce from a respectable woman! Mother can see to it, thank you very much. By the way, could she have a few more liver pills? Her stomach’s playing up again.’
    ‘Has she thought of trying a lighter diet? She does like her pastry and her chips,’ Lily offered, knowing that Elsie Platt was a little beer barrel on legs.
    ‘A widow’s got to have a little comfort in life. We’ve no money spare for fancy diets,’ he said, staring across at her stall. ‘It’s all right for your family.’
    Money was always a sensitive topic between them. His wage was small but steady, and her family had two wages and a war pension and shares from Esme’s connection with Crompton’s Biscuits. Better not to go down that route again.
    ‘It must be hard,’ was all she could say. ‘Did you go and see that house for rent in Forsyth Lane, the old cottage by itself? It’ll need doing up. But it’s worth a second glimpse, don’t you think?’
    ‘Oh, no, love, Mam says they’re built over wells, and damp, and it’s a bus ride away from Bowker’s Row. It’s much too far for her to travel.’
    ‘You didn’t even look, then?’ Lily felt the flush in her cheeks. When would he do anything off his own bat? ‘That’s a pity because I thought it was ideal for us, half in the country but on a bus route. It was you who wanted to have fresh air and a nice view.’
    ‘Perhaps we should try for something bigger and bring her with us? She gets mithered when I’m not there.’
    And I shall go mad if Elsie Platt is on the other sideof the wall listening to our sweet talking, Lily thought, but swallowed her words back just in time. ‘It says in my
Woman’s Own
that a young married couple should be alone for a while to set up their home.’
    ‘What about your Levi and his wife? They live with you.’
    ‘That’s different…’
    ‘No it’s not.’
    ‘It’s just that Waverley House has five bedrooms. They have their privacy and a baby.’
    ‘So, we’ll be having babies and Mother can look after them for us so you can do all your gallivanting.’
    ‘I’m not gallivanting, just serving my community. I’d hardly call choir practice and Brownies gadding about!’
    ‘There you go on your high horse over nothing. It was just a suggestion,’ he barked.
    ‘I’d like us to start off together on our own,’ she repeated, sipping her Bovril and noticing his shirt collar was frayed at the edge and needed turning round.
    ‘Then we’ll have to keep on looking until we find something that suits us both.’ His voice was hard and his lips were pursed up just like Elsie’s whenever they arrived back late.
    Lily looked at her watch. There was still no sign of Levi. ‘I’d better get back. Are you coming for your tea tonight? We can look in the
Gazette
to see if there’re any more flats to rent, then borrow the van and go and view them together.’
    ‘If you can give us a lift back home first and get my mam’s washing. Now you’ve got that