Mother’s Ruin by Kitty Neale Page B

Arthur a kiss, but he hardly seemed aware of her presence.
    Elsie too kissed her son on the cheek. ‘Don’t worry, son. You’ll be all right,’ she choked.
    As Arthur was given his pre-med, all three were again asked to leave, and not knowing what else to do they made for the canteen.
    ‘Sally, do you want a sandwich or something?’ Elsie asked.
    ‘No, I’m not hungry.’
    ‘We could be here for hours and you need to keep up your strength. Try to eat something.’
    ‘Later . . . maybe later.’
    ‘I can’t believe this has happened and why didn’t I see something in the cards?’ Elsie blurted out, her face lined with distress.
    Sally gripped her hand. ‘I’ve had a feeling for some time that something awful was going to happen. I thought it would be my grandmother not Arthur. Oh, Elsie.’
    ‘Come on now,’ Bert cajoled, ‘you heard the doctor, he said Arthur’s going to be fine.’ This remark was followed by a wide yawn.
    ‘Why don’t you both go home?’ Sally suggested. ‘I can ring you as soon as there’s any news.’
    ‘What, and leave you on your own! No, we’ll stay and Bert is just missing his Sunday snooze, that’s all.’
    ‘I must ring my mother and should have thought of it before,’ Sally said. ‘Angel was upset when I left and as I doubt I’ll be home before her bedtime, I’ll be able to at least say goodnight.’
    ‘Have you got any change for the telephone?’ Bert asked.
    ‘I didn’t bring my handbag. I . . . I didn’t think.’
    ‘Oh course you didn’t. Here, take this and there’s a phone over there,’ he indicated.
    Sally spoke to Angel, reassuring her daughter that her daddy was going to be fine. Then her mother came back on the line. ‘When will you be home?’ she asked.
    ‘I don’t know . . . I suppose soon after Arthur returns from theatre.’
    ‘All right, but I’d better ring work and tell them I won’t be in tomorrow.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Sally, wake up. I expect you’ll want to return to the hospital in the morning so you won’t be able to look after your gran. It’s a bloody nuisance and I’ll lose a day’s pay.’
    Her pay, Sally thought. With all that had happened her mother was worried about a paltry few quid. She fought to quell the tide of hysterical laughter that bubbled up inside her, but found it impossible and doubled over with mirth, leaving the telephone receiver dangling by its cord.
    ‘Come on, come and sit down,’ Elsie said, rushing over to lead Sally back to her chair. ‘Bert, if Ruth is still on the line, have a word with her.’
    ‘Yeah, all right.’
    ‘Now, Sally, what brought that on?’
    ‘My mother,’ she spluttered, hiccupping as she gained her composure. ‘Arthur is in the operating theatre, yet all my mum seems worried about is money.’
    ‘Don’t take any notice of what your mum said. I’m sure she spoke without thinking and is just as worried about Arthur as we are.’
    ‘Oh, Elsie, you always see the best in people, but my mother can be very selfish at times. And what about me, laughing like that when Arthur’s in the operating theatre?’
    ‘We all react differently to stress and I’m sure it was just nervous tension that needed an outlet. As for your mother, she spent years when your father left worrying about money, and it’s a hard habit to break.’
    ‘Ken Marchant isn’t my father.’
    Bert came back to the table, and sitting down he reached across to take Sally’s hand in his. ‘I told your mother that you’re all right. You are, aren’t you?’
    ‘Yes . . . thanks, Bert. Oh, how much longer will we have to wait to find out how Arthur is?’
    ‘It’s only been an hour since he went down to theatre, but if you like I’ll pop up to the ward to see if there’s any news.’
    ‘We’ll all go,’ Elsie said firmly.
    There was no news yet but the ward sister allowed them to wait in a small side room where they sat quietly, each with their own thoughts and prayers.
    Another hour passed, then