nothing better on a cool autumn evening.
‘Wait till I get my own business going,’ Benny announced, swaggering a little in front of Belinda. ‘Then I’ll buy myself a car and drive you somewhere smarter than the Gaumont. Mebbe all the way to the seaside for a day.’
‘What about Mam?’ Lucy queried, bringing him back to reality. ‘I thought you were helping her with the carpets?’
Benny flushed, for he had done a bit of work for his mam, since so far he’d been unable to find premises or a job to suit him. ‘I can do better than that, Luce, see if I can’t. I mean to set up on me own, you know I do.’
Smiling fondly at him Belinda said, ‘I remember you telling me how good you are with your hands, that you’d like to try joinering and make your own furniture to sell.’
‘Aye, happen so,’ Benny agreed, with not too much conviction in his tone. He could feel himself becoming more and more embroiled in this lie, surely only a white one since he had done quite well in woodwork at school, yet seemed unable to do anything to extricate himself from it. ‘There’s going to be a great call for good furniture. That’s certainly true.’
Lucy snorted her disbelief but, smiling to herself, left him to his harmless fantasies.
Belinda chipped in, ‘I think you’re ever so brave but wise too, to start up on your own, now peace is here. The best way to make money is to work for yourself, or so Pops tells me, and judging from his success I have to believe him. Of course, you’d need premises,’ and so flattered was he by her interest in contrast to his sister’s negative attitude, that Benny couldn’t resist expanding on his theme.
‘Oh, I’m keeping an eye open for summat suitable, though they’re hard to come by these days, shop premises. Once I find a place I’ll set it all up with a bench and tools and everything. Then customers will flock to my door for whatever I produce.’
‘I could help you look.’
‘Really? Well, why not?’ He felt almost breathless with hope. She liked him. She really did. Happen he was in with a chance after all.
Lucy had heard enough of his foolish bragging and sought for a way to change the conversation. They were walking past the Co-op which was still open and doing a brisk trade, for all it was late, the shop’s bright lights spilling out on to the wet pavements. They could see Lily Gantry barging her way to the front of the queue. Lucy shook her head in despair. ‘What a woman! D’you remember what she said at Big Flo’s funeral?’ and related the words that had caused her such hurt at the time.
‘The old witch,’ Belinda said, and put her arm around her friend’s waist, giving her a comforting squeeze. ‘Take no notice. She’s only jealous of your lovely youth.’
‘Aye,’ Benny said. ‘Who’d fancy her, an old goat with whiskers on her chin.’
Belinda gave a merry chuckling laugh. ‘Who is this Michael Hopkins? What’s he like?’
‘A rather private, reliable sort of man. He’s my employer, and a good friend,’ Lucy explained, telling how he helped her keep her job when his aunt would have sacked her. ‘He’s rather nice actually, a sort of Trevor Howard type.’
‘And our Luce is panting for him,’ Benny said with a snort.
‘Ooh, I never am.’
‘You make his dinner every day for nowt. That sounds pretty keen to me.’
’I’d no choice in the matter. His dragon of an aunt, Minnie Hopkins, insisted I did it if I wanted my job back.’
‘Why don’t you invite him to come to the flicks with us?’ Belinda suggested.
‘Then you can canoodle on the back row,’ Benny teased, thinking this a good idea as it would leave him more free to do the same with Belinda. Having his sister tag along too often hadn’t been the plan at all. Lucy’s response however, was to knock him over the head with her rolled up umbrella.
Belinda laughed as the pair of them tussled together in a play fight. ‘Mind you don’t drop your pie,
‘Wait till I get my own business going,’ Benny announced, swaggering a little in front of Belinda. ‘Then I’ll buy myself a car and drive you somewhere smarter than the Gaumont. Mebbe all the way to the seaside for a day.’
‘What about Mam?’ Lucy queried, bringing him back to reality. ‘I thought you were helping her with the carpets?’
Benny flushed, for he had done a bit of work for his mam, since so far he’d been unable to find premises or a job to suit him. ‘I can do better than that, Luce, see if I can’t. I mean to set up on me own, you know I do.’
Smiling fondly at him Belinda said, ‘I remember you telling me how good you are with your hands, that you’d like to try joinering and make your own furniture to sell.’
‘Aye, happen so,’ Benny agreed, with not too much conviction in his tone. He could feel himself becoming more and more embroiled in this lie, surely only a white one since he had done quite well in woodwork at school, yet seemed unable to do anything to extricate himself from it. ‘There’s going to be a great call for good furniture. That’s certainly true.’
Lucy snorted her disbelief but, smiling to herself, left him to his harmless fantasies.
Belinda chipped in, ‘I think you’re ever so brave but wise too, to start up on your own, now peace is here. The best way to make money is to work for yourself, or so Pops tells me, and judging from his success I have to believe him. Of course, you’d need premises,’ and so flattered was he by her interest in contrast to his sister’s negative attitude, that Benny couldn’t resist expanding on his theme.
‘Oh, I’m keeping an eye open for summat suitable, though they’re hard to come by these days, shop premises. Once I find a place I’ll set it all up with a bench and tools and everything. Then customers will flock to my door for whatever I produce.’
‘I could help you look.’
‘Really? Well, why not?’ He felt almost breathless with hope. She liked him. She really did. Happen he was in with a chance after all.
Lucy had heard enough of his foolish bragging and sought for a way to change the conversation. They were walking past the Co-op which was still open and doing a brisk trade, for all it was late, the shop’s bright lights spilling out on to the wet pavements. They could see Lily Gantry barging her way to the front of the queue. Lucy shook her head in despair. ‘What a woman! D’you remember what she said at Big Flo’s funeral?’ and related the words that had caused her such hurt at the time.
‘The old witch,’ Belinda said, and put her arm around her friend’s waist, giving her a comforting squeeze. ‘Take no notice. She’s only jealous of your lovely youth.’
‘Aye,’ Benny said. ‘Who’d fancy her, an old goat with whiskers on her chin.’
Belinda gave a merry chuckling laugh. ‘Who is this Michael Hopkins? What’s he like?’
‘A rather private, reliable sort of man. He’s my employer, and a good friend,’ Lucy explained, telling how he helped her keep her job when his aunt would have sacked her. ‘He’s rather nice actually, a sort of Trevor Howard type.’
‘And our Luce is panting for him,’ Benny said with a snort.
‘Ooh, I never am.’
‘You make his dinner every day for nowt. That sounds pretty keen to me.’
’I’d no choice in the matter. His dragon of an aunt, Minnie Hopkins, insisted I did it if I wanted my job back.’
‘Why don’t you invite him to come to the flicks with us?’ Belinda suggested.
‘Then you can canoodle on the back row,’ Benny teased, thinking this a good idea as it would leave him more free to do the same with Belinda. Having his sister tag along too often hadn’t been the plan at all. Lucy’s response however, was to knock him over the head with her rolled up umbrella.
Belinda laughed as the pair of them tussled together in a play fight. ‘Mind you don’t drop your pie,
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