him coolly.
He glared at her as if about to say something else, then rammed his bowler hat on his head and stormed out.
The minute he was gone, Vera sent her mother to get ready. ‘Go on,’ she urged. ‘I’ll put out a meal for him.’
With lightening speed she spread a white cloth on the table and set out cutlery for one person. Then she went into the scullery and brought out a plate of cold meat and salad, which was covered over by another plate, and put it down on the table, together with condiments and a bottle of sauce.
‘That’ll do for him,’ she stated as her mother came back into the room wearing a navy blue coat over her cotton dress and a navy blue hat on her head. ‘Come on, Benny, we’re going out for the day.’
As they walked to the tram stop in Scotland Road, Vera was aware of how tense her mother was, and that she was constantly looking over her shoulder.
‘Stop worrying, Mam! By now Dad’s downing pints in one of the pubs so he’s not going to suddenly appear and stop us going.’
‘I hope you’re right. I won’t feel comfortable until we’re on the ferry, though.’
The Royal Daffodil , was at the landing stage when they arrived at the Pier Head. The moment they were on board, and the gangplank had been raised, Annie seemed to relax.
They went up onto the top deck, and sat on one of the bench seats near the railings, so that they could watch all that was happening as they sailed downriver. Benny was so excited that he couldn’t sit still for a minute.
‘Keep an eye on him, Vee, we don’t want him falling over the side,’ Annie said worriedly when he started running from one side of the deck to the other and trying to shin up the safety rails to see more clearly.
‘Benny, you come here, and kneel up on this seat, and I’ll tell you about everything we see all the way to New Brighton,’ Vera promised.
‘I can’t see over the side when I’m kneeling,’ he protested.
‘Well you can stand up on the seat then, as long as you keep still.’
Deftly, she manoeuvred him so that instead of being between herself and her mother, he was standing on her other side.
After the first few minutes of excitement he settled down, absolutely entranced by all that he could see. There was a smile on Annie’s face as she listened to them chattering away. Vera was a good daughter, she helped to make life bearable. She wondered what the future held in store for her. So far, she didn’t seem to bother with boys, yet when she’d been little she’d been inseparable from Eddy’s friend, Jack Winter.
When they reached New Brighton, they walked along the promenade as far as Perch Rock, and then went up one of the side streets in search of a café.
Benny enjoyed their meal of fish and chips and Vera bought him an ice cream afterwards whilst she and her mother enjoyed a cup of tea.
Although the beach was packed they managed to find two vacant deckchairs. Whilst Annie lay back with a handkerchief over her face to protect it from the hot sun, Vera helped Benny build a sandcastle.
By mid-afternoon the sun had vanished behind clouds and there was a freshness in the wind blowing in off the river. As the sky darkened, there was a mad stampede towards the pier. Everyone wanted to get back to Liverpool before the threatening storm broke.
Instead of following everyone else, they decided to take a tram to Liscard so that they could show Benny the places where they used to live. Their old house in Exeter Road, and the one in Trinity Road where Annie’s parents had lived, seemed very quiet after the noise of Scotland Road.
‘Do you wish you were back here, Mam?’ Vera asked.
Annie sighed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. ‘It was a different world, luv. We’ve all changed, too. Your dad was such a wonderful man in those days, before he went in the army. You’ve no idea how much he’s altered,’ she said sadly.
‘I have, Mam. I can remember how kind and jolly he was when I was
He glared at her as if about to say something else, then rammed his bowler hat on his head and stormed out.
The minute he was gone, Vera sent her mother to get ready. ‘Go on,’ she urged. ‘I’ll put out a meal for him.’
With lightening speed she spread a white cloth on the table and set out cutlery for one person. Then she went into the scullery and brought out a plate of cold meat and salad, which was covered over by another plate, and put it down on the table, together with condiments and a bottle of sauce.
‘That’ll do for him,’ she stated as her mother came back into the room wearing a navy blue coat over her cotton dress and a navy blue hat on her head. ‘Come on, Benny, we’re going out for the day.’
As they walked to the tram stop in Scotland Road, Vera was aware of how tense her mother was, and that she was constantly looking over her shoulder.
‘Stop worrying, Mam! By now Dad’s downing pints in one of the pubs so he’s not going to suddenly appear and stop us going.’
‘I hope you’re right. I won’t feel comfortable until we’re on the ferry, though.’
The Royal Daffodil , was at the landing stage when they arrived at the Pier Head. The moment they were on board, and the gangplank had been raised, Annie seemed to relax.
They went up onto the top deck, and sat on one of the bench seats near the railings, so that they could watch all that was happening as they sailed downriver. Benny was so excited that he couldn’t sit still for a minute.
‘Keep an eye on him, Vee, we don’t want him falling over the side,’ Annie said worriedly when he started running from one side of the deck to the other and trying to shin up the safety rails to see more clearly.
‘Benny, you come here, and kneel up on this seat, and I’ll tell you about everything we see all the way to New Brighton,’ Vera promised.
‘I can’t see over the side when I’m kneeling,’ he protested.
‘Well you can stand up on the seat then, as long as you keep still.’
Deftly, she manoeuvred him so that instead of being between herself and her mother, he was standing on her other side.
After the first few minutes of excitement he settled down, absolutely entranced by all that he could see. There was a smile on Annie’s face as she listened to them chattering away. Vera was a good daughter, she helped to make life bearable. She wondered what the future held in store for her. So far, she didn’t seem to bother with boys, yet when she’d been little she’d been inseparable from Eddy’s friend, Jack Winter.
When they reached New Brighton, they walked along the promenade as far as Perch Rock, and then went up one of the side streets in search of a café.
Benny enjoyed their meal of fish and chips and Vera bought him an ice cream afterwards whilst she and her mother enjoyed a cup of tea.
Although the beach was packed they managed to find two vacant deckchairs. Whilst Annie lay back with a handkerchief over her face to protect it from the hot sun, Vera helped Benny build a sandcastle.
By mid-afternoon the sun had vanished behind clouds and there was a freshness in the wind blowing in off the river. As the sky darkened, there was a mad stampede towards the pier. Everyone wanted to get back to Liverpool before the threatening storm broke.
Instead of following everyone else, they decided to take a tram to Liscard so that they could show Benny the places where they used to live. Their old house in Exeter Road, and the one in Trinity Road where Annie’s parents had lived, seemed very quiet after the noise of Scotland Road.
‘Do you wish you were back here, Mam?’ Vera asked.
Annie sighed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. ‘It was a different world, luv. We’ve all changed, too. Your dad was such a wonderful man in those days, before he went in the army. You’ve no idea how much he’s altered,’ she said sadly.
‘I have, Mam. I can remember how kind and jolly he was when I was
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