Chapter 20

In May Mary finished her secretarial course. The manager of the hotel she had been working at had been impressed by her and did not want to lose her. He asked her to stay on as a receptionist with additional typing and secretarial work at £20 more a week. She was not keen as she felt that without constant use her shorthand speed would quickly drop off.

"I'll be quite frank with you, Mary," he said. "Jenny, since she got married, has lost interest in the job and I don't think will last much longer. If she doesn't resign soon I may have to give her the push at which time I would like you to become my secretary."

"All right, Mr Hambury, I'm flattered that you have such a high opinion of me but I do want to make a go of my career so please don't make me wait too long."

"What's too long, Mary?"

She grinned. "Three months?"

"It'll be less than that, I promise."

Garry started at United and was quickly accepted by the other apprentices because of his ability. He spoke when spoken to but otherwise kept quiet. He was still reluctant to contribute other than at practice or on the soccer field. Back at the home he and Polly were inseparable. Becca asked Edna whether she had spoken to either of them about it. Rather shamefacedly Edna said she had not and eagerly accepted Becca's offer to do so.

"My husband and I have never had a particularly physical relationship," she said, "so I've been a bit reluctant to talk about things that I don't really know about."

"But you've got children."

"Yes, dear. We, um, did that as a sort of thing to be done almost."

Becca was sad for her. She had missed so much additional happiness.

Becca took Polly off with her to the other side of the football pitch one Saturday afternoon while Garry was training at United.

"You and Garry have become very close, haven't you?" she said.

"Yes, I love him."

"Have you told him?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing. He just smiled at me."

"Any idea why?"

"Well you know how shy he is and I think that after his horrid parents he's frightened of showing any feeling."

"He obviously likes you otherwise he wouldn't spend so much time with you."

"Yeah! He hasn't said that though either."

"Have you hugged?"

"Not really." She giggled. "Except when we were playing Sardines and I told him I was going to hide in the cupboard under the stairs." She paused and added sadly, "But it was me that did most of the hugging."

"So he hasn't started anything?"

"No," said Polly sadly.

"He's hugged me though."

"You're safe. You're his new mother sort of."

"Nonsense! I'm only four years older than him."

"That's what I mean by 'sort of'."

This discussion was becoming something totally different from what Becca had envisaged. She decided to shift the emphasis and started to move slowly on.

"I'm ashamed to say I don't know your background, Polly love."

Polly shrugged. "Single mum, dypso. I was starving when they found me."

Becca shuddered inwardly. "How old were you?"

"Ten and a half."

"Did they offer you foster parents?"

"Yeah but it didn't work."

"Why not?"

"My mum loved me. They didn't. It was all pretend. So I thought I'd be happier in the home where I could just be me."

"So what did you do?"

"Made a bloody nuisance of myself and they sent me back."

Becca chuckled. "That makes two of us," she said, "but at least the perverts had gone by the time you arrived."

"Second time. I was here for three weeks before I went to my foster parents and that bloody Oliphant groped my bum."

"Foul man! Uncle Steven tells me he's getting a pretty rough time in prison."

"Serve him right! Becca, you'll never be my mum but will you be my sister?"

Becca felt her throat tighten. She swallowed. "Yes, Polly love!"

She expected Polly to fling herself at her. She did not but stopped and turned to her, her eyes brimming.

"Thanks, Becca," she whispered. "When ... when there's nobody else around ... will you hug me?"

"Yes, darling."

Polly nodded and they walked on.

Just before they rejoined everyone else Polly stopped. "Not in front of Garry either," she said. "It might make him jealous or something."

Becca nodded. "No," she said thoughtfully, "and Polly, love, if and when things start to go further make sure you don't make any mistakes."

Polly grinned at her. "Not bloody likely!" she said.

"Ooh, by the way, I took the kingfisher and the monkey into a shop in town and asked the man what he'd offer for them. He said they were very good indeed. He'd be prepared to pay £20 for the kingfisher and £15 for the monkey. You could have a source of income there."

"Thanks, Becca." She thought for a moment. "That's about a shilling an hour. Not much is it?"

"No," replied Becca a little shamefacedly. "Not when you think of it like that."

Polly smiled at her. "We'll have to invent a machine and still market them as hand-made."

Becca laughed. "You're a monkey."

"That's me."

Peggy joined the Damsels in June living in Penny and Anita's house. She got into trouble at work for suddenly stopping to do sketches of people but all was forgiven when the leaders saw the finished work. Becca asked her how many finished paintings she had.

"I don't know: twenty or thirty?"

"Don't you think you ought to pick out the twenty best and let Brian Reid have them to see if he can sell them or find a commission for you?"

"Oh, I couldn't do that," said Peggy shyly.

"Do you like and trust him?"

Peggy nodded.

"Then why not let him be the judge of that?"

Peggy said nothing and Becca left it at that.

In July Becca received nine applications from school-leavers to join the Damsels. If she took them all that would make their strength twenty eight before the arrival of Arlene and Mona later in the year. Becca consulted the other original Damsels.

"On average," she told them, "we've got three local and two distant paint jobs and either a gardening one or a cleaning one going on at any one time. We generally have a week or week and a half's waiting time. If we were to take on say four more painters we've got enough team leaders but we wouldn't be able to take on any more distant jobs unless two were close together. Do we start on the catering business? If we do we're going to need yet another van because we can't take food around in one stinking of paint and things. We'd have to buy our own this time. I couldn't ask the Brains for another one. What do you think?"