Don't Tell Meg Trilogy Box Set by Paul J Teague

Author:Paul J Teague [Teague, Paul J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Clixeo Publishing
Published: 2017-03-22T22:00:00+00:00

The ladies at Scott Road Methodist Church were delightful hosts. They were Deirdre, Janet and Cathy, but I’m not sure which was which because they all talked so fast that I missed out on the introductions. However, by using one name at a time, somebody would always answer, so it didn’t seem to matter too much.

They marked us out as a nice young couple and treated us to tea and biscuits as they obligingly answered our questions, albeit in a circuitous and anecdotal manner.

‘So, what happened to the Yates family?’ I asked, nibbling on my fourth chocolate cookie. The six-pack stomach would have to wait another day.

‘It was a terrible business,’ said the woman I thought was Cathy, but who may well have been Janet. ‘It was a house fire, my darling. It destroyed the entire property. It brought everybody out from the surrounding streets. We were all there, weren’t we ladies? It was a terrible affair.’

‘Those poor girls,’ Deirdre joined in, although it may have been Janet. I needed to work out which one was Janet, and then I’d have it figured out.

‘Losing their parents like that. It was a terrible thing to happen. They were such sweet things too.’

‘How long did the Yates family live in this area?’ Alex asked. ‘Were they here all of their married lives?’

‘Yes, my dear, I remember them moving into the street on the day they married. Thomas Yates had bought that small terrace as a surprise for Mavis. He was a caretaker in the local council building. It’s closed down now. Mavis was my best friend in those days, you know. I’d only recently married my Ted, we were newlyweds too, and it didn’t take us long to make friends. There weren’t as many cars on the streets in those days, you could stand in the street and chat all morning.’

‘Did they have children?’ Alex continued to steer her and keep the conversation on course. She was gentler than I was, I tended to forget sometimes that I wasn’t grilling some politician in a live radio interview.

‘Well, my dear, after Thomas and Mavis moved into the street, a lot of us began having babies. Mavis was desperate to have children too, but it didn’t happen. I felt terrible for her, the poor dear. I’d had my Henry, Janet had her Davina not long after, and poor old Mavis was left all on her own.’

The woman whom I was almost certain was called Deirdre brought us into a huddle to share a secret. I’m not sure who was supposed to be listening in, there were only the five of us in that church, but we played ball. We’d hit the jackpot with these wonderful old ladies.

‘I think she had problems down there,’ she whispered, conspiratorially.

‘We didn’t talk about things openly like you do these days. It’s all cocks and pussies now. I know, I’ve got the internet at home.’

Alex and I didn’t know where to look. I spluttered on my tea, spitting it out onto the floor and had to apologise.

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