Looking Back by Josephine Cox

Author:Josephine Cox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo Books
Published: 2018-12-18T16:00:00+00:00

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It was time for Rosie to pop back home. ‘I’ll get the men’s dinner then I’ll be back,’ she promised. ‘Don’t forget I’m minding the bairns while you and Alfie go out tonight.’

Walking to the door with her, Molly said sombrely, ‘I’ll have to tell him tonight, Rosie – about America, and everything.’ But first she had to be sure. ‘You will back me up, won’t you?’

For a moment the woman looked into the girl’s troubled blue eyes. ‘I can’t see any other way.’ Like Molly, she was desolate. ‘I’ll do all I can,’ she promised. ‘And may God help the pair of us!’

The first thing Molly did when Rosie was gone was to go up to Lottie and remind her, ‘I want you out of that bed before Dad gets home, or there’ll be hell to pay.’

Lottie turned over and didn’t answer, but her sister knew she’d heard, so she left it at that.

Downstairs, she busied herself. Getting out the big bowl and rolling pin, she set to making a meat and potato pie. The leftover potatoes were sliced in half and put in a tray of lard to bake in the oven. Together with the carrots and gravy, it would make a tasty meal.

While that was cooking, she washed and bathed all four children and got them into their nightgowns. ‘Later on, I’ll be leaving you with Rosie while me and Alfie go out,’ she told them.

‘Will Dad be here?’ Milly wanted to know.

‘He might be, or he might decide to go out, I don’t know, sweetheart.’ She added wryly, ‘Your dad doesn’t tell me his plans.’ Any more than he used to tell our mam, she thought angrily.

‘I don’t want him to be here.’ Georgie was honest to a fault.

‘And I don’t!’ Bertha started to cry.

‘Hey!’ Grabbing them all to her, Molly promised, ‘I won’t be gone long. Rosie will be here, and Dad will probably be going back out once he’s had his dinner.’

Little Eddie’s bottom lip began to tremble. ‘Want my mammy!’ he cried, and flung his arms round Molly’s neck.

‘No tears,’ she said, wiping them away. ‘You’re a big brave boy, aren’t you?’ She dreaded the moment she must tell them the truth.

Singing a song, she began clapping her hands, and soon they were all clapping. ‘Let’s do “Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses”,’ Bertha cried excitedly, so they all joined hands and went round and round, until Milly felt sick and they had to stop.

‘Can we stay up late?’ Georgie asked.

‘We’ll see.’ She made no promises. If their dad was in a bad mood when he got home, she’d rather they were in bed out of his way, but if he went straight out again, or didn’t come home at all, happen Rosie would let them stay down an extra hour.

By the time they had finished their meal – though Bertha only picked at hers as usual – Rosie was at the door. ‘Alfie’s washing,’ she told Molly. ‘He’ll not be too long.’

While the children played

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