Free Lizzie of Langley Street by Carol Rivers Page A

can get herself off to school and Babs up to the House by eight o’clock in the morning, then they
can too. ‘And tonight they can clean out their room. Smells like a bloody match factory up there.’ Kate dried her hands, went to the cupboard under the stairs and took out the
boots.
    ‘Now, I’ve something I want you to do for me, gel,’ she said, placing the boots in her shopping bag.
    Lizzie turned from the sink. ‘It ain’t the boots, is it, Ma?’
    ‘See if you can get fifteen shillings from old Bloome for them.’
    ‘But, Ma—’
    ‘You remind the tight old sod that I bought ’em ’specially for your Pa to wear when he came home from the war.’
    ‘But they ain’t new anymore, Ma. Mr Bloome told me last time, don’t you remember? I got ten and six and he was hard pushed to give me that.’
    ‘I know you don’t like going to Mr Bloome’s, ducks,’ Kate sighed. ‘But I gotta put something in everyone’s stomach. I ain’t goin’ down that cocoa
tin, not if it kills me. Your father don’t approve, I know, but it’s either me washing that goes to the pawnbroker or the boots. Anyway, he won’t find out, if no one tells
him.’ She laid a cloth over the top of the boots in the basket. ‘I don’t like asking you to do it for me, you know that, but I’ll have a nice piece of hot bread pudding
waiting for you when you get back. Now go and get yer coat on, there’s a good girl.’
    Kate wished she didn’t have to send Lizzie, but there was no other way. Just then Vinnie walked down the stairs. ‘Where do you think you’re off to?’ she demanded as he
came into the kitchen, dressed in his cap and outdoor jacket.
    ‘To work, Ma.’
    ‘You call what you do
work?
Kate hated the thought of her son as a bookie’s runner. It was never mentioned in the house, but she knew for a fact it was what he did.
‘One of these days you’re going to run up against the wrath of the law, my son.’
    ‘No chance, mother. I keep on me toes. See you tonight.’
    ‘Just you be careful.’ Kate called after him.
    When he’d gone out the front door, Kate went to the bottom of the stairs. ‘Ain’t it about time you were off an’ all, Bert? There’s gotta be a job going somewhere on
this bloody island.’
    ‘Yeah all right, Ma. Just comin.’
    Kate was about to tell him to get a move on when the indigestion struck. She swallowed, coming out in a cold sweat. That was all she needed. The bloody pain back again.
    Lizzie came down the stairs in her coat and scarf. ‘Bye, Ma. I’ll be back soon.’
    Kate opened the front door. ‘Keep yer collar done up, love.’ She watched her daughter walk down Langley Street until she was out of sight . . . the daughter whom she loved beyond
words, her first girl child.
    Bert was next down the stairs. ‘Blimey, what’s happened to yer jacket?’ Kate gasped. ‘Looks like you put it through me wringer.’
    ‘Yeah, well, I tried to give it a bit of a clean up.’ Bert was going red.
    Kate raised her eyes and sighed once more. ‘I’ll have to see if I can get you something up the market. The sleeves are too short on that one, anyway.’
    Bert leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Cheerio, Ma.’
    She inhaled a strange smell. ‘I don’t know how long ago it was you had a wash, me boy, but you ain’t going to win any prizes smelling like that. Tonight we’ll bring the
bath in. You and Vinnie can have a bloody good soak.’
    ‘Yeah, all right, Ma.’
    When Bert had turned the corner Kate closed the door slowly. Her heart was fluttering as though a bird was trapped in her chest. It was happening a lot lately. She’d had a funny five
minutes when she’d got up and then again as she’d seen Flo off to school this morning. Usually it wore off by the time she was getting Tom ready. But it was a real bugger this
morning.
    She went back to the kitchen. What would she buy with the boot money? Very likely a nice mutton stew with lentils or split peas. She