Bia's War Read online

  Nana paused while she drank some of her tea, giving Victoria the chance to say something, but Victoria was silent. She was trying to imagine how helpless Nana must have felt when William announced his decision and she couldn’t change his mind. How did Nana survive those four years until William came back at the end of the war? Then she realised that she didn’t know if William did come back. Had he died on a battlefield somewhere and Nana had married Granddad Sam? Had Sam accepted Simon as his own and, if so, what had happened to Simon? Victoria realised there was a lot more still to be told.

  Nana finished her tea and took a deep breath to begin again.

  “So he left Simon and I and went and enlisted in the Yorkshire Battalion, along with the other thousands of husbands, brothers and sons enlisting in other battalions, across the whole country. There were thousands of women, children and old men who lined the streets of the town and waved and cheered and sang the National Anthem as their menfolk marched past in their cobbled-together uniforms, some of them carrying weapons, but most without, cheering as they marched away to war. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t going to be part of the frenzy which was whipping up patriotism to such an extent that children were trying to enlist. Boys, some as young as twelve, were flocking to the Enlisting Stations, swearing that they were old enough to fight for King and country and, sometimes, they were accepted and the lies ignored. Some of those young boys fought on the battlefields of France and Belgium and died before they reached the age they had claimed to be when they enlisted.”

  “They marched off to war, my husband among them, all declaring they would teach the Hun a lesson or two and still be home in time for Christmas. I didn’t believe a word of it. I knew the war wouldn’t end that quickly. I didn’t waste my time thinking about it, because I had a child to support and I wasn’t going to sit at home waiting for William’s non-existent Army pay to arrive. For goodness sake, there was a war on, was it likely that the army in the field would get paid regularly like they did at home? It was a different world and so I had started making plans as soon as I realised that William was going to leave us and I wasted no time in setting those plans in motion.”

  “But what did you do with Simon?” Victoria asked. “You couldn’t go out to work and leave him, he wasn’t old enough. Did your mother look after him?”

  Nana smiled at Victoria’s concern for the child.

  “No, I had no intentions of leaving Simon with a babysitter. He was my child and I loved him to distraction and I wasn’t going to miss any of his childhood by farming him out to various relatives while I went out to work. My plan was to keep Simon and me together.”

  “First of all, I went to see Mr Vine in his office on Station Road. He was a local solicitor, but he was also my landlord and I needed his permission before I could put my plans into action. I knew he had a soft spot for me, from when I had seen him when I first rented the house and I intended using his liking for me to get my own way.”

  “The day William marched off to war I presented myself at Mr Vine’s office, wearing my best black skirt and a hand-embroidered white blouse. I hoped I looked business-like, because that was the impression I wanted to give him.”

  ‘I need to ask you a favour, Mr Vine.’ I said when his secretary showed me into his inner sanctum.

  ‘Anything I can do, dear lady,’ he said as he pulled a chair up to his desk for me. ‘I understand your husband has enlisted?’

  “He made it sound like a question, although I knew he was well-aware of the names and numbers of those who had gone in that first wave of volunteers. He was an extremely patriotic man and it was that patriotism that I wanted to milk to get my own way in that meeting. I pretended to be as enthusiastic about his enlisting as William was, because I knew this would sway Mr Vine to look on my plans favourably and I was prepared to use any lever I could.”

  ‘He has, Mr Vine.’ I murmured, looking suitably downcast. ‘He’s gone to do his duty for King and Country, as all decent men should.’

  “He dipped his head as though he was in the presence of the King himself and then looked me in the eye.”

  ‘So, how can I help you, dear lady? We must look after the families of our brave boys until they return home, victorious.’

  ‘William has promised to send his Army pay home to Simon and I when he gets paid in France, but I am worried that in the turmoil of war, that money won’t get through to us. I’ve promised William that while he is in France doing his duty, I will support him in every way that I can, taking the worry of mine and Simon’s welfare off his shoulders.’

  “I could see this approach was working on Mr Vine and I didn’t care how many lies I had to tell to get my own way. Simon and I were going to survive this war, whatever happened to William and if I had to lie my way to Hades in order to carry out my plans, the end result was well worth it. I had Mr Vine on the end of my fishing line and I reeled him in as adroitly as I could.”

  ‘I would like to open a little shop, so that I can support my child and myself without William having to worry about us and I would like your permission to use the parlour of my house as the shop premises. I know that you kindly rent us the house to live in,’ I added hastily as Mr Vine drew back a little at my direct demand. ‘But there’s space in the parlour to put up a few shelves to carry the stock and Simon and I can live in the kitchen. With William away fighting at the Front, we don’t really need a best room.’

  Mr Vine’s face changed again at my mention of the Front, as I had known it would. I pressed home this advantage quickly, before he had chance to think about it anymore.

  ‘Of course, I would pay extra rent, Mr Vine. After all, I can’t expect to pay domestic rent on business premises. I wouldn’t expect you to have to help support a soldier’s family if I can do it myself.’

  ‘I wouldn’t expect you to pay extra rent, my dear, not until you had got your little business going. After all, we’ve all got to rally round our brave boys and that includes giving them peace of mind about their families’ welfare. But are you sure you want the responsibility of running a business on your own? Couldn’t you get some sort of paid employment that could keep you and your little one until your brave husband returns home?’

  “I was ready for that question as well.” Nana said.

  ‘No, Mr Vine. If I went out to work I would have to find someone willing to look after Simon for me and I think the poor child will need his mummy with him when he’s not going to see his daddy for a long time.’

  “I left a gap of a few seconds and then added the clincher to my argument.”

  ‘If he ever sees his daddy again, of course. None of us know what is going to happen to our brave boys over there.’

  “And I lowered my head and dabbed my dry eyes with the frilly white handkerchief I had brought with me for just this purpose.”

  ‘My dear Mrs Drinkwater, I will give you every assistance I can.’ said Mr Vine, coming out from behind his desk and helping me to rise. ‘You decide what shelves and other things you need and I’ll send Old Davy round first thing tomorrow to put them up for you. Tell me, what are you planning to sell in your shop?’

  ‘I’m going to sell food, Mr Vine, all types of food, from vegetables to bread to tea. No matter what is happening in the world, people will always need to eat and therefore will always need a shop to buy food from.

  ‘I agree with you, Mrs Drinkwater, people will always need to eat and, therefore, they will always need somewhere to buy that food. But from where are you going to get your stock?’

  “I was ready for that question as well. It had been part of my planning process.”

  ‘We are right next to the railway station here Mr Vine and I have already been to see the warehouseman who deals with the goods trains. I have also arranged to buy goods from the ships as they dock here. I have my supplies set up and ready to start. I hope I have thought of everything.’

  ‘It sounds to me as though you have, my dear Mrs Drinkwater, and I wish you every success i
n your venture. But how about capital? Do you have funds in place to purchase these items that you need?’

  ‘I have some savings which I hope will be sufficient for my needs.’ I said. I had no wish to start my new business on capital borrowed from someone else. The profits were going to be for me and Simon, not for paying back loans at huge rates of interest.

  ‘You have thought of everything.’ Mr Vine said, sounding almost disappointed. ‘I wish you good luck and I hope your William returns home to you by Christmas, as all the politicians are promising.’

  “So I’d taken the first step.” Nana Lymer continued. “I’d climbed the first hill in my new life and I was standing on the summit, pleased with myself and very, very determined to succeed. I looked ahead at the vista of hard work and possible success which was laid out in front of me and I swore an oath to myself that I would not only keep Simon and I in comfort, I would end up keeping us in luxury. William had abrogated any feelings I had had for him when he had decided he was going off to war and this abandonment of us had made me lose any respect I may have had for him as my husband and as the father of my child. He was no longer part of my plans for the future. When, or if, he came home, he would find he was married to a different person.”

  Nana paused at this point and Victoria took the opportunity to ask if the old lady needed another drink.

  “I think I would like another cup of tea and could you see if there are any biscuits going spare? This story-telling is making me hungry as well as thirsty.”

  “I’ll make you a cup of tea and I’m sure I’ll be able to find some biscuits.” Victoria said. “Do you think we should stop for today? Do you think you are getting too tired to carry on?” Victoria was concerned that she was forcing her Nana to do more than was good for her, just to satisfy Victoria’s curiosity, but she had to admit that Nana was much brighter than she had been over the last few months. Her eyes were bright and sparkling and there was a healthy pink glow to her cheeks that Victoria hadn’t seen for a while. Perhaps she shouldn’t feel guilty about this at all. Was it possible that she had given Nana a new lease of life? Should she feel guilty that she hadn’t encouraged Nana to talk more before now? Had the old lady been missing out on meaningful communication? Whatever the truth was, Victoria made herself a promise that she would spend more time having proper conversations with her Nana.

  While she was making the tea in the kitchen, her mother came through from the shop to take a break herself.

  “Are you still sitting with Nana?” she asked, when she noticed that Victoria was making more tea and putting a plate of biscuits on a tray. “You don’t have to stay with her now. She’s unlikely to get out of bed and escape without someone seeing her during the day while we’re in the shop. Don’t let her blackmail you into staying with her all the time. She’s good at manipulating people and you would be a walk-over for her.”

  “No, it’s okay, Mam.” Victoria smiled. “Nana’s telling me what it was like when she was young and I’m enjoying listening to her. And I think it’s doing her good to think back to her youth. She seems to be really enjoying it.”

  “That’s as may be, but you’ve got revision to do for your exams, don’t forget. You won’t get decent marks if you don’t do the work.”

  “I will get my revision done, Mam, but I’ve got all the Christmas holidays to do it in, so a couple of hours spent with Nana won’t make me fail any of them. We’re both having a good time and it means you don’t have to worry about her. Winners all round!”

  “We’ll find that out when we get your exam results, won’t we? Don’t get too clever for your own good, my girl. You go and sit with her, but make sure you are in this kitchen at 5 o’clock for your tea. I’m not having it spoilt because you forgot what time it was.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I mean no, ma’am, I mean I’ll be here for my tea, I promise!”

  Victoria grabbed the tray and sashayed past her mother as she aimed the tea towel at Victoria’s legs, then climbed the stairs with the ease of youth. Nana was waiting for her as she entered the room, a huge smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes. Victoria realised for the first time just how expressive Nana’s face was. When she was happy and smiling her eyes lit up and she seemed to brighten any room.

  “Tea is served, madam.” She said, as she placed the tray across Nana’s knees. “And I found some custard creams; do they meet madam’s requirements?”

  “They’ll do I suppose.” Nana answered, joining in with the role playing. “I hope that tea is in a silver teapot.”

  “Not likely, Nana. It’s a brown pot and as plain as can be. But I poured the tea into a pretty china cup.”

  “You did, lass. You’re a good girl. Now, do you want to hear any more of my life story today or are you bored with it?”

  “I’m not bored at all, but you must stop when you get tired. I’ve got two weeks off school for Christmas, so I’ve got plenty of time to sit with you. We don’t have to get through the whole story today.”

  “That’s good, cos this story is going to take at least a couple of days to get through. I’ve never been one for using one word when I could use ten! So, where had we got to, pet?”

  “You’d been to see Mr Vine, if he would let you use the house he owned but you were living in, to set up a shop to sell food from the parlour.” Victoria looked very pleased with herself for remembering every detail of what Nana had told her. “You said his office was in Station Road. There’s a solicitor’s office still there, but it’s called ‘Vine and Miller’ now.”

  “Yes, he’ll be my Mr Vine’s grandson, I would think.” Nana mused. “My Mr Vine was a good deal older than me and I can remember his son taking over, but that would be just before the Second War. This one must be his grandson or even his great-grandson. It’s a proper family firm, just how things should be, passed down from one generation to the next. It’s the same here, with your mam and dad working in the shop downstairs, this was where I moved to, after my first shop on Albion Street.”

  “You owned this house and shop before Mam and Dad had it?” Victoria said. “I always thought they’d bought it after they got married, because wasn’t Dad a joiner and working down the docks? I’m sure that was what he was doing.”

  “That’s right.” Nana agreed. “Your Dad was a joiner when your Mam met him, but after they were married the shop got so busy your Mam couldn’t manage on her own. And then, of course, you came along, Bia needed the help in the shop and so Jack gave up working on the ships and worked in the shop full time. But we’re getting ahead of the story, talking about that. If I’m going to tell you what happened, I need to do it in order, so that I don’t get confused. But I must admit, I’ve got a better memory for what happened years ago than I have for what happened yesterday. Old age isn’t being very kind to me, I’m afraid.”

  Victoria took hold of Nana’s hand again. “Don’t worry about it, Nana,” she said. “Shall we carry on with the story? You’d been to see Mr Vine and he gave you his permission to open a shop in the parlour of your house. How long did it take for you to get set up and ready to start trading?”

  “Not long at all, pet.” Nana settled herself comfortably with her back resting against the pillow and took up the story from when she had visited Mr Vine.

  “He was as good as his word, Mr Vine, I’ll give that for him, and he sent Old Davy round at 7 o’clock sharp the next morning, ready to start putting up shelves for me. He had an old handcart that he’d pushed from Station Road and it was laden with wooden shelving, a couple of old tables and a pile of tools.”

  ‘Mr Vine said I had to come and put these here shelves where you want ‘em, Missis.’ he said, as I ushered him into the parlour which I had stripped of all furniture and fittings the night before. “And he wants to know if you can use these old tables. He seems to think you might want them as some sort of counter to serve from.’

  “That was such a good idea and I felt stupid that I had congratulated myself on thinking of every
thing, but I’d never even considered what I was going to use as a counter! But Mr Vine had thought of something else.”

  ‘The boss said you can keep the cart as well, like.’ Davy added, when he’d finished carrying everything into the parlour and he’d taken the cart round the back alley and put it in the back yard. ‘He thought you might need it for collecting supplies, like.’

  “That was another thing I’d not considered, just how was I going to carry goods from the railway station and the docks to my shop? I’d definitely not done the excellent planning I’d thought I had, but I wasn’t above getting help from wherever it was offered, so I accepted the hand cart as well and resolved that, in future, I would try to look at a problem from every angle before I decided that I’d thought of everything!”

  “That handcart was a godsend to me until I could afford a proper horse and cart, with stabling and fodder for the horse, so that was another element that Mr Vine added to my business empire. I think he must have had great faith in what I was capable of doing, because a lot of other people weren’t overstruck on him and said he was mean, but I always found him open-handed and generous, with material goods and advice. I used him a lot, professionally, after I began to make money and I was always completely satisfied with his work and his bills. But I’m getting ahead of the story now! Where was I? Oh yes, Old Davy had come to put up the shelves.”

  “He worked all morning, did Davy, and by lunchtime he’d transformed that parlour into a proper shop, with shelves and a counter made from two tables fastened together. The last job I got him to do before he went back to Mr Vine was to put up a sign next to the front window. I’d painted it myself the night before, on an old blackboard that Simon had played with. It read, ‘Drinkwater’s Grocers’ in large letters so that passers-by could see it and know that I was in business. I was rather proud of that sign. It wasn’t professionally done, but it was bright and cheerful and as good, if not better, than any sign outside any other ‘house shop’ in the town.”