‘Try and sleep now, love,’ Marion said. ‘You’ll feel better in a bit – and I’d better see how Ma is…’
Going through to her mother’s room, she found that she had also been sick in the night. Mrs Kaye was sweating and feverish, lying motionless so that Marion’s heart stood still and for a moment she thought she might be dead. However, when she touched her, Ma moaned slightly and moved her hand away, as if in denial.
‘Leave me in peace…’ she muttered. ‘For God’s sake leave me be…’
‘It’s all right, Ma, it’s only Marion,’ she said. ‘You’re not well – you and Milly both have it.’ Only Ma was even worse than her little sister. Marion couldn’t wake her properly or get her to answer even though she tried a little shake but that only brought pitiful cries that made her hesitate. Ma obviously thought she was being attacked.
Feeling angry with her absent father, Marion hurried to fetch fresh water and a cloth. She bathed her mother’s face and hands, smoothing the cooling cloth up her thin arms and round her neck. She was perspiring and hot, the sweat soaked into her dark hair.
Tears stung Marion’s eyes as she looked down at the woman lying there with a mixture of pity, love and exasperation. Why didn’t Ma try to help herself more? She wasn’t the only woman in these streets that had a bullying husband, and Pa wasn’t too bad if you didn’t get on his wrong side. Robbie knew how to handle him, standing up to him with determination but a hint of humour. Dan would have come to blows, because his temper was as hot as Pa’s, but Robbie had a way with him. He was a bit like Reggie from next door…
Marion felt a hot flush as she recalled Reggie’s wink. He’d called her Miss Marion and something in his eyes had told her he liked to tease. Robbie could be that way too – and he was her favourite brother…
Shaking her head, Marion forced her mind back to the crisis in hand. What did she do about her mother and little sister? They were both quite ill, but did they need a doctor? If it was just a little tummy upset, Ma would be annoyed if they spent money they needed for other things on a visit from the doctor – and yet they could be really ill…
At the back of her mind, the thought that she was letting Mrs Burrows down and might lose her job at Harpers kept pricking at her – but what could she do? Kathy wasn’t truly old enough to have the burden of her family’s sickness thrust on her and so Marion had no choice but to stay. It was no use thinking about her job at Harpers. Her duty was here!
Ma was settling down a little now, just as Milly had earlier. Marion decided to go down and make up the range and put the kettle on. She would have a cup of tea and then see how they were in an hour or so.
Kathy crept down the stairs after her. ‘I’m sorry I had to wake you,’ she said. ‘I know you need your sleep…’
‘You did the right thing,’ she said and smiled at the younger girl. Kathy already had too much responsibility for a girl of her age. ‘Don’t worry, love, you’ll go to school in the morning – I want you to get on and do something better, be a secretary or something when you leave…’
‘I want to get married and cook lovely things for my family,’ Kathy said. ‘I’m going to marry a man with money – someone who will put his wages on the table every weekend and not spend it all down the pub…’
‘Good for you,’ Marion said. She didn’t think she would ever marry. Men were so unpredictable. Of the ones she knew in her own street, only three of them spent less time in the pub than they did at home. Mr Jackson was a good provider and gave his wife her share regular as clockwork, even though he liked a drink once a week. All his sons gave their mother money for their keep, which was why Mrs Jackson had a new winter coat most years and no one in that house ever went short of anything. Most of the other women complained of having to raid their husbands’ pockets for pennies when they were drunk just to put food on the table – and Marion would never live like that!
At six o’clock, Robbie came down to the kitchen dressed for work. He looked at his sisters, who were eating toast at the table. ‘Milly is cryin’ again,’ he said. ‘I looked in on her and I think she might ’ave been sick…’
‘Again!’ Kathy stood up with a sigh. ‘I’ll go to her, Marion…’
Marion looked at her brother. ‘I’m sorry if I woke you, Robbie…’
‘Nah, it was time for me to get up anyway,’ he said. ‘I could do wiv a bit of that toast and a cuppa if there’s any goin…’
‘Of course, there is,’ Marion said. ‘I’ll make a fresh pot – and you can have marmalade or drippin’ on your toast.’
‘I’ll have dripping – but cheese in my sandwiches for docky, if there’s any left?’
‘I’ve already made them, cheese and sweet piccalilli,’ Marion said. ‘It’s the last of what Ma made…’
‘Thanks, Marion.’ Robbie grinned at her. ‘You know I’m partial to Ma’s piccalilli. Pity she hasn’t made any more…’
‘Kathy wants to learn and she has a lesson today – so perhaps she’ll make a batch for us this weekend…’
‘You could do it if you ever had time,’ Robbie said. His expression became serious. ‘It isn’t fair, Ma expecting you to do everythin’…’
‘I don’t mind,’ Marion said. ‘Really, I don’t – but I want to go out with a friend next week…’ If she still had a job to go to. If she was sacked, Miss Gibbs would think she’d let them down and wouldn’t want to know her.
‘Let me know when and I’ll stay around so you can go…’
‘If Ma lets me…’ Marion began when Kathy burst into the kitchen, white-faced.
‘It’s Ma… she’s on the floor and I can’t get her to respond to me. She’s been sick and she’s messed herself…’
‘I’d better get the doctor,’ Marion said. ‘I thought I’d wait until a bit later, but if Ma’s that bad I’d better ring him now.’
‘I’ll do that,’ Robbie said and swallowed his last bite of toast. ‘Do you need me to help yer get Ma on the bed first?’
‘I think you’d better…’ Marion said. She went quickly upstairs to the bedroom and saw the sight that had met Kathy’s eyes. Ma was whimpering, her eyes closed. The room stank of Ma’s vomit and Marion motioned to her sister to open the window a little as she and Robbie lifted their mother on to her bed. Robbie was very strong and took most of the weight. He was frowning as he looked down at her.
‘She’s very sick, Marion. Do you want me to stick around?’
‘No, you need your wages,’ Marion said and shook her head. He earned more than she did at Harpers. ‘I can manage here and we can’t afford to lose two lots of money. I may not be able to get in today and I’m sure to be fined…’ She didn’t say that she might lose her job but knew it was a possibility because she’d been warned twice about being late.
Kathy fetched hot water as Robbie went off to ring the doctor before going into his work. Marion stripped off her mother’s soiled nightgown and washed her all over before putting on a new one. Fortunately, she’d managed to get out of bed before the vomit and mess came out of her and so the sheets didn’t need to be changed.
Gathering up the soiled things, the two girls looked in on Milly. She’d been sick too and had soiled her bed. Between them, they washed and changed her and the bedclothes. Marion took them down to the scullery and put them in cold water in the copper to soak.
‘Wash your hands well,’ she said to Kathy. ‘We’ve got to try and keep ourselves healthy, love…’
Kathy looked at her, then, reluctantly, ‘I could look after