Mother’s Day on Coronation Street

‘So what’s she like?’

‘She’s a fair bit older than you and me and …’ she paused. ‘I’m not sure how to describe her. She’s quite a character.’

‘How old? Old enough to be my mother?’

‘Not at all. I’d say she’d be in her early thirties. I’m twenty-two, by the way. So her clothes are not always at the height of fashion. But then who can keep up with the latest fads when you haven’t got enough coupons to get decent material to make anything new. But she dresses very nicely, wears a bit of make-up and I think she must have her hair peroxided and permed a bit. She’s very particular about looking neat and tidy all the time, whatever she’s wearing. And she likes to keep the bar neat and tidy too. She’s got very high standards so you do have to be on your toes. A place for everything and everything in its place, she’s always saying. And you’ve got to have a big smile for the customers, no matter how bad you might be feeling. You have to look out not to let things slide. On the other hand, it means that even when the public bar is at its worst – like first thing in the morning before Rose comes in to clean – it’s still a reasonably nice place to work although it is still full of the smell of last night’s stale tobacco and beer.’

‘Why don’t you work there full time, then?’

‘Mostly because of the money. Which is why I didn’t suggest it to you in the first place. And, somehow, I’ve never seen myself as a full-time barmaid though I do enjoy it and I’m always willing to help out the odd time. Like I say, I’ve been working there most evenings this past week while Annie was poorly. But hopefully she’ll be back by tomorrow so I won’t be needed any more.’

‘Not if she can appoint someone full time.’ Gracie didn’t want to sound too eager but she couldn’t help feeling enthused by the idea.

‘Are you interested in applying, then?’ Lottie asked.

‘I am. Do you think I’ll like her, or more to the point, will she like me?’

‘There’s only one way to find out. Though I don’t see why not. But I don’t want to speak out of turn and get any false hopes up. All I can tell you is she’ll be wanting to appoint someone as soon as she can. So, if you fancy the job, my advice would be to get in there quick. Shall I tell her you might be interested?’

‘Would you?’

‘Of course. Though I think it’s only fair to warn you that she can seem a bit snooty at times. Sometimes she has this unfortunate way of looking at you as if you’d been dragged in by the dog.’ Lottie did her best imitation of Annie Walker arching her eyebrows and looking down her nose and Gracie laughed. ‘But she’s got a good heart and if you show willing she’s a really good person to work for.’

‘I suppose if I can manage the girls on the bench at the munitions factory I can handle the likes of Annie Walker,’ Gracie said with a confidence in her voice that she didn’t feel.

‘I tell you what,’ Lottie said, ‘I’ll have a word with her tonight and if she’s going to be back at work then maybe you can pop in tomorrow evening before they get busy. Nothing like striking while the iron’s hot. Is that all right?’

‘That would be fine. I’m sure I can swing something at the factory.’

Gracie was aware that Lottie was looking at her critically. ‘You know something,’ Lottie said, ‘I don’t think you’ll regret it.’

‘No,’ said Gracie, determined to be bold, ‘I’ve got a feeling I won’t either.’

Annie came downstairs, as she had promised herself, in time to give the children breakfast the next morning and found she had forgotten how much energy it required. Florence, however, had taken her at her word that she would get up in time to see to the children and it was mid-morning before she made an appearance, ordering Rose, Annie’s young cleaner, to carry her suitcase down into the hall.

‘I asked Neil if he would pop over in the car to pick me up,’ Florence said.

Annie was shocked. Neil was her mother’s business partner, but it still sounded like a cheeky request. ‘Isn’t that a bit of an extravagance? Where will he find the petrol?’ Annie asked.

‘Oh, he’ll find some from somewhere, he always does. He knows I’m relying on him to get me back. How else would I get there otherwise? He wouldn’t expect me to go on a bus.’

‘Why on earth not? It’s what most of us mortals have to do.’ Annie couldn’t hold back her sarcasm but Florence seemed to be immune. She sat down in the kitchen and picked up the Weatherfield Gazette to read as she waited for Neil.

As the morning wore on, Annie was surprised how wobbly she felt. She was having difficulty standing for long periods and she had no energy to run after the children. She wondered if it was her imagination that Joanie was even more demanding than usual and Billy was running around so much it made her feel dizzy to look at him. She was very relieved when Rose had finished cleaning in the public areas and was free to watch them. Her mother’s departure had left her with mixed feelings. Even though a part of her was glad she had left, she realized how much she had relied on her over the last few days.

‘Why don’t you sit down and I’ll fetch you a nice cup of tea?’ Rose said when Joanie was finally settled in the playpen with her teddy and doll. ‘And you have no need to worry, Mrs Walker, I won’t desert you. I’ll carry on here looking after the children till you get your strength back.’

‘Thank you, Rose. I must admit I don’t feel ready to take over everything just yet. I must have been more poorly than I realized.’

‘Well, don’t you fret. You just take your time.’

‘Why don’t you take them out to the park? I know there are no longer any swings or slides left, but at least Billy can kick his ball about and run off some of his energy.’

Sally Todd arrived in time to open the bar for the dinnertime trade. She had been such a help as she knew her way around the bar better than anyone. Annie was grateful Sally wouldn’t be returning to her normal daytime job at the factory until the following week.

When she had taken her coat off, Sally proudly showed Annie the till rolls which marked up all the bar takings since she had been out of action. Annie was surprised at how much money they had taken. As far as she was aware, the number of customers had dwindled recently since all but the old men and the wounded were away fighting. To see that the figures had actually increased while she had been away was a pleasant surprise.

‘Well done!’ Annie said, not usually known for her lavish praise. ‘I know that prices have risen a little but there seems to have been a sudden increase in customers. What’s brought that about?’ she asked. ‘Did the army suddenly discharge them all? Or have those left behind been partying every night?’

Sally laughed. ‘Nothing like that I’m afraid.’ But there was a mysterious glint in her eye. ‘You’ll soon see for yourself once we get busy.’

‘Welcome back!’

‘Lovely to see you again.’

‘Good to have you back, though Lottie and Sally have been doing a splendid job.’

Annie inclined her head from side to side in acknowledgement of all the good wishes when she finally made an appearance from behind the curtain that separated off her living quarters.

‘It’s nice to be back.’ ‘Lovely to see you again.’ ‘Thank you for your kind message.’

She let a gracious smile play on her lips as she greeted each in turn in the way she had seen Queen Elizabeth do on the newsreels as she accompanied King George on their visits round the country. She was enjoying the attention almost as much as when she had been cast in the lead role in the amateur dramatic society before the war and had taken a final curtain call. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed seeing all the familiar faces at the bar while she had been ill. She didn’t really like being shut away from everything and everybody even if it was only for a few days. She was actually looking forward to being able to take on all the duties of her customary role as landlady once more, including pulling pints, though she would have to try to ease herself back into the job gradually.

It was interesting, she thought, how she had grown used to being a publican at the Rovers. She had even become quite fond of the place and the job, and it surprised her how pleased she was to be back. Not that it had always been like that. She remembered how she had felt when she had first come here as a new bride. Running a hostelry had not been something she had ever aspired to. She had long accepted that her family’s fortunes had really gone and she knew she would never be returning to the grand life she had once known, but when Jack had first proposed and suggested they become innkeepers she had dared to dream of a small country pub set in leafy Cheshire lanes. She saw Tudor-style oak beams, and horse brasses hanging on the walls but for Jack’s sake she had been willing to consider the Rovers Return as a sort of trade apprenticeship, a place where she would learn all she could about the hospitality industry. Perhaps one of the most important lessons she learned in the early years was always to greet people with a cheerful smile, even if it didn’t reflect how she felt. And that was a lesson that had stood her in good stead. Even when Mr Ridley himself had come to tell them that the brewery had no country pubs available for the foreseeable future she had somehow managed to grit her teeth and smile.

But things had changed since then. She had changed and she accepted for now that she would be happy enough to remain behind the bar at the Rovers Return. Not that she would admit that to anyone, especially not to Jack, for she would never give up on her dream.

What she hadn’t expected to see on her return to the bar was so many new faces and several different uniforms and for the moment she thought she was in the middle of a Hollywood film set. For mixed in with the locals, whose voices she mostly recognised, was the unfamiliar drawl of American accents.

Sally laughed at Annie’s astonished face. ‘What do you think to that?’ she said. ‘I bet you didn’t know the Yanks had arrived in full force, did you?’

‘I knew there’d been more and more coming since the first batch arrived in January, but I hadn’t realized there were such numbers arriving up here.’

Gracie nodded. ‘We’ve got GIs, soldiers, airmen – and some Canadians as well for good measure. They’re all over the country now and, fortunately for us, one of their bases is not far from here, in Warrington.’

‘Well I never.’ Annie didn’t know whether to be pleased or sorry.

‘Seems like they’re trying out all the local pubs in the area and I’m doing my darnedest to make sure this is the one place they want to keep coming back to. And you know what they’re saying? “Overpaid, oversexed and over here”.’ Annie’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment at Sally’s choice of language but the young girl seemed not to notice. ‘So I reckon we need to make the most of it,’ Sally went on, ‘because they seem to have access to all kinds of supplies we can’t get hold of – cigarettes, nylon stockings, chocolate. They’re pretty amazing.’

Now Annie laughed. ‘Well, it looks like you’re doing a good job of hanging on to them, young lady.’ She was looking at the barmaid and actually smiling.

‘I think I must be doing something right,’ Sally grinned back. ‘One of the men told me last night he was even getting to love warm beer.’

Annie looked puzzled at this and pursed her lips, unsure how to take what sounded like a backhanded compliment.

‘Apparently, they serve all their drinks poured over ice cubes – “on the rocks”, they call it over in America – and they even like their beer to be ice cold,’ Sally explained. ‘At first, they complained about the Shires being warm, but now I think they’re beginning to get used to it.’

‘So long as they keep coming back for more, I can hardly complain,’ Annie said as she perched on a stool by the till and surveyed the room. She watched Elsie Tanner who was single-handedly entertaining the largest number of GIs and for once Annie was grateful Elsie was a regular customer. She was certainly the centre of attention tonight among one group of Yanks. It seemed that most of them couldn’t keep their hands off her and she didn’t mind that at all. She was flirting outrageously in true Elsie-style. At least, thought Annie, with so much misery around they’re bringing some life and fun into the place. Without them things could easily deteriorate and we’d be left with a pretty dull atmosphere. Thanks also went to Sally, who was confidently pulling pints, serving the customers with a laugh and a joke and generally keeping the clients happy while Annie tossed tanners, shillings, half-crowns and florins into the cash drawer at a steady enough rate to make her one very happy lady.

Gracie didn’t know what to wear as she sifted through the hangers on the rail that served as a wardrobe in her bedroom. Not that she had a lot to choose from. Clothes rationing meant she hadn’t bought anything new for ages and several of her old clothes were actually worn out. But her real dilemma was whether to wear a skirt or trousers. Since she had taken to wearing trousers at the factory she had felt more comfortable in them and normally wouldn’t have thought twice about wearing them when she was popping into a pub. But from what Lottie had told her about Annie Walker she began to worry that they might appear too casual for the landlady who sounded a little prim and proper. She discarded each thing onto the bed as she tried it on. Both the straight, pencil-line skirt with the side pockets and the slightly flared skirt with the patch pockets still looked to be in reasonable shape, whereas the trousers did look rather shabby. In the end, she settled for her cream pleated skirt because it went well with the coffee-and-cream-coloured jumper that she loved, even though she would have to remember not to lift her left arm for that would show up the darn there. The outfit made her feel more grown up and ladylike with its set-in sleeves that were gathered in tucks at the shoulders so that they looked like shoulder pads. It would give her a boost of confidence at what could prove to be a difficult meeting. She drew a stub of bright red lipstick across her lips, pinched her cheeks and looked at herself in the mirror. She smoothed down the tendrils of hair that persistently escaped from her ponytail and twisted this way and that to try to see her back. ‘It will have to do,’ she said out loud and ran down the stairs.

‘Let’s be having a look at you.’ Mildred stopped her as she went to open the front door.

‘I’ve no time now, Mum. I’m already late. I can’t afford to give a bad impression. I’m scared enough without having to worry about that.’

‘What on earth are you scared about? You’ll knock ’em out.’

‘Yeah, but you don’t know what the landlady can be like. Lottie’s been telling me and I can’t help worrying: what if she doesn’t like me?’

‘Of course she’ll like you. Everybody will.’ Her mother gave her a kiss. ‘Just be yourself and she can’t fail to love you. But slow down for a moment. You know what’ll happen if you keep rushing about. Your hair will fly out of its band for a start, and in no time at all you’ll be looking a mess.’

‘Oh, thanks a lot for that!’

‘You didn’t let me finish. What I was going to say was that at the moment it looks lovely. Just make sure to keep it that way.’

‘And from what Lottie says, I must remember to smile,’ Gracie said giving her mother a big grin. Mildred laughed.

‘When do you not smile? Now go. And good luck.’

‘Punctuality. That is what counts at all times, my dear,’ was the first thing Annie Walker said, glancing up at the clock in the bar. Gracie’s heart sank. As far as she understood they hadn’t set a specific time for the interview but Annie had the bit between her teeth. ‘Always remember that our clients expect us to open the doors on time and we have, by law, to close up on time. Fortunately, the bar is not officially open yet so we do have some time to talk before the rush begins.’

‘Yes, Mrs Walker,’ Gracie finally got an opportunity to say. ‘I agree. I’m quite a stickler for timekeeping myself.’ She didn’t want to explain that she might have come sooner if she hadn’t been dithering about what to wear. Annie smiled at her but there was no warmth in it and Gracie wondered for a moment if she had made a mistake in coming. Maybe this job was not for her after all. But she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Then she lifted her chin and began to answer Annie’s questions.

‘And tell me, my dear, do you have a sweetheart away in the forces?’ Annie said finally.

‘No, I don’t,’ Gracie admitted. She was surprised by the question and wondered if that was going to make any difference to the outcome. But Annie merely looked directly at her and this time gave her a warm smile.

‘I married mine,’ she said unexpectedly. ‘And now he’s gone away, fighting abroad.’ She looked so wistful Gracie couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for her, but Annie quickly became businesslike again as she handed Gracie a pen and a piece of paper.

‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind writing your details on here and then working out the answers to the little sums that I’ve written out on the back …’

Gracie hadn’t expected a test, though she supposed it was the best way to make sure she could read and write, and make the correct change if she had to handle customers’ money. So she did her best approximation of the neat copperplate-style handwriting they had been taught in school, and wrote down in figures, as quickly and as accurately as she could, the solutions to the arithmetic questions. She took a deep breath while Annie was scrutinizing her answers and nervously tucked away the stray tendrils of hair that she could feel had escaped from her ponytail. Annie was reading carefully and didn’t speak for several moments. When she looked up, Gracie stopped breathing for a second or two.

‘When would you be free to start if I were to offer you the job?’ Annie asked.

‘Tomorrow,’ Gracie said without hesitation. ‘Does that mean I’ve got it?’

Annie’s face finally creased with pleasure and the warmth of her expression at last reached her eyes. ‘I would like to offer you a week’s trial,’ Annie said. ‘At the end of that time we’ll both be at liberty to call time on the offer, if you’ll pardon the pun, if things haven’t worked out. But I feel sure they will.’ She put out her hand. ‘I look forward to working with you, Gracie,’ she said. ‘I presume I may call you Gracie?’

‘Yes, of course, and thank you very much.’ Gracie grinned. She was surprised to find Annie’s handshake was warmer than she had expected.

‘And I’m Annie,’ the landlady said. But the softness in her voice suddenly sharpened as she added, ‘Although I prefer to be referred to as Mrs Walker in front of the customers.’

Annie was pleased she had managed the interview so soon after coming downstairs from her sickbed. It would certainly make her life easier to have a permanent barmaid in place. But then, she had always prided herself that she had learned how to gather good people around her, and it was an essential attribute at a time like this when she was running the pub and bringing up the children single-handed.

The only person she had been unsure of hiring was Ned Narkin, who had turned up as a potential potman, in answer to her ad, shortly after Jack had joined up. It was not an easy job to fill as all the young able-bodied men were abroad, fighting for the cause. Even those who weren’t fit enough to join the forces, like Albert Tatlock, had taken on civic duties and become firefighters, ARP wardens or joined the Home Guard, jobs which occupied them full time. She had been forced to take on the only man who had shown up in response to the card she’d placed in the window. From the moment she first saw him she wasn’t sure she trusted Ned Narkin, for she thought he had a shifty look about his eyes. He was too old for the army and he came with no references but she had no choice but to take him on. She needed a man about the place and she was pleased when he set to work in the cellar almost immediately, heaving the crates and barrels that were too heavy for her to lift.

Then one day, in a crisis, she had seen a different side to Ned. He surprised her when he’d fearlessly challenged two youngsters who were hanging around by the back door. They looked as though they were up to no good and he’d actually been injured when they took on his challenge and picked a fight with him. Annie warmed to him after that and she had to admit she felt safer during working hours having him about the place.

But hiring Gracie, of course, was a different matter. She seemed like a nice class of girl, very much in the Lottie mould, and she sounded to come from a decent family so Annie had a good feeling about her right from the start. Annie was sure she would be staying long beyond the week’s trial she had offered her. When Sally and Lottie left, it would be a great comfort to have a bright young person like Gracie about the place.

Gracie forgot to walk with any kind of poise as she made her way back to Mallard Street and every few steps she did a little skip, followed by a hop, a step and a jump. She would have to mind her Ps and Qs with Annie, she could see that, but the idea of working behind the bar was so much better than being on the workbench in the factory. Wait till she told them at home. They might not be pleased about the cut in wages she’d had to agree to, but her mother, at least, would certainly understand that she would be much happier. She hoped Lottie would be pleased too. It would be hard work, she would be on her feet most of the day, but she wasn’t afraid of that. And she’d have a chance to get some time off if they weren’t busy. She had always been conscientious and having decided she really did want the job she would do her best to make a good impression from the start.

The only problem she could anticipate was the little tearaway she had seen several times being shooed out of the public area. He didn’t look to be more than three, but the cleaning lady, Rose, had to chase him out of the bar several times even in the short time Gracie’d been there. When Annie proudly introduced her son, she seemed very relaxed about his behaviour but all Gracie could think was that Rose was a saint for putting up with his antics. Gracie’s younger brothers had taught her all there was to know about mischief-making and she would hate to have to work with a little terror like that running round her feet. All she could hope was she wouldn’t have anything to do with him while she was working, for a public bar was certainly no place for such a little boy.

By the end of the week Annie was surprised how tired she was, given that she had spent much of her time perched on a bar stool by the till while her new barmaid, Gracie, ran around after the customers. But the constant buzz of conversation and the fog of smoke that permanently filled the atmosphere had given her a headache. Tobacco was supposed to be in short supply but there was no shortage of cigarettes among the American soldiers who were distributing packages of tens and twenties generously.

One afternoon Annie felt in desperate need of a rest and longed for a chance to go back upstairs for a brief break. As they weren’t very busy, she signalled her intentions to Gracie and got down from the bar stool. She was about to slip away behind the curtain that separated the vestibule to her living quarters from the public bar when she saw a young girl, with long blonde hair straggling over her shoulders, push her way through the double doors of the street entrance. Her greasy-looking fringe almost covered her eyebrows and her eyes were virtually invisible as she tried to peer out from underneath. Her clothes were even shabbier than most of the young women who came into the Rovers these days. The last time she had seen such a young girl in the bar was when Elsie Grimshaw, now Elsie Tanner, living at number 11 Coronation Street, had first put in an appearance when she was not yet of an age to be drinking alcohol. Not that this girl had Elsie’s poise, or the touch of glamour that had somehow surrounded Elsie even in her darkest days. The appeal and charm Elsie exerted over others was obvious right from the start, so that when Annie had insisted she be served only lemonade she knew for certain that Elsie’s friends were slipping her the odd shot of gin. This one looked even younger than Elsie had been then and Annie could feel her hackles rising. She stepped down from the stool ready to do battle.