Lost & Found

‘Mavis, it’s all right. I only told my mum.’

‘Oh, no! No! She’ll pass it on to my mum. Oh, God, she’ll kill me!’ Hand over her mouth, Mavis fled.

‘Wait, you didn’t do anything wro …’

Blood pounding in her ears, Mavis didn’t hear Sandra. She ran blindly at first, but then unable to carry on she at last stopped, her chest heaving as she drew in great gulps of air. How could she go home now? How could she face her mother?

Feet dragging, Mavis made her way to Mrs Pugh’s house, and when the woman opened the door, she felt she had found sanctuary.

‘Hello, Mavis, come on in,’ the woman said. ‘You look upset. Are you all right?’

It was a quarter to five, but Mrs Pugh hadn’t said anything about her tardiness and, fighting for composure, Mavis said, ‘Ye … yes, I’m fine.’

‘I expect you’re a little nervous, but there’s no need. I’m not an ogre, though I am rather fussy when it comes to cleaning. We’ll concentrate on the sitting room today,’ Mrs Pugh said, indicating with a crook of her finger that Mavis should follow her.

Despite feeling sick with fear at the thought of going home, Mavis found her eyes widening. The room was immaculate. There was a cream and brown brocade three piece suite, the sofa facing the fireplace and a chair each side. The curtains were also cream, sumptuous, and under the window there was a mahogany sideboard with a crystal rose bowl on top. In one corner she saw a glass-fronted cabinet, full of porcelain figurines, and now another fear made her heart pound. Oh, please, she inwardly begged, don’t let me break anything.

‘Now, Mavis, as your mother told me you can be a bit clumsy, I’ve already dusted the ornaments. I’d like you to vacuum the carpet, and then under the cushions on my three piece suite. Is that all right, my dear?’

Mrs Pugh was smiling, her voice kind. Mavis found herself relaxing a little. ‘Ye … yes.’

‘Right then, take off your coat and hang it in the hall. I don’t want any marks on my furniture, so before you start please wash your hands. You’ll then find my vacuum cleaner in the cupboard under the stairs.’

‘Wh … where do I go to wash my hands?’

‘Come with me,’ Edith Pugh said, leading Mavis back into the hall. She then opened a door that revealed a small cloakroom with a lavatory and sink.

Mavis walked inside, and though still flustered, she couldn’t help marvelling at the luxury of an inside lav. She ran water into the sink and washed her hands, but seeing a beautiful white, fluffy towel hanging on a small rail, she looked at it worriedly. What if she marked it? Deciding not to risk it, she wiped her hands on her skirt and then stepped outside to see Edith Pugh waiting.

‘May I see your hands, Mavis?’

Surprised, Mavis held them out.

‘Yes, that’s better, but you haven’t scrubbed under your nails. I’m sorry, my dear, I know I’m fussy but, as I said, I don’t want my furniture marked. Do them again and use the nail brush this time.’

Mavis did as she was told, but even with the small nail brush it took her a long time to remove all the grime. Oh, if only she could stay here. If only she didn’t have to go home and face her mother. At last, her fingers feeling sore, she faced Mrs Pugh again, thankful that this time her hands passed inspection.

‘Right, Mavis, I’ll leave you to it,’ the woman said and after showing her the understairs cupboard, she at last went down the hall and into the kitchen.

Mavis started work, and though her mind was raging, she made sure to cover every inch of carpet around the furniture. Gran! She could go there. No, no, Gran would be just as disgusted when she found out and wouldn’t want to take her in. Yet surely going to Gran’s was better than going home.

‘Mavis, have you vacuumed under the suite?’

Startled, Mavis spun round. ‘Er … no.’

‘Well, I’m sorry, but that isn’t good enough. I told you yesterday that we’d give one room a day a thorough clean, so please don’t cut corners. Now do under the suite.’

‘Yes, Mrs Pugh,’ Mavis said meekly.

This time the woman didn’t leave, but stood watching as Mavis heaved one of the chairs to one side. It was worse when it came to the sofa, but somehow she managed to move it, thankful to see a look of approval on Mrs Pugh’s face when she’d finished.

‘Well done, Mavis, and now that just leaves under the cushions. When you’ve done that, come through to the kitchen.’

Mavis had felt uncomfortable with Mrs Pugh watching her and was glad when she left. She still wasn’t sure what to make of the woman. One minute she seemed kind, the next strict and stern—but even being here with Mrs Pugh was preferable to facing her mother.

Edith’s body was aching and she hobbled with pain to sit by the kitchen fire. Mavis had seemed nervous and upset when she arrived, but other than that, so far so good, she decided.

Mavis had meekly followed her orders and it boded well, but there was a long way to go yet. To forward her plans Edith knew she had to strike the right note. There had to be a measure of firmness, together with kindness, and somehow she had to ensure that Mavis was more presentable.

Edith laid her head back, finding that the distant hum of the vacuum cleaner was soothing. She closed her eyes, drifting, unaware that she had fallen asleep until the sound of Mavis’s voice started her awake.

‘Are you all right, Mrs Pugh?’

Edith looked up to find Mavis bending over her, the girl’s startlingly blue eyes wide with concern.

‘Yes, yes, I was just having a little nap. Have you finished in the sitting room?’

‘Yes, and I’ve put the cleaner away.’

‘Good girl,’ Edith said as she glanced at the clock. ‘You still have fifteen minutes to go, so do you think you could manage to make a cup of tea and then peel some potatoes?’

‘Er … yes.’

‘I won’t get up, but you’ll find everything you need easily enough.’

As Mavis moved away, Edith watched her every move and at first she looked competent enough. However, when it came to handling the teapot, Edith could see that the girl’s hands were trembling. She’d prepared for this, making sure that her old Brown Betty was in use, along with a couple of odd cups and saucers. Yes, Mavis was nervous, but Edith was sure that she wasn’t as bad as Lily Jackson had indicated. In fact, she was sure that a lot of the girl’s problems were due to lack of confidence, probably a result of the constant criticism she received, and not just from her mother.

Edith had seen a lot when she’d been school secretary—had taken an interest and observed many children she was sure just needed extra help. Of course, class sizes, along with lack of time, made it impossible for the teachers to concentrate on just a few children and though some were more prepared than others to put in the extra mile, Edith was sure that what these children needed was specialised schools.

Eyes closing with sadness, Edith wished she had been able to fulfil her dream of becoming a teacher. The war and then having Alec had put paid to that. Now, of course, with multiple sclerosis, it would remain just a dream, yet perhaps, just perhaps, she could put her theories to the test with Mavis.

When the tea was made, Mavis carefully covered the pot with the cosy, and then looked at the tray that Edith had already set with two cups and saucers, a sugar bowl and small jug of milk. ‘Pour one for both of us,’ Edith said, ‘but no sugar for me.’

Mavis looked worried, but Edith made sure she looked unconcerned. Hesitantly the girl poured two cups of tea, her hands shaking so much that tea slopped into the saucers.

‘Thank you, my dear.’

‘I … I’m sorry I spilt some.’

‘Oh, it’s only a little,’ Edith said, hiding her fastidiousness as she poured the tea from the saucer, back into her cup. ‘Do drink yours and then get on with the potatoes. Four medium-sized ones cut in half should be enough. It’s too early to put them on yet, so just leave them in a saucepan of cold water.’

‘Yes, Mrs Pugh.’

When Mavis was finished, Edith again looked at the clock. She had worked for just over an hour, but the first ten minutes had been wasted just getting the girl to wash her hands properly. However, she now needed her out of the house and struggled to her feet. ‘Thank you, Mavis. You’ve done really well and I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘I … I’m not in any hurry, Mrs Pugh. In fact, I’d be happy to stay longer.’

‘No, my dear, you get off home. I told your mother an hour and she must be expecting you.’

The colour seemed to drain from Mavis’s face. ‘She … she won’t mind.’

Edith was puzzled. Mavis seemed reluctant to go home, in fact, almost afraid. ‘Is there something wrong, Mavis? Are you in some sort of trouble with your mother?’

‘No, but … but what about the cups? I could wash them up.’

Edith didn’t want the girl here when Alec came home and he was due in about fifteen minutes. Until she had sorted Mavis out, she wanted to keep them apart as much as possible, and it would be difficult enough at weekends. ‘Thank you, Mavis, but I’ll see to the cups. Off you go now.’

With reluctance, Mavis walked with Edith to the door. ‘Goodbye, Mrs Pugh.’

‘Goodbye, Mavis,’ Edith said, pleased when she closed the door behind the girl that her instincts had been right. Mavis wasn’t happy at home. And judging from the way she had worked, with more coaching, she was indeed the perfect choice.

Chapter Eight

Larry Barnet and his mother had been out and Lily had been forced to go back an hour later. This time they were home and without preamble she confronted Larry, told him what Kate Truman had said; but, like Tommy, he looked horrified, his large, brown eyes wide with innocence.

‘It wasn’t us! It was her,’ he protested, going on to tell a story that matched Tommy’s.

‘Now look,’ Jill Barnet said. ‘I know they shouldn’t have done it, but your daughter asked them to get their willies out. Boys will be boys and at this age they’re curious. With Mavis asking for it, you should thank your lucky stars that it didn’t go any further.’

‘But it did. They threw her on the ground, lifted her skirt, and if someone hadn’t come along I dread to think what would have happened. Mavis was able to run off, but she was frightened out of her wits and, if you ask me, she had a lucky escape.’

‘We didn’t do that, Mum, we didn’t,’ Larry cried. ‘It was her. She pulled up her skirt, wanted us to see that she was different to us.’

‘That isn’t true! You’re telling lies.’

Jill Barnet bristled. ‘Hold your horses, lady. You said earlier you heard about this from Kate Truman. If your daughter is so innocent, and was scared out of her wits when she ran off, how come she didn’t tell you about it herself?’

Lily floundered. Yes, why hadn’t Mavis told her? It had happened a month ago, but she had no memories of her running home frightened.

Jill spoke again, and Lily saw the pity in her eyes. ‘I think you need to talk to Mavis. If she keeps up this sort of behaviour, she could end up in trouble.’

With a gasp, Lily turned on her heel. She marched out, hurried home and slammed the door behind her. In the kitchen she began to pace, going over and over what she had heard.

Dark clouds gathered in Lily’s mind, a storm building, and when she came to a conclusion, it broke with ferocity. When she got her hands on Mavis, she’d kill her! It was bad enough that her daughter was backward, but to find out that she was a little slut was like a slap in the face.

Lily craved respectability. She wanted to be like the other women in the street, ones whose husbands provided for them, and had prayed that Ron meant all his promises this time. Yes, he was a known gambler, but if he really did change and start up his own business, she would at last be able to hold her head high. Lily fumed with anger. It was never going to happen, and now this! Mavis was acting like a tramp and the gossips would have a field day. She’d never live it down. Never! Lily’s eyes flew to the clock. Where was Mavis? It was after six, and though she was doing an hour’s cleaning for Edith Pugh, the girl should have been home by now.

By seven, Lily was almost at the end of her tether, her mind still dark with fury. She flung her coat on and stormed out of the house, determined to find Mavis.

It was a good walk to Edith Pugh’s house, yet it didn’t calm Lily. She banged loudly on the woman’s door, tapping her foot with impatience until it was opened, and saying bluntly, ‘Is my daughter still here?’

The young man frowned as he peered out at her. ‘Your daughter?’

‘Yes, Mavis—Mavis Jackson.’

‘Oh, Mavis. No, she isn’t here.’

‘Do you know where she is?’

‘No, I’m afraid she left before I arrived home.’

‘What about your mother? Does she know?’

‘Look, I don’t know what all this is about, but you’d better come in.’

Lily followed Alec Pugh to the large, spacious kitchen at the back of the house to see his mother sitting in a fireside chair. ‘Mavis hasn’t come home yet. What time did she leave here?’ she asked abruptly.

‘Oh, she left a long time ago, at around ten to six.’

‘Did she say where she was going?’

‘No, but I presumed home. What is it, Mrs Jackson? Is Mavis in some sort of trouble?’

Lily wasn’t about to wash her dirty laundry in front of this stuck-up, uppity woman, or her son who was looking at her as if she was something that the cat had dragged in. She floundered for a lie. ‘No, of course she isn’t in trouble. It’s just that it’s not like Mavis to stay out this late. I know she’s worried about my mother so I’ll try there.’

‘I must say she seemed upset about something when she arrived. Is your mother unwell?’

‘She ain’t been herself lately. Anyway, sorry to trouble you,’ Lily said.

‘It’s no problem, Mrs Jackson. Oh, and I must tell you that I’m pleased with Mavis. She worked really well today.’

Lily had to fight to hold back a scowl. Edith Pugh might be pleased with Mavis, but she certainly wasn’t. As she was shown out, another thought struck Lily, her anger returning in force. If Edith Pugh found out what Mavis had been up to, she’d get rid of the girl like a shot. Mavis would lose the job, any earnings, and worse, she doubted anyone locally would ever employ her. Wait till I get my hands on her, Lily thought, so incensed that she hardly noticed Alec Pugh’s curt goodbye before he closed the door firmly behind her.

‘Mavis, you’ll have to go home. Your mum will be worried sick.’

‘I can’t, Gran. I just can’t.’

‘Don’t be silly. It can’t be that bad. Come on, tell me why you’re too frightened to face your mother.’

‘No, no, I can’t.’

Doris sighed. Since Mavis had turned up she’d tried and tried to get to the bottom of things, but had failed. The poor girl looked so desolate, so unhappy that she’d even refused to eat the stew that Lily had brought round earlier. There must be something seriously wrong for Mavis to turn down food, but Doris was at a loss to know what to do. If she forced Mavis to leave, there was no guarantee that she’d go home, and, now that it was dark outside, the last thing she wanted was for Mavis to be walking the streets. ‘Mavis, please, talk to me. If you’re in some kind of trouble maybe I can help.’

‘You’ll be disgusted. You’ll hate me too.’

Doris felt a jolt of horror, her heart beginning to race. Oh, no! No! Surely the girl wasn’t in that kind of trouble? She fought to hide her feelings, to ask as gently as she could, ‘Mavis, love, have you, well, been with a boy? Is that it?’

Mavis jumped to her feet, eyes wild, but just as she was about to dash from the room there was the sound of the front door opening. The only other person who had a key was Lily, and Mavis knew that. The girl froze, rooted to the spot as her mother walked in.

‘So, there you are, you little slut!’ Lily spat. She stormed up to Mavis, swung her arm and slapped the girl hard around the face.

It didn’t stop there. Her face livid with anger, Lily slapped Mavis again and again while Doris struggled to her feet. Oh, the pain was awful, but she had to stop this. ‘Lily, Lily, calm down,’ she begged, trying to grab her daughter’s arm.

‘Calm down!’ Lily screamed. ‘Do you know what she’s been up to?’

‘I can guess, but this isn’t going to change anything. We need to sort something out.’

Lily’s head shot round. ‘Sort something out! Oh, I’ll sort something out all right. I’ll have her put away, that’s what I’ll do!’

‘Put away? What are you talking about? If she’s pregnant I’m sure it isn’t her fault. Someone must have taken advantage of her, and it’s him who needs putting away.’

Lily seemed to deflate before Doris’s eyes as she staggered to a chair, her voice a wail now. ‘Pregnant? Oh, no … no … I can’t stand it.’

Lost, unable to understand what was going on, Doris knew she had to sit down before she fell down. At least Lily had stopped laying into Mavis, but the poor girl looked dreadful: her cheeks scarlet from the continual slaps and tears streaming down her cheeks. Doris wanted to hug her, to comfort her, but that might make Lily flare up again. Instead she could only smile encouragingly at Mavis before sitting down and saying, ‘Lily, I thought that was why you’re doing your nut. Please, love, perhaps I’ve got the wrong end of the stick. I only said that Mavis might be pregnant, and I only mentioned that’ cos I can’t make sense of what’s going on.’

‘Gawd, Mum, you scared the life out of me. No, Mavis isn’t pregnant, but after what I’ve been hearing, it’s just a matter of time. The girl’s nothing but a tart!’

‘Oh, Lily, don’t say that.’

‘Why not? It’s true,’ Lily spat, going on to recount what had happened.

Doris struggled to hide her pain, but she was due for a dose of painkillers and it wasn’t easy. Thankfully the story didn’t take long and, as her daughter stopped speaking, Doris quickly said, ‘I don’t believe it. Not for a minute. Mavis is a good girl, an innocent girl—it’s those boys who are telling lies. Have you asked Mavis what happened?’

‘No, I haven’t had the chance, but they both gave the same story.’

‘What does that prove? Nothing. Only that they knew they might be in trouble and worked out their stories between them. My God, Lily, you know what lads are like.’ Doris turned to Mavis. ‘Come here, love. Let’s hear what you’ve got to say about this.’

Mavis looked terrified, but at least she did as Doris urged, moving to stand beside her. Doris took her hand and, after giving it a gentle squeeze, she said, ‘Don’t be frightened. Just tell us the truth.’

‘It … it wasn’t like that,’ Mavis said, hesitant at first, but her voice slowly growing in strength.

As she listened, Doris knew that she was hearing the truth and, from the look on Lily’s face, she could tell that she was seeing the light too. She just couldn’t believe that Lily had been so quick to believe the boys over her own daughter—but then again, she was always hard on the girl. ‘See, Lily, you should have spoken to Mavis first.’

‘Yeah, maybe, but she was still on the common with boys.’

‘All right, I’ll give you that, but have you spoken to her about the dangers?’ Doris asked while gently squeezing Mavis’s hand again.

‘Don’t you start. I had enough from her next door this morning. Mavis ain’t a kid now and she must know,’ Lily snapped.

‘Unless you’ve warned her, I don’t see how.’

‘Don’t go all high and mighty, Mum. You didn’t tell me anything.’

‘You’ve got a short memory, my girl. I may not have told you what to expect when you got married, but I told you enough to warn you about men,’ Doris protested, but then, unable to hold it back, she groaned in pain.

‘Gran, what’s wrong?’ Mavis asked worriedly.

‘It … it’s nothing, just a bit of indigestion. It must be those jellied eels I ate earlier.’

‘Mum, you look awful,’ Lily said. ‘Oh, Gawd, you don’t think they were off?’

‘They tasted all right. No, it’s just that I stuffed them down too quickly and it serves me right that I’m suffering for it now.’ Doris rose slowly to her feet. ‘I’ll take a couple of Beecham’s pills, that’ll do the trick.’

‘I’ll get them, Gran.’

‘No, it’s all right. You stay here. Your mum’s gonna talk to you, tell you a few facts.’

‘What’s the point?’ Lily snapped. ‘She won’t understand.’

‘Please, give Mavis a bit of credit for once,’ Doris appealed.

‘Oh, all right. I’ll give it a go.’

Doris left the room, relieved that under the cover of needing indigestion pills, she could actually take her painkillers. Blimey, talk about having to lie quickly, but with Lily so distracted by Mavis it had worked well. After glancing over her shoulder, she quickly swallowed them down, praying it wouldn’t be too long before she felt the effects. For a few minutes Doris remained where she was, but fighting to gather her strength she returned to the living room.

Lily was talking to Mavis and the girl looked pink-cheeked. ‘I hope I haven’t wasted my time, Mavis. Do you understand what I’ve told you?’

‘I … I think so.’

‘You think so,’ Lily echoed with disgust. ‘That isn’t good enough. You’re too bloody thick, that’s the problem.’

‘Lily, don’t talk to her like that.’

‘Why not? It’s the truth.’

‘You’re too hard on her,’ Doris insisted as she took a seat by the fire. She then smiled gently at Mavis before saying, ‘What did your mother tell you?’

Flushing pink again, Mavis mumbled, ‘That boys are dirty buggers and that I mustn’t let them touch me. And … and that I mustn’t let them show me their … their thingies.’

‘Good girl. See, Lily, she does understand.’

‘Yeah, if you say so, Mum, but in future, if Mavis doesn’t stay away from them, I’ll skin her alive.’

‘I will, Mum. I will stay away,’ Mavis cried.

‘You’d better, my girl,’ Lily warned.

The pain had eased a little and Doris slumped back in her chair. She was tired, so tired, and knew that once the medication really kicked in, sleep would follow.

‘Mum, do you feel any better?’

‘Yes, I’m fine.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘For goodness sake, Lily! I said I’m all right and I meant it.’

‘Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure before I go. Come on, Mavis. Get your coat on and we’ll be off.’

Mavis did as she was told, and Doris managed to smile at her granddaughter when she leaned over to kiss her goodbye. ‘See you soon, darlin’.’

‘Bye, Gran,’ Mavis whispered.

‘I’ll be round in the morning, Mum,’ Lily said.

‘Yeah, all right,’ Doris managed, barely able to keep her eyes open as they left. She heard the front door closing, and then shifted a little in her chair, her weary eyes on the one opposite.

Walter was wagging his finger at her, but in her defence she said, ‘All right, don’t start. I know I lied to her, told her that I’m fine, but she’ll find out soon enough. Just not yet.’

Doris knew her time was limited; her one wish now to see her daughter and Mavis living in a bit more comfort before she left. Huh, there was little chance of that. ‘Walter, if only Lily hadn’t married that good-for-nothing. If only she’d married a decent bloke …’

Walter’s voice seemed to fill her head. ‘Will she, Walter? Will she really be all right?’

He faded and Doris felt tears gathering in her eyes. If anyone knew that she talked to her dead husband they’d have her committed, but since the day he’d died thirty-six years ago, she had never been able to let him go.

‘Well, love, it won’t be long now,’ she said. ‘We’ll be together again soon,’ and though it hurt her to leave Lily and Mavis the pain was getting so bad that Doris would welcome the end.

Chapter Nine

Mavis walked silently home beside her mother, expecting her to rant and rave again, but instead she didn’t say a word. She had sort of understood what her mother had told her, but didn’t know why boys shouldn’t touch her. There had been mention of dire consequences, of them making her pregnant, but her mother hadn’t told her exactly how it happened.