cheer ourselves up and go down the Talisman club. We don’t need no men to get us in, we’ve just got our wages so we can pay for ourselves. What do you reckon?’
Penny’s eyes shone. ‘I’d love to … but me mum—’
‘Don’t worry about her. Say you’re staying round here. Mum won’t mind, she just said you’re welcome any time. Then neither of us will be stuck trying to get home alone. I don’t fancy that two nights in a row.’
‘OK, right, you’re on.’ Penny pulled a face. ‘What’ll I wear? I got this new skirt but nothing to go with it.’
‘Let’s go and sort that out right now.’ Rhona got up and drew the old dressing gown she’d been wearing more tightly around her. ‘I’ll just go and get out of this then we can go down the market and see what they have to offer. Can’t have you showing me up,’ she said, though she wasn’t averse to having a friend slightly less attractive than herself. Rhona had no doubts about why men made a beeline for her, but it often helped to have a willing accomplice who didn’t threaten to steal the best-looking guy in the room. Penny fitted the bill perfectly: pretty but not stunning, friendly but not too confident, curvy but not drop-dead sexy. It wouldn’t hurt to get her dressed up a bit.
‘Lovely. I haven’t been down there since I got this skirt.’ Penny stood up. ‘I might look for some new false eyelashes as well. Now that I’ve got the hang of them I feel naked going out without them.’ She giggled. ‘First time I tried them my mum screamed the house down – thought it was a big spider in the basin.’
‘Can’t say I blame her,’ said Rhona, ‘but it’s a good idea. Might get some more meself.’
Mavis was already getting to know her new local market, armed with a list of items needed for the house. It was daft, she told herself as she recalled the familiar ache she always felt when she had said goodnight to Tommy. What she wouldn’t have given to have him stay the night … Pull yourself together, she muttered. It’s not as if he hasn’t made it obvious he’d like to stay, but you don’t let him and you know why perfectly well. So stop feeling sorry for yourself.
For some reason she’d never really explored this market, even though it was just round the corner from Peckham Rye station. She’d often come down Rye Lane to get to the big shops, and had window-shopped at Jones & Higgins, although she knew that such fine goods would never make their way into her cramped rented house. But now – why not? She might have to get most of her list from the market but perhaps she could treat herself to one or two things from the prestigious store where the more well-off members of the local population bought their homeware.
Meanwhile she had to buy a tea strainer. When she’d got round to unpacking her own crockery and kitchenware it was nowhere to be found, and she couldn’t keep running downstairs to borrow Lily’s. Grace wanted a new purple pencil case to match her room. She also wanted a purple dress and coat along with a matching scarf for Little Ted, but Mavis had pointed out that the pencil case would be the most useful and she couldn’t have everything. The little girl had sulked for a minute over breakfast but soon cheered up when her mother had tuned the wireless to Radio Caroline. Grace was already a dab hand at singing along with the pop songs, effortlessly learning all the words.
Mavis stopped to check the price of some cleaning materials, which were bound to come in handy. ‘Do you three for the price of two on those,’ said the stallholder. ‘Genuine Ajax, that is, none of your cheap imitations you’ll get elsewhere. Got a lot of floors? This’ll sort you out. My missus swears by it.’
Mavis nodded and agreed to take three, reckoning that if she didn’t need them all then Lily surely would. ‘And some dusters, while you’re at it.’
‘Throw them in for nothing,’ offered the stallholder, picking up a small packet. ‘Now how about some rubber gloves? Lovely soft hands, you got,’ he added as he took her money and lingered for just a moment too long.
‘Thanks,’ said Mavis, moving hastily away. Rubber gloves could wait. She made a note to get any scouring powder elsewhere in future. She felt like running back to the house but told herself not to be silly. It was only a bit of harmless flattery, the bloke was just a bit on the creepy side. No doubt other women loved it and kept coming back for more. Anyway she’d have to get Grace something or there’d be tears and recriminations all weekend. Then if she got her daughter something it was only fair to find a little present for James too. He was so good, he hardly ever complained when Grace got more attention, so she had to try extra hard to make sure he didn’t miss out.
All around her the crowds were growing, bargain-hunting women and men enjoying their morning off, young children being dragged along by their parents, one getting a clip around the ear for trying to take a piece of fruit off a stall. ‘I was only lookin’,’ the boy wailed. Mavis couldn’t blame him; the display was colourful and would have tempted anyone.
‘You keep your thieving hands to yerself,’ snapped his mother, smacking him again. ‘You’ll go without yer dinner if I catch you doing that again.’
Mavis looked away. After witnessing what Alec had done to James, she couldn’t bear to see a child being hit, even if it wasn’t anything more than a light tap. Lord knows she’d been on the receiving end of it herself, first from her mother, then from her husband, and she never wanted to be in that position again.
Noticing a stall selling toys and stationery, Mavis wandered over when she spotted a flash of purple. Exactly what Grace wanted – a plastic pencil case. She picked it up and added a set of coloured pencils for James. They’d come in handy for school even if he wasn’t as keen on drawing as his sister. Thankfully the stallholder took her money without trying to get to know her. He was engaged in conversation with another customer, something about some old roads being knocked down to make room for new houses. The same thing was happening in many parts of London; houses being demolished to make way for towering blocks of flats.
Turning to walk away, Mavis thought she saw a familiar face, which stopped her in her tracks. An older woman slammed into her back. ‘’Ere, what do you think you’re doing?’ the old harridan roared. ‘Almost made me drop my bags, you did. You wanna watch what you’re about.’
‘Sorry,’ Mavis said, shaken and distracted. It couldn’t have been who she thought it was. He didn’t live round here – he’d left Battersea years ago and as far as she knew he had no reason to come back to any part of South London. Maybe it was a trick of the light – he’d have changed a lot since she last saw him. What would it have been since she’d last seen him? Ten years? She was jumpy after the creepy stallholder, that was all it was.
Clutching her shopping bag tightly, Mavis headed in the opposite direction, trying to enjoy the spectacle of the Saturday morning market in full swing. There were some teenage girls laughing at a clothes stall, holding up dresses in the latest styles, hurriedly copied from the West End shops and run up in cheaper fabrics. One of them waved around a miniskirt that was little more than a pelmet, giggling wildly. Another had a top in sharp geometric patterns that was an exact imitation of something Mavis had seen on Top of the Pops when she’d been round to her friend and former neighbour Jenny Bonner’s. It made her think of Rhona and her outrageous outfits. She wondered how her young friend would get along now she’d moved away from Harwood Street. Don’t be daft, she told herself. It was high time Rhona went out with girls of her own age, and she might even be relieved not to see so much of Mavis. Mavis had always felt herself to be very staid in comparison to her energetic young neighbour, but she knew she’d miss her. It wasn’t just for the gossip and scandalous stories; underneath the good-time girl exterior, the young woman had a heart of gold. She just preferred to keep that a secret, in case some man decided he’d like to break it.
