CHAPTER 50
Susie wasn’t too late back, which suited all of us, especially as I had been forced to threaten Valerie to go home rather than sit up awaiting the prodigal daughter. I had taken myself to bed, but I couldn’t sleep till I heard the key in the lock, a clatter of heeled shoes on the doorstep and, of all things, a giggle. The next morning, there was a knock at my bedroom door and in came my girl with a tray of tea and a couple of rounds of toast and jam.

“What brought this on?”

“Nowt, really, just felt like it”

I supped my tea. “You can feel like it every Sunday morning if you like, but bring hoover up to get crumbs out of bed after. How did it go?”

She sat back against the foot of the bedstead. “Awkwardly, I suppose. I mean, there’s a connection there, but, well, I’ve not been one for lads before, and, saying nowt more, neither has he, and, you know what I mean”

“Time and doctors, lass!”

“Aye, I suppose, but… But what it were, it were a right good evening, and you know what I mean when I say it’s just nice to have someone to hold onto, someone as cares. If that’s all I get, I’ll count myself lucky”

I raised an eyebrow, and she laughed. “Aye, bit more than a cuddle it were, and it’s early days, but he makes me laugh and I will say one thing: he makes me feel good about myself. Big thing, that. New thing, an all”

“You feel up to going out today as well?”

“Let me guess: Mam and Ship?”

“Aye, and she wants to stop by family on way. Deep lass, your mam”

“Aye, I’m only just beginning to see how deep she is. You know I can’t pay you back, Gerald?”

“Family don’t keep score, lass”

She looked down into her cup. “Aye”

Valerie picked us up, in the end, and drove us out to the rest of my family, where she set out a reasonably large pot of daffodils.

“Happen the bulbs will give them a few more showings than just cut flowers. Florist were right funny, says is them for Mr Barker, and I says aye, who’s asking, and she just says he’s got lass staying with him now. So I says, aye, my daughter Susie, and she says…”

She slipped an arm around my waist, head resting on my shoulder, and though I was so much taller, it was me that was being held.

“She says too many years, Gerald, twice a year, like clockwork, February and November, right good customer, and do you realise how many people in this town look up to you? Are happy for you? So smiles today, lad, and roast dinner”

I introduced her properly to them all, and then we drove out to the village, the sun still warm enough to sit out in, but the wind was a little fresher, so my napkin sat under my cutlery until the food arrived, which was just after Pete. There was a young man with him, just as tall but without the bulk, and still with a full head of hair.

“Afternoon, all. We join you?”

“Aye, of course, Scuttle along, girls make some room”

Pete grinned. “We’ll just pull this other table over. Son, I’ll have the lamb, if you get an order in. Your shout, I think. And no soldierly language! Ladies present”

The younger man, clearly his REME boy, laughed and went inside the pub.

“He’s got a weekend pass, Gerald, and next weekend is Passing Out and then a posting. He’s been over in Catterick for a bit, finishing all the basic rubbish. Thinks he’s lined up for somewhere in Germany after”

Pete looked across at Susie, and frowned. “Hope you don’t think I’ve overstepped, but I sort of let him know---oh. Who’s this?”

I looked over my right shoulder, following his gaze. “Oh, aye! Get your order in, lad, we’re waiting!”

Susie was actually blushing and slapping her mother’s arm. Val looked cocky.

“Well, if you’re going to leave your phone unlocked, then what else can a mother do but---no, love, all I looked up was his number. Thanks for coming out, Andy”

He actually looked unsure. “You all ordered?”

Pete nodded. “Yup! My lad’s in there at bar, and he’s driving, so remind him dads get thirsty as well as hungry. He knows what I like”

So much more relaxed, he grinned round the table. “A man can get used to this on his day off! Anyway, young lady, spare us no blushes. Good night last night? Right! I’ll take that as a yes, and we’ll leave it there then. Gerald, how many are you thinking of for this foreign trip of yours?”

I sat and thought about that for a minute, counting on my fingers, as the two younger men returned from the bar. Pete held a hand out to his boy.

“My friends, this is my Tiffy lad Peter junior, REME. Pete, these are good friends of mine so be polite. Valerie. Her daughter Susie, Gerald Barker, got the boatyard, Dobbs and Barker? And Susie’s lad Andrew”

Susie blushed again at that, but I noticed Andy saying nothing at all to the little bit of sniping. Val asked the obvious question, and it was the younger Pete that answered.

“Artificer, tiffy. Not exactly yet, got to do the Passing Out bit first, but yes, I’ll be a tiffy. A craftsman among the professionals, as they say. That’s our Corps magazine, The Craftsman. Working on Warriors, mostly, getting them fettled and I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

Valerie laughed. “Not too much, son, but what are we going to call you if we don’t want to talk to your dad?”

He laughed, and it was a happy one. “We all end up with nicknames, er, Valerie. I got two, but we’ll leave one alone, if you don’t mind. The better one is ‘Titch’, from, well, complicated”

A round of teas arrived, to go with Pete’s pint of Timmy Taylor, and his son busied himself with pots and cups as he explained,

“See, they knew what Dad used to do, so I became See You, for Cu, copper, yes? That became Kew, then Gardens, then Titch from Alan Titchmarsh who does the gardening on the telly?”

We laughed at that one, before Andy asked about the other nickname, and ‘Titch’ grinned.

“Alsop”

He looked around the table, clearly enjoying the joke. “Stands for ‘A long streak of…’ but I’ll leave it there”

I really warmed to the lad, so full of life he was dimming the sun, and immediately understood why his father was so out of sorts when he was away.

“Gerald?”

“Aye, Pete?”

“Numbers?”

“Oh, aye. Well, me, of course. Matthew and Rodney. Rodney might want to bring his valet, butler, whatever you call it. Ernie will be up for it…oh, and I might try and find a Pay Corps officer we used to know”

My girl coughed. “And me, Gerald. We made a promise, out by Lendal Bridge, if you remember”

I nodded. “Aye. Three to stack. I remember, love”

Andy spoke up. “What’s this for, Mr Barker?”

“Gerald, son. Just something we should have done years ago, but I got a little lost in my thoughts for a while. I went through a bit of unpleasantness in Forties, and none of us has ever had the… Had the understanding, aye, that’s the word, the understanding to be able to go over and visit the lads we lost. So Pete here is sorting out little bus, like, and we’ll take a bit of a holiday drive”

“Flanders?”

“Wrong war, son! No, we’ll go through there, but it’s more Normandy, Belgium, Germany…”

That place. That stink. No, we had no choice.

“Germany, aye, and up to Denmark. People to visit, places to see”

Titch was nodding. “Who were you with, Gerald?”

“14th RTR, son. Royal Tank Regiment, D+2 from Caen to Flensburg at end. Er, ladies, June the 8th 1944 in Normandy to surrender by Germans on May 4th 1945”

Pete looked up at that. “Isn’t May 8th VE Day?”

“Aye, but Jerry had chucked it in to Monty on the 4th. Yanks and Russians got a bit precious, so had to have separate… separate…”

Valerie had her hand on my arm. “Are you sure you are up for this, love?”

I thought of Bob, the girls, Mam and Dad, sitting by them in the cemetery as Val set out the tub of bright bulbs and blooms, and yes, I was sure. She wasn’t finished, though.

“Would you be up for one more?”

Susie seemed a little worried at that, and Val noticed. “No, love, I don’t think you’ll be unsafe. I mean, I know the people who’ll be with you, and, well, they’ve not exactly shown themselves up so far, have they? I just think, well, let them see we’re grateful”

It was agreed, and the next day at work I dug out a contact from the legion and gave him a quick telephone call. Three days later, he confirmed name and address, and on the promise of a pint one night I got a phone number as well. He picked up on the third ring.

“Hello, my name is Gerald Barker. You may not remember me, Captain Flanagan, but you spoke up for a good friend some years ago. I have an offer for you”