Untitled Josephine Cox 4 Page 16

  Marie agreed. ‘Yes, that’s a good idea. And when you’ve had your nap you can come and meet up with us, and maybe we’ll all have a meal at the pub. What do you say to that?’

  Everyone was happy with those arrangements. ‘Right then, you two … we’ll take the cases, you go off and we’ll catch up a little later on,’ said Anne. ‘Oh, and don’t either of you wander too far from the pub. Are you listening, Mum? Do not wander off, and try to find Danny Magee. Stay with Cathy and Ronnie till Dave and I appear.’

  ‘Okay, I promise, I’ll stay to chaperone them.’ She winked at Cathy.

  ‘Good.’ Anne took out her little notebook, and quickly copied the telephone number onto a torn-out page. ‘Here, Mum, it’s the number of the guesthouse in case you need to call us for any reason. And I have the number to call the pub if needed. The landlady at the guesthouse looked it up for me.’

  ‘Let’s meet in an hour, is that okay?’ Dave suggested.

  Cathy and Marie got out of the car, happy to stretch their legs at last, and Dave drove Anne round the back into the guesthouse car park.

  ‘Oh, Nan! I’m so excited about seeing Ronnie!’ Cathy hoped he was all right, and that he would be as happy to see her as she would to see him. She didn’t seriously doubt it for a moment.

  ‘They both looked tired,’ Marie told Cathy. ‘I’m glad they’re taking some time out, they look like they need it.’

  ‘But, Nan, you’re the oldest. It should be you having a rest.’

  ‘Ah, but you see I’m a tough old bird. Don’t you worry about me, sweetheart. I’m just fine,’ she chuckled. ‘In fact, I’m thinking I might put on my bathers and take a dip when we’ve found Ronnie. That’ll give the young fellas something to admire.’

  And the two of them went on their way, arms linked, and laughing out loud.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  ‘FOR PITY’S SAKE, Ronnie! Get down from that ladder before you fall off and break your neck!’

  The boss was convinced his trainee barman was far too eager to please, but he was a good worker, possibly one of the best the publican had ever had. Ronnie had proved himself to be a worthy candidate for the vacant position of full-time barman.

  Moreover, the customers liked him, and that was important.

  ‘Sorry, boss. I was just trying to secure this blind.’ Ronnie pointed to where the blind was sagging down at one side. ‘Shall I take it down before someone accidentally traps their fingers in it?’

  ‘Hmm …!’ The landlord took a look at the blind. ‘Yes, you could be right, lad. We’re closed for a while yet, so I imagine there’s time to deal with it before we get busy. Go on then, do your best, and try not to lose a finger yourself, while you’re at it.’

  ‘Right then. And what do you want me to put up in its place?’

  ‘Nothing. Not for the minute, anyway. I’ll have a word with Nancy. She’s been moaning about the damned blinds since I bought them two years back. And you’re right about the possibility of someone getting their fingers trapped. The edges of those slats can be sharp. Slice a finger off, they could.’

  He shivered at the thought of such an accident. ‘Aye, lad! You get it down, son. In fact, while you’re at it, why not clear them out of both windows? Nancy will agree with that.’

  ‘And when I’ve got them down, where would you like me to store them?’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure the wife will have ideas as to what she wants to do with them. She has an opinion about most things to do with the furnishings and I don’t think she’ll be wanting to dress the windows with blinds again, but let’s leave that to her good self, eh?’

  Ronnie nodded. ‘Right then, boss. When I’ve got them down, I’ll roll them up and tie them together safely. Where will you want me to put them out of harm’s way?’

  ‘Oh, that’s easy. For now just lie them down in the corner of the shed, and we’ll see what the wife decides.’

  ‘Right, boss, it’s as good as done.’ Feeling comfortable in this decent man’s company, Ronnie set about the task in hand.

  A few minutes later, Ronnie had the blinds carefully folded. He slung them over his shoulder and carried them outside, where he set them down, safely tucked away in the shed, behind some stacks of old chairs, a couple of stained tables and an unopened box of beer mats.

  The landlord was watching him through the back door, while considering the careful manner in which Ronnie had followed his orders. I’ve found a good’un in young Ronnie, he thought. I hope he’s not one of those fly-by-nights who turn up for a few days and then they’re gone, never to be seen again.

  The landlord thanked Ronnie, then added, ‘From now on when you address me, I would appreciate it if you call me by my name – Sam – and not “boss”.’ He wagged a finger. ‘As I’ve mentioned several times, lad … the name is Sam, and that’s what you call me. Do you reckon you could do that?’

  Ronnie smiled. ‘Yes! I reckon I can do that … Sam.’

  ‘That’s it!’ The landlord smiled. ‘There you go, son, it wasn’t too hard was it, eh?’

  ‘Not at all … in fact that’s a good strong name, for a good strong man of character.’

  The landlord chuckled. ‘All right, don’t go over the top, ’cos flattery will get you nowhere.’ He pointed to the windows, now bare. ‘Shift yourself, young man. I reckon it might be a good idea to clean them windows now you’ve taken the blinds down and revealed all the smudges.’

  ‘I shall tackle it right now … Sam.’ Ronnie emphasised the landlord’s name, before rushing off to find a bucket and cloth. ‘I’m onto it,’ he promised the older man, ‘and when I’m done cleaning the windows, you will not believe your eyes at the difference.’

  ‘I’m sure I won’t, especially if you don’t shift yourself soon and get on with it.’

  ‘Aye aye, Captain!’ Ronnie cheekily tipped the brim of his flat cap.

  ‘And don’t leave any smears behind, young fella-me-lad, ’cos I intend to inspect the windows from top to bottom when you’re done.’

  ‘Of course you will, I would do the very same if I was in your shoes. And you won’t find any smears left behind when I’m finished.’

  The big man’s leathery face was crinkled in a merry grin. ‘You cheeky little sod, you remind me of myself when I was your age. I believed that I could conquer the world all by myself, but it doesn’t work like that. We all deal with what we’ve got, and right now I’ve got a pub to run and barrels in the cellar waiting to be seen to. So much for conquering the world; getting to grips with this pub is enough for me.’

  ‘If you need a hand, just shout,’ Ronnie said. ‘It won’t take me long to get these windows looking spotless.’

  ‘No, you’re all right, lad. You just carry on there. I’ll manage on my own down the cellar. I’ve done it for more years than I care to remember. You just get on and do your stuff. And think on, I want them windows shining like new. And don’t forget I’m still considering whether to keep you on or not. I always take my time when I’m recruiting staff, and right now I’m still chewing the situation over, so stop the chatter and get on with your work.’

  With that, he turned away in the direction of the cellar.

  With the landlord gone to his own errand, Ronnie set about polishing the windows, merrily humming a song as he worked. He felt comfortable here, in this homely place. Sam was a decent boss, and the job on offer suited Ronnie right down to his worn boots. The one thing missing from his life was Cathy.

  It wasn’t long before the landlord returned. ‘Right then, lad …’ He stood before the windows, legs apart and a look of determination on his round, weathered face. ‘Let’s see how you’ve done, eh?’

  As he perused the finished task, his smile got wider. ‘Well done, lad! I could not have done it any better myself.’

  He took a long look at the two big windows. He ran his finger round the edge of the window frames, and he stood a moment, with his hands on his hips, and his face bright and smiley as he admired Ronnie’s wo
rk. ‘Brilliant! That is absolutely brilliant!’

  He stepped back to get a look at how much better the place was without the blinds. ‘I will never know why we put up them blinds. Just look at the light coming into the room. By ’eck, you’ve done a right good job, lad. And when the missus comes back from her weekly shop I reckon she’ll be over the moon at the difference it makes in here.’

  With a huge smile on his face, he again inspected the job well done. ‘I’d forgotten how much better it was before the blinds took all the daylight. The view was never the same after we had the blinds … rolling them halfway down, then closing them when the sun shone too bright, and folk were always tampering with them. Well, now they’re gone, and I for one will not miss them.’ He chatted on. ‘After seeing how smart and open it is now, with the sunshine pouring in, I reckon the wife will not want blinds ever again.’

  After another long look at the windows and the light flooding in, he said to Ronnie, ‘It won’t be long before we open. We’ll get the regulars coming in, and the day-visitors too. Give it another hour and you won’t be able to move in here.’

  He rubbed his hands in anticipation of the tills ringing out behind the bar. ‘For now, though, I’d best get on, what with all the other chores waiting for attention.’

  He smiled as he took another look at the windows. ‘Just look at the difference,’ he purred. ‘The view has opened right up, just take a peek out there. You can see right across to the Promenade and the beach beyond. Wonderful, just wonderful.’

  He took a moment to peer across the busy road, with the horses and landaus, and the trams, and the hordes of visitors crowding down to the beach. ‘I missed all that,’ he told Ronnie.

  ‘You can see what’s going on now.’

  He gave a cheeky little wink. ‘Hey, she’s not bad, is she, eh? A bit older than myself, but I bet she were a classy sort in her heyday. Mind you, she’s still a looker, and she has a really nice smile.’ He gave a muted little wolf-whistle. ‘Oh, but just look at the young’un beside her. More your age than mine, but a little beauty all the same.’

  While Sam went off to attend to his work, Ronnie absently peered through the windows to see the hordes of holidaymakers strolling by.

  He was about to turn away, when his attention was caught by the two women mentioned by the landlord just now. There was something familiar about them. Heavens, for a moment he’d thought they were Cathy and Marie, but that couldn’t be true, could it?

  As he strained to catch full sight of them, the younger woman turned about and Ronnie got the shock of his life. Cathy? He looked again, but the traffic passing between him and the people on the Promenade was so heavy it was difficult to see individual figures clearly.

  And then the older woman turned and Ronnie’s heart missed a beat.

  ‘Is that Marie? Good Lord! Am I seeing things?’

  The traffic was horrendous. What with the many cabs and horse-drawn landaus, along with the myriad holidaymakers whose numbers were swelling by the minute, it was difficult to see from one side of the street to the other.

  Ronnie couldn’t risk losing sight of them. Beginning to panic, he rattled on the window, but while some people nearer turned his way, neither Cathy nor Marie could hear him.

  In desperation, he ran to the front door. The two familiar figures were gone, and the heavy traffic was filling the main street to such a level that it was difficult to make out anything across the road.

  And then, in that anxious moment, he saw her again briefly. It was his Cathy! His heart turned upside down as he ran to the kerb, trying to pinpoint her amidst the moving throngs of pedestrians.

  ‘Ronnie!’ Cathy had seen him at last, and her voice carried above the crowds and the traffic. ‘Ronnie!’

  And now he saw her again, and she was looking straight at him. ‘Cathy! Stay there!’

  Ronnie looked right and left for a break in the traffic, but it was dense and slow-moving, reckless people sometimes dodging between the cars but most milling on the pavements until they reached a crossing. He realised he would have to do the same and he was about to call to Cathy to go further down to where he could cross to meet her when he heard a very loud bang and people started screaming. An accident, Ronnie guessed straight away, but, alarmingly, it sounded too loud to be a prang between two slow-moving cars, and very close by. He scanned the street in the direction from where the dreadful noise was coming and, as people started to run towards him, he saw one of the famous seaside landaus had overturned onto its side and, somehow, the horse had got loose and had bolted, trailing reins and shedding the broken shafts of the landau as it went. The poor animal was wide-eyed with terror and was causing absolute mayhem. People from every side began to run for safety, some to the beach, while others headed for the side streets.

  ‘Cathy,’ Ronnie called out, as she and Marie appeared to be in danger of being separated. ‘Get down to the beach, both of you … hurry!’

  He tried to get to her, but it was not possible with cars turning about or dodging down the side streets, and with people rushing to get away from the frantic horse, it was increasingly difficult to keep an eye on either Cathy or Marie.

  When, a moment later, he caught sight of them holding onto each other, he called out again, ‘Cathy! You and Marie must get down to the beach, if you can!’

  Marie nodded and grabbed Cathy’s hand tightly, and made an effort to lead her towards the safety of the beach.

  Suddenly, without warning, Cathy broke away and was running towards Ronnie.

  ‘No, Cathy! Go back!’ Ronnie ran forward, frantically struggling through the crowd to get to her, but it was difficult, with a sudden surge of people trying to get away from the horse. Cathy had broken through the crowd at her side and was coming straight at him, while both Marie and Ronnie urged her to go back.

  But it was too late.

  The horse was galloping up the middle of the street and was not about to stop. In an instant, the frightened animal had swerved round Cathy, but she was caught by his hind legs as he kicked out, and sent spinning backwards through a gap between two cars and into a wall. The horse galloped on, bucking and kicking.

  Rushing to Cathy as fast as he could, Ronnie gently eased her down on to the pavement so that she lay as comfortably as he could make her, Marie took off her jacket and bundled it beneath Cathy’s head as a makeshift pillow. But as they patted her hand and talked to her, it was obvious to both of them that Cathy was badly hurt and that she was already deeply unconscious.

  Within minutes, the piercing screams of an ambulance were audible and a crowd of concerned onlookers waved the emergency service over to Cathy, while Marie and Ronnie kept patting her hand and trying to wake her.

  The people moved aside to let the ambulance crew through, and the capable team quickly assessed her situation, and were swift to settle her into the ambulance.

  They secured her safely, and with Marie and Ronnie sitting on the small bench in the back of the ambulance, they took off at great speed.

  Throughout the journey, the ambulance attendant carried out emergency procedures on Cathy, and to Ronnie and Marie it was distressingly obvious that Cathy had indeed sustained life-threatening injuries.

  They hardly took their eyes off Cathy’s damaged young body. She made no sound, while Ronnie could hear Marie softly murmuring a little prayer.

  Ronnie remained very still and silent, his sorry eyes trained on Cathy’s face, looking for the slightest movement or sound that might tell him she was alive.

  Instead, she lay worryingly silent, her eyes closed, and her body making no movement.

  Reaching out to touch the back of her hand, he was so afraid. She was too still, too cold.

  Fighting back the tears he shifted as near to her as he was able. ‘I’m here, sweetheart,’ he whispered. ‘Stay strong. I promise you, Marie and I will not leave you.’

  ‘We’ll be arriving any minute now,’ the ambulance man assured Marie and Ronnie. ‘When we stop, we need
to get her straight into emergency. They’ll be watching for us. You two follow on, but let us go as quickly as we can.’

  Within moments of their arrival at hospital the ambulance crew had lowered Cathy’s stretcher down from the ambulance, and she was swiftly taken into the building, where a team of doctors was ready and waiting for her.

  The ambulance driver then took charge of Ronnie and Marie. ‘It’s all right,’ he said to Marie who was silently sobbing, her sore eyes trained on the door of a small but seemingly well-equipped room, behind which Cathy was being taken care of. ‘The doctors here are marvellous. They’ll know exactly what to do.’

  Ronnie took hold of Marie’s hand. ‘Keep strong, Marie,’ he whispered although he was every bit as broken as she. ‘She’s in the best place … all we can do is pray and be strong for her.’

  Marie simply nodded, her eyes blinded by tears as she trained all her attention on the door behind which the medical team were gathered about Cathy, using all their expertise to tend to her considerable injuries.

  The ambulance driver went to make ready for his next call-out and a nurse appeared, asking softly if Ronnie and Marie needed anything, maybe a hot drink to nullify the shock.

  The minutes passing seemed like hours, and neither Marie nor Ronnie had any desire to move from that spot.

  Finally, Marie got up and walked the corridor a while, sat down, then head down, she was walking back and forth again. Like Ronnie she kept a silent watch on the door of that clinical room, behind which Cathy was being tended by the doctors.

  Ronnie was fretful. His hands were shaking, and his heart felt numb as he continued to gaze at the door. He prayed like he had never prayed in all his life. Eventually he could not stay still any longer, and he too paced up and down, his head bent down to his chest. That was his Cathy in there, and he was helpless. No one came out to tell him and Marie what was happening.

  Now he was standing with his face to the wall, his arms stretched out as he flattened his hands against the wall, while quietly sobbing.