‘I am, son. Trust your old mum,’ Lena said, then scraped back the kitchen chair and smoothed down the front of her dress. ‘I’m off now. I’m going to pop in and see Mrs Harris before I go to work. I’ll see you later … oh, and good luck with your lady friend.’
George waved as his mother left the kitchen to go to her job in the local grocery corner shop. It’d been three years since she’d started working there, and George thought it was the best thing to have happened to her. After the death of his father, she had sunk into a depression, hardly bothering to even get out of bed, but since working at Bosco’s she’d come out of her shell. It seemed his mother loved the local chit-chat and gossip, and would often relay tales to George about her at number seventeen or him from the candle factory.
George heard the front door close, and sat back in his chair. He took Sarah’s silver watch from his pocket and stared at it, knowing there was little chance of him selling it down the market. He didn’t want to disappoint her though, and she looked as if she needed the money.
If his mother knew, she would call him a fool in love, but undeterred he made his way back to his bedroom and from the bottom of his wardrobe he pulled out a carved wooden box. He picked up the bracelet he’d bought from Sarah, and then took two five-pound notes from his small savings, which he stuffed into his trouser pocket. Then he placed the bracelet back in the box and the silver watch alongside it.
She’s worth it, he thought, hoping he’d see her breath-taking smile again.
Sarah awoke to the musty smell of mould, which made her nostrils twitch. She threw her coat off, pushed herself up from the bare concrete floor, and walked across the room to open the curtainless window. Though the sun was shining, it was cold outside, but a blast of freezing fresh air would be better than the awful smell of damp.
The room she’d rented for her and Tommy wasn’t much. In fact, it reminded her of the room she’d grown up in with her mum, only this one had more black mould growing up the walls than she would have liked. Unlike her mum’s flat, which was in a purpose-built block, this was a ground-floor room in a small house, and she could hear footsteps walking back and forth above her. The shared bathroom was at the back of the house, but Sarah had found the taps over the bath had ceased to work, and the sink was cracked. At least the toilet flushed and was clean.
They didn’t yet have any furniture, but the floor with a roof over their heads was better than the streets, and, having been found in the shed, she didn’t have any other options. The small sink under the window had a cold tap, so at least they could have a bit of a wash. When she’d first turned the tap, the water had been a murky brown colour, but after leaving it to run it had cleared. The water was icy cold, but at least she didn’t have to resort to going to the public toilets on Bog Island to clean them both up now.
Thankful for this small mercy, Sarah gently woke Tommy. ‘We’ve got work to do today, so come on, lazy bones, time to get up.’
Tommy opened his eyes, and Sarah was delighted to see him smile widely. ‘Are we going to see George today?’
‘Yes, and fingers crossed he’s sold our watch,’ Sarah said, and after a chilly wash, she did her best to tidy their hair with an old comb she’d found.
‘I’m hungry,’ Tommy moaned.
‘All right, we’ll get something to eat before we go to see George.’
By the time they arrived, the market was a hive of activity, and Sarah spotted George shoving a jumper into a woman’s shopping trolley. He hadn’t seen Sarah as he had his back to her.
‘See you next week, Ethel,’ George called as the woman walked off looking happy with her purchase.
‘Hello, George,’ Sarah said.
George spun round to look at her, and once again Sarah was reminded of his terrible disfigurement. Though she’d seen him a couple of times now, she was still shocked by the scars on his face, though she tried her best to hide it.
Tommy didn’t appear to be the least bit bothered by George’s appearance, and gleefully greeted the man.
‘Hello, you two,’ George replied, ‘how are you both?’
‘Do you want to see my soldiers?’ Tommy asked.
‘Yes, mate, I’d love to,’ George answered, and scooped Tommy up in his muscular arms.
‘Have you managed to sell the watch yet?’ Sarah asked.
‘Blimey, give us a chance,’ George replied. ‘Your sister, eh, what’s she like?’
‘She’s like an ice-cream,’ Tommy answered.
‘How’s that?’ George asked, looking bemused.
‘Well, she’s a bit cold sometimes but she’s all soft and creamy really, and I really like ice-cream.’
Sarah felt her heart melt. If only her mother could have opened her eyes to see what a wonderful son she’d had.
‘I like ice-cream too,’ George said, and Sarah noticed him looking at her in a way that made her blush.
George put Tommy down and fished in his pocket for some coins. Then he handed them to Tommy and pointed down the road. ‘See that ice-cream shop over there, De Marco’s? – best ice-creams in Battersea. I know it’s cold today, and a bit early, but go and get you and me a nice cornet, any flavour you like. Would you like one, Sarah?’ George asked.
‘No, thanks, George. We’ve not long had something to eat, but I won’t stop Tommy having a cornet. Mind you, straight there and back, Tommy, no mucking about.’
Tommy skipped off, and George turned to Sarah. ‘I’ve sold your watch, but not for as much as I would have liked. We got six pounds for it, so I hope you’re not too disappointed with this?’ George said as he handed Sarah her money.
Sarah took the cash, and was more than delighted with the amount.
‘That’s great, thanks, George. I was thinking—’
‘Oh, no,’ George cut in, ‘this could be dangerous.’
Sarah smiled and continued, ‘I wondered how you’d feel about selling more of my stuff? On commission, not for free.’
‘Have you got more stuff then?’
‘Well, no, not at the moment. But I was thinking, I could use some of this money to buy some.’
‘I’d be happy to. After all, it’s easy money for me and no skin off my nose, but what sort of stuff are you thinking of buying?’
Sarah was pensive. She hadn’t really thought it all through, and even if she had a plan of what to buy, she’d no idea where to buy it. ‘I’m not sure yet. More jewellery, I suppose. It seems to sit nicely with your clothes. What do you think?’
‘I reckon that’s a smashing idea, but make sure you don’t buy nothing too fancy,’ George answered. ‘My customers aren’t flush with money, but they might be tempted by some beads or brooches, stuff like that to dress up an outfit.’
‘Yes, good idea,’ Sarah said, but as they shook hands to seal the deal, a large clap of thunder exploded overhead. I hope that’s not a bad omen, Sarah thought worriedly.
As the skies opened and rain began to pour, George suddenly sprang into action and began pulling tarpaulin over his stall. Sarah ran around to the other side to help. In her haste, she bumped into Roger who was hurriedly trying to cover his stock.
‘Sorry,’ she said, and caught her breath as she found herself looking into the most striking blue eyes she’d ever seen. Tommy had blue eyes, but this man’s were ice-coloured and rimmed with black eyelashes.
‘That’s all right, love. You must be Sarah?’
‘Er … erm … yes …’ she managed to stutter, feeling like an absolute idiot. She thought