Pearl shook her head. ‘I’ve already told you. Kevin warned me to move out and to keep Johnny away from his mother.’
‘That doesn’t make any sense, love. Dolly may not be perfect, but who is? And she loves Johnny. It would be cruel to stop her seeing him.’
‘You’ll be moving out of the area as soon as you’ve sold the café.’
‘If you’re not coming with us, I doubt she’ll go.’
Pearl was quiet for a while, her head down, Bernie unaware of her thoughts. She wanted Dolly to leave, to be free of the woman, yet it would be Johnny who kept her here. ‘Do you think she’ll agree to go if I allow her access to Johnny?’
‘Well, she might, but living in the West Country it won’t be easy.’ He scratched his head. ‘It’s too far to drive down for the day. We’d no sooner get here than it would be time to return. If you’d let us have him for weekends it might work.’
‘No, I can’t allow that.’
‘It’s that or we stay here.’
Pearl once again became quiet as her mind turned. She didn’t want Dolly near her son, sure that somehow she had turned Kevin’s mind. Maybe she could pretend to agree. Once gone they couldn’t do anything about it when she changed her mind. ‘All right, Bernie, you can have him for the occasional weekend.’
‘Thanks, love. Dolly’s sure to agree now and, in the meantime, until we move, can we see the lad?’
‘Yes, I suppose so, but I don’t want Dolly left alone with him.’
‘Blimey, I think you’re taking this a bit far.’
‘It’s that or nothing, Bernie. I want you there with them the whole time, and you can only have him for a couple of hours. If you agree, you can pick him up tomorrow afternoon and then maybe again in a day or two.’
He exhaled loudly. ‘All right, I’ll make sure I don’t leave the nipper alone with Dolly, but it still doesn’t make any sense.’ He rose to his feet, leaning over to kiss Johnny on his cheek. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, bruiser.’
Johnny waved a chubby fist, and Bernie’s eyes saddened. Christ, he was going to miss the boy, but at least he’d talked Pearl into giving them access.
When Bernie went downstairs he found Bessie standing behind the counter, her arms folded across her chest.
‘Now you listen to me, Bernard Dolby. I ain’t having your wife marching in here again, shouting like a bloody fishwife, and you can tell her that from me.’
‘It’s all right, Bessie. Pearl has agreed to let us see the baby and it won’t happen again.’
‘The girl’s too soft for her own good.’
‘He is our grandson, Bessie.’
As the old woman gazed at him, Bernie shivered. Her eyes looked strange, unfocused, almost as though she was seeing through him and into the distance.
Her head cocked to one side as she spoke. ‘Pearl tells me that you’re leaving the area. Is that right?’
‘Yes, as soon as we sell the business.’
‘She’s up to something,’ Bessie murmured.
‘Who’s up to something?’
‘Your wife.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I saw something, a vision, but it was just a flash. Yeah, she’s planning something.’
Bernie shook his head impatiently. Visions. What a load of rot. He wasn’t going to stand around listening to this nonsense. ‘’Bye,’ he said shortly.
As he left the shop, Bernie’s eyes took in the market, and a couple of costermongers lifted their arms to wave. Would he miss the area? With a shake of his head he realised he wouldn’t. The only thing he’d miss would be his grandson. Without him and Dolly, he hoped to God that Pearl would be able to cope – financially.
His thoughts continued to turn. The café was in a prime location and should fetch a pretty penny. When they brought a small tearoom they’d have plenty left over and maybe he’d be able to persuade Dolly to drop Pearl a few bob. After what she’d been through she deserved it, and maybe they could put some money in trust for Johnny.
Bernie went into the café, locking the door behind him and then gazed around the dining room. For a moment it seemed to echo with memories – the customers, the waitresses that had come and gone – and seeing that the room looked dusty and unused, he smiled sadly as he thought about their cleaner, Nora. Like Madge and Gertie, they hadn’t given a thought to the poor woman and her wages, something he was ashamed of but had now put right.
With a shake of his head he headed for the stairs, hoping they had all managed to find jobs. Dolly was waiting, and he smiled, glad that he was able to give her some good news.
‘Pearl is letting us have Johnny for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon.’
‘Well done, love,’ she said, and Bernie’s chest swelled. ‘In the meantime, let’s get this place on the market.’
Pearl was enjoying herself as she reorganised the shop. Bessie was happy to give her a free rein, and with Johnny in his pram behind the counter, he got most of the old woman’s attention.
She had given the place a good clean, afterwards putting the stock into sections: clothes racks in one area, furniture in the other, arranged to resemble a room. Most had been improved with a good polish, and already they had managed to shift a dining-room table and a sideboard.
The clothes got her attention next, and Pearl made sure that everything on offer was clean and pressed. Bessie had moaned at the garments spread over lines in the upstairs flat to dry, but it resulted in more sales.
Pearl’s nose wrinkled. There was still a musty smell in the air and she knew it came from the piles of old blankets and quilts, but washing such large items presented a problem.
She turned to Bessie. ‘Maybe we should get rid of this lot. They won’t sell in this state.’
‘Get rid of them! Leave it out, girl. Not everyone is as fussy as you, and the blankets are worth a few bob each.’
‘In the two weeks I’ve been here they haven’t sold. Is there any way to wash them?’
‘I suppose you could take them to the laundry baths, but if you ask me it’s a waste of time.’
‘You said that about the clothes.’
‘Yeah, well, I must admit we’ve shifted a lot since you sorted them out, but look at you. All this washing is wearing you out and you’re up half the night ironing.’
‘It’s been worth it, and I’ve nearly finished now.’ Pearl frowned. ‘I suppose the laundry is the answer for these blankets, but I’d be stuck down there for hours.’
‘Well, I ain’t taking them. That place is full of gossiping old biddies and—’
The door opened, cutting Bessie off in mid sentence, and both smiled as Nora came in.
‘Hello,’ Pearl said.
‘Hello,’ she replied, her eyes puzzled. ‘What you doing here?’
‘I work here now. What about you? Have you found another job?’
‘No,’ she said, her eyes flicking to the pram. ‘That your baby?’
‘Yes, and his name is Johnny.’
Nora leaned