A Family’s Heartbreak. Kitty Neale

ready before Jenny,’ Timmy piped up.

      ‘And we’ve got a picnic,’ Peter added, then they ran on ahead.

      Craig took the shopping bag from her and frowned. ‘You look a bit uncomfortable. Is this walk going to be too much for you?’

      ‘As long as we take it slowly I’ll be fine.’

      The boys were in a rush, and Jenny had to call them back a few times as they ran on ahead, but eventually they reached the common and stood by the pond.

      ‘Can we have some bread for the ducks now?’ Peter asked.

      ‘Yes, here you go,’ Jenny answered. She took the bag from Craig, fished out the stale bread and broke it in two. The boys merrily skipped off and Jenny smiled. It was nice to see them so happy and carefree, especially after how upset Peter had been earlier.

      Craig removed his jacket and laid it out on the grass bank. He offered Jenny his hand and helped her to sit down. ‘Penny for them,’ he said.

      ‘I was just thinking how lovely it is to see the boys relaxed and having fun.’

      ‘I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t imagine it’s easy for any of you with your dad being the way he is.’

      He sounded so sincere and sympathetic that Jenny found herself opening up to him. ‘No, it’s not easy. The boys are too young to understand why my dad behaves the way he does. When he loses his temper, it frightens them, and while my sister Pam lives on her nerves, my other sister Gloria is filled with hate. I just wish there was more I could do to protect them.’

      ‘Well, maybe there is.’

      ‘I don’t see how,’ Jenny answered. She’d thought long and hard but hadn’t come up with a solution. She couldn’t afford to rent somewhere for them all and even if she tried to squeeze them all in to her gran’s flat, she knew that would be the first place her dad would look.

      ‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I think you should all move in with me.’

      Jenny gasped. Craig’s suggestion had taken her by surprise and the idea seemed ludicrous. ‘But … but we can’t —’

      ‘Wait, hear me out. I realise space would be tight, but me and the boys could sleep in the lounge and you girls could have the bedroom. It would only have to be temporary. With my earnings, plus yours and Gloria’s wages, we could look for somewhere bigger.’

      She gawped at Craig and spluttered, ‘No … no … we … we can’t move in with you. What would people say? I … I’d be labelled a slut.’

      ‘We can put them straight, tell them we aren’t a couple, and anyway, who cares what people think? This is about getting you all out of harm’s way. I can’t stand the thought of your dad hurting you again and though I know it isn’t ideal, you’d be safe. What do you think?’

      Jenny didn’t know what to think. ‘It’s mad, bonkers and … and why would you do that for us?’

      Craig rolled his eyes, then took Jenny’s hand. ‘Isn’t it obvious? I know we’ve only just met, but I like you, Jenny. I want to protect you, the boys and your sisters.’

      Jenny gazed into Craig’s eyes and felt his offer was genuine. There was no ulterior motive, just an honest offer of help. She was worried about her dad’s increasing violence, and longed to take her siblings to safety, so Craig’s suggestion made sense. It could work, but her reputation would be in shreds. Could she stand the pointing fingers and the gossip? ‘I … I don’t know, Craig. Thank you so much for your offer, but I … I need to think about it.’

      ‘What’s there to think about? I don’t want to sound like I’m rushing you, but if your father kicks off again and hurts you, I’d never forgive myself for not putting pressure on you to agree.’

      ‘I know, but, it just doesn’t seem right. Are you sure you’ve thought this through? You’d be giving up a lot by having my family living with you.’

      ‘Jenny, I’ve been thinking about it all night. Like I said, it wouldn’t be for long and then we’d find somewhere bigger, more suitable, but for now, I’d know that your father couldn’t get to you and I’d sacrifice anything for that sort of peace of mind.’

      Jenny was touched by Craig’s concern and had to hold back from crying. The idea was appealing, but she couldn’t shake the worry about what people would think.

      Craig squeezed her hand. ‘I didn’t have any breakfast, so what have you put in those sandwiches? Let’s eat, it’ll give you a moment to think.’

      Jenny pulled one out, ‘I’m afraid it’s only fish paste.’

      ‘That’ll do me,’ he said, biting into it with relish.

      With her mind all over the place, Jenny watched the boys playing. She thought about Peter’s behaviour earlier, how he didn’t want to live with their father, and of Pamela who was so afraid of him that she constantly wet the bed. What would their father’s reaction be if they all left? He wouldn’t know they were just upstairs from Edith. Yet why was she thinking about that? It was impossible, they couldn’t all move in with Craig! Could they?

       Chapter 7

      ‘I sure do love you, Lizzie, you’re one hell of a gal!’

      Lizzie was straddled across Dwight’s naked body. She ran her finger down his bare chest. ‘Yes, I am, and don’t you forget it,’ she said before climbing off him and pulling her blouse around her chest. She walked over to the desk in his bedroom and took a cigarette from a packet. As she lit it, the smoke curled up and made hazy circles in the sunlight beaming through the window.

      ‘They don’t make gals like you in the US of A, not in Alabama where my momma and papa live.’

      ‘Yeah, I’m unique. You won’t find many like me in Balham either,’ she said, then sat on his desk with her legs slightly parted.

      ‘You’re such a tease. It’s only ten in the morning and you’ve already had me up twice. A man needs a bit of time to recover.’

      ‘If you need to keep your strength up, Dwight, how about you make us some of those delicious pancakes?’

      ‘I can do that … anything for my pretty gal.’

      Dwight stood up and pulled on his underpants. He winked at Lizzie then sloped off to the kitchen. Lizzie threw herself down on his bed and pulled hard on her cigarette as she stared up at the ceiling. She liked being with Dwight in his small flat. She thought his strange accent made him sound a bit thick, but he treated her like a queen. From what he’d told her, she’d learned he was an American GI who’d been posted to London during the war. He’d got a British woman in the family way and had felt obliged to marry her. Lizzie thought that was typical of him, he was so polite. As it turned out, the woman wasn’t pregnant and passed away a few years later. He’d never been back to Alabama, though he said he would one day, and when he did, he’d take Lizzie with him.

      She was so wrapped up in Dwight that she hadn’t given a thought to her kids in a while, but Lizzie wasn’t worried about them. They were housed and fed, which was more than she’d been at times. The smell of the sweet pancakes wafted through to the bedroom and she could hear Dwight whistling a tune she didn’t recognise. She wondered if it was one he’d written himself. He played guitar in a band. That’s how she’d met him. She’d been swaying to the jazz and had caught his eye. It had only been a week ago, but she already had her feet firmly rooted under his table.

      She heard Dwight call, ‘Hey, pretty lady, your breakfast is ready.’

      ‘I’ll take it in bed, thanks,’ she called back, and puffed up the pillow behind her.

      Dwight came in carrying a tray and asked, ‘Is there anything