Edward backed away from her, and Alex came to stand at his side, as their mother marched around the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves as if she was ready for a fight.
‘Both of you are going places, getting out of this slum, and you won’t do it like your father, with your fists. You’ll do it with your brains. So help me God I’ll go out on the streets if need be, to make sure you both stay at school, now is that clear, clear to both of you?’
They nodded solemnly.
‘Right now, get your work and I’ll fix us tea.’
Alex ran into the hallway, but as Edward turned to follow him he felt his hair tugged, and Evelyne kicked the door closed. She hit him so hard on his right ear that his head spun.
‘If I ever hear you talk to your Dad in that tone of voice again I’ll beat the living daylights out of you. Now hop it.’
Freedom was gone for more than two weeks, longer than he had ever stayed away from home before. At the weekend the brothers went around collecting the debts, and a couple of times they had to get tough in order to be paid. When they returned, they got out the books and began to tally up as Evelyne was out shopping. Edward fiddled the figures and pocketed sixpence, and Alex saw him do it. He wouldn’t eat the toffee bar Edward offered him later.
Evelyne went to Ed’s brother’s house. There was a showdown on the cards as they owed her two pounds fifteen shillings, which was long overdue. There was no way around it — she couldn’t run her home and support the Meadows family. But the rent-collector had got there before her, and two bailiffs waited outside with a cart. The Meadows owed six months’ back rent at eighteen shillings a week.
‘We’re on the street, nothing we can do.’
Evelyne didn’t like the way the rent-collector shouldered her aside. The bailiffs hammered on the door and shouted that the Meadows had better pay up or get out, otherwise they would break the door down. They couldn’t wait all day, they had another call to make.
Again Evelyne was thrust aside and the two bailiff’s men forced their way into the house. She barred their entrance. ‘Out, the pair of you, there’s no one moving a stick of furniture from here. Bugger off, or I’ll get my boys …’,
They hesitated, looking for guidance from the rent-collector. Evelyne siezed her chance. ‘Now, it’s Mr Simms, isn’t it?’
Mr Simms, the most hated man in the district, pursed his chalk-white lips and adjusted his bowler. ‘Yes it is, and I know who you are — Mrs Stubbs from number twelve. Now I’ve never had any trouble from you, so let’s not start now. I am within the law, so I suggest you just leave well alone. The only way round this situation is for the back rent to be paid.’
Half an hour later in the kitchen of number twelve, the situation was more than resolved, and the bailiffs left with the cart to call on their next poor victim.
Evelyne Stubbs bought the Meadows’ house, and they now had to pay their rent to her. She calculated that the rent would cover the cost of the house by the time Edward was in his final year at school. Knowing Ed’s brother’s financial state better than anyone, she offered him a job. He would collect the debts, and she would deduct the rent from his wages.
Edward looked up from his homework, threw down his pencil and picked up his mother’s accounts book. ‘You know, Ma, if you could, it might be a good thing to get hold of Auntie Freda and Uncle Ed’s place. It’d be about the’same price.’
Evelyne smiled and told him she’d already looked into it, and liked the fact that he was taking an interest. ‘You just do your homework, lovey, and I’ll think about it.”
Alex came in with a box, saying the rabbit looked poorly. He sat the box down in front of the fire. The rabbit was panting, its eyes glazed. ‘He misses Dad. When do you think he’ll be coming home, Ma?’
Alex really meant that he himself was missing Freedom, but he didn’t like to admit it. He was closer to Freedom than Edward was, and night after night he stood by the front window watching for his father. Evelyne sighed, put down her sewing and brought some water for the rabbit. She had no idea where Freedom was — she had had no word. She was worried, of course, but at the same time the house was running like clockwork without him. ‘He’s working with Jesse, he’ll be home when the time is right. Don’t fret yourself, Alex. Done your homework, have you?’
The next day, at school assembly, the headmaster announced that the King was dead. Rows of small faces looked up in awe, and some of the juniors whispered ‘what king?’, but the whole school cheered when they were told they were being given the day off. This was not the effect the headmaster had desired, but shouts for quiet went unheard as the boys streamed out gleefully.
Edward and Alex took the tram home, and finding the house locked they went down the alley and along the canal to climb over the back wall. It was January 1936, and King George was to be replaced on the throne by his eldest son Edward VIII. England went into mourning, but the Stubbs boys were thrilled that they had a whole afternoon to themselves.
Alex stood on Edward’s hands and climbed over into the yard, while Edward stood on an old crate and followed. He found Alex in tears by his rabbit hutch. Not only had the King died, so had his beloved rabbit.
Evelyne was out working, collecting her rents and doing her bakery accounts. Freedom had still not come back, and when she let herself into the house she called his name, thinking he had returned. She was surprised to find the boys waiting for her. ‘There’s nothing wrong, is there? Why aren’t you both at school?’
Edward searched through her shopping bag for something to eat. ‘King’s dead, we all got the day off — I’m starvin’, Ma!’
She took the bag away from him, muttering that no one had told her about the King, but that must be why the traffic was so bad. ‘You’d best both sit at the table and do your school work, then. And no moaning, you’re both old enough to know better. Lads your age were already working down the mines … You all right, Alex, you’re a bit quiet?’
Eddie told her that the rabbit had died, that they had buried it by the canal. ‘I got a shillin’ for its cage, Ma, here’s sixpence for you to buy yourself something.’
Alex glanced at his brother. He could lie so well, not a flicker on his face, and Alex was ashamed.
Touched by Edward’s gift, Evelyne kissed him and said that they could have threepence each, but no more rabbits.
Later that night, as Evelyne brushed her hair, she heard soft, muffled sobs. She peeked into the boys’ room.
Edward was sprawled across his bed. The blankets were tumbled, and the bed was surrounded by books, football boots, and the clothes he had taken off and dropped on the floor. On the opposite side of the room was. Alex’s neat bed, with the sheets and blankets just so. His school satchel and books were stacked neatly on his bedside box. It was Alex who was weeping, holding his pillow over his face.
Evelyne crept over to him and gendy lifted the pillow. His eyes were red-rimmed from crying. She put her finger to her lips, pulled the bedclothes aside and gestured for him to follow her to her own room.
‘Now, my love, what’s all this about? Nothing wrong at school, is there? You want to tell me about it?’
Alex gulped his tears, bit his trembling lip.
‘Is it the rabbit? Come on, get into bed with me … come on, Edward won’t know. And it’s not cissy, you’re still only ten.’
“Nearly eleven.’
‘So you are, so you are.’
Alex snuggled close to his mother, and she kissed the top of his head. She asked again what was wrong.
‘I miss him, every day I look for him. Eddie says he might never come back … Oh, Ma … where’s me Dad?’
‘Now, now, it’s not me, it’s my, and your Dad is just away working. Don’t you pay any attention to Edward. I’ll give him a piece of my mind tomorrow for telling you such things.’
‘Oh, no, please don’t. He’ll know I’ve said something.’
‘All right, I won’t. Now snuggle up, and I’ll read to you. I’ll read my favourite poem, how’s that?’
Alex was delighted, and with his arms wrapped around her he listened to her soft, lilting Welsh voice. She
