Patricia Burns - Follow Your Dream

Lillian had to take her word for it.

‘More like Petula Clark?’ she suggested.

‘Sort of. The gymnastics are good. They’re your strong point. Nobody at my class can do cartwheels and handsprings and stuff as well as you.’

So they all went in.

Costume was easier—Lillian could get into Janette’s pink taffeta party dress and her last year’s ballet shoes, so all she needed was a pair of frilly knickers to wear underneath.

‘Do I look all right? Isn’t it a bit babyish?’ she asked anxiously, peering at herself in Janette’s mirror.

‘It’s very pretty,’ Janette said, offended.

Lillian filled in her form and paid her entrance fee. She came away from the Carnival offices feeling rather sick. She was committed now. It wasn’t just a pipe dream; she really was going to get up there in front of people and perform. All she had to do now was to buy the sheet music for the pianist and practise until her dance was perfect.

James was due home the weekend before the carnival. Lillian stayed in all day on Saturday on the off-chance that he might call in. She whiled away the time practising her dance routine, but by late afternoon she couldn’t stand being inside any longer and went out into the yard to oil her bike. After all, James had told her to maintain it properly, and she didn’t want him to think she had been neglecting it.

She was busy pumping up the tyres, all the while keeping her ear tuned to any possible visitors to the house, when there was a pounding of footsteps in the back alleyway. Lillian looked up as Frank came crashing through the gate clutching a bundle wrapped in sacking. He dived into the shed, shuffled around a bit and then came out again without the bundle.

‘If anyone asks, you ain’t seen me, right?’ he said to Lillian.

‘Yeah, but—’

‘Ain’t seen me all day. You got that?’

‘Right.’

‘Mind you remember. It’s life or death.’

At that, he disappeared out of the back gate again and could be heard running northwards, away from the seafront. Lillian was about to go and investigate the bundle when she heard men’s voices coming from the other direction.

‘Which is his one?’

‘They all look the same.’

‘Count—his is the sixth one up.’

The tall back gate wobbled and opened to reveal three young men in Edwardian-style jackets, bootlace ties and drainpipe jeans. They sported long sideburns and their hair was brushed back in James Dean quiffs. When they caught sight of Lillian they stopped and stared for a moment. Lillian looked stonily back, trying to control a lurch of fear. Teddy boys! They might look very smart, but they had a bad reputation. They always went around in gangs and usually carried knuckle dusters and flick knives.

‘You Frank Parker’s sister?’ one demanded. He appeared to be the leader. The other two just stood there looking tough.

Lillian nodded.

‘Where is he?’

Lillian swallowed. They did look very threatening. ‘Dunno.’

‘He indoors?’

‘No.’

‘You sure? Only he was heading up this way.’

They took a couple of steps towards her. Lillian stood up. Life or death, that was what Frank had said. He might be a pain, but he was her brother.

‘I ain’t seen him all day.’

It came out without a wobble. Lillian was proud of herself. The three men looked unconvinced.

‘I been out here doing my bike for half an hour or more,’ she elaborated. ‘So I’d of seen him come in. We always use the back.’

‘You’re not lying, are you?’ the leader asked.

All three of them pressed forward, surrounding her. Their faces were menacing. The leader pushed her in the chest with his hard fingers.

‘Only you better not be lying. We don’t like liars.’

One of them picked up her bike. ‘This yours?’

Anger laced with fear came flooding through her. ‘Don’t you touch that! I ain’t done nothing to you.’

The young man laughed and heaved it over the fence, where it landed in next door’s yard with a clatter.

‘You pig! You better not of damaged it!’ Lillian cried.

What would James say if he found it was broken?

The leader poked her again. Lillian’s heart beat with fear.

‘That’s just a warning. If we find out you’re lying, you’ll be over that fence next, see? Now, where’s Frank?’

‘I dunno!’ Lillian repeated desperately.

She tried to turn and run inside, but one of the Teds grabbed her and spun her round to face the leader.

‘You leave her alone!’ A new voice rang out.

There was a blur of khaki and a smack of fist on flesh. First one then the other Ted yelped and Lillian found herself released.

‘James!’

For it was him, in his uniform and very angry.

The third Ted, the one who had thrown her bike over the fence, yelled, ‘Blimey, it’s the army!’

James landed two more punches on the leader.

‘Yeah, and you better scarper before my mates get out here. They’ll make mincemeat of you,’ he threatened.

For a long nerve-stretching moment, Lillian thought the Teds might set on James with bicycle chains or flick knives. James made a move towards the third one. It broke the deadlock. All three turned and ran.

Lillian’s legs turned suddenly to string. She staggered and James caught her in his arms.

‘Lillian, are you all right? What was all that about?’

‘Where’s your friends?’ Lillian asked stupidly.

‘What? Oh, there aren’t any. I didn’t want them to think it was three to one. Lillian, what’s going on?’

Shakily, Lillian managed to explain.

‘I don’t think much of the company your brother keeps,’ James said. ‘Come on, let’s get you inside.’

For once in her life, Lillian was the centre of attention.

‘Oh, Lillian, thank God—’ her mother gasped. ‘Those dreadful Teddy boys—sit down, sit down—’

She found herself sitting at the kitchen table, clasped in her mother’s arms.

‘Hot sweet tea, that’s what she needs for shock,’ James was saying.

Susan filled the kettle. ‘Did you take them on all by yourself?’ she asked her brother.

‘He did. There were three of them; they were looking for Frank,’ Lillian explained.

‘I don’t know what the world’s coming to, really I don’t,’ her mother wailed.

Gran appeared, alerted by the raised voices. ‘What’s going on here?’

Everyone tried to explain at once.

Gran laid a hand on Lillian’s shoulder. ‘You all right, girl?’ she asked gruffly.

Lillian nodded. It was the first time she had ever been shown any concern from her grandmother.

‘That boy; he’s heading for trouble,’ Gran stated. ‘I’ll have a few words to say to him when he gets home.’

A cup of hot sweet tea was put in front of Lillian. She sipped it, basking in her temporary star status.

Gran was fulminating about Frank bringing the family in disrepute while Bob agreed with her. Susan distributed more tea.

‘What did they want Frank for, I wonder?’ James said.

With a jolt, Lillian remembered the bundle. What was it, that caused so much trouble? And was it still in the shed? She wanted to go and look but, when she made to get up, James pressed her down into her chair again.

‘You just stay there.’

And then she thought of something else. ‘My bike! Have they damaged my bike?’

‘I’ll check in a minute. If they have, I’ll mend it,’ James assured her.

Nettie looked up at him. ‘You saved my little girl,’ she said. ‘I’ll never be able to thank you enough.’

By the time Dad and Wendy arrived home, James was the official hero of the hour.

‘Fought them off single-handed, he did,’ Nettie said.