The Locksmith

alone to look after Louie and my baby boy. And now this . . . it’s so cruel, so cruel.’ Cathy burst into fresh sobs.
Ruby’s heart had broken with the death of her dad, and now this on top. It was too much for any human heart to bear. Bobby was in tears, sobbing and holding his mum as if he could never let her go.
Suddenly Bobby looked up. ‘But what’s this got to do with Dad’s death?’
‘There’s more, isn’t there?’ Ruby said, making Cathy nod.
‘The day yer dad died, I’d told him the news only minutes before. He’d come home from work as he wanted to ask me what was really wrong, as he’d guessed too. Gypsy intuition – it’s a powerful thing, as you know. So, I ’ad to tell him that I’d be makin’ him a widower with three mouths to feed and all the grief that I knew he’d feel.’ Cathy looked down at her hands that resembled an eighty-year-old’s now and went on. ‘He didn’t take it well. He got up, for a moment I thought he hadn’t ’eard me, and I said, “Where are ya goin’?” but he just sort-of lurched out. I ’eard the door slam and I broke down in tears. I cried and cried, and then, not long after, there was that knock at the door.’
Ruby understood. That knock was the site foreman, his cap in his hand, his face a picture of despair at being the one to share the news of his workmate’s death.
‘He went to work and he didn’t know what he was doin’, ’ Ruby added, then Bobby spoke. ‘So that’s why he stepped under the crane. Oh Dad, why did ya go back to work?’ Bobby’s face was a picture of grief – and understanding now. His soft heart, so obviously broken, was shattering again. Ruby couldn’t decide who to comfort, her mum who was now in floods of tears, or Bobby, who was suffering so intensely.
Cathy spoke eventually. ‘He was overcome with grief. He was devastated, and I let him go . . . I let him go . . . If I’d ’ave tried to stop him then he’d be alive today, your dad would be ’ere now, makin’ this so much easier. It wasn’t meant to be him dyin’, I blame myself completely. It was meant to be me first, me first . . .’
Both mum and son dissolved into fresh tears and Ruby put her arms around them, wanting so much to protect them from their hurt, even though she was grieving herself.
As she held them she stared at the magnolia paint on the walls, paint that needed redoing, marks from the years of living in the house that was their home. She stared, her feelings freezing as she knew, from this moment onwards, she had to pull her family through this, she had to take up Louie’s role and protect them. From now on, it was all down to her. She knew that in the weeks and months ahead, her resolve would be tested, that she’d feel unimaginable grief, yet she had to stay strong for them all; for Cathy, Bobby and little George. Even though her older brother was ‘officially’ the head of the family, her intuition told her that in reality, it would be her. Only she was tough enough to weather the storms that beset them from every angle.

CHAPTER 12
‘With Dad gone, his wages lost and Mum too ill to work, we’re sunk, Rube,’ said Bobby one evening not long after the funeral.
Ruby sighed. They were both cradling cups of coffee, a precious drink they could no longer afford. Things looked bleak, bleaker than they’d ever known.
‘And how are we goin’ to care for George while I’m back at work? I’ll ’ave to speak to my boss and see if I can cut my hours, though that won’t help with bringin’ in cash,’ Ruby spoke aloud.
‘We’re barely surviving as it is, and with another mouth to feed . . .’ Bobby said. Seeing the downcast look on his sister’s face, he added, ‘But we’ll manage. We’ll find a way, Rube.’
Ruby glanced at him and nodded, knowing it was just a platitude. They needed to take action and do something, or Bobby was right, they’d be sunk. They could sell the house, but it wasn’t worth much and they’d just have to make rent every month somewhere else. So that wasn’t an option.
‘I’ll go in tomorrow and ask to work part-time, then we’ll ’ave to find someone to care for George while I’m out. Mum just can’t cope with him. She can barely get out of bed. At least we’ll still ’ave some money comin’ in.’
‘I know my job doesn’t pay much, but they’ve taken me on full-time after my apprenticeship, so that’s a bit better than it was,’ Bobby said, trying to force a smile on his face.
‘The main thing is not to worry Mum. She needs to think everythin’s OK,’ Ruby added. It wasn’t unusual for hard-up families to give away children they couldn’t afford to keep, but Ruby couldn’t bear to do that. We won’t give up George, not on my life. We’ll find a way – we have to.
The next day, Ruby stood in front of her boss’s door gathering her courage. She knocked and a voice said, ‘Enter!’ She stepped into the office. The boss, Mr Armstrong, sat back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he smiled at Ruby.
‘How can I help you, dear?’ His grin was wolf-like.
‘Thank you for seeing me. I wouldn’t be ’ere unless it was really important . . .’ She hesitated. ‘My dad died recently . . .’
‘Yes, I heard. My condolences,’ he murmured.
Encouraged, Ruby continued, ‘And my mum’s very ill and so we need someone to look after my baby brother. Well, that’s why I’m ’ere. I want to ask you if I can work less hours, cut my work down . . .’
The smile had left the wolf’s face. ‘I’d love to help you, darlin’, but you see I