The rain was coming down in stair rods as she stared transfixed at the couple, their bodies entwined, silhouetted behind the bedroom curtains. “Time was Harry when we were that couple. Do you remember Blackpool just before the war? Eh it were great weren’t it?”
“It certainly was love but come on we can’t hang about here all night best get on.”
"Aye ‘appen’. Our Irene will be getting worried I expect. She’s a good girl is our Irene. Fifty this year and never thought once about leaving. She could have had lots of blokes but always stood by us and looked after our needs. It were hard at first with you off to France but we coped and she grew up to be such a caring girl.”
“That’s thanks to you Doris. She has your nature not mine. If she were more like me she’d have upped sticks long ago. I’m sorry I couldn’t do any more for you both.”
“That’s all right love, you did what you could, but it weren’t your fault was it. You didn’t ask Herr Hitler to start all that bother did you? Any road that were a long time ago and things have changed. Take them two up there. They’re not married you know. Can you imagine us getting away with that in our day? Fat chance I’d say.”
“Maybe but some things were better in our day weren’t they?”
“Oh aye, Like what for instance? Food rationing, Joe Loss and his band, the Light Programme, Workers bloody Playtime. No Harry I reckon it’s better now. The problem is that you still live in the 1940’s, you haven’t moved on have you?”
“And what’s wrong with the 1940’s I say. We didn’t have these drug problems, old folk could walk about at any time without fear of being mugged, people cared about their neighbours. If someone had a problem people rallied round.”
“And how do you know all this. You were far away playing at bloody soldiers. How the hell do you know what it were like for us? For me and Irene? Did you really give a stuff?
“Of course I did but what the bloody hell could I do about it? I was…
“I know, up to your neck in it. Bloody hell Harry, how many times do we have to have this discussion. I’m fed up of listening to you going on about the good old days. You never talk about modern times. When are you going to start living in the 1990’s? It’s about time that you moved on.”
“And it’s about time you moved on Doris. Come on love I’m taking you back with me now. I’m taking you home at last.”
“I suppose our Irene will be all right on her own won’t she?”
“Of course she will. She’s a big girl now and we’ll both be watching over her won’t we? Just as we always have. Come on love let’s go. We’ve got some catching up to do.”
