The train arrived at VICTORIA STATION. The journey had been exciting but I think I was still in shock. This was a foreign place to us. I remember walking in front of Mum along the noisy platform. I was sixteen years old at the time, Brian was fourteen and Sandra was eleven. I had left the cotton mill. Probably it was the best thing. If I had stayed in Yorkshire it would more than likely have been my lifetime’s work for as I mentioned before, most of the older women who had worked in the mill for years were as deaf as posts. That would have no doubt been my fate.

Dad came out of smoke and the people milling around the platform. He put his arms around me. I noticed Mum hanging back. Brian and Sandra rushed to Dad’s side. We had all missed him terribly. His words to me gave me a shock
“I don’t know what your mother thinks she’s playing at?” I remember feeling awkward. What did he mean? I don’t think my brother and sister heard what he said. They were just happy to see Dad. He went towards Mum took the case she was carrying and said something but he didn’t kiss her. I was beginning to feel a bit scared, this wasn’t right.

We walked from the station and Dad called a taxi. We all jumped in. Mum still looking tight faced.
After a while we arrived at our destination. Dad had left the posh pub some time earlier, in favour of being the boss of his own social club. Well that’s what we thought! It would come to light at a later time, that Dad had been up to no good with a woman who owned the posh pub. Apparently a well wisher had informed Mum of this fact earlier on with a letter she had sent to her back home! Hence the move, and Mum’s tight face! We all got out of the taxi. We were standing in front of a nondescript building with the sign over the club entrance flashing on and off.

Dad paid the taxi fare and ushered us all inside the front door. We stood in a lobby and looked around. To me it didn’t seem up to much. Dad opened another door to the side of the lobby. We were shown inside this grotty room. It wasn’t very big; there were three beds and a bit more furniture. There was green lino on the floor and there was one small window. What sent alarm bells ringing was that on the windows were steel bars! When I asked Dad what they were for, he said, “safety love, it’s a bit of a rough area.” Well it turned out that Dad had been ill prepared for Mum’s determination to make him stand up to his responsibilities. She had decided that enough was enough. Especially after the letter informing Mum about Dad’s little dalliance!