Faded Glory

CHAPTER TEN

BACK in East London, Albert was collecting glasses at the Live and Let Live as usual, and keeping an eye on Patsy’s boxing gym upstairs.

“Ain’t you got a clapped-out Ford Anglia engine to be reconditioning, Lenny?” he asked as Lenny ordered another pint of brown and mild.

“That can wait, man,” said Lenny. He studied Albert. “We need to talk about Costa and Cohen, and Danny’s future.”

Albert turned back to the glasses. “It’s up to the boy,” he said.

“You keep pushing the subject away,” said Lenny, tutting as he drained his pint.

“You ain’t going to get nowhere with Albert, Len,” said Patsy, coming to the bar.

Lenny eyed Patsy. “What’s your professional opinion then?”

“He’s a contender. What will be will be.”

Patsy sounded almost proud. It sounded to Albert as if the big Irishman was weakening on the subject of Cohen and Costa. He’d put a lot of time and energy into Danny’s progress, and Albert sensed that he had no plans to let go.

“Do you remember that conversation we had way back, Patsy?” Lenny asked. “When I asked, why do you do what you do? Why are you so committed to training these boys?”

“Some of them had got into bad company. If, by giving them a direction and a reason, I was saving them from a life of crime, that was reason enough.” Patsy’s eyes darted towards Albert. “And you never know. I might just unearth a future champion.”

Albert silently took the glasses into the kitchen. Being a part of Danny’s rise was a dream come true for Patsy. Why wouldn’t he go along with Cohen and Costa’s plans for the boy? Albert felt sad, for reasons he couldn’t explain.

Back home at the Bristows’, Wendy had been sent a rather large bunch of flowers from Costa and Cohen. There was also a message for Danny to give them a call and meet up.

“Good news, Danny,” said Mr Bristow, clapping his new son-in-law on the shoulder. “You’re going up in the world, eh?”

The thought of calling Cohen and Costa filled Danny with both excitement and trepidation. He felt he needed to talk to Albert first. Although he knew Albert lived in Canning Town, he’d never discovered Albert’s actual address. Albert would most likely be at the park feeding the ducks in the morning. He’d find him there.

That evening, Wendy went through the holiday adventures with her parents, recounting everything from the surly man on reception to the musty old caravan, from the camp to the shady showman on the Waltzers and everything between. Danny did the best he could to enthuse alongside his wife, but his mind kept wandering to the coming meeting with Albert. So he kept quiet, nodding at the right time and shaking his head when needed.

It was good to be back in a proper bed. The caravan had been fun, but pretty uncomfortable, with its drop-down bed that had felt as if it was still occupied by a previous tenant. Danny took his mind off his worries by reaching for Wendy, and, eventually, a good night’s sleep was had by all.

The Monday-morning blues hit hard.

“I wish we were back at Happy Valley,” Wendy sighed as she got ready for work.

“Me too,” was Danny’s short reply. He probably should have been a bit more supportive, but had his own blues to turn purple.

With her sugar-factory turban on her head, Wendy gloomily left the house. Danny looked at his watch, the wedding present from Costa and Cohen. It was only eight-thirty. Albert didn’t usually get to the pond till about ten, so Danny decided to pop in on his mum on the way to the park.

But by the time he got there, Rosie had already left for work. Only the sound of Ricky’s snoring filled the house. Danny went upstairs to his old room. Taking the tin box from under the bed, he opened it.

“I got married, Dad,” he told the open box softly. “She’s nice, you’d like her.”

Outside the window, homing pigeons were circling from the pigeon fancier two doors away. Danny thought how wonderful it would be to fly like a bird. Perhaps his father was that free, up in heaven, above the early wintering sky.

Downstairs, the hall clock was striking ten. Danny was shaken from his thoughts and remembered the job at hand.

At the park, he headed for the duck pond. It seemed right that this meeting should take place there. After all, it was where they’d first met seven years earlier, when Danny had been just sixteen and set to run wild.

On the path by the weeping willow tree, he saw the familiar figure of Albert surrounded by ducks, brown paper bag in hand, sharing the spoils.

“Albert! Hey Albert, how are you?”

Albert’s face was expressionless. Danny tried again.

“All right, mate? I’ve been away on my honeymoon.”

“I know,” was Albert’s response. “Nice.”

Danny could see there was work to do here. He sat on the bench behind Albert and waited for him to finish with his feathered friends.

“I’m pleased to see you,” he said hopefully. “Sorry you missed the wedding. Do you feel better?”

Still nothing from Albert. Just the sound of battling, quacking ducks.

Danny swallowed hard. “I wanted to talk to you about this Costa and Cohen thing,” he said. “Get some advice.”

“Don’t matter what I think,” said Albert. “It’s down to you.”

Danny realised this was it. It was time to let Albert know how he felt about him.

“Listen Albert,” he pleaded. “If they can help me turn pro, and me and the family can have some money, and I get the chance of a proper boxing career, shouldn’t I take it? I want you to be involved, I need you there by my side.”

Albert turned to face Danny for the first time.

“Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?” he said as he joined Danny on the bench.

Danny frowned. “What d’ya mean? They seem all right.”

“They have a reputation, Danny. They’re dangerous men.”

“Maybe. But with you and Patsy with me I’d be fine, wouldn’t I?”

“You think you are ready to turn pro?” said Albert. “You really think that?”

This hurt Danny. He knew he’d been swept away with the head-turning compliments from Costa and Cohen, but in the past, both Patsy and Albert had praised him and called him a contender. So why was Albert’s faith now so fickle?

The ducks had deserted them and an awkward silence now hung in the air. Danny decided to change the subject.

“We went to Clacton last week,” he said. “It was all right.”

Albert waited.

Danny became more direct.

“I need to think of my future, Albert,” he said. “My new baby. Wendy thinks it’s a good idea. I’ll make sure that they don’t muscle in, honest. You and Patsy will still be part of the team. It could be good for all of us.”

“You think so?”

“Why don’t we all organise a meeting with them? See what they’ve got to say?” Danny suggested.

“If that’s what you want,” said Albert.

“I’ll phone them and arrange a meeting then,” said Danny.

“If that’s what you want,” Albert repeated.

Something in Albert’s eyes told Danny that the old man knew he was serious about this. That he truly believed that his future and that of his family lay with a liaison with Costa and Cohen. Danny pressed home his advantage.

“At least if you attend the meeting, you can have some input,” he said.

Albert somehow looked older. “Who am I to stand in your way?” he said.

Danny felt a flash of hope. “So it’s on?”

“If that’s what you want. Now, I’m off to work. Let me know when you’ve arranged the meeting and I’ll bring a tin hat.”

Danny jumped up as Albert got off the bench. “Thanks,” he said. “You won’t regret it.”

“We’ll see about that,” Albert replied as he walked off.

Danny sat back down on the bench, full of relief. He watched a mother on the other side of the pond, pushing her baby in a pram through the park, and smiled. He imagined Wendy and their own bundle of joy doing the same thing in the not-too-distant future. That future felt warmer now. Knowing that Albert would be at the meeting gave him confidence. If Costa and Cohen were as dangerous as Albert said, at least Albert would be there for guidance.

Going back to Wendy’s, Danny felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He would organise the meeting. He would keep his boxing family around him. Together they were strong.

The way now was forward, and he felt an exciting chapter was about to begin. In just over six months, he would be a father, with a career in the sport he loved and money on the horizon. A pot of gold just waiting at the end of a rainbow. He could leave the casual building work behind, perhaps buy a house for them to live in, with a garden for the little one, and a car. Not that he could drive, but that was a minor detail. A Jaguar would be fab. A house in the sticks would be nice too. Wendy wanted to move to Chigwell, where the big houses were and the air was fresher, where they had stars in the sky just like Clacton.

Wendy arrived home for her lunch break from the factory.

“I’ve had a chat with Albert, Wend,” Danny said as he gave Wendy a hug and a quick kiss. “He’s on board.”

“I never understood Albert’s feelings towards Mr Cohen and Mr Costa,” said Wendy. “They’ve been nothing but charm personified.”

“Well, Albert thinks different from us.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so worried about Albert’s feelings,” Wendy said. “I’m just happy there’s some progress on the cards. So you’re fixing the meeting then?”

“Yeah,” said Danny. “We’re gonna sort this whole thing out.”

After lunch, Danny found Costa and Cohen’s business card and phoned the number.

“Danny boy,” said Cohen, after Danny had been put through by a frosty secretary. “Good to hear from you. How was the honeymoon?”

“Great. Wendy says thank you very much for the flowers.”

“I hope they were as beautiful as she is.”

“Yeah, they were nice,” Danny replied, a little awkwardly. “Can we meet up to talk about the contract and that?”

“Of course. When do you want to come in?”

“I’ll talk to Albert and Patsy and see when they can make it,” said Danny. “Maybe tomorrow afternoon?”

There was a pause.

“Albert and Patsy?” said Cohen.

“Yeah,” said Danny. “I’d like them to be there.”

“I’m not sure they have your best interests at heart, Danny. Tommy and I believe in you and your future. I’m not convinced they do.”

This was not going to be as straightforward as Danny had hoped. If Cohen refused to have Albert and Patsy at the meeting, it would force Danny to make a difficult decision. If Cohen refused, it could be the end of his and Wendy’s dream. But with thoughts of loyalty to Albert and Patsy, he stood his ground.

“I would like them to be there,” he repeated nervously. “I think it’s important.”

“I see,” said Cohen. “Well, if that’s what you want, we can do three o’clock tomorrow. See you then.”

And before Danny could say “Thanks,” Cohen had hung up.

The phone call troubled Danny. In his mind Albert, Patsy and Lenny had to be a part of this. Cohen’s reaction seemed to send a signal that perhaps they would not.

“Did you speak to them?” said Wendy as Danny came slowly back into the kitchen. “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” said Danny. “We are meeting tomorrow at three.”

He held back on the full story of the call. Cohen’s reluctance to have Albert and Patsy at the meeting would probably have prompted Wendy to react the same way. She would think that anything that compromised their brighter future with Costa and Cohen was indeed dispensable.

To avoid any more questions before Wendy headed back to work, Danny walked into the back garden. He needed some space and some time to think. He sat on the garden bench beneath a watery grey-blue sky and watched Mr Bristow’s Koi carp swimming gently in the pond for a while. He felt torn as he tried to navigate a way through the problem.

What course should he take if the involvement of Albert and Patsy meant saying goodbye to his prospects? If only his father had been there to turn to. In recent times Albert had been almost a father figure, so to turn his back on him was indeed a painful thought. But at the same time, to turn his back on what could be a brighter and more secure future for Wendy and the baby would hurt too.

As he walked along the garden path in the Bristows’ well- kept garden, deep in his dilemma, the back door opened.

“Hello Dan,” said Mr Bristow. “Congratulations, Wendy tells me you are signing the contract tomorrow to go pro.”

Danny swallowed. “Er, yes,” he said.

“Don’t forget your in-laws when you’re rich and famous!”

Danny smiled. Not because he felt like smiling, but in the hope that a smile would finish a conversation that he really did not want to have.

It seemed to work. Mr Bristow made his way to the pond to feed his fish, allowing Danny to make his excuses and escape.

Grabbing his coat, he thought about Wendy: her glowing beauty, her beloved bump, how she would be the mother of his child. The image strengthened his resolve as he made his way to the Live and Let Live.

Lenny was already at the pub, sitting in his usual seat and sipping his usual drink. “So how’s married life treating you then?” he asked.

“Well, I’m still married,” Danny replied.

“You keep it like that.”

Albert was as usual serving behind the bar and keeping an eye out for any trouble. Not that there was ever any trouble, probably due to Albert’s reputation.

Danny looked around. Nothing had really changed from the first moment he’d walked in here, when Lenny had bought Wendy a drink as they were underage all those years ago. He’d been nervous and apprehensive then, but now the pub felt safe, secure, like a second home. With everything in his life changing and feeling so different, it made Danny feel good that the Live and Let Live stood unchanged and constant.

“What’s it gonna be?” said Albert as Danny leaned on the bar.

“No, I’m all right,” Danny said. “I just came to confirm that meeting thing with Cohen and Costa. It’s tomorrow at three at their office, is that gonna be OK?”

Albert took the address that Danny had written on a piece of paper. “Still sure you want me come?” he asked.

“Of course I do,” said Danny. “You and Patsy.”

“And they’re all right with it, are they? Cohen and Costa?”

“Yeah, looking forward to it,” Danny surmised.

Albert sighed. “Right. I’ll tell Patsy when he comes in.”

Leaving the pub, Danny couldn’t help feeling as if he had lit the blue touch paper and fireworks could erupt. He walked the damp streets for half an hour, thinking everything through. Then, instead of going back to the Bristows’, he made his way to Rosie’s house.

It felt good to walk the streets he’d walked as a child, looking for sense memories that would make him feel more secure. He passed the alleyway where he’d had his first kiss, a kiss from a buxom girl the kids called Titsalina: an innocent secret he had kept from Wendy, just in case. As he walked past Old Nosy Parker’s house, the net curtains twitched. “Nosy” hated children, Danny remembered. He’d once kicked a football through Nosy’s back window: a powerful shot, but off target. He’d never got the ball back.

The old house still felt like home. It was empty and quiet today, except for a radio Rosie always kept on to deter would-be burglars. Not that there was much to take.

Danny climbed the stairs to his room and the red and silver tin box. Opening it up as he had done so many times, feeling the cold medals in his hands, he searched for an answer to what might be a difficult choice tomorrow: a choice between prospects and loyalty.

As he looked at his father’s yellowing army photograph, the doubts settled in his mind. The photograph radiated loyalty. Loyalty to comrades, King and country. He would be loyal to Albert and Patsy, come what may.

“Thanks Dad,” he said, before closing the box and putting it back under his bed.

Feeling clearer, Danny left a quick note for Rosie saying he had popped in and he was sorry he’d missed her. It wasn’t completely true. In a way, he was relieved to be given some time alone with his father’s memory to think things through.

He thought about taking the box over with some other things he had taken to the Bristows’, but decided for the time being to leave the box in the bedroom where he’d grown up. Almost as a shrine to his childhood.

As he was walking back to Wendy’s, a gleaming Austin Cambridge pulled up and the window wound down.

“You want a lift?” asked Lenny.

“Nice motor, Lenny,” said Danny. “Does the owner know you’re taking it for a spin?”

“Doing a test drive,” Lenny replied, tapping his nose. “Drop you off at the top of Wendy’s road?”

The Austin Cambridge was an old car, but elegant, with a smell of leather and petrol inside. It went at a fair lick, and pretty soon, they were at Danny’s drop-off.

“So, big day tomorrow, champ,” said Lenny as Danny got out of the car. “The meeting and all that.”

For the first time Danny felt like he didn’t have to avoid the question. “Yeah,” he said. “Me, Albert and Patsy are gonna hit the big time.”

“Hey now, don’t forget your cheerleader here!”

“Never,” confirmed Danny.

And with a thumbs up, Lenny drove off.