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www.ilkestonlife.com ILKESTON LIFE September 2021 15

- and fate’s fickle finger Story and painting

by Betty O’Neill
chael to get to Mountsorrel and his It was a lovely sunny day and we going back into the Merchant Navy.
Grandad would expect him to spend left early. After a fun time watch- P&O were welcoming him back
two or three hours with him before ing the changing of the guard at with open arms. Mine were staying
he left for home again. The expec- Buckingham Palace, we set off to firmly crossed.
tation from him was that Michael the Bloody Tower. A large, fancy ice To say that this put a bit of a damper
would do this two or three times a cream cone with chocolate sprinkles on the day was an understatement. It
week. There just didn’t seem to be was the order of the day for each of was a very quiet journey back up the
enough hours in the day and my us afterwards, bought from a van M1 at fifty miles an hour in our old
poor husband was running himself outside the Tower. No expense was banger. It would have taken more
ragged and I was beginning to worry spared that day even if Michael did than a cornet and a trip round an old
he would crack up. moan that the vendor was a ‘bloom- warship to sweeten me that day.
Life was soon to take another turn… ing robber’ (we had our picnic I didn’t try to dissuade him though
Despite a slight inkling that some- packed up for later of course!) and nor did his Mother. We weren’t
thing was about to happen, I didn’t As we strolled through London, happy about it but we knew he was to cruise around the Pacific. He had of the morning and repeated over
dare dwell on it or really consider Michael suddenly announced he had not in a good place. He was grieving also been promoted with the pros- and over the same word I thought
what was sitting uneasily at the back to go somewhere and ‘shouldn’t be too and trying to make things right pect of much more money. about him. It was later that evening
of my mind. Or should I say, what too long’. He left us alone to board for everyone else, which of course Life was pretty miserable for me. I I chose to scrawl that same word
was at the back of my husband’s. HMS Belfast, the WW2 cruiser he couldn’t. lived, and still do, in a nice cul-de- across the front of the envelope of
Surely things couldn’t get any moored on the Thames, for a guided Within two weeks he was gone! sac and everyone over the years the letter I had written to him. I was
worse..? tour. ‘Crikey!’, I thought to myself, He sailed away from Southampton have been wonderful but no one gutted. How could I compete with
Michael had worked for P&O, the ‘he’s pushing the boat out for us on one of P&O’s luxury ships, the lived in each other’s pockets (thank those bikini clad girls? I hadn’t even
shipping company, during his late today. I wonder where he’s gone?’ SS ORIANA, to cruise around the goodness.) I had no close friends as got a bikini, only an old swimsuit
teens and early twenties, on their With surprises coming thick and fast Med. He was not expected back for such and looked forward to going no luxury lounger, only an old deck
cruise liners. So when I noticed I could only assume it was another months. down to my see my mam, dad and chair his Mum had given us to put
letters arriving in P&O envelopes he had planned. How right I turned My lovely life had come crashing sister’s family, who gathered at my on our lawn (which badly needed
I began to get an uneasy feeling. I out to be… down around my ears, seemingly parents on a Saturday, and to my cutting.) I showed the photos to his
hadn’t the courage to ask of their Patrick and I had a great time destroyed forever. I was okay of mother-in-law’s house on Sundays. mum. I can’t repeat what she said.
contents and he didn’t say. I chose exploring the ship, which he stills course. Lonely and unhappy but Michael had been gone for months I sent him a scorching letter with
ostrich tactics and buried my head. recalls. He loved it, relishing look- I reminded myself a lot of people and I wrote to every port they the two photographs inside and
Life was difficult enough without ing at the big guns and running up were worse off. I had Michael’s arrived at on the itinerary and ‘red perhaps, after one or two glasses of
making waves. and down the deck where a sailor wages coming in every month, a lined’ his arrival through on the cal- cider that night, I upgraded his rank
One fine morning, my husband chatted to him all about the ship. nice house and our little boy to look endar, looking forward to the day I to bar steward. Something like that
announced he was taking myself Michael met us later that afternoon after. Things could be worse… and crossed the last one off and he would anyway. It was the word I’d kept
and our young son on a day trip to and indeed another surprise was seemingly would be later! be back home. repeating to myself which I scrawled
London later in the week. This was a imminent. He revealed that he had It was great seeing him come home We had a giant world map pinned across the front of the envelope in
nice surprise for us and unexpected, just returned from the Shipping Fed- on leave some months later, looking up in our son’s bedroom, carefully large letters by then my hurt had
especially as money was tight, and eration and re- joined the Seaman’s healthy, tanned and more like his old plotting the voyages of daddy’s ship. turned to rage. This amused many
would be a much needed break. We Union. His Seaman’s Discharge self. He said he was leaving again in Michael replied to all my letters of his shipmates who saw the ad-
were both mentally exhausted. book had been updated and he was a couple of weeks, off to Australia and seemed very happy. He had dressed envelope at the ship’s crew
a job he couldn’t have dreamt of mail office before he got round to
not so long ago. He worked in the collecting it.
John’s first-class restaurant on the Oriana He was most concerned and
Late Summer Offers Joke of the and was the supervisor to twenty phoned me as soon as he could at
staff. In the evenings he was a wine
his Mum’s. He had, he said, been
waiter himself - selling wine to the
the victim of a prank that had been
from HiQ Ilkeston month 320 passengers in his section. Cash going on for some time and all the
crew had been warned about leaving
was king at this time and credit
cards not used. Cash changed hands personal information lying around. It
for everything throughout the ship was thought young Aussie passen-
MOT £20 * from the Captain and Purser down. gers were responsible.
And the photographs? ‘Nothing’ he
Tipping was the natural order of the
around his section making sure the
the first-class clientele.
with every Gold Service day for staff in these sections from said. It was part of his job to wander
during September and October I was sitting having breakfast one passengers had everything they
For my morning after taking my son to wanted and many became friends
school when my world took a sec-
during the cruises. ‘I have lots of
MOT £35 * Full from * wife’s ond hit. The postman left our mail pictures taken with people every
Service £149
day’, he said. ‘Some get passed over
and I picked a letter up addressed to
September and birthday ‘Mrs O’Neal’, my name misspelt, to me. I’ll show you some when I
Service £99
October Only Interim from * I took her from Australia. get home’ (Hmmmm!)
‘You should know you can trust me’,
‘Who is this from?’ I wondered. ‘I
On production of this voucher (LOCAL10) to an don’t know anyone from Australia he said! I replied at the time, ‘Even
orchard apart from Michael and this isn’t Adam and Eve had succumbed when
SAVE BIG ON AIRCON SERVICING £5 OFF and we from him.’ in Paradise and tempted by a juicy
* I opened the envelope and stood, apple!’
Standard Systems ust £59 when you stood rooted to the floor, with shock. Two When he eventually arrived home
j
I knew there was more to come.
photographs were inside. Nothing
F-Type Systems only £99 * spend £100 * there else. They were innocent enough to ‘What now?!’ I sighed. ‘Oh’, he
On production of this voucher looking at anyone else, but not to me at that said, ‘I have signed on again and we
the trees time. One of the photos had Michael are going to be cruising round the
Collection and delivery service plus courtesy cars available sitting under blue skies on the deck Norwegian Fjords to see the North-
for half of his ship on a luxury lounger, his ern Lights before we head off back
an hour. arms around two beautiful bikini to Australia.’
HiQ Ilkeston clad Aussie girls who sat perched ‘Well whilst you are up there’, I said
Charlotte St Ebenezer St It was not
Rose Ave A6007 Cotmanhay Rd 42-44 Heanor Road the Apple upon on each knee. He had a big calmly, ‘you had better build your-
self an igloo, because you are going
Ilkeston DE7 8DX
cheesy grin on his face. The other
P everil Drive Boweswell Rd Heanor Rd T atham’s Ln 0115 932 5499 Watch was in the restaurant where he was to need somewhere to live when you
Factory Ln Granby St Ashworth Rd Open: she was working, planted in the midst of have finished gallivanting!’

Michael got the message and time
a group of young woman who all
Mon - Fri 8.30 - 17.30
Saturday 8.30 - 13.00 expecting looked very friendly. A little too was called on his little adventures
Back Ln
Rutland St
B6007 [email protected] friendly and too touchy feely for my at sea. He went back, unsigned
hiqonline.co.uk/hiq-centres/ilkeston apparently. liking. A saucy message was scrib- himself, collected his gear and came
Tyres • Exhausts • Brakes • Batteries • Servicing • MOTs bled on the back of each of the pic- home. He never has seen the North-
- John Allen tures for good measure. I sat at the ern Lights!
*Terms and conditions apply, please see in-store for further details. Offers are valid until 31st October 2021 on production table and had a good cry for the rest To be continued.
of the above vouchers. Only one voucher can be used per transaction.
19/08/2021 13:29
GYD53251_HiQ Ilkeston_Summer Offers_A5.indd 1
GYD53251_HiQ Ilkeston_Summer Offers_A5.indd 1 19/08/2021 13:29