January 4th, 1928
Happy 1928! A new Journal, for a new year! Anna and I would have written sooner but we were late in buying it, with the holidays and all. A clean slate, so to speak. And young Will has told us he has plans to write about his day to day adventures, feelings and views on life (and believe me, he has plenty of them) as he did at Christmas time.
So much has happened since my last entry on Christmas Day, I hardly know where to begin. So I'll begin where I left off.
Anna and I were jarred from our warm bed very early on Boxing Day by Archie tossing snowballs at our bedroom window to wake me. Unfortunately, Archie didn't know which window ours was and he ended up waking Will instead, who started screaming at the top of his lungs. He later told us he thought cannonballs were being fired at the house and we were under pirate attack.
Nothing quite so dramatic, but just as disrupting. It seems a pipe had burst in the kitchen of the pub during the unusually cold night and we had ourselves a real mess. And if that wasn't enough, we were knocked for a loop to find Sam had done a runner. He'd left a note on the bar saying he was taking the last train out of town and was going to live with his daughter in York and to send his mail and final pay check there. I'd actually been half expecting it and should have prepared, but a little warning would not have been amiss.
The hotel was empty because of the holidays, save our permanent boarder and piano player, Remo (the Amazing) Santori. Thankfully we had intended to stay closed that day anyway. But we had three rooms booked for the following day, just overnight and whoever else the train brought in.
Long story short, Caleb, Archie and I managed to thaw out and repair the pipe, but we were still down one very cantankerous old barkeep at the height of the holiday season. Daisy is our night manager in the pub, but I didn't really want her to work behind the bar and she has no experience. Caleb puts in a full shift during the day and Archie, of course is so busy in the kitchen. It looked like the job fell to me. So much for my nights at home with the family until I could find someone to replace Sam. All this with New Year's Eve coming up and two parties booked in the new banquet room. I put a help wanted sign in the window and an ad in the newspaper, but would I find someone in time for New Year's Eve?
Help came from an unexpected source...my father.
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Boxing Day - 1927
John opened his eyes to the faint light of another gloomy day. The wind was blowing against the window glass after a night of constant snowing, but in their bed he was warm and cozy, as if the world outside didn't exist at all. It was Boxing Day, and with no guests in the hotel, they had decided to keep the pub closed too. Ah, a glorious day relaxing around the house!
He stretched out lazily, letting go of a yawn, before turning on his side to face his sleeping wife. She was beautiful like this, so delicate. Her mouth half open, emitting gentle snores. Her hair tangled around her neck and her hands supporting her head under the pillow.
Unable to resist her, John reached out to touch her cheek, a happy smile on his face and the desire to kiss her awake. That's what he did, after a gentle caress, pressing his lips softly against her own.
'Wake up, sleepyhead,' he said, shifting closer and wrapping his arm around her body. One more kiss, and then another. On her lips, her nose, her cheek. Soon she was smiling at him, her eyes still closed but a delightful expression on her face.
'I'm still sleeping,' she whispered when he stopped. 'Sleeping like a little babe.'
'Does that mean you will be crying for food soon?' She opened her eyes at once, shooting him a look, and he couldn't help but laugh. 'Or maybe a change?'
'A change of what?' she dared him.
'A change of...position,' John replied. 'If I do this,' he held one of her legs and brought it to his waist. 'And then this,' he turned them in bed then, until he was over her. 'There's more we can do.'
'Beggar!' Anna giggled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. 'What now, Mr Bates?'
'Well...the children are still asleep,' he said, dragging his nose along her jawline down to the hollow of her neck. 'And we are already awake.'
'Indeed…'
'Maybe, we can have some time for ourselves before the day starts for good,' he continued, travelling down her body and settling at her chest. Gently, he pulled at the string of her nightdress, undoing it, and moved the fabric aside uncovering her breasts.
'Yes,' she moaned her response as he kissed her there. Open mouth kisses with the wetness of his teasing tongue, followed by soft nibbles and his warm breath against her skin.
'Why don't we take this off?' he suggested between gentle touches, addressing her nightdress, and she nodded, helping him out.
But before they could go any further with their passionate plans, they heard a loud thud against glass, followed by a screaming four year old.
'What on Earth…' John stopped what he was doing, and Anna sat up at once. Both trying to understand what was going on.
'William!' Anna exclaimed, and her husband got out of bed at once, composing himself and putting on his robe to mask any remains of their previous starters. Another thud was heard, followed by another scream.
'Stay here, Anna! Stay with the girls.'
John ran out of the room, with Anna following. 'I'm coming!' she said and he could only roll his eyes.
'William, son! Whatever is the matter?' he asked as they reached the boy's room.
'Mummy!' Will stretched out his arms, his expression a panicked one as his mother took the boy in her arms. 'They are attacking my mighty ship!'
'What?' Anna questioned, confused, looking over at her husband who was frowning at his son's words.
'Will, what are you saying?' John asked him again, running his hand through the boy's blonde hair.
'My mighty ship...' was all the boy could say as he buried his face in the crook of his mother's neck.
'Mighty ship?' John was confused, Anna tried to think of an explanation for such nonsense, and then again, another loud thud on the boy's window.
'What the…' John walked furiously to the source of the noise, ready to yell at whatever was causing it. He opened the window and was hit smack in the face with a huge snowball. Wiping it from his eyes he saw a freezing Archie below getting ready to take aim again. "Whoa! Archie? What the hell?'
'Mr Bates!' the young man called. 'I've been trying to wake you up for sometime now!'
'What?!'
'I knocked on the back door but no one answered, so I thought a few snowballs at your window would do,' Archie replied.
'They would if you had gotten the right room! This is my son's bedroom.' John was quite upset. 'You scared the life out of the boy.'
'I'm so sorry, Mr Bates. I thought...right! Your room is to the left.' Archie slapped his forehead. 'What a bugger.'
'Did you hear that, sweetheart? It was just Archie.' Anna soothed her boy, running a hand up and down his back as she rocked him around the room. Will's legs were wrapped around his mother's waist, trying to prolonged this rare opportunity of late, as he was already too heavy for her to carry him for too long.
'Anyway,' John continued after making sure the boy had settled, 'whatever are you doing throwing snowballs at my windows?'
'A pipe has burst in the pub! There's quite a mess in there, that I can say. Water everywhere.'
'Bloody hell!' John cursed. 'All right...give me a few minutes. I need to get dressed first.'
He closed the window then and walked toward Anna. 'How is he?'
'He was dreaming of his mighty ship when the snowballs came. He thought he was being attacked by pirates. Thought they were cannon balls. Cheeky monkey,' Anna explained with a smile.
'Oh, I see! Feeling better, lad?' John asked, kissing the boy's temple.
'Yeah...I'm sleepy,' the boy said rubbing his eyes.
'Well then, daddy is going out to help with the mess and you and mummy are going to bed together and enjoy a few more hours of laziness. What do you say?' Anna offered, eyeing John with a teasing look on her face. Her husband could only wrinkled his nose at her.
The boy nodded happily at his mother's suggestion and Anna brought him with her to their bedroom, laying him down on John's side of the bed.
'I'll be over once they're all awake and fed. Do you think you can handle it?' she asked her husband as he dressed.
'Don't worry about it. Rest while you can. Maybe he will sleep longer with you.' he said looking over to his son.
'Maybe he will.'
'Lucky little bugger.' He smiled at her before kissing her goodbye.
She joined Will in bed as soon as John left the room.
'Spoon me Mummy.'
Mother and son slept until the twins woke them up. William with his back against Anna's chest as she held him tight, his hair tickling her nose, breathing in her son's scent.
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New Year's Eve 8:55 pm
John finally found a couple of minutes to sit at the end of the bar, a sour expression on his face. He had come to the conclusion that maybe Sam had his reasons for being a grumpy old bastard. And then too, John resented the fact that he couldn't be next door with his family ringing in the New Year. He sighed, standing from his stool and walked to the sink to pour himself a glass of water.
Mr Brenn, a widower who ran the hardware store walked up to the bar. 'Mr Bates? Another pint please!'
John nodded, dragging himself across the bar. 'Coming right up, Mr Brenn.'
'That bloke leaving without saying a word, what a chump! Never liked him,' the customer continued, his words more than a little slurred for this early hour of the evening.
'He left enough hints he was planning to leave us, but yes, he should have given me time to find a replacement. And I wouldn't be here tonight,' John replied, placing the pint before the patron.
'Yes, you should be with your family, with your little children and all...what do you say you join us in a brew, to make time go by faster? Beer does that you know.'
John forced a smile. 'I know that, Mr Brenn, but no thank you. I don't drink.'
'Don't drink? And you're behind a bar? Come on, one beer won't do you any harm,' the man insisted.
'I'm sorry but I can't. I don't drink alcohol.' The sure expression on John's face was enough to convince Mr Brenn.
'All right then, if you say so.'
xxxx
'Why are you two crying, my loves? Tell mummy why you cry?' Anna rocked a wailing Fee in her arms while Finn did the exact same thing on the blanket right in front of the fireplace, each one feeding on the others twins had been fussy since after dinner, whining and whimpering at every sound and movement. Anna had rarely seen them like this. 'You're fed, you're changed, whatever is the matter?' She kissed Fee's cheek, before placing her on the blanket, only to pick up the other girl. 'And you Finn? I wish you could tell Mummy what's wrong.'
'But Mummy!' It was William's turn to complain now. 'Why can't I have more biscuits?'
'Because I said no! Stop it, now. How many times must I say it? You are going to get a belly ache. Also, I still remember a very naughty young boy throwing a fit at dinner and not eating the food on his plate,' she told her son with a serious look. A dangerous look, one William knew too well, but at that moment he had seemed to forget about it.
'But I want, I want, I want!' the boy stomped his foot on the floor. His fists were clenched and his face was red. 'I want!'
'William John Bates! What is this? Isn't it enough your sisters are crying?'
'I want more biscuits!' the boy screamed this time, defying his mother. Now, that was something he had never dared to do before.
'I can't believe what I'm hearing! Off with you, young man. To your room!' Anna ordered severely, tired of all the crying.
'Why?' the boy asked quietly. His senses had returned.
'Because you are being very bad tonight. You didn't want to eat your dinner and now you are making demands? Go on, to your room, I said.'
'But I don't want to go to my room, mummy, please!' William pleaded, putting his hands together in begging manner.
'You should have thought about it before, shouldn't you?'
'I'm sorry, mummy. I won't do it again.' The boy pouted, looking truly sorry.
Anna sighed, giving into defeat. 'Go on then, sit down on the blanket and entertain your sister. She always stops crying when you do your monkey things.'
William nodded, sitting down with his sister, but no matter what he did with his tongue, or how much he rolled his eyes, the baby wouldn't stop crying.
Will looked at his mother in exasperation. 'When's Daddy coming home? He promised we could play Fishpond,' he whined.
Fishpond being the game John had invented for special occasions, where a sheet was stretched across a doorway. Will was given a long stick with a string tied on the end and a small basket tied to the string. When Fisherman Will cast his line over the sheet his daddy, hiding on the other side, would put a treat in the basket and the boy would 'reel' it in. It was never much, maybe an orange or a piece of candy, but it was Will's favorite game. Once he caught a new box of colours.
'Well, we'll have to have the fishpond the next night your daddy's free. I explained to you that he'll be tending the pub until he can find a replacement for Sam. Daddy doesn't want to be working anymore than we want him too. Is that what has you upset, son? Because Daddy isn't home?'
Will nodded sadly.
Maybe that's what was wrong with the girls too, Anna decided with a sigh, placing Finn on the blanket with her sister. 'I have socks to mend… You tell me when you decide to stop crying then.'
As if the meaning of her words were understood, the twins began to cry even louder, stretching theirs arms out to be held. William covered his ears. 'Mummy...they are not stopping.'
xxxx
'Evenin',' Eamon shook the snow off his cap as he walked into the pub and sat down at the bar. 'Got a pint for an old sailor, son?'
'Sure,' John replied.
'You seem downcast. What's wrong?' the old man asked, raising his voice, to be heard over Remo's piano playing and the group of men who now stood behind him singing along.
'I should be home with my wife and children, that's what's wrong,' John told him bitterly, shaking his head. 'That dog, Sam, had to go away right when I needed him the most,' he handed the beer to his father.
"And good riddance to him, the old fart!' said Archie, stepping out from the kitchen to hand his boss a fresh cup of tea.
Eamon chuckled. 'How much for the beer, son?'
John waved his hand. 'It's on me.'
Eamon smiled his thanks and took a long swig, before wiping the foam from his mustache on the sleeve of his jacket. John grimaced at the sight. 'Never been a man of manners.'
'I remember that,' John nodded, thinking back to the many times his mother would scold her husband about the most absurd of things. Trimming his fingernails with his knife at the kitchen table. Discarding dirty clothes on the parlor floor and muddy shoes prints on the carpet. So many times. Thinking back on it, John decided her life was probably much easier after he left.
'You take after your mother, you know. All proper and polite.'
'She taught me well,' John stated.
'Nah...those things we're born with. It's in our blood, it's a personality sort of thing, they say. You can't teach a rat to be a cat and vice versa.'
'Anyway...are you staying until midnight?' John asked.
'I am. You, on the other hand, are not.'
'What do you mean? Of course I am.'
'Nonsense.' Eamon took a last sip on his beer. 'Go home., Go spend the New Year's with your family. I'll take care of the pub.'
'I can't let you do-'
'I insist! Go. You have the price chart there, and if I have any questions I'll ask one of your employees. I'm good with numbers, you know it, and I can still punch a couple of drunk blokes if I have to. Got my stick and all to help with that,' the older man said.
'Are you sure? The house is full, it's a lot of work.'
'That's why you have to go home. You won't be done until much later and you can't leave your wife and children to spend the turning of the year all by themselves, can you?'
Eamon was right. John shouldn't have been there in the first place. He was because he had to be, but truth to be told he hated to serve drinks and to see drunk men after a long night. He nodded then, with an enthusiastic smile. 'Thank you. I'm going then. If you need anything Daisy or Caleb will help. And Daisy will close up for you.'
'It will be good to have something useful to do again. Now go.'
'Thank you.' John placed a hand on his father's shoulder before leaving. He was truly grateful. A gesture he wouldn't forget.
xxxx
'Oh my God. What's going on in here?'
His daughter's were still crying when he arrived home. William sat on the floor trying his best to entertain them but nothing he could do was working. As for Anna, she was kneeling on the blanket too, fussing over the girls, trying to cajole them into stopping. It was now half nine and her abundant mothering skills were wearing thin.
'John!' Anna called to him as if he was a saint descending from the heavens to save them all. 'Oh John, I am so glad you are home. So glad.' She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his body, holding in tight against her.
She was followed by William throwing his arms around his thighs and trying to jump up and down at the same time. 'Daddy you're home! Can we have a fishpond now? Please?'
'Whatever is the matter, Anna?' he asked. Then reaching down to pat Will's head he said, 'In a bit, son.'
'They won't stop crying. I've tried everything. I rocked them for ages. You know how they are, when one starts crying the other has to join in. I tried to ignored them but that didn't last long…' she sighed. 'I can't just let them cry while I watch. William was trying to throw a fit too, but he's good now.'
'Aw, love. I'm sorry. I'm here now, I'll help you,' he reassured her, kissing the crown of her head. 'Let's see what's going on in here. Why are you little girls crying, hm?'
Finn and Fee's eyes searched for the source of this so familiar voice as he approached them and as soon as they saw their father their cries subsided, and a smile graced their fair expressions transforming their red, sad faces into happy ones.
'Oh! I can't believe it.' Anna said, rolling her eyes. 'Are you girls serious?'
'I guess they were just missing daddy so very much,' John said, kneeling down on the floor, and kissing each twin on top of their heads. 'Weren't you? Did my girls miss Daddy?'
'I was missing you too, Daddy! Can we play Fishpond now? Huh?' William remarked, holding onto his father's neck and squeezing him tight.
'I'm sure you were,' John welcomed the boy into his arms, but not before giving him a piece of fatherly advice. '...but I hear you were a bit naughty to your mum…' he shot a look to his son.
'Only a bit.' William replied, hanging his head..
'Yes, only a bit.' Anna sat on the sofa, finally at ease, admiring the happiness on her children's faces and the silent bliss that had taken over their home.
'I don't want you being bad to your mother, do you understand?' John warned Will, bringing his finger up to make his point. 'Ever. You are an obedient boy, always.'
The boy nodded, looking over to his mother, 'I am.'
'And I don't want you two crying and making your mummy sad, do you understand?' He turned to the girls then, pointing at them, and that only made them laugh as if he was doing something ever so extraordinary.
Anna just shook her head at the sight and said, with a smile, 'Well…I guess this means you can't be gone for too long, else the house will fall and when you come back you'll find us a crying, jabbering mess.'
'I don't intend to ever be gone for long. Or gone at all!'
'But...shouldn't you be at the pub?' Anna asked, remembering of the the reason why he had been away.
'Guess what? My father is there. He said he would take over so I could spend the night with my family.'
'Goodness me!' Anna clapped her hands together and joined them on the blanket. 'Truce for good?' she asked, sitting on his lap as he stretched out his legs.
'I suppose.'
'I love you, John Bates,' she said softly, kissing his cheek.
'And I love you. All of you! Now let's go fishing, shall we?'
To which Will sprang up, hands in the air, running around the sofa shouting, 'Fish! Fish! Fish!" His prize catch of the night was a pirate's eye patch, hand-made by his mum.
As the fire flickered before them, they all waited for midnight to wish each other a happy new year. But when midnight rolled around it found them sound asleep. The children cosy on the blanket, tired of laughing and playing, and their parents on the sofa, after they had settled in there watching over the little ones. Anna's head was on John's shoulder and his resting on her head, dreaming of many more nights like this one to come.
Find your tribe. Love them hard.
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January 4th, 1928 10:20 pm
So, as you can see, it's been quite a week since my last entry. And we're starting a new Journal. Will has big plans to add his say too now and then. That should be fun.
New Year's Eve was a big turning point for us. Eamon was well received at the bar. Daisy said the patrons welcomed him warmly, especially when they found out he was John's father. And he seemed to enjoy it too and on New Year's Day when we had him for dinner he offered his services whenever John needed him. He said he never was one to sit around watching the world go by.
The very next day we hired Frank Buckley who lives just down the lane to be the night bartender. And we offered Eamon the day bartenders job. We worried a full shift, noon until midnight, would be too much for him. And John would always be there during the day if he needed help. Eamon was he will be moving into Sam's old room behind the bar and eat his evening meals with us. I think things will work out well and I'll have my family together at night.
My Best Girl,starring Mary Pickford and Buddy Rogers is playing at our local cinema tomorrow night and John has promised to take me. Daisy and Andy went to see it in Ripon and they really liked it. We don't get out alone very often. I'm really looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I love my children to pieces, but getting out for a night is heaven.
I can hardly hold my eyes open, so I'll end this now.
~Anna Bates
The Anna & Mr Bates Journal is written by Handy-for-the-Bus & Terriejane
Thank you so much for taking the time to read it. Reviews are most appreciated. :)