The Day Before Yesterday: 129 - Pom Pom
...From being a baby, Pauline had clung to a white, cuddly, curly headed dog, she named Pom Pom. He was a poodle, always her favourite toy and often found his way onto the washing line when he looked too scruffy to share her bed....
Gladys Schofield continues her absorbing autobiography.
I sometimes saw Barbara, the friend I had worked with as a mender. She had married a man not far from where she lived and had one son about the age of Susan. Her husband was not a well man, having heart problems. She also had her step mother living with them as she had lost her father. The step mother accompanied them on most of their outings, though only Jack could drive. I was surprised they would travel as far as the seaside because of his health. One day they arrived home and Jack put the car away. Step Mum said "Jack seems to be taking along time.'' He was dead on the garage floor.
I never learned how to drive, it wasn't necessary for me to do so. We only had one car, buses stopped outside our house and ran every ten minutes to town and it was usually safe for the children to travel to school when they got used to the journey, although there was the odd time when this was not so.
Our two youngest girls were playing near the gate, having just arrived from school. Linda was seven. I am not sure how it happened but I saw her running around the back of our house, a large boy after her. He was trying to pin her to the wash house wall and pull her trousers down. Young Pauline was running up the kitchen steps as fast as her little legs would take her, as Linda screamed Mummy, Mummy. I was down the steps in no time, as the lad seeing me took off down our drive, I had no chance to follow him. I had to attend to my child. He hadn't had time to hurt her but we called the police.
Linda when questioned said she knew where he lived. He was known to the police and at thirteen years had been reported before. We didn't press charges because of his age, so I don't know what happened to him. We never saw him again.
Pauline had not been attending school very long and as I waited for them at home time one day, her teacher came out to me saying "Pauline was very clever today, she spelled Robin with a capital R". "Yes" said one of the children, "the teacher lifted her up on top of her desk, to let us all see what a clever girl she was". "They soon pick words like this up in a big family" I said, "they teach each other". She had certainly caused a sensation that day and I pictured my shy little girl standing there on top of the teacher's desk and knew she would have rather hid behind it, than on top of it.
All these little incidents stay with me and form a pattern in my memory. They are something I will never forget.
From being a baby, Pauline had clung to a white, cuddly, curly headed dog, she named Pom Pom. He was a poodle, always her favourite toy and often found his way onto the washing line when he looked too scruffy to share her bed. Linda wanted a bride doll. Teenage dolls were becoming popular, her wish was granted that Christmas, as Susan had got a walking, talking doll the year before and would get very cross if one of her younger sisters touched it. I knew what it was like with younger sisters so I had sympathy for her, as this would be her last doll. I seemed to shower my children with dolls, probably because I had such a problem getting one of my own when I was small.
The bride doll stood about sixteen inches, she was beautiful. She even had long white stockings and high heeled shoes and was completely undressable. Linda took great care of her doll. We got a visit from Jeanette one Saturday. It wasn't often we saw her two little girls, so were pleased and the kiddies had fun together but Linda never forgave one of the girls as she tore her dolls veil and says to this day "That girl tore my bride doll's veil". It's as well she hasn't seen this member of the family for about thirty five years.
