CHAPTER SEVEN

THE CINEMA

This next incident happened in the same year that my mother had lost her temper with that ignorant man at the evacuee centre. This took place about three months after that fracas.

I had been off school with measles. My mother had said that when I was better, before she let me go back to school that she would take me to the pictures to see Pinocchio. I was quite excited about this because it was a rarity for my mother to do anything like that.

The day dawned when this wonderful event was to happen. My mother said that before we went in the pictures she would purchase the rations of two of the family and get the other two lots at the weekend. This was because by this time my sister had come from London to live with us. The family consisted of my brother, sister, mother and myself. My eldest brother had been sent to Burma with the RAF and my father was still living in London working on the docks. We duly went in and got the rations that included a tin of Spam and two fresh eggs, two portions of cheese, lard and butter. Nothing that would go sour during the time we would be in the “Empire” cinema.

We got in and waited for the lights to dim before the film started. I was on the edge of my seat because I was SO excited about seeing Pinocchio. It had been out since 1940 and it was in Technicolor so it would be a real treat for me to see. If I remember rightly it was 1s/6d or 12 and a half pence for adults and 9d or about 7p for children. The lights finally dimmed and I was all pent up to watch this wonderful film. It got started and about 20 minutes had gone by but I was feeling extremely uneasy about my mother. She did not seem to be paying much attention to the screen but looking down the row in the gloom of the cinema. I tried to see what it was she was looking at and all I could make out was a large gentleman sitting with a little girl next to him holding his Bowler hat on his lap. My mother told me to pay attention to the film. Once again I got engrossed with the film but suddenly my mother jumped up and, raising the bag with the rations in, she clouted the bloke across his head saying at the same time "I've been watching you. You dirty git. I'll give you something to remember me by and you wont be doing that again."

OH MY GAWD! Pandemonium broke out. The lights went up, the manager was running down to see what was going off. The bloke who had been clouted with my mother's bag was clutching at the stars that surrounded his brain after the force of the bag and contents had knocked him nearly senseless.
He was so stupefied he sat there with his manhood hanging out. I was fascinated looking at it. I had never seen anything like it and thought it was some sort of sausage. I laugh at my own naivety now and when I think of today's 12 year olds. They are a different breed entirely and know exactly what it is all about. They know more about sex now than I did at 20yrs of age and pregnant with my son.

From what I could gather he had done this sort of thing before and got little girls to hold it for him under the pretence of getting them into the pictures. Once again we finished up at the cop shop but this time my mother was being praised for catching him in the act because the police had been warned to be on the lookout for him.

The tin of Spam was bent out of shape SO much it took ages to try and undo it and the two eggs were smashed to smithereens all over the small portions of butter, lard and cheese. Once again my mother's temper had been a source of my embarrassment. To crown it all ( pun ) when the bloke said that my mother had hit him and he was going to have her for assault. The policeman said quite seriously, although he knew my mother had hit him deliberately, "Oooh I don't think we can charge anyone for dropping a bag on your head it was an accident"!!!!!!!!! Once more my mother had got away with it.

I never saw that picture all through until I had my granddaughter. Funnily enough every time I went to see a Disney film something happened that I never managed to see the lot. Its only since my granddaughter came on the scene that I have managed to see every Walt Disney film in the full.

As I have said, my mother had a terrible temper but she was also a very gentle type of person in many respects. She would help anyone but anything that she thought was wrong she soon put right in her own fiery way. She was a very complex personality. As well as having a vicious temper she was extremely superstitious. I think most people will know the sort of things I mean.

This poem depicts my mother exactly with all her superstitions.

SUPERSTITIONS
Are people superstitious today as my mother was years ago?
Like bringing lilac in the house, this could bring much woe
Not to wash on Good Friday or Xmas and New Year’s Day
Because this was bad luck for family, and would wash a member away.

Number 13 was unlucky and 666 was taboo
This is the devil’s personal number and he would come looking for you,
Never put new shoes on the table or pass anyone on the stair
Something unpleasant would happen, do it if you dare.

Crossed knives meant an argument and one magpie something sad
Don’t walk under a ladder, spilling salt was also bad,
Breaking a mirror means seven years bad luck for all the family
My mother with all of her sayings tried to put the fear of God in me.

Seven is supposed to be lucky, good fortune is on its way
And to have a black cat cross your path, it could be your lucky day.
I grew up with these superstitions pushed into my head
It’s a good job I ignored a lot of what my mother said

So anyone who believes in all this think hard before you speak
Because to someone who is nervous these sayings can make life bleak!.

 

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