Southend U3A

The Box - Mavis Sipple

July 2011

'Oh hell' Serves me right for trying to carry too many things at once, it would have to be mother's box. The writing box had been her mother's most cherished possesson . . . so Jan was shocked when she accidentally dropped it, even more shocked to find she had broken it. A piece of polished wood had dislodged itself from the inside front of the box; as she tried to fit it back into place Jan saw the secret drawer. Excitedly she opened the tiny drawer; inside was a folded piece of paper - it was a marriage certificate. The marriage between John Williams and Alice Cooper. It was later in the day when she realised: Alice Cooper - that was her mother's maiden name. How odd. Alice Cooper and John Williams? Surely it must be a mistake. Had her father changed his name?

Still puzzeling over the certificate she rang Auntie Jean and arranged to go round for a coffee and a chat. Jean was reluctant to talk about Alice's marriage, until Jan showed her the certificate. Alice had been nineteen, and engaged to Brian Gray, a rather staid bank clerk. But as her parents pointed out, a good steady job, safe as houses.

Jean and Alice had been on the wild side; their strict presbytarian upbringing had forced then into bending the truth a little about their excursions into what their parents considered the fleshpots of Southend, like the Kursaal Ballroom, the Gliderdrome Skating Rink and, worst of all, the Coffee Bars.

It was one Sunday they had taken a trip on the Royal Daffodil, from the end of the pier, to Calais. They had never been abroad and this was a great adventure. It wasn't long before the girls were joined by two young men, John and Tim. Alice had immediatly fallen for John; she said later that it was like meeting her other half. They spent the day wandering around Calais; Calais was exciting and very French. They ended up in the little fun fair, eating pomme frittes from a cardboard cup. By the time they returned to the boat, they were tired and cold; they sat in the lounge, drinking coffee. It wasn't long before Alice and John were asleep in each others arms. Alice swore her to secrecy; no one, especially Brian, was to hear about the mad affair. Six weeks later, Alice disappeared, leaving a note not to worry about her. She was with John. Deeply shocked, their parents told everyone Alice had gone to Sheffield to look after her Grandmother who had broken her arm. 'She'll be back,' her dad said, and it turned out he was right.

As suddenly as she had gone, she returned. She refused to talk about where she had been. Her first thought had been to see Brian. Brian had been hurt and confused at her lack of communication but, as she pointed out, Gran had no phone and she hadn't written because she expected to be back any day. She couldn't wait to see him and get married as soon as possible, Brian was delighted and the wedding took place at the Register Office three weeks later.

Alice and Brian settled down in their new home, bought with a low mortgage courtesy of the bank. Soon Alice was born. Followed by Jean and then Robert.

It was years later that Alice confided in her sister that her conscience had been troubling her; she had secretly married John Williams, and she had been truly happy until one day a strange woman turned up a the house, claiming to be John's wife. Alice had packed her few possessions and fled back home and to steady reliable Brian. Auntie Jean finished talking, relieved to have told someone at last.

Jan was stunned. So, her beloved mother was a bigamist. Her adored father was . . . well, was he her father? Auntie Jean didn't know. But Jan realised something she had often wondered about: Why did she have curly hair and brown eyes when her brother and sister had straight hair and blue eyes? Why was she a dreamer and they so practical.

Who was she? Was John her father? Where was he? Should she start to find him? Did he even know about her?