A tall, smartly dressed police officer strode down a squalid street on the Lower East Side. His long, curling moustache complemented his kind features, and as he went past, he tipped his hat to the ladies that stopped and watched him pass by. He was well respected, as he showed others decency and humanity in the way that he acted, and upheld what he thought to be right. Officer Jack O’Malley was a man held with high regard. His tour of duty would find him in one of the toughest environments in the modern world. The slums of New York were amongst the worst imaginable. People were crammed in, and services and sanitation were poor. The slums of London held a mere candle to the misery of the New World. Like Officer O’Malley, all were immigrants. Unlike Officer O’Malley, most did not have his opportunities in life. He well knew this. And it was that knowledge of where he came from that helped him understand the people he was charged with protecting and serving.
After his day was over, he would leave the great city and return to the suburbs, where he and his sister were raised. As he did most afternoons, he stopped off at one of the area’s finest dressmakers. It was more than any other dress shop. It was K. O’Malley’s boutique. A dress shop for the wealthiest women of New York and New Jersey.
Officer O’Malley entered his sister’s boutique and was instantly welcomed by a young shop assistant who swooned over him. The shop assistant was quickly ordered into her place by a stern female voice from the back room. As the assistant darted off to busy herself, a glamorous and prim lady stepped out into the front of house. She glared at Jack, before raising a smile.
“Please, Jack,” she said. “Leave my girls to get on with their work. They don’t need you as a distraction.”
Jack stood there, beaming at his sister. “What can I do? The ladies love a man in a uniform.”
“Take it off then,” she replied.
Jack raised his eyebrows. How would Kate react if he did take his uniform off in her well to do shop? She would not be smiling, that was for sure. Jack wandered over and sat himself down at one of the parlour tables. It was a daily routine for him to stop and get a drink of tea on his way home. A hot tea in the winter, and an iced tea in the summer. He was a creature of habit, and the tea would be ready for him at precisely four o’clock each day. The presence of a police officer was also welcomed in the area at such a time, as the daily cash up would, at least, be overseen. Of course, Officer O’Malley’s tea would take priority. Jack placed his feet up onto one of the counters, and without a mention, they were quickly swept back down to the floor by Kate. She kept a tidy business and Jack was expected to remain a tidy feature within it when he was there. One of the shop assistants brought through his iced tea, and a newspaper was also placed square on the counter next to him. He sat back and read his paper and sipped at his glass of tea.
He peeked over the top of his paper at Kate, who was putting the finishing touches to one of her gowns.
“How is Sidney?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“And the girls?”
“Fine.”
“I will come and visit the house soon. I haven’t seen my two lovely nieces for a while. Are you going to invite me for supper sometime?”
“You are always welcome over,” said Kate, scowling at her older brother. “Are you going to bring a lady this time?”
Jack returned to his newspaper. His sister had been pestering him to settle down and start a family for a long time. She had done so, and expected him to do so as well. Jack was career driven, but his main concern was that he always feared he would become his father. When he looked in the mirror, he saw his father looking back at him. He didn’t want his children to hate him the way that he hated his parents.
Kate remember something. She trotted off into the back room and came out with a handful of papers. She brought them over and dropped them off onto the counter next to Jack. He picked them up and rifled through them. There were a couple of letters and two newspapers. The letters were from their aunty Mary, back in England, who had looked after them when times got hard. The newspapers were local papers from Upminster.
“Mary sent them to me.” said Kate. “Keeping us up to date with our old home town. It’s a nice idea, although I know we would never dream of going back. I certainly do not miss that place.”
Jack read the letters. He didn’t miss Upminster either, and would most certainly not want to return. But Mary had been very kind to them when they were young. She was a gentle woman who was blessed with a natural motherly touch. She was the only one that had given them any insight into how parents should care for their offspring. That is until they met the O’Malleys. Jack missed Mary, and her two sons. There were a few people back in England that they missed, and so it was nice to read about what they were all up to. After perusing the letters, Jack flipped open one of the Upminster papers. The headline read ‘MAYOR FOUND DEAD IN MANSION GARDENS’. Jack had no interest in the story. Murder was far too common on the Lower East Side. He would happily distance himself from such talk, as he would no doubt be lumbered with something equally as unpleasant the following day when he got to work. He thumbed through the pages until he got to a half page story that was illustrated with a large picture of a funny looking old man. He caught Jack’s eye, and for some reason seemed familiar. Perhaps he was. Jack had lived in Upminster for over thirteen years. He knew a lot of people there. In fact, he had probably forgotten more people then he could remember. He read the article. It was about a man who had opened a new orphanage in Upminster. The article said that he already owned a retirement home and a sanatorium. The orphanage would be the greatest advancement to the treatment of idleness and correction of the poor youth in the area. Well, that was what the journalist writing the article thought.
Jack finished his tea. He tidied his reading materials away and kissed his sister goodbye. He would return tomorrow at the same time. He left the boutique and strode off down the tree lined sidewalk on his way home. His mind wandered back to England and the family and friends he had left behind. He was happy that he had left, but these thoughts were never far away.
The next few days were routine. Jack worked, then visited his sister, then returned to his empty apartment, alone. His life was set out in front of him.