The Woolworths Girls Read Online Free Page B

does me head in with all her gossiping. That’s why I wanna job. Get a few bob under our belts so me and the old man can rent our own place before the nippers come along.’
    Freda’s eyes opened wide and she blushed. ‘You’re expecting?’
    ‘Gawd love you. No, not yet, but the way me and the husband are practising, it won’t be long.’
    Sarah didn’t know where to put her eyes. She didn’t wish to insult Maisie by pointing out that she’d never heard people talk like that before. She was so embarrassed. ‘A baby would be lovely,’ was all she could think to reply.
    Maisie looked pointedly at the two girls. ‘So, what do you think?’
    Sarah gasped. Did Maisie want her to comment on her plans to start a family? Her mother had never spoken about such things. Sarah didn’t know what to say or where to look.
    Maisie looked hurt. ‘Well, either you both want some new clothes or not. It don’t bother me none.’
    Sarah felt a wave of relief wash over her. ‘Oh, clothes. Yes, it would be lovely. How about you, Freda?’
    ‘I’d love to say yes, but once I’ve paid my rent, I won’t have much money left to spend on myself. Thank you for the offer, but I’d better say no.’ Freda looked wistfully at Maisie’s smart coat, which had been slung casually over the back of her chair.
    ‘I don’t take no for an answer, my girl. It’ll hardly cost a penny to get you some new clobber on yer back. See this coat?’ Both girls nodded as Maisie took hold of the smart tweed coat and waved it at them. ‘Well, I made it from a man’s overcoat I picked up at a jumble sale. Do you think I’ve got money to waste buying expensive cloth like this? I unpicked all the seams and copied a style I’d seen on some actress on Pathé News at the flicks.’
    Sarah ran her fingers over the fabric and sighed. ‘But we’ve only known each other for five minutes.’
    Maisie snorted. ‘Love, we’re gonna be spending a lot of time in each other’s company if we get these jobs, so we might as well get along. My way of doing it is to make clothes and be a shoulder to cry on when it’s needed. What do you say?’
    Sarah nodded enthusiastically. She liked Maisie’s down-to-earth attitude. The thought of having ready-made friends to work with sounded wonderful.
    Freda looked pleased as well. ‘I’d like to be your friend too. Both of you. I’ve not really had any proper friends before. My stepfather didn’t like it.’
    Sarah wondered again why Freda had left home. She had worked out from the application form that she was only seventeen. She felt there must be a reason, and it probably wasn’t a good one. ‘Friends it is, then, but we’d better finish answering these questions or we won’t even be offered a job.’
    The girls bent back over the papers in front of them, deep in thought as they checked that every question had been answered, oblivious to what was going on around them in the busy canteen.
    ‘Hello, ladies. How did your interviews go?’
    Sarah looked up to see Alan close to her chair. ‘We haven’t finished yet. We still have to finish the arithmetic test. I don’t suppose a trainee manager has to do such things?’ she added cheekily.
    ‘That and much more,’ Alan said seriously. ‘We have to learn every aspect of Woolworths if we want to advance to management level.’
    ‘That’s what you want?’ Sarah asked, looking at his earnest face. Alan might like a laugh and a joke, but he also seemed to be serious about his work. Her dad would approve of him.
    ‘We’ve all got our dreams, Sixpenny,’ he said, looking into her eyes as if his plans included her. ‘Can I get you girls a cuppa while I’m here?’ Alan offered, bringing Sarah back to earth with a bump. She’d only met Alan less than an hour ago and already he had her dreaming.
    By the time Miss Billington returned to the canteen, the girls had completed the long list of questions. Sarah chewed her lip nervously, wondering if she had given