The Woolworths Girls

by Elaine Everest

  Dear Freda,

  It’s your brother, Lenny. I know I’ve not kept in touch, but it’s been hard what with them still looking for me since I skipped out of prison. Freda, I’m not staying there when I ain’t done nothing wrong, and especially when I know it was Tommy’s gang that did the robbery and shot the night guard at the warehouse.

  Freda shuddered. She could remember well the day that the police barged into their house and took Lenny away. He professed his innocence, but it was only Freda who believed him. Their stepfather didn’t want them in the house anyway, so he was glad to see her brother go to prison. It was one less mouth to feed and more money to spend in the boozer. Freda’s mother had turned away when she asked her for help to free Lenny. Even to tell a small lie and say he was home the night of the robbery. Since their stepfather had placed his foot over their threshold, no one had dared question him, and that included Freda’s mum. She sighed. Lenny was no lily-white, innocent kid, and getting in with the wrong crowd had not helped. That Tommy Whiffen was a bad lot, and once he had Lenny under his spell, throwing him a few quid to run errands and deliver knocked-off goods, he was as good as guilty.

  Her silly brother had kept quiet and carried the can for what happened that night at the warehouse. He was in too deep once he was told that a man had been shot.

  It’s like this, Freda. Tommy knows you’ve moved south and he thinks you know where I’m hiding. You need to move from your digs and change your job to be on the safe side. I’d say go back home, but the old man would dob you in to Tommy for the price of a pint.

  I’m all right. I’m lodging with a bloke who was inside when I first got banged up and offered me a bed if I ever needed one. I’m picking up a bit of work as well, so I’m keeping me head above water. It’s best you don’t know where I am in case Tommy finds you. Once Tommy gets caught and people know the truth, then we will be safe. Until then, Freda, keep yer eyes peeled and I’ll not be far away.

  Lenny

  Freda folded the letter and hid it away in her handbag. She was glad that Lenny was safe, but by escaping from prison, he had made things so much worse. It was time to leave Woolworths and possibly change her lodgings so she would be safe. First, she would leave Woolworths. It was time to disappear among the hundreds of workers at Burndept’s. If she remained safe, then Lenny was safe too.

  19

  Sarah stared into her cup of tea. It was almost four months since Christmas and her worst fears had been confirmed that very morning. In the staff canteen, Maureen was humming happily to herself as she served the Woolworths staff their mid-morning refreshments. At least someone was happy with the news, Sarah thought to herself.

  ‘You poor girl, you look dreadful,’ Betty declared, sitting beside Sarah in the canteen. ‘I think you should go home and go to bed. I don’t want one of my most devoted staff members working herself into the ground.’ Betty looked at Sarah’s white face. She looked so drawn. ‘What did the doctor say?’

  ‘I’ll be fine when I’ve had this cup of tea, Betty. Then I’ll get working on the stock sheets you gave me yesterday afternoon. I should have finished them by now.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing. I want you to go home and put yourself to bed. You look as white as a sheet.’

  ‘Here you go, my love.’ Maureen slid a plate of dry toast in front of her daughter-in-law. ‘Get that inside you and you’ll feel as right as nine pence in no time. I was the same when I was carrying my Alan. It won’t be for long and then you’ll be blooming.’ She touched Sarah gently on the shoulder. ‘Alan will be that excited when you tell him.’ She returned to her duties, a broad smile on her face.

  Betty’s face was a picture. Sarah wanted to laugh, but it really wouldn’t be the done thing to laugh at her boss in public, even if they were good friends. She nibbled on a piece of the toast instead.

  ‘Oh my. You’re . . . ?’

  Sarah nodded her head. ‘Yes, I’m expecting a baby.’

  Betty pulled herself together and grinned. She shouldn’t automatically be thinking of her staff rotas when Sarah had such exciting news to share, but if truth be known, she had no idea how she would cope without her right-hand woman. ‘That is splendid news. When can we expect to welcome Master or Miss Gilbert into the world?’

  Sarah smiled weakly. ‘Thank you, Betty. My doctor told me it would be around 18 September. It’s rather a shock. I still can’t take it all in.’

  ‘I’m sure you can’t. Why, you only visited the doctor this morning.’

  ‘It was good of you to let me come into work late.’

  Betty dismissed Sarah’s comment with a wave of her hand. ‘Nonsense. You were that pale yesterday I thought it was the start of something serious. Never in a million years did I expect such wonderful news. Now, who have you told apart from Maureen?’

  ‘No one else knows. Apart from you, that is.’

  ‘Well, I think it would be a good idea to take the rest of the day off and let your nan and your parents know before your secret leaks out. Maureen has that broad a smile on her face that everyone she meets is going to guess before too long.’

  ‘Betty, it’s nice of you to be so generous, but I have work to do. I can write to Alan and my parents this evening. I’m going to Nan’s for my dinner tonight, as Maureen is off to her WI meeting, so I can tell her then. I must complete those stock sheet calculations or we will have head office down on us like a ton of bricks.’

  ‘That paperwork can wait. You must go home and rest.’ Betty was insistent.

  ‘Then let me take the work home with me, please? I’ll be at Nan’s house and she won’t let me overdo things.’

  Betty sighed. She admired Sarah’s strength of character but knew she shouldn’t really put upon the girl. Especially now she was expecting a child. She knew that they should be planning her leave from work, not piling more onto the poor girl. ‘Well, if you’re sure, but I won’t have you carrying that paperwork, even though Ruby’s house is only a couple of streets away.’ She gazed around the staffroom and spied Maisie entering and heading towards the counter. She beckoned. ‘Maisie, can you spare me a moment, please?’

  Maisie approached the table with a frown on her face. Betty Billington usually conducted her work in her office, not in the open staffroom. Then she saw Sarah and exclaimed at her pale face. ‘Gawd, Sarah, you look a right sight, there’s no mistake. What’s wrong, ducks?’ She pulled out a chair and sat next to her friend, taking her hand.

  Sarah put her finger to her lips. She didn’t want her friend to draw attention to her, and she didn’t wish to have to tell Maisie such a private piece of information here in the staffroom. Maisie was a good friend and it was only proper that she gave her the news of the baby in the right way.

  Betty could see that Sarah was disturbed at having her news announced within earshot of colleagues. ‘Sarah is feeling a little peaky. I would like you to accompany her to Mrs Caselton’s house and carry her bag. Take as much time as you require. Please do not rush back until you are sure Sarah is settled.’ Betty raised her eyebrows, indicating that Maisie should do as she was told and not make a discussion out of the request.

  Maisie linked her arm through Sarah’s as they left Woolworths. ‘So when is it due?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The baby. I ain’t daft, you know. I can spot the signs even though I’ve not had one of me own yet.’

  ‘Oh, Maisie, I’m so sorry. I know how much you’ve longed for a home of your own as well as a child, and here I am newly married and a baby on the way. It seems so unfair, what with your Joe away goodness knows where and all.’

  Maisie squeezed Sarah’s arm. She would never tell her friend that she was green with envy: her friend’s wellbeing came first. ‘Your Alan’s away as well, so we’re both in the same boat as far as absent hubbies are concerned. So don’t you worry about me. All I can say is that my lack of kiddies ain’t for the want of trying. As soon as Joe’s back, I’ll be doing me damnedest to catch you up, I can tel
l you. For now, I want to share every minute of your pregnancy, and that includes the shopping. This little baby is going to have a doting Aunty Maisie who will spoil it to bits. Let’s plan a trip to Hedley Mitchell when Freda is free so we can look at prams and cots.’

  Sarah wasn’t fooled for one minute. She recalled one of their first conversations, in which Maisie had declared her yearning for a child. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair. ‘I promise you will be fed up with baby talk by the time this child arrives. As for buying a pram, I do believe it’s bad luck to have one in the house before the baby is born. But there’s no reason why we can’t go shopping and take a closer look, is there?’

  ‘Now, can you get in touch with Alan to give him the good news?’

  ‘I’m going to write to him today. There was no point in doing so before I was sure. It’s not like he can come rushing home.’

  ‘Nah. Men aren’t that good at times like this anyway. Apart from some back-slapping and ’anding out of cigars after the birth, they can’t do much.’

  Sarah smiled to herself. Maisie did have a point, but she liked to believe her Alan would be a little more involved. She could imagine him proudly pushing the pram when they walked through the town, stopping to chat to friends and showing off his child. They would take a picnic and go up to the recreation ground or walk down to the riverfront on sunny days. They would be a proper family. However, he’d been so distant on his last leave this past Christmas that perhaps she didn’t know the man she married as well as she thought. Only time would tell if he was pleased that the family they’d discussed on their honeymoon had started to become a reality. She crossed her fingers, silently praying that all would be well.

  ‘Now, let’s get you settled on the sofa. Put your feet up and I’ll make you a nice cup of tea. It was good of Maisie to walk you round. Did you discuss your leaving dates with that nice Miss Billington?’

  ‘Nan, I’m not four months gone yet. Please don’t fuss. I feel fine, and I have some work to do. After an afternoon’s rest I’ll be well enough to go back to work tomorrow. A cup of tea would be lovely, though.’

  Ruby stood, hands on hips, watching her granddaughter. Sarah did look a little peaky, but she came from good stock, and as she was quick to point out to anyone who would listen, the Caselton women never had a problem carrying a child or rearing them. However, she wasn’t sure that Sarah should go back to work so soon. ‘You won’t be fit for man or beast if you go rushing back to Woolworths too soon, my girl. That boss of yours is female, so she knows that at times like this a woman should be at home and not working. You’ve only got a few weeks until you pack up work for good, so no need to even be worrying about it.’

  Sarah sighed. She felt such a fraud to be putting her feet up and taking it easy when there was a war on and women were doing men’s jobs. Why, Freda was holding down a manual job and working long shifts at Burndept’s. It had been a shock when she announced just after Christmas that she was leaving Woolies and doing her bit for the war effort by working in a factory. What puzzled Sarah, although she didn’t like to mention it to her family and friends, was that Freda had asked to move back to number thirteen and was now sharing the large front bedroom with Maisie. Although the two girls protested loudly, Ruby insisted on moving into the smaller back bedroom, leaving the third room free for when George was staying over. The excuse for Freda leaving her comfortable lodgings had been that she didn’t like to be coming and going at ungodly hours due to her shift work. Sarah hadn’t liked to mention that Freda had her own entrance door to her rooms so wouldn’t be bothering her landlady. Ruby had been thrilled to have Freda back in the nest, and it didn’t seem right to question the young girl’s sudden decision not only to move from a job she loved but also to leave lodgings that she had made into a comfortable home over the past year. No doubt Freda would explain what she was up to when she was ready.

  Sarah took the welcome cup of tea from her nan. ‘Ta, Nan.’ She sipped the hot brew thoughtfully. ‘Nan, I’ve been thinking. What with the war and all, do you think I’d be doing the right thing by working as long as I can before the baby comes along? We are so short-staffed at the moment. A lot of my work is in the office these days, so it’s not as if I’m doing any heavy lifting or anything.’

  Ruby sat on the edge of the sofa and rubbed Sarah’s ankles as she thought about what to say. ‘Hmm. It’s usual for women not to work after six months, but as long as you feel all right, you might as well be sitting in the office as sitting at home, I suppose. See what Miss Billington has to say about it first, but perhaps don’t mention it to your mother. We don’t want her up here fussing over nothing. Which reminds me – don’t forget to let her know about the baby or there’ll be all hell let loose if she finds out after everyone else.’

  ‘I’m going to write a letter as soon as I’ve finished adding up these stock sheets for Betty. I can post it along with Alan’s letter when I walk back to Maureen’s house later on. I do wish I still lived here with you, but it wouldn’t be fair to leave Maureen all alone. She worries about being bombed when she’s on her own.’

  ‘I’d feel the same way if I was in her shoes. You know you are welcome anytime you want to stay over – and bring Maureen with you too. After all, she’s family now. And if you want to put a few hours in at Woolies once the nipper comes along, you can leave him or her with me if you like.’

  ‘Oh, Nan, that would be lovely. Thank you. I don’t want to appear to be a bad mother leaving the baby when it’s so young, but the money would be handy, as I can put a bit by for when we have our own home.’

  ‘You just concentrate on getting the roses back in your cheeks and we can talk about all of this later. It’ll be grand to have a baby to spoil. Your aunt Pat’s brood are growing up far too quickly. Not that I see much of them these days, what with them being evacuated to Wales. Did I tell you that Pat is thinking of bringing them back? Seems young Eric is homesick and Pat is missing them something awful.’

  Sarah placed her hand on her stomach and rubbed it protectively. ‘I can understand how she feels, but will it be safe having them back? Wales is a long way away and they must be safer there. Can’t Aunt Pat stay with them?’

  ‘No, she’s needed on the farm. Don’t forget that they live in a tied cottage and if they aren’t both working, the farmer could hand it over to someone else. By all accounts, he is already talking about getting some extra help now that they’ve had instructions to up production. I’ll have a word with her and tell her it’s best those kids stay where they are. I’ve got a feeling in me water that this war’s about to kick off good and proper before too long and we don’t want anything to ’appen to those youngsters.’

  Sarah nodded. When her nan had one of her feelings, it was best to take notice. She wasn’t often wrong.

  ‘Betty, I’m just popping down to the shop floor to help Maisie with the staff training. Some of the new staff aren’t taking the fire drill nearly as seriously as they should. I’m worried they won’t know what to do if they are left alone on fire duty.’

  Betty looked up from her ledger and peered absentmindedly over her spectacles. ‘Would you like me to come with you, Sarah?’

  ‘I can manage, Betty. I wouldn’t like to take you away from your important numbers,’ she laughed.

  Betty stretched. ‘I could do with a break. I’m almost seeing double peering at these columns of figures. Since Mr Benfield was moved to another store, all I seem to do is look at lists of numbers and write reports. I don’t know how he managed it all, and he also used to be on the shop floor so much. The man was a marvel.’

  ‘And so are you, Betty. There aren’t many women who can say they hold the position of manager at Woolworths.’

  ‘Temporary stand-in manager, Sarah. We are only holding the fort until the menfolk are back from fighting this awful war.’

  Sarah nodded. Only the day before, she had spent her lunch hour with Maisie down by the riverfront eating their sandwiches and feeling the l
ate-May sun on their faces. It had been good to get away from the store for a while. What had surprised them was the number of small craft sailing downriver towards the estuary. There were more than usual, and they were in some kind of formation. She felt a familiar shudder run down her spine, but then couldn’t help but smile to herself as she thought of Ruby having a feeling in her water of things afoot too.

  Betty and Sarah had just reached the shop floor when they were aware of someone hammering on the locked shop door. ‘My goodness, whoever can that be? Surely they can read the sign that says we open late on Tuesdays for staff training and fire drill,’ Betty muttered as she rushed towards the door before the glass pane was shattered.

  She was still pulling the door open when she was almost knocked to the floor by an agitated woman rushing in. ‘Where is she? Where is the murdering cow?’

  Betty tried to catch up with the woman as she ploughed her way through the bemused staff who were lined up in front of Maisie as she demonstrated how to use a stirrup pump.

  ‘There you are. I might have known I’d find you flaunting yourself in front of a crowd. You’re no better than you ought to be!’ The woman stopped in front of Maisie, a wild look in her eye. Steel-grey hair flew out behind her, escaping from a bun, and her coat hung from her shoulders. She wore threadbare indoor slippers on her feet.

  Sarah had managed to reach Maisie, while Betty had opened the shop door. ‘Maisie, is that your mother-in-law?’