Sadie Was A Lady (13 page)

Sadie had her foot on the shop step when she had a change of heart and went back to looking in the window. All the girls in work wore lipstick but she’d never used it in her life. And Monday was her birthday, she was going on the ferry with Harry. She really wanted to look grown up for that. Oh, dear, what to do? Then with a determined step she entered the shop. The soap was more essential. And anyway, if it was scented she would smell nice.

‘Can I have a penny comb, please?’

‘What colour would yer like, love?’ asked the assistant. ‘Black, white, red or blue?’

Sadie lowered her head as she considered the options
and
there in front of her on the counter was a wicker bowl containing tubes of lipstick. And a sign attached to the bowl read
Lipstick … all colours … 3d
. They can’t be much good, Sadie thought, because even in Woolies a tube of lipstick costs sixpence. She looked at the waiting assistant who was moving from one foot to the other, a bored look on her thin pale face. ‘I’ll have a blue comb, please. And can yer tell me how much a bar of scented soap costs?’

The girl turned to slip a comb out of the card hanging on the wall behind her. ‘All prices from tuppence to sixpence.’

‘Do the tuppenny ones have a nice smell?’ When the woman nodded, Sadie said, ‘Yer see, I’ve only got sixpence on me and I was just looking at these lipsticks. They’re very cheap, aren’t they?’

‘Yeah, they’re a good buy. Me boss is having a clear-out of old stock, that’s why they’re so cheap. There’s nowt wrong with them – I’ve bought two meself.’

Sadie felt like rounding the counter and giving the girl a hug. ‘I’ll have a tuppenny bar of soap and a lipstick then.’

The assistant grinned. ‘White or pink soap?’

‘Pink please, to make the boys wink.’

The woman pulled a bag free of the string it was hanging on behind the counter. She put the comb in, then passed a bar of pink soap over to Sadie to smell before putting it in the bag with the comb. ‘Now what colour lipstick d’yer wear?’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ Sadie said truthfully. ‘I’ve never had a lipstick before.’

‘There’s not many shades to choose from, but there’s a pale pink one that would just suit your colouring. Here, I’ll get one for you.’ The assistant came to the front of the counter. She picked two tubes out of the bowl and took the tops off. ‘This bright red one wouldn’t suit yer at all, it’s too showy. But this pink one, now I think it’s ideal for yer.’

Sadie left the shop feeling as though she was walking
on
air. She’d got the three things she wanted and still had Mary Ann’s sixpence. It was by sheer chance she chose that shop to go in, and wasn’t she lucky?

The smile was still on her face when she got to Mary Ann’s stall. It was busy as usual, and the stall-holder was serving two customers at the same time. Sadie crept up quietly behind her, put her arms around her waist and lifted her up before beginning to sing.

   ‘
Oh, we ain’t got a barrel of money
,

   
Maybe we’re ragged and funny
,

   
But we’ll travel along
,

   
Singing this song
,

   
Side by side
.’

One by one the customers joined in, linking arms and swaying as the market rang with the sound of happy, laughing songsters.

‘In the name of God, girl, what’s got into yer?’ Mary Ann struggled to find a foothold. ‘If I didn’t know better I’d think yer’d been on the ale.’

‘Oh, don’t be such a misery guts, Mary Ann!’ a woman shouted. ‘I enjoyed that, I did. And the bleedin’ song’s right! We
ain’t
got a barrel of money, and some of us are ragged an’ funny, but we can still bleedin’ enjoy ourselves.’

Mary Ann grinned at the woman. ‘Have yer been goin’ to night school, Fanny? I’ve never heard yer string one sentence together before, never mind six.’

‘Ho bleedin’ ho!’ Fanny folded her arms and hitched up her bosom. ‘Listen to brain box talkin’. I bet yer any money yer can’t spell encyclopedia.’

‘Can you?’ Mary Ann asked.

‘It’s me what asked the question, Mary Ann, so don’t be tryin’ to wriggle out of it. It doesn’t make no difference whether I can spell it or not.’

‘It does to me, Fanny.’

‘Oh, come off it, yer silly sod. Yer can either spell it or yer can’t.’

‘Well, it’s like this, Fanny.’ Mary Ann gave Sadie’s arm
a
squeeze. ‘If you can spell it, then I can’t. But if you can’t, then I can!’

‘In the name of God will yer listen to the woman!’ Fanny tutted. ‘Yer only doin’ this to confuse me, Mary Ann, but I’m not goin’ to let yer.’

Mary Ann was shaking inside with laughter. ‘I’ll tell yer what, Fanny, an’ this is fair. You spell it first an’ then I’ll spell it after yer. Yer see, I don’t think yer can do it.’

‘Oh, that’s where yer wrong, Mary Ann, ’cos I can spell it.’

‘Okay, Fanny, I’ll give yer two bob if yer spell it for us.’

The woman standing next to Fanny gave her a dig in the ribs. ‘Oo, er, Fanny! Two bob! Quick, take her up on it before she changes her mind.’

Fanny was lumbered but she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. After all, nobody could spell encyclopedia so they wouldn’t know if she got it right or wrong. ‘It’s E N S I K L …’

A man in the crowd tapped her on the shoulder. ‘That’s not right, madam. There’s no S or K in encyclopedia.’

‘Who the hell are you!’ Fanny’s face was red as she fought down the urge to pull his trilby hat down over his ears. ‘An’ who asked yer to stick yer nose in where it’s not wanted?’

‘I was only trying to help,’ said the well-dressed man. ‘I didn’t mean to offend.’

Mary Ann the peacemaker held up her hand. ‘Excuse me, sir, but I don’t think you come to the market very often so you won’t know that Fanny and I go through a funny ten minutes every week. It gives us all a laugh and no harm done.’

The man raised his hat to Fanny. ‘Madam, I apologise for spoiling what was a very funny episode. Please accept my apologies.’

Fanny had never been spoken to so politely in her life and didn’t know whether to kiss him or thump him one. In the end she gave him her best smile. ‘Apology accepted, sir.’

Sadie lifted the sixpence up to show Mary Ann before
she
slipped it into her apron pocket. ‘Can I put this bag in yer special box, Mary Ann? Then I’ll serve a few people for yer.’

‘Hey! Come back here an’ tell us what yer were so happy about!’

Sadie put on a stern look and wagged a stiffened finger. ‘Business before pleasure. I’ll tell yer when trade slackens off. Right now I can see at least a dozen people waitin’ to be served … enough to keep your feller in ciggies for a week.’

Mary Ann went back to Fanny with a smile on her face. ‘Cheeky little monkey she is, but I’m beginnin’ to love the bones of her.’

‘She seems a good kid, even if she nearly did start a flamin’ war by singin’ that song.’ Fanny leaned over the counter and lowered her voice, ‘Mary Ann, just out of curiosity, an’ between me an’ you, can yer really spell encyclopedia?’

‘Sod off will yer, Fanny! I never got any further than C A T, cat, at school. And since this is just between ourselves, out of curiosity, like, are yer goin’ to buy that bleedin’ blouse yer’ve been waving about for the last half-hour? Yer’ve had more wear out of it than the ruddy owner ever did!’

Fanny tittered. ‘Yeah, I’ll mug meself seein’ as it’s only tuppence.’

‘Blimey! Pricing me goods for me now, are yer?’ Mary Ann held her hand out and took the two pennies. She slipped them into her pocket as she asked in a casual voice, ‘Did yer say it was for yerself, Fanny?’

Fanny preened. ‘Yeah, it’ll go nice with me navy skirt.’

Mary Ann eyed the mountainous bosom and sighed. ‘I’ll tell yer what, Fanny, I always think of meself as bein’ an optimistic person, but I’m not in the meg specks compared to you. If you think yer’ll get into that blouse then yer the most optimistic person I’ve ever met.’

Fanny got on her high horse. ‘Of course I’ll get into it! Anyone would think I was the size of a house to hear you talk.’

‘Have yer got a magic wand at home, Fanny? ’Cos that’s the only way yer’ll get into it … that or with the help of a shoe-horn.’

Fanny held the pink blouse aloft. ‘I bet yer I’ll get into that with no trouble at all.’

Mary Ann let out a deep pretend sigh. ‘Yer must have a very sharp bread-knife at home then.’

Fanny lowered the blouse, her brow creased in a frown. ‘What the hell’s a bread-knife got to do with the ruddy thing?’

‘ ’Cos the only way that blouse will go near yer is if yer cut off those bleedin’ big things that stick out in front of yer. I bet they enter a room two minutes before the rest of yer body.’

Fanny chuckled. ‘Yer only jealous, Mary Ann, ’cos you haven’t got no bust. Ye’re as flat as a bleedin’ pancake!’

‘Oh, so that’s why my feller’s always tryin’ to eat them.’ Mary Ann hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. ‘He thinks they’re a couple of ruddy pancakes!’

Sadie appeared at her side. ‘I’ve served about twenty customers and you’re still with Fanny!’

‘Then yer shouldn’t be so bleedin’ quick, should yer? Anyway, I’ll see yer next week, Fanny. Me and my assistant are going to have a quiet five minutes to ourselves.’ As her customer turned to walk away, Mary Ann called, ‘If I don’t recognise yer, Fanny, give me the eye eye. Or, better still, wear the flamin’ blouse. ’Cos if I see yer in that I’ll know damn well yer’ve done a hatchet job on yerself.’

Sadie was pulling Mary Ann towards the small box under the table. ‘Wait till yer see what I’ve bought meself.’ She brought the paper bag out and emptied the contents on top of the heap of clothes. ‘I got all that for a tanner.’

‘Yer done well, love.’ There was sadness behind Mary Ann’s smile. Fancy a girl of sixteen, a working girl, being so excited about a penny comb, a bar of cheap scented soap and a lipstick that would disappear a few minutes after she’d put it on her lips. ‘When yer all dolled up in yer finery, there’ll be no flies on you, they’ll all be bluebottles!’

Sadie put the things back in the bag. ‘I wanted to look nice on Monday. I told yer I was goin’ on the ferry, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, yer mentioned it last week, girl.’ It was Mary Ann’s turn to rummage in the box. ‘Don’t forget this dress ’cos yer’ve just given me sixpence for it.’ She held up the dress and was delighted when she heard Sadie’s gasp of pleasure. In pale beige, the dress had a round neck, short sleeves, a fitted bodice and flared skirt. And setting it off was an inch-wide stiffened belt, slotted through a loop either side of the waist and fastened in the front by a gold-coloured buckle.

‘Oh, it’s beautiful.’ Sadie shook her head, overcome with emotion. ‘I don’t know how to tell yer how grateful I am.’

‘Then don’t bother. Yer worked hard for the bleedin’ thing, didn’t yer? Anyway, it’s good for me business to have someone serving who’s dressed nice. And the way yer going on, girl, yer’ll be needing another wardrobe.’

‘Another wardrobe? I haven’t got one, never mind another one.’

Mary Ann’s eyes widened. ‘Yer haven’t got a wardrobe?’

‘Yer can’t turn around in the bedroom I sleep in, it’s that small. Me two brothers and me two sisters sleep in a double bed and I sleep on one of those canvas camp beds. There’s no room for anythin’ else.’

‘But yer mam must have a wardrobe in her room. Won’t she let yer use that?’

Sadie hesitated. Why did she feel this shame, as though it was her fault their house was so bare? And why should she pretend to a woman who’d been so good to her? ‘No, there’s no wardrobe in me mam’s room, either. Yer see, Mary Ann, she doesn’t look after clothes the way most women do. Half the time the kids’ things wear out without ever having been washed.’

Now she’d gone so far, Sadie wanted to get it all off her chest. This woman, who she didn’t even know existed until five weeks ago, had been the only person who’d offered warmth and friendliness, and the only one she could open
her
heart to. ‘Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I asked yer if I could have that paper bag? Well, that’s me wardrobe. Everything I own is in that bag, and I keep it under me bed.’

Mary Ann grimaced as she rubbed her knuckles back and forth across her brow. Not for one second did she doubt the girl’s words. But what a way for anyone to live. ‘I’ve told yer what I’d do, girl. I’d start savin’ me money and get away from there as fast as I could. They don’t deserve a daughter like you.’

Sadie noticed a few people trying to attract their attention and she dropped her belongings into the box. ‘Come on, Mary Ann, back to the grind. I’m not goin’ out early tonight, so I can stay a bit later an’ help yer pack up.’

‘If I disappear for a few minutes, girl, don’t send a search party out for me, will yer? I’m only goin’ to see a mate who has a stall near the entrance. I’ll be back before yer can say Jack Robinson.’

‘Take as long as yer like, Mary Ann, I can manage on me own.’

The stall-holder was no sooner out of sight than a fresh lot of people crowded the stall to root through the piles of clothes. There was much pushing and shoving but it was good-natured and Sadie enjoyed the challenge of managing the stall on her own. Her face was beaming and her eyes shining when Mary Ann returned. ‘I haven’t half been busy, Mary Ann – I’ve taken over three shillings!’

‘Good for you, girl. I’ll have to leave yer more often, then I’ll be able to retire a rich woman.’ There was a black handbag swinging from Mary Ann’s hand and she held it out to Sadie. ‘This is a little birthday present for yer. It’s not new, as yer can see, but it’s not in bad nick. Yer can put yer bits and bobs in it – save yer carryin’ a paper bag with yer everywhere yer go.’

The handbag was in black patent leather with a narrow handle and a gold clasp fastener. The handle was showing signs of wear and there were a few scratches on the surface of the patent leather, but Sadie was over the moon, thinking it would match her high-heeled shoes. ‘Mary Ann,
yer
a lovely woman an’ I’ll never be able to pay yer back for all the nice things yer’ve done for me. Just think, I had nothing the first day I came here, now I’ve got enough clothes to go anywhere I want without feeling dowdy. I can hold me head up with the best of them, thanks to you.’