thank you enough for what you’ve done. I don’t know how I’d have managed without you, and I hope you find another job soon.’
‘I was glad to be able to help you, Mrs Gordon, and I’m starting on Monday with Kenny Wilson in the market. He offered me the job when he was in looking at the things, and it’s five shillings a week more than I was getting.’
‘Oh, Frank!’ Anne’s expression showed exactly how upset she was. ‘Wages! I’d forgotten about paying you, and I’ve nothing to . . .’
‘Look, Mrs Gordon, it was no bother, and I’m not needing paid for anything.’
‘But you haven’t . . . did George leave wages for you?’
‘Don’t you worry your head about that,’ he laughed.
‘He didn’t. I can tell by your face. Oh, Frank . . .’
‘It’s just one of these things.’ He shrugged his shoulders.
‘I’d a wee bit laid by, and we managed. I took a bit beef home to the wife sometimes, out of the shop.’ He looked at her anxiously. ‘I hope you won’t think I was stealing.’
‘No, no. I’m glad you did. Oh, I’m so mad, I would kill that George if I could get my hands on him.’
Frank smiled wryly. ‘Just forget about it, Mrs Gordon. There’s nothing we can do about it now, and everything’s settled, so you’ll have no more worries.’
‘No more worries,’ Anne said bitterly, when she came back from seeing him out. ‘There’ll be no more money from the shop, and I’ll have to find another bed before I can take in two more lodgers.’
‘You’d manage once you had four, though, wouldn’t you?’ Renee asked, hopefully. Her mother heaved a huge sigh. ‘I’ll have to, and maybe you’ll be allowed to leave school at summer if I apply, under the circumstances. The deadline is 31st August, but your fourteenth birthday’s just days after that.’
‘Oh, great! That’s just a few months, then I can take a job. That’ll help, won’t it, Mum?’ The girl had visions of being the mainstay of the household with her wages.
‘For all you’ll get . . .’ began Anne, then saw the naked disappointment on her daughter’s face. ‘Yes, Renee, it will help. Every single shilling makes a difference.’
Jenny Gordon’s expression darkened when Anne went to tell her the outcome of the sale. ‘There’s George away with another woman, and he’s left me nothing except the furniture.’
Anne felt no sympathy for her this time. ‘You’ve only yourself to blame for him going off the rails, you and your nagging. George was happy enough with his hobbies, till you went on and on at him about them. And you’re lucky in a way. You’re only paying a few shillings a week rent for this house, but I’ve to find a pound a week for the mortgage on mine. I’ve taken in lodgers, and worked from morning to night to keep things going, but you’re just sitting back feeling sorry for yourself.’
Not unexpectedly, the other woman’s eyes filled with tears. ‘My God, Anne, you’re hard, and I’ll never forget the awful things you’ve said.’ She began to snivel.
‘I’ve had to learn to be hard, and you’ll have to do the same if you want to get over this.’ Anne stamped out of the house and banged the door behind her. She walked to the bus stop, regretting her bluntness now, but hoping that Jenny would have the common sense to look for a job. When Peggy left school in June, her wages would help them out a little bit.
Jack Thomson had kept his promise to ask his workmates if they knew of anyone requiring lodgings, but nothing had come of it, and he was just as worried as Anne.
When Maggie eventually learned that George had left, she was very angry. ‘Did he owe ye onything when he took off? Had he paid his board?’
Anne’s eyes dropped. ‘He didn’t pay me the week before he went away, so it’s only a week and a half he was due me.’ She pulled a face. ‘It could have been worse.’
‘It was still forty-five shillin’s.’ Her mother sounded most
‘I was glad to be able to help you, Mrs Gordon, and I’m starting on Monday with Kenny Wilson in the market. He offered me the job when he was in looking at the things, and it’s five shillings a week more than I was getting.’
‘Oh, Frank!’ Anne’s expression showed exactly how upset she was. ‘Wages! I’d forgotten about paying you, and I’ve nothing to . . .’
‘Look, Mrs Gordon, it was no bother, and I’m not needing paid for anything.’
‘But you haven’t . . . did George leave wages for you?’
‘Don’t you worry your head about that,’ he laughed.
‘He didn’t. I can tell by your face. Oh, Frank . . .’
‘It’s just one of these things.’ He shrugged his shoulders.
‘I’d a wee bit laid by, and we managed. I took a bit beef home to the wife sometimes, out of the shop.’ He looked at her anxiously. ‘I hope you won’t think I was stealing.’
‘No, no. I’m glad you did. Oh, I’m so mad, I would kill that George if I could get my hands on him.’
Frank smiled wryly. ‘Just forget about it, Mrs Gordon. There’s nothing we can do about it now, and everything’s settled, so you’ll have no more worries.’
‘No more worries,’ Anne said bitterly, when she came back from seeing him out. ‘There’ll be no more money from the shop, and I’ll have to find another bed before I can take in two more lodgers.’
‘You’d manage once you had four, though, wouldn’t you?’ Renee asked, hopefully. Her mother heaved a huge sigh. ‘I’ll have to, and maybe you’ll be allowed to leave school at summer if I apply, under the circumstances. The deadline is 31st August, but your fourteenth birthday’s just days after that.’
‘Oh, great! That’s just a few months, then I can take a job. That’ll help, won’t it, Mum?’ The girl had visions of being the mainstay of the household with her wages.
‘For all you’ll get . . .’ began Anne, then saw the naked disappointment on her daughter’s face. ‘Yes, Renee, it will help. Every single shilling makes a difference.’
Jenny Gordon’s expression darkened when Anne went to tell her the outcome of the sale. ‘There’s George away with another woman, and he’s left me nothing except the furniture.’
Anne felt no sympathy for her this time. ‘You’ve only yourself to blame for him going off the rails, you and your nagging. George was happy enough with his hobbies, till you went on and on at him about them. And you’re lucky in a way. You’re only paying a few shillings a week rent for this house, but I’ve to find a pound a week for the mortgage on mine. I’ve taken in lodgers, and worked from morning to night to keep things going, but you’re just sitting back feeling sorry for yourself.’
Not unexpectedly, the other woman’s eyes filled with tears. ‘My God, Anne, you’re hard, and I’ll never forget the awful things you’ve said.’ She began to snivel.
‘I’ve had to learn to be hard, and you’ll have to do the same if you want to get over this.’ Anne stamped out of the house and banged the door behind her. She walked to the bus stop, regretting her bluntness now, but hoping that Jenny would have the common sense to look for a job. When Peggy left school in June, her wages would help them out a little bit.
Jack Thomson had kept his promise to ask his workmates if they knew of anyone requiring lodgings, but nothing had come of it, and he was just as worried as Anne.
When Maggie eventually learned that George had left, she was very angry. ‘Did he owe ye onything when he took off? Had he paid his board?’
Anne’s eyes dropped. ‘He didn’t pay me the week before he went away, so it’s only a week and a half he was due me.’ She pulled a face. ‘It could have been worse.’
‘It was still forty-five shillin’s.’ Her mother sounded most
Similar Books
