thinkto that? I’d be very careful not to let your foot touch the wall or the stairs.’
‘I couldn’t let yer do that, Ada, yer might end up straining yerself.’
‘Yer haven’t got much choice, sunshine, ’cos the banister isn’t wide enough for yer to slide down, and there’s no men to help out. So it’s either a piggyback off yours truly, or you spending the rest of the day up here. My Jimmy would carry yer down in no time, but the trouble is, he ain’t here. So it’s Hobson’s choice, I’m afraid.’
‘You’ll be all right, Eliza,’ Jean said. ‘Ada’s very strong, and I’ll walk down in front, just to make sure ye’re safe.’
‘I’ll be walking down backwards, Jean,’ Ada told her. ‘I’d feel safer doing it that way. Eliza can put her arms round me neck and I’ll hang on to the banister rail to let meself down each stair.’ She bent and grinned into the old lady’s face. ‘If all else fails, sunshine, we’ll slide down, with you sitting on me knees. My backside is well padded, I wouldn’t feel a thing. But I do think a piggyback is the best way.’
Eliza managed a smile. ‘It must be seventy years since I had a piggyback. Me father used to give me one every Saturday when I went to meet him coming home from work. It won’t be as easy for you as it was for him, though.’
‘Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Have some faith in me, sunshine, I’ll not let yer down. Now I’m going to turn me back on yer, so yer can put yer arms round me neck. And when yer’ve got tight hold, Jean will help yer off the bed as I stand up straight.’ Ada glanced over her shoulder and winked. ‘And this is no time for shimmy-shaking, either, so behave yerself.’
‘I’m more worried about you than I am about meself,’ Eliza said as she put her arms round Ada’s neck. ‘All this trouble I’mputting yer to, just because I’m a stupid old woman who can’t remember how to get out of bed.’
‘Ay, doing stupid things isn’t reserved for the elderly, sunshine,’ Ada said, standing upright and taking Eliza’s weight. ‘Not a day goes by when I don’t call meself for all the stupid nits going.’
‘Me too!’ Jean said, her hands round the old lady’s thin waist, trying to lighten the load for Ada. ‘Ask my Gordon, he’ll tell yer how forgetful I am. I can have something in me hand one minute, then the next I can’t remember what I’ve done with it.’
‘Right, I’m ready for the off,’ Ada told them. ‘You walk down the stairs in front of me, Jean, and yer can guide me feet. In five minutes we’ll have yer lying on the couch, Eliza, and we can have a look at this ankle of yours.’
When she’d been sitting on her bed, all alone and worried in case nobody missed her until the next day, Eliza thought she’d never laugh again. But the performance of getting down the stairs was so hilarious, all three woman ended up giggling and laughing. Jean was supposed to be walking in front of Ada and telling her when to step down to the next stair. But to do that, Jean had to walk down backwards herself, and with Eliza’s backside practically in her face, it was no easy task. ‘Don’t take this as personal, Jean,’ Ada croaked, ‘but I wouldn’t like to climb a mountain with you as a guide. Yer might get us up there, but God help us when it came to finding our way down.’
‘If we were climbing a mountain, I wouldn’t have a backside in me face, and a pair of dangling legs.’ Jean patted Eliza’s bottom. ‘Not that yer haven’t got a nice little bottom, girl, or a pair of legs many a person half your age would be proud of. It’s just that I have to keep me eye on the step below me, or I’d end up falling down the lot. And while I don’t mind ending up at the bottomof the stairs with you on top of me, I draw the line at Ada falling on me as well.’
Having made a pot of tea, and a plate of toast, Hetty came from the kitchen to find out what the commotion was about. Standing at the
‘I couldn’t let yer do that, Ada, yer might end up straining yerself.’
‘Yer haven’t got much choice, sunshine, ’cos the banister isn’t wide enough for yer to slide down, and there’s no men to help out. So it’s either a piggyback off yours truly, or you spending the rest of the day up here. My Jimmy would carry yer down in no time, but the trouble is, he ain’t here. So it’s Hobson’s choice, I’m afraid.’
‘You’ll be all right, Eliza,’ Jean said. ‘Ada’s very strong, and I’ll walk down in front, just to make sure ye’re safe.’
‘I’ll be walking down backwards, Jean,’ Ada told her. ‘I’d feel safer doing it that way. Eliza can put her arms round me neck and I’ll hang on to the banister rail to let meself down each stair.’ She bent and grinned into the old lady’s face. ‘If all else fails, sunshine, we’ll slide down, with you sitting on me knees. My backside is well padded, I wouldn’t feel a thing. But I do think a piggyback is the best way.’
Eliza managed a smile. ‘It must be seventy years since I had a piggyback. Me father used to give me one every Saturday when I went to meet him coming home from work. It won’t be as easy for you as it was for him, though.’
‘Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Have some faith in me, sunshine, I’ll not let yer down. Now I’m going to turn me back on yer, so yer can put yer arms round me neck. And when yer’ve got tight hold, Jean will help yer off the bed as I stand up straight.’ Ada glanced over her shoulder and winked. ‘And this is no time for shimmy-shaking, either, so behave yerself.’
‘I’m more worried about you than I am about meself,’ Eliza said as she put her arms round Ada’s neck. ‘All this trouble I’mputting yer to, just because I’m a stupid old woman who can’t remember how to get out of bed.’
‘Ay, doing stupid things isn’t reserved for the elderly, sunshine,’ Ada said, standing upright and taking Eliza’s weight. ‘Not a day goes by when I don’t call meself for all the stupid nits going.’
‘Me too!’ Jean said, her hands round the old lady’s thin waist, trying to lighten the load for Ada. ‘Ask my Gordon, he’ll tell yer how forgetful I am. I can have something in me hand one minute, then the next I can’t remember what I’ve done with it.’
‘Right, I’m ready for the off,’ Ada told them. ‘You walk down the stairs in front of me, Jean, and yer can guide me feet. In five minutes we’ll have yer lying on the couch, Eliza, and we can have a look at this ankle of yours.’
When she’d been sitting on her bed, all alone and worried in case nobody missed her until the next day, Eliza thought she’d never laugh again. But the performance of getting down the stairs was so hilarious, all three woman ended up giggling and laughing. Jean was supposed to be walking in front of Ada and telling her when to step down to the next stair. But to do that, Jean had to walk down backwards herself, and with Eliza’s backside practically in her face, it was no easy task. ‘Don’t take this as personal, Jean,’ Ada croaked, ‘but I wouldn’t like to climb a mountain with you as a guide. Yer might get us up there, but God help us when it came to finding our way down.’
‘If we were climbing a mountain, I wouldn’t have a backside in me face, and a pair of dangling legs.’ Jean patted Eliza’s bottom. ‘Not that yer haven’t got a nice little bottom, girl, or a pair of legs many a person half your age would be proud of. It’s just that I have to keep me eye on the step below me, or I’d end up falling down the lot. And while I don’t mind ending up at the bottomof the stairs with you on top of me, I draw the line at Ada falling on me as well.’
Having made a pot of tea, and a plate of toast, Hetty came from the kitchen to find out what the commotion was about. Standing at the
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