Sister's Trio Squad

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The shuffling and creaking on the stairs silenced them as Aunt Maura lumbered in with a battered tin tray on which were set three cups and saucers, none of which matched, the teapot covered by a knitted cosy that was scorched from being placed too near the fire, and a white milk jug with so many hairline cracks that it looked like the result of a badly put together jigsaw puzzle. 'You needn't have brought it up, aunt, we'd have come

down, but thank you anyway." Maura glanced sideways at Margaret, thinking she was being sarcastic. She wasn't. Your Uncle Bart and I have been thinking and talking and we've come up with

a plan.' 'Really?' 'He knows this man who might give him a job.'

'Doing what?'

'Cleaning windows. Of course, Bart can't climb ladders,

but he can do the downstairs ones.' She didn't tell them

that he still intended to claim his Panel money and that the job was just a bit of moonlighting. 'People around here clean their own windows,' Nancy pointed out.

'Not everyone. Them that lives in the big houses in Walton Park and Yew Tree Road and Rawcliffe Road pay to have them done. 'And this man will take Uncle Bart in with him?'

Maura shuffled uneasily. 'He will that." 'It's not a very reliable job. You can't clean windows in the rain, Nancy stated tersely. 'Why can't he work on the docks or in any of the factories on the Dock Road?'

'It would kill him!' 'A hard day's work would kill him anyway!'

'It's the fumes, his bronchials wouldn't stand them fumes, and I swear that's the truth of it.' If he didn't smoke so much he might have less trouble

with his "bronchials",' Nancy shot back with venom. Maura glowered at all three of them before leaving. They waited until they heard her lumbering tread on

the stairs before anyone spoke. Pour out the tea, Lisa, there's a good girl, my head is thumping. You two will have to make up your minds about work now.'

Lisa poured out the tea, her shoulders sagging deject edly. What else can we do? We need the money quickly and it might not be too bad, and I can still keep trying the smaller shops." 'At least you've got some sense. What about you,

Nancy?'

'Oh, I suppose so, but I don't intend to stay there a single day longer than I have to. And if either of you ever tell anyone back home, and I mean anyone . . . I'll kill you!' Oh, she'd win this Talent Contest and then she'd be out of Lancaster Street like a flash and she didn't care where to. Anywhere would be better than here!

Only Margaret was happy in her work. Both Lisa and Nancy hated it right from the minute they walked through the gates. A circumstance that made them both all the more determined to find other employment and quickly.

Each night after she unwound the turban that covered her head, and brushed her hair until it shone like glowing copper, Nancy counted the days to the Talent Contest. She hadn't mentioned it to anyone except her sisters, but as she scrutinized her reflection in the mirror, she often felt a stab of despair. Would she ever realize that dream of sailing to New York on a luxury liner? Would she ever become a 'star'? At such times she would shut her eyes and will away the doubts. You had to get out and grab every opportunity - no matter how small. Why, even the noise in the rolling shop where she and Lisa worked was useful. It gave her the chance to practise her choice of song for the all-important Talent Contest. At first she had begun by just humming the tune, then, when she realized that no one could hear her above the din, she sang as loudly as she could to her heart's content.

The choice of song had been her decision, but the clothes she would wear had been the subject of many joint consultations in the bedroom. Outfit after outfit had been tried and rejected for one reason or another. Fortunately, they were all of the same slender build so it was possible to combine their wardrobes, although Nancy, being a few inches taller than the other two, often had to let down hems.

'I think my pale green looks best. You can pin this bunch of yellow silk roses to the shoulder and put your hair up and thread a green ribbon through it,' Lisa had suggested.

'Um, I think you're right,' Nancy had mused, smoothing down the bias-cut folds of eau-de-nil crepe. 'But I'm hav ing my hair cut so I won't need any ribbon."

'Your hair is one of your greatest assets and besides, I don't think these new hairstyles are very feminine at all.' 'Don't be so old-fashioned, Lisa! They look wonder ful with the right clothes. Maybe I can pin a piece of green ribbon around my head, like this.' She pulled the ribbon across her forehead and tied it at the back.

'And if we pin a flower to the left side, like this Lisa attached a small artificial rose, then pulled Nancy's curls back and tucked them up, trying to imitate the lines of the 'bob'. "That looks very smart.'

'Mavis, that girl who works on the machine next to mine, says she is a whizz with a pair of scissors and she'll cut my hair if I want her to. She's done her sister's and I've seen it and it won't cost me anything.'

'Oh, Nancy, aren't you terrified? Getting up on a real

stage and singing in front of all those people?'

Nancy tossed her head. 'Don't be an eejit, Lisa! Isn't this what I've always wanted? And, didn't I sing at Kilsheelan Castle without turning so much as a single hair?' She refused to dwell on the memory of how ter rified she'd been that night, nor would she admit that she was indeed having 'nerves' about her forthcoming performance.

Will there be other singers?' 'I suppose so. Lots of people go in for these contests." And what will you do if you win?'

'If I win? I'm going to win!'

'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched,' Margaret interrupted. You'd better give me that dress, the hem needs letting down and pressing and I'd think very carefully about letting this Mavis cut your hair. She might make a mess of it and then what will you do?'

Nancy raised her eyes to the ceiling. Why couldn't Margaret see that she was becoming a stick-in-the-mud? She'd be rooted here in this awful house forever, unless she met someone at work, which was highly unlikely as the only men she worked with were a couple of ageing clerks. The men who worked in the factory were far beneath what her sister termed 'suitable'. If she didn't start to go out and mix with people of her own age, she'd soon find she was old before her time and would probably end up an old maid in Liverpool instead of in Clonmel.

'Isn't it tomorrow you said you'd take the rest of the rent money?'

'Yes.' 'Will we have enough? None of us gets paid until next week?' 'No, and with this week's rent we'll owe seventeen and

six pence." Nancy stopped fiddling with her hair. 'And where are we going to get that from? We'll need what's left in the biscuit tin to survive on, unless we all starve until pay day.'

Margaret began to unfasten the gold chain around her neck, from which hung a small, gold crucifix. 'Oh, no, you don't! We haven't sunk so low that we've

got to pawn your gold cross.' Nancy cried. 'What else can we do? Aunt Maura hasn't got anything

worth pawning, I've looked! I'll get it back when I get paid, lots of people do it.' 'We're not "lots of people"! It's the one thing that Ma was so proud of, that she's never had to pawn anything in her life. I'll not let you, Margaret!'

'What else is there?" 'We can all ask for a sub on our wages. They'll give it you, Mavis told me. If we each have five shillings that would be

'Fifteen shillings. It's still not enough.' 'Oh, I could just kill that little rat! I hate him! Surely he must have some money, he's been out every day? I'm going down to see him, he's frightened of me!' And with that Nancy wrenched open the door and ran downstairs, her stockinged feet making no noise. 'Do you think he'll have any?' Lisa ventured.

Margaret shrugged. 'At least he's trying.' 'As long as the weather is fine. Wait until it rains and then we'll have all the complaints about the back and the

"bronchials"." The voices below became more strident and then they heard Nancy screaming at the top of her voice.

'Oh, dear God, now what?' Margaret exclaimed. They both rushed down the stairs and burst into the kitchen together. Nancy was so livid she was almost dancing with temper.