When Wishes Come True (48 page)

Despite feeling miserable, Aggie couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Yer’ll need both hands, lad, one for each cheek.’

Rita turned towards the aisle down the centre of the tram when she heard the driver and the conductor laughing. That was all Aggie needed. A bit of encouragement, and she’d be in her element telling the kind of jokes Rita would find embarrassing in front of strange men. So best find herself a seat and keep out of it, even though she could see smiles on the faces of passengers in front. But before she reached her seat, Rita heard gales of laughter and was too curious not to turn. And what she saw was one of the funniest sights she, or the passengers on that tram had ever seen. The conductor was on the pavement trying to get his shoulder under Aggie’s bottom, and the driver had hold of each of her hands, trying to pull her on board. But she was laughing so much, really enjoying herself, they couldn’t manage to get her eighteen stone off the ground.

In the end Rita walked back and stood behind the driver. ‘If yer don’t want to be here all day, let go of her and I’ll show yer how it’s done.’

Aggie was still grinning. ‘Ye’re a spoilsport, you are, a real misery guts!’

‘Put one hand on that rail, sunshine, and the other on that one. Like we always do. And if yer don’t behave yerself, so help me, I’m going to tell Sam yer’ve made lewd suggestions to two men today, and we’ll see what he’s got to say to that.

Once on the platform, Aggie grinned down at her. ‘Ooh, I wouldn’t if I were you, queen, ’cos my feller is dead ignorant. He’d ask yer to explain what lewd means, and then where would yer be, eh?’ She frowned. ‘By the way, what does it mean?’

Aggie flopped on to the couch without even taking her coat off. One shoe after the other flew across the room. ‘Thank God for that, me bloody feet are dropping off. That walk from the tram stop was murder.’

Rita put the shopping down on the floor. ‘You sit there, sunshine, and I’ll make us a nice cup of tea. And I’ll put some warm water in the bucket, if yer like, and yer can put yer feet in to steep for half an hour. It’ll do yer the world of good.’ She grinned. ‘And I’m sure yer feet would be grateful.’

‘Ooh, ay, queen, that would be just what the doctor ordered. Me feet have bucked themselves up no end, and me corns are throbbing for joy. They can’t wait to soak in some nice warm water.’ Aggie jerked her head. ‘Well, don’t just stand there, droopy drawers, get cracking.’ Rita had reached the kitchen door when Aggie called, ‘While ye’re waiting for the kettle to boil, yer can show me yer dress.’

Rita popped her head around the door. ‘Stop giving yer orders, Mrs Woman, just one thing at a time if yer don’t mind. When yer’ve got yer feet in water, and a cup of tea in yer hand, then I’ll show yer the dress. So have a little patience.’

After filling the kettle and putting a light to the stove, Rita stood the bucket in the sink and ran some cold water into it. She’d add hot water when the kettle boiled. While she was waiting, she leaned against the wall near the living room. ‘Don’t forget, we’ve got to give those shoes out this afternoon, and go to the Maypole for the groceries on the list Bessie gave us.’

Aggie groaned. ‘Ay, queen, there’s no way I could walk to the Maypole and back, me feet really are in a terrible state. Couldn’t we leave it until tomorrow, when I’ll feel more up to it? Besides, one day isn’t going to make any difference.’

‘It is if ye’re running round in bare feet in this weather. And we promised Bessie we’d let the lads have them today. But there’s no need for you to bother, I can take the shoes up meself, it won’t take ten minutes. All I need do is hand them in to their mothers, ’cos the lads will be at school. And once I’ve had a cup of tea and a little sit down, I’ll be refreshed and ready for the walk to the Maypole. I know that could wait till tomorrow, but I want to try and have a word with the manager. We’ll need some cardboard boxes to make up the hampers, and if I can get him in a good mood I’ll ask him to start saving some for us. And I’ll ask the corner shop, as well, ’cos all those boxes are not going to be easy to come by.’

The kettle began to whistle and Rita made haste to switch the gas off. She poured half the boiling water into the brown teapot, the other half into the bucket. ‘Take yer stockings off, sunshine, I’m bringing it through.’ She lifted the bucket out of the sink by the handle, and after testing the water wasn’t too hot or too cold, was carrying it through to the living room when the sight she met brought her to an abrupt halt. ‘In the name of God, Aggie, have yer no shame? I can see everything yer’ve got!’ Rita was shaking her head, wondering whether she dare laugh, for her friend was trying to cock one leg over the other, hoping by doing so she could reach down to pull her stocking off. But her knee kept slipping off, and her bosom and tummy were no help, they flatly refused to move out of the way.

Bright red in the face, and huffing and puffing, Aggie glared at her. ‘I’ve got nothing you haven’t got, queen, so don’t be going all bleeding shy on me.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘If yer so much as crack yer face, so help me I’ll pour that bucket of water over yer.’

‘I really don’t think ye’re in a position to make threats, sunshine, do you? Besides, I’m much faster on me feet than you are, yer’d never catch me.’ Rita put the bucket down and doubled over with laughter. ‘I’m sorry, Aggie, but if yer could see yerself, yer’d see the funny side of it.’ She moved forward. ‘Here, let me take yer stockings off for yer, then yer can have a nice cup of tea while yer feet are soaking.’

After a few seconds, when Rita was having no success, Aggie said, ‘It would help if yer took me garters off first, queen, ’cos they’re what’s keeping me stockings up.’

‘Yer can just sod off, Aggie Gordon, I’m not putting me hand up yer clothes. Yer can take yer own garters off, I’ll see to the tea.’

Aggie grabbed Rita’s arm before she could move away and with her free hand lifted the skirt of her dress to reveal a garter. It was a piece of well-worn elastic, tied in a knot, holding up her stocking. Only to the knee, though, for the top of the stocking was hanging loose.

‘In the name of God,’ Rita said, ‘don’t ever get run over when ye’re out with me, sunshine, ’cos I’d either die of shame, or say I wasn’t with yer.’

‘Listen to me, queen. Let me tell yer that for me to get a garter on at all is no less than a ruddy miracle. If I sit down, I can’t reach me bleeding feet, me chest and me tummy are in the way. And if I stand up, I can’t even see me feet or me legs. I do what I can, but I’m not a ruddy contortionist. So think on that when I’m lying in the gutter and you’re telling everyone that yer’ve never seen me in yer life before.’

‘Oh, stop feeling sorry for yerself, Aggie Gordon, and let me get those stockings off yer. If yer carry on much longer, the water in the bucket will be cold and so will the teapot.’ The stockings were removed in a flash and put on Aggie’s knee. ‘And if yer behave yerself, I might just have a nice surprise for yer.’ Rita brought the bucket nearer to the couch. ‘But one moan out of yer, sunshine, and I’ll give it to the woman next door.’

‘Ah, yer wouldn’t do that, not to yer mate.’ Aggie frowned. ‘And what are yer playing at? You
are
the woman next door!’

Rita grinned. ‘I know that, sunshine, and aren’t you the lucky one, having me for a neighbour? Yer should be counting yer blessings, not moaning.’

It was three o’clock when Rita got back to Aggie’s, but she was feeling very pleased with herself and wearing a wide smile. ‘Oh, Aggie, yer missed a treat. Yer should have seen the faces on the women when I gave them the shoes. They were absolutely over the moon. They couldn’t thank us enough. They’ll tell yer themselves when they see yer. I said yer would have been with me but yer feet were tired. So stick to that story, sunshine, and don’t forget the shoes were from us and a friend of ours.’

‘How did yer get on at the Maypole? Did yer manage to have a word with the manager?’

Rita nodded. ‘When I told him Bessie had been lucky to get a sum of money from a man who wanted to help some poor people, he was really pleased. And of course it helped when I said she would be buying the groceries from his shop. So, to make sure I got some boxes off him, I gave him the order and said we’d pick it up tomorrow. And he said he may have a few more boxes by the weekend.’ Rita gave a sigh of contentment. ‘So, sunshine, all in all, it’s been a very rewarding day.’

There was no sign of the bucket now, and Aggie had a pair of scruffy slippers on her feet. ‘I should have looked in the market for a pair of slippers for meself, ’cos these are Sam’s and they’re falling to pieces. I could probably have got a pair for two pence and they’d have been well worth the money.’ Remembering the market, she remembered something else too. ‘Ay, queen, what did yer do with the dress yer got? When yer’d gone, I looked high and low for the bag but I couldn’t see it nowhere.’

‘No, yer wouldn’t, sunshine, ’cos I had a change of mind and took it with me. I knew yer wouldn’t be able to keep yer hands off it. I thought we’d take everything over to Bessie’s when she gets in from work, and she can see what we bought this morning. She has a right to know what we managed to get, and hear how much it cost, even though I know she trusts us not to diddle her.’

Aggie looked aggrieved at the mere thought. ‘She knows we wouldn’t do that, queen, not after she’s been so good to us.’

‘You should be going over to light her fire soon, so I’ll come with yer,’ Rita said. ‘We can take everything over, including the coats and the children’s things.’

Aggie’s jaw dropped. ‘I don’t have to take me coat, do I? I was hoping I could start wearing that tomorrow.’

‘Blimey, Aggie, ye’re worse than a child! Can’t yer let Bessie see it first? She can have a look-see at everything, then hide them away upstairs before Mrs Sinclair calls to pick Milly up.’ Rita looked down at her friend’s feet. ‘I can take them over, sunshine, if yer feet are still sore. And I can light both fires, come to that, it won’t kill me.’

Aggie wasn’t having any of that. If there was anything going on, she wanted to be part of it. ‘No, I’ll do me whack, queen, as well as you, it’s only fair. After all, I’m getting paid for it so it’s like a proper job.’

‘Yeah, ye’re right, sunshine, we do get paid for it. So, ’cos ye’re me mate, and not a bad old stick, I’ll open the bag and let yer see me new dress.’ Then Rita shook her head. ‘No, I’ll give you the privilege of opening the bag, and yer can tell me what yer think of me taste in high fashion.’

Grabbing the bag from her, Aggie chuckled. ‘High fashion me backside, all for a dress what cost yer a tanner.’ But her chuckle faded when she realised she was holding more than one dress. ‘What’s all this? How many bleeding dresses have yer bought yerself?’

‘Only one, sunshine, I’m not greedy.’ Rita felt very happy, the wait had been worth it to see her mate’s face. ‘There was one I thought would fit you, and I remembered your Kitty was the only one we hadn’t got anything for, so there’s one there for her as well. I hope they fit, it was just a case of guessing.’ She leaned forward and pulled one of the dresses from Aggie’s hand. It was a beige and brown short-sleeved cotton dress, more suitable for the summer than winter really, but it was very neat, and would look nice when it had been pressed. ‘This is mine, and don’t yer dare say it isn’t high fashion because by the time I’ve finished with it, I could say I’d bought it at George Henry Lee and people would believe me. Now, don’t sit staring down as though they’re going to bite yer, and I don’t think yer need me to tell yer which is yours and which is Kitty’s.’

For a whole minute, Aggie was struck dumb. Then, in a tearful voice, she said, ‘Honest, queen, this is the biggest surprise I’ve ever had. I’m not half bleeding lucky to have you for a neighbour.’

‘Aggie Gordon, I do believe ye’re going to cry! Well, don’t yer dare let any tears fall on those dresses, not after paying sixpence and threepence for them.’

Rita had spotted the navy blue dress on the stall before she’d seen the one she liked for herself, and when she saw the size of it was sure it would fit her friend. ‘Well, go on, sunshine, don’t keep me in suspense. Have a look and see if it will fit yer. I know Kitty’s will be all right, ’cos the woman on the stall has a girl her age and she picked it out for me.’

It wasn’t often that Aggie prayed, but as she shook the dress out and held it against herself, she said a prayer. ‘How does that look, queen?’

‘I reckon it’ll fit yer like a glove, same as the coat. But the only way to tell is to try it on. So come into the kitchen.’

Aggie put Kitty’s dress down and lumbered to her feet. ‘I ain’t standing in no bleeding cold kitchen catching me death of cold, not when there’s a fire in here. So if yer don’t want to see me in all me glory, queen, I suggest you go and wait in the bleeding kitchen.’

‘Have yer no modesty?’ Rita asked as her friend pulled her dress up by the waist. ‘I could no more get stripped in front of you than fly.’ As the dress was pulled higher, an expanse of bare leg appeared, followed by blue fleecy-lined bloomers. ‘Oh, I’m going to stand in the kitchen before I see any more of yer body.’

A muffled voice came from inside the dress. ‘No, wait, queen, ’cos I need yer to help pull me dress over me bosom. And before yer start moaning, I know I have to do it meself every day, but it’s murder getting the waist over these two bleeding big balloons I’ve got. So while you’re here, yer may as well give me a hand. Just grab hold and pull, while I breathe in.’

The state of Aggie was such that Rita couldn’t keep her laughter back. It wasn’t so much the bulging tummy, or the rolls of fat on her legs, ’cos none of that could be helped. It was the huge safety pin keeping her bloomers up that was the last straw. Laughing as the tears rolled down her cheeks, Rita said, ‘I’m sure if Laurel and Hardy could see yer, sunshine, they’d offer to make yer a partner. Laurel, Hardy and Gordon. Oh, what a scream it would be.’

‘I’ll give yer something to scream about if yer don’t hurry up and get this bleeding dress off me. Ye’re having the time of yer life while I’m suffocating. I can’t get me breath.’