her first day.’
But the words had barely left her mouth when the door opened and Annabelle strolled in, looking none too pleased with herself or the world. Her hair didn’t look quite so immaculate today and both girls noticed that she was wearing only the minimum amount of make-up, unlike the day before. She made her way over to them and started to take her coat off.
‘I can’t believe that we have to be here a whole hour before the shop opens,’ she said, grumbling as usual. ‘I had a job to get up this morning at such an ungodly time.’
‘You’ll soon get used to it,’ Dotty told her encouragingly. ‘I wonder what departments we’ll be working in today?’
‘I don’t know and I don’t much care,’ Annabelle replied. ‘Just so long as they don’t stick me in the hardware department.’ She couldn’t think of anything worse than having to spend her day amongst buckets and bowls.
The room was buzzing with laughter and noise as the staff chatted to each other about what they had done the night before and tidied themselves in readiness to go to their departments. Before the doors were opened, the head of each floor would inspect them all to make sure that they were respectable and then that the department was neat as a new pin before the customers were let in.
Annabelle thought it was a ridiculous waste of time. After all, it was hardly as if the customers were going to appear in droves at that time of the morning, especially when it was so bitterly cold outside.
‘Did you notice what they’re doing outside now?’ she asked in disgust as she took a lipstick from her bag and expertly applied it. ‘Stacking sandbags against all the shop-fronts! They look appalling and I really don’t know why they’re bothering. What with them and all the shelters, the whole place is beginning to look a total mess – and what about those awful barrage balloons they’ve got floating above the city! Why, they remind me of great grey elephants flying. And all for what, I ask you? We haven’t had a sign of a single bomb yet.’
‘And let’s hope we don’t,’ Lucy said quietly. Without another word she turned and left to go to her department, thinking what a self-centred young woman Annabelle was.
At morning break-time they all sat together again in the canteen and Dotty treated herself to a slice of toast with a thin layer of margarine spread on it to go with her cup of tea. She was actually finding the canteen quite handy. At lunchtime you could get a warming bowl of soup for a penny and it certainly beat trying to cook herself anything when she got home, dead on her feet. They had all been surprisingly busy as people were trying to get their Christmas shopping done early before the rationing came strictly into force.
‘Where are you today?’ Annabelle asked Lucy as she joined her and Dotty at the table. Thankfully, she herself had been in the lingerie department again.
‘I’ve been in childrenswear,’ Lucy beamed. She had loved working in there and only wished that she could afford to buy some of the lovely garments they stocked for Mary. Most of their clothes came from jumble sales, not that Lucy was complaining. There were some rare bargains to be had if you were prepared to look carefully enough, and she was proud of the fact that she had always managed to keep her little sister well turned out.
‘Oh you poor thing, how ghastly.’ Annabelle looked horrified but Lucy shook her head.
‘Actually I love working in there. I’ve asked Mrs Broadstairs if I could stay there permanently if it’s possible.’
Annabelle stared at her as if she had lost her marbles. She had never had a lot to do with children, having no brothers or sisters, and nor did she wish to.
‘But how could you possibly enjoy serving brats?’ She shuddered dramatically. ‘All those runny noses and tantrums.’
Lucy chuckled. ‘There is a little more to children than that,’ she assured her. ‘My Mary is a little
But the words had barely left her mouth when the door opened and Annabelle strolled in, looking none too pleased with herself or the world. Her hair didn’t look quite so immaculate today and both girls noticed that she was wearing only the minimum amount of make-up, unlike the day before. She made her way over to them and started to take her coat off.
‘I can’t believe that we have to be here a whole hour before the shop opens,’ she said, grumbling as usual. ‘I had a job to get up this morning at such an ungodly time.’
‘You’ll soon get used to it,’ Dotty told her encouragingly. ‘I wonder what departments we’ll be working in today?’
‘I don’t know and I don’t much care,’ Annabelle replied. ‘Just so long as they don’t stick me in the hardware department.’ She couldn’t think of anything worse than having to spend her day amongst buckets and bowls.
The room was buzzing with laughter and noise as the staff chatted to each other about what they had done the night before and tidied themselves in readiness to go to their departments. Before the doors were opened, the head of each floor would inspect them all to make sure that they were respectable and then that the department was neat as a new pin before the customers were let in.
Annabelle thought it was a ridiculous waste of time. After all, it was hardly as if the customers were going to appear in droves at that time of the morning, especially when it was so bitterly cold outside.
‘Did you notice what they’re doing outside now?’ she asked in disgust as she took a lipstick from her bag and expertly applied it. ‘Stacking sandbags against all the shop-fronts! They look appalling and I really don’t know why they’re bothering. What with them and all the shelters, the whole place is beginning to look a total mess – and what about those awful barrage balloons they’ve got floating above the city! Why, they remind me of great grey elephants flying. And all for what, I ask you? We haven’t had a sign of a single bomb yet.’
‘And let’s hope we don’t,’ Lucy said quietly. Without another word she turned and left to go to her department, thinking what a self-centred young woman Annabelle was.
At morning break-time they all sat together again in the canteen and Dotty treated herself to a slice of toast with a thin layer of margarine spread on it to go with her cup of tea. She was actually finding the canteen quite handy. At lunchtime you could get a warming bowl of soup for a penny and it certainly beat trying to cook herself anything when she got home, dead on her feet. They had all been surprisingly busy as people were trying to get their Christmas shopping done early before the rationing came strictly into force.
‘Where are you today?’ Annabelle asked Lucy as she joined her and Dotty at the table. Thankfully, she herself had been in the lingerie department again.
‘I’ve been in childrenswear,’ Lucy beamed. She had loved working in there and only wished that she could afford to buy some of the lovely garments they stocked for Mary. Most of their clothes came from jumble sales, not that Lucy was complaining. There were some rare bargains to be had if you were prepared to look carefully enough, and she was proud of the fact that she had always managed to keep her little sister well turned out.
‘Oh you poor thing, how ghastly.’ Annabelle looked horrified but Lucy shook her head.
‘Actually I love working in there. I’ve asked Mrs Broadstairs if I could stay there permanently if it’s possible.’
Annabelle stared at her as if she had lost her marbles. She had never had a lot to do with children, having no brothers or sisters, and nor did she wish to.
‘But how could you possibly enjoy serving brats?’ She shuddered dramatically. ‘All those runny noses and tantrums.’
Lucy chuckled. ‘There is a little more to children than that,’ she assured her. ‘My Mary is a little
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