as the doctor’s receptionist she actually would. She knew she’d be well advised to keep on with her search meantime.
Which again turned out to be a futile. No factories, shops, yards or even scrap merchants seemed to have any vacancies for suitable jobs. It seemed at the moment the job the doctor was advertising was her only hope.
Having reluctantly called it a day, she was back at home in the scullery, peeling potatoes to make a cheese and potato pie for their dinner – although considering the small noggin of hard cheese that was left, it was more of a potato pie – when Marion burst through the door. She immediately threw herself at her sister, clasping her arms around Aidy’s waist and burying her head in her midriff, wailing, ‘I ’ate that Elsie Broadbent, our Sis! She’s ’orrible. I ain’t ever gonna be her friend again.’
Hurriedly wiping her wet hands on a towel, Aidy unhooked Marion from her person, knelt down and wiped her eyes using the bottom of her apron, saying, ‘You two were as thick as thieves yesterday. You begged me to let Elsie stay for dinner as you didn’t want to be parted from her during that time, only I had to say no ’cos I hadn’t enough chips and bread and marge to stretch. What’s happened between you two for you to hate her so much now?’
Marion blubbered, ‘She … she told Miss Hubbard I’d wet meself! And in front of the whole class and all, so now everyone knows and they’re calling me Pissy Pants.’
Aidy’s heart went out to her. Running a hand tenderly down the side of the child’s face, she said, ‘Well, you can’t help it if you have an accident. But what you could do to try and stop having them in future is keep going to the lav regularly, even if you don’t feel the need to go. Will you do that, eh?’
Sniffling, Marion nodded.
‘Good girl. Now, about Elsie … you don’t think she was trying to help you, do you?’
Marion’s little face screwed up in bewilderment. ‘Help me? I don’t see how.’
‘Maybe she didn’t like the fact you were sitting there in wet clothes, and hoped that by her telling Miss Hubbard, you’d be given clean ones to borrow until your own dried. Maybe she didn’t think about the rest of the class finding out when she told Miss Hubbard.’
Marion had to think about that for a moment. Finally she said, ‘I suppose she could have.’
‘Well, why don’t you ask her before you decide you’re never going to be friends with her again? If she did do it on purpose then you’ve every right not to talk to her, if that’s what you decide, but I think she was after helping you myself.’ Aidy stood up. ‘You’d best get changed, and bring me those clothes you’ve on down so I can wash them and get them dried ready for tomorrow. But before you go and square things with Elsie, I want you to find George for me and tell him to get himself home. I want a word with him. Then find Betty and tell her the same.’
Marion was looking at her worriedly. She blustered, ‘Oh, I dunno where either of them are, Aidy.’
‘Don’t lie, you do. You’ve been covering their chores while George is helping his best mate fix up his bike and Betty babysits her best friend’s brother and sister.’
Marion was looking mortally uncomfortable. She blurted, ‘Er … oh, yeah, so I have. I forgot. But I … er … don’t know where their best friends live, honest I don’t.’
‘Well, one of their other friends is bound to, so go and ask around until you find out.’
‘Can’t yer wait to have a word with ’em until they come home?’
Aidy began to feel irritated with Marion now. Sharply she said to her, ‘I want a word with them both now. The quicker you find them for me, the quicker you can sort out things with Elsie. Go and get changed then be off to do what I’ve asked you, or you’ll end up in bed with a red bum and hungry ’cos yer’ve had no dinner.’
Marion spun on her heel and shot off.
Aidy sighed as she returned to her task. What did it take to get her siblings to obey her?
George finally appeared at a quarter to six. By this time Aidy had decided he had ignored Marion’s summons for him to come home and her temper was