Bertha very much hoped Aidy got this job because otherwise domestic service for tyrants like Majorie Kilner was all that remained, God forbid.
For the umpteenth time she responded, ‘You look lovely to me, gel. Really efficient-looking. The doctor would be out of his mind not to take you on.’
‘Me teacher wears a skirt and blouse like you have on, only you look prettier than she does, our Aidy,’ piped up Marion, nestled beside her grandmother on the sofa.
Perched sideways on a dining chair by the table, Betty was looking over at her in awe. She thought her big sister beautiful and clever, and aspired to be just like her when she grew up. ‘No one else’ll stand a chance against you,’ she said.
Lounging in the easy chair, one of his badly bruised and battered legs hanging over one arm, George was too engrossed in a Dan Dare comic he’d borrowed off a friend to be aware of anything else going on in the room.
The time showing on the old tin clock on the mantle was twenty-five minutes to seven. Aidy took one last look in the mirror that was hanging on the wall opposite the range. She gave her hair a pat, her cheeks a pinch, then smoothed her hands down her skirt. She would just have to do because she hadn’t time to change now anyway.
Full of purpose, determined to prove to the doctor she was the best applicant for his job, and waved off by her family amid shouts of ‘Good luck!’ she set off, arriving outside the surgery at a quarter to seven. She was far too early but that was better than being late. She made to enter the waiting room but stopped short as a bout of nerves hit her. She suddenly wondered what awaited her inside. How many other applicants was she up against? Were they all far better qualified for the job than she was? What she hoped was that the doctor had failed to notice she had stolen his advertisement and hadn’t replaced it with another so she’d be the only applicant. The waiting room had a small window set in the door. She would take a peek through it …
To her dismay, through the small glass pane she could make out at least ten women and there were possibly others sitting on the bench in an area of the room that wasn’t visible to her. The women were of varying ages, from late-teens to middle aged, and looked neat and tidy. All had a look on their face showing they were as determined to make this job theirs as she was. Most of them were holding brown envelopes. For a moment she wondered what those envelopes could possibly be holding. Then it struck her. Of course, glowing references from previous employers. She hadn’t got one from her last employer. It hadn’t seemed worth while asking after being sacked.
A sense of deep despondency washed over Aidy. She wasn’t the sort to admit defeat easily but she was also no fool. She knew that pitched against the women in that waiting room, she had no chance of landing the job. She might as well go home.
Her shoulders slumped dejectedly, she turned and began to retrace her steps. She’d hardly gone any distance when she stopped abruptly as a sudden thought struck her like, a thunderbolt.
What if she didn’t have any competition? If she was the only applicant, then the doctor would have no choice but to give her the job, wouldn’t he?
Her mind raced as she pondered her idea. With a lot of nerve and luck on her side, it could very well work … She had nothing to lose by having a go, everything to gain if she did succeed. What she was about to do wasn’t honest, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She felt positive most of the women in the waiting room would attempt what she was about to, had they thought of her idea and were in need of this job as badly as she was.
She spun on her heel and retraced her steps, only this time she did not head for the surgery door but for one in the wall that enclosed the yard at the back of the house.
She cringed as the gate squeaked open then quickly relatched it behind her and scooted across the yard towards the back door, all the time praying she hadn’t alerted the doctor to her presence. Should he look