Part 2 (1/2)

Leah gave Janey a push to wake her and flung back the bedclothes. The oil- cloth was freezing and she could see her breath condense in the cold air. She ran across the room and selected her clothes from the still sizeable pile on the chair.

'Get up, Janey,' she called as she ran from the room.

'Shurrup,' Darkie called. Leah bit her lip. She'd forgotten Darkie would still be asleep.

Janey snuggled deeper into bed. She was still not used to working in the mill in the morning and attending school in the afternoons. By the time she'd done her stint in the mill she was so tired that she almost fell asleep at her desk. 'It's a waste of time,' she complained to her mother.

'It's the law,' Emma would retort. Emma wished Janey had more of the get up and go, that Leah had. All Janey seemed to be interested in at the moment was movie stars!

'You look half starved, love,' Emma said as Leah opened the door into the living room and skittered across to sit as near to the fire as she could. She poured some of the porridge into a dish and gave it to Leah. 'Here, get this down you, it'll warm you up.'

'Ta, Mam.' Leah ate hungrily. She loved porridge and it filled you up so that you didn't feel hungry for hours after.

'Did you wake our Janey?'

Leah nodded, still spooning in the porridge and Emma was relieved to see some colour creep into her cheeks. 'You know our Janey,' Leah said, in-between mouthfuls, ' it would take a bomb to get her out of bed.'

'Well, she'd better not make us late again,' Emma said in exasperation. She went to the bottom of the stairs and called up, not too loudly. 'Janey...Janey...'

She went back into the living room and took a hairbrush off the mantle. 'Get dressed Leah and then come on over here and I'll give your hair a good brush and plait it for you.'

Slipping off her nighty Leah quickly pulled on long flannel bloomers, liberty bodice, vest, flannel underskirt and thick black stockings. On top of all this she put a black s.h.i.+ft then a bleached calico ap.r.o.n. She sat on the chair whilst her mother brushed her hair.

Emma had just tied Leah's plaits with blue ribbons when there was a loud knock on the door. It made them jump and Emma looked up in surprise.

'Who on earth can that be at this hour,' she said.

'I'll bet its Annie Fitton,' Leah said angrily. 'I know she's deaf , but does she think we are as well? One day she'll go clean through the door with that knocker.'

Emma hurried through to the front to answer the knock as another loud one echoed through the house. 'Just be civil if it is Annie,' Emma said over her shoulder. 'She can't help being deaf and she's just lost her Ned and him only eighteen. Ee, I feel sorry for her, I do that.'

Leah heard Emma open the door, then Annie's loud voice. I knew it, she thought in irritation. She's never away. We might as well get her a bed here.

Annie Fitton was indeed standing on the front door step when Emma opened the door. Annie was fat, extremely fat. Her large round pudding face with its blackcurrant eyes stared at Emma worriedly. 'I'm sorry to bother you, Emma,' she said apologetically, 'But could you let me have a bit of sugar. I'm right out and I can't drink me tea without it.'

'Aye, course I can. Come in a minute.' Emma turned and walked quickly back into the front room. Annie followed ponderously behind. A moonbeam of a smile lit her face when she saw Leah.

'Ee, it's your Leah. You do look bonny this morning, Leah.'

'Ta, Annie. Cold, though, isn't it.'

Annie c.o.c.ked her head. 'Sorry, love, I didn't hear that.'

'It's cold,' Leah shouted.

'Aye, it is that,' Annie said, 'But all this,' and she patted herself, 'Keeps me warm.' She let out a bellowing laugh, her layers of fat rippling like a tidal wave. Leah stared, mesmerized. Annie was just too fat. She'd explode if she put on any more weight.

Annie sat down on a chair next to Leah. The chair creaked ominously. She smiled again at Leah with her toothless mouth and Leah suppressed a grimace. When was she going to get some false teeth? She'd had no teeth for years. Leah had nightmares about losing her teeth. She put her finger to her own surrept.i.tiously. She'd make sure she gave them a good clean with salt before she left for work.

'Would you like a cup of tea Annie, love,' Emma said.

Annie turned to Emma. 'Ee, I haven't seen the scissors for a fortnight,' she said. Emma and Leah burst out laughing.

Annie looked surprised. 'What, what,' she said, continuing to look at Leah with admiration. Emma was so lucky that she had two such bonny la.s.ses!

Emma laughed and wiped her eyes with her pinny.

'Ee, Annie, I don't know how you got scissors out of that. That one really beats the band. A cup of tea then, love?' she shouted.

'Go on then.'

Janey walked in as they sat drinking their tea. She yawned widely.

'h.e.l.lo, Annie, you're early.'

'What?'

'You're early,' Janey shouted.

Leah raised her eyes to the ceiling. She loved her mother but she felt she was over friendly with neighbours, especially Annie. She left the front door unlocked all day so that people could just walk in. In this respect she was not like most people in Harwood, who usually kept their distance. Familiarity breeds contempt, Leah often thought, but again this wasn't true about her mother. Everyone liked and respected Emma.

Annie got up with great difficulty. The chair creaked. They all looked worried until Annie heaved herself upright.

'Thanks for the tea, Emma, love. I'll bring the sugar back today.'

'No hurry, Annie.' She saw Annie to the door and then rushed back into the living room to finish getting ready for work.

Janey had dressed herself by this time and eaten her porridge. The noise of clattering clogs increased outside as more and more people hurried to the mills.

'Hurry up you two, we'll be late,' Emma said. She picked her large black shawl up off the chair and wrapped it round herself.

Kitty O'Shea was waiting for them as they stepped from their front step onto the street. She worked in the same mill as they did.

'Thought you were never going to come,' she said as they set off up the street. It was still damp and cold and Leah and Janey crept under Emma's shawl, which they had done since they were small. Kitty strode along next to them, her cheeks like two red flags. She had vivid blue eyes and long black hair. Darkie was keen on her and was relentlessly teased about it by the rest of the family.

'Annie Fitton called in,' Emma said as they almost ran up the street. 'I don't mind her calling but morning's not a good time for me.' Kitty was Leah's best friend and had been since the O'Shea's had moved next door ten years ago.

Mara and Shamus O'Shea were perfect neighbours for the Hammonds. They liked company, although they never overstepped the mark and made a nuisance of themselves. But they could always be relied on, and they found the same with Emma. Mara ruled in the O'Shea household. She was large and efficient, had a warm and loving nature and bossed her husband unmercifully. This didn't bother Shamus at all because he loved his wife to distraction. Shamus was small and wiry, and dark haired and blue eyed like his daughter. He liked a drink, or, as Mara would state sarcastically, 'he liked a bucketful of it'. Emma could hardly keep her face straight when Mara admitted that she'd given him a 'good hiding' one day when he'd had a bit too much.

Paddy O'Shea was Darkie's age and, like Darkie, worked in the mines. They were good friends and already Paddy had his eye on Leah. Leah knew this only because Kitty had told her, and was horrified.

'But he's more like my brother, Kitty,' she said. 'I couldn't ever like Paddy like that.'