The Jam Factory Girls by Mary Wood

Author:Mary Wood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

Chapter Fifteen

Elsie

Elsie stirred. Always awake these days before the knocker-up arrived, she turned over for the umpteenth time, still unable to get used to the emptiness of her bed, even though four and a half months had passed.

Cecil now slept in the fold-down bed in the living room, which Mum had originally bought for Rene. Rene slept in Mum’s old bed, and often snored gently – a soothing sound that made Elsie feel less alone.

Stretching her legs out, Elsie felt her heart aching, because although she knew she wouldn’t, she still hoped to feel the familiar little feet at the bottom of the bed and hear the giggle as she tickled Bert with her toes. The usual dread of another day without her mum and little brothers assailed her, bringing with it a feeling of despair.

They say that time heals. How much time will it take? Her grief hadn’t lessened one bit.

She talked often with her mum and felt that she was happy, which helped, but it didn’t take away the longing to hear her voice, or to feel her arms hugging her. Every day Elsie promised her mum that one day she would find Bert and Jimmy, and that all four of them would be together again. But that seemed hopeless, for appeals to the nuns fell on deaf – if kindly – ears. Each time she visited the convent, the nuns told her they were praying for her and Cecil on a daily basis, and they were pleased to inform her that her brothers were well, cared for and, above all, loved. They never said they were happy, and this worried Elsie.

Turning over again and dragging the heavy coat that covered her from where it had nearly fallen off the bed, Elsie wrapped it around her, but didn’t get any comfort from it. Sighing, she wished she could get up, but that would disturb Rene and Cecil and wasn’t fair on them.

So instead she lay thinking about all that was happening.

Things were moving along towards a strike taking place at the factory. And this gave Elsie a feeling of hope, and yet she worried about the stories that circulated. One in particular, of how sixty women went on strike a few years back and were immediately locked out and their jobs taken by others, filled everyone with trepidation. Despite Elsie knowing how difficult this would be to carry out, if everyone walked out, she still worried that maybe they wouldn’t, and that she would be one of a few who did and were sacked.

But what could she do? Millie was convinced that the strike was the right way to go. She spent a lot of time trying to help Elsie and Dot see that.

The three of them met as often as they could in St George’s churchyard gardens. It was a time when they could be the sisters they were meant to be, and they hugged each other and helped each other – mostly Dot and Millie helping

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.