by Joan Jonker
‘George and Paul said they’d do some cheese on toast for themselves to tide them over till I get back. But I hope they don’t expect me to make a hot meal for them, because they’re in for a disappointment. Me feet will be too tired to stand by the stove by then.’
‘Let’s walk up Bold Street, then make our way down to Church Street, and Lord Street.’ Molly said. ‘We can stop for a snack if we get hungry, or our legs get tired.’
The friends passed the flower sellers at the bottom of Bold Street, and they admired the beautiful colours of the roses, carnations and flowers they didn’t know the names of. The women with their shawls over their shoulders were calling out to passers-by, and they seemed to be doing a roaring trade.
‘They smell lovely, don’t they, girl?’ Nellie said. ‘All the different scents, it must be nice for the women to be sitting by their buckets with all those under their noses.’
‘It’s a job, sunshine, that’s how they make their living. It’s all right for us, walking past admiring the flowers, but the women have to sit on those stools for hours on end, until all their flowers are sold. It’s a nice day today, good for their business, but it must be a lousy job in the winter.’
The couple were walking up Bold Street, arms linked, and they stopped occasionally to look at the window displays. One shop in particular caught Molly’s eye, and she pulled Nellie towards it. ‘Those dresses look nice, sunshine.’ She nodded to the three models. ‘I like that deep lilac one, it’s very attractive. I like the colour and the style.’
‘It’s a bit like the colour of the material we saw the other week, remember? Yer didn’t half like that material.’
Molly nodded. ‘I did, yes, but I don’t know any dressmakers so I’ll have to buy a dress. And although this material is a bit darker in colour, I really like it. But it hasn’t got a price on, and it’s probably more than I can afford. I’ve got the hat to buy so I’ll have to keep count of me money.’
‘There’s no harm in walking in the shop and asking how much it is,’ Nellie said. ‘Yer don’t have to buy it, yer can just walk out. If yer don’t try, girl, then yer’ll never know. Shall I go in and ask for yer?’
‘No, we’ll go in together, sunshine. If the dress is more than I can afford, then as yer say, we can just walk out.’
So, with Nellie bringing up the rear, Molly pushed the shop door open. Her first reaction was one of surprise, for the shop was much bigger inside than she’d imagined. There were a few dresses on models, but there were several long racks filled with garments of every colour and length. There wasn’t time to stand and stare, as the assistant appeared before them like the genie from Aladdin’s lamp. ‘Can I help you, ladies?’
Molly swallowed hard. There was no smile or friendliness on the assistant’s face, and that was quite off-putting. Then Molly told herself she was as good as anyone, and stared at the woman. ‘I was going to enquire about the lilac dress in the window, but I won’t bother if you’re busy. My friend and I will try elsewhere.’
The change in the assistant was nothing short of miraculous. ‘Oh, I’m not busy, madam, I’m here to help, that’s my job.’ Her hand fluttering, she pointed to a long, velvet-covered bench. ‘Please be seated.’ She waited until the friends were comfortable, then clasped her hands. ‘Was it the lilac dress you were interested in? It’s a very pretty dress, I must say, and the colour would suit you. Shall I get it out of the window, for you to have a closer look? We do have it in other sizes.’
‘Before yer go to any trouble, I would first like to know the price, for I may not have enough cash on me right now.’
‘I’ll have to reach into the window,’ the assistant said. ‘We do have some in the back room, but the price depends upon the size.’ She drew aside the white net curtain and stepped into the window. ‘The price is three guineas, madam.’ Her head appeared through the join in the curtains. ‘Should I take it off the model for you to see?’
Molly gave Nellie a dig, and whispered, ‘I thought it would be at least twice that much.’ Then she answered, ‘If you would, please, I should be grateful.’ While the assistant was busy in the window, Molly asked her mate, ‘Are yer going to see if they’ve got a dress you’d fancy? There’s plenty on those rails, yer might just find one that catches yer eye. The lilac one isn’t nearly as dear as I thought it’d be. I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a lucky day for us, sunshine.’
Nellie kept her voice low when she asked, ‘Ay, girl, have yer got clean undies on?’
‘Of course I have, yer cheeky beggar! I always have clean undies on, no matter what day it is, or where I’m going,’ Molly said. ‘That’s because me ma drummed it into me that I should always have clean knickers on in case I get run over.’
‘Would Madam like to come through to one of the cubicles to try the dress on?’ The assistant had been holding the dress for Molly to finger the material, and smiled for the first time when Molly showed signs of enthusiasm. ‘I think this one will fit you, but we do have other sizes, although they are not all the same shade.’
‘I’ll try it on, and hope it fits, for I do like it.’ Molly was about to follow the assistant when she looked at her mate, who was still sitting down. ‘Come on, sunshine, you can give me your opinion on whether it suits me or not.’
Nellie waddled after her, muttering, ‘With your luck it’s bound to suit yer. If yer dropped a sixpence, yer’d find a shilling.’
When Molly came out of the cubicle, it was to see Nellie looking at the dresses on a long rack. ‘How do I look, sunshine?’
‘Yer look a treat, girl, yer really do. Turn round and let’s have a good look.’
Ignoring the watching assistant, Molly put her hands on her hips and swayed down the room. She felt good in the dress, which had a square neckline and was fitted into the waist, with a full flared skirt and three-quarter sleeves. ‘Will I do, sunshine?’
‘Yer look smashing, girl, it really suits yer. Yer hopped in lucky, seeing that in the window.’
Molly nodded towards the rail. ‘Have yer seen anything on there that yer like?’
‘Oh, there’s a few I like, girl, but they won’t have them in my size. Yer know I always have trouble getting anything to fit me.’
The assistant, sensing two sales, approached Nellie. ‘Oh, I’m sure we have something to fit you, madam, we stock all sizes. I’ll help you when your friend has decided if she intends to buy the dress she has on, which I think looks lovely on her.’
‘There you are, sunshine, we could both be lucky. I certainly feel this is the dress for me.’ Molly fingered the material. ‘It feels good on me. I don’t think I could do better.’
‘If you would like to change into your own clothes, madam, the assistant by the counter through those curtains will wrap it carefully for you and put it in one of our bags.’ The assistant was sweetness itself now she knew she would be getting a bonus. ‘She will give you a receipt for your money also.’
Nellie wasn’t feeling too sure of herself. She wasn’t used to posh shops and assistants, and would be lost without her mate. ‘I’d rather look through the dresses with you, girl, ’cos you know what suits me.’
‘All right, sunshine, I’ll help yer look for something nice.’ Molly had noticed how her mate had been looked at by the assistant, and it had irritated her. Nellie was a better person than most stuck-up snobs, and Molly made up her mind that Nellie would get the same attention as she herself had been given. So, opening her purse, she counted out three pound notes, half a crown, and a sixpence, which she held out to the assistant. ‘Perhaps you’d be kind enough to have the dress wrapped while I stay with my friend. You can put the receipt in with the dress.’
When the two mates were alone, Nellie said, ‘Stuck-up cow! Did yer see the way she was looking at me? I felt like clocking her one!’
‘She’s not worth getting upset for, sunshine. People like her don’t know what life is about. A bloody good laugh would kill her.’
Nellie’s ey
es flew open. ‘Oh, yer used a swear word there, girl, and that’s not like you.’
‘Forget it, sunshine, and let’s get you sorted out. I’m not going home with a dress unless you’ve got one too, so that means yer have to find something yer like. Have yer seen one that takes yer fancy on this rail?’
‘There is one that I really like, I’ll show yer.’
‘Give me two minutes to put me own dress back on, sunshine, I don’t want someone to walk in and see me in me underskirt. You get the dress off the rail and I’ll be back before yer can say Jack Robinson.’
And when Molly came out of the changing room, Nellie was waiting for her, holding a hanger from which a dress was nearly touching the floor. ‘Be careful, sunshine, give me the hanger.’ Molly held it up, and she was smiling. ‘I love it, sunshine.’ The dress was in a rich tan colour, plain in style, with a round neck and long sleeves. It was ideal for Nellie who didn’t suit fussy, fancy clothes, because of her more than ample figure. ‘This would look lovely with a large-brimmed beige hat, Nellie, it’s such a rich colour. D’yer think it’ll fit yer?’
Nellie shrugged her shoulders. ‘I couldn’t tell yer, girl, I was terrified of taking it off the hanger. It looks outsize, so it might fit. I hope so, ’cos I do like it.’
‘Open yer coat up, sunshine, before Tilly Mint comes back.’ Molly took the dress off the hanger and held it against her mate. ‘I’d say yer’ve hopped in lucky, Nellie, but go in the changing room and try it on. But if it feels too tight take it straight off in case yer split it. Give me yer coat and look sharp.’
Nellie was never quick with taking clothes off, or putting them on, because of her size. When the assistant came in with Molly’s purchase in a posh carrier bag, she asked, ‘Is your friend trying on a dress?’ When Molly nodded, she was asked, ‘Does she require any assistance?’
‘She’ll call if she needs help.’ Molly stared the assistant out. ‘If she finds it’s not the right size then you can be assured she won’t try to struggle into it. After all, there would be no point, would there? If you would put that bag on the bench, I’ll pop my head in and see how she’s managing.’
A voice floated out to them. ‘It fits like a glove, girl, but it would need a hem on, that’s all. I’ll come out and yer can tell me what yer think. This cubicle is too small for me – I can’t turn round proper.’
Molly was pleasantly surprised when Nellie appeared, for the colour suited her, giving some colour to her face. ‘Oh, I say, sunshine, that looks a treat. The plain style is better for you than patterned material. As yer say, it needs taking up about two inches, but that isn’t a problem because our Doreen could do that for yer, and make a professional job of it. I’d go for it, Nellie, because I don’t think yer’d find one to suit yer any better, even if we traipsed the whole of Liverpool.’
‘Ye’re right, girl, and I’ll take it.’ Nellie looked at the assistant. ‘How much is this dress?’
‘It’s more expensive than your friend’s, being a larger size. It’s three pound ten shillings.’
Like Molly when she had been told the price of her dress, Nellie was agreeably surprised. ‘Will you pay the lady, girl? Yer’ll find me purse in me handbag. I’ll go and put me old dress on and hand this out to yer to get wrapped. And I want it in a bag like the one you’ve got.’
Molly stood with the assistant at the counter in the front of the shop, paying for Nellie’s dress and waiting for it to be wrapped. ‘I’m glad we came up Bold Street, we’ve both been very fortunate. All we need now to make the day perfect is to find a milliner’s with plenty of wedding hats to choose from. Let’s hope we stay lucky.’
‘Well, I think you might, madam, because there’s a hat shop about four or five shops up the road. They have a good selection, I know, because I bought a wedding hat from there a few months ago.’
When Nellie came through, Molly handed her the posh bag with the shop’s name on in large letters. ‘This seems to be our lucky day, sunshine, because this lady has just told me there’s a good hat shop just a few doors away.’ She bent her arm. ‘Put yer leg in, sunshine, and let’s go on another adventure.’ They smiled at the girl behind the counter and left the shop two happy women.
They found the milliner’s shop, and stood in awe of the half-dozen hats on show. ‘Ay, girl, it looks very posh,’ Nellie said, her eye picking out a large-brimmed creation in beige, with a ruche trimming of lace around the brim. She gave Molly a sharp dig. ‘How much would yer think that hat would cost, girl? That one there, with the fancy lace on it? D’yer think I’d have enough money for it?’
‘I couldn’t say, sunshine, and as none of them have got a price ticket on, the only way to find out is to go in and ask.’
Nellie pulled a face. ‘You go in, girl, I’m hopeless at doing things like that. I go all tongue-tied and can’t get me words out.’
‘That’ll be the day when you go tongue-tied, sunshine. Yer do more talking than I do. But I agree yer have a problem with words, except swear words. So to save your tongue being tied, and to spare my blushes, I’ll go in and ask the price of that hat. D’yer want to come in with me?’
‘No, I’ll stay here, girl, because if they say the hat is ten pound, I’ll probably faint. And yer wouldn’t like that, would yer?’
‘I wouldn’t know, Nellie, because at ten pound, I’d have fainted with yer. I wouldn’t pay that much for a hat I’ll only wear once, even if I was rolling in money.’
Nellie sighed. ‘That means we’ll never find out, doesn’t it, girl? If you don’t go in, then we may as well carry on walking.’
‘Nellie, I’d rather go in and make a fool of meself than put up with you moaning about how yer’d seen a hat yer liked, but I put yer off it! Anyway, see that pale beige hat with the turned-up brim? Well, I’ve fallen in love with that. However, I think the prices in this shop will be beyond our limits.’
Nellie wasn’t going to give up, though, because the dress in the bag she was carrying and the hat in the window, well, they were made for each other. ‘There’s no harm in trying, girl. And if we haven’t got enough money on us, we could put a deposit down and come back for the hats next week.’
Molly grinned. ‘Okay, yer’ve talked me into it. But only if we both go in together. At least I won’t feel as daft if there’s two of us.’
There was a girl behind the counter who greeted them with such a friendly smile, the two mates relaxed a little. ‘I’m sorry to bother you,’ Molly told her, ‘but could you tell us how much two of the hats in the window are?’
‘We’ve got a large selection of hats in these drawers, if you’d like me to show you some?’
Molly shook her head. ‘If yer’d just tell us the price of the two we’ve taken a liking to, we’d be grateful. One is the beige with the lace trimming, and the other is the pale beige with the turned-up brim.’
‘I’ll get them out of the window for you. I have identical hats in the drawers, for hats vary in size, so if they are too loose or too small, I’ll be able to replace them with ones that fit.’
There were huge mirrors round the walls, and soon Molly and Nellie were preening themselves in front of them. Molly’s hat fitted her like a glove, but Nellie’s came down to her eyes. She was so eager to own the hat, though, she would have been happy with it as it was.
‘How much did you say the hats were?’ Molly smiled at the young assistant. ‘I think I asked, but was so keen to try this one on I don’t remember what you said. My friend and I may not have enough money with us, for we have each just bought a dress, but I understand a deposit would probably secure a purchase for a week.’
‘A deposit would have to be half the price of the hats, for we’ve been let down by people leaving small deposits and not coming back. Both hats are four pounds two shillings and elevenpence. That would mean a deposit of two pound one and six.’
While Molly was smiling, Nellie was doing her little war dance, with the hat now covering her eyes. ‘We have enough money on u
s, dear,’ Molly told the girl, ‘so you don’t have to worry about a deposit. But could you see if you have a smaller size for my friend?’ She couldn’t help laughing. ‘We need them for a wedding, and if she takes that one she’s going to miss seeing her son getting married.’
From one of the deep drawers, the girl brought out a hat the replica of the one on Nellie’s head. But when the little woman tried it on, it was still a size too large. Better than the first one, but still not a good fit.
‘It’ll do,’ Nellie insisted. ‘I can pad it with a cloth.’
‘Oh, I can do something about the fit,’ the girl said. ‘I can put a piece of binding all round the inside. It has an adhesive on one side, and it really is very good. We use it often, as it makes for a good fit. I can do it for you now, if you’re sure you really want the hat. I like it on you, but it’s your decision.’
‘Yeah, you go ahead, girl, ’cos that’s the hat for me.’ Nellie was over the moon. She wasn’t really clothes conscious, only when there was a wedding and she could show off. Be the centre of attention, like. And she intended to be the main attraction at her son’s wedding. Except for Phoebe, of course, she mustn’t forget that. ‘Ay, girl, take the money out of me purse while you’re getting yours out, and we’ll have it ready for when the girl’s finished with me hat.’
Molly counted the correct money out for the two hats, and she winked at her mate. ‘Not a bad day, eh, sunshine?’ She raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘Someone’s been looking down on us today.’
‘That’s my friend St Peter,’ Nellie said, looking smug. ‘He keeps his eye on me, makes sure I come to no harm.’
‘Here you are, madam.’ The girl handed the hat over. ‘Try it on for size now.’
And the fit was just right. So after the hats were placed carefully in strong bags, and the money was passed over, two very happy women closed the door of the hat shop, and stood facing each other on the pavement. ‘It’s hard to believe, isn’t it, sunshine?’ Molly said. ‘I never thought we’d get hats and dresses in the one day.’
