Free Sadie Was A Lady by Joan Jonker Page B

people our age are just goin’ out at eight o’clock, all set to enjoy themselves. As their night begins, we’re toddling home like two young kids. No bloke is goin’ to put up with that.’
    ‘I can’t help it if me mam’s strict with me. She says only cats and loose women are out late at night.’
    ‘And I can’t help it if yer mam doesn’t trust yer. All I know is that in two weeks we’ll be sixteen, old enough to look after ourselves. So it’s no more first-house pictures for me after the next two Saturdays.’ Sadie ran a hand over the top sheets in the crate before pulling the lid down. ‘I’d like to learn to dance, or go over on the ferry to New Brighton and see the fairground … anything but be stuck in the routine of goin’ to the pictures every Saturday.’
    ‘My mam wouldn’t let me do anything like that.’ When Sadie didn’t show any signs of sympathy, like she usually did, Brenda went on, ‘Anyway, clever clogs, where’s the money coming from for all this? Yer’ll not do it on a shilling a week.’
    ‘Oh, no? Well, just you watch me.’ Sadie looked around for the floorwalker and when she caught his eye she held up her hand, a signal that she needed the full crate replacing with an empty one. Then she turned to Brenda. ‘I’ll start gettin’ dates and they can pay for me.’
    ‘Yer’ll get yerself into trouble, Sadie Wilson, if yer start going out with every Tom, Dick and Harry.’
    ‘Is that you talking, or yer mam, Brenda?’ Sadie smiled as the floorwalker approached. He was a nice bloke, was Benny, always had a smile and a cheery word for everyone. He was over six feet tall, pale-faced and as bald as a billiard ball. The empty wooden crate he was carrying looked too heavy for his painfully thin body to bear, and Sadie rushed forward to give him a hand. ‘Yer should get one of the young lads to do this, Benny, otherwise yer’ll be doin’ yerself a mischief.’
    ‘It’s all right, lass, I’m no Tarzan but I’m stronger than I look.’ He positioned the crate in front of Sadie before casting an eye on Brenda’s work. ‘Give us a shout when yer ready.’
    Brenda nodded, then waited until he was out of earshot before turning on Sadie. ‘You have no right to talk about my mam like that.’
    ‘Like what? I’ve got nothing against yer mam, she’s never done me any harm. In fact, I’ve always envied you your family and nice home. But I do think she’s doing you more harm than good by wrapping yer in cotton wool. There’s a big world out there; some of the people in it are good, some are bad. By the time your mam thinks yer old enough to be let out on yer own … probably by the time yer twenty … yer’ll have had no experience of people, especially boys, and it’s you that’ll get yerself into trouble, not me.’
    Brenda thought on this for a while. Sadie was the only friend she had; none of the girls in the street where she lived bothered with her because they knew how strict her mam was and they weren’t prepared to put up with it. ‘Will you come to our house an’ ask me mam if I can go to the second house at the pictures? She might say yes if you ask.’
    ‘No.’ Sadie shook her head. ‘Yer’ve got to learn to stand on yer own two feet, Brenda. I haven’t had the cushy life you’ve had – I’ve had to stand up for meself for as long as I can remember. I’ve got to scheme to get the things you take for granted, so there’s no way I’m going to take on your troubles as well. Fight yer own battles, kid, and learn to grow up in the process.’
    ‘I’ll have a word with me mam tonight. But we’re still going to the first house tomorrow night, aren’t we?’
    Sadie closed her eyes in exasperation. ‘Yes, and the Saturday after. But the following week you can forget it. We’re sixteen within a few days of each other, old enough to do what we want.’ She pointed to the crate in front of Brenda. ‘Unless yer want to lose yer job, get cracking and fill