a hammer a couple of times itâd come good. And a toilet brush that looked pretty good, although Michelle thought they should come back for it later in case they found a better one.
And then they saw it. Neither of them could believe their eyes. A huge television set! Michelle and Pennyâs family hadnât had a TV since the old one blew and, in Michelleâs eyes, here was half a million bucks just waiting to be carried away.
âDo you think it still works?â Penny whispered in awe.
âYes, it does,â said a ladyâs voice from behind. The girls got such a fright they almost jumped out of their skins.
âSorry,â said Penny, âwe just ââ
âNo need to be sorry,â said the lady. âIt looks like youâve got quite the haul there!â
When Penny explained how they were going to be millionaires to help out their dad, the lady almost cried.
âWell,â she said, âthereâs nothing that pleases me more than people showing some courage. People trying their best. How about I ask my husband to put the trailer on the car and I give you a lift with all of this stuff?â
âI donât want to sound rude or anything,â said Penny, âbut Mum and Dad always say not to get into cars with people we donât know.â
âAnd very good advice it is, too,â said the lady. âSilly of me not to think. What if you tell me where your place is, and Iâll just take the stuff for you? Oh, and if youâd like to give me your telephone number, I think I might have a few more things I could give you to sell.â
âRadical,â said Penny. âWe havenât got a phone at the moment but the shop at the end of the street will usually take messages for us.â
âThat sounds fine,â said the lady. âMy nameâs Carmel, by the way.â
âNice to meet you,â the girls said.
The lady dropped all the stuff at a park near the girlsâ house, and by that afternoon the girls had their shop all set up. Guess how many things they sold?
None. Not one. They had never been so disappointed in all their lives.
âIsnât anyone using false teeth anymore?â asked Penny. âI canât believe it. Still, at least we get to keep the TV for ourselves.â
âWhat do we do now?â wondered Michelle. âLeave the whole lot here, I suppose,â said Penny. âLet the council pick it up in the morning.â
As the girls trudged into their house, they were most surprised to hear the sound of laughter.
âYouâll never guess,â squealed their mum. âYour dadâs got a job. A really good one.With better pay and everything.â
âMum, thatâs so fantastic,â said Penny.
âWho with?â
âWith a lady called Carmel, doing repairs and odd jobs and gardening,â said her mum. âItâs unbelievable. Apparently sheâd heard what a good worker your father is and how heâs really keen on gardening, and she just rang up the shop and offered him a job.â
âHow terrific,â said the girls, looking at each other. Although, of course, they would never tell that they knew who the lady was.
Whether their dad knew their secret, the girls never found out. But he did spend a chunk of his first paycheck on two beautiful new dresses.
Bulldog Brown was tough. Very tough. If he told you to nick off, you wouldnât hang around to ask why. If he punched you â which was often â youâd say, âGood hit, Bulldog.â
I didnât like him. Not at all. Not because he was tough â someone is always going to be the toughest in every school. It was because he picked on the little kids. And I hated that.
It was when Bulldog belted up my brother Robbie that did it. No-one hits my little brother! Except me, of course, but thatâs different. I have to put up with him all the time.
Yes, Bulldog was a