A Mother Forever by Elaine Everest (free children's online books txt) 📕

‘Over here, love,’ a woman called. ‘That’s if your name is Ruby?’

‘It is,’ Ruby smiled as she joined the women. ‘Which one of you is Cissie?’

‘That’s me,’ a rosy-cheeked, friendly-looking girl said as she pulled out a seat next to her. ‘Park yourself down there. The tea’s still hot,’ she added, passing the pot to Ruby. ‘We don’t come here often, but it’s Doreen’s birthday treat, and seeing as it’s Saturday we thought we’d celebrate in style, so to speak.’

‘Happy birthday!’ Ruby smiled as she poured milk into her cup. ‘It’s awfully good of you all to let me interrupt your celebrations like this.’

‘We don’t mind,’ the other girl at the table said. ‘I’m Jean, by the way. Do you come from around here?’

Ruby nodded. ‘Yes, I live in Alexandra Road.’

‘Blimey, just down from us,’ Jean said. ‘Doreen and me live in Manor Road. Not in the same house, though,’ she laughed. ‘I have a husband in the army, and Doreen here lives with her mum and dad.’

‘Cissie lives in one of the big houses up South Road,’ Doreen pointed out. ‘She’s a bit posher than us.’ She hooted with laughter.

‘Don’t take no notice of them. Here, have a bun,’ Cissie said, sliding a plate across the table.

Ruby accepted gratefully. ‘Thanks. I was that busy, I’ve not had anything to eat since breakfast time. I’ve been helping my daughter-in-law move in to the house next door to me, and I forgot the time.’

In truth she’d been too nervous to eat anything. Meeting three strangers to chat about the W. V. Gilbert munitions factory that would hopefully help the war effort had put her nerves on edge. Was she biting off more than she could chew?

‘Blimey, you don’t look old enough to have a grown-up family,’ Jean said. ‘I’ve got two lads in the army,’ she added proudly.

‘My son, George, has just joined up. He got married before he left for the front. I also have a little girl who is coming up for seven. What about you two?’

‘Just one girl. I lost my husband last year at Ypres,’ Doreen said.

‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ Ruby said. ‘I believe my husband died recently, too.’ It was an awkward situation to explain, but she felt that since she could be working closely with these women, she ought to be open about her life.

Cissie wrinkled her nose as she absorbed Ruby’s words. ‘You believe?’

‘It’s complicated,’ was all Ruby could think to say. ‘I hope he’s safe, but until I find out I can’t really say, as I have no idea.’

‘Then you could be told wrong,’ Jean said. ‘There was a girl working in the next hut to us who received a telegram saying her husband was brown bread. Ten months later she had the fright of her life when he walked in the front door, large as life.’

‘Gosh – what did she say? Was she shocked?’

‘I think he was more shocked, as she’d moved in another chap and was up the duff,’ Jean hooted.

Ruby joined in the laughter. These women seemed such fun. She did hope she could work with them. ‘What about you, Cissie? Do you have children?’

Doreen nudged Ruby’s arm. ‘She’s saving herself for the right man,’ she grinned.

‘Far too busy dreaming about her handsome army officer,’ Jean added.

‘Shut up, the pair of you!’ Cissie blushed. ‘We’ve only passed the time of day, that’s all.’

‘What work have you been doing up to now?’ Jean asked Ruby.

‘I’ve mainly been working in my friend’s bookshop in Pier Road, but business isn’t as brisk as it used to be, so I’ve cut my hours right back. I could have looked for similar work, but I feel as though I should be doing something towards helping the war end. Doing my bit, if you know what I mean?’

Cissie nodded her head enthusiastically. ‘That’s exactly how I felt. I’ve been down there two years now and I really enjoy the job.’

‘You can tell by the colour of the face,’ Doreen hooted. ‘Me and Jean are just doing it for the money; the pay is good and we get well fed. The hours aren’t too bad, either.’

As Doreen spoke, Ruby looked more closely at the three girls’ faces. ‘Crikey,’ she said without thinking, ‘now that you mention it, your skin is quite yellow. Is that why they call you canaries?’

‘She’s a fast one,’ Doreen nudged Jean. ‘Just take a look at her hair,’ she added, lifting up Jean’s smart hat and showing a bright ginger band of hair at the front of her head.

Cissie tutted. ‘If you covered your hair like you were told, it wouldn’t turn that awful colour.’

‘I think it looks quite nice,’ Ruby said, not wishing to be rude. ‘Tell me, do they supply overalls?’

‘They do, and we are covered almost from head to toe to protect us from the explosives,’ Cissie tried to explain as the other two girls chatted over her.

‘It’s to save us from being killed by the poison. I take it you don’t expect to have any more babies?’ Doreen asked with a glint in her eye.

‘Well, I hope not,’ Ruby said. ‘I’m getting a bit long in the tooth for that kind of thing. Why do you ask?’

‘They say that we swallow some of the explosives as we work, and it messes up our insides,’ explained Doreen, who seemed to relish telling such tales.

‘The bosses give us milk to drink. It’s supposed to help,’ Cissie said, seeing the alarm in Ruby’s face.

Jean patted Ruby’s arm. ‘Don’t worry about it. They also say if we didn’t chat so much while we worked and kept our mouths shut, it would be safer. I hope we’re not putting you off?’ she said with a grin.

‘Oh no, I really want to do the job if I can. I just thought if I could talk to somebody who works at the munitions factory, I could get an idea of whether I’d be any good doing the work. And then I’d be more prepared and could