Home Front Girls

customer for those. You would be shocked at how many women don’t wear the correct size. And over here . . .’ Her voice droned on as Annabelle reluctantly followed her about. It looked set to be a very long day.
     
    At last it was time for the morning break. To Annabelle, who was usually still in bed at this time, the morning had passed interminably slowly. As she entered the lift, Dotty followed her in, but Annabelle didn’t bother to speak. She just wanted to go home. And when she did she would tell her father how unreasonable he was being. She was even prepared for him to cut her allowance if it meant not having to come back to this place again. There had only been four customers who had actually bought anything all morning, although the foot traffic through the lingerie department had been quite heavy. But that didn’t mean that Miss Williams had allowed her to stand idly about. The blasted woman had had her in the stock room for the last hour unpacking the underwear that had been delivered to the store the day before, and after the break she had informed Annabelle that she must transfer it all to the correct places on the shop floor.
    ‘Do you think you will like working here?’ Dotty plucked up the courage to ask when the lift started to rise.
    Annabelle glared at her as if she had taken leave of her senses. ‘How could anyone like working?’
    Dotty gulped and wished that she had kept her mouth shut, and the rest of the ride to the top floor was made in silence.
    When the lift stopped, Annabelle found herself in a large staff dining room. It was nowhere near as nice as the restaurant that the customers used, but she made her way to the counter all the same and ordered a cup of tea. Then she stood indecisively looking around. Tables covered in plain oilskin cloths were dotted all about the room, but she saw that the place was saved from looking drab by the panoramic views of the city from the windows. The rest of the staff were sitting in little groups chatting and laughing, and she suddenly felt like a fish out of water; all her confidence fled.
    Seeing that Annabelle was looking uncomfortable, Dotty decided to forget her haughty attitude in the lift and suggested, ‘Why don’t you come and sit with me? We could go over there – look. There’s a table by the window.’
    Annabelle followed her gaze and shrugged; she didn’t have any better option and there was only one other girl sitting there. As they walked towards her, wending their way through the tables, Annabelle saw that the girl was actually quite pretty, or at least she could have been if she’d known how to look after herself. She had quite striking green eyes and her hair was a lovely auburn colour, but she had pulled it back into a ponytail; she seemed to be the only person sitting alone in the whole room.
    ‘Would you mind very much if we joined you?’ Dotty asked politely as they neared the table and the girl smiled.
    ‘Actually, I’d be really grateful if you would,’ she admitted. ‘I’m feeling a bit strange sitting here all on my own but I only started today and I don’t know anyone.’ She beamed at Annabelle.
    ‘So how are you finding your first day?’ Annabelle asked eventually, although she wasn’t really that interested.
    ‘I’m quite enjoying it actually, but I’m not so sure my floor manager is that pleased with me,’ Lucy confided. ‘There’s so much to remember and I keep putting things in the wrong places. He sent me downstairs for something earlier on and I actually got lost trying to find my way back. The store is huge! Still, it’s early days, isn’t it? I dare say I’ll get the hang of it, although I never realised there was so much to shop work. I thought the assistants just stood about all day until there was a customer to serve.’
    ‘Oh, there’s much more to it than that,’ Dotty piped up. ‘We aren’t allowed to be idle for a second, especially since they are so short-staffed. I’ve been here for two months already, but I’m still only allowed to serve a customer if the rest of the senior staff are busy.’
    ‘Well, I think it’s disgusting!’ Annabelle rubbed her sore feet under the table. She had to grudgingly admit that Mrs Broadstairs was right when she said that high heels weren’t a good idea for work. Her feet were throbbing already and she still had the biggest part of the day to get through. ‘I certainly don’t intend to spend my days dusting and stocking shelves,’