The good FRIEND

Times were hard, but Violet saw someone in need – and she knew what had to be done

- Judy Summers

Violet wiped the sweat from her forehead as she peered through the clouds of steam towards the clock. Only another hour, and then the week would be over.

There was still plenty to finish, so she forced her aching arms to pound away at the soiled cotton in the tub. It was exhausting, but Violet was proud to feed and clothe her family. Thinking of them kept her going as she was soaked and scalded for 10 hours a day, six days a week. Things had been tough since dearest Pa died, and she was grateful for a job in Liverpool’s biggest laundry.

‘Look out, Susie!’ Violet called to her friend at the next tub. Susie was small and sickly, unsuited to the heavy labour. But she had no parents, so what choice was there? At the end of a long week, Susie wept with exhaustion and was liable to make mistakes. Fortunately, Violet managed to catch the dripping mass of sheets before they hit the floor.

Susie managed a tired smile, and they worked in silence until they heard the blessed sound of the bell, leaving their tubs to queue up for their week’s wages.

‘Will Jake be here, like usual?’ Susie’s brother was a hard-working labourer, but on Saturdays he finished early to walk them home – all the local ne’er-do-wells knew it was payday, which put any lone women at risk.

Violet’s eagerness to see Jake, however, wasn’t just because she was concerned for Susie to get home safely…

The first step outside was always horrible. The girls got hot and wet all day, which meant that the blast of cold air chilled them to the bone and made their joints ache. The most sought-after jobs in the laundry were those in the warm, dry airing-and-mending room.