‘OK, Ma,’ I said slowly, not sure. ‘Ma! Won’t he knock on the door te check if anyone’s there wit a ticket?’
‘We’ll just have te take tha chance,’ me ma said, lookin worried.
After a while, me ma got up an looked at me te follow. We went inta the tilet an locked the door. ‘We’ll stay here,’ she said. ‘It’s safer.’ I held onta the sink, an she stretched her back against the wall. The train was rockin like mad an flyin. Nothin happened fer ages. An we just stayed quiet, waitin an listenin. Then there was a knock on the door, an we stared at each other, tryin te judge if it was the ticket collector. We heard the feet movin off after knockin again. Me ma raised her eyes te heaven an puffed out her cheeks. ‘This waitin would kill ya,’ she mouthed. I nodded me head, wishin it would end. Then the train stopped, after hours an hours of bein locked up. An we opened the door very slowly, puttin our heads out te see wha’s happenin.
‘Changin at Crewe for the London train!’ an English voice was announcin.
‘Come on, quick!’ me ma said. ‘We’re gettin off. When’s the next train fer London?’ me ma asked the man in a uniform.
‘Not for another forty minutes, Madam!’
‘Grand!’ me ma said, smilin te me. ‘Come on, let’s get a cup a tea.’ We went inta the station café. ‘You sit down over there, an I’ll get us a sup a tea,’ me ma said, headin over te join the queue at the counter. I watched me ma movin up the queue, an when it was her turn, an the woman handed her two cups a tea an saucers, I rushed over, takin the tea, an she carried over a plate a bread an butter. The bread was gone in no time. We were starvin. ‘That’ll have te do us,’ me ma said. ‘We have te go easy on the money.’
‘Yeah!’ I said, feelin very hungry after the lovely tea an bread.
We headed out onta the platform an climbed up onta the train fer London. ‘Come on,’ me ma said. ‘We have te go easy on the money. We won’t bother sittin down.’ An we went straight inta the tilet.
It didn’t take long fer people te start bangin on the door. ‘Who’s in there?’ a woman’s voice roared in, but we stayed quiet an listened te people complainin te each other outside.
‘It’s been locked for a long time. I’m sure there’s someone in there! Open the door!’ Someone banged wit their fists, but we didn’t move an inch, just stared at each other, wonderin wha was goin te happen. Then the noise stopped, an we let out our breath.
‘Jaysus!’ me ma whispered. ‘I can’t take much more a this!’
We waited, wit the guts gettin shaken outa us from the rockin of the train, afraid te breathe too loudly. Then there was a big bang on the door, an a man’s voice shouted, ‘Tickets!’ We held our breaths, afraid te move a muscle. Then another bang. ‘Tickets, please! I’m waitin to check your tickets.’ We opened our mouths, lettin air in an out without makin a sound. Then it went quiet, an we waited again, droppin our heads from one shoulder te another, afraid te make a sound.
A long time passed. But then sure enough there was another bang on the door. ‘Tickets! Will you come out, please!’ Me ma put her face in her hands, an I stared at the door. ‘Open this door, please. I’m not leavin until you open the door!’ Me ma dropped her hands, an she was white as a sheet. She put out the palms of her hands te show we were caught.
‘I can’t come out, Mister! I’ve an awful pain in me belly!’ I moaned. ‘Ah! Me stomach is killin me!’ an I gave a big fartin noise outa me mouth, stickin me tongue out.
‘How long are you in there?’ he asked after a minute.
‘Ah! Oh, me stomach. Just before you knocked. An I’m not comin out fer a long while,’ I moaned, ‘cos someone else got here before me. An they made me wait an hour.’
‘All right, love, sorry to bother you.’
‘Ah! Mammy! This is terrible,’ I moaned. Then I opened me eyes after I heard his footsteps goin. An me ma was suffocatin herself, stuffin her coat in her nose an mouth, tryin te stop herself from laughin.
‘God Almighty! I thought there fer a minute we were had.’
‘He’s gone, Ma!’
‘Yeah! But he might come back.’
I slid against the sink, tryin te ease the stiffness in me. An we waited. At last! The train slowed down an then came te a stop. We waited until we heard the crowds movin an the doors openin, then we pulled the door open quickly an moved inta the crowds an got carried down the station, keepin our eye on the ticket collectors at the gate.