‘Wait, Ma, I don’t want te get lost!’
‘Come on,’ she said, hurryin. ‘We’ve nothin te carry the stuff in.’ She flew past stalls, an then her eyes lit on a pile a suitcases an shoppin bags an handbags. Me ma picked up a big suitcase an winked at me. The market was crowded, but there was only another woman beside us browsin at the handbags. An the owner was sittin on a big high stool drinkin a mug a tea an suckin on a cigarette. He was watchin his stuff like a hawk.
‘Come on, Ma,’ I said, pullin her sleeve.
‘Ah, wait,’ she said, smilin. ‘Gimme time.’ Then she picked up a big leather shoppin bag. ‘How much is this? Eh, Mister?’ An she gave a little cough an a laugh.
Yer man held the cigarette in the corner of his mouth, closin one eye against the smoke pourin in an sized me ma up wit the other. ‘Ten bob! An that’s cheap. You’ll pay fifteen bob in the High Street.’ He saw me ma’s face drop. ‘But I’ll tell yer wot I’ll do! I’ll let yer have it fer eight bob. An I’m robbin meself. But I likes the look a you!’
‘Come on, Ma!’ I roared, an I moved off.
‘Ah, tha’s very dear!’ me ma said te me back as I walked off.
I walked up a bit an waited fer her te catch up. ‘Did ye not like tha, Martha? Tha bag would suit us grand,’ she said, chewin her lip.
‘No, Ma! We can’t afford te pay tha kind a money on just a bag. An tha fella is a robber.’
‘Yeah! Pity, though,’ me ma said, lookin woebegone. ‘But we need te see if we can get somethin te carry stuff in first.’
‘Yeah! Wait until there’s a crowd aroun him, then we’ll whip it,’ I said.
We moved on, stoppin at a stall wit mounds a clothes. ‘Look at this!’ me ma said, liftin up a brown coat tha was doin the rounds when Queen Victoria was livin. ‘Go on! Try it on,’ me ma said. ‘It’ll keep ye nice an warm. There’s nothin wrong wit it.’
I put the coat on, an it had a mangy fur collar. It felt damp, an the linin was torn, an there was a hole in one of the pockets. It was faded an old lookin, like it had definitely seen better days. ‘Tha’s grand on ye,’ me ma said, standin back te look.
‘Yeah, OK, Ma, it will do,’ I said, lookin up te see if there was anyone watchin. I kept the coat on an moved away. I had no intention of even givin the time a day fer the coat never mind partin wit money.
I looked back te see how things were at the bag stall, an there was a few people moochin aroun. The owner was arguin the price wit a man holdin a suitcase. He was puttin it down an walkin off, an yer man was chasin him wit the case. ‘All right! All right! I’ll tell yer wot I’ll do.’ An the man turned back.
‘Quick, Ma! Grab the bag!’ I flew down lookin fer it, an me ma rushed over, pickin it up from the back.
‘Here it is!’ she whispered, liftin her eyebrows an lookin aroun te see if anyone was watchin.
‘Give it te me!’ an I grabbed the bag, puttin it down by me side an throwin a glance at yer man who was still arguin an pushin the suitcase inta the other man’s hand. His back was turned te me. An I turned aroun an slowly headed off in the opposite direction. We kept walkin until we were outa sight an then stopped at a stall wit a huge mountain a clothes. I couldn’t reach up. ‘Tha’s beautiful,’ me ma said, pickin up a jumper fer herself an rollin it inta a ball, an winkin down at me, an flickin it over the edge te land in the new bag. I was holdin it open! Nobody could see me over the clothes. So all I had te do was wait fer them te drop an catch them in the bag an squash them down in the blink of an eye an wait fer more.
‘How much is them lovely sheets over there, Mrs?’ me ma said, pointin te the back of the woman. Skirts, slips, knickers an shoes landed in me bag. An shoes banged me in the face, cos me ma was busy concentratin on the woman. I leaned forward te catch the stuff fallin te the ground an got the buckle of a belt in the eye. ‘Ah, no, not them, the other ones!’ me ma roared te the woman.
I had te slap the leg of a fat woman tha was standin on me hand. ‘Ah, my Gawd!’ she screamed, jumpin back an lookin at me.
‘Sorry, Mrs! I’m tryin te fix me shoe, an ye stood on me.’ I jumped up, liftin the heavy bag twice the size of meself, an took off lookin like I was goin on me holidays wit all the clothes. Me ma hurried after me, an I was strugglin wit two hands tryin te carry it. ‘Grab the bag, Ma!’ I puffed. An she looked back te make sure no one was after us an grabbed the bag, hurryin off laughin.
We kept movin. Then I spotted a stall wit boxes a soap an lovely smellin things, an I stopped te get a look, sayin, ‘Wait, Ma, look!’