‘There’s towels,’ me ma said, eyein the pile a new towels. I picked up a box of smellin stuff wit soap an slid it under me arm. Then I examined a towel, an when no one was lookin, I folded it up an moved off. ‘Come on,’ me ma said. ‘We have enough.’
We got off the bus in Paddington an hurried back te the room. Me ma emptied the bag out onta the bed. I grabbed a frock an held it up te get a look. Me ma was examinin a black skirt. ‘How does this look, Ma?’ I said, standin back an straightenin meself up.
‘It’s a bit big fer ye.’
I looked. Yeah, it’s fer a big young one twice the size a me. It was swimmin on me an halfway down me legs. ‘Here!’ me ma said. ‘Put them on ya.’ I tried on a big blue pair a knickers, an the legs dropped down past me knees.
I kept lookin at them. ‘These are fer women, Ma. They don’t fit me!’ I said, disappointed.
Me ma was tryin te squeeze herself inta the black skirt. ‘They’ll keep ye warm,’ me ma said, puttin her hand on her mouth an laughin.
‘Ye’re makin a laugh a me!’ I roared.
‘No!’ she said, searchin fer the other stockin an lookin at me holdin up me frock an starin at the size of me knickers. ‘Where’s the other nylon te go wit this?’ An she held up the stockin. ‘Ah! There it is!’ I watched her puttin on the nylons. I’d never seen her put anythin on her legs before. ‘Ah, fuck!’ she said when she stood up te admire herself an the nylons fell down. ‘I’ve nothin te hold them up wit!’ I picked up a big red, white an blue jumper wit Ba, Ba, Black Sheep on it. I pulled it over me head, an it went down te me knees.
I stood back, wonderin if I was lovely in it or not. ‘Wha do ye think, Ma?’
‘Eh! It’s lovely! Keep ye nice an warm.’ I examined her face te see if she was tellin the truth. She put her hand te her mouth an turned away.
‘Where’s the jumper I got fer meself?’ she said, buryin her head in the clothes. ‘Ah! Here it is!’ An she held up a tight-fittin baby-blue jumper an held it up te the skirt.
‘Ye’re laughin at me, Ma!’ I roared. ‘Cos ye know I look like someone let outa Grangegorman fer the day!’
Me ma roared laughin. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Keep lookin! There must be somethin decent here te wear. Oh, look! There’s a lovely pair a navy-blue gaiters tha should fit ye.’
I whipped the trousers on, an the strap under me feet was a bit long, an they hung down in rolls. I’m not wearin them. They’re too big. I whipped them off. ‘Do ye like tha?’ me ma asked, standin back te admire her jumper an skirt.
‘Yeah! But ye’re all hangin down in the front, Ma.’
‘Hold on,’ she said. ‘There must be a brassiere here somewhere. I know I saw one. I had it in me hand a minute ago. Oh, look, Martha! Here’s the boots I got ya. They should fit ya.’
I looked at them. All fur on the inside an a zip up the side. I shot me feet inta them an zipped them up, lookin down at meself. They were grand, just a little bit big. But they didn’t look right wit me bare legs an frock. Somethin was missin. I whipped them off an put the trousers back on an took off the frock. An now I was standin in me boots wit the trousers pushed inside them an the jumper on top. An I stood back happily. ‘Wha do ye think, Ma?’
‘Yeah! Them’s lovely!’
I walked up an down, feelin inches bigger in me furry boots. An I was lovely an warm in me knickers an trousers. An the jumper looked lovely now, over me trousers.
‘Wha do ye think of this?’ me ma said, smilin an lookin down at herself, movin from side te side.
‘God, Ma! Ye look lovely! Did ye get the jacket te match?’
‘Yeah!’ she said. ‘It’s a suit.’
I stood back lookin at the lovely black suit. The jacket fitted her grand, an she looked lovely in the jumper. An her diddies were standin up an pointin wit the brassiere on, an I’d never seen her look like tha before. ‘Wait till ye see these,’ an she put on a pair of black patent high-heel shoes an tried te balance herself walkin up an down. She kept wobblin, an I roared laughin. ‘Come on,’ she said, takin them off, ‘before I break me neck. Let’s put these away, an we’ll go up te tha Woolworths. There’s a few things I need. I want te get a bit of elastic te keep me nylons up. An we’ll buy a comb. An I might even get a tube a lipstick. Then we’ll get somethin te eat. We’ll get ourselves fish an chips.’
‘Right, Ma. Hurry!’ I said, all excited.
The landlady slammed the front door after us as we left the house. ‘She’s ragin, Ma, cos ye didn’t give her the rent.’