the king and the pauper

Dont worry mama

The rest of the week had seemed to just fly past me like I was in some kind of busy tornado. I have been kept so busy at work and I have also been busy at home as mother had a new customer turn up with multiple items of clothing to be mended and I had to step up and make dinners and do more of the chores and I also had to go and visit Mrs. Pritchard with half a dozen eggs that daddy had got from the farm and once you get into Mrs. Pritchard's home it is hard to leave as she insists on making a big pot of tea and talking about near enough everything. Mrs. Pritchard is always alone during the day when her husband works and sometimes he leaves town during the weekend if he hears about someone needing another worker so I think Mrs. Pritchard gets lonely and likes to have someone to talk to and normally I don't mind but I have been so busy that all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed.

I managed to leave Mrs. Pritchard's house but not before she insisted on wrapping me up a plate of her home-cooked cookies. I will admit that they are so lovely but I hate taking something from someone especially as I know how hard it is to aquire things and when you have nothing the last thing you want to do is to take from someone in the same position as you are but there is no saying no to Mrs. Pritchard and as she kept saying it was just a thank you for the eggs and company.

I know most people my age would hate the thought of spending time with their elderly neighbours and that they would rather go to the cinema or go to a diner and get a milkshake or go to a funfair but those things just aren't available to me. I have never even stepped foot in a cinema and I have never even seen a tv as those are for the rich folk. I have been wanting a record player since I was 10 but I know that a record player is a luxury that we can't afford and that we have more important things we need to spend our money on.

I enter my home again with the aroma of Mrs. Pritchard's cookies filling my nostrils and making me feel hungry but I already had a cookie at Mrs. Pritchard's house and decided that mamma and daddy could have these as they deserve the treat.

"mamma " I shout as I walk into the kitchen to find my mama sitting with her head resting in her hands looking like she was worrying about something.

"mamma Mrs. Pritchard sent some of her homemade cookies for you to have as a thank you for the eggs and she was very thankful and I suspect very lonely as she wouldn't stop talking"

" that was kind of her and I suppose she would get lonely with her husband working away a lot."

I turned to see my daddy hobbling from the bedroom into the living room while holding his back and letting out one almighty yell as he lowered himself onto his chair

" Daddy" I shout rushing over to him and sitting on the floor at his feet

"What happened to you?."

"I was just finished milking the cow and when I turned the cow kicked out and hit me right in the back."

" oh my gosh. Did it do much damage? you will be ok won't you?"

" well it broke my 2 ribs and ill be out of work for 2 months and I have a huge medical bill to pay but I will heal up it will just take time"

" Time is something we don't have when we have to pay rent next month and you know Mr. Till isn't a nice man who won't let us be late again." mother added her worry about us apparant

" away you go child and try and cheer your old mama up"

I stood up and walked back into the kitchen

"Don't worry mama it will all work out for us as it always does. It is all in God's hands and he won't let us fall"

"Oh, child I'm not too sure this time as my new customer gave me so much clothing to get mended that it will take me 2 weeks to complete it all. That is 2 weeks of not being able to take on any more work as I have too many items to complete as it is. That also means it is two weeks with no money coming in at all except the money you bring in."

"I'm sure that I can get more hours at the cafe and if not I can get a second job I'm sure somewhere will be needing someone to help."

"sweetie you work too hard as it is. On your feet all day serving all those people and then coming home and helping me. You can't do anymore"

" I can mother I'm young and I can handle a bit more work. I will ask my boss tomorrow and see what he says and if he says no then I will go out on my lunch and look for a second job. "

" This isn't what a dreamt for you when you were a child in my arms. I dreamt that you would never have to struggle the way I and your daddy did. I prayed that life would be kind and easier for you but I have let you down." mamma said with tears streaming down her pretty face.

I quickly got up and pulled mama into a huge hug

" you could never let me down and how could I ever get threw life's struggles if I always had it easy? Life will give you what you can handle and I can handle this just like you and daddy did when I was growing up. I know that sometimes you went without dinner just so I could eat and I will never forget that so if there is something I can do to help this family I will always do it."

"I don't know what I did to deserve a child as good as you."

I gave mother another kiss on the cheek and wished her goodnight and I walked into my bedroom and fell onto my bed. I wondered how I would cope with more work truth be told I am worked to my bones but I knew that I was needed now more than ever so ill do whatever I need to. I was also worried that it was Thursday night and I haven't heard anything from Elvis. I think that maybe he was just being polite and had no intentions of catching up with me and as much as I'm intrigued by him and can't stop thinking about him that maybe it's a good thing he hasn't been in contact. I now won't have the time to meet up with him with the way things are now if I'm to get extra work. I still couldn't stop feeling a bit disappointed by it though.

I quickly fell into a deep sleep truly exhausted by the day's events