Life Or Death

An Honest Day's Work

"Margaret! Get up, don't be late for your day at work!" Joan Hart shouted from downstairs in the kitchen of the small house on Getting Street in West End of London. She was cooking up a fry when Margaret woke up, got ready and ran downstairs. The small but hearty kitchen was the heating core of the small street house that had a stove that heated the entire house. It was not much but the Harts were grateful for what they got.

Margaret pulled out a chair at the table before she sat down on it. As she sat down, she fixed up her clothes as they were rumpled from running from upstairs. Joan plated up bacon, eggs, a sausage, some mushrooms and a fried tomato before putting the plate down in front of her daughter who was sitting at the table with an already made cup of tea. Margaret saw to eating the English fry as the plate was set onto the small table. Joan cleaned up after the cooking of her daughter's fry and was done under five minutes before retreating to the lounge chair that stood near the stove. She picked up the Daily Telegraph and went to reading it for the morning as Margaret ate.

"Girl, you need to start waking up earlier than normal. A lady does not do that." Joan gently scolded Margaret as the young woman finished up her fry and sipped the last bit of her tea - a drop of milk with no sugar. Margaret murmured under her breath with slight annoyance. "I know, Mother."

Margaret was finished with her breakfast and was ready to leave for work. Before Margaret could leave, Joan gave her a small tin box with a smile on her face. Then she placed her small hand on her daughter's face.

"My May, you are so grown up now. Be the woman that you are and show them what the Harts are made of." Joan sent Margaret a soothing smile before she reached her for a hug which Margaret embraced her before breaking away. Margaret proceeded to put on her felt coat and put the small tin box that carried her lunch into her handbag.

"Thank you, Mother. I'll be home in the afternoon." Margaret waved at Joan as she left the house and started to walk up the busy street that consisted of a market that was selling fresh produce of the day. She looked at every passer-by and vendor with pride in her voice over the fact that she was a working person unless she did not end up getting married to some rich Teddy Boy of Chelsea which she had promised her Mother that she would not do it until she was ready to do so.

Margaret continued to walk up the street until she found the seamstress factory that had a gate at its entrance. It was intimidating like the Pentonville Prison with its bars on the gate but it paid her and her family well. Margaret was not the one to spend it all on herself, she would give half of her pay to her mother.

Once Margaret entered the staff room, she saw to putting her things in the locker before she was approached by a stocky but round man with thick-rimmed glasses that sat in the crook of his crooked nose.

"Ah Miss Hart! You're early!" The cheery voice of Mr Harrington brought May to his attention to listen to him having to say what he needed to tell her.

"Good Morning, Mr Harrington. How I can owe you the time of my company?" May smiled politely since she found Mr Harrington infuriatingly annoying but he was the one that had given her the job in his factory so she could not complain about his presence in the staff room.

"I am just telling you what a good morning it is today." Mr Harrington did not detect the sarcasm in Margaret's voice but Margaret ignored him as she got herself ready to work for the day in the manufacturing room.

As Mr Harrington cleared out of her sight, Margaret went on her way to the manufacturing room. There were about forty women that sat at each table that had a sewing machine attached to them, workers like Margaret worked long and tiring hours but the pay was enough to support themselves and their families during the hard times that had hit England post-World War II.