Children of Toil ✔

Chapter Seven

The sun was just rising as Meg walked along Sachs Street towards the Crown to start work.

Men staggered around. She stepped over some laying in the gutter. Meggy shook her head in wonder. There were so many drinking houses, one for every store and shop.

By the time she had finished cleaning the tables and floor, and had changed the sheets on the beds that the girls used each night, it was ten o'clock and the bar was reopened for business.

"Meg!" Bill waved her towards him. "Bee says you want to work the punters."

"I need money, Bill. Doing what I do isn't enough."

He nodded and touched the bottom of her hair which now sat around her neck, there were shorter and longer patches here and there but it was looking better.

"If you're sure you're ready. I didn't want to push you after what Bee told me they did to you on the boat."

"I'll never be ready, Bill, but there cannae be another life for me. If I want money then I've nae choice."

"We'll start you tonight but only until ten." Bill gave her a grin. "I still need you to clean. I'll find someone to take over from you so until then you finish early."

*

At six o'clock Meg walked with Adelaide and Sue Lin towards the Crown. She fiddled nervously with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Kim Lee got bad beating from Mathew. She no can see out one eye. She says you fault, Meg."

Meggy looked at Sue startled and swallow a large lump in her throat. "He beat her? I thought she was just saying that ta make me stay."

Sue nodded as Adelaide gasped, "You did go there?"

Shifting her eyes towards Adelaide, Meggy nodded shamefacedly. "I need money. Bill wouldn't let me take clients so I went with Kim Lee but I was no expecting that. How can those women do it? Why does Kim?"

"She his cousin. He pay for her to come from China. Tell her family she marry nice man. He put her to work." Sue Lin sighed. "She no marry nice Chinese man now. Too much shame. Like Sue. Kim want to leave Mathew's. Want to come to Bill. Bill say okay when her eye better."

Meggy put her hand on her chest. "Will Mathew let her go?"

"Oh yes. He no want her no more. He say she trouble."

*

Meggy made her way between the men, and cleared the tables. She tried to gauge how to start. It had been months since her last client in Scotland. Because of the hate of what she had to do, she found it difficult to begin again and thought perhaps she should have left things as they were.

Bee tapped her on the shoulder.

"I have a punter for you." She pointed to a man with a pleasant face who was standing at the bar talking to Bill. "His name's Johnny Hanrahan. A nice fella. A local and probably a regular if you treat him right." She paused and touched Meg's hair. "Come on then let's introduce you."

Johnny smiled at Meggy when Bee introduced them. "Would you like a drink?" he asked.

"No... I dinnae drink." Meggy gave him a shy smile and shook her head.

He chuckled. "If I could hear me wife say that."

"So, Maggie, you're from...."

"Meggy. I'm Meggy and I'm Scottish."

Johnny laughed again. "Sorry, lass. I'll have to remember that because I can tell you and I are going to be great friends. Shall we go?" He held his arm out to her.