HIDDEN TREASURES

By Tessa Harvey


    Estelle had worked in several jobs including mostly as a shop assistant. The supermarket managers told her exactly what to do, how to stack shelves, how to clean very early before the store opened. It was mindless repetitive work, but it gave her enough money to afford a shared rental.
    Mostly it was girls, but sometimes a bloke came, saying he was a woman. Estelle did not like him. She was made to call him Margaret. One of the other girls whispered: "Lock your door every night and never ever go to the loo alone. Lock the bathroom if you shower." 
    He kept staring at her. Also at Elly who was her friend. Some folks pretended friendship but their hard or shifty eyes betrayed them. Estelle avoided them, kept quiet.
    When she was little, her friends were Rose and Jasmine. Rose was slow but nice. The teacher kept trying to make her say her dad was abusing her. Estelle had stayed with the sisters for the night quite often. One day it was very hot and the dad's shorts slipped down in his sleep. They saw his nakedness, but Rose innocently told the teacher who hated men and now was delighted. She called Rose a 'biddable idiot' to Mrs. Fowler, her best friend. They reported lies about the dad.



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