Mostly, Peter’n me get on okay, but sometimes we ‘ave a bit of a barney— loike that toime Oi interrupted ‘im when ‘ee was down the garden readin’ on the steps of ‘is shed. Oi only asked, ‘im all polite loike, wot ‘ee was a-readin’, an’ cripes— ‘ee nearly bit my ‘ead off:
‘Wotchew readin'?’ Oi said.
‘I don't want to talk with you, Jenno. Go away.’
‘Go away yerself. This 'en-'ouse is in moi garden. Oi got a roight ter be 'ere. You ain't orderin me aroun' loike JJ 'n the others troi to do. Yew'll all be needin' us girls soon when there ain't 'ardly no more men around.’
‘What do you mean, there'll be hardly any more men around?’
‘Thought yew wasn't talkin' wiv me. Yew boys is all the same. Yew says one fing and yew does somefink else. 'N yew fink yer so clever— the only ones wot can fink. Us girls c'n fink jus' as good— better even. Oi'm tellin' yew, when this war's over yew'll be needin' us 'n no mistake. S'logick. When yew've done wiv killin' one another, it'll be mostly women 'n girls wot's left. Then yew'll come crawlin' ter us ter put ev'ryfink back in order again.’
‘But Jenno, it's not only men that are killed. There are lots of women too.’
‘Think Oi'm daft? Corse Oi knows that. But it's mostly men any'ow. An' it's the men wot starts it all. When we've got a queen in the palace 'n a woman prime minister, thing's'll be diff'rent. Yew'll see. Yew'll be needin' us then. But Oi reckon yew needs me now.’
‘Doesn't your mother need you?’
‘Moi mum's out. Moi bruvver too. So don't think yew c'n get rid of me loike that. Oi know somefink wot yew'd loike ter know. But Oi ain't tellin', till yew show's some respect. I've got moi roights too. It ain't only yew men wot owns the whole world. Yew treat me roight, 'n p’raps yew'll learn somefink interestin'. Wotchew readin'?’
(Gang Territory Chapter 17)
(Gang Territory Chapter 17)
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