Roundabout!

"Woo hoo," Sarah put the tray of 144 eggs on to the top of the existing pile.
"Roundabout!"  Sarah and Ann sang in a chorus.

It was a little ritual that they have developed over the months of picking up eggs.  When they were feeling super happy, they would perform a little harmonic duet.  

Each tray of eggs, represents one tenth of a driving lesson (they worked out earlier in the Spring that they normally do about 10 roundabouts per driving lesson.  At their hourly rate, it takes them ten egg trays to pay for one driving lesson).  It was a way for the girls to stay motivated in their work.  It was back-breaking work and so cold in the winter months.  But perhaps the worst thing was the awful dust in the air.  Gulps of water, little and often helped, but you couldn't gulp too much down, as it just made you go to the loo all the time and you would miss your daily target of eggs.
   
North Wales was a beautiful place to live, both of the girls knew that, but it was rather limited in the hope it could offer them for long term employment.  They needed mobility - hence the driving lessons. But it was so incredibly expensive.

They started picking up eggs in February.  February 10th to be precise.  Ann remembers it well as it was the day her dog died.  She had left Sammy, the family golden labrador that morning, at 4.30am, not knowing then, that she would never see him alive again.  It brings a tear to her eye every time she thinks about him.  'See you later Sammy' were the last words she said to her dog.  She used to take him back an egg to put in some milk, just as a treat.  She missed her dog so much.  That was the worst day of her 17 years so far.  Sarah really helped her get through that grief.

Roll on 4 months later, and here they are, in the cold, dusty, noisy brick house, picking up eggs. Hundreds, thousands of them. The two girls have been doing this for 6 days solid, every single week.  Seventeen they may be, but it still breaks your back by the end of the shift.  "Can I have a 'break back Big Mac' please?" is the girls' little joke they say when they go to McDonalds.  The egg farm supplies the food chain, so whenever they go to their local outlet, the staff there know what's coming.  The two girls are well known in the village.  They've known each other all their young lives.  They will remain friends to "the day we die" is what they say. 

They took their driving theory tests on their birthdays.  Ann was in January, and Sarah a few weeks later.  They were very lucky to find their jobs at the egg farm, they knew it would be difficult to find somewhere that would take them both on, and they could work together.  So they want to stick at it, as a thank you to Ged's parents who own the farm. 

"Here he comes," Ann was first to spot the tractor pulling up.  The girls loved it when Ged came to see them.  He was the village heartthrob.  In he strode, with a big smile on his face.

Sarah stood up, and her heart melted each time she saw Ged smile.  Why couldn't all men be like Ged she thought to herself.  

"Ladies..."

"Geeeeeeeed," the girls knew the routine.

"Beautiful morning?"

"Geeeeeeeed"

"I'm looking for a few eggs, don't suppose you've seen any laying around?"
He gave Sarah a wink.  She was his favourite, but he found the company of both girls always to be pleasant.

"I don't think we have, have we Annie?  Not around here mind," she looked over to her friend.  Both girls radiated when Ged came to see them.  They would get a bit of rose in their cheeks.

"How's the driving going girls?"

"Bloody nightmare," Sarah put her hands in her pockets to try to help them warm up a bit while she chatted with Ged.  

"Why's that?"

"I'll tell you why young Ged," she liked to remind him when she could that he was actually younger than her, even if by a few days.  The three of them were very close in age.  "It's all those bloody manoeuvres."  She liked to emphasise the "oooo" in her manoeuvres.

"Why?"

"Because, where Ged, do we need to do the stupid things around here?  It's madness."

"She's got a good point Ged," Ann felt similar to her friend about reversing, "It does seem a bit unnecessary when we know we can just do a taxi-turn."

"The good old taxi-turn," Ged smiled at them, "Where would we be without it eh girls?"

"A bit further down the road I'd imagine." Sarah smiled her bestest smile to Ged.

"As ever, you talk a lot of sense Sarah," Ged started to carry over some of the egg trays to his trailer.

"Take care with those eggs Ged, we know what you are like with your heavy hands," Ann turned around to her friend and raised her eyebrows to her.

"I know what I'd like him to do with those heavy hands," Sarah softly added to her friend while Ged had his back turned.  The girls laughed.

"I'll have you two know, that these hands can pick up 6 eggs in each hand," he waved them to his friends.

"Get away Ged, no you can't," Ann was having none of it.

"I'm telling you Ann."

"Well you know what they say about a boy with big hands don't you Ged?"  Sarah was stood with her hands on her hips now, looking at him with a cheeky smile on her face.

Ged met her stare, but lost his nerve and started to go red in the face.  He turned towards the pile of egg trays, "Naughty, you girls are very naughty."