Eva's Journey by Judi Curtin Page A

daylight robbery,’ she said. ‘They’re all bruised. Look.’
    She held up two perfect, unblemished apples.
    Ruby went red.
    â€˜Maybe we can….’ she began, but I edged her aside.
    â€˜No, Ruby,’ I said. ‘You’ve made a mistake. These aren’t six for a euro, remember? These are the specially imported Guatamalan Gold apples. There’s only a few left and they’re two for a euro.’
    Mamie narrowed her beady eyes and licked her dry, cracked lips.
    â€˜You said six for a euro, so you have to sell them to me for that. It’s the law. I know my rights.’
    â€˜I bet you do,’ I muttered.
    Then I gave a big long sigh.
    â€˜I suppose she’s right,’ I said to Ruby. ‘We’ll have to give her six for a euro. But don’t make that mistake again, or you’ll have us bankrupt in no time.’
    I packed up six apples, managing to sneak in one bruised one that had been put aside for pig-food. Ruby took the euro from Mamie’s stick-like hand, and Mamie scuttled off, cackling as she went.
    â€˜Old Mamie’s too cute for the lot of them.’
    There was a sudden clapping sound. I looked up to see that the stallholders on either side were applauding me. I gave a small bow, trying to hide the red that was spreading across my cheeks.
    This was so much fun.

    An hour later, the market closed for the day. By then I was exhausted.
    Who’d have thought that selling fruit and vegetables could be so tiring?
    â€˜What time did you start this morning?’ I asked.
    â€˜Seven-thirty,’ said Ruby.
    I gulped. Even on school mornings I didn’t get up that early.
    â€˜And do you work here every Saturday?’
    She nodded.
    â€˜Yes. And on Sundays too, and on Wednesday and Friday afternoons after school.’
    â€˜Wow,’ I said.
    No wonder the poor girl had no time for friends. I was having trouble understanding howshe found time for basic stuff like sleeping and eating.
    It was all too hard for me to take in. Victoria’s big sister babysat occasionally, but I’d never before met someone my age who had a real job.
    â€˜But …’ I struggled, but I couldn’t find a polite way to ask the question. So I went right ahead and asked it the rude way. ‘Aren’t there laws about young people like us working for a living?’
    â€˜There are laws about young people like us starving too,’ snapped Ruby.
    â€˜Sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just ……. well you’re running a market stall – all on your own.’
    She shrugged.
    â€˜It’s really my mum’s stall, but she’s been sick lately, so I have to do it. My uncle opens up the stall for me and he lifts all the heavy boxes, and my big sister helps out whenever she’s not working. It’s not so bad really.’
    She stopped speaking and her face went blank again. She had only spoken a few sentences, butshe looked like she was sorry she had said so much.
    We didn’t speak any more, as I helped her to carry the half-empty boxes into a shed behind the stall. Ruby was just locking up when I remembered why I was in the market in the first place.
    What was Mum going to say when I got back, having spent two hours in the market buying nothing?
    I pulled the five euro note from my pocket.
    â€˜How many apples and bananas can I buy with this?’
    Ruby didn’t answer. She took the money from me, and slipped it into her pocket. Then she pulled a huge paper bag from the pile. She filled it with apples, bananas, pears and oranges. After the morning I’d just spent, I knew a bit more about shopping for fruit, and I could see that there was much, much more than five euro’s worth of stuff in the bag.
    Ruby folded the top of the bag and held it towards me.
    â€˜That’s too much,’ I said.
    â€˜Just take it,’ she said almost roughly.
    I could see that