Debbie munched the fourth biscuit then said, “They quit.”

“All of them?” asked Norma.   She wondered for the umpteenth time how Debbie could eat so much yet remain so deathly thin, while Norma herself ate only half as much and struggled to keep her weight under control.

“Yes,” said Debbie, “the bloke lasted four days, the first girl one day, and the second girl quit just before lunch on the second day.

“There has never been a fortune to be made in the laundry business, but I could at least make a reasonable living, if only I could get someone to settle in as my permanent assistant.   As it is, I’ve gone through nearly two dozen assistants already this year.”

Debbie took a sip of her tea, and then shovelled in six heap spoonfuls of sugar.

“Perhaps you aren’t paying them enough,” suggested Norma.   She grimaced as Debbie began to drink the over sweet concoction and thought, ‘If only she’d stir the bloody stuff, she could get by on two spoonfuls, and I wouldn’t have to scour the gunk out of the bottom of the cup after she’s finished.’

“I’d pay them more money if I could,” said Debbie, “but what would be the point of having a steady assistant, if I had to pay her so much that I wasn’t making any money on it myself?” Debbie sipped her tea then grimaced.

‘Serves you right!’ thought Norma, only to watch in horror as Debbie shovelled three more spoonfuls of sugar into her tea, then took another sip.

“Aaaah!   That’s more like it,” said Debbie, reaching across for a Monte Carlo biscuit.

She ate the biscuit in two bites, then said, “It’s not really that the money is so bad, rather the job is so bloody monotonous: ironing and spray cleaning all day long.   After a day or two of that they all think that there has to be something better just around the corner.”

“The poor silly twits,” said Norma.   For a moment she wrestled with her conscience, then seeing Debbie reach for a sixth biscuit, Norma decided to risk a third biscuit herself.   ‘What can a few more kilos hurt at my age?’ decided Norma, helping herself to a chocolate-coated teddy bear biscuit.   “They’ll probably spend years on the dole regretting their mistake.”