The sun was just rising as Meg walked along Sachs Street towards the Crown to start work.

Men staggered around. She stepped over some laying in the gutter. Meggy shook her head in wonder. There were so many drinking houses, one for every store and shop.

By the time she had finished cleaning the tables and floor, and had changed the sheets on the beds that the girls used each night, it was ten o'clock and the bar was reopened for business.

"Meg!" Bill waved her towards him. "Bee says you want to work the punters."

"I need money, Bill. Doing what I do isn't enough."

He nodded and touched the bottom of her hair which now sat around her neck, there were shorter and longer patches here and there but it was looking better.

"If you're sure you're ready. I didn't want to push you after what Bee told me they did to you on the boat."

"I'll never be ready, Bill, but there cannae be another life for me. If I want money then I've nae choice."

"We'll start you tonight but only until ten." Bill gave her a grin. "I still need you to clean. I'll find someone to take over from you so until then you finish early."

*

At six o'clock Meg walked with Adelaide and Sue Lin towards the Crown. She fiddled nervously with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Kim Lee got bad beating from Mathew. She no can see out one eye. She says you fault, Meg."

Meggy looked at Sue startled and swallow a large lump in her throat. "He beat her? I thought she was just saying that ta make me stay."

Sue nodded as Adelaide gasped, "You did go there?"

Shifting her eyes towards Adelaide, Meggy nodded shamefacedly. "I need money. Bill wouldn't let me take clients so I went with Kim Lee but I was no expecting that. How can those women do it? Why does Kim?"

"She his cousin. He pay for her to come from China. Tell her family she marry nice man. He put her to work." Sue Lin sighed. "She no marry nice Chinese man now. Too much shame. Like Sue. Kim want to leave Mathew's. Want to come to Bill. Bill say okay when her eye better."

Meggy put her hand on her chest. "Will Mathew let her go?"

"Oh yes. He no want her no more. He say she trouble."

*

Meggy made her way between the men, and cleared the tables. She tried to gauge how to start. It had been months since her last client in Scotland. Because of the hate of what she had to do, she found it difficult to begin again and thought perhaps she should have left things as they were.

Bee tapped her on the shoulder.

"I have a punter for you." She pointed to a man with a pleasant face who was standing at the bar talking to Bill. "His name's Johnny Hanrahan. A nice fella. A local and probably a regular if you treat him right." She paused and touched Meg's hair. "Come on then let's introduce you."

Johnny smiled at Meggy when Bee introduced them. "Would you like a drink?" he asked.

"No... I dinnae drink." Meggy gave him a shy smile and shook her head.

He chuckled. "If I could hear me wife say that."

"So, Maggie, you're from...."

"Meggy. I'm Meggy and I'm Scottish."

Johnny laughed again. "Sorry, lass. I'll have to remember that because I can tell you and I are going to be great friends. Shall we go?" He held his arm out to her.

She took it and let him lead her up the stairs. When they got into the room, he lit the lamp while Meggy stood nervously near the door.

Johnny looked over at her and smiled. "No need to be scared of me, lass." He paused in thought and added, "They tell me I'm your first in a while." Johnny encouraged her to sit on the bed beside him. "You certainly are pretty, Meggy. Prettiest girl I've seen here in a long time, even if your hairs shorter than most." Johnny touched it. "Bill explained about that." He ran his hand to the neckline of her blouse to untie the bow in the centre. "You sure are soft, Meggy. Do you mind if I take this off?" He gave her blouse a little shake.

She lifted the hem of the shirt and pulled it up over her head to expose her sheer chemise. Her fawn nipples stood out against the fabric.

Drawing in a long slow breath, Johnny said, "You sure are pretty." He ran his fingers down the silky material to the waistband of her skirt. "Can I see you, Meg? See all of you."

Meggy nodded, stood and undid her skirt. She let it drop to the floor and stepped out of it so she was naked except for the chemise.

Sucking in more air, Johnny put his hands on her hips and pulled her to sit straddled over his legs. He leaned his head towards her to kiss her mouth.

Meggy jerked her face away. "I dinnae Kiss."

Johnny frowned and cocked his head.

"I dinnae like ta kiss on the lips so, if it's important to you, perhaps you should have another girl."

He grinned, and then touched her face and lips with his fingers. "It's not important but, can I ask why?"

"It's too personal." Meggy smiled sadly. "Kissing is for lovers, not women like me."

"Alright then. We don't kiss." He looked down at her breasts and onto her flat stomach and the patch of hair pressed against his trousers. "Though I can't see it's as personal as what we're about to do."

Meggy took hold of her chemise and was going to pull it off but he stopped her.

"I want to do it," Johnny whispered, and then kissed her neck. He slipped the strap of the singlet from her shoulder to reveal her flesh and let his lips trail downwards towards her breast. "Undo my trousers, lass," he rasped. She did as he asked. Johnny lay back on the bed pulling her with him, and then rolled over so she faced him. He striped himself of his clothes and pulled the chemise over her head. He stared down at her and ran his fingers over her body. "Why would such a pretty lass do what you're doing? I don't understand. Why don't you have a husband?"

Meggy smiled curiously up at him. No man had ever asked her this before. "My ma got sick. I had to look after her and I needed ta feed us. It was the only way I could and now no man will have me for a wife."

Shaking his head, Johnny said, "Maybe in Scotland, Meggy, but this is a new country. People see things different here. Many have had ta do stuff they wouldn't normally for one reason or another." He touched her face, ran his fingers lightly around its rim and kissed her cheek. Johnny pulled her on top of him and ran his hands down her back, over the mound of her behind and touched the back of her legs. "You and I are going to be good friends, Meggy. I've never touched a woman as soft or as pretty as you before." He pushed her thighs open and gently eased himself inside of her.

Meggy closed her eyes as she felt his intrusion but thought yes, this was a man she could grow to like.

*****

As Meggy walked with Adelaide, Sue and now Kim Lee, to work, she pointed to a sign that was written in English as well as Chinese. "What does that say?"

Adelaide shrugged and Sue laughed. "You white girls dumb. It say Chinese Opera Company come. Big company twenty-five member to play at Divisional Hall. Me go see them, you come?"

"Do they sing in English or your stupid language?" Adelaide scoffed.

"They sing in Mandarin, berry good. They come many time, sing for many hour. Lots of Chinee go see and some whites. You come?" Sue Lin cocked her head in question.

"No way. Not if they don't sing in English."

Sue looked at Meggy and when Meg also shook her head she huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "You white girls so dumb."

Photo - The Crown Hotel as she stands today - taken from Pinterest - Pubs of Australia.

When I was growing up in the 70's some of the streets of Cairns were still lined with pubs. I remember Abbot street having four side by side, The Australian, The Commercial, The Criterion and the Great Barrier Reef.  Around the corner was The Oceanic.  Only the Great Barrier Reef still stands but collectively they were nicknamed The Barbary Coast.