Buddha Da by Anne Donovan

really be trippin her when she found oot he was in the show.
    Wilson spoke. ‘Well, you’ll have to decide which you want to do. Sorry – whatever day we make it, it’ll clash with something else.’
    ‘Is that it?’ Miss O’Hara looked round. ‘No? Good. Let’s get started.’
       
    Efter the rehearsal Nisha and me stood at the school gates. ‘That was brilliant, wasn’t it?’ she said.
    ‘Aye.’
    We started singin thegether. ‘Joseph,’ then we stopped, wavin wer haunds in the air like Miss O’Hara for the two silent beats and continued. ‘He was Jacob’s favourite son.’ Suddenly we burst oot laughin.
    ‘Well, ah go this way,’ said Nisha, pointin doon the hill.
    ‘Ah’m gaun tae Byres Road.’
    Nisha took a pair of pink gloves fae her pocket and started tae pull them on. ‘Mibbe we could rehearse a bit on wer own – I mean you could come round to mine some day, if you like …’
    ‘That’d be cool … or you could come tae mines. Where d’you stay?’
    ‘Just off of Great Western Road. Look, ah’d better get home now … mibbe see you the morra at school.’
    ‘OK. See you.’
    Ah’d arranged tae go doon tae ma mammy’s work tae meet her efter the rehearsal. She was puttin on her jaicket when ah opened the door of the office.
    ‘Hi, hen. Good rehearsal?’
    ‘Brilliant. We’re learnin the singin parts frst then we’ll get tae dae all the actions later.’
    ‘So will you be rehearsin every Wednesday then?’
    ‘Aye and lunchtimes on Thursday.’
    ‘Remind me tae put it on the calendar when we get hame.’
    Ma mammy’s got this calendar in the kitchen and everythin gets written doon on it. Of course ma da always forgets and he’ll say he’s gaun oot somewhere or he’s workin late or sumpn then ma ma says she didnae know. ‘But ah tellt you,’ he’ll say and she’ll say, ‘it’s no on the calendar.’ They’re like Ant and Dec. Wan day, efter they’d went through this routine, he wrote ‘breathe, eat, go to toilet’ across it in big rid letters.
    The rain started just as we reached the end of the street. ‘Damn, ah put a washin oot this mornin, thought it would stay aff – oh, there’s yer daddy’s van, he’s hame afore us. He’ll mibbe have brung it in.’
    But there was nae sign of him. Mammy rushed oot the back tae bring in the washin and ah went through and started on the dishes that were left fae this mornin. When she came back in she opened the fridge and started takin stuff oot. ‘Is your daddy no … oh, there you are. Where were you?’
    ‘In the room.’
    ‘In the room?’
    ‘Da, ah was at a rehearsal the night.’
    ‘That’s nice, hen.’
    ‘Could you no have brung that washin in? It’s started tae rain.’
    ‘ Joseph and the Amazin Technicolour Dreamcoat .’
    ‘Never noticed.’
    ‘Or washed a dish?’
    ‘Sorry, ah was meditatin.’
    ‘Could you no meditate while yer daein the dishes in future? Anne Marie’s rehearsin her play every week fae noo on and she’s got hamework too. If you’re back first you could at least tidy up a bit.’
    ‘It’s a musical.’
    ‘Ah’ve got enough tae dae gaun round tae ma mammy’s every night.’
    ‘That’s the phone, Ma.’
    ‘Ah’m sorry.’
    ‘Easy said.’
    ‘Ah’ll get it.’
    It was Charlene. ‘How was your rehearsal the night?’
    ‘Fine. Good. We just learned some of the songs.’
    ‘Who was all there?’
    ‘Loads of folk. All different years.’
    ‘Was Keir Simpson there?’
    ‘Aye. He’s got a good voice.’
    ‘Has he?’
    ‘Aye. No shy aboot singin out loud either. Maist of the boys’ll no sing on their ain.’
    ‘Was that lassie fae third year there?’
    ‘There were loads a lassies fae third year there.’
    ‘You know – the wan he’s supposed tae be nippin – Alison McKechnie?’
    ‘No sure – whit does she look like?’
    Her voice grew fainter. ‘Whit does she look like?’
    ‘Hackit – dead geeky.’
    ‘Is that Roseanne?’
    ‘Aye.’
    ‘Ah don’t