‘News? Was there news, Mum?’
‘Do you know, I think I’ve forgotten what it is,’ Mum said. ‘Was it that we’re going to have krispie buns?’
‘That’s not news. We always have krispie buns!’ Maisie said.
‘Was it that Maisie gets to wear her party dress?’ I wondered.
‘I always wear my party dress,’ Maisie said. Now she actually was jumping up and down. ‘Stop being silly! Tell me, tell me, tell me!’
Mum grinned. ‘Oh, all right then. It’s about the party entertainment.’
‘There’s going to be entertainment?’ Maisie squealed.
‘A brand new and very exclusive type of entertainment,’ I told her. ‘In fact, this theatre group is going to put on their very first show just for you.’
‘Star Club?’ Maisie exclaimed. ‘Just for my party, really? All of you?’
‘Yes, all of us. We’re going to practise really hard to make your birthday show perfect.’
‘Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!’ Maisie hugged me around the waist, then ran around the table to do the same thing to Mum. ‘So can I be the dog then?’
Oh no – it looked like Maisie had got the wrong idea. ‘No, Maisie, I told you, there isn’t a dog.’
‘Is there a cat?’ Maisie dropped down on to all fours and started rubbing her side along Mum’s legs in what I had to admit was a pretty good impression of a cat.
‘There aren’t any animals,’ I said. I looked at Mum for help.
‘Maisie, I’m not sure you understand,’ Mum said gently.‘It’s Hannah and her friends who are going to be in the show. You’re going to be in the audience. The most important person in the audience,’ she added hastily, seeing Maisie’s face.
‘What do you mean I’m not in the show?’ Maisie said. ‘It’s my party, isn’t it? Can’t I even have a teeny tiny part?’
‘Well …’ Mum raised her eyebrows at me.
‘No!’ I said. ‘Sorry, Maisie, but it’s a Star Club show, and we have it all planned out. I can’t just go adding more people to it. It wouldn’t be fair.’
‘But it ISN’T fair!’ Maisie said. ‘It’s supposed to be MY party!’ She went stomping out of the room.
Mum sighed. ‘Oh dear, I thought she’d love the idea. I don’t suppose you could give her some small part, Hannah? She’s so interested in your show, and it is her birthday.’
‘No, Mum!’ I felt like stomping out of the room myself. ‘Sorry, but this is my thing with my friends. I don’t want Maisie taking over.’
Mum ruffled my hair. ‘Fair enough. I’ll talk to Maisie, I’m sure she’ll come round.’
I watched Mum walking away, feeling a bit guilty. I knew Maisie would love to be in the show – but honestly, couldn’t I have one thing where I had a break from being a big sister?
Chapter Fourteen
The next two weeks went by in a bit of a whirlwind of rehearsals, organising props, finding costumes and practising hairstyles.
Maisie came to watch us rehearse, and although she was enchanted by Ruby’s ballet dancing, and laughed at the row between the sisters, there were a couple of other parts where she seemed kind of distracted. All right, if I’m honest, she seemed a little bored. I started to feel worried. Was it just because she had seen it too many times by now? Or – and this was what I was really afraid of – was the material a bit too old for an almost six-year-old?
We’d tried to be as faithful as possible to the book, so some of the language we were using was a little old-fashioned. There was Petrova complaining about having to change out of her ‘combinations’ (we had to look that up. It’s some kind of old-fashioned underwear that’s all in one piece instead of separate vest and knickers. Weird!) and the girls needing ‘organdie frocks’ for their auditions. Would Maisie’s friends get it, or would it be over their heads? Wasthe play just too long and too serious for their age?
I didn’t mention my concerns to the others. For one thing, they seemed to have troubles enough of their
‘Do you know, I think I’ve forgotten what it is,’ Mum said. ‘Was it that we’re going to have krispie buns?’
‘That’s not news. We always have krispie buns!’ Maisie said.
‘Was it that Maisie gets to wear her party dress?’ I wondered.
‘I always wear my party dress,’ Maisie said. Now she actually was jumping up and down. ‘Stop being silly! Tell me, tell me, tell me!’
Mum grinned. ‘Oh, all right then. It’s about the party entertainment.’
‘There’s going to be entertainment?’ Maisie squealed.
‘A brand new and very exclusive type of entertainment,’ I told her. ‘In fact, this theatre group is going to put on their very first show just for you.’
‘Star Club?’ Maisie exclaimed. ‘Just for my party, really? All of you?’
‘Yes, all of us. We’re going to practise really hard to make your birthday show perfect.’
‘Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!’ Maisie hugged me around the waist, then ran around the table to do the same thing to Mum. ‘So can I be the dog then?’
Oh no – it looked like Maisie had got the wrong idea. ‘No, Maisie, I told you, there isn’t a dog.’
‘Is there a cat?’ Maisie dropped down on to all fours and started rubbing her side along Mum’s legs in what I had to admit was a pretty good impression of a cat.
‘There aren’t any animals,’ I said. I looked at Mum for help.
‘Maisie, I’m not sure you understand,’ Mum said gently.‘It’s Hannah and her friends who are going to be in the show. You’re going to be in the audience. The most important person in the audience,’ she added hastily, seeing Maisie’s face.
‘What do you mean I’m not in the show?’ Maisie said. ‘It’s my party, isn’t it? Can’t I even have a teeny tiny part?’
‘Well …’ Mum raised her eyebrows at me.
‘No!’ I said. ‘Sorry, Maisie, but it’s a Star Club show, and we have it all planned out. I can’t just go adding more people to it. It wouldn’t be fair.’
‘But it ISN’T fair!’ Maisie said. ‘It’s supposed to be MY party!’ She went stomping out of the room.
Mum sighed. ‘Oh dear, I thought she’d love the idea. I don’t suppose you could give her some small part, Hannah? She’s so interested in your show, and it is her birthday.’
‘No, Mum!’ I felt like stomping out of the room myself. ‘Sorry, but this is my thing with my friends. I don’t want Maisie taking over.’
Mum ruffled my hair. ‘Fair enough. I’ll talk to Maisie, I’m sure she’ll come round.’
I watched Mum walking away, feeling a bit guilty. I knew Maisie would love to be in the show – but honestly, couldn’t I have one thing where I had a break from being a big sister?
Chapter Fourteen
The next two weeks went by in a bit of a whirlwind of rehearsals, organising props, finding costumes and practising hairstyles.
Maisie came to watch us rehearse, and although she was enchanted by Ruby’s ballet dancing, and laughed at the row between the sisters, there were a couple of other parts where she seemed kind of distracted. All right, if I’m honest, she seemed a little bored. I started to feel worried. Was it just because she had seen it too many times by now? Or – and this was what I was really afraid of – was the material a bit too old for an almost six-year-old?
We’d tried to be as faithful as possible to the book, so some of the language we were using was a little old-fashioned. There was Petrova complaining about having to change out of her ‘combinations’ (we had to look that up. It’s some kind of old-fashioned underwear that’s all in one piece instead of separate vest and knickers. Weird!) and the girls needing ‘organdie frocks’ for their auditions. Would Maisie’s friends get it, or would it be over their heads? Wasthe play just too long and too serious for their age?
I didn’t mention my concerns to the others. For one thing, they seemed to have troubles enough of their
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