I nodded my head and opened my mouth and I was about to say Yes like a robot. But then I realised I had never been asked that question before. It’s always You must miss Rose , or I bet you miss Rose , but never DO you miss Rose , like there’s a choice. So I stopped my head nodding and I changed the word in my throat and I said No . Then I smiled ’cos nothing bad had happened and the world hadn’t fallen to bits and Sunya didn’t even look shocked. I repeated it. Louder this time. No . And then, feeling braver, I looked all around and said something else. I don’t miss Rose one bit .
Sunya said I don’t miss my rabbit either and I said When did it die and Sunya said Patch got eaten by a fox two years ago . And I said How old is Sammy and she said Two. Dad bought him when Patch died because he knew I’d be upset . And that didn’t sound like the kind of thing a terrorist would do, and when I walked past her parents’ bedroom on the way to the loo, there weren’t any signs of bombs either.
After lunch we climbed trees and sat on branches that shook in the wind. Leaves swirled around the garden and clouds raced across the sky and everything felt fresh and free like the Earth was really just a big dog sticking its head out of a speeding car’s window. I asked Sunya if her dad was English and she said He was born in Bangladesh and I said Where’s that and she said Near India . I can’t imagine a place like that. The furthest I’ve been is Costa del Sol in Spain, which is hotter than England but not that different. There are cafes that serve Full English Breakfasts and I had sausages and ketchup every single morning for two weeks. So I asked What’s it like and she said No idea but my dad prefers it here and I said Why did he move and she said My grandpa came in 1974 to find a job in London . This seemed like a long way to go to look for work. Couldn’t he have gone to the job centre in Bangladesh I asked and Sunya just laughed. I suddenly wanted to know everything about her. All these questions charged from my brain to my mouth and the first one to get out was How did your family end up in the Lake District . Sunya’s legs swung back and forwards under the branch as she spoke. My grandpa made my dad work hard and stay out of trouble and go to medical school as far away from London as possible. He went to Lancaster and met my mum and they got married and moved here . It was love at first sight she added, turning to look at me, her legs suddenly still. All the questions I wanted to ask evaporated from my brain like that steam we learned about in Science. Love at first sight I repeated and Sunya nodded, then smiled, before jumping right out of the tree.
I made sure I was home by five. When I walked into the cottage, Roger ran out as though he’d been waiting for someone to open the front door. The hall was full of thick smoke. I hope you like it crispy Dad said when I walked into the kitchen. He’d set the table and had lit a candle and Jas was already sitting there with her hair all flicked out and fancy, a huge smile on her face. I couldn’t believe it. Dad had made a roast dinner and it didn’t matter one bit that the chicken was black on top.
The roast potatoes were too greasy and the gravy was too salty and the vegetables were too soggy but I ate every last bit to make up for the fact Jas didn’t touch hers. I would have eaten the Yorkshire puddings as well if they hadn’t been stuck to the baking tray. We were having a great time and actually talking for once when Dad started to say stuff about Sunya. Did you know Jamie’s got a girlfriend he asked. Jas gasped as my stomach dropped. You haven’t she squealed and I went red. It’s the deodorant she laughed. That’s what it is . Dad winked at Jas. She’s called Sonya and seems really nice . Young love he teased, and I said Daaaaad in this groany-proud sort of way that didn’t ask him to stop.
Jas cleared her throat. I knew what was coming
Sunya said I don’t miss my rabbit either and I said When did it die and Sunya said Patch got eaten by a fox two years ago . And I said How old is Sammy and she said Two. Dad bought him when Patch died because he knew I’d be upset . And that didn’t sound like the kind of thing a terrorist would do, and when I walked past her parents’ bedroom on the way to the loo, there weren’t any signs of bombs either.
After lunch we climbed trees and sat on branches that shook in the wind. Leaves swirled around the garden and clouds raced across the sky and everything felt fresh and free like the Earth was really just a big dog sticking its head out of a speeding car’s window. I asked Sunya if her dad was English and she said He was born in Bangladesh and I said Where’s that and she said Near India . I can’t imagine a place like that. The furthest I’ve been is Costa del Sol in Spain, which is hotter than England but not that different. There are cafes that serve Full English Breakfasts and I had sausages and ketchup every single morning for two weeks. So I asked What’s it like and she said No idea but my dad prefers it here and I said Why did he move and she said My grandpa came in 1974 to find a job in London . This seemed like a long way to go to look for work. Couldn’t he have gone to the job centre in Bangladesh I asked and Sunya just laughed. I suddenly wanted to know everything about her. All these questions charged from my brain to my mouth and the first one to get out was How did your family end up in the Lake District . Sunya’s legs swung back and forwards under the branch as she spoke. My grandpa made my dad work hard and stay out of trouble and go to medical school as far away from London as possible. He went to Lancaster and met my mum and they got married and moved here . It was love at first sight she added, turning to look at me, her legs suddenly still. All the questions I wanted to ask evaporated from my brain like that steam we learned about in Science. Love at first sight I repeated and Sunya nodded, then smiled, before jumping right out of the tree.
I made sure I was home by five. When I walked into the cottage, Roger ran out as though he’d been waiting for someone to open the front door. The hall was full of thick smoke. I hope you like it crispy Dad said when I walked into the kitchen. He’d set the table and had lit a candle and Jas was already sitting there with her hair all flicked out and fancy, a huge smile on her face. I couldn’t believe it. Dad had made a roast dinner and it didn’t matter one bit that the chicken was black on top.
The roast potatoes were too greasy and the gravy was too salty and the vegetables were too soggy but I ate every last bit to make up for the fact Jas didn’t touch hers. I would have eaten the Yorkshire puddings as well if they hadn’t been stuck to the baking tray. We were having a great time and actually talking for once when Dad started to say stuff about Sunya. Did you know Jamie’s got a girlfriend he asked. Jas gasped as my stomach dropped. You haven’t she squealed and I went red. It’s the deodorant she laughed. That’s what it is . Dad winked at Jas. She’s called Sonya and seems really nice . Young love he teased, and I said Daaaaad in this groany-proud sort of way that didn’t ask him to stop.
Jas cleared her throat. I knew what was coming
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