of time.
‘What about seeing with sound instead of light,’ he said, stroking a pretend moustache, sticking out his chin and turning down the corners of his mouth, like a mad professor.
I laughed. ‘You mean like bats?’
‘Yeah! Blind as a bat.’
By the time I remembered, we were lying in the hay in our underpants, slapping each other to stay warm.
‘What time is it?’ I yelled.
‘Dunno.’
I looked at my watch. Oh no! Half past twelve. Lunch was always at twelve forty-five sharp. How could I have forgotten again?
I hopped about getting dressed, throwing my clothes on higgledy piggledy, while he looked me up and down.
‘What?’ I said.
‘Straw in yer hair.’
I stepped back, ran my fingers through my hair, clambered down the ladder, tripped on the laces I’d left undone, landed in the dirt, and arrived home filthy. I came in by the back door in the hope I could get away with it. Say I’d been doing something in the garden. Dad, Gran, and Veronica stood together in the kitchen, and the table was laid with a new checked oilcloth. Veronica was looking very pretty with baby pink lipstick, and wearing a cotton dress with a full skirt that swished as she came over. Dad’s face looked rigid, his mouth a thin hard line, his Malayan tan faded to yellowy grey.
Gran ran a hand over her untidy hair, put her face in a big smile so that her bright eyes had crinkles all round, and said, ‘Ah, the chimney sweep has arrived.’
I stared at the brown lino floor.
‘What did I tell you, Emma?’ Dad said.
I risked a proper look at his face. I should’ve kept quiet but I couldn’t help myself. Keep talking, make them smile, I thought.
‘I was busy teaching Billy about monkeys. He wanted to know what they liked to eat. I said leg of lamb. He didn’t believe it, but it’s true, isn’t it … Mum said she left one on the side and they nicked it. So they must like leg of lamb.’
I caught Gran’s smile, which she hid behind a hand, but from the look of Dad’s clenched jaw, I knew I was only making it worse.
‘That is enough, Emma,’ he said, in a sharp voice, the Adam’s apple rising and falling as he spoke.
‘Keep your shirt on, Son,’ Gran said. ‘She didn’t mean anything by it. She’s just a bit of a scallywag. No harm done.’
Veronica smiled and said hello.
I turned my back on her without speaking. Gran started picking the straw out of my hair.
‘Well, she hasn’t missed lunch,’ she said. ‘Though what you’ve got all those clothes on for I don’t know. You’d better get them off and give your face and hands a scrub, ducks.’
I imagined the looks going on over my head. So far there was no sign of Veronica’s brother. I breathed more easily, but then Granddad came in from the lounge and I saw Mr Oliver follow behind.
After lunch, Dad arranged to drop Gran and Granddad down at the doctor’s Saturday afternoon surgery, then go for a drive with Veronica and Fleur. Granddad had palpitations and this was the only way Gran could get him to go. The doctor was on call seven days a week, and would have come to see Granddad, but Gran said the fresh air would help. I was to be sent to my room in disgrace, punishment for coming back late and being rude to Veronica. I don’t know why I was rude to her. I wanted to say sorry, but the words stuck in my throat and just wouldn’t come out. I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, Mum would have said.
‘But who’ll look after Emma?’ Gran asked.
‘Oh, that’s not a problem,’ Mr Oliver said. He gave me a wink.
My heart wobbled. I wanted to shout, ‘No. Don’t leave me with him!’ But whatever I said, they’d think I was making it up. I went upstairs, opened my window ever so quietly, and wondered if I could jump out. They were still talking on the doorstep.
‘Don’t know what’s got into her,’ I heard Dad say. ‘She was always a difficult child but now it’s much worse. I blame her mother for letting her run wild.’
I
‘What about seeing with sound instead of light,’ he said, stroking a pretend moustache, sticking out his chin and turning down the corners of his mouth, like a mad professor.
I laughed. ‘You mean like bats?’
‘Yeah! Blind as a bat.’
By the time I remembered, we were lying in the hay in our underpants, slapping each other to stay warm.
‘What time is it?’ I yelled.
‘Dunno.’
I looked at my watch. Oh no! Half past twelve. Lunch was always at twelve forty-five sharp. How could I have forgotten again?
I hopped about getting dressed, throwing my clothes on higgledy piggledy, while he looked me up and down.
‘What?’ I said.
‘Straw in yer hair.’
I stepped back, ran my fingers through my hair, clambered down the ladder, tripped on the laces I’d left undone, landed in the dirt, and arrived home filthy. I came in by the back door in the hope I could get away with it. Say I’d been doing something in the garden. Dad, Gran, and Veronica stood together in the kitchen, and the table was laid with a new checked oilcloth. Veronica was looking very pretty with baby pink lipstick, and wearing a cotton dress with a full skirt that swished as she came over. Dad’s face looked rigid, his mouth a thin hard line, his Malayan tan faded to yellowy grey.
Gran ran a hand over her untidy hair, put her face in a big smile so that her bright eyes had crinkles all round, and said, ‘Ah, the chimney sweep has arrived.’
I stared at the brown lino floor.
‘What did I tell you, Emma?’ Dad said.
I risked a proper look at his face. I should’ve kept quiet but I couldn’t help myself. Keep talking, make them smile, I thought.
‘I was busy teaching Billy about monkeys. He wanted to know what they liked to eat. I said leg of lamb. He didn’t believe it, but it’s true, isn’t it … Mum said she left one on the side and they nicked it. So they must like leg of lamb.’
I caught Gran’s smile, which she hid behind a hand, but from the look of Dad’s clenched jaw, I knew I was only making it worse.
‘That is enough, Emma,’ he said, in a sharp voice, the Adam’s apple rising and falling as he spoke.
‘Keep your shirt on, Son,’ Gran said. ‘She didn’t mean anything by it. She’s just a bit of a scallywag. No harm done.’
Veronica smiled and said hello.
I turned my back on her without speaking. Gran started picking the straw out of my hair.
‘Well, she hasn’t missed lunch,’ she said. ‘Though what you’ve got all those clothes on for I don’t know. You’d better get them off and give your face and hands a scrub, ducks.’
I imagined the looks going on over my head. So far there was no sign of Veronica’s brother. I breathed more easily, but then Granddad came in from the lounge and I saw Mr Oliver follow behind.
After lunch, Dad arranged to drop Gran and Granddad down at the doctor’s Saturday afternoon surgery, then go for a drive with Veronica and Fleur. Granddad had palpitations and this was the only way Gran could get him to go. The doctor was on call seven days a week, and would have come to see Granddad, but Gran said the fresh air would help. I was to be sent to my room in disgrace, punishment for coming back late and being rude to Veronica. I don’t know why I was rude to her. I wanted to say sorry, but the words stuck in my throat and just wouldn’t come out. I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, Mum would have said.
‘But who’ll look after Emma?’ Gran asked.
‘Oh, that’s not a problem,’ Mr Oliver said. He gave me a wink.
My heart wobbled. I wanted to shout, ‘No. Don’t leave me with him!’ But whatever I said, they’d think I was making it up. I went upstairs, opened my window ever so quietly, and wondered if I could jump out. They were still talking on the doorstep.
‘Don’t know what’s got into her,’ I heard Dad say. ‘She was always a difficult child but now it’s much worse. I blame her mother for letting her run wild.’
I
Similar Books
