Neil would be difficult but not impossible.’
‘I’m sure he’s fine. Playing all by himself in his rock pool. Maybe he’ll think his reflection is a friend… Oh Polly, your face!’
‘Whoa,’ said Dubose suddenly, putting down his beer bottle. ‘Now who is THAT?’
Polly and Kerensa turned around.
At first Polly couldn’t make her out in the dark of the pub courtyard, lit only by strings of fairy lights that could make this bit of Mount Polbearne, the fishermen said, look like a cruise ship when you were out at sea.
Then her mouth fell open. A young girl was walking towards them, wearing a soft Lycra dress that clung lightly to her slim figure. Her black hair was combed back and fell like a waterfall on to her shoulders; her eyelashes were so long they cast shadows on her cheeks, her dark eyes huge. The entire pub fell silent.
‘That’s… that’s Flora!’ said Polly in astonishment.
Flora approached them. She looked like some beautiful witch girl.
‘Can I sit with youse?’ she said. ‘Only I missed the tide again.’
‘You may!’ said Dubose, jumping up and pulling out a chair for her. ‘I’m Dubose.’
Flora looked at him without interest.
‘You look beautiful,’ said Polly. She couldn’t help it: the transformation from dowdy, greasy-haired Flora, always staring at the floor and giving wrong change, into this goddess was overwhelming.
‘Oh, I know,’ said Flora in a flat voice. ‘People keep saying. It’s boring.’
The girls exchanged looks of disbelief.
‘So are you from round here?’ said Dubose. ‘I’m from America!’
He said this with a flourish. Flora looked up at him mournfully under her big lashes.
‘Oh,’ she said.
‘You’re fascinating,’ said Dubose, heading to the bar to get her a drink. As he did so, Polly noticed out of the corner of her eye the fishermen all gazing open-mouthed. Jayden was so pink she thought he was going to burst.
‘Does this… does this happen to you often?’ asked Polly.
Flora nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘But don’t you want to go and make it as a model or something?’ said Kerensa. ‘I mean, I could introduce you to some people…’
Flora shook her head.
‘I just want to bake,’ she said. ‘That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. And people just want to take stupid photos. It’s rubbish.’
Polly grinned. ‘I can’t believe I’ve wasted my life like this,’ she said, ‘when all I had to do was to be born unbelievably beautiful.’
‘It’s rubbish,’ said Flora. ‘People just bug you all the time.’
‘Is that why you never wash your hair?’ said Polly.
‘Yeah,’ said Flora. ‘Oh, also, I forget.’
Suddenly, Jayden was at the table. He’d obviously had a couple of jars and plucked up the courage.
‘Hello, young ladies!’ His moustache was thicker than ever, his cheeks round and unusually pink.
‘Hello, Jayden!’
‘Hello, Miss Polly! Hello, Kerensa! Hello…’
Jayden had completely lost the power of speech.
‘Did you want something?’ said Polly gently. Jayden, so incredibly charming and sweet with the older women of the town, was generally terribly unsuccessful with the opposite sex if they were younger than fifty. Turning red was something of a giveaway, although Jayden also turned red if he was warm, cold, excited, cross, tired or perturbed, so you couldn’t exactly rely on it.
‘I just… I couldn’t help hearing…’
Jayden’s table was three noisy tables and a fiddle band away.
‘I couldn’t help overhearing that Miss Flora… might need a place to stay.’
‘That’s some pretty good bionic ears you’ve got going on there,’ said Kerensa.
‘Because, you know…’
‘Jayden, you live at your mum’s,’ said Polly.
‘Uh,
thanks,’
said Jayden crossly. ‘We’ve got a spare room, you know. I’m only trying to be polite. I don’t know why everyone’s making such a big deal about it or getting so worked up about it, honestly. I didn’t even hear what was going on
‘I’m sure he’s fine. Playing all by himself in his rock pool. Maybe he’ll think his reflection is a friend… Oh Polly, your face!’
‘Whoa,’ said Dubose suddenly, putting down his beer bottle. ‘Now who is THAT?’
Polly and Kerensa turned around.
At first Polly couldn’t make her out in the dark of the pub courtyard, lit only by strings of fairy lights that could make this bit of Mount Polbearne, the fishermen said, look like a cruise ship when you were out at sea.
Then her mouth fell open. A young girl was walking towards them, wearing a soft Lycra dress that clung lightly to her slim figure. Her black hair was combed back and fell like a waterfall on to her shoulders; her eyelashes were so long they cast shadows on her cheeks, her dark eyes huge. The entire pub fell silent.
‘That’s… that’s Flora!’ said Polly in astonishment.
Flora approached them. She looked like some beautiful witch girl.
‘Can I sit with youse?’ she said. ‘Only I missed the tide again.’
‘You may!’ said Dubose, jumping up and pulling out a chair for her. ‘I’m Dubose.’
Flora looked at him without interest.
‘You look beautiful,’ said Polly. She couldn’t help it: the transformation from dowdy, greasy-haired Flora, always staring at the floor and giving wrong change, into this goddess was overwhelming.
‘Oh, I know,’ said Flora in a flat voice. ‘People keep saying. It’s boring.’
The girls exchanged looks of disbelief.
‘So are you from round here?’ said Dubose. ‘I’m from America!’
He said this with a flourish. Flora looked up at him mournfully under her big lashes.
‘Oh,’ she said.
‘You’re fascinating,’ said Dubose, heading to the bar to get her a drink. As he did so, Polly noticed out of the corner of her eye the fishermen all gazing open-mouthed. Jayden was so pink she thought he was going to burst.
‘Does this… does this happen to you often?’ asked Polly.
Flora nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘But don’t you want to go and make it as a model or something?’ said Kerensa. ‘I mean, I could introduce you to some people…’
Flora shook her head.
‘I just want to bake,’ she said. ‘That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. And people just want to take stupid photos. It’s rubbish.’
Polly grinned. ‘I can’t believe I’ve wasted my life like this,’ she said, ‘when all I had to do was to be born unbelievably beautiful.’
‘It’s rubbish,’ said Flora. ‘People just bug you all the time.’
‘Is that why you never wash your hair?’ said Polly.
‘Yeah,’ said Flora. ‘Oh, also, I forget.’
Suddenly, Jayden was at the table. He’d obviously had a couple of jars and plucked up the courage.
‘Hello, young ladies!’ His moustache was thicker than ever, his cheeks round and unusually pink.
‘Hello, Jayden!’
‘Hello, Miss Polly! Hello, Kerensa! Hello…’
Jayden had completely lost the power of speech.
‘Did you want something?’ said Polly gently. Jayden, so incredibly charming and sweet with the older women of the town, was generally terribly unsuccessful with the opposite sex if they were younger than fifty. Turning red was something of a giveaway, although Jayden also turned red if he was warm, cold, excited, cross, tired or perturbed, so you couldn’t exactly rely on it.
‘I just… I couldn’t help hearing…’
Jayden’s table was three noisy tables and a fiddle band away.
‘I couldn’t help overhearing that Miss Flora… might need a place to stay.’
‘That’s some pretty good bionic ears you’ve got going on there,’ said Kerensa.
‘Because, you know…’
‘Jayden, you live at your mum’s,’ said Polly.
‘Uh,
thanks,’
said Jayden crossly. ‘We’ve got a spare room, you know. I’m only trying to be polite. I don’t know why everyone’s making such a big deal about it or getting so worked up about it, honestly. I didn’t even hear what was going on
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