The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson Page B

cheaper teddy.
    I didn't dare ask outright for Natasha.
    “It's hard to choose. They're all lovely. And the dolls are lovely too,” I added, hinting heavily. But no one was really listening to me.
    I ended up with a dolphin. It swam around in its Hamleys plastic bag, bumping into my legs at every step, snapping at me with its sinister teeth. Marigold carried her tiger ostentatiously over her shoulder so that people stared at her more than ever. Star held her teddy lightly in the crook of her arm. She had a long conversation with Micky about teddy bears. He had had one special teddy throughout his childhood.
    “I've always wanted a special one too,” said Star. “And now I've got him.”
    I made a vomit noise. Star and Micky ignored me.
    Marigold was whiter than white, looking as if she might do some real vomiting. She talked nonstop. Micky would nod or comment every now and then but he barely looked at her.
    We had lunch in Planet Hollywood and we got three T-shirts and then we went to the game hall and went all round Sega World. I tried counting up in my head how much all this was costing. Maybe Micky was a millionaire?
    We went for a walk round Soho afterward. Then we went to Chinatown and Micky bought us embroidered Chinese slippers, black for me, green for Marigold, and ruby red for Star.
    We were still very full with lunch but we stopped for cakes in a French tea shop. Marigold didn't order a cake. She had a lemon tea. She kept sipping and sipping it. Maybe she was thirsty because she'd been doing so much talking. I chose a big creamy cake with pink marzipan icing. It was beautiful but I felt embarrassed in case Micky thought I was greedy. He and Star chose strawberry tarts. Star didn't eat her pastry. She just pecked out the big strawberries and relished them, licking them clean of cream and delicately nibbling the red flesh.
    Micky watched her with amusement.
    “Don't mess around with your cake like that, Star. Eat it up properly,” said Marigold.
    “Let her eat it how she wants. She's enjoying herself,” said Micky.
    “You can say that again,” said Star. “This is the best day of my life. I don't want it to ever end.”
    There was a funfair in Leicester Square with one of those mad machines where they strap you in and whirl you round and round.
    “Hey, let's have a go!” Marigold yelled.
    Micky looked at Star. She pulled a face.
    “Hang on, Marigold. The kids will be sick straight after eating those cakes.”
    “Oh come on! You come with me, Micky,” said Marigold. “Do let's, darling. The girls will wave at us, right? Come
on
, let's have some fun!”
    Marigold looked as if she was being whirled round right where she was. Her hair stood out, her eyes glittered, her whole body jumped and twitched. She grabbed Micky's arm, trying to pull him.
    “I hate those things, babe,” said Micky. “And we can't leave the girls standing by themselves, there are all sorts of crazy characters round here. Hey, why don't we all go on the roundabout?”
    “Oh
yes
, I love roundabouts,” said Star.
    “So do I,” I said, though no one was listening to me.
    I pretended Natasha had kicked her way out of her glass cage with her little blue boots and had run all the way down Regent Street to find me.
    “Yes, we love roundabouts, don't we, Dol?” she said, and she put her little hand in mine and jumped up and down, her silky curls flying out round her face.
    Marigold was getting in a state and I didn't want to see so I swept Natasha up into my arms and told her that she could come and live with me. I'd undress her and wrap her in my special silk scarf each night and we'd cuddle up in my bed and tell each other secrets and then we'd go to school together each day and all the other girls would want to be Natasha's friend but she wouldn't talk to anyone but me. Well, she might say hi to Owly but absolutely no one else. We'd be work partners and she'd be brilliant at lessons and do all the writing for me and we'd come