‘Come along, Sweetie, let’s forget about your silly old toothy-peg. You’re going to sing for us now, aren’t you, darling? You don’t want to lose this big chance, do you, dear?’
Sweetie tries to stop crying. Mum whips her off to the bathroom to wash off the blood, but this is a big mistake. Sweetie sees herself in the mirror and starts screaming. It takes a long time to calm her down. Debs makes notes, takes a phone call, drinks her coffee. She shakes her head at Rose-May.
‘I don’t think this is going to work,’ she says.
‘Just give her a chance to calm down, Debs. Come on, she’s only a little girl.’
‘Mmm. Too little, like I said,’ says Debs.
‘Hear her sing, please. I’ll go and get her now,’ says Rose-May.
She brings Sweetie back. Sweetie is trying very hard indeed not to cry, but she’s gulping and hiccuping, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Both her hands are clamped over her mouth, as if she’s trying to keep the rest of her teeth secure.
‘Sing, Sweetie, darling,’ says Mum.
‘Let’s hear you, little princess,’ says Dad.
‘Come along now, Sweetie, we’re waiting,’ says Rose-May.
Sweetie gives the song a valiant shot, but it doesn’t work. She sings with her head bent, in a tiny lispy voice that veers on and off the tune. Her voice peters out altogether halfway through and she starts sobbing.
‘Try once more, Sweetie,’ Mum begs.
Sweetie goes and buries her head in a cushion, beyond trying.
‘Poor little pet,’ says Debs. ‘Don’t cry, dear. I know you did your best.’
Sweetie cries harder because she knows she’s blown it.
‘Oh well,’ says Debs, putting her phone and notebook in her bag.
Rose-May is looking at me. ‘Of course, we could always try Sunset,’ she says.
They all stare at me. I feel myself blushing scarlet.
‘I couldn’t!’ I protest.
‘Maybe you could,’ says Rose-May. ‘Of course, you’ve got an entirely different look to Sweetie – but we could work with it. Try a different approach, kind of tween grunge.’
Debs is eyeing me up and down appraisingly. ‘Mmm,’ she says.
‘No,’ I say. ‘Absolutely not.’
‘Now then, Sunset, don’t be so negative,’ says Mum. She looks at Debs. ‘She lacks a little confidence, but I know she’d try hard, given a bit of encouragement. And her hair looks much better when it’s styled properly.’ She seized handfuls of my hair, trying it this way and that.
‘Yes, but can she sing?’ says Debs.
‘No,’ I say.
‘Hold on now,’ says Rose-May. ‘Didn’t you say you made up Sweetie’s little princess song? So you can sing!’
‘I can’t,’ I say. ‘I truly can’t. I would if I could, but I can’t. Listen!’
I sing the first two lines of Princess Rosabelle to show them.
‘Try clearing your throat and giving it another go,’ says Rose-May.
‘I can’t sing, I’m always croaky,’ I say.
Debs sighs. ‘Never mind, dear. It can’t be helped. And you never mind too, Sweetie!’
She’s still traumatized, hunched up and hugging the cushion.
Debs shakes her head at Dad. ‘Sorry, Danny, it looks like the programme isn’t going to happen – unless you’ve got any other daughters tucked away.’
She’s joking – but I jump up.
‘Yes! Oh please, Debs, will you just watch this—’
‘I’m sorry, Sunset, I’ve got to get on. Perhaps another time—’
‘No, it will just take two minutes, I swear. And then you’ll see.’
‘Sunset? You mustn’t waste any more of Debs’s time,’ says Rose-May.
‘No, please, just watch for two minutes, that’s all I ask,’ I beg. ‘I’ll go and fetch it. Please wait.’
I run up to my room, grab the DVD, and come rushing down. My hands are shaking so much I can barely get the DVD out of the case and into the machine.
‘Whatever are you playing at, Sunset?’ says Mum.
‘Look, Mum! Look, everyone!’ I say.
Bilefield’s Got Talent flashes onto our television screen, with shots of the whole school cheering.
‘Sunset, for heaven’s sake, Debs doesn’t want to watch a school concert!’ says Rose-May.
I fast-forward right to the end and then, oh then, Destiny walks onstage and starts talking about her mum.
Debs is squinting at the screen. ‘Who’s this girl? She’s dressed like you, Sunset.’
Then Destiny opens her mouth and starts singing. Debs sits up straight and stares at the screen.
‘It’s my song,’ says Dad.
‘It’s that girl!’ says Mum. ‘Sunset, how dare you—’
‘Shut up, Suzy. Listen to that voice,’ says Rose-May.
‘She’s incredible!’ says Debs when Destiny takes her bow. ‘Who is she?’
‘She’s Dad’s other daughter, Destiny,’ I say. ‘She’s not. She’s just some mad groupie’s child. She’s just fantasizing,’ says Mum. ‘Of course that girl isn’t Danny’s daughter.’
‘She could be,’ says Rose-May, freeze-framing the DVD and staring hard at Destiny. ‘Look, she’s got the right hair, the same cheekbones, even the same stance.’ Rose-May looks at me. ‘You know this girl, Sunset?’
‘Yes. And she is Dad’s daughter, I’m sure of it.’
‘Is she, Danny?’ says Debs.
‘How do I know?’ says Dad.
‘She can’t be,’ says Mum. ‘Her mother’s a liar. I bet she won’t let that girl have a DNA test.’
‘Calm down, Suzy. Let’s think about what we’ve got here. This could be huge,’ says Rose-May. ‘Here’s Danny, and here’s Danny’s long-lost daughter, who just happens to have the most amazingly powerful rich voice I’ve ever heard coming out of a kid’s mouth—’
‘We can break the story on my Little Darlings programme,’ says Debs. ‘Think of the coverage – and the tabloids will be fighting to do a tie-in feature.’
‘I know Hi! would be interested,’ says Rose-May.
‘No!’ says Mum.
But Dad is listening carefully. ‘How would it make me look?’ he asks Rose-May. ‘Wouldn’t it make me look bad, an illegitimate daughter that I’ve ignored all these years?’
‘No, no, we could put a little spin on it, say how you’re delighted to discover this long-lost daughter. We’ll stress that you’re such a loving family man that you want to welcome this new kid into your life. It could run and run. Do you know something, Danny, I can see your own reality series – this story’s got everything.’
‘And she can sing superbly,’ Debs says. She turns to me and gives me a hug. ‘Sunset, you’ve saved the day.’
Mum is still shaking her head. ‘No, I won’t stand for it. I’m not having this stranger’s kid muscling her way into our lives – or her awful mother. What else is going to happen in this big story of yours, Rose-May? Are we going to have Danny Kilman reunited with his long-ago love?’
She bursts into tears. Dad reaches out and takes her hand.
‘Suzy, you’re my long-ago love – and my true love now. I know I’ve been a total fool and I’m so, so sorry. That thing with Lizzi – it was just a silly fling. I regretted it almost immediately. We’re not together any more. I want to come back to you and the kids – please, darling,’ he says, his voice breaking.
He takes Mum in his arms. For a moment she tries to push him away – and then she starts sobbing on his shoulder. Dad looks at Rose-May and winks.
‘So, we have a show after all,’ says Debs. ‘Sunset, how do we get hold of Destiny?’
13
DESTINY
‘Bye, darling,’ says Mum, giving me a kiss.
I mumble bye, and snuggle back under my teddy-bear duvet. School’s over for the summer. I don’t have to get up for ages. I can just lie here and luxuriate. I’m so happy. Mum’s OK, she’s not going to die. S
he’s got her medication now. She’s still thin as a rake and a bit manic, but they promised at the hospital that she’ll soon be back to her old self. I wish she didn’t have to get up so early to go cleaning, but she swears she doesn’t mind. She’ll go straight on from the university to her first old lady, but she might try to nip back later this morning, though I’ve told her I’ll be fine.
Jack’s coming round sometime. He says he’ll teach me how to do a backflip. I can actually do a backflip already but I’m not going to tell him that. I quite like Jack, in a totally just-good-friends kind of way. I think I’ll also write a letter to Sunset. It’s her turn to write to me, but I expect she’s too busy coping with Danny walking out on them. I badly want to hear what she thinks of my singing.
I lie on my back and sing Destiny softly to myself. I hear the applause ringing in my head, louder and louder.
‘You want an encore? OK!’ I say, and I start singing it all over again, at the top of my voice this time.
‘Destiny?’
Oh Lordy, it’s Mum back! I close my mouth with a gulp, feeling a fool.
‘What’s up, Mum? Did you forget something?’
I sit up. Mum is looking very strange, hanging on tight to the end of the bed as if she’d fall down otherwise.
‘Don’t you feel well? Sit down quick. Oh, Mum, shall I call the doctor?’ I gabble, jumping out of bed.
‘No, I’m fine, I’m more than fine. Oh my God, Destiny, I can’t believe it!’ says Mum, sinking down on the bed beside me. ‘I was halfway down the road when this Mercedes passed me, a huge great silver jobby, and I was staring at it, gobsmacked, wondering why on earth anyone would be driving a car like that round our estate, when it draws up right outside our maisie. So I beetle back and there’s this chauffeur in a posh uniform getting out. And I think, Blooming heck, what’s going on? And he looks at me and says, ‘‘Are you Mrs Williams?’’’
‘What? Mum, you’re not making this up, are you?’
‘No, no, I swear to God. Look out of the window and see for yourself! And he gave me this letter – here, read it – only be quick because you must get washed and dressed and we’ve got to be off, though he says there’s no rush at all—’
‘Mum? I don’t understand a word you’re saying.’
Mum thrusts an envelope at me. It’s got my name on it: Destiny. I rip it open. There are two letters inside. One’s from Sunset.
Dear Destiny,
This is your BIG CHANCE. There’s going to be this television programme called ‘Little Darlings’ about the children of celebrities, and this woman Debs hoped my sister Sweetie could sing a little like Dad, but poor Sweetie’s tooth fell out and she went to pieces. Then they wanted me to have a go but I can’t sing for toffee – so I showed them your DVD and they were TOTALLY AMAZED. Now they want to do a whole television programme with you and Dad and I do hope you say yes. I can’t wait to see you if you come.
Love from your ever-so-excited sister Sunset xxx
I blink for a moment or two, and then look at the second letter.
Dear Destiny and Ms Williams,
I am Debs Wilmott of Playtime Productions
UK. I am about to produce a series of
programmes called ‘Little Darlings’. I have seen
your superb performance on the DVD, Destiny,
and feel there’s the potential for a fantastic
programme with you and your estranged father,
Danny Kilman. We don’t have a listed phone
number or email address for you, so I’m taking
the liberty of sending a car for you in the hope
that you can come to Danny’s home in Robin
Hill, where we’ll film you meeting each other –
and then, if all goes well, we’ll take you to the
studios to record a couple of songs. Please phone
the following number to let me know whether to
expect you both.
All good wishes,
Debs Wilmott
Mum reads it through slowly, her finger pointing under each word, her lips moving. ‘I can’t believe it!’ she keeps murmuring.
‘Neither can I!’ I say. ‘Oh, Mum, oh, Mum, oh, Mum!’
‘It’s your chance to meet your dad!’
‘It’s my chance to sing!’ I say, and I start jumping up and down on my bed. ‘Oh, Sunset, I love you. You’re the best sister in the world!’
‘Come on then, my duck. The poor chauffeur doesn’t want to be hanging around here for ever. The estate kids will be whipping the wheels off his car with him in it. You get yourself washed double-quick – and I suppose I’ll have to phone this Debs. Oh help, I bet she’s dead posh.’
‘I’ll phone her, Mum. Here, give us your mobile.’
I stab out the number before I lose courage. I hear it ringing, and then a voice saying, ‘Hi, Debs here.’
Oh goodness, she’s ultra-posh with nobs on.
‘Hello,’ I mumble.
‘Hi there, who is this?’
‘It’s – it’s Destiny.’
‘Oh, wonderful! I just didn’t know how to get hold of you, and I need to see you, like, immediately. You are the kid on Sunset’s DVD – the skinny one in black with the huge voice?’
‘That’s me.’
‘Sing me one line down the phone.’
‘Right now?’
‘Can you?’
‘OK. You are my Destiny.’
‘Yay! It really is you. And you can come right now, with your mum?’
‘I suppose. Though she’ll have to tell them at work.’
‘We’ll probably need you for a few days, so pack your night things, darling. I’ll fix a hotel room for you both – unless of course you’ll be staying at Danny’s.’
I think about Suzy. I don’t think that will happen in a month of Sundays.
‘Will I see Sunset?’ I ask hopefully.
‘Of course, darling. We want to film you with the whole family.’
‘And, Debs, I know you’ll want me to sing Destiny—’
‘Yes, as a duet with Danny. I thought the two of you at either end of the stage at first, and then walking towards each other, and singing the last chorus looking into each other’s eyes. It will be dynamic.’
‘Do you want me to sing a solo too?’
‘You bet we do.’
‘Then can it be one of Sunset’s songs? There’s this one, In My Black Clothes. I know the words already but Sunset will have to teach me the tune. That’s OK, I can learn it really really quickly.’
‘I’ll bet you can, honey. It’s a deal. In fact it’ll be an added bonus – two talented Little Darlings, one a singer, one a songwriter, taking after Dad. This just gets better and better.’
‘Well, I’d better go and get ready.’
‘That’s right, Destiny – I’ll see you in maybe four hours? Five hours maximum. See you soon!’
Mum gives me a hug as I end the call. ‘Oh, babe, you sounded so cool, like this kind of thing happens every day of the week! I’m so proud of you, darling. Oh boy!’
‘Look, Mum, you phone Louella, see if she can cover for you, looking after all your old folks. You will come with me, won’t you?’
‘If you think I’m missing this you’re mental! Oh, Destiny, darling, this is the happiest day of my life,’ Mum squeals, and then starts phoning.
I dive in and out of the bath and pull on my coolest clothes – the new black outfit with the lacy black gloves and my beautiful leather jacket. Mum shoves more stuff in a laundry bag as she spills the news to Louella.
We go out of the front door, terrified that the Mercedes will have disappeared altogether, a total hallucination – but there it is in front of us. The driver nods and smiles and jumps out of his car to help us into the back like we’re Lady Kate and her daughter Destiny.
‘So, off to London?’ he says.
‘Well, in a minute,’ I say. ‘Could we possibly drive into the estate? I need to tell someone
I’m not going to be around for a few days.’
He doesn’t look terribly happy about going any nearer to the bleak multistoreys, but he says politely, ‘Just tell me where to stop, madam.’
Madam! Mum gives a squeak of nervous laughter but I manage to keep a straight face. I direct him until we get to Jack’s block.
‘Right here, please. I’ll just be a minute.’
I jump out of the car and run up the stairs and along the balcony to Jack’s flat. I knock on his door, peering down at the Mercedes. It’s already drawing quite a crowd.
One of Jack’s big brothers comes to the door in his vest and trackie bottoms. He eyes me up and down and I get a bit worried. Then he shouts over his shoulder, ‘Oi, Jack, it’s your girlfriend.’
I blush – and when Jack comes to the door he’s bright red too, though he does his best to look casual. He’s in T-shirt and jeans but his feet are bare and his hair is all sticking up. It’s clear he’s just got out of bed.
‘Hi, Destiny! You’re early! I thought I was calling on you today.’
‘Yeah, I know, but I nipped up to tell you. I have to go to London right now.’
‘You didn’t say before.’
‘I didn’t know!’
‘So what are you doing in London then? Have you got friends there?’
‘Sort of . . . family. And – and guess what, Jack, I’m going to be on the telly!’
‘You what? You’re joking me, right?’
‘It’s true. Look over the balcony. Just look!’
Jack looks – and his mouth falls open. ‘That’s a Mercedes! What’s it doing here?’
‘It’s my Mercedes,’ I say. ‘See, it’s got my mum in it.’
I wave wildly – and Mum and the chauffeur wave back at me.
‘Who’s that, then? Your mum’s new boyfriend?’
‘No, it’s the chauffeur. The telly lady’s sent him for me. I’m going to sing on this programme, Little Darlings. Isn’t it great?’
‘Yeah,’ says Jack, looking dazed.
‘So wish me luck, eh?’
‘OK. But – but you are coming back, aren’t you? You’re not staying down in London.’
‘Only for a bit. I’ll come and tell you all about it when I get back, right?’
‘Right. Though maybe you won’t still want to be mates if you turn into a television star.’
Little Darlings Page 24