by Judi Curtin
‘Er … Kevin,’ I said, pointing at the man’s sideburns. ‘Did you forget about …?’
But the customer was smiling. ‘This is so groovy, Kevin,’ he said, as he left. ‘You’ve made me look like one of The Monkees.’
Now I was totally confused. Monkeys are cute, and I love seeing how they play with their babies and stuff, but why would anyone want to look like one?
Just then Graham came out of the back room. ‘Ah, The Monkees!’ he said. ‘One of my favourite bands.’ The he opened his mouth and started to sing. ‘Daydream believer and a homecoming queen …’
I don’t want to mean, but Graham’s good at lots of things, and singing’s not one of them.
I guess Kevin’s ears must have been hurting too, because he suddenly decided that we’d all done enough work.
‘You’ve been such a great help, you three,’ he said. (Which was kind of him, because Beth and I hadn’t done a single thing.)
Then he went to the till and took out some money – probably all he’d made that day – and handed it to Graham. ‘Here you go,’ he said. ‘More than enough to get you to Maynooth and back.’
Graham took the money and put it into the pocket of his jeans. ‘Thank you so much,’ he said in his normal voice. ‘You are the kindest man …..’
He stopped talking and I could see tears in his eyes. I guess he knew he was never going to see his old friend again.
Now Kevin was staring at him. ‘It’s uncanny how familiar you seem to me,’ he said. ‘Are you sure we haven’t met before?’
It was time to take action, before things got really awkward.
Beth grabbed Graham’s arm and pulled him towards the door.
‘If we don’t leave now we’re going to miss the bus,’ I said. ‘Thanks so much, Kevin – you’ve been a star.’
Then we opened the door, the bell jangled and we stepped out into the street.
Chapter Seventeen
A few hours later, Beth, Graham and I were walking down the main street of Maynooth. We’d asked for directions, and knew that Green Oaks school was just at the edge of the town.
I was trying to be positive, reminding myself how well things had turned out when Beth met her mum in 1984. Part of me was really scared though – what if letting Graham meet Jeanie in her new, blind world was a really, really bad idea?
Maybe he’d feel guiltier than ever?
Maybe we were making a terrible, terrible mistake?
‘Er … Graham,’ I said. ‘I’m really hungry. Do you think we could use the rest of Kevin’s money to get something to eat before …?’
‘I think that sounds like a wonderful idea,’ said Graham. I guess he was scared too.
The only restaurant we could find was called ‘Murphy’s Home Cooking.’ Beth and I followed Graham inside and the smell of food made me realise that I was really, really hungry. A waitress in a black dress and a white apron showed us to a table in the corner of the room.
‘Fancy!’ said Beth, feeling the stiff white tablecloth.
‘Not necessarily,’ said Graham. ‘It’s 1969 remember. All restaurants are like this.’
The waitress came back holding a notebook and pencil. ‘We’ve got bacon and cabbage or Irish stew,’ she said.
I felt like crying. It was like the chef could read my mind and didn’t like me and had picked the two dinners I hated most in the world.
‘Have you got any wraps?’ asked Graham.
The waitress shook her head. ‘Never heard of them.’
‘Bruschetta?’
‘Never heard of it.’
‘Pitta bread?’
‘Never heard of it.’
‘Foccaccia?’
‘Now you’re just being rude.’
‘It’s 1969, remember,’ I whispered to Graham. ‘You’ve go to act like …’
‘Sorry,’ said Graham. ‘I keep forgetting. Remember I don’t have as much experience as you two girls.’
The waitress was tapping her notebook with her pencil and staring at us like she hoped we were just part of a very bad dream.
‘Maybe the nice lady could make us some sandwiches?’ said Graham.
The nice lady looked like making a few sandwiches was a very big deal, but then Graham smiled at her.
‘Sandwiches for three?’ she said, smiling back at him. ‘Coming right up. We’ve got Easi-singles.’
‘Or?’ asked Graham.
‘Or Easi-singles.’ Her smile was fading a bit.
I’d been thinking a tuna melt or avocado toast, or a pulled pork bap, but I guess these weren’t going to show up in Maynooth for another few decades.
‘Sounds lovely,’ I said. ‘Thanks very much.’
* * *
We ate our sandwiches and washed them down with very strong tea, which came in a china teapot the size of a bucket.
I kept asking Graham to pour me more tea. I don’t even like tea all that much, but the thought of what we had to do next was even worse.
Finally the teapot was drained and the waitress was circling the table like we were starting to annoy her.
‘Time to go,’ said Graham, and he paid the bill and Beth and I followed him outside.
* * *
None of us walked very fast, but even so, it was only a few minutes before we were standing outside a huge set of black gates. On the wall there was a sign:
Green Oaks Private School for Blind Girls
‘Here we are,’ said Graham.
I might have given him a hard time for stating the obvious, but that would’ve been mean. Just standing there was probably hard enough for him.
‘I could have … I should have …’ said Graham.
‘You could have what?’ asked Beth gently.
‘I could have tracked her down,’ said Graham. ‘I could have found Jeanie, and spent time with her. We could have had all those years together – but I wasted them.’
‘It’s not your fault, Graham,’ I said. ‘You did your best. Jeanie’s parents told you she didn’t want to see you – and you respected that. You just don’t know if they were telling the truth or not.’
‘You’re right,’ he sighed. ‘And in a few minutes – if I’m lucky, I’m going to see my Jeanie again.’
‘So why are we still hanging around out here?’ I said.
No one answered and no one moved.
The three of us stood on the footpath and looked through the gateway. Inside, there was a red-brick building that looked more like a fancy house than a boarding school. There were lots of trees and bushes, and hidden away at the farthest side of the grounds, we could just about see the roofs of a few small cottages.
‘Where is everyone?’ asked Beth. ‘This has to be the quietest school I’ve ever seen.’
‘Maybe everyone’s inside having Latin lessons,’ I said. ‘Lucky them. Not.’
‘Or maybe it’s teatime,’ said Beth. ‘Maybe all the kids are inside stuffing their faces with Easi-Single sandwiches.’
‘You’ve got to remember that it’s the 1960s,’ said Graham. ‘Schools were strict back then.’
‘Ha! I said. ‘You don’t have to tell Beth and me about that. We went to school in 1960, remember?’
‘Well, then you understand what I’m trying to say,’ said Graham. ‘In 1960s schools there wasn’t much running around outside allowed – especially for girls. They were expected to spend much of their time indoors behaving like young ladies. That’s why Jeanie and I …’
He stopped talking and Beth patted his arm like he was a little kid. I stared at the red brick walls of the school and tried not to think too much about the girls inside. Were they all sitting in a dark room, making stupid baskets, and not allowed to talk or laugh or have fun … or anything?
‘Do we have a plan?’ I asked.
‘I guess we knock on the doors of the cottages until we find Jeanie?’ said Graham.
‘No offence, Graham,’ said Beth. ‘But that’s not exactly the best plan I’ve ever heard. If we knock
on a door and Jeanie opens it, that’s great and everything, but what exactly are we going to say to her? How are we going to explain why three randomers are knocking on her door?’
‘I’m not a randomer!’ said Graham. ‘I’m her best friend.’
Suddenly I understood that Graham had forgotten an important detail. He might well have been Jeanie’s best friend, but he was nearly seventy and she was only twenty-two.
‘Sorry,’ said Beth. ‘We know that Jeanie’s really special to you, but for now, you have to pretend to be a randomer, OK?’
‘Beth’s right,’ I said. ‘No matter what happens, you can’t tell Jeanie who you are.’
‘But how can I apologise to her, without telling her who I am?’ asked Graham.
‘We’ve been over and over this, Graham,’ said Beth.
‘And Beth and I even discussed it with Jeanie’s mum,’ I said.
‘You don’t need to apologise,’ said Beth. ‘You were a kid who suggested climbing a tree. Last time I checked, that wasn’t a crime.’
‘You may be right,’ said Graham. ‘But I’ve been dragging this guilt around with me for more than fifty years – and now it’s hard to let go. I need to talk to Jeanie – so she’ll know that I didn’t mean for her to get hurt.’
‘I’m guessing she knows that already,’ I said.
‘Maybe she does,’ said Graham. ‘Maybe I’ll be saying it more for my own good than hers. But in any case …’
I give up,’ sighed Beth. ‘I can tell you’re not going to let this go. You’re a smart man. I guess you can figure out a way to apologise, without exactly apologizing. But read my lips – DON’T TELL JEANIE WHO YOU ARE!’
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘It would totally freak her out.’
‘OK, OK. I get it,’ said Graham. ‘And it’s good to know that I’m in the company of time-travelling experts.’
‘And, trust us, the first time is the hardest,’ said Beth. I put my arm around her. I guessed she was thinking about the time she met her mum in 1984.
‘So just take the lead from us,’ she said. ‘And it’ll all be fine.’
‘Well, it’ll all be fine when we actually come up with a plan,’ I said.
‘The way I see it we’ve got two choices,’ said Beth. ‘We could stand here all day like idiots, or we can walk over to the cottages and see what happens.’
‘That’s a plan?’ said Graham.
‘It’s the best one I can think of,’ said Beth. ‘Now are you coming or not? And remember, Graham – no funny accents!’
* * *
The grounds of the school were really quite cool – kind of like a secret garden with lots of pathways winding through the trees.
‘Look at that huge tree,’ I said. ‘I’d really love to cl––’
I stopped myself just in time. Graham probably didn’t want to think about climbing trees right now – or ever again.
No one said anything else as we slowly walked along the path. It was really peaceful. We couldn’t hear the traffic any more, and the only sound was from a few birds singing at the very top of the trees.
Within a minute we were standing on a little patch of grass in front of three tiny, totally cute stone cottages. There were beds in front of each cottage, filled with masses of pink and red and yellow flowers.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ whispered Beth.
‘These are like houses from a fairy-tale,’ I said.
I turned to look at Graham. I tried to imagine how he was feeling – he’d been waiting so many years to see Jeanie again, and now, for all we knew, only a few lumps of rock were keeping them apart.
‘Graham, what do you—’
Before I could finish my sentence, we heard another voice.
‘Hello? Is someone there?’
I was a bit creeped out, as I couldn’t see anyone else, but without saying anything, Graham, Beth and I began to walk towards the voice. As we took a few steps forward, we could see a sunny terrace hidden away at the side of the farthest-away cottage.
On the terrace were pots of beautiful flowers.
Next to the flowerpots there was a pretty green bench.
Next to the bench was a very cute dog.
On the bench was a woman wearing dark glasses.
‘Jeanie,’ said Graham in a quiet, hoarse voice. ‘It’s Jeanie.’
Chapter Eighteen
As we walked closer, I began to shuffle my feet a bit on the gravel – Jeanie couldn’t see us, and I didn’t want to frighten her. The dog sat up and wagged his tail. Jeanie turned her head towards us.
‘Hello?’ she said again. ‘Who is it?’
‘It’s …’ began Graham.
Was he going to break our rules in the very first second?
Was he going to ruin everything?
‘Hi,’ I said quickly. ‘Sorry for disturbing you. My name’s Molly, and this is my friend Beth, and Beth’s uncle is here with us too. He’s called …’
I must know a million boys names, but for some reason, I couldn’t think of a single one.
‘He’s called … Darren,’ said Beth. I rolled my eyes – there’s a boy called Darren in our class and he’s the most annoying person I’ve ever met.
‘Hi, Molly, Beth and Darren,’ said Jeanie. ‘My name’s Jeanie, and this here is my dog. Her name’s Blackie – don’t you think it suits her?’
WHAT????
Blackie’s an OK name for a dog, I guess. There was just one small problem – this particular dog was a beautiful golden brown colour, like caramel.
Poor Jeanie – she couldn’t see the dog, and someone must have played a terrible trick on her. Should we tell her the truth, or …?
Now Jeanie laughed, and for one second I could see the cute little girl from Graham’s photograph. He’d been right about the way she laughed, it was a sweet sound that somehow made you feel better about the world.
‘It’s a joke,’ she said. ‘I’ve never seen Blackie, but I know she’s not black.’
The rest of us laughed too. Right then I could see why Graham liked Jeanie so much. Being blind must be really hard, but there was something so … alive about this girl.
‘Can I help you?’ she said then. ‘Are you looking for someone?’
Oh, yes. We’re looking for someone all right – and she’s sitting right in front of us.
‘Er – we were just out for a walk,’ said Beth. ‘And the gardens here looked so nice, we just kind of – wandered in. I hope that’s OK?’
‘Of course it’s OK,’ said Jeanie. ‘It can be very quiet around here when the school is closed for the holidays. Would you like to sit down for a rest? It’s very pleasant here in the sunshine.’
It was like a wicked witch had come along and put a spell on Graham. He was standing with his mouth half open, like a statue. It wasn’t a good look, and, this might sound mean, but for a second I was kind of glad that Jeanie couldn’t see him.
I had to feel sorry for Graham too, though. He’s brave and old and adventurous, but still being back in 1969 was freaking him out. Sometimes I forget just how weird this while time travel thing is.
‘Gr––’ I began before realising my mistake. ‘I mean, Darren, would you like to sit here next to Jeanie? Beth and I don’t mind sitting on the ground.’
‘We totally LOVE sitting on the ground,’ said Beth, as we made ourselves as comfortable as we could on the terrace.
Graham didn’t move. Beth poked his knee. ‘Darren,’ she said. ‘Jeanie’s going to think you’re weird if you just stand there.’
Like a zombie, Graham stepped forward and sat on the bench, about a metre away from Jeanie. He was all stiff and straight, like a shy kid on his first date.
What had made Beth and me think this was ever going to work?
Was this whole thing going to be a huge big embarrassment?
‘Jeanie, is it OK if I stroke Blackie?’ I asked. ‘I get that she’s a guide dog, and not exactly a pet – so if you don’t want me to …’
�
�You know about guide dogs?’ said Jeanie.
‘Of course we do – why wouldn’t we?’ said Beth.
‘Because Blackie’s one of the first in Ireland.’
‘She is?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ said Jeanie, smiling. ‘I could hardly believe my ears when I heard a story about guide dogs on the radio – and once I heard about them, I knew I had to have one. I had to go to England to get Blackie, and to train with her – we don’t have a training unit here.’
Once again I’d forgotten that we were in 1969.
‘But all that’s going to change,’ said Jeanie. ‘A group of us is working very hard to set up a training facility here. Blackie has been wonderful, and I want all my blind friends to have the same opportunities as me.’
Graham was now acting like a sitting-down statue.
‘Er … Darren,’ I said. ‘That’s really interesting about the guide dogs, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ he said in the end. ‘It’s fascinating.’
I held my breath. Was Jeanie going to recognise his voice?
But her face didn’t change. I guess she hadn’t heard his voice for nine years – and back then he was only a kid, and now he was old enough to be her grandad.
‘There’s something I need to say,’ said Graham suddenly. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Jeanie, but it’s been on my mind for many years, and I can’t let it go. It haunts me all the time. I distract myself, and I travel whenever I can, but the guilt never goes away. When I was thirteen, I did a terrible, terrible …’
OMG! Beth and I stared at each other – it was like watching a car crash. It was like the wicked witch had come back and put a new spell on Graham – one that made him talk too much.
What was Jeanie going to do if Graham just came out and said who he was and what he felt guilty about?
How could she ever, ever understand?
‘Hang on a sec, Gr—Darren,’ said Beth. ‘We’ve just met Jeanie, and it’s WAY too early for confessions.’
‘So we just make small talk?’ said Graham.