Eva's Holiday

by Judi Curtin

  People sat around on rugs and deck-chairs, and chatted like this was some kind of holiday camp.

  But the biggest surprise of all was when Martha appeared, carrying a small three-legged stool. She put the stool on the grass and sat down heavily.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ asked Kate, (a bit rudely, I thought).

  Martha didn’t seem to mind though.

  ‘Well, Girleen,’ she said. ‘If family don’t stick together we’re all lost, aren’t we?’

  And no one could think of anything to say to that.

  A few minutes later, Kate grabbed my arm.

  ‘Look over there,’ she hissed.

  I turned to where she was pointing and gasped.

  ‘It’s Lily,’ I said.

  Kate giggled.

  ‘It can’t be. In the summer, there’s no such person as Lily. There’s only CathyandLily. They don’t exist on their own.’

  She couldn’t say any more, as Lily was right next to us. As usual she looked totally fabulous. Her hair was all smooth and silky, and she was wearing a cool dress and sparkly flip-flops.

  I wished I hadn’t spent most of the night in a field.

  I wished I didn’t look exactly like someone who had spent most of the night in a field. My hair was all messy, and I knew that my tracksuit bottoms were filthy. I didn’t have to look at Kate to know that she was her usual untidy self.

  Had Lily come to mock us?

  Was she taking everything in, so she could go back and tell Cathy all about it?

  Then I noticed that Lily looked kind of embarrassed.

  ‘Er … I heard what you’re doing,’ she said. ‘And I think it’s great. Can I join in?’

  Kate and I didn’t answer. I still thought it was some kind of a sick joke. Was Cathy going to appear from behind a ditch, laughing at us all?

  Now Lily looked even more embarrassed by our silence.

  ‘That’s if … if you don’t mind,’ she said softly.

  Kate and I looked at each other, and I tried to read what was in her eyes, but found that I couldn’t.

  Suddenly I felt angry. Lily had been mean to Kate for years, so why should we be nice to her now?

  ‘I don’t think ….’ I began, but I stopped speaking when Kate put a firm hand on my arm.

  ‘Of course we don’t mind,’ she said. ‘There’s plenty of room for one more. Thanks for coming.’

  I gazed at Kate.

  How could she be so generous and forgiving?

  Kate and I scrunched over to the side of the rug, (which I wished wasn’t so old and faded), and Lily sat down beside us.

  Even though there were so many people around, and there was lots of activity, I couldn’t think of anything to say.

  Kate wasn’t much better. She just sat there, looking out towards the sea, like the girl who’d always been so mean to her wasn’t sitting right next to us, breathing our air, and getting the same dirty bottom from the same grubby old rug.

  In the end the silence was too much for me. ‘So where’s Cathy?’ I asked.

  ‘She’s gone to France,’ said Lily. ‘To tennis camp. She’s not coming back for the rest of the summer.’

  Now I felt angry again. So that was why she was here. Her best friend had gone away, so she’d decided she’d have to put up with second best – with Kate and me.

  There were so many words racing around my mind that I couldn’t get any of them out.

  Then Lily spoke again. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, looking at Kate. ‘I think that maybe Cathy and I have been a bit mean to you.’

  A bit mean? How about very, very, very mean?

  Kate didn’t answer. She just sat there looking at Lily. Lily went red again.

  ‘It’s not really my fault ….’ she began.

  At last I managed to get some words out.

  ‘Not your fault?’ I said so loudly that everyone in the field turned to stare. Even the Japanese tourists turned to look at me as if I was just about to say something really important. One took out his camera and took a picture of me before I even had time to stick my tongue out at him. I waited until they got tired of staring, and continued talking to Lily in a lower voice.

  ‘How could it not be your fault? You said all those awful things. I heard you myself. And I didn’t see anyone holding a gun to your head.’

  ‘What awful things?’ asked Kate, suddenly reminding me that I hadn’t told her about them.

  ‘Oh … just general bad stuff,’ I said. Then I turned back to Lily. ‘Well?’

  Lily gave a big sigh. ‘When I’m with Cathy, I feel like I have to impress her.’

  ‘That’s stupid,’ I said.

  ‘I know I should be stronger,’ said Lily. ‘It’s just that Cathy can be very persuasive. She’s very strong-willed. She’s—’

  ‘She’s a bully,’ I finished for her.

  Lily nodded slowly.

  ‘Yes. I suppose you’re right. Cathy’s a bully, and I let myself be bullied. And I let her make me into a bully too. She’s done it for years, so I stopped noticing that it was happening. I know it’s not a good excuse, but it’s the only one I can offer you. Anyway … I’m sorry, Kate – for everything.’

  We both looked at Kate.

  Kate shrugged. ‘So you said some bad stuff. That’s OK. I’m used to that kind of thing.’

  I felt like punching someone or something. I turned to look at Jeremy, but resisted. I knew Kate would not be happy if I touched him in anger. So I punched the ground instead. I hit my knuckle on a stone, and it really hurt, but it couldn’t distract me from my anger.

  How dare everyone be so mean to Kate?

  She was kind and gentle and funny and clever, and just because she dressed differently to everyone else, why did that give people a right to be mean to her?

  Who had the right to hurt this girl who had never hurt anyone or anything in her entire life?

  And then I had a horrible thought. When I first met Kate, I didn’t want anything to do with her. I judged her by her looks, and did all I could to get away from her. I wasn’t as mean as Cathy and Lily, but I wasn’t exactly an angel either.

  I felt really angry, and really sad and really guilty – all at once. I couldn’t think of anything to say to make things right, though. So I just put my arm around Kate, and we sat there, waiting for something to happen.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  At around one o’clock, there was a flurry of activity when a woman came marching up the lane. She was shouting loudly.

  ‘Billy, if you’re up here I’m going to kill you. Don’t you know it’s time for your lunch?’

  I didn’t know who Billy was, but it wasn’t hard to find out. The red-haired boy, the biggest and toughest-looking of Joey’s friends looked like he was going to die of embarrassment. He picked up the soccer ball and started to walk towards the woman.

  ‘But Muuuuuuum,’ he wailed. ‘I can’t go home. I’ve got to save the tree.’

  His mother wasn’t impressed.

  ‘You can save all the trees you like,’ she shouted. ‘But not until you’ve had your lunch.’

  She was a fierce-looking woman, and Billy probably knew there wasn’t much point in arguing with her.

  He threw the ball towards Joey.

  ‘Mind my ball,’ he said, and then he followed his mother out of the field.

  The mention of lunch made me feel hungry and I had a fair idea that I wasn’t the only one. People were starting to look at their watches, and to shuffle restlessly.

  Lily reached into her beautiful designer handbag and pulled out a totally cool phone. ‘I’ll ring my mum,’ she said. ‘She’ll bring us some food. She runs a catering business.’

  Half an hour later, a shiny silver car drew up at the entrance to the field and a smartly-dressed woman climbed out.

  ‘Liliana, come and help me please,’ she called.

  ‘Liliana?’ I said, trying not to laugh.

  Lily made a face at me. ‘I was called after my grandmo
ther. Now, can you guys help? Knowing my mum, there’ll be a lot to carry.’

  ‘Sure thing, Liliana,’ I said, and the three of us laughed as we set off to unload the car.

  There was so much stuff, it took us four trips to carry it all from the car to the tree. Lily’s mum had thought of everything. She’d brought disposable barbeques, heaps of chicken legs and sausages, big crusty rolls, tubs of salad, paper plates and cups and bottles of lemonade.

  Kate tried to hide the paper plates and cups behind the lemonade bottles.

  ‘We can’t let Jeremy see these,’ she said. ‘They might be made from one of his cousins.’

  I looked at her impatiently. Everything was going so well – was she going to spoil it all by acting crazy?

  Then I saw that she was laughing, so I laughed too, and then Lily joined in, followed by everyone else – even Hans and Friedrich, who kept tapping my dad on the shoulder, saying, ‘What is the joke, please?’

  Lily’s mum set to work, and soon we were all eating happily. When every scrap of food was finished, Martha reached in to the big rucksack she’d brought with her.

  ‘Anyone for a chocolate bun?’ she asked, and then she had to back away as everyone rushed at her. She quickly had everyone lining up like they were at school, and she produced a bag of what looked like a hundred buns.

  ‘How did you know to bring so many?’ I asked.

  Martha laughed. ‘I used to be a Girl Guide, back in the last century, so I like to be prepared.’

  As we were eating the last of the crumbs from the chocolate buns, Hans went off, and returned a few minutes later, carrying a guitar. He sat on the grass and began to play, with Friedrich singing along. The song was in German, so of course no one else knew the words, but when he got to the chorus, everyone hummed in tune, except for my dad, who managed to be totally out of tune with everyone else.

  Hans continued to play, and after a while, the Japanese tourists passed around a big bag of sweets to share, and then we all sat in the sunshine, sucking our sweets and listening to the music and thinking that life was just perfect.

  And then the sound of a jeep coming along the lane ruined everything.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  He stepped out of the jeep and walked slowly towards us. He wasn’t carrying a chainsaw, but he’d always be Chainsaw Man to us.

  He walked across the field, and stood staring at us, with his arms folded. One by one, people stopped humming along to the music, and soon Hans stopped strumming his guitar.

  Miley’s wife had been dozing, but now she looked up and smiled at Chainsaw Man. ‘Oh, someone else to join the party,’ she said happily. ‘I’m afraid you’re too late for the barbecue, but there might be a few sweets left or maybe even a nice chocolate bun. Now move along girls, and make room on your rug for the nice man.’

  Miley turned to his wife, and explained the situation. She was not happy when she heard the truth. She picked up Miley’s stick and shook it at Chainsaw Man.

  ‘Go away, you bad man,’ she shouted. ‘We’re having a lovely party here, and we’re not about to let you ruin it.’

  I realised that it was only because of Chainsaw Man that we were having the lovely party, but that seemed a bit complicated to explain to Miley’s wife.

  Chainsaw Man took a few steps backwards, until he was out of range of Miley’s stick. Then he said to no one in particular, ‘I don’t suppose any of you is ready to talk sense?’

  In reply, everyone got to their feet, and made a circle around the tree, just like we had done the day before. (Only now, because there were more of us, the circle was bigger and stragglier than ever.)

  Chainsaw Man kept trying.

  ‘Anyone got anything sensible to say?’

  Joey began to chant, ‘Listen to us – we’re making a fuss. Listen to me – save the tree.’

  By the time he got to the second line, his friends had joined in. They sang it over and over again, and everyone chanted along, except for the Japanese who only managed to say ‘tree’ at the end of the last line. Hans stepped out of the circle, picked up his guitar, and began to strum along in time to the chant.

  Chainsaw Man scratched his head. ‘You’re all mad,’ he said, and then he walked slowly back towards his jeep. The chant continued while Chainsaw Man spoke on his phone. At one stage, he held the phone towards us, as if he wanted the person on the other end to hear us.

  Joey saw this and laughed.

  ‘Louder, lads,’ he said, and the chant grew louder and faster, until it was just a rush of words, impossible to understand.

  Soon Chainsaw Man clicked off his phone and put it into his pocket. He walked back across the field towards us, stopping only when he saw Miley’s wife reaching for the stick.

  ‘It’s out of my hands now,’ he said. ‘I’ve called the police. They’re on their way. They’ll be here in ten minutes.’

  The chanting stopped and there was an uneasy silence.

  All kinds of awful pictures raced through my mind.

  I could see fleets of armoured vehicles, with bars on the windows.

  I could see battalions of helmeted policemen, clutching shields and batons.

  I could see the poor Japanese tourists taking home lots of pictures of the inside of an Irish jail.

  This so wasn’t funny any more.

  Minutes later, there was the sound of a car coming along the road. Everyone shuffled closer together.

  The car stopped, and there was the slam of a single door. A policeman walked into the field.

  ‘Sure that’s only Gerry,’ said the shopkeeper.

  Beside me, Kate whispered, ‘Gerry’s the policeman from the next village. Most people here know him well.’

  There was a big sigh of relief as all the locals greeted Gerry like he was their oldest friend.

  ‘How’s the wife?’ asked Miley.

  ‘Any news of my stolen bicycle?’ asked one of the farmers.

  ‘Are you free for a game of cards later?’ asked the man from the shop.

  The poor policeman looked embarrassed.

  ‘Hello, everyone,’ he said gruffly. ‘I hear there’s been a bit of trouble.’

  ‘So do something about it,’ prompted Chainsaw Man.

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘You could arrest these people.’

  The policeman looked from the big crowd of people to the small car that was parked next to the field.

  ‘All of them?’

  ‘Maybe just the ringleaders,’ said Chainsaw Man, staring at Kate and me.

  ‘I’d have to call for reinforcements,’ said the policeman. ‘And that could take hours – or days.’

  Chainsaw Man groaned.

  ‘Any other bright ideas?’ he said.

  The policeman nodded.

  ‘You could come to the station with me and file a report. Or you could apply for an injunction to make these people go away.’

  ‘What’s an injunction?’ I asked Mum.

  ‘It’s a legal procedure and sometimes it takes months and months,’ she said, smiling.

  Just then Chainsaw Man’s phone rang.

  He pulled it out of his pocket and had a short conversation. Then he switched it off.

  ‘Good news,’ he said.

  ‘What good news, you evil man?’ said Miley’s wife.

  Chainsaw Man actually smiled.

  ‘The good news is I’m getting a half-day. The owner of the field, Mr Phillips, is coming down tomorrow, and he can deal with the lot of you.’

  Joey and his friends began to cheer.

  ‘Yay, we won! We won!’ they shouted.

  I wasn’t so sure.

  Was that good news?

  Had we won?

  Could it possibly have been that easy?

  Chainsaw Man probably didn’t care much what happened as long as he got paid. I had a funny feeling that the owner of the field wouldn’t be quite so easy to get rid of.

  Chainsaw Man was still standing there.

  �
��You can all go home now,’ he said. ‘Nothing’s going to happen here until tomorrow. Mr Phillips won’t be here until eleven at the earliest.’

  Nobody moved.

  ‘You’re wasting your time,’ said Chainsaw Man. ‘Nothing’s going to happen. Trust me.’

  Miley’s wife waved her stick.

  ‘Why should we trust you?’

  Chainsaw Man took a step backwards.

  ‘Because while you’re around, I couldn’t tell a lie – I wouldn’t dare.’

  Everyone laughed, and then Chainsaw Man walked back to his jeep and drove off.

  The policeman addressed the crowd.

  ‘I know you don’t mean any harm, but maybe it would be best for everyone if you just forgot about this whole thing, and let the men get on with what they’re paid to do.’

  No one answered, and the policeman walked slowly away.

  ‘Tell Mary to drop over later to pick up that nice leg of lamb I’ve been saving for her,’ called one of the farmers after him, and everyone laughed.

  ‘Now what?’ said Dad as soon as the policeman had driven away.

  ‘You can all do what you want,’ said Kate. ‘I’m staying here. I’m not taking any chances.’

  Martha came over and patted her shoulder.

  ‘That’s my girl,’ she said, and I laughed as Kate gave an embarrassed smile.

  Mum came over and hugged me.

  ‘I’m proud of you too, Eva,’ she said, giving Kate a chance to laugh at me. ‘But I have to go home and get the dinner started. If you want to stay here for a while, I’ll send Joey up with something for you to eat – and something for your friends too.’

  I looked at Kate and Lily.

  Were they both my friends now?

  Did that mean they were friends with each other?

  Was this the weirdest thing ever?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Soon most people did wander away, probably remembering that they had lives that didn’t involve sitting around fields trying to stop trees from being chopped down.

  In the end only Kate, Lily and I remained.