by Jean Ure
“Mum sends her apologies. It seems babies don’t always come at the most convenient of times. She had a call from Jen at the last minute and had to go whizzing off to the hospital.”
For a baby? She’d missed Caitlyn’s performance just for a baby?
“Honestly,” said Sean, “she felt really bad about it.”
I scowled. “Oh, now, come on!” He gave me a hopeful grin. “Don’t be too hard on her. What d’you expect? It is her first grandchild.”
I refused to be comforted. All my sacrifice for nothing! Crossly I said, “So what are you doing here? Why aren’t you dancing?”
“Change of schedule. Stop looking so grumpy! I was hoping I’d be an acceptable substitute. You were right about your little friend, by the way! That was a cracker of a performance. Told you, didn’t I, that was her sort of part?”
I said, “Yes, and you also told me the only way I could get Mum to take any notice was by letting her think it was her idea rather than mine.”
“Oh. Right.” He nodded, slowly. “Now I get it. Pulled tendon, eh? I thought it seemed a bit unlikely. I take it you’ve quite recovered?”
“It was all part of my plan,” I said, crossly. “I had it all worked out! I might just as well not have bothered what with people having babies all over the place!”
“Absolutely,” said Sean. “Very inconsiderate.”
I looked at him, uncertainly. Was he being serious?
“Could at least have waited,” he said, “till the performance was over.”
Just joking. Presumably. For my part I’d have thought Mum could have waited. She didn’t even like babies! She’d done nothing but grumble ever since Jen got pregnant.
“I feel very hurt,” said Sean. “I thought you’d be pleased to see me!”
“I am, but I needed Mum to be here! I went and told Caitlyn’s mum that Caitlyn really needs to have lessons and I faithfully promised Caitlyn I wouldn’t say anything and now her mum’s going to be upset and Caitlyn’s going to be upset and think I’ve broken my promise, which I know I have, but only cos I thought Mum was going to be here and—”
“Hey, hey!” Sean put his arms around me. The hall was still full of people and Mrs Henson would probably have said we were making a spectacle of ourselves, though maybe, as it was Sean, she would have forgiven us. People seem to forgive Sean almost anything.
“All is not lost,” he said. “I was here – I’ve seen what she’s capable of.”
I wailed, “Yes, but you’re not Mum!”
“True, but aren’t you always accusing me of being her favourite?”
“You are!” He always had been. It was totally gross.
“In that case … why not let me deal with it?”
I looked at him, hopefully. “You mean you’ll speak to her?”
“I’ll do more than just speak to her. I’ll make sure that she listens! Trust me.” He tilted my face towards him. “Do you trust me?”
I nodded. If anyone could get through to Mum, it was Sean.
“But please,” I begged, “could you do it as soon as we get back? Cos I really don’t want Caitlyn’s mum telling her what I said and Caitlyn thinking I’ve betrayed her and—”
“Hush, hush, hush!” He put a finger to my lips. “If Mum is back from the hospital, I’ll have a word immediately.”
“And you’ll ask her if she’ll make a scholarship, or something, so Caitlyn’s mum doesn’t have to be worried?”
“Oh, I shall instruct her,” said Sean. “This is no pudding face, I shall say. This is a star in the making! It’s your duty – nay, your BOUNDEN duty—”
“Sean!” I pummelled at him. “Don’t make fun!”
“I’m not making fun, you idiot, I’m serious. I have to tell you I’m really impressed with what you’ve achieved, the pair of you. OK? OK! So, give us a smile … that’s better! Now let’s go and see if this cab’s turned up and whether Caitlyn and her mum would like to be dropped off. And, while we’re about it, a bit of heroic limping wouldn’t be out of place. You’re supposed to have pulled a tendon, right?”
I limped my way obediently to the dressing room to pick up Caitlyn and her mum, then hopped and hobbled, with Sean’s help, to find the cab that Miss Lucas had called for us. Caitlyn’s mum seemed a bit overwhelmed and kept saying, “You really don’t have to,” but Sean insisted.
“We can’t let the star of the show walk home under her own steam!”
Caitlyn blushed to the roots of her hair. “It should’ve been Maddy,” she said. “I feel so awful about it!”
“Wasn’t your fault,” I told her. “Just me being clumsy.”
“Absolutely,” said Sean. “No need to beat yourself up. An opportunity came your way and you took it. That’s what it’s all about.”
“I’d have been well upset,” I said, “if you hadn’t!”
Mum was waiting for us when we arrived home.
“Maddy, I’m so sorry!” she cried. “You can blame your sister. She was almost a week early!”
Sean pulled a face. “Like I said, grossly inconsiderate. I take it it’s all over?”
“Yes, she’s got a little boy! James Ivor. I promised we’d all look in tomorrow and say hallo. Is that all right?”
Sean shrugged. “I guess.”
“What do you mean, you guess? Don’t you want to see your nephew? Imagine, you’re an uncle and aunt! How cool is that?”
“Yeah, cool,” said Sean.
I plucked urgently at his sleeve. Maybe tomorrow I would think it cool to be an aunt at only eleven years old, but right at this moment there were more important matters to be sorted.
“So, how did it go?” twinkled Mum. She was all happy and beaming. Whoever would have thought it? “Did it go well? I’m so sorry I missed it!”
“Actually,” said Sean, “you didn’t miss the Bean cos she didn’t go on.”
“What? Why?” Mum looked at me, sharply. “What happened?”
“I kind of—” I sent a pleading glance in Sean’s direction. Did I tell Mum the truth or was I still pretending?
“To be honest,” said Sean, “it’s a long story.”
“So tell me!”
“OK. Well, she has this friend, Caitlyn?”
“Yes, yes, I remember! She came to tea.”
“Right. And you were supposed to take one look at her and say, That girl is a dancer.”
“Oh! That one,” said Mum.
“Precisely,” said Sean. “That one. But in your inimitable fashion—”
“Excuse me?”
“—you singularly failed to notice. So, most heroically, this one here—” he pulled me towards him, “—decided the time had come for action. It’s OK, kiddo, you can stop with the limping.”
“Limping?” said Mum. “What limping? What has she done?”
“Put on a most convincing performance,” said Sean. “She’s a very good actor, aren’t you? She certainly hoodwinked poor old Miss Thingummy. Frightened the life out of her. Oh, dear, I think I may have pulled a tendon.”
Mum’s eyes narrowed to pinpoints.
“You pretended to have injured yourself?”
“Mum,” I pleaded, “I had to do something! It was the only way I could think of to get your attention. You’re the one that’s always saying it’s criminal to waste talent!”
Mum switched her gaze to Sean. “Does she have talent?”
“She absolutely does,” said Sean. “And it would be a crime to let it go to waste.”
“So what am I expected to do? I take it you’ve hatched some kind of plan between you?”
“We thought the best solution would probably be a scholarship,” said Sean.
“Oh, you did, did you?”
“I know you don’t usually give them, but …”
“There’s always a first time,” I pleaded.
“Maddy, I am trying to run a business,” said Mum.
Sean shrugged. “Well, if you’d sooner have a class full of rich pudd
ing faces …”
There was a pause. Sean closed his hand over mine and squeezed it. Mum frowned.
“You’re really telling me she’s that good?”
“I’m really telling you,” said Sean.
I could see that Mum was beginning to weaken. Eagerly I rushed back in.
“Mum, I’ve been teaching her! She was having all this trouble with pirouettes and I showed her how to do them, and now I’m giving her lessons every day!”
“Omigod,” Mum groaned. “Heaven only knows what faults you’ll have let her develop!”
I was about to protest indignantly that I knew better than to let Caitlyn develop bad habits, but Sean got in ahead of me.
“I honestly didn’t see any,” he said. “Her technique might not be the most secure but for natural ability you couldn’t fault her.”
“No? Well … perhaps if we get to her in time all may not be lost. You’d better bring her along with you on Tuesday,” said Mum. “I’ll take a look and see what I think. Oh, and her mum had better come, too, just in case. If she’s as exceptional as you seem to think, we’ll need to have a talk.”
At last! I flew at Sean and hugged him.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Don’t thank him too soon,” warned Mum. “I’m still reserving judgement.”
But now I had no doubts. If Caitlyn could get up on stage and dance in front of the whole school, not to mention all the parents and grandparents, she could dance in front of Mum; and, once Mum had seen her, I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist. Sean’s word alone would probably have been good enough. All the same, I felt it wouldn’t hurt to give Caitlyn a few words of encouragement.
“Forget who it is,” I urged Caitlyn, as we waited together the following Tuesday. “Just dance! There’s nothing to be scared of; you did all right when it was Sean, and he’s every bit as critical as Mum.”
“But I didn’t know he was there!” wailed Caitlyn. “I’d have died if I’d known!”
I said, “I should hope you wouldn’t cos that would’ve been letting yourself down. And it would’ve been letting me down. Now it’ll be letting Sean down, as well! It’s only cos of him that Mum’s agreed to see you. She never takes any notice of me. He was the one that persuaded her. He said you gave a cracker of a performance and have natural ability. So there!”
And then I did something I never do: I went all silly and soft and hugged her.
“I know it is a bit scary, but just remember … brains in your feet!”
Mum wouldn’t let either me or Caitlyn’s mum into the studio while she was auditioning Caitlyn, but when they came out Caitlyn was beaming broadly and Mum told Mrs Hughes that she’d like to have a word with her, so I knew at once that things had worked out.
“I have to say,” said Mum, as we drove home afterwards, “your brother certainly knows what he’s talking about. That girl is one of the most naturally gifted I’ve seen in a long time.”
I said, “Oh! Do you really think so?” Like it wasn’t something I’d been trying to tell her for ages.
“I simply can’t imagine,” said Mum, “how she’s got this far without ever having any lessons.”
“Except from me,” I said.
“Except from you,” agreed Mum. “How long have you been teaching her?”
“Just a couple of months,” I said.
“Well! You’ve certainly done an excellent job.”
I glowed. “What did you say to her mum?”
“I told her straight out it was imperative she started lessons right away. Leave it any longer and it would be too late.”
“And did she agree?”
“Oh, I didn’t give her any choice,” said Mum. “I wasn’t taking no for an answer! Not with a talent like that. I’ve invented a special scholarship for her. Two classes a week, starting next Tuesday. She’ll soon catch up.”
One thing about Mum: once you’ve got her attention, she doesn’t waste any time.
Caitlyn, when we met at school next day, was in a state of bubbling excitement.
“I can’t believe it! I just can’t believe it!”
She kept saying it, over and over, in tones of wonderment. We’d spent half the previous evening texting each other. She’d even texted me that she didn’t believe it! And here we were, the following morning, and it seemed like it still hadn’t properly sunk in.
“It’s been one of my daydreams,” she said, “going to ballet school! Especially your mum’s ballet school. I just never thought it would happen! And it’s all thanks to you! If you hadn’t discovered me that day in the gym – if you hadn’t made me be your understudy – if you—” She broke off, her face puckering. “Maddy, I never asked you how your ankle was!”
“Don’t worry about my ankle,” I said. “It wasn’t anything. I’ve forgotten about it. I’m just so happy to think that one of your daydreams has finally come true!” And then, cos I couldn’t help being curious, I said, “Do you have lots of others?”
“Lots of daydreams?” She blushed. “Only one.”
“Is it to do with ballet?”
She blushed a bit more. “Maybe.”
“A particular part that you want to dance?”
“Mm … maybe.”
“A particular person you want to dance it with?”
She wriggled uncomfortably.
“It is,” I said, “isn’t it? It’s someone you want to dance with!”
“Not telling you.”
“Why not?”
“Cos I’m not.”
“That’s not fair!”
“I know, but you’ll laugh.”
“I won’t!”
“You will cos it’s silly. And anyway it can’t ever happen.”
“You don’t know that!”
“I do,” said Caitlyn.
“Just tell me who it is,” I begged. “I’ll tell you if I think it’s silly.”
She shook her head. It didn’t matter how much I pleaded with her, she wouldn’t budge. But I reckoned I could guess! There was only one person whose name could make her blush like that. I was almost tempted to say it, just to tease her; but then I thought maybe that would be unkind. We should all be allowed to have our secret dreams.
I said, “Well, OK, if you don’t want me to know, you don’t want me to know. But just promise me one thing … if it ever does come true, you’ll tell me!”
She nodded, solemnly. “I will.”
“You promise? On your honour?”
“On my honour,” said Caitlyn. “You’ll be the first to know!”
More fantastic reads from Jean Ure …
STRAWBERRY CRUSH
When Mattie’s head-in-the-clouds cousin Maya develops a crush of epic proportions, it’s up to Mattie to make her see sense – Maya will try anything to be noticed by Jake, even if it makes her look ridiculous! Will Mattie get through to Maya before her heart is broken forever?
SECRETS AND DREAMS
When Zoe’s dream of going to boarding school becomes a reality, she can’t wait for her life there to begin – but when one of Zoe’s new friends reveals a secret too big to share with the others in the group, Zoe finds herself caught in the middle. Staying loyal while ‘fitting in’ has never seemed harder …
JELLY BABY
Bitsy, or ‘Jelly Baby’ as she’s sometimes called, has been doing just fine living with Dad and big sister Em since Mum died. Until one day Dad brings home a girlfriend and everything changes. Now it’s down to the Jelly Baby of the family to keep it from falling apart …
THE KISSING GAME
Salvatore d’Amato is determined to get a kiss by his thirteenth birthday. And not just any kiss. A kiss from his heart’s desire – the ‘lovely, loveable, luscious Lucy’! With his wonderful love poetry, and his secret body-building, how will she be able to resist? If only that horrible Harmony Hynde would stop bothering him in the meantime!
JUST PEACHY
I’m the quiet one in my very loud family
. Not a drama queen, or a genius, but Just Peachy. When I went to choose my own school, everyone finally stops to listen! Stepping out on my own is scary, but if I want to figure out who I am maybe scary is just what I need …
SECRET MEETING
Mum has always warned me that people you meet in chatrooms aren’t always what they seem. But when my best friend Annie meets my favourite author Harriet Chance online and arranges tea, it’s the best birthday present ever! Until Mum’s warning starts to come true …
Also by Jean Ure
The Kissing Game
Just Peachy
Lemonade Sky
Love and Kisses
Fortune Cookie
Star Crazy Me!
Over the Moon
Boys Beware
Sugar and Spice
Is Anybody There?
Secret Meeting
Passion Flower
Shrinking Violet
Boys on the Brain
Skinny Melon and Me
Becky Bananas, This is Your Life!
Fruit and Nutcase
The Secret Life of Sally Tomato
Family Fan Club
Ice Lolly
Secrets and Dreams
Jelly Baby
Pumpkin Pie
Strawberry Crush
Special three-in-one editions
The Tutti-Frutti Collection
The Flower Power Collection
The Friends Forever Collection
And for younger readers
Dazzling Danny
Daisy May
Monster in the Mirror
About the Publisher
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