The Strawberry Sisters

by Candy Harper

  As soon as we got to the stables on Saturday morning, Kayleigh was whispering away to her special horse friend, Misty. You could tell that Misty was pleased to see her. My problem is that I don’t speak Horse. I don’t even know how to be around them. I go all stiff and worry that they know that I’m afraid. Like dogs or teachers.

  Ashandra was brilliant. Even though it was her first time, she wasn’t scared at all. She did what Kayleigh did and asked lots of questions and some things she just seemed to do naturally. Ashandra never looks uncomfortable; it’s one of the things I like best about her. She always seems to know what to do and usually that makes me feel better too.

  I hoped that I would get a white horse called Moonlight or a black one called Raven, but when Kayleigh’s mum led out my horse he was brown and his name was Oscar. He looked at me and pulled back his lips to show me what he thought of me.

  ‘Ah,’ Ashandra said. ‘He’s smiling at you.’

  Ashandra never thinks animals want to bite her either.

  First, we got the horses ready, then we went for what the teacher lady called ‘a nice gentle round and round’. Which meant following each other in a circle in a big field.

  I wasn’t exactly enjoying myself because of the jolting and the quite-far-from-the-groundness, but Ash and Kay were chatting and the sun was shining and there were some little purple flowers in the hedge, and I thought if I could just keep a good grip on the reins I might make it to the end of the lesson.

  Then there was a loud bang from somewhere back near the stables. Oscar flinched and for a split second I really thought he was going to bolt. He didn’t, but in my mind he tore across the field with me desperately clinging on, then he jerked me off his back and I got tangled up in his powerful, stomping legs.

  After that, I couldn’t concentrate on purple flowers. I just clung on and tried not to imagine a hoof in the face.

  When we finally got off, I was proud of myself for not making a fuss, but my legs felt a bit like they do when you get off a boat.

  ‘That was awesome,’ Ashandra said.

  Mum was waiting in the car with Chloe. She offered Kayleigh and Ashandra a lift, but Kay was staying for an advanced lesson and Ash’s mum was already pulling into the driveway.

  ‘How did it go?’ Chloe asked as I climbed in next to her.

  ‘It was great. Ashandra and Kayleigh were chatting the whole time. Ash is going to lend Kayleigh some more of her pony books and Kayleigh is going to show Ash how to do a fancy plait in a horse’s tail.’

  ‘Did you like riding?’ Mum asked.

  ‘No, it was horrible. Horses are totally unpredictable and you never know what they’re going to do next, but that’s OK.’

  ‘I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it,’ Mum said. ‘At least you gave it a try. You don’t have to go again.’

  I didn’t think Mum understood the point of going riding. It didn’t matter if I was completely terrified as long as Ashandra and Kayleigh were getting on. If they could have fun riding together, it wouldn’t be long until we were all best friends.

  ‘What have you been doing?’ I asked Chloe.

  ‘Me and Thunder were going to film Big Bear shopping. He was supposed to knock a load of bags of flour off the shelf.’

  She didn’t smile, even though she loves things falling off other things.

  ‘Didn’t it go well?’

  ‘Thunder was being an idiot.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘He wouldn’t do it properly. He didn’t make any good suggestions and then, before we’d even got to the flour bit, he said he had to go.’

  I didn’t know what to say. It seemed like things between Thunder and Chloe weren’t as fine as she’d said they were.

  I dropped my voice and leant closer to Chloe. Mum was listening to the radio. ‘Do you think maybe he feels a bit embarrassed?’ I asked.

  ‘Why would he feel embarrassed?’

  ‘You know, because he asked you out and you said no.’

  Chloe wrinkled her nose. ‘But . . . I mean, what’s the point in being funny about that? It was ages ago.’

  Some people don’t worry about things very much. It’s hard to explain to them that other people worry about things a lot.

  ‘I’d be embarrassed if it was me,’ I said. ‘And maybe a bit hurt.’

  She looked at me for a long time, like she was trying to unravel a clue.

  ‘If it was you, what would you want the person who’d said no to you to do?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’d just be worried that they thought I was stupid and that they didn’t like me.’

  ‘Of course I still like him! Even if it was a bit stupid.’

  ‘I think you should tell him that. The first bit, not the second bit.’

  She blew her fringe off her forehead. ‘I don’t know why people can’t accept things the way they are. You have to just get over it.’

  ‘Sometimes people need to talk about stuff a bit.’

  ‘I’m not very good at talking.’

  ‘You’re better than you think you are. Anyway, it’s not exactly about what you say; it’s the fact that you’re doing it.’

  She shrugged. ‘I guess I could try.’

  When we got home, I did my maths homework. I find it really calming when I’m working through a page of sums; it’s nice knowing exactly what to do and where the sum is going.

  Basically, the bright side of maths homework is that it isn’t at all like a horse.

  On Monday night, Kayleigh rang me. I could tell from the background noise that she was outside.

  ‘Where are you?’ I asked.

  ‘Ashandra and me have been shopping,’ she said. ‘We’ve got these brilliant little lights for the lanterns.’

  ‘Lanterns?’

  ‘You know, for our panel? For the art competition?’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘They’re like tealights, but with a battery instead of a flame. I think they’ll look brilliant. Miss Gardner said they didn’t have anything like that in the art department so we decided we should just look ourselves.’

  I wondered when all this deciding had gone on because I hadn’t heard anything about it before.

  ‘So we’re finished now,’ she went on. ‘And Ash’s mum is going to take us for pizza. She said we should ring and invite you.’

  Did that mean that Ash and Kay hadn’t thought about inviting me themselves?

  ‘Um . . . I have to ask my mum.’

  ‘Well, Ash’s mum wants to stop at the chemist’s so we’re going to be at Pizza Hut in about half an hour. Ring me back if you can come.’

  I put the phone down. I knew that someone who is looking on the bright side wouldn’t worry about when exactly Ash and Kay planned this, and why they were only inviting me at the last minute, so I tried not to worry about it either.

  Mum was in the kitchen, staring at the table. At least, I knew it was the table, but you actually couldn’t see very much of it. It was covered with piles of unopened post, Amelia’s books and crumby plates. There were also crayons, a half-eaten banana, six different bottles of nail varnish and Lucy’s recorder. Mum looked up at me. ‘Susan’s coming round to help me with my long-term planning,’ she said. ‘And I don’t even know where she can sit.’

  I looked at the chairs. They were completely covered too. A stack of textbooks on one, Chloe’s football boots on another and a damp sheet draped across the other two.

  ‘What about in the sitting room?’ I asked.

  ‘It’s worse. Lucy’s made some sort of jungle scene on the table in there. There are loo-roll trees and plastic animals everywhere.’

  ‘This isn’t that bad,’ I said. ‘We can clear it up.’

  Mum looked round the kitchen and sighed. It wasn’t just the table and chairs. The sink was full of dishes; the counter was covered in crumbs and jam smears. The nice china on the dresser was hidden by things that shouldn’t have been there like Amelia’s hair-straighteners, a broken lamp and an army of monster figures
arranged as if they were about to attack the teapot. None of the cupboards were closed. Pasta spilled out of one and saucepans out of another. There were grubby tea towels hanging from doorknobs, and the top of the cooker had baked-on brown stuff. I was so used to it that my messy alarm didn’t go off every time I came into the room, but, if you weren’t used to it, it did look a bit of a state.

  Mum squared her shoulders. ‘I just have to give it a quick going-over and hope Susan isn’t too appalled.’ She started stacking plates. ‘What did you want, love?’

  I knew I was supposed to have given up being nice and caring about other people, but I didn’t want to go off and eat pizza while my mum was having a hard time. Even when my mum is cross or tired, she always helps us with things. I also knew that that was the whole reason the kitchen was a mess. She’d spent Sunday helping Chloe with her volcanoes project and most of Saturday shopping for a new party dress for Lucy.

  There’s no way I could ever pretend to be tough with my mum. Which was a relief because, when you’re trying to be one thing or not to be something else, you have to spend a lot of time worrying about what to do. When you’re with someone that you can’t pretend with, you just do the thing you feel. And I felt like I wanted to help Mum.

  ‘I haven’t got anything to do,’ I lied. ‘So I can do the tidying while you do the washing-up.’

  ‘Oh, Ella, you’re an angel. I don’t know where the weekend disappeared to and I let Amelia off the washing-up last night because I thought it would do her good to go out with Lauren.’

  Before we started, I sent Kayleigh a quick text to say that I couldn’t make it. But I didn’t waste time worrying if they would miss me. Instead, I tidied and scrubbed really fast and, by the time Mum’s friend Susan arrived, the kitchen looked completely presentable. Mum gave me a big hug when we’d finished.

  The next day Ashandra and Kayleigh proudly showed me the tiny lights that they’d got for the lanterns.

  ‘My mum said the batteries should last for hours so we can switch them on before the parents arrive on International Day,’ Ashandra said.

  ‘They’re great. It’ll look fantastic,’ I said.

  And I really meant it. The panel was going to be fantastic and it was fantastic that Ash and Kay were getting on. And, even though I’d missed out on pizza and Ash telling her funny stories, I was still glad that I’d helped my mum.

  I didn’t care what Mrs Bottomley said; it’s nice to be nice.

  At lunchtime on Wednesday, Amelia and Chloe appeared at my table. It was a surprise to see them standing together without one of them bashing the other one. Chloe was eating a pork chop. I don’t know where she got it from. They weren’t on the menu.

  ‘I got a text from Mum,’ Amelia said.

  Immediately, a whole load of terrible things piled into my mind. ‘What’s happened?’ I could barely get the words out.

  ‘The inspectors have arrived.’

  That’s when I realised that Mum probably wouldn’t tell us about a car crash or the house blowing up by text. The inspectors were pretty bad news though.

  ‘Poor Mum,’ I said. ‘Did she say anything else?’

  Chloe shook her head. ‘Nope. Amelia asked her if she wanted us to come home tonight instead of going to Dad’s, but Mum said she’d be fine.’

  I had visions of Mum working through the night. ‘I hope she remembers to eat something,’ I said.

  ‘She’ll get more done without us there,’ Amelia said.

  ‘Do you think she’ll be all right?’ Chloe asked.

  ‘She’ll be fine, you turnips!’ Amelia said, but in a sort of nice way.

  She didn’t even say anything mean to Chloe. I didn’t know whether to be comforted by that or afraid.

  We all rushed home from school to Dad’s house. Suvi had already picked up Lucy, who was playing with Kirsti on her mat.

  ‘Come upstairs,’ Chloe whispered to Lucy. ‘We’re having a sisters’ meeting.’

  ‘Then Kirsti has to come; she’s our sister too.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Lucy,’ I said. ‘Kirsti’s just a baby. Besides, this is about Mum.’

  Lucy didn’t look too happy, but she followed us upstairs anyway.

  In our bedroom, Amelia explained about the inspectors to Lucy. Since Amelia cried all over Mum, she’s been a lot more patient with Lucy and much less shouty with the rest of us.

  ‘Shall we go to Mum’s school and beat the inspectors up?’ Lucy asked.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Amelia said, but I think Chloe was definitely considering it.

  ‘Will it be OK?’ Lucy asked.

  Amelia nodded. ‘Mum’s a good teacher and the inspectors will be able to see that. They’re just observing her. They’re not going to do anything terrible to her. Anyway, at least now that they’re here it will all be over by tomorrow night.’

  ‘We should do something nice when it’s finished,’ I said.

  Lucy did a somersault on her bed. ‘We should have a Whoopee!’

  A Whoopee is a celebration. In our family, when someone does something good like getting a swimming certificate or managing to pass their ballet exam, even though they did call the examiner a big pig, everyone decorates that person’s bedroom and makes them a present and says ‘whoopee’ a lot. We haven’t had one for ages. There’s not been much to celebrate, I suppose.

  ‘Do we really need to make stupid noises to congratulate someone?’ Amelia asked, sounding more like her old, impatient self.

  ‘I’ve got a noise to congratulate you on being such a moaner,’ Chloe said and she did a ginormous fart.

  ‘Gross!’

  I could see that Amelia was going to say no to the celebration idea so I was preparing myself to be tough and not mind, but Lucy is very good at getting people to do things.

  She looked Amelia up and down. ‘Amelia’s too big for a Whoopee.’

  That was exactly the right thing to say because Amelia hates being told she can’t do things.

  Amelia stuck out her chin. ‘I’m willing to participate if it’s tastefully done.’

  ‘That means she’ll do it if she can boss us about,’ Chloe said.

  ‘She does that anyway,’ Lucy said.

  Amelia took a notepad out of her bag and started writing a list.

  ‘If it’s going to be tomorrow after the inspection is finished, we have to sort out decorations and presents tonight.’

  ‘I’m going to do a really good present,’ Lucy said. ‘Who can give me some money?’

  ‘Presents are supposed to be home-made, remember?’ I said.

  Lucy put her hands on her hips. ‘I know that, but I need to buy the things to make it out of.’

  ‘We’re going to have to go shopping,’ Chloe said.

  We stared at each other. Amelia and Chloe are allowed to go into town by themselves. Lucy and me aren’t.

  Lucy sensed she was about to be left behind. ‘No way! I need to come. I need to get things.’

  ‘Tell us what you want and we’ll get them,’ Chloe said.

  ‘I don’t know exactly what they are yet! I have to see things; you can’t do it for me, you don’t have my . . . my visions! My visions of a completely delightful present.’

  We burst out laughing.

  ‘Shut up!’ Lucy said and she kicked Chloe in the shins.

  ‘You can’t come,’ Amelia said. ‘We’d need an adult for us all to go. Dad’s not back yet and he probably won’t be for ages.’

  ‘We could ask Suvi,’ I said quietly.

  ‘No,’ Amelia snapped. ‘This isn’t anything to do with her. This is for Mum.’

  ‘She doesn’t have to be part of it. We could just ask her to drive us.’

  It took me ten minutes to persuade Amelia and, in the end, it was only because she was convinced that Suvi would say no that she said I could ask if I really wanted to.

  ‘But don’t tell her everything,’ Amelia said. ‘This is our business.’

  So I went downstairs.

/>   ‘Suvi?’

  She was bouncing Kirsti on her lap.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can I ask you a favour?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘It’s sort of a secret, but we need to go to the shops. It’s because M—’

  ‘Stop.’ Suvi held up a hand. ‘Don’t tell me more if it’s a secret. I can take you to the shops.’

  ‘All of us?’

  That surprised her. ‘OK.’ Her face clouded. ‘Except we won’t all fit in my car; it’s even smaller than your father’s.’

  ‘I could stay behind,’ I said.

  ‘No, no one is getting left behind,’ Suvi said. And I was glad she did.

  So we took the bus. We went to the shopping centre on the edge of town. First, we went in the big hobby shop to get art supplies and then in the massive supermarket to buy cake ingredients.

  When we got back, Dad still wasn’t home. Suvi checked her phone.

  ‘He’s going to be very late again,’ she said.

  Lucy gathered up the crêpe paper and glue she’d made Amelia buy for her.

  ‘Can I make this in your bedroom where no one can see?’ she asked Suvi.

  ‘Yes,’ Suvi said.

  ‘You’re not very nosy for a grown-up,’ Lucy said.

  Suvi seemed to appreciate that this was a compliment.

  ‘Are you sure it’s OK for her to use your room?’ I asked. ‘What if she gets glue on the carpet or pen on the duvet cover?’

  ‘If Lucy gets any mess anywhere, she will scrub the stains out of course.’

  I watched Lucy take this in. She nodded to Suvi and walked upstairs with great dignity.

  ‘Bet she doesn’t spill a drop,’ Chloe said.

  Suvi handles things in a completely different way to my mum or my dad, but it’s quite effective.

  When Lucy came to find us in our bedroom where we were making bunting from flowery wrapping paper, she had something behind her back.

  ‘Ta-dah!’ And she held up a flower made out of pipe cleaners and crêpe paper.