by Judi Curtin
‘You understand nothing!’ she snapped. ‘You’re just a spoilt, rich girl.’
‘That’s not fair. Both my parents lost their jobs, and …’
But then I stopped. I thought of the lovely warm and cosy home I shared with my mum and dad. I thought of the ugly building where Aretta lived, far away from her mother and brother. Maybe Aretta was right. Maybe compared to her, I was spoilt and rich.
While I was still figuring out how to explain myself, Aretta marched off.
‘I met Aretta,’ I said to Ella when I met her at break time.
‘And?’
‘You were right, Ella. I should have listened to you. Following Aretta home was a really bad idea. Now she’s mad at us.’
‘Maybe I should find her and say sorry?’
‘I tried that, but I don’t think she’s ready to listen to our apologies. Like I said, she’s totally mad. I can’t really blame her, and I can’t think of a way to change it.’
Ella and I didn’t see much of Aretta over the next few days. I’m not sure if she was avoiding us, or we were avoiding her. Maybe it was a bit of both.
By Friday I couldn’t take any more. Even watching Aretta beating Andy at badminton didn’t make me feel any better. After the match, I tried to congratulate her, but when she saw me coming she turned and walked away.
‘This is awful,’ I said to Ella as we walked home from school. ‘We have to make Aretta understand how sorry we are.’
‘Maybe we should buy her a present to say sorry?’
‘That’s a great idea,’ I said. ‘But what will we get her?’
Ella smiled. ‘Just follow me,’ she said. ‘I know exactly what we should get.’
‘We’re going to Maggie’s house!’ I said a few minutes later, as I followed Ella around the last bend.
‘That’s great. I haven’t seen her for ages.’
Maggie is my friend, Ruby’s, mum. Ruby used to go to our school, but she’s an amazing swimmer, and now she goes to a special boarding school in London where they have swimming coaching every day.
‘Have you heard from Ruby lately?’ asked Ella, as she rang the front doorbell.
‘Yeah. She messaged me last week. It was nice to hear from her, but …’
‘But what?’
‘I miss her. I’m happy that she got that great swimming scholarship, but I wish it could have been in a school a bit closer to here.’
‘So when did you last see her?’
‘It was ages and ages ago. We message all the time, and I see pictures of her, but it’s not the same. I’d love to just hang out with her for a bit, and … you know … talk properly. I’d love to …’
I stopped talking as I heard Maggie’s dog, Lucky, yapping madly. A second later, we heard the squeaking of Maggie’s wheelchair as she approached the door.
‘Eva! Ella!’ said Maggie when she saw us. ‘What a nice surprise. Come in. Sit, Lucky, and try and be good for once.’
I picked Lucky up and cuddled her. As she snuggled up against me, and licked my face, I had an idea.
‘Maybe Ella and I could take Lucky for a walk sometime, Maggie?’ I said.
‘Of course!’ said Maggie. ‘Lucky loves walks and I don’t have time to bring her as often as I’d like.’
By now we were inside Maggie’s living room. She brought us lemonade, and then she told us all about Ruby’s latest swimming championship. (I was too polite to tell her that Ruby had already sent me a hundred snapchats from it.)
‘Anyway,’ I said after a bit. ‘As well as coming to see you, there’s something we want. We’d like to buy one of the lovely bracelets you make.’
‘Of course,’ said Maggie. ‘Is it someone’s birthday?’
‘Not exactly,’ I said.
While Maggie took out a box of her amazing jewellery, I told her all about Aretta, and how we’d offended her.
‘The poor girl,’ she said. ‘It can’t be easy living in a place like that. And poor you, too, Eva. You’re so kind-hearted, and I know you were only trying to help.’
I picked up a gorgeous green and mauve bracelet. ‘What do you think, Ella?’ I asked. ‘Will we get her this one?’
‘Definitely. That’s so beautiful, Maggie. You’re a genius.’
Maggie put the bracelet into a small paper bag, and handed it to me. Ella and I started to count out our money, but Maggie shook her head. ‘I won’t let you pay for this one,’ she said. ‘It’s a present for you to give to your new friend.’
‘But that’s not fair––’ I began to protest.
Maggie laughed. ‘Maybe you can do something for me in return.’
‘Like what?’ I asked.
Maggie moved her wheelchair slightly forwards, and I knew what she meant.
‘Where’s the oil?’ I asked. ‘Is it back in the shed again?’
‘Yes,’ sighed Maggie. ‘I started to keep it near me, but I think Ruby tidied it up the last time she was home.’
Ella gave me a funny look. I guessed she was wondering how I knew where Maggie kept her oil.
‘The first time Maggie and I met,’ I said. ‘I ended up oiling her wheels.’
‘It was the start of a wonderful relationship,’ said Maggie smiling.
I got up and headed for the back door.
‘Be careful,’ called Maggie after me. ‘You might get lost and never be seen again. It’s a jungle out there.’
‘You weren’t kidding,’ I said, when I came back with the oil and began to squeeze a few drops onto Maggie’s wheels. ‘What happened to your garden? I half-expected to see a few tigers lurking in the shadows.’
Maggie sighed. ‘Ruby used to keep it a bit tidy, but now that she’s gone, it’s completely neglected. I can’t do anything about it because the paths are too narrow for my chair. I haven’t been to the end of the garden since I had my accident.’
‘My dad could probably fix that for you,’ I said.
‘That’s kind of you to offer, Eva,’ said Maggie. ‘But it wouldn’t be worth it. Even if the paths were made wider, the flower-beds are all too low for me to reach. Gardening is beyond me these days. Don’t worry about it, though. I’ve learned to live with my limitations.’
‘Oh, OK,’ I said. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be Maggie.
Maggie smiled at me, like she could read my mind. ‘It’s not as bad as you think,’ she said. ‘Now who’s for more lemonade?’
Chapter Twelve
After tea that evening, I went over to Ella’s place as usual. As soon as Ella had finished her weekly row with her parents, we went upstairs, and waited for them to leave.
‘Let’s go see Gigi,’ said Ella when they were safely out of the way.
I laughed. ‘You’re very brave this week.’
‘Actually I’m not. I’m still scared, but I’m hiding it better, that’s all. Last week was fun, though, and Gigi absolutely loved it. It was all she could talk about when I visited her yesterday. She pretty much made me promise to come again tonight.’
‘Do you think we should bring the kettle?’ she asked, as I followed her downstairs.
‘Of course we should. You know how Gigi loves her cup of tea.’
‘But what if Alyson wants to make herself some coffee? We’ll never get away with what we did last week – even Alyson’s not ditzy enough to fall for the same thing twice.’
‘Leave it to me,’ I said. ‘I’ve got a plan.’
I flicked on the kettle, and a few minutes later, I carried a cup of coffee into the living room. Ella walked behind me with a tray of biscuits and snacks.
‘We brought you coffee and treats,’ I said, and Alyson was so surprised, she actually paused the television and looked up.
‘That’s very kind of you,’ she said.
‘Oh, you’re such a good baby-sitter,’ I said. ‘So we thought we’d do something nice for you. My mum always says a good deed is …’
Ella nudged me and I realised I was getting a bit carried away. I stopped tal
king and Ella and I backed out of the room.
‘Anyway, Alyson,’ said Ella. ‘We’ll be upstairs if you need us.’
‘Sure,’ said Alyson. But she’d already restarted the TV, and was lost in a whole other world.
‘How are we going to explain?’ asked Ella, as we waited for Maggie to answer the door.
‘Leave it to me. And don’t worry, Maggie’s cool. She probably won’t ask any awkward questions.’
‘Back again, girls,’ said Maggie, when she opened the door. ‘Are you here to buy another bracelet?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘This time we came to borrow Lucky. Remember we promised to bring her for a walk.’
When we said her name, and the word ‘walk,’ Lucky started to run around in circles, yapping with excitement.
‘Isn’t it a bit late for walking?’ said Maggie. ‘Maybe you should wait until tomorrow?’
Ella stared at me. So much for Maggie not asking awkward questions. I thought about lying, but decided against it. Even though she’s not a fortune teller, Maggie’s always been very good at seeing right through me.
‘Actually, it’s not just any old walk,’ I said. ‘We want to bring Lucky to see Ella’s granny, who lives in a nursing home. She had to give her dog away, and she really, really misses him.’
‘Oh, how sad! Bringing Lucky to see her sounds like a very nice thing to do,’ said Maggie. ‘After Ruby moved to London this house seemed very empty, and it didn’t feel right until I got Lucky. She’s been great company for me. And isn’t your Granny lucky that pets are allowed to visit, Ella? Not all nursing homes are so open-minded.’
Ella and I didn’t answer, and Maggie narrowed her eyes.
‘You have checked to see that dogs are allowed, haven’t you?’
‘Oh, we’ve checked,’ said Ella, telling the truth. ‘You can trust us, Maggie, we’re very familiar with the nursing-home rules.’
I tried not to smile. What would Maggie say if she knew that pets were totally banned from the nursing home and even humans weren’t allowed there after seven-thirty?
‘Well, that’s fine, then. Just let me get Lucky’s lead.’
When she came back with the lead, she looked worried again. ‘Won’t it be very late by the time you’re finished visiting? Will one of your parents be able to pick you up?’
I smiled my best smile, and hoped that Maggie wouldn’t notice how careful I was being with my words.
‘Oh, Ella’s Mum and Dad will be out anyway – and they never mind picking us up if it’s late.’
‘OK,’ said Maggie, clipping Lucky’s lead on to her collar. ‘Have a nice time. I go to bed early, so if there’s no light on in the hall, you can just let Lucky in through the cat-flap on the side door.’
When she said the word ‘cat-flap’ she lowered her voice, as if Lucky might understand, and be insulted.
‘Thanks, Maggie,’ I said. ‘We’ll do that. Bye.’
‘OMG,’ said Ella, as we walked away with Lucky. ‘We haven’t even got to the nursing home yet, and already I’m exhausted. I think it’s going to be a long night.’
When we got to the gate of the nursing home, I took off my fleece, and wrapped Lucky up in it.
‘No point taking chances,’ I said. ‘If Nurse Witch catches us on our own, she’ll go crazy.
If she catches us with a dog, she’ll go totally, totally crazy.’
Lucky didn’t seem to mind being wrapped up, and she snuggled up against me, like she was getting ready for a snooze.
‘Good doggie,’ I whispered as we tiptoed towards the door. ‘Just stay like that, and soon we’ll be safely inside.’
Once again, Nurse Witch was on duty, and this time we didn’t have to wait long before she was called away. Ella and I ran as quietly as we could across the gravel and let ourselves in.
We made it upstairs without any problem, and walked along the corridor towards Gigi’s room.
‘This is easy-peasy,’ said Ella, as she opened the bedroom door. ‘We could come here any time. We could––’
She stopped talking and looked really scared. I followed her into the room to see what was wrong. Gigi was dressed and sitting up in her armchair, but she wasn’t alone. In the other chair was a tiny woman, all dressed up in a lacy cardigan and shawl.
‘Oh, goodie,’ said the woman. ‘The party is starting at last!’
Chapter Thirteen
I pushed the door closed, and Ella and I stood in front of it, like we’d been turned to stone.
‘I’m so glad you’re here, girls,’ said Gigi. ‘We’ve been waiting and waiting. And we’re dying for our tea, aren’t we, Nancy?’
‘Yes, indeed,’ said Nancy. ‘But sit down and have a little rest first. You must be tired after your journey.’
This was so weird. Without saying a word, Ella and I went to sit on the bed. I lay Lucky in a corner, still covered with my fleece.
The two old ladies looked sweet, as they smiled happily at us, like little kiddies waiting for a treat. I didn’t know what to say.
Who was Nancy and why was Gigi acting like they were best friends?
I thought all the other residents of the nursing home were supposed to be boring old farts.
‘Nancy isn’t a boring old fart,’ said Gigi, like she could read my mind. ‘I thought she was, but I was wrong. So I invited her to join us for tea.’
‘That was nice of you, Gigi,’ I said weakly.
Nancy smiled a sweet smile. ‘She didn’t have a choice anyway. I heard you three talking last week, and threatened to tell Nurse Witch if Gigi didn’t invite me to join you tonight.’
She had cute twinkly eyes, and I had no idea if she was serious or not. Was this a sweet old lady, or a big bully? I decided to keep Lucky hidden until I was sure. Fortunately, she seemed to have fallen asleep under my fleece.
‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ said Ella. ‘Does everyone want tea?’
‘Did someone say tea?’
The door was pushed open and an old man came in, leaning on a walking aid and shuffling slowly forwards in his slippers.
‘I’ve brought cupcakes,’ he said, nodding towards a big bag that was hanging from the walking aid. ‘But my daughter-in-law made them, so they might well be poisonous – ha, ha!’
His laugh was loud and it really scared me. What if all this activity brought Nurse Witch upstairs? I so didn’t want that! I looked at Gigi, but she didn’t seem a bit worried.
‘Oh, Fred,’ she said. ‘So glad you could make it. Will one of you girls get him a chair from the hall?’
I couldn’t move without disturbing Lucky, so Ella went and got a chair and Fred lowered himself slowly into it.
‘Is that everyone?’ I asked, half-afraid of the answer.
‘Oh, yes,’ said Gigi. ‘Now hurry up, Ella, and pour out that tea before we all die of thirst. If there aren’t enough cups, you can use the glasses that are on the sink in my bathroom.’
A few minutes later, we were all settled with our tea and cakes. Despite what Fred had said, the cupcakes were delicious, and everyone had two. I crossed my fingers and hoped none of the old people was diabetic – I didn’t want to be responsible for a health crisis in the nursing home.
The old people chatted and told funny stories about long-ago. Far from being boring old farts, it sounded like Fred and Nancy had lived very exciting lives. Fred was a sailor and had travelled all over the world. Nancy had been a great tennis player, and had won heaps of international tournaments. I felt sorry for them, living under such strict rules now.
After a bit, the tea and cakes were gone, and the old people looked a bit sleepy.
Ella looked at me and nodded.
‘Er, there’s one other thing,’ I said. ‘We brought a surprise.’
All the grey heads popped up again. ‘I love surprises,’ said Fred. ‘Is it a rude picture?’
‘No,’ I said, trying not to laugh. ‘It’s not a rude picture. It’s this.’
As I spoke, I lifted Lucky up s
o they could see her.
Gigi looked like she was going to faint. ‘A dog,’ she whispered. ‘You’ve brought us a dog. That’s the sweetest, sweetest thing.’
She held her hands out, and I brought Lucky over to her. She was still sleepy, and she snuggled into Gigi’s arms like a baby. Gigi stroked and kissed her and talked to her. ‘My pet. My lamb. My little love. Who’s the best, cuddliest doggie in the whole world? It’s you, isn’t it?’
This went on for ages and ages. It was like Gigi had been saving up all the little things she used to whisper to Pedro, and was letting them out now. Lucky wagged her tiny tail, and licked Gigi’s fingers, and when Gigi’s tears of happiness fell on her coat, she didn’t even blink.
After a while, Fred and Nancy demanded a turn at holding Lucky, and she was passed around, like it was a game of pass the parcel. She didn’t mind, and went happily into each pair of quivery, wrinkled old hands, like it was the best thing ever.
‘OMG!’ said Ella in the end. ‘Look at the time. We’ve got to go.’
I jumped up and started to pack up the cups and stuff. Ella went over to Nancy and held her hands out.
‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘But we’ve got to take Lucky now.’
‘Take her?’ said Nancy.
‘Isn’t she staying here with us?’ asked Fred.
‘But pets aren’t allowed,’ I said. ‘Nurse Witch would never let her stay.’
‘Who said anything about Nurse Witch?’ said Nancy. ‘Lucky’s only a little scrap of a thing. We can easily hide her here.’
‘Once my friend smuggled a snake onto our ship,’ said Fred. ‘We kept him for months – until we got tired of catching mice for it to eat. Then we had to smuggle him back to the jungle – not easy, I can tell you.’
I looked desperately at Gigi. Surely she didn’t think that we could just go off and leave Lucky there? Had we accidentally broken her heart again?
But she was walking over to Nancy, and she very gently took Lucky out of her arms.