Alice to the Rescue

by Judi Curtin

  Miss Leonard stopped walking and stared at Alice. Her face went pale – probably from the effort of not screaming.

  ‘That’s a “no” then,’ said Alice. ‘Still, there’s always next week. What are we making next week? I hope it’s something hard – I feel like a challenge.’

  At last Miss Leonard found her voice.

  ‘I don’t know about everyone else,’ she said. ‘But next week you, Alice, are making salad.’

  Then she marched off to try to explain everything to Mrs Kingston.

  Alice turned to Grace and me.

  ‘It’s a terrible pity that happened,’ she said. ‘I’ve a feeling that Miss Leonard was just getting to like me. What do you think?’

  But Grace and I couldn’t answer.

  We were too busy laughing.

  Chapter thirteen

  Much too soon it was almost time for Alice to leave.

  She was all excited when she called for me before school on the Monday of her last week – so excited that she didn’t even scream when Domino rubbed up against her leg.

  ‘My plane tickets arrived this morning,’ she said. ‘And all the details of how I’m going to get to École St Jean. At last it feels real.’

  It had felt real to me for ages, but I didn’t say this.

  ‘It’s going to be so, so cool,’ said Alice. ‘I just can’t wait to get there.’

  I tried very hard, but I couldn’t think of anything to say to this.

  I was still dreading Alice leaving, but in a funny way, I kind of hoped that she’d just hurry up and go.

  I hoped that we could soon get all the sad good-byes over with, and then I could start to look forward to her coming back again.

  And very deep down, I couldn’t help hoping that something would happen to stop her going at all.

  I couldn’t help thinking about the wish I had made on Linda’s engagement ring.

  Could it really come true?

  I didn’t want anything really bad to happen, of course. I wasn’t thinking of a bomb, or an earthquake or anything like that. I was just thinking of something a bit bad, like a teachers’ strike or an epidemic of food poisoning at the French school, so it would have to be closed down – for about four months.

  That wasn’t such a bad thing to wish for.

  Or was it?

  And what did it matter anyway?

  How could an engagement ring be that powerful?

  How could a thin band of gold and diamonds change anything?

  But maybe ……

  ‘Hello? Earth calling Megan. Are you in there?’

  I suddenly realised that I was leaning on the front door frame, with a stupid sad look on my face.

  ‘Sorry, Alice,’ I said. ‘I was just trying to remember if I put my maths homework into my school-bag.’

  ‘Whatever,’ said Alice. ‘Now we need to hurry or we’ll be late.’

  I bent down to give Domino her morning cuddle, and then Alice and I set off for school.

  * * *

  That afternoon, Alice and I walked home together as usual.

  ‘Want to come in to my place for a while?’ I asked as we got to my gate.

  ‘I’d love to,’ she said. ‘But I’ve got to go home. I’ve got to sew name-tags on to all my clothes. Even my knickers.’

  I giggled.

  ‘Sounds like fun.’

  Alice made a face. ‘Not. But you can come and help … er, I mean, watch me if you like.’

  I hesitated.

  ‘I should go home first,’ I said.

  Alice pulled my arm.

  ‘Don’t go home. You know your Mum will have hundreds of boring jobs for you to do. And …’

  ‘And what?’ I said when she stopped in the middle of the sentence.

  She went red.

  ‘And I was supposed to sew on the name tags last night, but I got bored after twenty minutes. And Dad said if they’re not done when he gets home from work, he’s going to take my phone.’

  I laughed.

  ‘OK, but I can’t stay long or Mum will be worried.’

  We went into the house and up to Alice’s bedroom. There I quickly discovered that Alice is as bad at sewing as she is at cooking. She had only managed to sew one name-tag on to a t-shirt, and it looked like a stray gust of wind would be able to rip it off in seconds.

  She happily handed me the needle and thread, and she chatted to me while I sewed on what felt like hundreds of name-tags on to every item of clothes she owned.

  ‘What would I do without you?’ she asked, as I cut off the final thread.

  You’ll find out in a few days.

  I didn’t say this though.

  I jumped up. ‘Gotta go, or Mum will have a search party out looking for me.’

  Then I picked up my schoolbag and went home.

  Chapter fourteen

  ‘Domino,’ I called as I walked up the drive way. ‘I’m home. It’s time for your dinner.’

  To my surprise, Domino wasn’t curled up in her usual place on the flower-pot on the front step.

  ‘Domino,’ I called. ‘Where are you, you bold kitty?’

  There was no miaow, and no welcoming rubbing of her soft fur against my legs.

  ‘Mum, have you seen Domino?’ I asked when I went inside.

  Mum shook her head.

  ‘Not since this morning. She was outside when I was hanging out the washing. She’s probably gone off exploring. I wouldn’t worry about her.’

  Despite Mum’s words, I couldn’t help worrying. I think Domino must have had a scary experience before she strayed in to our garden last year. She’s a very timid little creature, and she never really goes anywhere. She just hangs around our house and garden where she knows she’ll be safe.

  ‘I’ll help you look for Domino,’ said Rosie.

  She followed me outside and helped me to search the garden and the garage and the lane at the back of the house. After twenty minutes of searching all we found was an old doll of Rosie’s that had been missing for months.

  ‘Any luck?’ asked Mum as we went back inside.

  I shook my head.

  Mum came over and hugged me.

  ‘Poor Megan. Now you know what it’s like to be a mum,’ she said. ‘All mums worry too much. It’s our job. But I’m sure Domino is fine. She’ll get hungry, and she’ll be back before long.’

  All through tea-time, I listened for Domino’s miaow from outside, but all I could hear was the traffic at the end of our road. The only good thing was, I was so worried about Domino that I barely tasted the mashed parsnips that Mum piled up on my plate.

  After tea, I called for Alice, and told her about Domino.

  She hugged me.

  ‘You poor thing,’ she said. ‘I’ll help you to look for her.’

  So the two of us went up and down our road, and all the roads nearby, rattling Domino’s food box, and calling her name.

  We got lots of funny looks from passers-by, but even though we searched until it was dark, we still couldn’t find her.

  I felt like crying when I got home. I didn’t want to go to bed, but Mum insisted.

  ‘I’m sure Domino’s just gone on a little adventure. Dad and I will look outside before we go to bed,’ she said. ‘And if we find her, we’ll bring her in to you, OK?’

  I nodded, knowing that there was no point in arguing with Mum.

  Even though it was cold, I left my bedroom window open. Domino knew which room was mine and, if she came back, maybe she’d sneak inside.

  I woke up lots of times in the night, hoping that I’d feel Domino snuggled up next to me. But there was no soft fur, no sandpapery tongue on my arm, no warm, curled-up bundle.

  No Domino.

  * * *

  In the morning, before I even got dressed, I raced out to the garden calling Domino’s name. The damp grass was cold on my bare feet, but not as cold as the feeling in my stomach. Domino had never been away for long before. She’d never wandered off for more than a few minu
tes. She was much too small to spend a whole night out on her own.

  I called and called, but there was no answering miaow. All I could hear was the wind in the trees, and the chirping of birds.

  Why were they so happy?

  Didn’t they know my baby was lost?

  When I got back inside, Mum made me eat a bowl of porridge, but it almost choked me.

  ‘Can I stay home from school?’ I asked. ‘Please, Mum. Just this once. I need to look for Domino.’

  Mum shook her head.

  ‘Sorry, love. I know you’re worried, but you have to go to school. As soon as I’ve cleared up the breakfast things, Rosie and I will go out and look for Domino. We’ll have lots of time before she goes to playschool. How does that sound?’

  I didn’t answer. The only sound I wanted to hear right then was the sound of Domino purring, or the slurpy sound she makes when she laps milk from her saucer.

  I went and got dressed, and was just ready when Alice called for me.

  ‘Did Domino come home?’ she asked as we walked out the gate.

  I shook my head, trying not to cry.

  Alice put her arm around me.

  ‘We can look for her now – on our way to school,’ she said. ‘You never know. She might be around the next corner.’

  We came to lots of corners, but Domino wasn’t around any of them.

  All the way to school, we called Domino’s name. We almost made ourselves late by looking under every parked car, and inside every bush and hedge. As we walked, I hardly dared to look at the road, afraid that I’d see a small crushed body lying there.

  By the time we got to school, we had seen five cats, but none of them was as sweet and precious as my little Domino.

  I was glad we had English first, so that Alice could stay with me. She sat beside me, and smiled sympathetically any time I looked at her.

  It didn’t help though.

  Nothing could help.

  Mr Dunne was rattling on about sentence structure, but I couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying.

  All I could think of was Domino.

  Was she hurt?

  Was she frightened?

  Was she cold?

  Was she hungry?

  Was she wondering why I wasn’t there to save her, like I did way back when I first found her in my back garden?

  Suddenly I realised that Mr Dunne had asked me a question. Alice saved me by whispering the answer, which I repeated like a parrot.

  Mr Dunne gave me a funny look, but didn’t say anything.

  I felt like putting my head down on my desk and crying buckets of hot tears.

  In a few days, Alice would be gone, and now Domino was missing too.

  What was I going to do?

  Chapter fifteen

  That afternoon, I ran the last few hundred metres home from school, hoping to find Domino back in her usual place on the flower-pot.

  She wasn’t there though. All I could see was the flattened earth, and the squashed plant that Mum had stopped giving out about months ago.

  I opened the front door and stepped in to the hall.

  ‘Megan,’ called Mum. ‘I have a great surprise.’

  ‘Domino,’ I called and raced in to the kitchen.

  My face fell when I saw Linda sitting at the kitchen table.

  ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘It’s you.’

  Linda got up and hugged me. ‘Well that’s a lovely welcome for your favourite aunt,’ she said.

  I went red.

  ‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘It’s really lovely to see you. It’s just that my cat, Domino …’

  Linda smiled sympathetically.

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘Sheila told me all about Domino, and I’m really sorry. Luka’s outside in the garden looking for her.’

  It took a moment for her words to sink in properly.

  ‘Luka?’ I said in the end. ‘He’s here?’

  Linda laughed.

  ‘Yes, he’s here. I thought it was time for him to meet my family.’

  Just then the back door opened and a man walked in. He was tall, and friendly-looking.

  ‘You must be Megan,’ he said, coming over to shake my hand. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’

  I could feel my face going hot and red.

  I hoped that Luka hadn’t heard how Alice and I had once tried to make Alice’s dad, Peter, fall in love with Linda to make Alice’s mum jealous.

  ‘Er … I haven’t heard a whole lot about you ……. yet,’ I said, which made everyone else laugh, and made me feel like a total idiot.

  Suddenly I forgot my embarrassment. I wondered if Linda had changed her mind about having bridesmaids.

  ‘Is the wedding all arranged?’ I asked. ‘Have you decided on the details?’

  Linda smiled.

  ‘Not exactly. But I’m afraid we’re still not going to have bridesmaids.’

  I put my head down. I was used to Mum reading my mind – I didn’t know that Linda could do it too.

  I wondered if it ran in the family.

  I wondered if I’d be able to read my children’s minds.

  I wondered if I’d want to.

  ‘You must have some plans made,’ said Mum. ‘Have you got a wedding dress? The one I wore is still in the attic. Don’t you remember it, Linda? I borrowed it from Granny’s friend, Eleanor, but she died before I got a chance to give it back.’

  I giggled.

  ‘Mum, I don’t think Linda would want some dead old lady’s dress. She’s going to a wedding, not a fancy dress party. She wants to look nice.’

  Linda gave me a grateful look, which almost made up for the hurt one that Mum gave me.

  ‘Thanks, Sheila,’ said Linda. ‘But I’m going to buy a new dress. Luka wants me to get a blue one. He says blue brings out the colour of my eyes.’

  She gazed lovingly at Luka, and he gazed just as lovingly back at her.

  I couldn’t make up my mind if it was totally romantic, or grossly sick and soppy.

  Mum still looked offended, and guilt made me speak again.

  ‘Mum got a gorgeous dress for my Confirmation. She got it in O’Donnell’s in town. There’s a really nice lady in there who helped her to pick it out. Maybe you could go there and she could help you to choose something.’

  Mum smiled at me, which made me feel even worse.

  ‘That’s a good idea,’ said Linda. ‘I’ve always liked that shop. Maybe I’ll come down again in a few weeks time, and we can all go and pick something out together.’

  ‘And what about a wedding meal?’ asked Mum. ‘Have you anything planned?’

  Linda shook her head.

  ‘No. We’re having a simple ceremony in a registry office, and then we’ll just go home. We might invite a few friends back to our new flat for coffee.’

  Suddenly Mum slapped the table.

  ‘Well that certainly isn’t going to happen.’

  Everyone looked at Mum in surprise, especially Luka who must have been wondering if he was marrying into a crazy family.

  ‘Er … Mum …’ I began, but she interrupted me.

  ‘No sister of mine is “just going home for coffee” after her wedding. After all, what would Luka’s family think of us?’

  ‘I think they will think you are very nice people,’ said Luka politely, but Mum ignored him.

  ‘You can have the ceremony in the registry office here in Limerick. And then you’re coming here – you and anyone else you want to invite, and we’ll celebrate properly. I’ll cook a lovely meal for everyone.’

  Linda and I looked at each other. Mum’s idea of a lovely meal isn’t exactly the same as what most people in the world think of as a lovely meal. Mum’s perfect meal would definitely involve lots of beans and brown rice and organic vegetables.

  But before Linda could say anything, Luka had decided for her.

  ‘Oh, Sheila,’ he said. ‘That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever offered us. We’d love to accept, wouldn’t we Linda?’

  And
then I understood that love can do very strange things to people’s brains because Linda just smiled happily at Luka, and nodded.

  ‘Sure, we would. Thanks, Sheila.’

  And Mum looked like she’d just won the lottery.

  And suddenly I realised that ten whole minutes had passed without me thinking of Domino at all.

  And then I felt sadder than ever.

  Chapter sixteen

  Linda and Luka left shortly after that. Linda wanted to introduce Luka to her best friend from school, and then they were going back to Dublin.

  Mum offered to cook dinner for them before they left, but Linda said no.

  I suppose she wanted Mum’s cooking to come as a surprise to Luka.

  After a while the door-bell rang again.

  ‘That must be Linda back again,’ Mum said. ‘I bet she’s decided to stay for dinner after all. I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist. I’d better put on some extra lentils.’

  But when I opened the front door I saw Alice, with Grace, Louise and Kellie.

  ‘We’re the official search party,’ said Alice. ‘We’ve come to help you to look for Domino.’

  ‘I’ve made some “Lost” posters to put up,’ said Kellie. ‘I made them on the computer, and I put on the photo of Domino that you gave me.’

  ‘And I’ve brought staplers so we can attach them to telephone poles,’ said Louise.

  ‘Well aren’t you a lucky girl to have such nice friends,’ said Mum. ‘Now off you go, and, Megan, be back in time for dinner.’

  We divided up the posters, and then Kellie, Alice and I went one way, leaving Grace and Louise to go the other way. We searched for ages, stopping every now and then to staple a poster on to a telegraph pole.

  Alice stopped every single person we met, and asked if they’d seen Domino.

  Some people walked away quickly, as if they thought she was crazy.

  Some people were really nice, and seemed sorry that they couldn’t help us.

  But no one at all could remember seeing a little black cat with a tip of white on her tail, and a small red collar around her neck.