by Maria Farrer
Mister P looked around and put down his suitcase. He walked straight to the living room, found a spot near the window, curled his legs underneath him, and lay down.
“Ruby?” Mom called from the bedroom. “Ruby—is that you back?”
“Hi Mom.” Ruby tried to sound normal.
“What time is it?”
“Time to find a new apartment, I think. This one is getting a bit crowded.”
“Sorry?” said Mom.
“Don’t worry. Nothing. You stay in bed.”
Ruby took off her cap and ran her fingers through her hair as she searched around for some quick solution to this problem. She concluded, very fast, that there was no solution, quick or otherwise, to the unexpected arrival of a polar bear. She’d just have to get on with things as best she could and hope no one noticed. Fat chance!
Leo started crying and struggling to escape from his stroller.
“Shhh, shhh, shhh,” said Ruby, unclipping the straps. “We don’t want Mom coming through just yet.”
It was too late. Mom was already shuffling out of her room, yawning and shielding her eyes from the glaring sunlight. She got as far as the chair near the window and sank down into it.
“Mom-om-om-om,” babbled Leo.
Mom held out her arms and Ruby handed Leo to her. He stood balancing on Mom’s knee, bouncing up and down. Mom smiled and then noticed the huge furry mound. She shut her eyes tight and opened them again. “What is that?!” she said, her voice all high-pitched and trembly.
“What?” said Ruby, because she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“THAT!” said Mom, pointing at Mister P.
“Ah, ummmmm, yes.” Ruby bit her lip. “Well I am not one hundred percent sure, but I think it’s a polar bear.”
There, she’d said it. She watched the confusion on Mom’s face.
“I know you reckon I’m a bit soft in the head, Rubes, but REALLY? A polar bear. I’m not falling for that one.”
At that moment Mister P lifted his head and gave a huge yawn, showing all his teeth.
Mom shrieked, leapt to her feet, and pulled Ruby close.
“I tried to tell you,” said Ruby, gently, as she pried herself away from Mom’s vice-like grip. “You need to stay calm. It’s OK. I’ve got this.”
Mom’s breathing was too fast, too noisy, too shallow, and she’d turned very pale. Mom’s anxiety was a serious problem and, above all, Ruby needed to try to keep her calm.
“He seems very friendly,” said Ruby reassuringly. “He won’t hurt us, I’m sure.” Ruby tried hard to sound convincing.
Mom was bunching into a smaller and smaller ball in her chair and Leo was getting distressed. “But what is a polar bear doing here … in our apartment?”
Ruby wished she knew the answer. He certainly wasn’t making life any easier.
“His hot-air balloon landed in the park and he followed me home. That’s all I know.” Even as the words left her mouth, Ruby realized how completely ridiculous she must sound, but she carried on anyway. “His name is Mister P and it says on his suitcase that he’s headed for Hazeldown Farm.”
“SUITCASE?” Mom shrieked. “HAZEL-DOWN?”
Mister P leapt to his feet and raised his claws. Mom struggled out of her chair and backed towards the wall.
she shouted. Mom’s breath was rasping and raw, matched only by the deep growl coming from somewhere in the back of Mister P’s throat.
“OK,” Ruby said firmly, putting herself between the bear and Mom. “We all need to take a few deep breaths—me included.” Ruby demonstrated and watched as Mom and Mister P slowly followed her lead. “In for five and out for five. In for five and out for five.” She raised and lowered her arms on each in-breath and out-breath. It was what her head teacher did when he’d decided to teach them all meditation in assembly. She kept going until Mom and Mister P seemed more under control.
“That’s better,” said Ruby.
“But what are we going to do?” said Mom, her voice still shaky. “We can’t let him stay. I mean, what if someone finds out he’s here and then we get thrown out and have nowhere to live? How do we feed him? How do you look after a polar bear?” Mom’s breathing got fast again and then she started to cry.
Ruby took Leo from Mom. “Perhaps you’d feel better if you went back to bed for a little while to get over the shock. I’m sure we can work things out. It may not be as bad as we think.”
“It’ll probably be a lot worse than we think,” said Mom as Ruby helped her back to her room and settled Leo in his crib for a nap.
She was worried Mom might be right. How was she supposed to know how to look after a polar bear when she could barely look after her own family? One thing was for sure, when Ruby had wished for a big birthday surprise, Mister P was not what she’d had in mind.
CHAPTER 5
Up and Down
The shock of the polar bear seemed to tip Mom into the darkest of places and there wasn’t much Ruby could do. She took Mom a drink and sat with her, but Mom didn’t want to leave her bed or her room.
Ruby scanned the fridge for something to tempt Mom’s appetite. An old piece of cheese that had gone hard at the edges and some beans with green fluffy stuff growing on the top. She checked the date on the milk, took off the lid, sniffed it, and poured it down the sink. The fridge wasn’t working properly in this heat.
There was nothing for it. Ruby needed a trip to the supermarket or they’d all go hungry. She found Mom’s purse and emptied the contents onto the side: $46.72. That should be plenty. What was she going to do with the bear though? She didn’t think she should leave him in the apartment with Mom, so she supposed he would have to come with her.
Ruby stuffed the money in her pocket and got Leo ready. As she left the apartment, Mister P was right behind her, like a large shadow. She pushed the button to call the elevator then pointed Mister P towards the stairs. “I’ll wait for you down at the entrance,” she said as the elevator door pinged open.
Mister P watched Ruby and Leo walk into the elevator then tried to push his way in behind them, squashing them into the tiniest space in the corner.
“Oh for goodness sake,” Ruby muttered as she swept polar bear fur away from her eyes and mouth and tried to clear a space for Leo. “There’s no room for you in here. Polar bears use the stairs.”
It was too late, the elevator doors were already closing and Mister P roared a roar that blasted Ruby’s eardrums and shook the whole elevator! The doors opened again, automatically, and Mister P gave a whimper, looking nervously behind him. Ruby couldn’t see past all that fur, but she guessed that his stubby tail must have got caught.
“I told you you wouldn’t fit,” said Ruby. “Are you going to get out?”
Mister P was not going to get out. Instead he pushed himself further in.
“Well, keep your bum out of the way this time.”
Ruby felt for the ground floor button and the doors closed. The elevator clunked like crazy as it started its descent. Ruby wasn’t sure how many pounds a bear weighed and whether the rusty elevator machinery would cope. Down and down they went. Mister P’s dark eyes blinked each time the light went down another floor. They crunched to a stop at ground level and there was a moment of silence as the doors opened.
“Time to get out,” said Ruby. But Mister P had other ideas. He stuck out one claw and pressed the top button.
“What are you doing?” cried Ruby as the lift started to go up again. “This isn’t a game you know.”
Up and up they went and Mister P grinned and wriggled.
When they reached floor 25, Ruby pressed GROUND FLOOR again.
Down they went, and back up, and down and up. There was nothing Ruby could do. She couldn’t stop Mister P pushing the buttons and until Mister P got out, she and Leo were blocked in. They’d be here all day if he carried on like this.
After the third time of riding to the top floor and back, Ruby stamped her foot.
“That’s i
t, Mister P. ENOUGH! STOP! GET OUT!”
Mister P stuck his nose in the air and his claw hovered over 25.
“NO” said Ruby in a loud voice. “NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!” She eyeballed the polar bear and he eyeballed her back. “You need to start understanding a few rules if you’re going to be sticking around.”
The stand-off continued for a few seconds, but eventually Mister P gave up and shuffled backwards out of the lift. Ruby stomped out of the door and down the street, Mister P stomping obediently behind. Normally, Ruby would take the bus to the supermarket, but she wasn’t sure if bears were allowed on buses so she decided it was better to walk. The sun blazed down and Ruby could feel the heat of the pavement through the bottom of her sneakers. Poor Leo was so hot his face had turned the color of a strawberry and Mister P’s stomping got slower and slower and slower. By the time they arrived at the supermarket, all three of them were nearly cooked. But that was the least of their problems.
She stared at the sign on the door.
Mister P was already halfway through the doors and there was nothing Ruby could do to stop him. She checked the sign again. It did only mention dogs. It didn’t say anything about polar bears. She grabbed a shopping cart and followed him inside.
“OK,” she hissed. “You push … and don’t do anything silly.”
It started well. Bananas, potatoes, cereal, bread. Mister P wheeled the shopping cart while Ruby checked prices and wrote down the cost next to each item to make sure she had enough to pay. Coffee, milk, apple juice, cheese, pasta, tinned tomatoes, baby food. Ruby gave a sigh of relief. Only the freezer section to go.
“Fish sticks,” she read out.
Approaching the frozen section, the air got cooler and Mister P walked with his body as close as he could to the huge freezers, trailing his nose along the edge so he could breathe in the icy atmosphere.
Ruby picked through the different brands of fish sticks, comparing prices and quantities. It took a little while because her math wasn’t brilliant. Mister P dropped his head deep into the freezer and lifted a large box of fish sticks with his teeth.
“Not that one,” said Ruby, grabbing it and putting it back.
He picked up another, then another, and then great paw-fuls at at time, chucking them into the cart, faster and faster. Soon the cart was piled up to overflowing and packets of frozen food started sliding onto the floor. Ruby did her best to throw stuff back into the freezer, but she couldn’t keep up with Mister P’s speed. Soon half the freezer was empty and he stopped.
“Have you quite finished?” she said.
Mister P kicked the cart to one side and lifted one hairy leg over the side of the freezer. Then another.
Ruby watched in horror as Mister P maneuvered his whole body into the space where the frozen food had been.
The cold air steamed slightly as it swirled around him and he closed his eyes and sank onto his tummy with a loud “harrumph.”
Now what? NOW WHAT?????? Leo giggled and tried to get out of his push chair to join Mister P. Ruby tried not to panic.
A small group of onlookers soon became a large crowd. The manager was called. He marched over looking very efficient, looked into the freezer, and turned a nasty shade of gray. He tried to speak a few times but stuttered to a halt. Finally he cleared his throat and composed himself.
“Who is the owner of this polar bear?”
No one spoke. There was no way Ruby was claiming ownership of the bear. He wasn’t hers. He may have gatecrashed her apartment and her shopping trip, but she didn’t own him.
“Well someone must have brought him to the supermarket. A polar bear doesn’t just arrive out of nowhere,” said the manager.
“He came with me,” said Ruby quietly. “But he’s not mine.” Now all eyes were on her and Ruby hated being in the spotlight.
“You’ll have to get him out of here.” The manager busily made some notes in a small red book. “NO—animals—allowed—in—the—supermarket. Do you understand?” He made more notes, turning over to the next page. “That includes polar bears …” he scratched his head with his pencil … “I think.”
Shoppers nodded and tutted and made unhelpful comments like, “Shouldn’t be allowed.” Mister P opened one eye and closed it again, hiding his head under a large bag of frozen peas. The manager puffed out his chest.
“Now look here, you. Remove yourself from my freezer and leave my supermarket or I will be forced to take serious action.”
Mister P had started to snore loudly and the manager was getting angrier and angrier. Ruby knew this was serious, but she was having trouble
“Poor thing,” said a voice at her shoulder. “I suppose he must have overheated. Polar bears aren’t really made for this weather.” Ruby looked at the elderly lady standing beside her. She had crinkly gray-black hair pulled back by a colorful scarf and was wearing bright orange beads.
Ruby was sure she recognized her, but there was no time to think about that now. The manager was busy counting the packets of fish sticks in Ruby’s shopping trolley. “I hope you can pay for all this food,” he said, jotting down numbers on a piece of paper. “We can’t put it back for sale now it’s been handled by a bear.”
The crowd nodded their agreement.
Ruby opened her eyes wide. She didn’t have anywhere near enough money to pay for it all. It’d take her weeks, months maybe, to find that sort of money. What would they do if she couldn’t pay? Send her to prison? It honestly wasn’t her fault that Mister P was in the freezer. It wasn’t as if she’d put him there. She felt a burning sensation start in her tummy … the feeling she always got when things were out of control.
“Stop gawking, all of you,”
she shouted, kicking a few packets of fish sticks across the floor. “This is none of your business. Why don’t you all go and get on with your shopping and stop being so nosy?”
Everyone shuffled away, huffing and grumbling. The only person that stayed was the lady with the orange beads. “Well said,” she whispered. “It’s so typical. All these people are quick enough to criticize, but I’d like to see what any of them would do in your situation.” Ruby looked at Mister P and shook her head. What was she going to do?
“Would you like some help? It might be easier with two of us.” The lady’s brown eyes twinkled and she gave Ruby a friendly smile.
“It’s all right. I’ll sort it.” Ruby picked up a few stray boxes of fish sticks and chucked them back into the freezer. She didn’t care what that stupid manager said.
“I’ve seen you at Hazeldown, haven’t I?” asked the lady. “I think you live on the floor above me. I’m Mrs. Moresby, by the way. Nice to meet you.”
Mrs. Moresby put out her hand. Ruby wasn’t sure. She thought she’d seen Mrs. Moresby around, but she knew she shouldn’t talk to strangers and she certainly wasn’t going to shake hands.
“If I were you,” said Mrs. Moresby, “I think I’d leave your bear …”
“Well, you’re not me and this is not my bear!” said Ruby. Why did people think it was OK to interfere?
“All right,” Mrs. Moresby continued. “Well I just thought it might be easier if you leave the bear in the freezer for a good cool off while you go and pay and then we’ll work out a way to get him home. Where does he live, by the way?”
“How would I know?” said Ruby. “He’s sleeping on our floor at the moment, but he doesn’t live with us. And I can’t pay, I haven’t got the money.”
“Ah. Perhaps I could lend you some then?”
Ruby looked at Mrs. Moresby in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? I’m not taking your money. It’s the bear’s problem. It’s got nothing to do with me. I’m out of here.”
Ruby sprinted out of the supermarket with Leo, leaving behind her shopping, the polar bear, and a surprised-looking Mrs. Moresby.
CHAPTER 6
Secrets and Lies
Away from the staring faces in the supermarket, Ruby’s anger melted away and she started to feel gu
ilty. She understood Mrs. Moresby was only trying to help and she shouldn’t have been so rude to her. But Ruby didn’t need anyone’s help. People had tried to help with things before … like when Dad left and when Mom first got really sad. But nothing good ever seemed to come of it. As far as Ruby could see, help just made things worse.
She pushed Leo towards the bus stop. Thanks to that stupid bear, she was now in a heap of trouble and she still hadn’t gotten any food, but at least she didn’t have to walk home. Sitting on the bus, on a sunny day like today, always reminded her of Dad. In the summer holidays, while Mom was working, she and Dad used to travel all over the place for Dad to compete. On the way home, if he’d won, they’d
and she’d feel so proud to be his daughter. There wasn’t much to be proud of anymore. She hopped off the bus at the corner stop near Mr. Jay’s shop. She’d pick up the essentials, but no more. She liked Mr. Jay, but his prices were a bit steep.
“I’ve been hoping to see you,” said Mr. Jay, as he scanned Ruby’s basket of items and popped them in her bag. “I’ve kept a spare copy of your favorite magazine for you. It’s only last month’s so it’s not too out of date.” He pulled a copy of Board Talk from under the counter and handed it to Ruby. She glanced at the skateboarder on the front cover and already her fingers itched to turn the pages. She stuffed it in the back of the pushchair.
“Thanks,” she said.
Mr. Jay scanned the last item and put it into Ruby’s bag. “How’s your mom, by the way?”
“She’s OK. Working. You know how it is.”
“Hmmm,” said Mr. Jay. “I haven’t seen her at her workshop in ages—it looks all shut up—and I was hoping she might be able to fix my motor. I had a bit of an argument with another car at the traffic lights earlier today. Some large animal on the road was causing all kinds of chaos and the end result is the front of my car is a mess.”
Ruby’s cheeks burned. She handed over the money and waited for change. She had a nasty feeling that the animal on the road may have been a polar bear. And if Mr. Jay was in need of Mom’s services then it wasn’t good news—or not for Mr. Jay, anyway. Mom was brilliant with smashed cars. She could fix them up and have them looking good as new. She’d never been short of work, but she hadn’t set foot in the workshop since Dad left … almost a year ago.