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  ‘That’s really exciting news, Floss,’ he said. ‘Australia, eh? Well, sport, we’ll have to buy you one of them funny hats with corks on.’

  ‘Do you mind terribly, Dad? Are you cross with me?’

  ‘Of course I’m not cross with you, silly girl. I do mind, obviously. I’ll miss you dreadfully. Just you make sure you don’t forget your old dad.’

  ‘Oh Dad, as if!’ I said.

  The bell went again. Someone knocked loudly with their knuckles on the café door.

  ‘Come on, sounds like your mum’s getting impatient,’ said Dad.

  I clung to him like a baby monkey, unable to let him go. He staggered with me to the door and opened it with difficulty.

  ‘What are you playing at, Charlie? We’ve been ringing and knocking for ages,’ said Mum. She looked at me. ‘Oh Floss, you’ve got yourself in a silly state!’ Then she looked properly. ‘What on earth’s that pink thing you’re wearing? And whose silver shoes are those? They’re way too big for you!’

  Dad gently put me down. I wobbled on my high heels.

  ‘They’re my birthday princess clothes,’ I sobbed. ‘I think they’re beautiful.’

  ‘Yes. Well. Get your things together then, we’ve got to be off. We’re going to Steve’s mum for tea.’ Mum caught Tiger’s fist. He was trying to pick peeling paint off the café door. ‘Don’t, pet! Dirty! Yes, we’re off to see Granny, aren’t we?’

  ‘She’s not my granny,’ I said. ‘I want to stay with Dad.’ I wound my arms as far as I could round Dad’s large waist and leaned my head against his chest. I could hear his heart going thump-thump-thump underneath his jersey.

  ‘Don’t start behaving like a baby, Floss. You’ll be able to see your dad again before . . . before . . .’

  ‘Before you all go to Australia,’ said Dad, patting me on the shoulder.

  ‘Yes, Australia!’ said Mum, looking Dad in the eyes for the first time. ‘So Flossie’s told you?’

  ‘Yes, she has. She’s a bit upset about it, as you can see,’ said Dad.

  ‘Well, you’ve obviously been stirring her up. She’s really thrilled to bits. It’s a fantastic opportunity,’ said Mum. ‘Steve’s done so well, getting this job.’

  ‘I’m not thrilled,’ I mumbled to Dad. ‘I wish she’d just shut up about Steve.’

  ‘What was that?’ said Mum.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’ said Dad.

  ‘Well, we’re telling you now,’ said Mum. ‘Steve’s going to be in charge of this whole new Australian branch at double his current salary, and—’

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ said Dad. He obviously wanted Mum to shut up about Steve too. ‘What I mean is, how is it going to affect Floss? And me, for that matter. It’s going to kill me not seeing my little girl.’

  ‘Sorry about that, pal,’ said Steve. He’s not Dad’s pal, not in a million years. ‘It wasn’t deliberate, you know. I didn’t even put in for the job in Sydney, they simply offered it to me.’ He shrugged and smirked to show us he couldn’t help being so brilliant and clever and in demand.

  ‘It’s all very well saying sorry,’ said Dad. He looked at Mum. ‘What about my right to see Floss? I’ve got joint custody, you know that.’

  ‘You can come and see her any time you want,’ Mum said calmly.

  ‘How am I going to get there? Walk?’ said Dad.

  ‘I can’t help it if you can’t afford it,’ said Mum. ‘We can’t miss this golden opportunity. There’s nothing you can do about it, Charlie.’

  I felt Dad sag a little.

  ‘I don’t suppose there is,’ he said, so sadly. ‘Well, I hope it all works out for you. And don’t you worry, little Floss, we’ll write lots. You never know, I might win the lottery and then I’ll come flying over to see you straight away . . . or I’ll put on my Superman pants and soar all the way to Sydney under my own steam.’

  He was trying to make me laugh but it just made me cry harder.

  ‘Come on, Flora, don’t be such a little drama queen,’ said Mum. ‘Change out of those silly shoes, take that frock off and let’s get going.’

  I unhooked myself from Dad. I wiped my eyes and took a step backwards. I looked at him. He had tears in his eyes too, though his mouth was stretched into a clown smile-shape. Then I looked at Mum and Steve and Tiger. My two families.

  I suddenly knew where I belonged.

  ‘I’m not going,’ I said.

  Mum sighed. ‘Look, Granny Westwood’s expecting us, and Tiger’s getting restless. I want to give him his bottle in the car and settle him off to sleep.’

  ‘I’m not going at all,’ I said. I took a deep breath. ‘I’m not going to Australia. I’ve decided. There’s nothing you can do to change my mind. I’m staying with my dad.’

  6

  IT WAS AS if I’d thrown a bomb at Mum. She exploded. She told me I was being ridiculous. She insisted I had to go with her. I was part of her family.

  ‘I’m part of Dad’s family too,’ I said.

  Dad gave me this great big hug – but then he held me at arm’s length and looked into my eyes. ‘Are you sure you know what you’re saying, Floss? I think maybe you’d be much better off in Australia with your mum. You don’t have to stay with your old dad, you know. I’ll miss you heaps and heaps but I’ll manage fine, I promise.’

  ‘I won’t manage, Dad,’ I said. ‘I want to stay with you.’

  ‘Well you can’t, so you can stop this silly act right now,’ Mum said. ‘You’re my daughter and you’re coming to live with me.’

  ‘No I’m not.’

  ‘Yes you are.’

  ‘No I’m not.’

  ‘Yes you are.’

  ‘Oh no I’m NOT.’

  ‘Hey hey hey, you two! You sound like a bad pantomime act,’ said Dad.

  ‘Don’t you tell me what to do,’ said Mum. ‘I’m sure this is all your fault. You put Floss up to this. I tell you, she was absolutely thrilled to be going to Australia, as anyone in their right mind would be.’

  ‘Well, she seems in her right mind now to me – and it’s clear what she wants to do,’ said Dad. ‘She wants to stay with me.’

  ‘She can’t! A daughter’s place is with her mother,’ Mum insisted. She turned to me. ‘Floss?’ Her voice cracked as if she was going to cry. ‘You do really want to be with me, don’t you, darling?’

  She waited. Dad waited. I waited too.

  I didn’t know what I really wanted.

  Yes I did. I wanted Steve and Tiger to disappear in a puff of smoke. I wanted our family to be just Mum and Dad and me. It would be like it used to be long ago, when Dad called Mum his big princess and she laughed at all his silly jokes and we had breakfast in bed on Sunday mornings and cuddles all together on the big sofa in the living room.

  I shut my eyes for a second and wished for what I wanted.

  I knew my wish couldn’t possibly come true. I opened my eyes again. There was Mum, her forehead pinched with two sharp lines above her nose, her carefully outlined shiny lips pressed hard together in a straight line. There was Dad, gnawing at a piece of loose skin on his thumb, his hair sticking up sideways, his sweatshirt too tight over his tummy. I could wish and wish until I blew up like a giant balloon, but Mum and Dad weren’t ever going to get back together.

  Tiger started grizzling because Mum was holding him too tightly. Steve reached over and took him, swinging him up onto his broad shoulders. Tiger chuckled with delight. He loved his dad.

  I loved my dad. I loved him even more because he wasn’t tall and fit and handsome and clever like Steve. Mum had Steve and Tiger. Dad didn’t have anyone but me.

  ‘I really want to stay here with Dad,’ I said quietly to Mum. ‘Please please please let me.’

  Mum’s face screwed up. Her glossy lips disappeared as her mouth contorted. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. ‘All right,’ she whispered. She clutched her stomach as if she’d just been punched.

  Steve pulled her close, Tiger still perching on his should