Diamond Girls Read online

  She was staring at me as if I was talking a foreign language.

  ‘Do you have a sister?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘I’ll lend you one of mine if you like! I’ve got three.’

  She took me seriously and shook her head, her little plaits bobbing on her shoulders. They were pulled so tight they looked like they might give her a headache. I could see a little blue vein throbbing on her forehead.

  ‘Here,’ I said, reaching right over the gate to untie a plait for her.

  She stepped backwards, fending me off. ‘No! Don’t! You mustn’t!’

  ‘I’m only going to loosen your plaits and make them comfier for you.’

  ‘No! Please don’t. I’m not allowed to untie them,’ she said.

  ‘OK. Sorry. You’ve got very pretty hair. I wish mine was really blonde, not mouse. Rochelle’s got blonde hair too. She’s the sister next to me. I’m the youngest so far. Until my brother gets born. Have you got any brothers?’

  ‘There’s only me.’

  ‘That must be so peaceful! And you get brand-new toys and clothes and never have to take turns. You can have a go on your swing whenever you want.’

  I waited hopefully, wishing she’d invite me to have a swing. She didn’t take the hint.

  I sighed, leaning further over the gate, though it was starting to cut into my chest. ‘We’re always arguing, us four. Soon we’ll be five. Like I said, my mum’s having a baby. She says he’s going to be called Sundance but maybe she’ll change her mind.’

  ‘Is Sundance a real name?’

  ‘Well, it’s weird, isn’t it? We’ve all got funny names. Not like Mary. That’s a nice sensible name.’

  ‘It’s a holy name. Jesus’ mother was called Mary. She was very very holy and good. But I’m not.’ Mary hugged her chest. There were goose pimples on her little white stick arms.

  ‘You’re cold. Here, put my cardie on.’

  I fiddled with the latch on the gate, and suddenly it swung open. ‘There!’ I said, marching in.

  Mary looked very worried.

  ‘It’s OK. I’m not going to do anything. I won’t even have a swing, not if you don’t want me to. I just want to warm you up with my cardie.’

  Mary hunched her elbows against her sides so I couldn’t get her arms in the sleeves.

  ‘Go on, I’m ever so warm.’

  ‘I’m not allowed,’ said Mary.

  ‘Yes you are. I’m not giving you my cardie, it’s just to warm you up a bit.’

  Mary let her arms grow limp. I draped the cardigan round her.

  ‘There! It’s a lovely blue, isn’t it? It’s gone a bit bobbly now but it’s still beautiful. My dad bought it for me. Do you have a dad, Mary?’

  ‘Yes, but he drives a coach so he’s not home much,’ said Mary. ‘I wish he was home all the time.’

  ‘Never mind. I don’t get to see my dad much at all. He doesn’t live with us, see. But it’s OK, not having a dad around, just so long as you’ve got your mum.’

  Mary stayed very still. She shivered, even though she was smothered in my cardigan.

  I looked over at the swing. I took a step towards it. Mary looked more and more worried.

  ‘It’s OK, Mary. I just want to play.’

  ‘I’m not really allowed to have someone in to play,’ she said. ‘Mummy might be cross.’

  ‘Ah. Is she in a bit of a mood, then?’

  Mary nodded.

  ‘Well, look, can I just have one teeny swing? Is that all right? You don’t mind?’

  Mary looked as if she minded very much but she didn’t try to stop me. I sat on the white padded seat and kicked my legs. I soared upwards. It was just as good as I’d imagined.

  ‘Wheeee!’ I sang.

  ‘Shh! She’ll hear,’ said Mary.

  ‘OK, OK. Just one little swing more, then I’ll go, I promise,’ I whispered.

  I held the ropes and thrust my feet forwards, flinging back my head until I felt wonderfully dizzy. I felt as if I was flying right over the garden and the red pointy roof. Bluebell flew with me, high into the sky.

  Then I saw Mary hunched under my blue cardie. ‘OK, it’s all right, you can have a go now,’ I said, jumping off. I staggered. ‘Hey, look at me, I’m drunk!’ I reeled around, putting it on now.

  Mary stared but then started giggling.

  ‘You play at being drunk too, Mary. Pretend to fall over!’

  She squatted down obediently but was careful not to crumple her clothes. ‘Daddy got drunk once,’ she said.

  ‘My mum sometimes gets drunk. She gets ever so funny and giggly. But she doesn’t drink now, because of the baby. I suppose I’d better go now. I’m helping her get the house sorted. She can’t do much because she’s so big. Thank you for letting me have a swing.’

  ‘That’s OK.’

  ‘I’ll have to take my cardie back now. Did it warm you up?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘There, I knew it would! Can I can come and play again?’

  ‘Well. I suppose. If Mummy doesn’t find out.’

  ‘What’s up with your mum then? Is she often in a bad mood?’

  Mary blinked. Then she took a deep breath. ‘No, she’s a lovely mummy. She’s the loveliest kindest nicest mummy in the whole world.’

  ‘That’s good,’ I said. ‘Well, bye, Mary.’ I made Bluebell give Mary’s nose a very gentle peck. ‘That’s the way budgies say goodbye,’ I said.

  Mary giggled. ‘You are funny, Dixie.’

  I pulled a silly face at her and staggered out of her garden, pretending to be drunk again. Then I dashed back across the alleyway, leaped up and over the wall at the very first go, and went back through the jungle.

  ‘My mum’s the loveliest, kindest and nicest,’ I said to Bluebell. ‘And my dad.’

  I pretended that Martine and Rochelle and even Jude didn’t exist. I lived in a beautiful black and white house with a garden and a swing with my mum and my dad and my real budgie Bluebell. I had my very own bedroom with a sky-blue ceiling and a rainbow round each wall. The carpet was green as grass with an indoor swing so I could soar backwards and forwards across my room.

  Mum and Dad loved each other for ever and they loved me too. They said they didn’t want to risk having any more children, girls or boys, because they could never never never love them as much as me. Dad still worked in a funeral home, and maybe Mum worked there too, carefully dressing all the dead people and powdering their faces and combing their hair. Each night, if there were any lilies left over from Uncle Bruce’s wreaths Mum would plait them into her long black hair and look like a flowery princess.

  6

  MUM DIDN’T LOOK like a princess when I went back indoors. She was scrubbing away at the toilet upstairs, sitting on the floor with her legs stuck out comically either side of the loo.

  ‘Hey, babe,’ she said. ‘What have you been up to, eh?’

  ‘I’ve been in the garden. And I’ve made friends with a little girl over the way.’

  ‘That’s nice, darling. OK, are you going to help your old mum?’

  ‘Yep.’ I rolled up my cardie sleeves and started trying to clean the basin. The taps were stiff with black grime that wouldn’t come off.

  ‘Try using an old toothbrush,’ said Mum. ‘There’s some bathroom stuff in that cardboard box.’

  I couldn’t find any really old toothbrushes. Rochelle’s pink toothbrush was a bit bristly.

  ‘Rochelle will kill you,’ said Mum, when I started scrubbing. ‘So what’s your new friend called?’

  ‘Mary. She’s very shy. But we played a bit. I think she likes me.’

  ‘Is she about your age? You could go to school with her.’

  ‘I don’t want to go to school, Mum. I want to stay home and help you. I could look after the baby when he comes.’

  ‘You need your education, pet.’

  We heard Jude shouting outside. Boys were shouting too. There was a lot of swearing, mostly from Jude.