Diamond Girls Read online

  ‘Oh lord, Dixie, don’t be so daft. I’m not that great an actress,’ said Mum, running her hands through her hair. I saw the beads of sweat on her forehead. She screwed up her eyes against the pain and started whoo-whoo-whooing again.

  ‘Mum?’ I said, getting really scared.

  She clutched me tight, struggling to keep upright. ‘Oh, Dixie. It hurts so. It’s too quick. Everything’s going wrong. It is going to be all right, isn’t it? My boy’s going to be all right?’ She sounded just as scared as me.

  I took a deep breath and put my arm round her. ‘Don’t you worry, Mum, everything’s going to be fine,’ I said. ‘You know it is. It says so in the stars.’

  7

  ‘ALL RIGHT, ALL right, the van’s ready,’ said Bruce, wiping his forehead and looking at Mum anxiously.

  ‘Any minute now!’ said Mum.

  Bruce gave a little moan.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep my legs crossed,’ said Mum.

  ‘You’ll have to have one of the girls with you just in case the baby starts coming when I’m driving,’ said Bruce.

  ‘I was joking,’ said Mum.

  ‘I’m not,’ said Bruce.

  ‘I’ll come, Mum,’ I said, holding her hand.

  ‘Don’t be so silly, sweetheart. They wouldn’t let you in,’ said Mum.

  ‘I’ll come,’ said Jude, but she looked a bit queasy.

  ‘You wouldn’t even know which end it came out of,’ said Mum, laughing, even though she was doubled up in pain. ‘I know babies aren’t your thing, Jude, don’t worry.’

  ‘They’re not my thing either!’ Rochelle said hastily.

  ‘No, no, you three must stay at home.’ Mum looked at Martine, pleadingly.

  ‘OK,’ said Martine, sighing. She took Mum’s arm and helped her into the van.

  ‘Now, darlings, you behave yourselves, right? You’ll be OK, won’t you? Jude, here’s two tenners, you nip out to the nearest chippy for your tea. Then I want you to lock yourselves in until Martine gets back. No more chatting up the local lads, Rochelle. No fighting, Jude. No treks over the garden wall, Dixie chick. And no more quarrelling, do you hear me? Rochelle, I’m talking to you!’

  ‘She hit me. Mum!’

  ‘Yeah, and who did this? said Jude, tapping her cheek. But then she nodded. ‘I promise we won’t fight, Mum.’

  Rochelle pulled a face, but muttered ‘Promise’ too.

  ‘You promise you’ll be all right, Mum?’ I said, trying not to cry.

  I couldn’t stand seeing her with her face all crumpled up with pain. I’d never been in a hospital but I’d seen Casualty and ER. I imagined Mum on a trolley, her vast belly under one of those flimsy white gowns like a giant bib, while scary masked people cut her open.

  ‘Will they cut you, Mum?’ I asked.

  ‘No, no, not if I can help it! I still want to wear a bikini when I get my figure back. Don’t look so worried, Dixie, I’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll probably be back here this time tomorrow with your little brother all tucked up in my arms, OK?’

  ‘So who’s going to look after the girls while you’re in hospital?’ said Bruce.

  Mum looked at him as if he was simple. ‘You are, Bruce, babe.’

  ‘Oh no. No, look, I made it clear right from the start. I’ve got to get back. I should have been back at the shop hours and hours ago. I can’t hang around babysitting your girls.’

  ‘We’re not babies,’ said Jude. ‘You push off. We don’t need you.’

  ‘Yes, they do need you,’ said Mum. She doubled up again. ‘I haven’t got time to argue. You take me to the hospital, Bruce. I haven’t got a clue where it is but you’ll have to get me there sharpish, mate.’

  She started her whoo-whoo-whooing, so loudly she sounded like a steam train. Rochelle sniggered. I dug my elbow in her and she punched me hard.

  ‘Cut it out,’ Mum gasped, and then she lay back in the van. ‘Oh God, I think it’s coming.’

  ‘Hang on,’ Bruce said grimly, slamming the van door shut behind Martine and starting up the engine.

  We could hear Mum moaning inside as the van hurtled away. Jude and Rochelle and I stood on the pavement, staring after her. An old lady in a headscarf and matted fleece and bedroom slippers came out of a house three doors away. She looked us up and down like we were monkeys at the zoo.

  ‘Did they kick you out your old place then?’ she said.

  ‘No they didn’t!’ said Rochelle, flouncing.

  ‘Don’t kid me. I’ve never seen the like. Fighting and brawling in the street the minute you get here! You girls acting like alley cats and your mum practically giving birth in the gutter!’

  ‘You mind your own business, you old bag,’ said Jude.

  ‘I’m complaining about you to the council. This used to be a decent estate. When me and my late husband moved in we were proud to live here. Now look at this dump. And it’s used as a dumping bin too, for all you problem families.’

  ‘We’re not a problem family!’ I said.

  ‘Come indoors, Dixie, Rochelle,’ said Jude, grabbing us and pulling.

  When we’d shut the front door I looked at Jude. ‘We’re not a problem family, are we?’ I said.

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘That’s what they called us at school,’ I said.

  ‘It was a crap school.’

  ‘I liked it,’ said Rochelle. ‘I liked Bletchworth High too. It’s not fair. I really liked it. Mr Mitchell was my best ever teacher and he said if I really put my mind to it I could pass all my exams and go to university, but with my looks maybe modelling school could be an option.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah, Mr Mitchell was just a pervy old creep,’ said Jude. ‘You are so thick, Rochelle. You act like you know it all and yet you haven’t a clue. Why do you think those boys were chatting you up, eh?’

  ‘They liked me. And if you hadn’t poked your nose in I’d have copped off with that dark guy with the earring,’ said Rochelle, poking Jude.

  ‘Don’t you poke me with those poxy pointy nails! Look at my face! That old bag was right, you’re just like an alley cat.’

  ‘Don’t you call me a cat, you cow!’

  ‘Stop it!’ I shouted. ‘Please please please don’t start fighting again.’

  Jude and Rochelle stared at me. I don’t usually go in for shouting.

  ‘Who pulled your chain?’ Rochelle said rudely, but she stopped poking Jude and let her arms dangle limply.

  ‘Are you feeling left out, Dixie?’ said Jude. ‘You can join in the fight too.’ She punched me very lightly in the chest.

  I knew she was joking. I acted out staggering and sank down onto the dirty carpet, pretending she’d floored me. Jude waved her fists in the air in mock victory. Rochelle sniffed at us. Then I stood up and we all stood staring at each other, wondering what to do next.

  ‘Mum’ll be all right, won’t she?’ I said.

  ‘Of course she will. She’s used to having babies. She’s had enough practice, after all,’ said Jude.

  ‘But she said it was coming too quickly.’

  ‘That’s good, isn’t it?’ said Rochelle. She started sniggering again. ‘Imagine if it comes before she gets to hospital! How will old Bruce cope?’

  ‘I hope she doesn’t hook up with him, he’s such a creep,’ said Jude.

  ‘I like him,’ I said.

  ‘He looks like a frog,’ said Rochelle. She pulled a stupid froggy face that was nothing like my Uncle Bruce. ‘He talks like a frog too, all croaky.’

  ‘And he puffs up like a toad when he’s trying to boss us about,’ said Jude.

  ‘No he doesn’t! Look, he protected you from those horrible boys.’

  ‘They weren’t horrible,’ Rochelle huffed.

  ‘Don’t start again,’ I begged her. I looked up and down the dark hall. I tried the light switch. I clicked it up and I clicked it down. It didn’t work.

  ‘Oh no,’ I said. ‘The light bulb isn’t working.’

  Jude edged her wa