My Mum Tracy Beaker Read online

  ‘We’ve just had a row,’ said Tyrone. ‘Because I cheeked her boyfriend. So he gave me a clip round the ear and I said some more stuff, and Mum chucked me out the flat.’

  ‘She chucked you out?’ I echoed.

  ‘See if I care. Especially as I’ve got his fags,’ said Tyrone, swaggering.

  I tried to imagine Sean Godfrey slapping me and Mum throwing me out of the flat. I was a bit ashamed for feeling so sorry for myself. It was far worse being Tyrone.

  We walked to the shops in the middle of the estate. Amir was sitting on the floor sorting out the Sunday papers. He grunted at us. He doesn’t like children very much.

  ‘Come in separate,’ he barked.

  He’s got this new rule that children have to go in one at a time, so he can keep an eye on them. He says that otherwise one will distract him while the other nicks something. He’s probably right.

  ‘You stay outside,’ I told Tyrone.

  He was bending down, clutching his stomach.

  ‘What’s up?’ I asked.

  ‘Hunger pains!’ he groaned. He was only messing about, but I bought him a KitKat and cheese-and-onion crisps all the same. It meant I could only buy the small size of nail-varnish remover but I hoped Mum wouldn’t mind.

  ‘Oh, you star!’ said Tyrone when I handed them to him outside the shop. He wolfed down the crisps in less than a minute and then snapped the KitKat in half to give me my share.

  ‘No, it’s OK, I’ve had proper breakfast.’ I thought about it. ‘You could come to ours and have some too – cornflakes and toast and that …’

  ‘Is Sean Godfrey there?’ Tyrone asked eagerly.

  ‘No, but he’s coming soon. We’re going to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to get my dog, Alfie,’ I said proudly.

  ‘You’re getting a dog? You lucky thing! But they won’t let you keep it. I got this dog – well, I found him in the street, and he didn’t belong to no one, so I looked after him. At first he was frightened, but I was dead gentle and then he really loved me, but some pig shopped me and the council told us we had to get rid of him. He went to Battersea. If you see a tan Staffie there, he’s my dog, and tell him it’s not my fault, eh?’ said Tyrone, starting on his KitKat.

  ‘What did you call him?’ I asked.

  ‘I just called him Staffie. If you say it, he’ll look up at you – he knew his name,’ said Tyrone. ‘Can I really come for breakfast? Won’t your mum be mad?’

  ‘Of course not,’ I said, though I wasn’t at all sure. When Tyrone knocked me over, Mum had been mega-mad with him. He’s still the enemy in her books, and once my mum thinks you’re the enemy she goes on hating you no matter what.

  She looked astonished when she saw Tyrone with me.

  ‘What are you doing here? Are you picking on Jess again?’ she said, hands on her hips.

  ‘Mum! You know Tyrone is my mate now,’ I said. ‘Can he come in for some breakfast? He says he’s starving,’ I said.

  ‘He’s got a KitKat rammed in his mouth!’ said Mum.

  ‘Yes, but he hasn’t had proper breakfast.’ I lowered my voice. ‘His mum chucked him out because they had a row.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. If he was mine I’d chuck him out too!’ But all the while Mum was saying this she was getting out the cornflakes again and putting the kettle on to boil. ‘Sit down here, kid. And stop wasting your money on junk food.’

  ‘Jess bought it for me,’ said Tyrone, swallowing the last of his bar and getting started on a big bowl of cornflakes.

  ‘She did what? With my change? That’ll come out of your pocket money, Jess Beaker!’ said Mum, starting on her nails.

  ‘That stuff gets up my nose!’ Tyrone complained.

  ‘Tough!’ said Mum. ‘And don’t eat those cornflakes dry like that! Pour some milk on!’

  ‘We don’t bother with milk at home,’ said Tyrone, grabbing a handful of cornflakes.

  ‘Looks like you don’t bother with spoons either. Polish up your manners, kid.’

  ‘Is Sean Godfrey really your boyfriend?’ Tyrone asked, with his mouth full.

  ‘Yep,’ said Mum.

  ‘And Jess really is getting a dog?’

  ‘Yep,’ Mum said again.

  ‘But we’re not allowed to have dogs on the Duke Estate,’ said Tyrone. ‘I told Jess. I don’t want her getting upset when she has to give her dog away like I did.’

  Mum didn’t look quite so fierce then. ‘Yes, but we’re not staying here. We’re moving,’ she said.

  ‘Where?’ Tyrone asked, looking alarmed.

  ‘We’re going to live with Sean,’ Mum said proudly.

  Tyrone actually stopped eating. He stared. ‘You lucky beggars,’ he said softly.

  ‘You could come to tea when we’re there if you want,’ I said, surprising myself. I hadn’t even asked Alice to tea yet, and she was my best friend in all the world.

  ‘I can’t really, can I?’ said Tyrone, looking at Mum.

  ‘We’ll have to see,’ she said, starting to paint her nails silver.

  ‘See if Sean Godfrey will let me come, as it’s his house?’

  ‘Yeah, well, it will be mine too,’ said Mum. ‘And Jess’s.’

  ‘And Alfie’s,’ I said. ‘He’ll want you to come because you like dogs.’

  Sean Godfrey seemed to like Tyrone too. This time he came five minutes early! He raised his eyebrows when he saw Tyrone tucking into his second bowl of cornflakes.

  ‘You didn’t tell me you had a son too, Trace,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, very funny,’ said Mum.

  ‘So who are you, then, lad? Jess’s boyfriend?’

  ‘No!’ I said indignantly.

  Tyrone went pink and choked on his cornflakes. ‘Pleased to meet you, Mr Godfrey!’ he said, leaping up and holding out his hand. In his haste he nudged the milk jug, and it went flying.

  ‘Oh, for Pete’s sake!’ Mum snapped, rushing for a dishcloth while Tyrone dabbed ineffectually at the puddle with the hem of his T-shirt.

  ‘Let me do it,’ said Mum, elbowing him out of the way. ‘It’s gone all over the floor! I’ll have to mop it all up or it’ll smell.’

  ‘Don’t bother about it, Tracy. You’ll be out of this dump soon enough,’ said Sean Godfrey.

  ‘It’s not a dump!’ I said, stiffening. How dare he call it that when we’d made it look like a little palace.

  ‘No, it’s not!’ said Mum. She stood up straight, her hands clenched around the dishcloth so that a little milk trickled onto the floor.

  Sean Godfrey looked baffled. ‘I’ve heard you call it a dump yourself!’ he protested.

  He just didn’t get it. Mum could call it anything she wanted, but it was still ours, and she’d tried so hard to make a lovely home for us. She looked as if she was about to lose her temper big-time.

  ‘Sorry, ladies!’ said Sean Godfrey quickly. He shook his head at Tyrone. ‘See the trouble you’ve got me into?’

  He was joking, but Tyrone took him seriously, and bent his head in shame. It was so weird seeing him act like a dumb little kid when he usually seemed so big and menacing.

  ‘Cheer up, lad. Only kidding. Here, have you got a phone? Do you want a selfie?’

  Tyrone nodded. ‘Please!’

  While Tyrone was setting up his phone, Sean Godfrey went over to Mum.

  ‘Sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings – or the kid’s. You know me, I just don’t think,’ he said softly.

  ‘No, you don’t,’ she said, still sounding angry – but when he gave her a kiss on the cheek she took a deep breath, finished mopping, rinsed out the dishcloth, and then went to get her jacket. It was the first time I’d seen her stop herself flying into a temper. Miss Oliver would have been astonished.

  I didn’t know how I felt about it. I hated Sean Godfrey thinking that our lovely home was a dump, when it was absolutely nothing of the kind. We kept it so clean and neat, and the colours were lovely, and every chair and cushion and picture was carefully chosen, every ornam