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Authors: Katie Flynn
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his scarf and taking off his navy serge coat. ‘If I’d thought, I’d have bought you a ticket for the pantomime and we could all have gone together.’
‘Nonsense!’ Mrs Clarke had said briskly. ‘Why should you do any such thing? The tickets were a present from old Mrs Lawrence, so that you could have a family outing. I’ve been perfectly happy cooking the pie and I’ll be even happier to share it with you.’
It had been a wonderful ending to a wonderful evening, Gillian thought now. Joy had insisted upon relating the plot of the pantomime and most of the jokes to Mrs Clarke, who had proved to be a most satisfactory audience, laughing and gasping in all the right places. ‘I’m going to be an actress when I grow up,’ Joy had assured them as they had begun to clear away the meal. ‘If I’m not a fireman, that is.’
‘You’re daft, you are,’ Gillian had said, with a mixture of amusement and scorn. ‘Shall we walk you home, Mrs Clarke, or will Daddy do that?’
‘Daddy will do it while you two wash up,’ Alex had said. ‘And as soon as you finish, off to bed with you, or you’ll be too tired to get my breakfast tomorrow morning.’
‘Are you on early shift tomorrow, Daddy?’ Joy had asked anxiously. ‘If so, you’ll be pretty tired yourself. Do let us walk Mrs Clarke home …’
Alex had laughed but shaken his head. ‘No, no, I’m on the night shift,’ he had said reassuringly. He had taken Mrs Clarke’s coat and helped her into it, though she had protested that no one need walk her home.
‘It’s only a step,’ she had reminded them. ‘I can be home in five minutes or less.’
‘I dare say you could, but it’s after eleven at night and the pavements are icy. If you were to slip …’
‘Oh, very well, if you insist,’ Mrs Clarke had said, turning to the children, who were starting to wash up the supper things. ‘Back to normal tomorrow, girls!’
Now, lying snugly in her bed, Gillian reviewed the day ahead. Because Alex would be on call all night, he would have a rest after lunch, so she and Joy would make themselves scarce for the afternoon. After that, she meant to get back into her study routine, since she was desperately keen to catch up with her future classmates at St Hilda’s.
Sighing, she sat up on one elbow and looked at the face of the little alarm clock on the small table between the two beds. Even as she did so, Joy sat up too.
‘Whazza time?’ she asked sleepily. ‘Oh, I’ve dreamed all night about the pantomime … I wish we could go every night.’
‘It’s time to get up,’ Gillian said cruelly, for in fact they had no need to leave their beds for another half-hour. Joy immediately began to throw back her bedclothes and Gillian laughed and admitted she had been teasing. ‘It’s seven o’clock,’ she said, ‘and since school doesn’t start for another week …’
‘You beast!’ Joy squeaked. She threw her pillow at her twin’s head, then produced the paper hat which had come from her cracker on Christmas Day and plonked it on her head. ‘What’ll we do today? I know you’ll want to study this morning, and as Daddy’s on nights we’d best do any shopping this afternoon so the house will be nice and quiet and he’ll be able to have a proper sleep. Oh, I might as well get up because I’m wide awake now.’ As she spoke, Joy slid out of bed and padded across to the window, wincing as her feet touched the cold linoleum. She twitched the curtain back. ‘There’s a hell of a nasty wind blowing and it’s raining, or sleeting; thank heaven we haven’t got to go out this morning,’ she said, returning to her bed. She sat down upon it and reached for her slippers. ‘Bags I the bathroom first.’
The day went much as the girls had planned. Gillian studied in the morning and after they had had their lunch and Alex had departed for a snooze, they went shopping. At their father’s suggestion, they bought a recipe book for Mrs Clarke to thank
‘Nonsense!’ Mrs Clarke had said briskly. ‘Why should you do any such thing? The tickets were a present from old Mrs Lawrence, so that you could have a family outing. I’ve been perfectly happy cooking the pie and I’ll be even happier to share it with you.’
It had been a wonderful ending to a wonderful evening, Gillian thought now. Joy had insisted upon relating the plot of the pantomime and most of the jokes to Mrs Clarke, who had proved to be a most satisfactory audience, laughing and gasping in all the right places. ‘I’m going to be an actress when I grow up,’ Joy had assured them as they had begun to clear away the meal. ‘If I’m not a fireman, that is.’
‘You’re daft, you are,’ Gillian had said, with a mixture of amusement and scorn. ‘Shall we walk you home, Mrs Clarke, or will Daddy do that?’
‘Daddy will do it while you two wash up,’ Alex had said. ‘And as soon as you finish, off to bed with you, or you’ll be too tired to get my breakfast tomorrow morning.’
‘Are you on early shift tomorrow, Daddy?’ Joy had asked anxiously. ‘If so, you’ll be pretty tired yourself. Do let us walk Mrs Clarke home …’
Alex had laughed but shaken his head. ‘No, no, I’m on the night shift,’ he had said reassuringly. He had taken Mrs Clarke’s coat and helped her into it, though she had protested that no one need walk her home.
‘It’s only a step,’ she had reminded them. ‘I can be home in five minutes or less.’
‘I dare say you could, but it’s after eleven at night and the pavements are icy. If you were to slip …’
‘Oh, very well, if you insist,’ Mrs Clarke had said, turning to the children, who were starting to wash up the supper things. ‘Back to normal tomorrow, girls!’
Now, lying snugly in her bed, Gillian reviewed the day ahead. Because Alex would be on call all night, he would have a rest after lunch, so she and Joy would make themselves scarce for the afternoon. After that, she meant to get back into her study routine, since she was desperately keen to catch up with her future classmates at St Hilda’s.
Sighing, she sat up on one elbow and looked at the face of the little alarm clock on the small table between the two beds. Even as she did so, Joy sat up too.
‘Whazza time?’ she asked sleepily. ‘Oh, I’ve dreamed all night about the pantomime … I wish we could go every night.’
‘It’s time to get up,’ Gillian said cruelly, for in fact they had no need to leave their beds for another half-hour. Joy immediately began to throw back her bedclothes and Gillian laughed and admitted she had been teasing. ‘It’s seven o’clock,’ she said, ‘and since school doesn’t start for another week …’
‘You beast!’ Joy squeaked. She threw her pillow at her twin’s head, then produced the paper hat which had come from her cracker on Christmas Day and plonked it on her head. ‘What’ll we do today? I know you’ll want to study this morning, and as Daddy’s on nights we’d best do any shopping this afternoon so the house will be nice and quiet and he’ll be able to have a proper sleep. Oh, I might as well get up because I’m wide awake now.’ As she spoke, Joy slid out of bed and padded across to the window, wincing as her feet touched the cold linoleum. She twitched the curtain back. ‘There’s a hell of a nasty wind blowing and it’s raining, or sleeting; thank heaven we haven’t got to go out this morning,’ she said, returning to her bed. She sat down upon it and reached for her slippers. ‘Bags I the bathroom first.’
The day went much as the girls had planned. Gillian studied in the morning and after they had had their lunch and Alex had departed for a snooze, they went shopping. At their father’s suggestion, they bought a recipe book for Mrs Clarke to thank
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