walk back home took us through the middle of the display village, and that was when, near the tiny roundabout at the end of our street, I saw a man standing on the corner. It looked to me like he was waiting for something. Or maybe for someone. But definitely waiting. People who aren’t waiting don’t stand on a street corner in the middle of a display village with their hands in their pockets. Not usually, anyway.
We walked straight past him. His hair was quite short and greying at the sides, and he had a moustache, which I think is always a bad look unless you’re a bank robber or a pirate. He wasn’t wearing any of the other things that a bank robber or a pirate would wear, though – he was wearing a white shirt and a gold tie, and a black leather jacket. Mum nodded to him and said hi, and he said hi back, but as he said it, he pulled the front of his jacket over to the side a little bit. It looked to me like he was covering something up, maybe a name tag. But there was definitely something that he didn’t want us to see.
‘Did you see that?’ I asked Mum once we were far enough away that he wouldn’t hear. ‘He pulled his jacket over like this.’ And with my jacket, I showed her what he’d done.
‘It is pretty cold,’ Mum said. ‘Maybe he doesn’t want to get a chill.’
‘Yeah, but why was he even there? What’s he waiting for?’
Mum shrugged. ‘How would I know, Lizzie? A taxi? A friend? Maybe he works in the display village and he’s getting picked up from work.’
I thought about this. It was possible that she had a point. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Yes, I decided at last, that must have been exactly what was happening.
‘Wait – he doesn’t have a bag or anything with him,’ I said. ‘Wouldn’t he have one of those little suitcases that business people carry around?’
‘A briefcase? Well, yes, maybe, but not necessarily.’
I looked back. The man was still standing on the corner, and as I watched, a small red car pulled up beside him.
‘You were right,’ I said. ‘He’s getting picked up.’
Mum nodded. ‘Good. So we can rest tonight, now that the mystery is solved.’
But it wasn’t actually solved at all, because the man was bending over at the window of the car, talking to the driver. Then he handed something to the driver, and when he stood up straight he was holding a flat box with some kind of small package on top.
‘He’s getting pizza,’ I said. ‘Someone just delivered pizza to him on the corner.’
‘Pizza!’ said Richie.
‘Why would they deliver it on the corner?’
‘I don’t know!’ Mum said, all impatient. ‘How would I know, Lizzie?’
I didn’t really expect her to know. I wasn’t asking her to give me an answer that was completely true. I just wanted an answer that might be true.
I looked back towards the corner, hoping to see which direction the man had gone. But in the time we’d been talking and wondering, he’d disappeared.
I phoned Jenni before dinner, and told her what Dad had suggested to me at The Green Gecko.
‘So you’re coming back to Sacred Wimple?’ she said. Then she started squealing.
‘Jenni, it’s not definite yet,’ I said. ‘Jenni! Calm down! I need to do some community thing. Like, work somewhere or something.’
‘What, are you in jail?’ she asked, all scoffy.
‘No, but I have to show how responsible I can be. So I need your help to think of a place I could volunteer.’
‘Why can’t you just tell Mr Hilder that you’ve learnt your lesson and you’ll never do anything bad again and you’ll even wash his car every week, or something?’
‘Nah,’ I said. ‘I don’t think he’d go for that.’
‘He might.’
‘Anyway, we can talk about it some more tomorrow,’ I said. ‘Are you still coming over?’
‘Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Oh, and by the way, Amanda says she misses you.’
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Me and Amanda
We walked straight past him. His hair was quite short and greying at the sides, and he had a moustache, which I think is always a bad look unless you’re a bank robber or a pirate. He wasn’t wearing any of the other things that a bank robber or a pirate would wear, though – he was wearing a white shirt and a gold tie, and a black leather jacket. Mum nodded to him and said hi, and he said hi back, but as he said it, he pulled the front of his jacket over to the side a little bit. It looked to me like he was covering something up, maybe a name tag. But there was definitely something that he didn’t want us to see.
‘Did you see that?’ I asked Mum once we were far enough away that he wouldn’t hear. ‘He pulled his jacket over like this.’ And with my jacket, I showed her what he’d done.
‘It is pretty cold,’ Mum said. ‘Maybe he doesn’t want to get a chill.’
‘Yeah, but why was he even there? What’s he waiting for?’
Mum shrugged. ‘How would I know, Lizzie? A taxi? A friend? Maybe he works in the display village and he’s getting picked up from work.’
I thought about this. It was possible that she had a point. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Yes, I decided at last, that must have been exactly what was happening.
‘Wait – he doesn’t have a bag or anything with him,’ I said. ‘Wouldn’t he have one of those little suitcases that business people carry around?’
‘A briefcase? Well, yes, maybe, but not necessarily.’
I looked back. The man was still standing on the corner, and as I watched, a small red car pulled up beside him.
‘You were right,’ I said. ‘He’s getting picked up.’
Mum nodded. ‘Good. So we can rest tonight, now that the mystery is solved.’
But it wasn’t actually solved at all, because the man was bending over at the window of the car, talking to the driver. Then he handed something to the driver, and when he stood up straight he was holding a flat box with some kind of small package on top.
‘He’s getting pizza,’ I said. ‘Someone just delivered pizza to him on the corner.’
‘Pizza!’ said Richie.
‘Why would they deliver it on the corner?’
‘I don’t know!’ Mum said, all impatient. ‘How would I know, Lizzie?’
I didn’t really expect her to know. I wasn’t asking her to give me an answer that was completely true. I just wanted an answer that might be true.
I looked back towards the corner, hoping to see which direction the man had gone. But in the time we’d been talking and wondering, he’d disappeared.
I phoned Jenni before dinner, and told her what Dad had suggested to me at The Green Gecko.
‘So you’re coming back to Sacred Wimple?’ she said. Then she started squealing.
‘Jenni, it’s not definite yet,’ I said. ‘Jenni! Calm down! I need to do some community thing. Like, work somewhere or something.’
‘What, are you in jail?’ she asked, all scoffy.
‘No, but I have to show how responsible I can be. So I need your help to think of a place I could volunteer.’
‘Why can’t you just tell Mr Hilder that you’ve learnt your lesson and you’ll never do anything bad again and you’ll even wash his car every week, or something?’
‘Nah,’ I said. ‘I don’t think he’d go for that.’
‘He might.’
‘Anyway, we can talk about it some more tomorrow,’ I said. ‘Are you still coming over?’
‘Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Oh, and by the way, Amanda says she misses you.’
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Me and Amanda
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