Read Online My Name Is Rose by Sally Grindley - Free Book Online Page A

before tying a big red bow round it.
    â€˜Our treat for later on,’ said Mrs Luca.
    â€˜I thought you were worried about your weight,’ Victoria said scornfully.
    â€˜A little chocolate once in a while won’t do any harm. Besides, we’re celebrating our homecoming.’
    Victoria sloped out of the shop. Mrs Luca hurried after and linked arms with her, leaning across to whisper something conspiratorially.
    â€˜Don’t dally, Anna,’ she called back. ‘We’re nearly at the clothes shop, and Victoria’s kindly agreed to help us choose for you. She’s such an expert at knowing what looks good and what doesn’t, aren’t you, darling?’
    The way Victoria seemed to feel about her, Rose was convinced she would choose something monstrous just to spite her. She certainly didn’t want to wind up in skimpy shorts.
    She followed them through a revolving glass door that opened up into a huge store, where the walls were lined on all sides by photographs of models sporting the latest fashions. Underneath were row upon row of shelves piled high with T-shirts and jumpers. The central area was filled with clothing rails neatly arranged in squares, each square surrounding a mannequin perched on a plinth. Trousers, skirts and blouses hung from the lower rails, dresses from those that were higher.
    The clothes all seemed to be the same sort of colours, Rose noticed. There were purples and deep reds and black, but no yellows and greens and blues. They looked drab! She was relieved when Mrs Luca led her through an archway into a second hall, where ‘the little kids’ clothes’, as Victoria put it, were on display, and where the colours were brighter.
    â€˜Here we are,’ said Mrs Luca. ‘Where would you like to start, Anna?’
    Rose gazed around. She hadn’t the slightest idea.
    â€˜We’ll look at blouses first, then,’ said Mrs Luca. ‘Four or five should keep you going for the time being.’
    â€˜She’ll have to have a couple of white ones,’ said Victoria, ‘and this blue denim is really cool. And what about this? I wouldn’t mind this myself.’
    She held up a red-and-white striped blouse with a white collar and cuffs. Rose hated it. It’s more like a man’s shirt , she thought.
    â€˜Try it on, Anna,’ Mrs Luca suggested. ‘Go to the changing room and help her, Victoria.’
    Rose shook her head. She didn’t want to try on the blouse or any other clothes. She didn’t want to stand in front of a mirror and look at herself. She didn’t want these strangers staring at her and deciding what she should wear.
    â€˜That’s not very grateful, is it, Mummy?’ Victoria scoffed.
    â€˜Don’t you like it, Anna?’ Mrs Luca asked. ‘You choose something, then.’
    Rose fixed her eyes on the floor. She had no idea what to choose and was sure that if she did take something from a rail, Victoria would laugh at her choice.
    Mrs Luca called a shop assistant and spoke to her in English, pointing to Rose and explaining what they wanted.
    When the assistant went away to fetch some items of clothing, Rose overheard Victoria hiss at her mother, ‘Don’t call her your daughter. She’s not your daughter.’
    â€˜It’s easier that way,’ Mrs Luca replied.
    â€˜ Don’t call me your daughter ,’ Rose wanted to say. ‘ I’m not your daughter. I’m Esme’s daughter .’
    The shop assistant returned with arms full of clothes. She held them up in turn for Rose’s approval. Rose nodded at every single one of them. She didn’t care, as long as she didn’t have to try anything on and as long as she could get out of the store without further embarrassment.
    â€˜We’ll just have to hope they fit you if you really won’t try them on,’ said Mrs Luca, while the shop assistant folded their purchases and put them into large