‘Come on in.’ As Luke followed her into the shop, she asked, ‘Is it a present?’
‘Yeah,’ Luke said. ‘A surprise, for my mother.’
She stopped and looked back at him. ‘Did you save all the money yourself?’
Luke nodded. Then he thought maybe she didn’t believe him, so he pulled the bulky brown envelope out of his pocket and held it out to her.
She didn’t take it, just looked at it in his hand for a few seconds. Then she gave a quick look around the shop and said, more softly, ‘You know, this isn’t a good time to buy a washing machine.’
It wasn’t what Luke was expecting to hear. He lowered the envelope slowly. ‘Why not?’
He had no idea that it mattered when you bought a washing machine. Didn’t people wash clothes all year round?
‘Because our sale is starting on Friday,’ the woman explained. ‘And that washing machine will be reduced by fifteen percent.’ She turned towards a nearby desk. ‘Here – I’ll tell you how much you’ll save if you can wait till then.’
Luke watched as she tapped numbers into a calculator. Then she turned back to him.
‘Sixty-one euro and thirty-five cents,’ she said. ‘That’s how much cheaper it’ll be on Friday.’
Luke thought quickly. He could buy pretty good presents for everyone with sixty euro – and Mam would still have her machine, just a few days later. Then he thought of something.
‘What if someone else comes in today and buys it?’ he asked. It wouldn’t be much good reducing the price of a machine that wasn’t there any more.
‘You can pay me a deposit,’ the woman explained.‘And I’ll hold it for you.’ She winked at Luke. ‘Just don’t tell anyone, because we’re not supposed to do that for the sales. Make sure you look for me when you come back on Friday to pay the balance, OK?’ She pointed to the nametag pinned to her blouse. ‘Look for Jenny.’
Ten minutes later, Luke left the shop with three hundred and sixty euro in his envelope, and a receipt for the fifty euro he’d given Jenny to make sure the washing machine would still be there on Friday.
He bought an annual for Anne, a HMV voucher for Helen, a pair of slippers for Dad, a box of perfumed drawer liners for Granny and a gift set of hand cream and body lotion for Mam. He wouldn’t mention the washing machine until Friday.
On the way home he went into the newsagents and bought a Happy New Year card and a stamp. He felt a bit guilty that he hadn’t sent a Christmas card to his penfriend – even though the one she sent him was no great shakes, all crinkled and messy looking when he pulled it out of the envelope, and loads of little sparkly bits falling off it onto his jeans. She must have used too much glue or something. But at least she’d made the effort.
After tea he wrapped all his presents with the roll of shiny red paper he’d bought. Then he hid themunder his bed and took out the card. It had a bunch of flowers on the front – she’d probably like that.
For the first time, he wondered what she looked like. She’d never said anything about that. He tried to remember how he’d described himself in his first letter. Black hair with blue tips, wasn’t it? Something about tattoos – and didn’t he say he had something pierced, his nose or eyebrow or something?
Just as well his penfriend hadn’t asked for his photo, because absolutely none of that was true. His hair was muddy brown, not black at all, with no coloured tips, and he definitely had no tattoos or earrings – Mam would go mad if he tried anything like that.
And all the stuff about Dad being an astronaut, and Helen a model, and the rubbish about the racehorses – and didn’t he tell her they lived in a big fancy house with a lake out the back? He wondered what she’d say if she ever found out the truth.
He wished he knew for sure if she made anything up when she wrote to him – how would he ever know? Her life could be totally different, like his was.
He licked
‘Yeah,’ Luke said. ‘A surprise, for my mother.’
She stopped and looked back at him. ‘Did you save all the money yourself?’
Luke nodded. Then he thought maybe she didn’t believe him, so he pulled the bulky brown envelope out of his pocket and held it out to her.
She didn’t take it, just looked at it in his hand for a few seconds. Then she gave a quick look around the shop and said, more softly, ‘You know, this isn’t a good time to buy a washing machine.’
It wasn’t what Luke was expecting to hear. He lowered the envelope slowly. ‘Why not?’
He had no idea that it mattered when you bought a washing machine. Didn’t people wash clothes all year round?
‘Because our sale is starting on Friday,’ the woman explained. ‘And that washing machine will be reduced by fifteen percent.’ She turned towards a nearby desk. ‘Here – I’ll tell you how much you’ll save if you can wait till then.’
Luke watched as she tapped numbers into a calculator. Then she turned back to him.
‘Sixty-one euro and thirty-five cents,’ she said. ‘That’s how much cheaper it’ll be on Friday.’
Luke thought quickly. He could buy pretty good presents for everyone with sixty euro – and Mam would still have her machine, just a few days later. Then he thought of something.
‘What if someone else comes in today and buys it?’ he asked. It wouldn’t be much good reducing the price of a machine that wasn’t there any more.
‘You can pay me a deposit,’ the woman explained.‘And I’ll hold it for you.’ She winked at Luke. ‘Just don’t tell anyone, because we’re not supposed to do that for the sales. Make sure you look for me when you come back on Friday to pay the balance, OK?’ She pointed to the nametag pinned to her blouse. ‘Look for Jenny.’
Ten minutes later, Luke left the shop with three hundred and sixty euro in his envelope, and a receipt for the fifty euro he’d given Jenny to make sure the washing machine would still be there on Friday.
He bought an annual for Anne, a HMV voucher for Helen, a pair of slippers for Dad, a box of perfumed drawer liners for Granny and a gift set of hand cream and body lotion for Mam. He wouldn’t mention the washing machine until Friday.
On the way home he went into the newsagents and bought a Happy New Year card and a stamp. He felt a bit guilty that he hadn’t sent a Christmas card to his penfriend – even though the one she sent him was no great shakes, all crinkled and messy looking when he pulled it out of the envelope, and loads of little sparkly bits falling off it onto his jeans. She must have used too much glue or something. But at least she’d made the effort.
After tea he wrapped all his presents with the roll of shiny red paper he’d bought. Then he hid themunder his bed and took out the card. It had a bunch of flowers on the front – she’d probably like that.
For the first time, he wondered what she looked like. She’d never said anything about that. He tried to remember how he’d described himself in his first letter. Black hair with blue tips, wasn’t it? Something about tattoos – and didn’t he say he had something pierced, his nose or eyebrow or something?
Just as well his penfriend hadn’t asked for his photo, because absolutely none of that was true. His hair was muddy brown, not black at all, with no coloured tips, and he definitely had no tattoos or earrings – Mam would go mad if he tried anything like that.
And all the stuff about Dad being an astronaut, and Helen a model, and the rubbish about the racehorses – and didn’t he tell her they lived in a big fancy house with a lake out the back? He wondered what she’d say if she ever found out the truth.
He wished he knew for sure if she made anything up when she wrote to him – how would he ever know? Her life could be totally different, like his was.
He licked
Similar Books
