things. Miss Lemon, who owns the shop, used to give me free sweets every day. She still does sometimes.”
“We should go there,” I said, but Mimi just smiled.She was thinking of something else.
Sparkler had stopped to check out another amazing smell, so we had stopped too.
“They kept saying how sad it was for me to lose my mother,” said Mimi, “but I didn’t lose her … she was run over by a bus. Adults say really stupid things sometimes. And they were always talking about me like I wasn’t there,” continued Mimi, “saying things like ‘the poor child, to have her mother taken away so young’ like she was grabbed out of my hands or something!”
“Were you very sad?” I asked her. “I would be.”
“Yes,” said Mimi, and I could see that she was sad just thinking about it. “Everyone said that Dad was ‘beside himself with grief’. What’s that supposed to mean, anyway?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know what it was supposed to mean. We turned and started walking home.
“He used to cook us burnt pizza every day for months afterwards, but it got better after a bit,” said Mimi and then she added, “I like your mum. She is not like your dad, is she?”
“How do you mean?” I asked her. I sort of knew what she meant, but I was surprised when she said it.
“You know,” she said, “the way he’s all smart and serious and Kate is … well, she’s a bit mad, isn’t she? In a nice way. It’s hard to imagine them being married.”
“Well, they were,” I said a bit sharply, “until Jo came along. She wrecked everything.”
“Do you hate her?” asked Mimi.
“Yes,” I said. “I do.”
“Then I hate her too,” said Mimi.
“But you haven’t even met her!” I said. “You might like her. She’s quite nice, you know.”
Mimi laughed when I said that.
“Make up your mind!” she said.
Even though I was a bit cross with all this talk about Jo, I had to smile because what I had said sounded stupid even to me.
But I didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so I asked Mimi did the girl still call her Stinky Chinky?
“Sarah?” answered Mimi. “No, I said I’d punch her lights out if she didn’t stop bullying me. She’s sort of a friend now.”
We were nearly home and it was getting dark. I smiled at the thought of Mimi beating anybody up. But I didn’t say anything.
That night before I fell asleep, Conor said, “Your mum is like our rock group … loud!”
He didn’t say it in a bad way, but I said, “She’s not always like that.”
“She’s probably a bit nervous meeting all of us,” said Conor.
I hadn’t thought about it like that. I had thought that I would be the only one nervous about meeting Mimi and her family.
“Don’t get me wrong,” continued Conor. “I think she’s cool … as George would say.”
I had never thought of Kate as being cool either. Still, if Conor thought she was, then … maybe she was!
“So, this mouse of yours…” Conor started saying.
“Rodent?” I asked, as if I had more than one.
“Yeah,” said Conor. “Who is looking after him?”
“Jo,” I told him, even though I didn’t like mentioning her name.
“Your dad’s girlfriend?”
“S’pose so,” I muttered, but there must have been something in the way I said it because Conor was quiet for a bit and then he said, “Would you like your dad to come back and live with you and Kate?”
“Yes, I would,” I said and for no reason my eyes suddenly started to water. I was glad it was dark.
Conor didn’t say anything else for a long time after that. Neither did I.
“’Night, Tao,” he said at last.
“’Night, Conor,” I said, but I lay awake looking into the dark for a long time before I eventually drifted off.
Chapter 16
On Easter Sunday, Mimi’s grandparents held a big party in their house for all the family.
“It’s in your honour, Tao,” said Grandad when we arrived, which was a bit scary.
I had met most of Mimi’s uncles and aunts and
“We should go there,” I said, but Mimi just smiled.She was thinking of something else.
Sparkler had stopped to check out another amazing smell, so we had stopped too.
“They kept saying how sad it was for me to lose my mother,” said Mimi, “but I didn’t lose her … she was run over by a bus. Adults say really stupid things sometimes. And they were always talking about me like I wasn’t there,” continued Mimi, “saying things like ‘the poor child, to have her mother taken away so young’ like she was grabbed out of my hands or something!”
“Were you very sad?” I asked her. “I would be.”
“Yes,” said Mimi, and I could see that she was sad just thinking about it. “Everyone said that Dad was ‘beside himself with grief’. What’s that supposed to mean, anyway?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know what it was supposed to mean. We turned and started walking home.
“He used to cook us burnt pizza every day for months afterwards, but it got better after a bit,” said Mimi and then she added, “I like your mum. She is not like your dad, is she?”
“How do you mean?” I asked her. I sort of knew what she meant, but I was surprised when she said it.
“You know,” she said, “the way he’s all smart and serious and Kate is … well, she’s a bit mad, isn’t she? In a nice way. It’s hard to imagine them being married.”
“Well, they were,” I said a bit sharply, “until Jo came along. She wrecked everything.”
“Do you hate her?” asked Mimi.
“Yes,” I said. “I do.”
“Then I hate her too,” said Mimi.
“But you haven’t even met her!” I said. “You might like her. She’s quite nice, you know.”
Mimi laughed when I said that.
“Make up your mind!” she said.
Even though I was a bit cross with all this talk about Jo, I had to smile because what I had said sounded stupid even to me.
But I didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so I asked Mimi did the girl still call her Stinky Chinky?
“Sarah?” answered Mimi. “No, I said I’d punch her lights out if she didn’t stop bullying me. She’s sort of a friend now.”
We were nearly home and it was getting dark. I smiled at the thought of Mimi beating anybody up. But I didn’t say anything.
That night before I fell asleep, Conor said, “Your mum is like our rock group … loud!”
He didn’t say it in a bad way, but I said, “She’s not always like that.”
“She’s probably a bit nervous meeting all of us,” said Conor.
I hadn’t thought about it like that. I had thought that I would be the only one nervous about meeting Mimi and her family.
“Don’t get me wrong,” continued Conor. “I think she’s cool … as George would say.”
I had never thought of Kate as being cool either. Still, if Conor thought she was, then … maybe she was!
“So, this mouse of yours…” Conor started saying.
“Rodent?” I asked, as if I had more than one.
“Yeah,” said Conor. “Who is looking after him?”
“Jo,” I told him, even though I didn’t like mentioning her name.
“Your dad’s girlfriend?”
“S’pose so,” I muttered, but there must have been something in the way I said it because Conor was quiet for a bit and then he said, “Would you like your dad to come back and live with you and Kate?”
“Yes, I would,” I said and for no reason my eyes suddenly started to water. I was glad it was dark.
Conor didn’t say anything else for a long time after that. Neither did I.
“’Night, Tao,” he said at last.
“’Night, Conor,” I said, but I lay awake looking into the dark for a long time before I eventually drifted off.
Chapter 16
On Easter Sunday, Mimi’s grandparents held a big party in their house for all the family.
“It’s in your honour, Tao,” said Grandad when we arrived, which was a bit scary.
I had met most of Mimi’s uncles and aunts and
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