Diamond Girls (20 page)

‘You should look after your kids properly. Sisters, are they? Fancy attacking that pretty little girl upstairs!'

‘Oh Jude!' said Bruce, shaking his head at her.

‘It's the little one who's the real spitfire,' said the McDonald's man. ‘Going at it hell for leather!'

‘
Dixie?
' said Bruce.

Then he saw a traffic warden coming along the road. ‘Uh-oh! Quick, or I'll get a ticket. Are you going to let the girls go now?'

‘Well, I don't know about that. I could call the cops.'

‘No, wait!' It was Rochelle, running up to us. ‘Look,
they're
crazy, both of them, and I hate them to bits, but they're my sisters, so you won't actually arrest them, will you?'

‘Oh for pity's sake – look, just go home with your dad, all of you.'

‘He's not our
dad
!' said Rochelle.

‘I'm jolly glad I'm not!' said Bruce. ‘Come on, get in the van quick. You too, Rochelle.'

She argued bitterly, not wanting to leave Ryan.

Jude slammed into the van too, still furious. ‘Fat lot of use learning Wing Chun defence when stupid guys won't try to hit you,' she muttered.

‘Just as well he didn't take a swing at you. You're a natural, picking things up a treat, but you've got to train for months and months, girl, I told you that. Maybe we can find a proper club round here. Perhaps you'd better join too, Dixie! Were you
really
fighting?'

‘I only fought a little bit,' I said. ‘You know you said you were glad you're not our dad? Well, what about being our uncle?'

‘I'll always want to be your uncle, Dixie, even if you get into more fights than Lennox Lewis,' said Bruce, chuckling. ‘Just don't take a swing at me, that's all I ask.'

13

WHEN WE GOT
back to Mercury Street I shut my eyes tight. I wished so hard I thought my head would burst. I wished that all the houses were whole and neat and newly painted with flowery gardens. I wished our house was the brightest and the best, with fairy lights hanging in the windows, roses rambling round our door, and a fountain in the front garden with a little marble mermaid spouting water into a turquoise pool.

I wished our house was beautiful inside, with satin curtains and velvet sofas and Persian rugs. I wished we'd find Mum dancing around in her slinky skirt and stilettos, all bouncy and bubbly, the way she used to be. I wished we'd find Sundance kicking his little legs on his blue changing mat, nappy off to show his little willy. I wished that my dad was there on a visit. He had a brand-new beautiful cardigan for me, a black one that wouldn't show the dirt, embroidered all over with little red hearts to prove how much he loved me. He'd put it on me and hug me and promise he was going to
come
and see me every single day for the rest of my life.

I wished Bluebell was real and flying freely round and round the garden. I wished Mary could come and play in our garden too, and run around roaring with laughter, her hair tumbling over her shoulders, free of those tight little plaits. I thought of that little blue vein throbbing in her forehead. I knew I should do something.

‘Are you asleep, Dixie?' Bruce asked, patting me on the shoulder. ‘Come on, lovey, out the van. We're home.'

‘Do you believe wishes can ever come true, Uncle Bruce?'

‘I'd give anything to make your wishes come true, little 'un, but I'm not magic.'

However, Bruce had worked quite a lot of magic in the house already. It smelled clean and fresh with all his lovely white lilies and roses and freesias. Mum had stuck them here and there in the living room, but she'd not given any further thought to getting it straight. She was lying back on the mattress with Sundance, furniture and cardboard boxes still crammed tightly in a ring around her.

Rochelle and Jude came crowding in, both of them complaining at the tops of their voices. Mum shut her eyes as if she was wishing too.

‘
Mum!
Aren't you even listening? Jude just
totally
embarrassed me. She behaved like an idiot with Ryan, and then Dixie started
attacking
me.'

‘This Ryan is years older than Rochelle. She thinks she's absolutely it because she's got a boyfriend. She doesn't have a clue. She'll end up a teenage mum if she's not careful. Tell her, Mum.'

‘Shut up, Jude,' said Martine, coming into the room too. ‘What have you done to your nose? Have you been fighting again? Mum, look at her!'

‘Mum, should you tell on someone even if they beg you not to and say they'd get into trouble?' I asked.

‘You should never ever tell. And you're in big big trouble, you and your stupid bird,' said Rochelle, snatching up my sleeve.

‘Mum! She's got Bluebell!'

‘I'll get her back,' Jude yelled, making a grab at Rochelle.

‘Stop shouting, you two, you'll wake the baby. Here, Mum, you need to lie down properly. I'll mind the baby for you,' said Martine.

‘No!' Mum opened her eyes, blinking in the sudden brightness. ‘You leave him be. He's fine with me. Look, will you all please push off. You're doing my head in, all of you. I just want to be left in peace.'

‘Don't worry, Sue, I'll get them sorted,' said Bruce.

‘
I'll
sort them. I'm the oldest,' said Martine. ‘I don't know what's up with you, Mum. You went on and on at me to come to this dump because you said you couldn't manage without me and yet now you won't let me do a blessed thing for the baby.'

‘You can get some of this furniture shifted and try to make the place halfway decent. I can't stand lying with all this rubbish all around me,' said Mum.

‘I'm not lifting all that stuff. It's much too heavy. I'll hurt myself,' said Martine.

‘Ooh, precious,' Jude mocked. ‘
I'll
move it, Mum.'

‘Who do you think you are, Jude? Ms Supergirl? You think you're it, don't you, charging round everywhere,
throwing
your weight about. You might have been looked up to back at Bletchworth but everyone just laughs at you here,' said Rochelle.

‘Shut up, Rochelle,' I said, grabbing Bluebell back. ‘Take no notice, Jude. I'll help with the furniture.'

‘You're not shifting anything, Dixie, you're far too small. You'll be the one who'll hurt herself,' Bruce said from the doorway. ‘Come on, girls, stop plaguing your mum. She's still not well. Maybe we can try a bit of teamwork and get the furniture shifted all together.'

‘Can I be on your team, Uncle Bruce?' I begged.

‘I'm going to be the boss, little 'un, getting you all organized. It's about time too. You girls all need taking in hand.'

‘Excuse me?' said Mum. ‘You're the boss of
my
daughters? They need taking in hand, do they? And whose hand would that be, eh?
Yours?
What a badword cheek!' She struggled up off the mattress and went striding over to him, hands on her hips, her big bosoms bouncing.

‘Now look, Sue, I didn't mean anything,' Bruce said nervously. ‘It was just a figure of speech. I just meant we needed to sort it out, moving the furniture, seeing as I daren't do anything daft with my back.'

‘You and your bogging back,' said Mum. ‘I reckon you just say that as an excuse because you're bone idle, like all men. You're fit enough to play silly beggars with my girls, teaching them this daft kung fu fiddlesticks. As if they need any encouragement fighting! You want to teach our Jude how
not
to fight, you daft pillock.'

Bruce rocked backwards on his feet, blinking behind his glasses.

‘Don't get upset, Uncle Bruce. Mum doesn't really mean it, she's just in a strop,' I said, taking his hand.

‘I am not in a strop, you lippy little madam!' Mum shouted. ‘Stop snuggling up to him, Dixie. He's not your uncle, he's practically a stranger.'

Bruce let go my hand. ‘I
was
a stranger – and I'd have been very happy to keep it that way too. I was just helping out with the van at first, that was the deal. For a bit of spare cash, although the only cash that's been spent so far has been my own. But I kind of got sucked into all this kerfuffle and so I tried to do the decent thing and help you and your girls.
I
didn't start the uncle thing, it was all little Dixie's idea. I was tickled pink as she's a great little kid. Still, I can see it's upsetting you, so we'll stop it now. Blow my bad back, I'll do my best to get your furniture upstairs and then I'll be off. For good.'

‘No!' I wailed, clinging to him.

‘Stop that nonsense, Dixie, you're showing me up,' Mum snapped. ‘You're just being silly now.'

I looked Mum straight in the eyes. ‘You're being silly too, Mum,' I said. I looked over at little Sundance abandoned on the mattress.

Mum looked too. She suddenly shut up. ‘My baby,' she whispered, and went back to the mattress. She cradled Sundance, kissing the tufty hair.

Martine and Jude and Rochelle shook their heads in disbelief. Mum was usually incapable of shutting up when she went off on one of her rants. She always yelled herself hoarse and then she'd burst into noisy tears and give us all a hug and say she was a bad-tempered old bag and the worst mum in the world and we'd all be
better
off in care. Then we'd hug her back and tell her she was the
best
mum in the world and we didn't want to live with anyone else but her even if she
was
a bad-tempered old bag.

‘Please please please don't go, Uncle Bruce,' I said.

‘I
have
to go back home, Dixie. I've got to be up at crack of dawn to get to the flower market. But don't worry, dear, I'll keep in touch, if it's OK with your mum.'

‘And you'll still be my uncle?' I asked.

Bruce glanced at Mum. She was rocking the baby, not bothering with either of us any more.

‘If you want,' he whispered.

‘I don't want you to be my soppy old uncle, but I need you to be my Wing Chun instructor,' said Jude.

‘You're on,' said Bruce. ‘Come on then, let's get some of this blessed furniture upstairs. It looks like it's just you and me doing the heaving and hauling.'

‘I
would
help, but I can't,' said Martine. Her hands were cupped over her tummy.

‘You got a stomach ache then?' said Jude.

‘Yeah,' Martine said quickly.

‘Yeah, me too,' said Rochelle.

‘Rubbish!' I said.

‘Fat lot you know about it, Dixie,' said Rochelle.

‘Well OK, I'll help,' I said. ‘I can, I can, I'm much stronger than I look, Uncle Bruce.' I took off my cardie and flexed my arms to show him.

‘You've got muscles like little peanuts, sweetheart,' said Bruce. He rolled his own sleeves up in a businesslike fashion. He couldn't help flexing his own muscles proudly. It looked like he had an orange inside each skinny arm.

‘Wow, Mr Body Builder!' said Jude. ‘That's not from Wing Chun, is it?'

‘I did use to go down the gym a lot too,' said Bruce.

‘Get you, Freda Flowershop,' said Rochelle. ‘Hey, Martine, can I borrow your mobile a sec? I want to text someone.'

‘Not that creep in McDonald's!' said Jude.

‘No, you can't have my mobile,
I
need it,' said Martine. ‘What creep?'

‘Get out of the way, all of you,' said Jude. ‘Why
can't
you help, Martine? I know it's not your time of the month, so don't use that as an excuse.'

‘Will you just shut up, Jude! I've got a stomach bug, if you must know. I feel sick.'

‘Rubbish!' said Jude.

‘It's not rubbish, Jude, I heard her being sick this morning,' I said. I was trying to be helpful but Martine looked horrified.

‘Shut
up
, Dixie. Can't you ever keep your mouth shut?' she hissed.

‘Yeah, she's the biggest telltale-tit ever,' said Rochelle.

‘I
can
keep secrets! I can keep the most
amazing
secrets, so you two just shut up yourselves. Just you wait till you find out
my
secret!'

‘Dixie!' Mum was shouting from the living room. ‘Come in here! I need you.
Now!
'

‘I'll help you, Mum,' said Martine, pushing me out the way.

‘No, Martine, I want Dixie.'

‘Oh, all right, then, suit yourself,' said Martine huffily, flouncing off.

‘
Please
lend us your mobile, Martine,' said Rochelle,
running
after her. ‘Hey, Jude, do my stuff first, eh? I want to get my room sorted. But be careful, don't bash it all about. Watch my dressing table, won't you?'

‘You watch it or we'll bash you all about, Roxanne,' said Bruce. ‘Don't go giving us your orders. We're not the removal men. We're doing this as a favour, aren't we, Jude?'