Pick ‘n’ Mix

I might have retorted that I knew what she was like, screaming blue murder if anyone just dared to even breathe on any of her precious bits and pieces, but an idea had come whizzing into my brain.

“If Angel moved into my room,” I said, “me and Emilia could share hers!”

“You’d still mess things up,” snapped Angel.

“No, I wouldn’t, cos you could take everything out so’s I couldn’t contaminate it.”

Angel said, “Huh!” Mum looked at me, doubtfully.

“Frankie, are you sure?”

“I don’t mind sharing,” I said. “Just so long as it’s not with her.”

Angel stuck up a finger. This is such a rude thing to do. And Mum let her get away with it! I bet she wouldn’t have let me.

“Angel, could you bear to move into Frankie’s room?” she said. “Just for a few weeks? I know it’s asking a lot of you, but…”

We all waited. I could see the struggle going on inside Angel’s head. She hated the thought of me being in possession of her room while she was banished to my humble broom cupboard, but she obviously didn’t want to be thought mean or uncharitable. In the end, rather grumpily, she said, “I s’ppose I wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s really good of you,” said Mum. “I really appreciate that! Mrs Duffy will be so relieved.”

“Can I go now?” said Angel.

“Yes, yes! Off you go.”

Angel and Tom disappeared upstairs, Dad went off to his shed.

“So when will Emilia be coming?” I said.

“Some time in the week; Tuesday or Wednesday, I think. I won’t move you into Angel’s room until the last minute. But Frankie, I have to ask, are you really quite certain about this? Emilia’s a sweet girl, but it’s not going to be easy. She’s not like an ordinary thirteen-year-old.”

“No problem,” I said. “I’ll look after her. It’ll be good training!” I plan to be a social worker when I leave school. Either that or an aromatherapist. At any rate, something to do with helping people. Mum knows this. “I reckon the sooner I get started,” I said, “the better.”

“Well… so long as you’re sure.”

I told Mum that I was absolutely positive and went galloping back upstairs to admire my corner cabinet standing in its corner. It was a pity I wasn’t going to get the benefit of it for the next few weeks, but Angel needn’t think she was putting her stuff in there. I wasn’t turning out my fossil collection just for her.

I got a bit of a shock when I went into my room: a long bald strip of carpet had appeared between the cabinet and the bed. It was Rags! He’d discovered the loose fronds and was joyously tugging at them, making happy little growly noises, his bum stuck up in the air.

“What are you doing?” I shrieked. Rags started, guiltily. “Bad!” I said. “Bad!”

Rags rolled an eye, and grinned, then collapsed on to his back and frantically waved his paws at me. Poor little man! How could I be cross with him? It wasn’t his fault. All the same, it was a nasty moment. Mum could hardly be expected to miss a long bald strip in the middle of my carpet. I didn’t even have a rug I could use for covering it up. In the end, in desperation, I grabbed a pile of clothes and chucked them on the floor. I knew Mum wouldn’t clear them away cos she’d told me only last week she wasn’t going to tidy up after me any more.

“You must learn to be a bit more responsible. I’m not here to act as your servant.”

I was safe for the moment, but I knew it couldn’t last. Sooner or later I was going to be moved into Angel’s room and Angel was going to be moved into mine, and then the baldness would be revealed in all its horror. And the hole in the carpet. It was fraying fast, all round the edge, and was ballooning out where Rags had tugged.

There was only one thing to do. I raced back downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Mum?”

Where was she? I had to get to her before she rang Mrs Duffy.

“Mum!” I ran, panting, up the hall.

“What is it?” said Mum, coming out of the front room. “Is the house on fire?”

I said, “No, but I’ve been thinking… maybe it’s not fair on Angel, me moving into her room. You know how she hates people touching her things.”

“Well, that’s all right,” said Mum. “Don’t touch them.”

“But she hates me even just looking at them. Just breathing on them. It might give her a nervous breakdown!”

“She’ll get over it,” said Mum.

“But it could be fatal!”

“I doubt it.”

I was really surprised at Mum. Who would have thought she could be so heartless?

I said, “Mu-u-um!”

“It’s no big deal,” said Mum. “So she’s sacrificing her bedroom for four weeks. It won’t do her any harm. I’m more concerned about you; Emilia can be quite clingy. I just hope you’re not biting off more than you can chew.”

“I’m not,” I said. “It’s Angel I’m worried about.”

“That’s very sweet of you,” said Mum, “but really quite unnecessary. In any case, it’s too late now, I’ve already rung Mrs Duffy. Emilia’s coming on Tuesday.”

I said, “Oh.”

“We’ll do the move tomorrow evening.”

“OK.” I trailed to the door, then suddenly turned back. “Maybe Emilia could sleep in my room, with me?”

“Don’t be silly,” said Mum. “We couldn’t get a second bed in your room.”

“I could always sleep downstairs,” I said. Emilia by herself probably wouldn’t even notice a hole in the carpet. “I could sleep on the sofa!”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” said Mum.

“But, M—”

“You’re both sleeping in Angel’s room! That’s it, it’s all sorted.”

“B—”

“Frankie!”