that. Still, no point being too embarrassed about our car, since my delightful family was standing next to it.
Dad and Rosie looked sort of OK. (Well,maybe not OK, but not a total embarrassment either.) Mum though, was a different story. She looked a complete mess. I’m sure she had combed her hair some time in the past few weeks, but it didn’t look like it. It was flying all over the place in the wind, like something designed to scare away birds. She was wearing baggy old faded trousers and a sleeveless top I knew she’d had since I was about six. (She’d probably had it since she was about six.) On her feet she had horrible clumpy brown sandals, and of course she hadn’t discovered nail varnish in the weeks we’d been apart. And the worst of all was, when she raised her arm to wave at me, everyone could see that she doesn’t believe in shaving, and her under-arm hair began to blow in the wind, in time with the hair on her head.
Aaaaargh.
As soon as they saw me, Mum and Dad ran over to me and hugged and kissed me.
Don’t they watch TV?
Don’t they know that kids my age
really
hate it when their parents kiss them in public?
Can’t they remember what it was like to be young?
Or do they just do it out of spite – a little payback for all the times I dropped my clothes on the floor and left the bathroom tap dripping?
Rosie ran over to Alice who picked her up and swung her around. Those two had always been great buddies. Luckily, even Hazel seemed to think that Rosie was cute. She tickled her, and gave her a sweet from her pocket. I giggled. Pity Mum didn’t see that – if she had, she’d have tried to get Hazel expelled from the camp immediately, and all my troubles would have been over at once.
Dad looked at his watch.
‘Come on you lot,’ he said. ‘It’s a lovely sunny day, and I don’t want to spend it here in the car park. Let’s go.’
Mum looked at Alice.
‘Are your parents coming to see you today?’ she asked.
Alice shook her head.
‘No. They’d like to, of course, but they’re very busy.’
Mum didn’t look very pleased to hear that. She was never too busy to give attention to Rosie and me. This was of course both a good and a bad thing – mostly bad.
Then she smiled at Alice.
‘Maybe you’d like to come out with us for the day? You’d be very welcome, and I’m sure Megan would like to have you along.’
That was a totally brilliant idea. I could have kissed Mum, and right then I didn’t care who was watching.
Alice looked a bit doubtful.
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘That’s very nice of you, but …’
She stopped talking and looked at Hazel. I looked at Hazel too, and tried to make up my mind. Which would be worse – bringing Hazel and putting up with her for the day, or leaving her here with Alice?
If she came along with us, would she spend the last week of the camp mocking my mum’s crazy ways, and my dad’s so-not-funny jokes?
I had a pain in my head from trying to decide what to do, but in the end, Mum decided for me.
‘Sorry, Megan,’ she said. ‘We only have one spare seat belt. We can bring Alice, but I’m afraid we won’t have room for your other friend.’
I didn’t speak. It wasn’t the time or the place to mention that Hazel was no friend of mine, and that if I never saw her again it would be too soon.
We all looked at Alice and waited to see what she had to say. Like me, she seemed to be having trouble making up her mind. At last she spoke.
‘Thanks, Sheila, but I think I’ll stay here – otherwise Hazel will be on her own for the day, and she’ll be bored.’
‘Her parents might show up,’ I said.
Hazel made a face at me.
‘They probably won’t. Thanks for staying with me Alice.’
Then, before anyone could say anything else, she put her arm around Alice’s shoulder and practically dragged her back into the school. I waved good-bye, but neither of them saw me.
Mum shook her head.
‘What a pushy girl!’ she said.
You
Dad and Rosie looked sort of OK. (Well,maybe not OK, but not a total embarrassment either.) Mum though, was a different story. She looked a complete mess. I’m sure she had combed her hair some time in the past few weeks, but it didn’t look like it. It was flying all over the place in the wind, like something designed to scare away birds. She was wearing baggy old faded trousers and a sleeveless top I knew she’d had since I was about six. (She’d probably had it since she was about six.) On her feet she had horrible clumpy brown sandals, and of course she hadn’t discovered nail varnish in the weeks we’d been apart. And the worst of all was, when she raised her arm to wave at me, everyone could see that she doesn’t believe in shaving, and her under-arm hair began to blow in the wind, in time with the hair on her head.
Aaaaargh.
As soon as they saw me, Mum and Dad ran over to me and hugged and kissed me.
Don’t they watch TV?
Don’t they know that kids my age
really
hate it when their parents kiss them in public?
Can’t they remember what it was like to be young?
Or do they just do it out of spite – a little payback for all the times I dropped my clothes on the floor and left the bathroom tap dripping?
Rosie ran over to Alice who picked her up and swung her around. Those two had always been great buddies. Luckily, even Hazel seemed to think that Rosie was cute. She tickled her, and gave her a sweet from her pocket. I giggled. Pity Mum didn’t see that – if she had, she’d have tried to get Hazel expelled from the camp immediately, and all my troubles would have been over at once.
Dad looked at his watch.
‘Come on you lot,’ he said. ‘It’s a lovely sunny day, and I don’t want to spend it here in the car park. Let’s go.’
Mum looked at Alice.
‘Are your parents coming to see you today?’ she asked.
Alice shook her head.
‘No. They’d like to, of course, but they’re very busy.’
Mum didn’t look very pleased to hear that. She was never too busy to give attention to Rosie and me. This was of course both a good and a bad thing – mostly bad.
Then she smiled at Alice.
‘Maybe you’d like to come out with us for the day? You’d be very welcome, and I’m sure Megan would like to have you along.’
That was a totally brilliant idea. I could have kissed Mum, and right then I didn’t care who was watching.
Alice looked a bit doubtful.
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘That’s very nice of you, but …’
She stopped talking and looked at Hazel. I looked at Hazel too, and tried to make up my mind. Which would be worse – bringing Hazel and putting up with her for the day, or leaving her here with Alice?
If she came along with us, would she spend the last week of the camp mocking my mum’s crazy ways, and my dad’s so-not-funny jokes?
I had a pain in my head from trying to decide what to do, but in the end, Mum decided for me.
‘Sorry, Megan,’ she said. ‘We only have one spare seat belt. We can bring Alice, but I’m afraid we won’t have room for your other friend.’
I didn’t speak. It wasn’t the time or the place to mention that Hazel was no friend of mine, and that if I never saw her again it would be too soon.
We all looked at Alice and waited to see what she had to say. Like me, she seemed to be having trouble making up her mind. At last she spoke.
‘Thanks, Sheila, but I think I’ll stay here – otherwise Hazel will be on her own for the day, and she’ll be bored.’
‘Her parents might show up,’ I said.
Hazel made a face at me.
‘They probably won’t. Thanks for staying with me Alice.’
Then, before anyone could say anything else, she put her arm around Alice’s shoulder and practically dragged her back into the school. I waved good-bye, but neither of them saw me.
Mum shook her head.
‘What a pushy girl!’ she said.
You
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