want it for, do you think they’re going to shove me out of here any time soon and you want to know where I’ll be?’ If only.
Michael looked confused and then he lied to me. ‘Ah, something like that.’ He smiled his lovely smile and I didn’t know how to deal with what was happening. My Michael was falling for my sister and the pain was gut-wrenching. Jealousy was a fire inside my belly, worse than seeing John Adams with my friend Sally, much, much worse.
Later when Michael was gone to work in the fields milking the cows, planting things or whatever he did on the farm, I sat in the kitchen hunched over the fire. Aunt Jessie made me a cup of tea and sat opposite me. There was some kind of lecture coming.
‘About your sister—’
‘Hari? What about her, Aunt Jessie?’ For a minute I felt a pang of fear. ‘She’s all right, is she?’
‘Aye, she’s all right. She’s a lovely girl, a town girl, she’d never be happy in the country.’
‘Well, she doesn’t live in the country and never will.’ Then I saw what Aunt Jessie was getting at and thought it over for a few minutes.
‘At a certain age young folk get fancies but that’s all they are, fancies. Oppose them and they get stubborn, pretend to go with these silly, passing fancies and that’s it, they’ll pass and be forgotten.’
I ran to her and flung my arms around her neck. ‘Do you think I’d make a good country girl, Auntie?’
‘Maybe, maybe not, but you’ll probably have a lot of fancies yourself before you need to decide.’
I knew I wouldn’t have any fancies. Michael was my man for good and ever but Aunt Jessie talked a lot of, well, sort of hidden sense; she spoke like the Sunday School teacher, in sort of parables, but I knew what she meant all right.
‘Now, to something rather unpleasant – I want you to go to school this afternoon. Your teacher agreed to you having the morning off but this afternoon she wants you there to read the part of Titania in the school play; you’re the only one to learn the lines properly, so she says. It’s a good way for you to settle back in, Meryl.’ She smiled. ‘It’s the best offer you’re going to get, so my advice is take it.’
I adjusted my thought to school, to getting ready, putting on my skirt and my long socks, polishing my shoes, going back to meet up with George Dixon.
‘I don’t know why Miss Grist picked me, Titania was supposed to have lovely red hair, wasn’t she?’ We were back to Hari again.
‘Don’t ask me, I haven’t got time to read that stuff.’
I tried not to laugh. ‘Well, I suppose it’s better than going back to double sums or English.’ I loved both those subjects but I felt I had to give in with good grace, at least taking part in a play might be fun. I gave in. ‘It’s a long walk though and my leg still hurts a bit where George kicked me.’
‘I thought it might,’ Aunt Jessie said dryly, ‘I’ll take you in the pony and trap.’
School wasn’t as bad as I thought. Some of the kids crowded round me and asked what George had done to me. They all seemed to have garbled ideas about the attack.
‘Will you have a baby?’ Mattie Beynon whispered in my ear. I stared at her in astonishment.
‘How would I manage that?’
‘Well,’ she faltered, ‘when George attacked you did he put his thing inside you?’
‘No he did not!’ I pushed her away. ‘Look, that rat George Dixon didn’t get anywhere near my knickers so don’t go making up silly stories any of you.’
‘That’s enough of that.’ Miss Grist’s voice held a touch of laughter but her face was stern. ‘There’s no need of that sort of low talk, Meryl. Now, into the hall, all of you, and we’ll get on with the play.’
So I was Titania, Queen of the Fairies. I was to meet Oberon in a fairy glade or wood or something. Oberon was Roy Clark; he was thin and had glasses but then he had a lovely smile, and his voice was good and clear.
‘Ill met by moonlight, proud
Michael looked confused and then he lied to me. ‘Ah, something like that.’ He smiled his lovely smile and I didn’t know how to deal with what was happening. My Michael was falling for my sister and the pain was gut-wrenching. Jealousy was a fire inside my belly, worse than seeing John Adams with my friend Sally, much, much worse.
Later when Michael was gone to work in the fields milking the cows, planting things or whatever he did on the farm, I sat in the kitchen hunched over the fire. Aunt Jessie made me a cup of tea and sat opposite me. There was some kind of lecture coming.
‘About your sister—’
‘Hari? What about her, Aunt Jessie?’ For a minute I felt a pang of fear. ‘She’s all right, is she?’
‘Aye, she’s all right. She’s a lovely girl, a town girl, she’d never be happy in the country.’
‘Well, she doesn’t live in the country and never will.’ Then I saw what Aunt Jessie was getting at and thought it over for a few minutes.
‘At a certain age young folk get fancies but that’s all they are, fancies. Oppose them and they get stubborn, pretend to go with these silly, passing fancies and that’s it, they’ll pass and be forgotten.’
I ran to her and flung my arms around her neck. ‘Do you think I’d make a good country girl, Auntie?’
‘Maybe, maybe not, but you’ll probably have a lot of fancies yourself before you need to decide.’
I knew I wouldn’t have any fancies. Michael was my man for good and ever but Aunt Jessie talked a lot of, well, sort of hidden sense; she spoke like the Sunday School teacher, in sort of parables, but I knew what she meant all right.
‘Now, to something rather unpleasant – I want you to go to school this afternoon. Your teacher agreed to you having the morning off but this afternoon she wants you there to read the part of Titania in the school play; you’re the only one to learn the lines properly, so she says. It’s a good way for you to settle back in, Meryl.’ She smiled. ‘It’s the best offer you’re going to get, so my advice is take it.’
I adjusted my thought to school, to getting ready, putting on my skirt and my long socks, polishing my shoes, going back to meet up with George Dixon.
‘I don’t know why Miss Grist picked me, Titania was supposed to have lovely red hair, wasn’t she?’ We were back to Hari again.
‘Don’t ask me, I haven’t got time to read that stuff.’
I tried not to laugh. ‘Well, I suppose it’s better than going back to double sums or English.’ I loved both those subjects but I felt I had to give in with good grace, at least taking part in a play might be fun. I gave in. ‘It’s a long walk though and my leg still hurts a bit where George kicked me.’
‘I thought it might,’ Aunt Jessie said dryly, ‘I’ll take you in the pony and trap.’
School wasn’t as bad as I thought. Some of the kids crowded round me and asked what George had done to me. They all seemed to have garbled ideas about the attack.
‘Will you have a baby?’ Mattie Beynon whispered in my ear. I stared at her in astonishment.
‘How would I manage that?’
‘Well,’ she faltered, ‘when George attacked you did he put his thing inside you?’
‘No he did not!’ I pushed her away. ‘Look, that rat George Dixon didn’t get anywhere near my knickers so don’t go making up silly stories any of you.’
‘That’s enough of that.’ Miss Grist’s voice held a touch of laughter but her face was stern. ‘There’s no need of that sort of low talk, Meryl. Now, into the hall, all of you, and we’ll get on with the play.’
So I was Titania, Queen of the Fairies. I was to meet Oberon in a fairy glade or wood or something. Oberon was Roy Clark; he was thin and had glasses but then he had a lovely smile, and his voice was good and clear.
‘Ill met by moonlight, proud
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