Don't Ask Alice by Judi Curtin Page B

‘ The List ’ and read it carefully. Then she stuck it onto the fridge, with the writing turned in.
    â€˜I’m in charge now,’ she said.
    She reached into her handbag,
    â€˜Anyone feel like a Mars Bar?’
    Rosie and I ran and grabbed the chocolate. This was going to be so, so good. This was going to be like Christmas – only better.
    Pity there was just one small problem.
    A few minutes later, the problem rang the doorbell.
    I let Alice in and brought her in to the kitchen. Linda gave her a bar of chocolate too. I wondered if she’d have been quite so nice if she’d known exactly what Alice had planned for her.
    While Linda played with Rosie, Alice and I went to my room.
    Alice threw herself on to my bed.
    â€˜I’ve learned a lot from the thing with Miss O’Herlihy,’ she said.
    â€˜Like what?’ I said. ‘Like not meddling in your father’s love life?’
    She shook her head.
    â€˜No. Not that actually. This time we’re going to take things more slowly. We’ll let Dad and Linda meet tonight, just for a minute, just long enough for them to kind of wonder about eachother, and then tomorrow we’ll get down to the serious stuff.’
    I sighed.
    â€˜So how are we going to get them to meet tonight?’
    â€˜Duh. That’s easy. I just stay here until Dad calls me for tea.’
    â€˜But he won’t come over here. He’ll phone you, like he always does.’
    Alice smiled.
    â€˜He can phone, but it won’t do him a whole lot of good.’
    I didn’t bother asking what she meant by that – I knew I’d find out sooner or later.
    After about twenty minutes, Alice’s phone rang. It played a really cool tune, and a whole row of lights began flashing up and down the side of the phone. For about the millionth time I wished that Mum and Dad would escape from the Dark Ages and let me have a phone.
    Alice grinned at me, and picked up her phone.
    â€˜It’s Dad. I’ll put him on speaker,’ she said, asshe pressed a button.
    â€˜Hello?’ she said.
    â€˜Alice, it’s time for you to come home for tea.’
    Peter’s voice was as clear as if he was standing next to us.
    â€˜Hello?’ said Alice again, slightly louder this time.
    Peter’s reply was louder too.
    â€˜It’s Dad. I said it’s time to come home for tea.’
    â€˜Hello?’ said Alice for the third time. ‘Who is this? You’ll have to speak up.’
    â€˜I said – Come. Home. For. Tea.’ This time it sounded as if Peter was standing right next to me and shouting in my ear.
    Alice grinned at me.
    â€˜I’m sorry, whoever you are,’ she said. ‘You keep breaking up on me. Why don’t you try calling back later?’
    â€˜Alice, if you don’t––’ began her dad, but Alice clicked off her phone.
    â€˜Oops,’ she said. ‘He seems to have got cutoff.’
    Then she gave a big fake sigh.
    â€˜Mobile phones these days. They’re so unreliable.’
    I had to laugh, but I was thinking that I would never, ever be brave enough to do what Alice had just done. (Anyway, if Mum has her way, I’ll never get the chance, as I won’t ever have a phone.)
    Three minutes later, Alice’s little brother Jamie was at the front door.
    â€˜Dad says come home for tea,’ he said. ‘And if you ever again do that stupid trick of pretending not to hear him on the phone, he’s going to take it from you and keep it for six months.’
    I giggled until Alice made me stop by glaring at me.
    I was glad her dad hadn’t called over to pick her up, but not for long.
    â€˜Don’t worry,’ Alice whispered as she left. ‘I have a plan B. See you after tea, and I’ll tell you all about it.’
    Half an hour later she was back. She dragged me into the garage, and opened the fuse box.
    â€˜Lucky this is the same as the one in my