pained grunt and sat back, looking guiltily down at her, one hand going defensively to his middle, the other stroking his scratched chin. ‘What d’you want to do that for? Shovin’ me off like that? I wouldn’t ’urt you, you know that!’
‘It was the shock,’ Biddy said, scrambling into a kneeling position and glaring at him. ‘I was asleep … it’s horrible to be woken up by someone suffocating you.’
‘Suffocatin’ you?’ Kenny laughed. ‘By God, no wonder you ’it out! That, you silly kid, were a kiss … ’cos you looked so pretty, lyin’ there.’
‘You should kiss cheeks, not mouths,’ Biddy said definitely. ‘My Mam always kissed me cheek. Mouths are for eating with … oh Kenny, I dreamed I was a sandwich and you were eating me!’
He had been frowning down at her, clearly both perplexed and annoyed, but at her words his face cleared and he laughed out loud, throwing his head back to do so. He no longer looked threatening or different, he just looked like Kenny, who had been kind to her, who had brought her out for a picnic despite his mother’s disapproval.
‘There, ain’t you jest like the silly kid I called you? You kiss kids on the cheek and young ladies on the mouth, you ’alf-wit.’
‘If I’m a silly kid, then treat me like one,’ Biddy said with some sharpness. ‘Don’t you go doin’ that again, I didn’t like it, Kenny.’
‘You screamed so sudden an’ whacked me so ’ard you didn’t get it,’ Kenny said in a grumbling tone. ‘Just when I was about to do me Valentino on you, up comes you bleedin’ knee an’ ’its me right in the essentials …’
‘All right, I’m sorry,’ Biddy allowed. ‘But no more of that sort of nonsense, eh, Kenny?’
‘But I liked it,’ Kenny pointed out, scrabbling their things together. ‘Biddy, you never give it a chanst, honest. You’ll like it awright when you put your mind to it.’
‘No I shan’t,’ Biddy insisted. ‘But you’re packing up – is it time for the bus?’
‘Very near,’ Kenny said. ‘Umm … Biddy?’
‘Yes, Kenny?’
‘Per’aps you’re right, per’aps you’re a bit young for that kissin’ lark. What say we forgit it, for now?’
‘Good idea,’ said Biddy, considerably relieved. She liked Kenny and enjoyed his company butsomething told her, in no uncertain terms, that if she started all that kissing business it wouldn’t be long before Kenny wanted other favours. Mam had said, before she died, that Biddy didn’t ought to go getting involved with lads until she’d sorted out her future and that suited Biddy just fine. Besides, she had a very strong feeling that if Ma Kettle ever found out that Kenny had taken to kissing her little skivvy, she would be out on her ear without a character, regardless of who was at fault.
The bus arrived and they climbed aboard. Kenny kept shooting little sideways glances at her; he reminded Biddy strongly of a puppy who is hovering outside a butcher’s shop with intent. Every time you catch the puppy’s eye he thinks you can read his mind and acts ashamed.
So because she was a kind-hearted girl she reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. ‘It’s all right you know, Kenny,’ she said hearteningly. ‘We’ve had a really lovely day and everything’s been fine. Perhaps we’ll do it again one day, eh? Come over here and dam a stream and have a picnic and that. Perhaps next time we could bring your Ma, if you’d like that.’
Kenny laughed, but he squeezed her hand back and the naughty puppy look disappeared from his eyes. ‘Eh, you’re a nice kid, our Biddy! I wonder what Ma’s got us for us teas?’
Biddy was trotting down the Scotland Road on her way to buy Ma Kettle some strawberries for frosting when she saw Ellen Bradley walking along the opposite pavement. She immediately hollered and waved. ‘Hey … Ellen! Come over here a minute!’
Ellen glanced around to see who had called her and spotted Biddy. Despite the fact that the two
‘It was the shock,’ Biddy said, scrambling into a kneeling position and glaring at him. ‘I was asleep … it’s horrible to be woken up by someone suffocating you.’
‘Suffocatin’ you?’ Kenny laughed. ‘By God, no wonder you ’it out! That, you silly kid, were a kiss … ’cos you looked so pretty, lyin’ there.’
‘You should kiss cheeks, not mouths,’ Biddy said definitely. ‘My Mam always kissed me cheek. Mouths are for eating with … oh Kenny, I dreamed I was a sandwich and you were eating me!’
He had been frowning down at her, clearly both perplexed and annoyed, but at her words his face cleared and he laughed out loud, throwing his head back to do so. He no longer looked threatening or different, he just looked like Kenny, who had been kind to her, who had brought her out for a picnic despite his mother’s disapproval.
‘There, ain’t you jest like the silly kid I called you? You kiss kids on the cheek and young ladies on the mouth, you ’alf-wit.’
‘If I’m a silly kid, then treat me like one,’ Biddy said with some sharpness. ‘Don’t you go doin’ that again, I didn’t like it, Kenny.’
‘You screamed so sudden an’ whacked me so ’ard you didn’t get it,’ Kenny said in a grumbling tone. ‘Just when I was about to do me Valentino on you, up comes you bleedin’ knee an’ ’its me right in the essentials …’
‘All right, I’m sorry,’ Biddy allowed. ‘But no more of that sort of nonsense, eh, Kenny?’
‘But I liked it,’ Kenny pointed out, scrabbling their things together. ‘Biddy, you never give it a chanst, honest. You’ll like it awright when you put your mind to it.’
‘No I shan’t,’ Biddy insisted. ‘But you’re packing up – is it time for the bus?’
‘Very near,’ Kenny said. ‘Umm … Biddy?’
‘Yes, Kenny?’
‘Per’aps you’re right, per’aps you’re a bit young for that kissin’ lark. What say we forgit it, for now?’
‘Good idea,’ said Biddy, considerably relieved. She liked Kenny and enjoyed his company butsomething told her, in no uncertain terms, that if she started all that kissing business it wouldn’t be long before Kenny wanted other favours. Mam had said, before she died, that Biddy didn’t ought to go getting involved with lads until she’d sorted out her future and that suited Biddy just fine. Besides, she had a very strong feeling that if Ma Kettle ever found out that Kenny had taken to kissing her little skivvy, she would be out on her ear without a character, regardless of who was at fault.
The bus arrived and they climbed aboard. Kenny kept shooting little sideways glances at her; he reminded Biddy strongly of a puppy who is hovering outside a butcher’s shop with intent. Every time you catch the puppy’s eye he thinks you can read his mind and acts ashamed.
So because she was a kind-hearted girl she reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. ‘It’s all right you know, Kenny,’ she said hearteningly. ‘We’ve had a really lovely day and everything’s been fine. Perhaps we’ll do it again one day, eh? Come over here and dam a stream and have a picnic and that. Perhaps next time we could bring your Ma, if you’d like that.’
Kenny laughed, but he squeezed her hand back and the naughty puppy look disappeared from his eyes. ‘Eh, you’re a nice kid, our Biddy! I wonder what Ma’s got us for us teas?’
Biddy was trotting down the Scotland Road on her way to buy Ma Kettle some strawberries for frosting when she saw Ellen Bradley walking along the opposite pavement. She immediately hollered and waved. ‘Hey … Ellen! Come over here a minute!’
Ellen glanced around to see who had called her and spotted Biddy. Despite the fact that the two
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