Pick 'n' Mix by Jean Ure

of her. I mean, she was really sweet and obliging, and after all she had kept quiet about me forgetting to pick her up. But she’d been with us for nearly a week now, and I’d learnt that you really did have to watch her the entire time for fear she’d go wandering off in the wrong direction, or strike up a conversation with total strangers. Even go with total strangers.
    â€œYou know, Frankie, I did warn you,” said Mum.
    â€œYes,” I said, “I know! It’s just –” I waved a hand. “The others.”
    â€œJemma and Skye? Oh, come on, I’m sure between the three of you you can manage all right! Or are you saying they’re tired of her?”
    â€œN-no. Not exactly.”
    Just that it wasn’t the same, with Melia tagging along. I didn’t think Jem would mind; I wasn’t so sure about Skye. Twice in the past few days she’d made excuses not to walk home with us. But I had promised Mum. She was relying on me! And I did owe Melia.
    â€œIt would make her so happy,” said Mum. “And it would help me out. I have two of my ladies coming this morning for fittings.”
    What she meant was she couldn’t watch over Melia and see to her ladies at the same time. You just never knew with Melia what she was going to get up to. She might even open the front door and let Rags go rushing out. I had this vision of him joyously galloping up to the park by himself. Running across the road, straight under the wheels of a car… it made me go quite weak and watery just thinking of it. You had to watch out for Rags just as you did for Melia. It was that that decided me: I told Mum that I would take her. Anything rather than Rags being run over.
    Melia’s face lit up with one of her big beams when she heard the news.
    â€œShopping centre! Shopping centre!” She held Rags’ front paws and they danced up and down together. “We’re going to the shopping centre!”
    â€œNot with Rags,” said Mum.
    â€œNot Rags?” Her beam faded. She loved Rags; she always wanted to include him in everything. She’d have taken him to school with her if she could. “Put him onna lead?” she pleaded.
    â€œNot in the shopping centre. They don’t like dogs in there.”
    â€œMm.” Melia nodded, wisely. “I suppose in case he does a whoopsie. People might walk in it! Ugh, yuck! I walked in one, once. I got it all over. Pooh, pooh!” She held her nose. “What a pong! W—”
    â€œYes, well, this is it,” said Mum. “You can’t be too careful. Off you go now!” She gave me this little encouraging smile as she held open the front door. “Have a good time!”
    I could see at once, from the look on Skye’s face, that she hadn’t been expecting me to bring Melia. Melia bawled, “HELLO, SKYE!” at the top of her voice, as usual. Skye said, “Yeah, hi,” and gave me this agonised look.
    â€œI couldn’t help it,” I hissed. “Mum’s got fittings all morning.”
    â€œWhat about your dad? Isn’t he there?”
    â€œDad’s working.”
    Jem appeared at this point, and Melia went lolloping off to meet her.
    â€œHello, Jem! We’re going to the shopping centre!”
    â€œWe’ve had her all week,” said Skye. “Couldn’t one of the others take a turn?”
    I had to remind her that I was the one who’d originally offered to be responsible. Right from the start Angel had made it clear she wasn’t going to get involved.
    â€œAnd Tom’s worse than useless.”
    Even Skye couldn’t argue with that.
    â€œMelia’ll be OK,” I said. I said it as much to convince myself as to convince Skye. “So long as we just remember to keep an eye on her.”
    It would have been all right if we hadn’t gone into the China & Glass department of Turton’s. We never go into the China & Glass