Golden Words

5: Sister

Patricia

I press the button and the old radio crackles to life. It starts playing some song I haven't heard. It's the kind of thing that Angela or Jennifer would like, the sort they'd dance to in the evenings until their parents told them to get on with their homework.

Maybe I could 'phone Angie or Jenny from the pay phone down the street. We could talk.

I don't know. I'm not used to having nothing to do. My whole home life is Rosemary, Rosemary, Rosemary- making sure she's happy, that she's well fed, that she's not doing anything silly. Dad went to work this morning even though we just got back from Clacton-on-sea yesterday, and Mum's taken Rosemary to hospital and still not come back yet. I've nothing to do.

I hear the click of a key in the lock and turn around, looking away from the radio on the dining table.

Mum limps in. She flops down onto the sofa (if I did that she'd tell me that I'm not a sack of potatoes and to sit up straight) and slips her heeled sandal off her foot.

"Well, that was a job and a half!" she sighs, rubbing her heel. "I could use a cuppa, Patricia. I've done more walking today than in a whole week! Look at my shoe."

I move to boil some water while Mum looks in dismay at her worn-down heel. She kicks off her other shoe (I'd get an earful if I left my shoes in the middle of the floor like that) and fumbles in her handbag for a packet of cigarettes.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Mum says, after taking a few drags of her cigarette and being silent for several minutes. "I saw Evelyn and the other girls down at that park- the one near Rosemary's school. I'm sure they'd be pleased if you joined them."

I pass her the cup of tea. "Can I go?"

"Of course. Please do. I want the apartment to myself for a time- I'm knackered."

____________________________________________________________

"Patricia?"

Evelyn is perched delicately on a dirty park bench. She smiles, stands and picks her way gingerly toward me.

I realise why she's walking so oddly. "You're wearing heels!"

Evelyn smiles sheepishly and lifts up her foot so I can see her shoes better. They're gorgeous, these shiny red shoes with silver stiletto heels. "I borrowed them from my mum. She had them in a wardrobe- she doesn't wear them, so I thought that I'd just borrow them."

I purse my lips. "Did you ask?"

Evelyn's face goes as red as her shoes. "No... but Sadie has her own heels. You know, the navy blue pumps?"

"And you wanted to show off?" I interrupt, grinning. "Honestly, you and Sadie- you're ridiculous. Always trying to one-up each other."

She smiles. "Well, it was a wasted effort because Sadie didn't come anyway. We didn't expect you to come."

"You never asked me!"

"You're always busy. Anyway, Angela and Jen are skating over there if you want to see them."

"Don't you want to join in?"

"No fear! Besides, I'm waiting for Sadie. I've got blisters on my toes so I want to make it worthwhile."

I leave her on the bench to meet Angie and Jenny. It's funny that Evelyn calls her Jen- she doesn't do nicknames, for herself or anyone else. I guess that Jen can't really be called anything else. "Jennifer" sounds serious, and Jen is the opposite. She never brushes her hair, she has a laugh like a hyena, and she wears dungarees. Dungarees! At fourteen!

I see her now, doing her mad hyena cackle, zigzagging around Angie. Angie, like Jenny, has her own pair of roller skates, but she doesn't use them much. Angie's a sweet girl and never sits still, but she gets out of breath easily and hates any sort of exercise. She only ever tries to appease Jen. They're inseparable.

I don't own roller skates. Mum doesn't approve of them.

Angie looks over and spots me. "Patsy! You're here!"

Jen looks over her shoulder and races towards me with ease. Angie follows, slowly, her face pink, trying to smooth back her slick brown bob.

"Pattie! How are you? I didn't expect you here! How'd you know we were here? I'm so glad to see you. Evie- sorry, Evelyn- won't skate at all and you know what Angie's like, she's so slow. I love the girl but she is not winning any Olympic medals for any kind of sport anytime soon." In the weeks I haven't seen her, I've almost forgotten how fast Jenny talks. I can barely comprehend her barrage of words, let alone respond to each question or statement. Angie's the only one who's really able to have an effective conversation with her.

"You're hardly in the running yourself," Angie mumbled, in between wheezy breaths. "Didn't you fall six times? I'm still bleeding from where you knocked me over."

Jenny's brow creases. "It was an accident! Maybe I can bandage it with my hankie?" She feels around in her pants pocket and fishes out a grimy cloth. "Ugh. On second thoughts, maybe not. What even is this? There's so much dirt!"

The corners of Angie's lips twitch. She presses her hand against her elbow. "Jenny, it's fine. Like you said, it's just a scrape."

"No, Ange, it's not. I didn't know it was bleeding! Maybe I have a different hankie- or, Pattie, do you have one?"

I shake my head. I can feel my lips curling upwards.

It's so nice to be with them. Like school.

Jenny fusses over Angie's grazed elbow, and then over her asthma ("Do you need your nebulizer? What do you mean you didn't bring it? What if you needed it? Honestly, Ange, you're such a donkey.")

Finally Jen decrees that there will be no more skating today, despite Angie's weak, obviously forced protests. "I think Sadie's here now anyway- she won't want to go skating without Evie- I mean Evelyn." Jenny points in Evelyn's general direction, and sure enough I can see a small, willowy blonde perched on the bench beside her.

I squint. "Is that Sadie?"

"I think so. Let's say hello," Angie suggests quickly, hastily tugging off her rollerblades before Jen changes her mind about skating.

"What will we do? I don't want to be the only one skating," Jen laments, as we start moving towards the bench.

"You're from the area, right, Patsy?" Angie interjects, smiling. "Can you recommend anywhere good to go? A cafe, maybe?"

"Sure, " I say airily, stretching out my arms. "This definitely beats looking after my sister."