Incandescent with rage, Joanna strode on, only once daring to sneak a glance back over her shoulder to where her sister watched on.
âStupid baby toy,â she muttered under her breath, the salty breeze cooling the small blot of tears that had started forming around her eyes. âI donât need it, and I donât need them.â
Everyone always said Joanna was very mature for her age, and maybe that was part of the problem: they could see she was mature, but still treated her as a child. It wasnât fair. She was practically ten anyway, and clearly her parents considered her old enough to watch over her kid sister while they talked, so they couldnât complain that sheâd decided to walk to the shop to buy herself some sweets; sheâd probably be home before they even realised anyway.
The cause of this latest outburst â one in a long line of recent disagreements blown over the top â was the seeming lack of reward for this termâs school report. Joanna had worked hard to earn her high grades in English, Maths, and Science, but just because her younger sister had received a special mention in the end of term newsletter, sheâd been given a new skateboard. How was that fair? Where was Joannaâs own skateboard, or age-appropriate gift, for doing so well? Were strong grades in English, Maths, and Science really worth less than the piece of music her sister had learned to play on that damned recorder?
And sheâd missed a note when sheâd played it!
But there was no mention of that slip-up in the newsletter that was now stuck to the front of the fridge, with copies sent out to family members far and wide.
âWeâve high hopes for you,â their father had said at breakfast, still beaming. âToday, the school assembly, but tomorrow, maybe the Philharmonic Orchestra!â
Yeah, sure, Dad, they have recorder players in the Philharmonic Orchestra!
Joanna had only asked for one turn on the bloody skateboard, to show her sister how to do it right, but would she listen? No! Always thought she knew better, that one. Well, Joanna would show her. Sheâd take the pound coin sheâd earned for tidying her bedroom, and sheâd buy chocolate, and casually walk home, eating it. Then her sister would know who the big fish in the family was!
But as she now looked up to get her bearings, she realised sheâd missed the usual cut way that led up to the local shop. In fact, sheâd missed it by quite some distance, and she wasnât totally certain she knew where she was. The sea gulls cawed nearby, but she couldnât get a sense of which end of the island sheâd been walking towards. There was something vaguely familiar about the boarded-up fish and chip shop on the corner, the picture of the navy-blue fish on the orange backdrop looking ghastly. If she kept walking straight she would eventually come to one side of the shoreline or the other, or sheâd see the signs for Weymouth and realise sheâd walked far too far.
Stopping for a moment, and sweeping the hazelnut fringe out of her eyes, she took in the full horizon, looking for any indication of just how far sheâd come. Wasnât this the way their mum drove them to the dentist? Their dentist was on the way to Weymouth town centre, and so they made the six-monthly visit by car. Most of the time, Joanna had her head buried in a book of poetry or literature, and she didnât bother to take in the scenery around her.
Not wanting to retrace her steps, she continued onwards, turning down past the fish and chip shop. If she was right, and this was the road to the dentist, then there should be aâŚ
The smile broke across her face as she spotted the small newsagentâs shop with the giant plastic ice-cream cone standing outside of it. Joanna remembered this shop, because every time they went to the dentist, her sister would whine and crave an ice cream that big, even though sheâd have no chance of holding something so large, let alone eating it. That didnât stop her droning on about it though. And if anyone ever did invent an ice cream that big, sheâd bet her parents would somehow find the money to buy it for her sister. That meant Joanna must have walked further than sheâd expected, though she couldnât spot the coastline in any direction.
Thrusting her hands into her pockets, she playfully ran her fingertips around the rough edges of the pound coin. One day, when she was older and she had children of her own, she would make sure they were treated equally; no special measures for the younger child. And both children would be allowed to choose whether they wanted to buy sweets or not. Joanna knew all about healthy diets, and very rarely asked for chocolate or sweets, but every once in a while couldnât hurt, and that was why she was now determined to buy herself a treat. She wouldnât use the entire pound right now. Sheâd use some of it, and keep some for the next time her sister got on her nerves. After all, sheâd managed to find the newsagentâs shop this time without too much fuss, and so a return trip one day wouldnât be out of the question.
Entering the shop, she was immediately hit by the wave of warm air that hung at head-height. It actually felt warmer in the shop than it had outside, where the sea breeze was pushing the few clouds in the otherwise crystal-blue sky. Clearly, the owner didnât believe in the merits of air conditioning. The shop was about the size of her bedroom, but it was crammed full. Colourful magazines â like the ones her grandma read â lined the shelves, and above those were the magazines her dad would occasionally buy when Mum wasnât around. The opposite wall, by comparison, was a thing of beauty. The shelves were chockful of colourful wrappers; could it be that every sweet ever produced resided here? So much choice; too much choice! And then, above the chocolate bars, was a shelf containing tall plastic cartons of sweets, including sherbet lemons, cola bottles, and her favourites: rhubarb and custards.
Maybe she wouldnât bother saving any of her pound today; she could always earn another pound for tidying her room, or offering to dry the washed crockery after dinner. In fact, this Aladdinâs cave could become her secret place â somewhere she could sneak off to on the way home from school or when she was supposed to be walking to Grandmaâs house. Her parents would never come in here, so it wasnât like theyâd ever catch her.
She was still deliberating over which chocolate bar to buy when she felt the dryness in her throat, and spied the tall fridge of ice-cold drinks cans and bottles. How hadnât she realised just how thirsty she was? Walking to the refrigerator door, she looked in at the selection of Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and Lilt cans, but the sticker on the front of the door said all bottles were 80p, so she wouldnât have enough money to buy a drink and a chocolate bar. If only sheâd realised she would make this trip out today, she would have raided her piggy bank for another pound. Opening the fridge door, she pulled out the bottle of Fanta.
Returning to the wall of sweets, she ran her eyes over the selection again. If only she had another twenty pence, sheâd be able to buy a Twirl and a bottle of Fanta. Picking up the Twirl, she turned the purple packet over in her hands. If only the shopkeeper would allow her to buy half the Twirl now, sheâd have the drink and a taste of chocolate to keep her going. Or maybe, if she asked him really nicely, heâd let her have both if she promised to return and pay the extra twenty pence on another day. It was worth a try.
âHello,â a deep voice said from behind her. âWhatâs going on here then?â
âI wasnât stealing it,â she said, fear instantly gripping her heart, as she turned to see the tall man in the light-grey suit and tie, hovering over her. âI have money.â She pulled out the pound coin to show him for good measure.
His eyes didnât leave hers. âI know you, donât I?â he asked, his accent not local to the area. âYou go to St Margaretâs with my daughter.â
Joanna thought there was something vaguely familiar about his face, but she couldnât place him as one of the dads of her close friends. But why would he lie? And how else would he know she went to St Margaretâs?
âWhatâs your daughterâs name?â she asked.
He smiled harmlessly. âKim. Sheâs in Year 4.â
She knew of a Kim in one of the other classes: a quiet girl with whom sheâd had little engagement.
âI think I know who you mean,â Joanna replied forthrightly, âbut weâre not in the same class.â
âAh, I see,â he replied, looking down at the items she was gripping so tightly. âWell now, oh, it looks like you donât have enough money to buy the drink and the chocolate.â
She looked down at the two items, deciding her thirst was greater than her hunger, and begrudgingly returned the Twirl to the shelf. She could feel his eyes watching her, but she willed her cheeks not to show her embarrassment.
âI tell you what,â the man said softly. âTwirls are my daughterâs favourite too, and look here, it says you can buy three for the price of two. How about I buy the three, and you can have the free one. That way, I can have one, Kim can have one, and you can have one; we all win.â
He reached out and picked up two Twirls, and opened his free hand, waiting for her to place the third in it. She knew better than to accept sweets from strangers â that had been drilled in long ago â but this guy wasnât exactly a stranger; he was Kimâs dad, and he wasnât asking her to go with him, merely giving her a free chocolate bar. Where was the harm?
She picked up the bar and placed it in his hand, before following him up to the counter where she paid for her drink, and then waited for him by the door.
âThere you go,â he said, offering the Twirl once they were both outside. âIâd better be on my way or Kimâs mum will have my guts for garters. Do you need a lift home?â
She quickly shook her head. âNo, Iâm fine, thank you.â
The man pulled up the sleeve of his grey suit jacket and looked at his watch. âAre you sure? It is getting late. You live near St Margaretâs, donât you? I could drop you off there if you want? Itâs on my way home.â
âThank you, but Iâm not allowed to go in cars with people I donât know.â
He smiled, and held up his hands as if surrendering. âThat is very sensible! I hadnât thought about it like that. Youâre quite right to be wary, and I only hope Kim is as sensible as you if a man ever offers her a lift home. Well, so long, and it was nice meeting you⌠Wait, I didnât catch your name?â
âJoanna,â she said, thinking nothing of it.
âIâll tell Kim you said hi, Joanna,â he replied with another smile.
He opened the door of the long BMW and climbed in, starting the engine but not pulling away.
Joanna lingered, waiting to see which direction he would go in, but the car remained stationary. She looked down at her own watch and her eyes widened with panic. She hadnât realised just how late it was. Her mum and dad would surely have noticed she wasnât home and would be starting to worry. If she ever wanted to make a sneaky trip back to the newsagentâs shop again, she would have to get home sharpish.
She looked back along the road, trying to remember which way sheâd come, and whether there might be a more direct route home, but she couldnât even be certain which road sheâd come along.
Moving to the side of the car, she could now see the man was typing something into his mobile phone, but he looked up and smiled warmly when he saw her watching. The electric window lowered, and he leaned over the seat to talk to her.
âIs everything okay, Joanna?â he asked, with just a hint of concern.
âI wondered,â she began, âif itâs not too much bother⌠would you be able to give me that lift to the school?â
He locked his phone, and returned it to his inside jacket pocket. âOf course I can. Climb in the back. I think Kimâs booster seat is in there.â
She heard the rear passengerâs side door unlock, and clambered in, finding no sign of a booster seat. Placing the Fanta and Twirl between her legs, she fastened the seat belt and glanced at her watch again. As the car pulled away, she suddenly realised her parents would be on to her little jaunt if she returned to the house with evidence of the Twirl and Fanta, and would have to try and hide them in the den at the back of the garden before they saw her. The side gate leading to the garden was bound to be unlocked, and if she was careful, she could sneak to the den, hide the goods, and be back o...
