Lola Rose (26 page)

‘Yeah. Right. I can see they are,' said Dad, holding them out, practically thrusting them in Mum's face. ‘That's not really the issue, is it, Nikki?'

Mum swallowed.

‘
Is it?
' Dad yelled.

‘Don't shout, darling, please,' Mum begged.

‘I'll shout my head off until you tell me whose pants these are,' said Dad.

They were obviously Jake's. I hated him for being so careless, so forgetful.

‘They're Kendall's,' I blurted out.

‘Oooh.
Kendall's
, are they?' said Dad. ‘Why the fancy name, Kenny?'

Kenny tried to shrug, his shoulders wiggling.

‘Are they your pants,
Kendall
?' said Dad. ‘Bit big for you, aren't they?' He held up the boxer shorts. They'd have reached right down to Kendall's ankles.

‘I think you're telling me porky pies, Jayni,' said Dad.

‘Leave the kids out of it,' said Auntie Barbara. ‘For God's sake, what does it matter whose stupid pants they are? Forget it, let's have our tea.'

She passed Dad a mug but he batted it away, so that hot tea sprayed everywhere, spattering Auntie Barbara's Thai silk two-piece.

‘Whoops!' said Dad. ‘Aha! Are they
your
pants, Barbie? No, I don't think so. A little on the small side this time.'

‘You're labouring the point, Jay,' said Auntie Barbara, dabbing at her wet wrap-around.

‘Too right I am. I want an answer.' Dad scrunched the pants up and wiped them round Mum's face like a flannel. ‘Whose are they, Nikki?'

‘I don't know,' Mum whispered.

‘You don't
know
? So you've had so many men taking their clothes off since you've been here you've lost track, have you?'

Mum shook her head, clutching her sore chest. ‘Jay, I'm sorry. Please don't be angry. There was just the one guy,' she wept.

‘You slag,' Dad yelled. He raised his hand, his fist clenching.

I ran towards Mum.

Auntie Barbara was quicker. Her own fists were clenched. She didn't hit Dad. She
kicked
him. Her foot shot up in its big purple suede sandal. She kicked him hard, right in the crotch. Dad gasped and doubled up. Auntie Barbara balanced herself on the balls of her feet, ready for when he got up.

Dad got to his knees, clutching himself.

‘You raise your hand one more time to Nik or the kids and I'll kill you,' said Auntie Barbara.

Dad staggered to his feet, his face contorted. He grabbed the tea mug and smashed it against the wall. Then he turned and came at Auntie Barbara again, the broken shards clutched in his hand. He went for her face – but she whirled her arm and chopped him hard on the shoulder with the side of her hand. He swayed, dropping the broken mug, his mouth open.

‘I mean it, Jay,' said Auntie Barbara. ‘Now get out. Get out of this flat. Get out of their lives.'

Dad looked at Mum.

‘I'm sorry, Jay,' she sobbed. ‘Just go now. Please.'

Dad stood there, sobbing with rage. He looked round at all of us – and then he ran out, slamming the door behind him. We heard Miss Parker downstairs calling out, complaining at the noise. The front door slammed harder.

Then there were footsteps and a banging on our door. We all thought Dad was back but it was Andy and Steve from upstairs.

‘You OK, Victoria? We heard the ruckus.'

Steve had grabbed an umbrella, Andy a saucepan. They weren't great weapons, especially not for a fight with my dad. But Auntie Barbara had beaten him! She stood in the middle of the room, breathing hard, tidying her purple top.

‘We're fine now, but thanks so much for coming to protect us.'

Steve and Andy were obviously dying to stay and find out what had been going on, but Auntie Barbara gently but firmly told them Mum needed to rest now. They shuffled back upstairs obediently.

‘I think we need a fresh pot of tea,' said Auntie Barbara. She looked at Kendall. He'd wet himself he'd been so scared. ‘And you need a change of trousers, Kendall. OK, Lola Rose. I'll do the tea, you do the trousers.'

I looked over at Mum. She had her head buried in her hands. I hesitated.

‘Let Mum have a little cry,' said Auntie Barbara.

I took Kendall into the bathroom. He started crying too.

‘I'm a baby. I wet myself!'

‘No, it's OK, Kendall.
I
nearly wet myself. It was so scary.'

‘That man
was
Dad, wasn't he?'

‘Of course he was.'

‘I remembered him different,' said Kendall.

‘Yes.'

‘He shouted at me.'

‘He shouted at everyone.'

‘I thought he was going to hurt us. But then Auntie Barbara hurt him!' Kendall wriggled out of his wet trousers and kicked his leg in imitation. He waved his arm, nearly whacking me on the head as I washed him.

‘Watch out, Kendall!'

‘
You
watch out, Lola Rose, or I'll go kick-chop-thump like Auntie Barbara.'

‘How did she
do
that?'

I was glad Kendall had seen it too, otherwise I'd have wondered if I'd imagined it. Already Auntie Barbara seemed to fly through the air in my memory, arms and legs whirling, like a martial arts movie.

‘
Thai
martial arts,' said Auntie Barbara, when we asked her. ‘I went to see Thai boxing when I was in Thailand. It's amazing. They do it to music and they use so many parts of their bodies as weapons – their fists, elbows, knees, shins and feet. When I came back I saw there were some Thai boxing evening classes. I went along just to watch, but I ended up joining in. I'd done some judo before so it wasn't like I was starting completely from scratch.'

‘You joined in just like that? You are brave, Auntie Barbara.'

‘No I'm not. I used to be scared to say boo to a goose when I was your age.'

Mum sniffled. ‘You were Daddy's little darling.'

‘
Big
darling.'

‘You're so big you can even beat my dad,' said Kendall.

‘Will you really kill him if he comes back?' I asked.

‘No! Look, I'm thinking of becoming a Buddhist. They don't believe in killing anything, not even little creepie-crawlies.'

‘But you
could
kill him if you wanted? If he was really really hurting us?'

‘I don't know. Maybe.'

‘Auntie Barbara, can you stay with us for a bit,
please
? Just in case Dad comes back?'

Auntie Barbara looked at Mum. ‘I don't think your mum wants me to stay,' she said. ‘But she hasn't got much choice. It looks like you're stuck with me.'

Mum cried and cried. I couldn't work out why. Auntie Barbara had rescued us! Mum didn't
still
want Dad back, did she? She'd been just as scared as we were.

I asked Auntie Barbara.

‘I expect she's just worn out with everything, pet,' she said.

‘She
is
better, isn't she? They
did
get all the tumour out?'

‘Yes, I think so. But she might have to have some treatment.'

‘What treatment?'

‘Let's just wait and see, shall we?' said Auntie Barbara.

‘But she is going to be all right, isn't she?'

‘I hope so, darling.'

‘You promise?'

Auntie Barbara wavered. ‘I wish I could promise you that, Lola Rose,' she said.

Mum seemed fine the next day. When Kendall and I came home from school she was looking lovely, her hair newly coloured and styled. She was wearing her white jeans, but now they had embroidered pink roses up and down the seams.

‘Has Jake been here?' I asked.

‘Has he heck,' said Mum. ‘
I
did them. You're not the only one who can be creative, Lola Rose.'

‘They look lovely, Mum.
You
look lovely.'

‘Do I?' said Mum, preening. ‘Well, I've got to tart myself up. I'm going job-hunting tomorrow.'

‘Why don't you wait a bit, Nikki?' said Auntie Barbara. ‘Give yourself time to get better.'

‘I
am
better,' said Mum. ‘And I need a job as soon as possible. I've got to feed these kids.'

‘I can take care of the bills for a bit,' said Auntie Barbara.

‘I don't want you to,' said Mum. ‘Haven't you been lecturing me all day about standing on my own two feet and not depending on anyone?'

‘I don't
lecture
,' said Auntie Barbara, giving Mum a tiny push. ‘And you'll never be able to stand on your two feet, not wearing those ridiculous high heels.'

Mum blew a raspberry at Auntie Barbara. ‘Nag nag nag.'

‘Whinge whinge whinge,' said Auntie Barbara.

Mum pulled a hideous face.

Auntie Barbara pulled a worse one.

They were like two silly kids.

‘Aren't they childish, Kendall,' I said, winking.

I started singing Mum's ‘Lucky' song as I helped get tea ready – steak and chips and a watercress salad to build Mum up, and then strawberries and cream. I washed the watercress and took the stalks off the strawberries and whipped the cream. Kendall licked the bowl, singing the ‘Lucky' song too. Mum joined in
and
Auntie Barbara.

I thought she'd have a great big powerful singing voice, but she sounded sweet and girly, just like Mum. They started singing all these daft duets together. Mum didn't have the energy to dance but she took off her high heels and kicked them up and down in the air.

Auntie Barbara
did
dance, larking about, light on her toes in spite of her bulk. She picked Kendall up and danced with him. Then it was my turn. She whirled me round and round the room until Mum and Kendall blurred, and the room whirled with me.

I felt so happy then, eating my treat tea, sure we really were lucky lucky lucky.

Mum still had to go back to hospital to get the results of her tests. Auntie Barbara went with her. I hoped they might come to meet us from school. I wanted them to be waiting by the gate with big smiles on their faces. But they weren't there.

Kendall and I walked home with Harpreet and Amandeep. I nattered to Harpreet – all sorts of stupid stuff about boys and football and rock stars – but all the time I was chanting inside my head.
Let her be all right, please please please
.

I tried not to walk on any cracks in the pavement in case it was bad luck.

‘Are your shoes hurting you?' Harpreet asked.

‘No.'

‘So why are you walking funny, picking your feet up like a pony?' said Harpreet.

‘Am I?' I threw back my head and neighed. ‘Give me a carrot. And a sugar lump.'

‘You're nuts,' said Harpreet, giggling.

‘I'm a shark, not a pony,' said Kendall. ‘Watch me, Amandeep.'

He held his arm out like it was part of his head, opened his mouth as wide as it would go, and circled round us.

‘Shut your mouth, Kendall, we can see your tonsils,' I said. ‘Hey, Harpreet, you should see my Auntie Barbara do her whale imitation.'

‘I like your auntie. So where is she today?'

‘She's with my mum,' I said. My voice went wobbly.

Kendall looked at me. He stopped being a shark. He put his hand in mine and hung on tightly all the way home.

I knew it was bad news the moment we got in the door. Mum was hunched up on the sofa, chin on her knees, all her make-up cried away. Auntie Barbara tried to smile at us but her eyes were red too.

‘Oh Mum!' I cried.

She held out her arms and we went rushing to her. She cuddled us close, while Auntie Barbara hovered.

‘It's awful news,' said Mum. ‘The lump
was
cancer, and now it's advanced. And it was in all the lymph nodes under my arm too. So I've got to have chemotherapy so I shall puke all the time and I'll probably lose all my
hair
.' She started weeping again.

‘You'll look funny without hair,' said Kendall.

‘Shut
up
. Mum will still look pretty no matter what,' I said fiercely. ‘Just so long as she gets better.'

‘But will I get better?' said Mum.

‘Of course you will,' said Auntie Barbara.

‘And I could just as easily say of course I
won't
,' said Mum. ‘Do you know what the odds are, Lola Rose?'

‘Nikki, stop it. You shouldn't tell her all this.'

‘Look, she's my daughter. I'll tell her what I want. I don't have secrets from my kids. I've got a fifty-fifty chance, Lola Rose, even if I let them do all this chemo and radiation treatment. Fine sort of Lady Luck I am.'