Sam arrived at four bang on time.
“Hi come in. Let’s have something to eat and drink and then I’ll take you up to my room.”
“Great. Wow what a tea,” said Sam almost in disbelief.
Sam looked at the table in the kitchen. Aunty M had laid the table and is was full of lots of delicious treats.
“My aunt makes the best cakes ever. This one is lemon drizzle, this is chocolate with extra chocolate sauce and this is cream and jam sponge. There are scones if you prefer, or these are fruit and nut biscuits, or these are jumbo chocolate chips. There’s tea, water or juice.”
“Stop. Do you have this choice every day?” laughed Sam.
“Fraid so!” I responded. “Aunty M just loves baking and her cakes are really scrummy! What do you want to start with?”
“Can we have more than one?” asked Sam.
“Sure, she’d be hurt if we didn’t tuck in and try everything,” I said proudly.
“Ok, I’d love to try the chocolate one with the extra sauce. Can I have orange to drink?”
I cut two smallish slices and put them on plates and poured two glasses of juice.
I pushed a plate and glass to Sam and watched. Her reaction to the cake was just like mine when I had my first slice. She closed her eyes and said, “Wow it’s amazing. I could eat the whole cake.”
“Better not we’ve got two more to try after this.”
We both laughed out loud and continued to chomp our way through the chocolate followed by the lemon and then the sponge.
“I’m stuffed,” I said.
“Me too,” groaned Sam, “My mum says, “I’ve had an adequate sufficiency,” but to be honest, I am stuffed too.”
“Let’s go upstairs and you can see my room.”
We went up the stairs followed by Biggles who was very excited that we had a visitor.
“Cool room. You’ve got a really soft bed.”
“Yes, it’s so soft. My one at home is hard like a board. My mum says it’s good for my back but to be honest I think it’s giving me backache.” We both laughed.
“Parents can be a pain can’t they. Always moaning and nagging. You just think you’ve got it right and they change the rules again,” said Sam.
“My dad is Ok,” I offered, “He’s away a lot so he doesn’t mind. I don’t think he can be bothered. He has loads to do when he is at home so as long as I’m quiet and my reports are Ok, he doesn’t say much.”
“That’s funny he sounds like my dad too. He’s always away which means I only have my mum and my brother at home. I’m at boarding school are you?”
“No, but I’m going in September.”
“Cool. Which one are you going to?” asked Sam with interest.
“St Maur’s it’s in…”
“Never. St Maur’s in Deerling?”
“Yes.”
“Well there’s a coincidence as they say. That’s where I go. I’m in Year 7 so I’ll be going up to Year 8 in September.”
“So I’ll be the year behind you. When is your birthday?” I asked.
“I’ll be twelve on 14th March.”
“I’ll be eleven on 28th March.”
“How funny. We’re nearly one year apart. I’ll be able to look after you when you start. I’ll ask if I can be your ‘shadow.’ We have a really good system for new girls. You’ll love it there. I do. There’s plenty to do, the work’s not too bad and best of all, it’s far away from parents. What more could you want?” said Sam smiling.
“I can’t believe you go there. I’ve been a bit nervous about starting, but my mum works and I am a nuisance to her. I have to stay late every night at school until she can get me, so it will be better for her and me if I’m boarding. I want to make new friends too. There’s a ‘cool gang’ in my class and I’m not part of it. I’ve been bullied and I’m too scared to tell my mum. It only makes things worse if you get the teachers involved.”
“Poor you and you’re right about the teachers. It won’t happen at St Maur’s. The teachers and the tutors make sure we are ‘happy and thriving’ to quote the Head, Mrs Postlethwaite. She’s a dotty old bag but her heart’s in the right place. Don’t worry; you’ll be fine and even better now you know me,” said Sam smiling.
“Would you like to go up to the attic? There’s all sorts of junk up there?” I said realising that I had very little to show Sam, only my comics and iPod and I was sure she would have them anyway. She seemed really grown up, much older than me, but she was so nice. Helping to rescue her had been lucky. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met her.
“How do you get up there?”
“Watch. By the way, going up here is a bit of a secret. You won’t tell Aunty M will you?”
“Course not, not if you don’t want me to. Why is it such a secret?” asked Sam.
“I don’t want her to know in case she stops me going up there. You know what grown ups are like don’t you? She’ll think I’ll fall or whatever,” I replied.
I cleared a space on the shelves and climbed up. I pulled the ring and hauled myself up. Sam followed.
“How cool is this,” she remarked, “sort a secret room.”
“That’s what I thought the first time I came up here. I love it up here. Look.”
I pointed to the rack of dressing up clothes. Then I took her down to the squashy sofa. My Girl Talk comic was still there but it was open at page three and I was sure I’d left it closed.
“Do you come up here and read? It’s a bit spooky. Aren’t you scared?”
“No. Well a bit I at first. I’m an only child so I’m always on my own. ‘Spose I’m just used to it,” I announced.
Above me in the rafters of the roof was a little ‘phhh’ sound and a sprinkle of dust showered my head. I think I said the wrong thing.
“Look at the time Florence. Mum will go mad. Tea at six and don’t be late. It’s tattooed on my heart! I must go but do you want to meet up again tomorrow?” asked Sam.
“Yes I would. Thanks for a great time,” I said.
“What do you mean? What are you thanking me for? It’s me who must thank you. Thank your aunt too for me, will you? She is a fantastic cake maker.”
“I will. See you tomorrow.”
“I’ll come around at eleven. We’ll go to check out my dinghy first and then we’ll decide what to do for the rest of the day. Better wear old clothes because there will be cleaning on board to do.”
Sam left and I waved goodbye from the door.
“You two seemed to get on very well. She has a fine appetite too,” said Aunty M laughing
“She loved your cakes so we had a bit of all of them. We’re meeting up tomorrow. I hope that is Ok.”
“Course it is. I’m so pleased you have made a friend. Do you have lots of friends at home?” asked Aunty M.
“Eloise is my best friend at school and she comes for sleepovers. Mum hates sleepovers though so I don’t ask her very often. There’s a few other girls I like but because I’m so shy and I always think I’ll say the wrong thing so I keep quiet. Best thing is though; Sam goes to St Maur’s. How cool is that?”
“Never. Well I’ll be blowed. What a coincidence. You’ll have an instant friend there then. What good luck.”
“Yes I know. She said she would be my ‘shadow’ and help me settle in. She’s a year older than me so she’ll be in the year above me.”
“Now that’s lucky too because the advice I was given by my mum was, ‘get yourself an older, bigger friend and you can’t go wrong!” said Aunty M laughing.
“Sounds like good advice,” I agreed and we both laughed.
“But Florence, I’ve seen a change in you since you arrived. I don’t think you’ll be so shy from now on. And for goodness sake, stop worrying about saying the wrong thing. If you do, so what?”
“I know what you mean because I do feel different. I’m really going to try not to let the ‘cool gang’ get to me so much next term. I’m going to try to stand up for myself more.”