Later that night, when I was pretending to be all settled down in bed, Mum came in to say her goodnights. She still had her apron on, which meant she was busy, so I was confident it was going to be a short session.
As usual, I was wrong.
She sat on the bed and sniffed the air. ‘What’s that smell?’
I shrugged and tried to look innocent – a look I was beginning to perfect.
‘What smell? I don’t get a smell.’
I wondered was it Alice’s feet. She hadn’t dared to have a shower since she’d arrived in our house. And sometimes her feet did pong a bit – especially when she wore trainers.
Mum looked puzzled. ‘There’s definitely an unusual smell in here. It’s like……’
‘Maybe it’s that nice perfume you and Dad gave me for my birthday. I put some on earlier.’ This wasn’t actually a lie. I held my wrist towards Mum’s face so she could smell it.
‘No, love. It’s not that. It’s…..’
‘Or it could be nail varnish remover, or deodorant or something,’ I offered helpfully.
Mum shook her head, and wrinkled up her forehead. ‘No. It’s nothing like that. I was going to say it’s something like onions, or tomatoes or something. Only kind of artificial. Like packet soup.’
Of course. It wasn’t Alice’s feet that were the problem. Mum was smelling the stupid pot noodles. She wasn’t far off the mark with her guesses. I bet she was a bloodhound in her last life.
I couldn’t think of anything to say. All I could think of were the empty noodle pots which were in a plastic bag in a drawer next to my bed.
She shook her head. ‘Anyway, whatever that smell is, it’s not very pleasant. Will I open the window and let some fresh air in?’
To open the window, she’d have had to go around to the other side of my bed, and even though Alice had rolled underneath, I didn’t want to take any chances.
‘No, Mum, it’s fine thanks. I don’t notice anything.’
She sat on the bed, and rubbed my forehead.
‘Are you OK, Megan? You look a bit pale.’
I put on a brave smile. ‘I’m fine. I’m a bit tired, that’s all.’
For once, I wasn’t lying. All the fussing over hiding and feeding Alice, and the regular bouts of bathroom mountaineering, were beginning to wear me out. I wasn’t used to such an exciting life.
Mum didn’t know about any of that, though, did she?
She smiled. ‘That’ll be all the tennis. You’re just not used to it. If you play more often, you won’t get so tired.’
‘Mmmm. I suppose so. I think I’ll play again tomorrow, and see how I get on.’
I turned over then, and snuggled under the duvet, trying to give her the hint to leave. Unfortunately, Mum was never very good at taking hints.
‘And, Megan, I hope you’re getting used to Alice not being around.’
I couldn’t reply. This really wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have at any time, and especially not right now with Alice lying under my bed listening to every single word.
Mum put on her softest voice. ‘You just wait and see. You’ll be in secondary school next year. You’ll make lots of new friends. And in no time, you’ll nearly have forgotten all about Alice. When you’re all grown up, she’ll just be a distant, happy memory from your childhood.’
I could feel the mattress moving slightly under my legs. Alice must have been pushing her feet up underneath it. She was making double sure that I wouldn’t forget about her. It was a typical, reckless, but very funny Alice-moment.
I couldn’t help it. I gave a sudden, huge laugh. Mum looked at me in surprise. I put my head in my hands and pretended to be crying.
Mum put her arms around me and rocked me. It would have been very soothing if I had been upset, but since I was trying to stifle my giggles, it wasn’t very helpful. I made lots of gross snorting noises that I hoped sounded like sobs. Mum said, ‘oh my poor darling,’ and rocked me some more, while Alice’s feet beat out a snappy little rhythm beneath the mattress.
Eventually I recovered my composure. I sat up straight, wiped my eyes and smiled a brave smile.
‘I’m OK now, Mum. I just had a sudden sad moment. I was just thinking of what I’d say to Alice if I could see her now.’
While I said this, I slid my hand from under the covers and put it under the bed. As I did so I made it into a fist, in an effort to make Alice behave herself. Luckily it worked. The movement under my legs ceased, and I began to relax.
Mum got up to go.
‘Better now? Call me if you need me. And remember, Megan, Daddy and I will always love you, no matter what.’
Great, I thought grimly. I’ll keep that in mind for when you discover exactly how I’ve spent this week.
Mum kissed my forehead, and went out of the room. After waiting a few minutes, just to be sure, Alice rolled out from under the bed.
First I was angry with her but not for long, I could never be angry with Alice for long. Soon we were in fits of giggles and then we lay in the darkness without speaking.
It was nice, just knowing that she was there.
As I closed my eyes and dropped off to sleep I promised myself that Alice would never, ever be just a distant memory to me.