An icecream! Katie longed for something cool.
I scream!
You scream!
We all scream
For icecream!
The chant went up among the younger children and Katie ended up taking Hannah and two of the cousins on a walk about a mile up the road to the shops. It was sweltering. Davey sat in the old buggy and the rest of them walked slowly in the heat.
The small newsagent and sweetshop was set in the middle of a cluster of houses. Prices were far too high for the weekly groceries but they went there for the odd thing. When they got through the heavy swing door they all stood at the icecream cabinet looking at the pictures and trying to decide which one to choose.
Two boys aged about eleven or twelve came in after them and stood near the biscuit shelf watching them.
‘I want an orange ice-pop,’ Katie’s cousin Miley decided.
‘Hannah and I want a choc-ice,’ said Bridey.
‘Chocky,’ gabbled Davey, waving his fat little hands in the air.
Katie slid back the top of the cabinet and put her hand down to get the icecreams.
‘Jeepers, look at that dirty tinker putting her filthy hands into the icecream,’ said one of the boys, pointing at her.
‘That’s gross,’ his fat friend added.
A waft of cold air from the fridge chilled Katie while at the same time a tingle of fear stabbed at her.
‘Look at these cute little plaits!’ The first boy came up behind Bridey and tugged at her hair.
‘Let me go, you’re hurting me,’ pleaded Bridey, her head at an angle trying to avoid the pain.
‘Leave those children alone.’ The shopkeeper came out from behind the counter. Bridey broke free and ran up near the buggy.
Katie pulled the money out of the pocket of her shorts to pay for all the icecreams and quick as lightning pushed Davey and the rest of them back outside onto the footpath. They walked along cautiously and had only just started to eat their icecreams when they spotted the two boys on their bikes, cycling up towards them.
Katie stopped and pretended to tie her shoelace, hoping the bikes would pass by, but instead they slowed and stopped right in front of them.
‘A hole in your shoe, is that it?’ one of them taunted. Katie blushed, but tried to avoid their eyes and push Davey on.
‘Have you got that pen-knife, Conor? I fancy that little black plait – you can have the other!’ Horrified, Katie swung around. One of the boys had grabbed Bridey and was making scissor actions with his fingers at her hair. Furious, Bridey was trying to kick out at him.
‘Dirty tramps,’ jeered one of the fellas. ‘Knackers!’
‘We’re not tramps,’ said Katie, ‘we’re travellers.’
The boys didn’t listen.
‘Let go of her,’ Katie demanded.
‘Buzz off, Ginger,’ one of the boys shouted at her.
‘I’ll hit him for you, Katie,’ Miley said. Even at ten he looked only half the size of the other fellow.
‘No, Miley, just keep quiet. We don’t want any trouble.’
Suddenly – how it happened Katie didn’t know – Hannah ran forward and kicked the boy holding Bridey in the stomach. ‘Take that, you big bully,’ she screamed.
Shocked and winded, he let go.
Quick as a flash, Katie rammed the two boys with Davey in the buggy, his melting chocolate icecream staining their T-shirts.
‘Run for it,’ she shouted to the others and made a second ramming attack, this time at the bicycles which she shoved off the path. They clattered and scraped as they fell into the road.
Then she took to her heels with Davey frantically trying to hold on to what was left of his icecream.
She was half-waiting for the boys to grab her, but then she realised a car was hooting – the driver had almost run over the bikes and was out of his car shouting at the boys.
‘Run! Run! Run! Keep running!’ she yelled at them all.
They were exhausted by the time they got to the campsite. Hannah was limping slightly as she had fallen in the rush and badly grazed her knee and hands. She had surprised them all with her burst of bravery. But by the time they reached home, huge, heaving, gulping breaths were taking her over and she was shaking. She was so white Katie could see the veins under her eyes.
God, wouldn’t you know it. Mam wasn’t there. Hannah was crying now for all the world to hear. Miley and Bridey were telling everyone about the bully boys.
‘Bring her over to me, Katie!’
Nan Maguire was standing at the door of her little caravan with a mug of tea in her hand. Katie handed Hannah up to her. Luckily Davey had fallen asleep with all the excitement, and she moved the buggy so that part of him lay in the shade. She hoped a bee wouldn’t come along and sting him, he was so sticky.
‘Uh, uh, uh,’ sobbed Hannah.
‘Hush, hush. Little Hannah, isn’t it?’
Hannah nodded.
‘Sit down here quiet a minute.’
She led Hannah inside to the small seat under the window. It was covered with multicoloured cushions. The old lady took Hannah by the hand and began to stroke her hand, then her arm and finally stood near her rubbing her shoulder.
‘Let the tension go, pet, cry it out, no need to be scared, pet, you’re safe here with Katie and me.’
Hannah sniffed and tried to catch her breath.
The stroking kept on going round and round in circles and almost in time to it Hannah’s breathing slowed and steadied.
‘Put on the kettle there for more tea, Katie, and wet that old towel a bit till I cool off Hannah’s face.’
Taking the damp material she dabbed gently at Hannah’s tear-stained, dirty face.
‘Now, a nice milky cup of tea, always good after a shock.’
Through the window, Katie could spot Bridey jumping around, trying to see what was going on. Noticing her, Hannah began to brighten up.
‘I hear you’re a great brave girl,’ murmured Nan. ‘Is that true?’
Suddenly shy, Hannah whispered, ‘I suppose.’
‘No supposin’ about it. Let me look at your hand, lovey.’ She turned the small hand over each way. The fingers long and narrow, the nails cut unevenly and in need of a good scrub.
‘Hmmm.’
Katie moved closer. Hannah’s eyes were wide and her lips were open with wonder.
‘Destined to give love and be loved, a good strong heart that will fight for those you love. Some clouds, some mists, but yet I see the sunshine always shining through for you. I see music and song and a time to dance and play. Good fortune, sweet girl.’ She stopped. Hannah was enraptured.
‘Is there any more?’ she pleaded.
‘You’re too young yet to speak of that far ahead, but you will marry. This is not the hand of an old maid.’
Once her hand was let go, Hannah jumped up. ‘I must tell Bridey.’
The old lady tried to look serious and hide her smile. ‘Away off with you now. I’m glad you’re feeling better.’
Pushing the door out, the little girl disappeared. Katie wordlessly took her place. Nan stared at her. It’s my turn now, thought Katie.
‘Will you tell my fortune please, Mrs Maguire?’
Taking a sip of tea from her mug, the old lady looked straight into Katie’s eyes. Katie spread her hand on one of the cushions. Nan lifted it and studied it.
Katie’s hands were rounded, the fingers fairly long but broad at the tips; her nails were slightly bitten and she realised that the back of her hand still had a bit of dried icecream on it.
‘Working hands, hard-working hands, toil but yet at times able to be gentle, caring. A long lifeline and a good life, hard but good. Changes, a lot of changes.’
‘What kind of changes?’ Katie asked nervously. It was obvious, being a traveller and moving from place to place, that there would be changes.
Nan was staring at her hand and then locked her eyes to Katie’s.
‘Changes of the heart, changes of the soul even. Things destroyed.’ Nan stopped. A frown ran across her forehead. ‘Something loved destroyed, an animal I think, I’m not sure.’ Nan’s voice was slow and the girl knew she was being cautious with the words. Fortune tellers never gave bad news.
‘My future,’ Katie pleaded. ‘Is it bad?’
The older woman seemed to become more businesslike. ‘There will be marriage and family, all you have ever wanted, nothing will come that easy, but you will find and marry the man you love.’
Katie let out a sigh of relief.
Davey had begun to wail outside. She stood up to go to him, but the woman still held her hand. ‘Katie, follow your instincts, trust to them and they will see you right.’
She nodded. Her instincts. She didn’t rightly understand what Nan meant and right now she wasn’t even sure she was going to have good fortune.
‘Remember, Katie, follow your own instincts always.’ Nan stood and started to tidy up her caravan.
A shaft of sunlight flooded in the door. Davey lay half-awake, one arm flung across his face to protect it from the bright sun. This arm was already burned red.
‘Thanks, Mrs Maguire, thanks for everything.’
Katie had a feeling that the old woman hadn’t told her half of what she had seen in her hand.