Tall Story - Candy Gourlay [33]
‘You mean it?’
‘Sure.’ Rocky waved as he disappeared out of the door. ‘Sunday afternoon. Two p.m. at the outdoor courts near the hospital. Be there!’
As the double doors at the other end of the court flapped shut behind him, I stood there like an idiot. Then the meaning of what Rocky had said penetrated my brain.
YES! I jumped high, releasing the ball as I leaped. It flew true and swished into the basket without touching the sides of the metal ring.
Suddenly I had a chance. Training with the Souls was just a few steps away from becoming one of the team.
‘Andi!’
I whirled round. Mrs Green? How did she beam herself into the gym without my noticing?
‘You know that playing in the gym during break is forbidden.’
‘I uh …’
‘See me in detention. After school.’
14
Bernardo
It was dark when I woke.
I got up slowly from the mattress on Amandolina’s bedroom floor and drew the curtains. Nothing. The room remained dark. I could see a street lamp glowing outside. I flicked on the light switch by the door and immediately spotted the note taped to the knob.
It was signed with a massive letter ‘A’ – for Amandolina, I suppose, except the A had a pair of horns.
Back at 4 p.m.? The digital clock on Amandolina’s bedside table said 5:00 – five what? Could it be 5 a.m. in the morning? But that would be silly, wouldn’t it? If it were morning, Amandolina would be in her bed next to mine and the roosters would be crowing. But wait, this was London. There were no roosters. Most likely it was 5 p.m. and Amandolina was either late coming home from school or downstairs in the kitchen.
‘Amandolina?’ I stood at the top of the stairs and listened. But the silence from downstairs was deafening. There was definitely nobody at home.
I shivered, suddenly aware of the cold gnawing on my bare feet, neck and arms.
I looked down at myself. I was in the same shirt and trousers I was wearing when I got off the plane. I smelled like onions left out on the chopping board.
I had to wash.
I went to the bathroom.
There was a real bathtub.
San Andres was a village known for what it didn’t have and a bath was definitely on that list. A shower served its purpose. Or a tall bucket of water and a tabo, a plastic beaker to ladle water on yourself.
I stared at the bathtub – not that I’d never seen one before; I’ve seen them plenty of times in American movies – but how was I going to sit inside it? I could not possibly fold myself small enough and neat enough to fit. Besides, the thought of immersing myself in water infused with the dirt and odours I was trying to get rid of was nauseating.
What would Jabby say? Get a grip, Bernardo! Use your coconut!
I decided to fill the tub with water and kneel next to it and wash myself as per usual – a saucepan from the kitchen would make as good a tabo as any. I found the rubber stopper and plugged the hole.
But then the tap marked H for hot ran cold. And the tap marked C for cold ran freezing.
I left both taps running and hurried downstairs to the kitchen. The electric kettle on the counter was far too small for the quantity of hot water I needed. I searched the cupboards and took out the biggest pot I could find, filling it with water, then putting it on the stove to heat. I could mix the heated water with the cold in the tub for a warm bath. Problem solved.
I went up to Amandolina’s room and found my suitcase behind the door. I needed a change of clothes. I unzipped the bag and pulled out a fresh pair of trousers and a T-shirt. Something solid dropped out onto the floor. My heart leaped.
Gabriela’s stone.
* * *
Do you feel guilty, Giant Boy? Guilty about Gabriela? Guilty for what you did to me?
Mad Nena.
Always sneaking along behind me. Staring from behind lampposts. Waiting outside the school gates. Praying. Mumbling. Now that I’d finally put a whole world between me and her, I was glad that