Hannah in the Spotlight (8 page)

The next two weeks went by in a bit of a whirlwind of rehearsals, organising props, finding costumes and practising hairstyles.

Maisie came to watch us rehearse, and although she was enchanted by Ruby’s ballet dancing, and laughed at the row between the sisters, there were a couple of other parts where she seemed kind of distracted. All right, if I’m honest, she seemed a little bored. I started to feel worried. Was it just because she had seen it too many times by now? Or – and this was what I was really afraid of – was the material a bit too old for an almost six-year-old?

We’d tried to be as faithful as possible to the book, so some of the language we were using was a little old-fashioned. There was Petrova complaining about having to change out of her ‘combinations’ (we had to look that up. It’s some kind of old-fashioned underwear that’s all in one piece instead of separate vest and knickers. Weird!) and the girls needing ‘organdie frocks’ for their auditions. Would Maisie’s friends get it, or would it be over their heads? Was
the play just too long and too serious for their age?

I didn’t mention my concerns to the others. For one thing, they seemed to have troubles enough of their own.

Ruby’s dancing was perfect, but she was struggling a bit with her lines. ‘I just can’t seem to remember what comes after “Of course I curtsied too,”’ she wailed. ‘I think I’ve got it firmly lodged in my brain, but then once I get up on the stage it’s gone. It’s like it’s just floated out of my head and the harder I try to grab on to it the quicker it disappears.’

Then Meg had a brainwave. ‘I know. Do what Posy does in the book,’ she said.

‘What do you mean?’ Ruby asked.

‘Don’t you remember?’ Meg said. ‘Pauline wants Posy to learn their birthday vow so she can say it on her own, and Posy decides to learn it with her feet. She makes up a little dance to represent the words, and that helps her to remember.’

Ruby looked doubtful. ‘I can try, I suppose. But I’m not sure my brain works that way.’

Laura was word-perfect, but she found the Russian accent difficult. Again Meg came to the rescue. She showed Laura videos of Russian accents on YouTube and said each line with her over and over again until it finally seemed to click with her.

Meg herself was doing brilliantly as Petrova. She seemed
a total natural, and even without her costume she was transformed into the stubborn, awkward, feisty Petrova as soon as she stepped onto the stage. Watching her, I realised what a good actress she was – it didn’t even matter that she was fair-haired when Petrova was meant to be dark-haired – she was just so convincing in the role that that didn’t matter. But off the stage, Meg was often distracted, and she still hadn’t told her mum we were putting on a show.

My mum, on the other hand, was a little TOO enthusiastic, as became clear when she started casually inviting random people to come and watch the show.

‘I dropped back your library books earlier,’ she told me as she dished out lasagne for dinner. ‘Rebecca was there, so I invited her to your show.’

‘What?’ I said. ‘Why?’

Mum looked surprised. ‘I just thought she’d like to see it. You’ve all been working so hard, and the little bits I’ve seen have been wonderful.’

‘Thanks,’ I murmured, taking two of the plates to bring over to the table. Mum had clearly meant it well, so I didn’t want to complain, but the thought of Rebecca being at the show made me feel nervous.

Next day Mum mentioned that she’d seen Miss Doherty in Tesco, and had invited her too. Miss Doherty was Maisie’s teacher, and was a lovely, warm, kind lady who adored small children. I’d had her in junior infants too and she
was still my favourite teacher. I sighed to myself. At least she wouldn’t be critical – she was too nice.

Then it was, ‘Oh, your uncle John said he’d drop by with a birthday present for Maisie, so I told him to be sure to arrive in time for the show.’ And, ‘Dad told me to tell you he invited a few of the neighbours to the show before he left for China. You don’t mind, do you?’

Aaaaagh! This was getting out of hand. ‘Mum, no more,’ I said firmly. ‘This is Maisie’s birthday party, don’t forget! We’re getting ready to entertain a bunch of five- and six-year-olds, but that’s it.’

‘I don’t know what you’re so worried about,’ Mum said. ‘It’s only a few extra people. Once you’re up on that stage you won’t even know who’s in the audience. Now, can you hang out that load of washing for me?’

I picked up the laundry basket and stomped off towards the garden. Didn’t Mum realise how nervous I was? Then a thought struck me, and I dropped the basket on the lawn and went back into the kitchen. ‘Mum, what neighbours has Dad invited?’

‘Just the O’Donnells, and the Masons, and I think he might have mentioned it to the Gavins,’ Mum said. ‘Not the Dunnes, if that’s what you’re worried about. I know you and Tracey don’t exactly see eye to eye.’

‘Oh God, I wasn’t even thinking of them,’ I said. ‘Tracey will probably sit at her bedroom window laughing at us
like she did when we were rehearsing. I was just thinking – um – you haven’t said anything to Cordelia, have you?’

‘No, I haven’t seen her around,’ Mum said. ‘I’ll be sure to ask her the next time I see her.’

‘Can you just leave it for a bit?’ I asked.

‘Why?’

‘Welllll …’ I didn’t look at her. ‘It’s just that Meg hasn’t exactly told her about the show just yet.’

‘Why ever not?’ Mum looked puzzled.

‘I’m not sure, to be honest,’ I said. ‘There’s something a bit odd going on with them and Meg won’t say much about it.’

‘What do you mean, something odd?’

I was rescued by Zach and Bobby tumbling into the room demanding snacks. Mum turned to the fridge, knowing she wouldn’t get a minute’s peace until they were fed, and I quickly went back to the laundry, thinking that if I was lucky Mum would just let it go.

I should have known that wouldn’t happen. Mum asked me about it again when she came up to my room to kiss me goodnight.

‘So what’s all this about Meg not telling Cordelia about your show?’

I smoothed down the edges of my duvet cover and tried to decide how to answer. ‘I don’t know really,’ I said at last. ‘Maybe it’s just because they’re so busy with moving to a
new town and everything, maybe she thought her mum had enough to think about.’ I realised as I said it how pathetic that sounded.

‘But you said there was something weird going on,’ Mum persisted. ‘What is it?’

‘Well, if I knew that, it wouldn’t be weird, would it?’ I said.

‘I haven’t been a very good neighbour, I’m afraid,’ Mum sighed. ‘I should have made more of an effort when they moved in – baked them a cake or something.’

I tried not to laugh. ‘Mum, when’s the last time you baked a cake?’

Mum pretended to be offended. ‘I used to be quite the baker, I’ll have you know. I just can’t seem to find the time these days. Next time I see Cordelia I’ll invite her over for coffee and we can have a chat. Maybe I can reassure her that you’re not a bad influence on Meg, if that’s what she’s afraid of!’

‘Good idea,’ I said, relieved that the interrogation seemed to be over.

‘And then we’ll have to tell her about the show. It’s on a Saturday afternoon, don’t forget – it would be a bit strange not to tell her when it’s happening right next door!’

But something was to happen before Mum got to speak to Cordelia – something that changed all our plans completely.

‘Look at the time!’ Mum exclaimed, jumping up from the breakfast table. ‘I need to get dressed, Maisie’s appointment is in twenty minutes. Can you keep an eye on the little ones for me?’ She drained the last mouthful of tea and set her cup down beside the sink.

‘Sure,’ I said, looking up from my
Ballet Shoes
script. I was trying to figure out what Pauline’s reaction should be in the last scene, when Posy comes home and tells them she wants to go to Czechoslovakia to train at a famous ballet school. Pauline would be excited for Posy, of course, but maybe a little bit exasperated that her little sister had gone off and made arrangements for herself without thinking of how it affected the rest of the family. Well, at least I could sympathise there, I thought.

Mum handed Emma a piece of toast. Emma immediately started licking off the jam.

‘Don’t want to go to the dentist,’ Maisie pouted. ‘It’s not fair.’

‘You’ll be fine, Maisie,’ I said. ‘It’s just a check-up.’

‘I’ll be as quick as I can,’ Mum called, rushing off. ‘Boys, can you tidy up the hall? There are toys everywhere, someone is going to break their neck!’ This last bit was a roar as she ran up the stairs.

‘I’ll tell them,’ I called back to her. I glanced out the back door – the boys were happily playing some sort of exploring game. It seemed a pity to haul them in just to tidy up – I’d give them a few more minutes.

Maisie was still sulking. ‘I don’t want the dentist to say I can’t have any sweets on my birthday.’

I tried not to smile. ‘She won’t say that. She’ll just remind you that you shouldn’t have them every day, and to brush your teeth properly, and to floss and all that stuff.’

Emma had finished licking the jam off her toast and was now smearing the toast all over her highchair tray. She seemed perfectly happy, so I went back to
Ballet Shoes.
Pauline would be worried too, of course, about signing a contract with a film company when what she really wanted was to work in the theatre. I looked over Pauline’s lines and tried out different inflections in my head, figuring out where her different emotions would show.

Emma was just starting to make the grumbly noises that meant, ‘I’m bored of this now, take me out of my highchair please’ when Bobby came crashing into the kitchen. ‘Where’s Mum?’

‘She’s getting dressed,’ I told him. ‘What’s up?’

‘Zach’s stuck up the tree!’ Bobby said.

‘What?!’ I jumped to my feet and looked out the patio doors. Sure enough, Zach was clinging on to a branch of the tree, way higher than he had ever climbed before. He looked scared half to death.

‘How did he get up there?’

‘He just did. I don’t think he knew how high it was until he looked down,’ Bobby said.

‘I’m coming, Zach. You’ll be OK,’ I called to him, trying to sound calmer than I felt.

Emma’s grumbles had turned into shouts.

‘Maisie, can you watch Emma for a minute please?’ I asked her. ‘Play with her, but don’t take her out of the highchair.’

‘I have to do everything around here,’ Maisie complained, but she started playing peekaboo with Emma, hiding behind a tea towel someone had thrown on the chair.

I ran out to the garden and tried to reassure Zach. ‘Wow, Zach, I didn’t know you were such a good climber!’

‘I’m not,’ Zach said. ‘I’m scared. I can’t get down.’ His little face looked very white, peering down at me from way over my head.

‘Of course you can,’ I told him. ‘You got up, didn’t you? All you have to do is reverse it now!’

‘I can’t,’ Zach said. ‘I’m too scared.’

‘Look, put your right foot onto that branch just below you, see? And then slide your hands along the branch you’re on.’

‘I can’t,’ Zach repeated, clinging firmly to the branch.

I could see I was going to have to go up and get him. I turned to Bobby. ‘Will you make sure Maisie and Emma are OK? I don’t want Maisie to lift Emma out of the highchair, she might drop her.’

‘I’ll tell her you said she’s not allowed,’ Bobby promised.

I started climbing the tree, glad I was wearing my runners with good grips. I got to Zach quite quickly, but I knew that talking him down was going to take a bit longer. ‘OK, I’ve got you, Zach,’ I told him. ‘I’m holding on to you, so you’re not going to fall. Now can you try putting your foot on the next branch?’

Zach was just reaching down to try when there was a screech from the upstairs window. Mum had spotted us. ‘What’s going on? Zach, are you OK?’

‘He’s fine, Mum,’ I shouted back. ‘I’m just helping him down.’

‘Hang on, Zach,’ Mum yelled. ‘I’m coming.’

A minute later there was another screech from the kitchen – Maisie this time. What on earth was going on? Stuck up the tree, there wasn’t much I could do about it, so I concentrated on Zach. Bit by bit, I persuaded him
to edge slowly back along the branch, then drop to the one below.

I wondered why Mum hadn’t appeared. Maybe she was sorting out whatever was wrong with Maisie. I was guessing that she had tried to take Emma out of her highchair and Bobby had tried to stop her. Probably the two of them were in a full-scale battle by now, which Emma would more than likely think was great fun.

We were almost down when Bobby came running into the garden, yelling for me once more.

‘What is it?’ I asked, dropping down onto the grass and reaching up to help Zach, who still seemed to be in a state of shock. ‘Is Emma crying? What’s wrong with Maisie?’

‘It’s Mum,’ Bobby said. ‘Come quickly.’

By now Zach was safely on the ground, looking pale but relieved. I flew into the kitchen, straight past Emma who was screaming blue murder in her highchair, and into the front hall where Maisie was shouting for me. Mum was lying at the bottom of the stairs, her face screwed up in pain. ‘Oh, Hannah, I think I’ve broken something,’ she said. ‘I can’t move my foot.’

Her foot was bent at an awkward angle. I rushed to her side to help her sit up. ‘What happened?’

‘I was running to see what was going on down here and I slipped on some toy. I told you someone was going
to break their neck!’ She managed a weak laugh. ‘I need to get to Emma. What’s wrong with her?’

‘She’s fine. She just wants to get out,’ I said.

Zach had appeared in the hallway. ‘Zach, can you lift Emma out of her highchair? Not you, Maisie, you know you’re not tall enough! I want you to stay here with Mum.’

Zach raced back to the kitchen, and I followed him. I got a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and wrapped them in a tea towel. My mind was racing – what was the best thing to do? Normally I’d phone Dad in work and get him to come home – but Dad was thousands of miles away in China.

I came back out to the hall and pressed the peas to Mum’s ankle. ‘Look, Maisie, can you hold the peas here like this?’ I showed her what to do.

‘Mum, I’m going to go and see if Ruby’s mum is at home,’ I told her. ‘You need to go to the hospital.’

Mum had turned as white as a sheet and was leaning back against Maisie, who was being really sweet and stroking her hair. She didn’t object, so I grabbed the keys from the hook and ran.

I ran all the way to Ruby’s house before I remembered that this was the time her mum would be dropping her to ballet camp. I knocked on the door anyway and waited a minute, but there was no answer.

Starting to feel a bit desperate, I looked all around the green. We had lots of nice neighbours we could call on, but it was the wrong time of day – some people would be in work – and the wrong time of year – a few families were gone on their holidays.

Then I thought of Meg. She and her mum should be at home.

Without thinking about it any more, I ran to Meg’s house and banged on the door.

Cordelia was amazing. As soon as I told her what had happened, she just grabbed her phone and keys and dashed over to our house, hopping over the wall as easily as Meg. She was the voice of absolute calm, telling Mum that everything was going to be OK and reassuring Bobby, who was distraught about not tidying up the cars, that accidents just happen and it wasn’t his fault.

I was so relieved to have a grown-up in charge that I felt like crying, though I managed to hold back the tears. If I cried now the others would go to pieces completely.

‘Now Claire, we’re going to need to get this silly old ankle looked at,’ Cordelia said. ‘Hannah and I will help you out to the car, and we’ll be off to the hospital before you can say Jiminy Cricket. Last time I was at the hospital there was the most terribly handsome young doctor on
duty. I do hope he’s working today. Almost worth getting injured for, darling. Now Hannah, you come this side of your mum and help me to support her out to the car.’

Mum was still deathly pale and didn’t protest as Cordelia and I helped her up. Zach cleared a path through the toys and Bobby opened the door wide so the three of us could fit through. Mum kept her injured foot raised and managed to hop along, leaning heavily on Cordelia and me and wincing with the pain.

Meg opened the car door and we helped Mum in.

‘Hannah …’ she started to say.

‘Don’t worry Mum, everything will be fine,’ I said firmly. ‘I’ll look after everyone while Cordelia takes you to the hospital. You’ll be home before you know it!’

‘I’ll help her,’ Meg told Mum, putting her arm around me.

Mum smiled wanly as Cordelia closed the door and made her way around to the driver’s side.

‘Take care, darlings – I’ll phone the moment we know anything,’ she said.

The car sped off. I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. Meg held me tight for a minute as I just sobbed. Then I wiped my tears away and turned to my siblings, who were looking at me in shock (except Emma, who was trying to eat Bobby’s shoelace).

‘Sorry, guys. Mum will be fine. I just got a fright,’ I
told them.

I led the way inside, picking Emma up and removing the shoelace from her mouth.

‘At least I don’t have to go to the dentist,’ Maisie said.