He whirled it like a lasso above his head. We were both laughing loudly as we dashed about the house. I dived at Paul, making a grab for the end of the belt and just catching it with the tip of my fingers. The belt pinged from his hand, catapulting into the living-room window.
‘Paul, look what you’ve done!’ He turned worriedly, looking at the chip in the window. We knew any damage done to our council house had to be paid for.
I looked out the window and saw Jim mowing the lawns with his sit-on mower. An idea formed in my head. ‘Don’t worry, Paul, I have it all figured.’ He looked relieved, though, still in an excitable mood, he pounced on me and we rolled around the floor tickling each other trying to get each other to submit. Mum walked in just as I’d managed to pin Paul down and was making him giggle by pretending to bite the end of his nose.
‘Mum, guess what’s just happened?’
‘What have you done now?’ she asked resignedly.
We both look at her innocently. ‘We’ve been good. A stone hit the window as the mower went past. It pinged into the window, chipping it!’
I could see Paul looking surprised out of the corner of my eye and I dared not make eye contact with him. Mum walked over to the window and looked. She didn’t seem to notice the chip was actually inside.
‘For fuck’s sake! I’m not paying to replace it. I’ll ring them now and they can replace the window,’ she said.
We were just about the poorest people on what was already a poor council estate on the outskirts of town, which didn’t help our popularity, so the local kids often gave us grief. Occasionally Mum would stick up for us.
Once, on a Saturday she was hosing the front garden when some of the awful kids from up the road started shouting at us.
‘Oi, look, the Fuck-it Ducketts live here!’ yelled one.
‘Yeah, that’s where Terrie and Paul the tramps live,’ taunted another.
Without hesitation, Mum turned the hose on them.
‘Get lost, the lot of you!’ she yelled.
They continued yelling abuse.
‘Terrie, put the hose in the house; I’m going to give them the fright of their lives.’ Mum passed me the hose.
Then to the kids’ surprise, not to mention mine, she charged across the road. They legged it up the alleyway opposite the house, and Mum charged after them. I stood, stunned, then quickly threw the hose into the house and gave chase with Paul, not wanting to miss any action.
As I got to the alleyway, Mum was on her way out. ‘Buggers ran off too fast.’ She puffed.
She walked back to the house and opened the front door.
‘Terrie!’
I heard the shout from across the road.
We ran over and I gulped as I saw the flood of water. Arrggh! I’d forgotten to turn off the tap in the excitement. Paul was busy grinning at me while dancing in the pool of water.
Sometimes it did feel like the three of us against the rest of the world. We started to feel like a proper family. More of Mum’s friends came in and out, but one person was there most days when we got home.
‘Hello, Terrie.’
Peter was sitting in the kitchen having a cup of coffee as I came bounding in through the door. I’d heard he’d split from Anne and he now worked as a driving instructor for BSM; we’d often spot his red car with the distinctive cone on around the area.
‘How was school today?’ he asked, swigging back a coffee.
‘Oh, okay.’ I raised my eyebrow. No one ever bothered to ask how school was.
‘I had PE today, but was the last one to be picked as usual.’
‘Sorry to hear that. Give it time,’ he assured me.
‘It’s not because I’m rubbish or anything, it’s because I’m not liked.’
Peter listened. ‘You just need time to make some new friends.’ He slurped the dregs noisily out of the bottom of the cup.
‘Maybe,’ I replied, opening the cupboards looking to get myself something to eat. As usual, I was starving.
‘Mum, have we got any peanut butter in?’
‘Don’t think so,’ she called back. ‘Have a look at the back of the cupboard just in case Paul put it there.’
Peter was on the sofa the following afternoon, looking relaxed and comfortable. His face broke into a smile as I came in. He brought up the subject of school again.
‘I love chemistry, I find maths easy and we get to swim. They even have a pool.’
Peter listened intently. ‘Why are you not looking happy then?’
I looked down at my feet. ‘Everyone looks down on me. I don’t blame them, to be honest. Mum can’t afford to get me the equipment I need for school and Dad isn’t here to ask.’
The next day when I arrived home Peter was there again.
‘When I was growing up as a lad we didn’t have much,’ he explained, reaching down the side of the sofa. ‘So everything I did have I took special care of. Here’s my leather briefcase I kept from school.’
Then he clicked it open to reveal a massive collection of felt pens, biros, rulers and even a protractor – everything I didn’t have.
‘This is for you, Ted.’ He smiled. I was a little taken aback. Ted was the nickname Mum used for me.
‘Wow, thanks, Peter,’ I said. It seemed like such a kind gesture.
The following day I took it to school. I was teased, but I just held my head high. Peter was only trying to help, even if all his old felt pens had dried up.
Chapter 4
Paul
It was about a week after we realised we’d be staying in England. Terrie came into my room with an urgent look on her face.
‘Mum needs money for rent. I heard her talking to Cheryl.’ She pondered momentarily. ‘I’ve an idea: we could sell our things to raise money.’
I looked about my sparse bedroom. ‘What do you suggest we sell? Fresh air?’ I pulled my best face at her.
‘We could have a jumble sale, just like at school. They always make money.’
Terrie hugged me. ‘Brilliant idea; we can go around the neighbourhood and collect unwanted things.’
‘And say they’re for charity,’ I finished.
The following day after school, Terrie made me dress in my oldest clothes – jeans that didn’t quite reach my ankles and a threadbare jumper that my arms were too long for. We stood outside the front door and she told me to close my eyes.
‘I’m just rubbing a little dirt onto your face.’
I could feel her cold fingers rubbing on my cheeks. ‘Why?’
‘Well, we want people to feel sorry for us and give us things we can sell.’ I peered through my eyelids and saw she was grinning mischievously.
I trusted her and did as she asked. I took a black sack from her and we biked to the estate next to ours.
As we pulled up to the first house, Terrie turned to me and adjusted my clothing.
‘Maybe