Liverpool Annie (6 page)

'What gets me is she don't half fancy herself. She walks around as if she owns the place. You'd think she was Marilyn Monroe or something.'

'Not Marilyn Monroe, she's nice. I wouldn't mind being her meself. No, Grace Kelly. She always looks as if there's a bad smell under her nose, and she's living in a palace with that French prince, isn't she?'

'It's that cruddy gymslip that gets me,' complained Sally Baker. 'If any of us wore one like that, Mr Parrish'd have a fit.'

'We should rip it off her back and tear it to pieces,' Ruby said balefully. 'Tell her to get one the same as ours.'

The girls glanced at each other nervously. 'Perhaps that's going a bit far. Ruby.'

'Y'reckon!' Ruby sneered. 'Well, something's got to be done to take the bitch down a peg or two.'

'But she hasn't done anything,' Annie protested. She felt angry. Although Sylvia Delgado still walked with her head held high, she looked slightly desperate, as if she were gradually being worn down. Annie wished she were brave enough to ignore Ruby, because she liked Sylvia Delgado more than ever and longed to be her friend. She didn't care if she came from Italy or Timbuctoo.

Ruby turned on her and began to list all the terrible, imaginary things Sylvia had done to justify her treatment. Intimidated, Annie didn't say another word.

As the autumn term drew to a close, the subject of Sylvia Delgado was put aside temporarily as plans were made for Christmas. The gang were going to the pictures on Christmas Eve, but Ruby hadn't yet made up her mind what to see. On the Saturday after school

finished, a shopping trip to Liverpool was planned. Several girls were having parties.

Annie had asked for more housekeeping and had been buying extra groceries for weeks: a tin of assorted biscuits, a plum pudding and a fruit cake she intended icing herself, several tins of fruit. She was determined the Harrisons would enjoy the occasion for once, and had even bought decorations and a little imitation tree.

The sisters put the decorations up one day after school. Throughout the entire operation, their mam sat in her usual chair, her head turned away, her long dark hair falling like a curtain over her incredibly girlish face. She seemed oblivious to everything, even when Marie climbed on the table and banged a nail directly above her head. The girls would have been astonished if she'd acted any differently.

'What do you think, Mam?' Annie nevertheless asked when the decorations were up and the room actually looked quite cheerful. She saw Mam's hands were clasped tensely on her lap, the knuckles white and strained. 'Perhaps she's frightened,' Annie thought with compunction.

Mam didn't answer, and Marie said contemptuously, 'It's no use asking her, is it? You'd only drop dead if she answered.'

'Shush!' Marie frequently made horrible, insensitive comments in Mam's hearing - at least, Annie assumed she could hear.

'Why should I?' Marie demanded. 'She's way out of it, drugged to high heaven.'

'What on earth are you talking about?'

Marie looked at her sister impatiently. 'Honestly, Annie, you're not half thick. You haven't a clue what's going on. Mam's got all sorts of tablets in the cupboard. She takes pills all day long.'

'You mean aspirin?' Aspirin were the only pills Annie knew of.

'I've no idea what they're called, but they're different shapes and colours. They deaden your brain so you don't have to think. I pinched one once when she went to the lavvy. It was a nice feeling, nothing seemed to matter, but I fell asleep in the pictures and it was Singin' in the Rain.' She pouted. 'I missed most of it.'

With that, Marie flounced upstairs to get ready for a date. She spent all her pocket money on clothes and cosmetics. In a while, she'd come down dressed to the nines, her face plastered with Max Factor pancake, burgundy lipstick, and far too much shadow and mascara on her lovely grey eyes, looking as glamorous and pretty as a film star, and more like eighteen than thirteen.

Annie knew it was a waste of time saying anything, and neither Mam nor Dad seemed to care. She sighed as she went to get the tea ready - Mam had given up the ghost ages ago when it came to preparing meals.

Grenville Lucas held their customary party on the day school broke up. Lessons finished at mid-day. After a turkey dinner, festivities would transfer to the gym. It was the only day in the year when the pupils could dispense with school uniform and wear their own clothes. Marie even got up early as she couldn't make up her mind what to put on.

Annie wore a new plaid skirt and her favourite jumper, pale blue cable knit with a polo neck. The two girls set off at half past eight full of excited anticipation, Annie little realising the day would turn out to be one of the most momentous of her life.

In class the girls were eyeing each other with interest, assessing the various fashions, when Sylvia Delgado came in wearing the most beautiful frock Annie had

ever seen. Made of fine, soft jersey, it was turquoise, with a high buttoned neck and full bishop sleeves gathered into long, tight cuffs. A wide, tan leather belt accentuated her incredibly slender waist.

A girl behind gasped involuntarily, 'Doesn't she look lovely!'

Sylvia's long blonde hair was tucked behind a gold velvet Alice band decorated with tiny pearls. When she sat down, Annie saw she was wearing tan leather boots with high heelsl Annie's skirt and jumper suddenly seemed very drab, and her feeling of envy was mixed with alarm. The outfit would drive Ruby Livesey madl

'Who the hell does she think she is, coming to school tarted up like a bloody mannequin!' said Ruby for the fifth, possibly the sixth, time.

Christmas dinner was over and they were in the gym watching the dancing; Mr Parrish was playing his Frank Sinatra records. Sylvia Delgado had been up for every dance, but not a single boy had approached Ruby or her gang, though some girls danced with each other. Annie felt a stirring of interest in the opposite sex. She hated dancing with girls, particularly Ruby, who insisted on being the woman and it was like pushing a carthorse round. It was particularly irritating to see Marie floating past, always in the arms of a different boy.

'I hate her!' Ruby spat. 'If it wasn't for her, those boys'd be dancing with us.'

The logic of this escaped Annie, as there was only one Sylvia Delgado and eleven of them. As far as she was concerned, the party had turned out to be a wash-out. She couldn't wait for it to be half past three when she could throw away her paper hat and leave - not that she intended going home. They were going shopping; Ruby might well get on her nerves, but was infinitely preferable to her silent mam.

was almost dark by the time they reached jrloo, and freezing - the road led straight down to liver Mersey. Little icy spots of rain were blowing le biting wind which gusted under their skirts and leir sleeves, penetrating the thickest clothes, ispite the cold, they were happy. Every now and , they would burst into song, 'White Christmas', ; saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus', though it d in a giggle after a few bars when their jaws

mie had recovered her good humour. It was :ult not to when there were decorations every-e, and coloured lights, and the shops were packed happy people. There was a lovely atmosphere, and elt heady with excitement.

irols could be heard along the road, and they came churchyard, where five black-cloaked nuns were ling around a large crib with almost life-sized es, singing 'Away in a Manger' at the top of their ous soprano voices. A large crowd had stopped to with them.

mie paused, entranced. The scene was like a stmas card. The churchyard was surrounded by -tipped holly trees strung with sparkling lanterns, the vivid colours were reflected over and over le gleaming, thorny leaves. The white starched dresses of the women were like giant butterflies, sring slightly as if about to soar away. Above it all, Irops of rain could be seen against the navy-blue blowing this way and that like tiny, dancing stars, .nnie watched, a real star appeared, which seemed : winking and blinking especially at her. The other were already some distance ahead. 'Let's sing some Is,' she called.

ley stopped. 'It's bloody freezing,' Ruby com-led.

'Just one,' pleaded Annie. 'After all, it's Christmas.'

'Oh, all right, just one.'

The nuns began 'Silent Night', and everyone joined in. Annie was singing away when Sally Baker nudged her. 'See who's over there!'

Sylvia Delgado was standing at the back of the crowd, staring wide-eyed, as if as entranced as Annie by it all. She wore a thick suede coat with a fur collar which looked incredibly smart.

Annie only half heard the message being passed along the line of girls. 'See who's over there!' She felt annoyed when her arm was grabbed and someone hissed, 'Come on, quick! Let's get out of here.'

'Why?' she asked. 'The carol hasn't finished.'

A man's voice shouted angrily. 'Look what someone's done to this poor girl!'

Ruby and the gang were nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, Annie left the church and saw them running down the road, laughing. They disappeared into Woolworth's and were still laughing when she caught up with them.

'What happened?' she demanded.

'Ruby pushed Sylvia Delgado right into the middle of a holly tree. You should have seen her face! One minute she was there, then, "whoosh", she'd completely disappeared!'

Annie said nothing. She thought of Sylvia innocently watching the lovely Christmas scene, little realising she was about to be attacked.

The girls were at the jewellery counter discussing what presents to buy each other. 'What would you like, Annie?' Sally Barker called.

'I wouldn't be seen dead with anything off youse lot,' Annie said coldly.

They stared at her in surprise. One or two had the grace to look ashamed, as if they knew the reason for

the normally easy-going Annie Harrison's strange behaviour.

'Merry Christmas,' she said sarcastically. Turning on her heel, she marched out of Woolworth's to cries of, 'But Annie . . .'

The nuns were still in the churchyard, but there was no sign of Sylvia Delgado. Minutes later, Annie stood by the Odeon opposite the hotel where Sylvia lived. The traffic was heavy, and every now and then her view was blocked when a doubledecker bus or a lorry crawled by. The hotel was called the Grand, an appropriate name, she thought, because it was very grand indeed. Three storeys high, it was painted white and had little black wrought-iron balconies outside the windows of the first and second floors, and a red-and-black striped awning across the entire front at ground level. The doors were closed, and she wondered if it was more a posh sort of pub, rather than a hotel where people stayed.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, hopping from one foot to the other, and swinging her arms to try and keep warm. Time was getting on, and if she didn't take her courage in both hands soon, she would be late with Dad's tea. She didn't want him coming home on such a bitter night to find there was no hot meal waiting.

Eventually, she took a deep breath and dodged through the traffic across the road. She peeped through the downstairs window of the hotel. Apart from a string of coloured lights across the bar, the big room was in darkness. She went around the side and found a small door, where she rang the bell and waited, her stomach knotted with nervousness.

After a while, the door was opened by a slim woman whom Annie recognised immediately as Sylvia's mother. Not quite so beautiful, eyes a slightly lighter blue, and several inches shorter than her daughter, but

lovely all the same. Her blonde hair was cut urchin style, in feathery wisps around her face. She wore black slacks and a pink satin shirt blouse, and smiled kindly at the visitor.

'Is Sylvia in?' Annie gulped.

'I heard her come home a minute ago. Are you a friend from school?' The woman looked delighted. 'Come in, dear. Quickly, out of the cold.'

'Thank you.' Annie stepped into the neat lobby and the change from numbing cold to instant heat was almost suffocating. She noticed a metal radiator fixed to the wall, which explained why Sylvia's mother could walk round in a satin blouse in the middle of the winter!

'And who are you? You must call me Cecy, which is short for CeciHa. It's pronounced, "Si Si" - "yes" in Italian. I can't stand being called Mrs Delgado by my daughter's friends. It makes me feel very old.'

'I'm Annie. Annie Harrison.'

'Come along, Annie. I'll show you up to Sylvia's room.'

Annie felt uncomfortable when Mrs Delgado - Cecy - linked her arm companionably and they went upstairs together. Would the welcome be quite so warm if Sylvia's mother knew she hadn't exchanged a single word with her daughter since she'd started school?

When they reached the first-floor landing, Cecy shouted, 'Sylvia, darling, one of your friends is here.' She pointed up the second flight of stairs. 'First door on the right. I'll bring coffee in a minute.'

'Thank you, Mrs ... I mean, Cecy.'

The knot in Annie's stomach tightened. What sort of reception would she get? It would be quite understandable if Sylvia ordered her off the premises. As far as she was concerned, Annie was an acolyte of Ruby Livesey, someone who'd made her life a misery for weeks.

She was about to knock on the door when it opened, and Sylvia regarded her haughtily. There was an ugly red scratch on her creamy cheek. The two girls stared at each other.

'Hello,' Annie said awkwardly.

'Hello. I was wondering if you'd come. I've been watching you across the road for ages.' Sylvia gestured towards the window.

Annie took a deep breath. 'I came to say it wasn't me. I knew nothing about it till afterwards. Are you badly hurt.?'

'Did they send you to find out?' Sylvia looked angry. 'I wouldn't have thought they cared.'

'No!' Annie said quickly. 'I came of me own accord. They don't know I'm here - not that it'd worry me if they did.'

'If you must know, there are tiny scratches all over my head. It's a good thing I went in backwards or I could have been blinded.' She shuddered. 'The scratch on my cheek happened when I was being pulled out. Cecy will have a fit. I've managed to avoid her so far.'