by Judi Curtin
‘Hey, Eva, cool bracelet,’ said Amy as I reached for extra sugar.
‘Ruby’s mum made it,’ I said.
‘No way,’ said Chloe.
I nodded. ‘It’s true.’
‘Wow,’ said Ella. ‘She must be a genius.’
I turned to Ruby. Her face was red, but I could see that she was pleased.
It turned out to be a lovely day.
Chapter Nineteen
On Sunday, Victoria came to spend the day at my place.
‘Wow,’ she said when she came inside. ‘Did you get a new kitchen put in?’
Dad smiled.
‘No,’ he said, puffing up with pride. ‘That’s the old kitchen. A friend gave me a few cans of paint he didn’t need, and I used it to paint the units. Nice aren’t they?’
‘Totally,’ said Victoria.
I wondered if she was being sincere. I couldn’t help comparing Dad’s handiwork with the very flashy maple and steel kitchen that Victoria’s parents had had fitted in their house a few months earlier.
‘I’m doing the bathroom next,’ said Dad. ‘First I’m going to re-grout the tiles, and then I’m going to sand the floorboards, and then—’
‘Dad,’ I wailed. ‘Victoria isn’t here for a DIY lesson.’
‘Oh,’ said Dad, disappointed.
I grabbed Victoria’s arm and pulled her towards the hall.
‘Come on,’ I said. ‘Before he gets started again.’
Victoria laughed, and followed me.
‘Your dad’s changed,’ she said as we went upstairs.’
‘Tell me about it!’ I said.
‘Don’t knock it. Some changes are good you know. And your mum – she seems kind of different these days too.’
I smiled.
‘Yes she is, isn’t she? She always used to go out to lunch and coffee mornings and stuff – but she never had any real friends. Now that’s all changed though. She’s forever having the neighbours in for cups of tea. They’re always teaching her these weird recycled craft things, and talking about allotments and stuff. Sometimes I can’t concentrate on my homework, they’re laughing so much.’
‘That’s good isn’t it?’
I shrugged.
‘I suppose so,’ I conceded.
‘So, any real news?’ said Victoria when we were settled in my room.
Before I could answer, she noticed my new bracelet on my wrist. She leaned over and touched it, running her fingers along the tiny, shimmering beads.
‘That is so, so beautiful,’ she said. ‘Where did you get it?’
‘You mean “where did a poor girl like me get such a beautiful bracelet”?’ I snapped.
Victoria shook her head.
‘Stop being so defensive, Eva. I mean it’s a beautiful bracelet, and I’ve never seen it before and I’m wondering where you got it.’
‘Sorry,’ I said.
She smiled.
‘And?’
I hesitated.
I so didn’t want to tell Victoria about Ruby and the market.
I didn’t know how to say it without making myself sound like a loser.
But Victoria was my best friend in the whole world, and how could I be proper friends with someone I kept telling lies to?
So I took a deep breath, and told Victoria all about Ruby, and how I’d started to help her in the market on Saturdays.
Victoria listened to my story with a puzzled expression on her face.
‘That’s really nice of you, and everything, but … er … why?’ she said in the end.
‘Why what?’
Victoria sighed.
‘This is what I’m hearing. There’s this girl, that you don’t seem to like very much, and she doesn’t seem to like you – or anyone else – that much.’
‘I wouldn’t exactly say that I don’t like her,’ I corrected Victoria. ‘It’s just that she’s different to anyone I’ve ever known before.’
‘Whatever. She’s in your class, but she doesn’t talk to you at school, and you don’t talk to her?’
‘Well…yes.’
‘And yet you spend all of your Saturday mornings helping her to sell cabbages in the market.’
I giggled.
‘Pay attention. It’s not just cabbages. We sell carrots, broccoli, apples, oranges. We have a very wide range of produce!’
Victoria giggled too.
‘Well you know what I’m trying to say. I mean, you’ve always been a nice girl and everything, but you’re not a saint. So why are you doing this?’
I hesitated again.
It was one thing telling Victoria about Ruby.
Did I really want to tell her about Madam Margarita as well?
But Victoria was smiling at me, and I knew that if anyone in the whole world was going to understand this crazy story, it had to be Victoria. So I took another deep breath, and told her all about what Madam Margarita had said.
When I had finished, Victoria was silent for a long time.
I figured that silence was better than laughter, but it still wasn’t exactly the reaction I had hoped for.
‘Well?’ I said when I couldn’t take any more.
‘So this fortune-teller woman, that I was stupid enough to let you talk to, tells you to do loads of good deeds, and then you’ll get what you want?’
I nodded.
‘And you believe her?’ she asked.
‘Wouldn’t you?’
She shook her head.
‘Sorry, Eva, but I don’t think I would.’
Why was I surprised?
‘It’s easy for you,’ I said. ‘You already have everything you want. You don’t know what it’s like to want something as badly as I do.’
‘So what exactly is it that you want?’
‘I’m not greedy,’ I answered. ‘I only want one thing.’
‘And that is?’
‘I want my old life back.’
Victoria giggled.
‘It might only be one thing, but it’s a very big one thing, don’t you think?’
I sighed.
‘I know. But it’s all I want. I want my old house, my old life – the whole lot. I might not have appreciated it properly at the time, but I’d sure appreciate it now.’
‘But in your old life, you didn’t know Ella, and now she’s a really good friend.’
‘That’s true,’ I conceded. ‘So I’ll change my wish. I wish I had my old life back, just with Ella in it. How does that sound?’
‘Complicated.’
She was right, but I didn’t acknowledge that.
I sighed, again.
‘My biggest wish is that one day I’ll wake up and realise that these last few months have been a very long, very bad dream.’
Victoria shook her head.
‘Sorry to disappoint you, Eva, but this isn’t a dream.’
‘I know,’ I said quickly. ‘And that’s why I have to believe in Madam Margarita.’
Even as I said the last words, I knew they weren’t true. I’d never really, really truly believed in her. I had just wanted to believe in her. And now, after weeks of doing as she suggested, nothing had changed.
Madam Margarita had to be a fraud.
Why hadn’t I been able to see it before?
I felt a sick feeling in my stomach as the last strands of hope vanished, like the string of a runaway balloon slipping through my fingers. My dream was disappearing before my eyes.
I sighed again.
‘You’re right. It’s not going to work. I was crazy to ever think that it would.’
Victoria came over and hugged me. I could smell the expensive fabric conditioner on her hoodie. It was the kind my mum used to use – back when we could still afford it.
‘I’m so sorry, Eva,’ said Victoria, when I finally, reluctantly let her go.
I tried to smile. ‘Maybe the first twenty years of being poor are the hardest. It’ll probably be OK after that.’
She smiled. ‘I’m sure things aren�
�t that bad. And, look on the bright side, now that you know Madam Margarita was talking rubbish, you can forget all about her advice. You can forget about helping people. You can forget all about working in the market.’
I started to smile, but then changed my mind.
‘No, Victoria,’ I said. ‘I can’t stop working in the market.’
Victoria shook her head in frustration.
‘I don’t get you sometimes, Eva. I really don’t.’
I wrinkled up my face as I tried to explain.
‘You see, at first, I only helped Ruby because of what Madam Margarita said. I was helping her because I stupidly believed that it would somehow end up helping me. But now things are different. I know Ruby is a bit weird – well actually she’s very weird – but she’s nice too, and she needs help, and if I don’t help her, who else will?’
Victoria hugged me again.
‘You’re the kindest girl I’ve ever met,’ she said, and I was embarrassed, but very, very pleased.
Chapter Twenty
Soon it was Saturday again, and I took my place beside Ruby at the fruit and vegetable stall. I was starting to get to know the customers now, and some of them greeted me like I was one of their oldest friends. Even Mamie sort of smiled at me sometimes. I think she was glad that at last someone was tough enough to stand up to her.
The morning went really quickly, and soon I found myself standing outside the locked-up shed, holding my usual bag of food.
Once again, Ruby looked embarrassed.
‘Want to come to my place for a while?’ she asked.
I was so surprised I didn’t know what to say. I looked carefully at her, and got the horrible feeling that she was really, really hoping that I was going to say no.
‘Er … I’m not sure,’ I said, stalling for time. ‘My mum and dad will be expecting me home.’
‘Can’t you text them and tell them you’re going to be a bit late?’ now she sounded desperate.
What was going on?
Did this girl want me to go to her place or not?
And if she didn’t, why was she asking me in the first place?
‘My mum said I should ask you,’ said Ruby in the end. ‘I told her how you’ve been helping me on the stall, and she said that the least we could do is invite you over for some lunch.’
Suddenly I felt even more sorry for Ruby than usual. I had a funny feeling that she didn’t often ask friends to her place.
I had a funny feeling that she didn’t have any friends.
Did she think I was her friend?
And what would her mother say to her if she arrived home without me?
So I smiled at her.
‘Sure,’ I said. ‘I’d love to come over to your place for a while.’ Then I sent a quick text to my mum, and followed Ruby down the street.
Neither of us said much as we walked along. I didn’t mind. I was getting used to Ruby’s long silences – and sometimes it’s kind of relaxing not to have to talk.
‘Nearly there,’ said Ruby at last, as we turned a corner.
‘Hey, I know this road,’ I said. ‘I’ve been here before. Madam Margarita lives here, doesn’t she?’
Ruby glared at me.
‘What do you know about Madam Margarita?’
Her fierce look made me think that this wasn’t a time for telling the truth.
‘Oh, I just heard someone talking about her once,’ I said.
Ruby still looked fierce, but she didn’t ask any more questions.
‘Here we are,’ she said a moment later. ‘Home sweet home.’
I gulped.
The sign was gone, but that didn’t matter. I’d recognise the front door with its flaky blue paint anywhere.
There were hundreds of streets, and thousands and thousands of houses in our town.
So, of all the houses in all the streets, why was Ruby leading me towards Madam Margarita’s one?
I thought about running away, but before I could move, Ruby had flung open the front door.
‘Mum, I’m home,’ she called. ‘And I’ve brought my friend, Eva.’
I gulped again.
What on earth had I left myself in for?
In a daze, I followed Ruby in the front door and through the hallway. Nothing had changed since my last visit. Everything still looked dark and dull and dreary, making me wonder if maybe my new home wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I followed Ruby in to the kitchen. I stood there with my mouth open and watched as Madam Margarita’s mouth opened equally wide.
‘It’s the Princess,’ said Madam Margarita. ‘Ruby, you’ve brought the Princess.’
‘It’s Madam Margarita,’ I said. ‘Ruby, you’ve brought me to see Madam Margarita.’
Ruby looked at us like we were both totally crazy.
‘I didn’t know you were a princess,’ she snapped at me. ‘You’ve managed not to mention that before. And that’s certainly not Madam Margarita. That’s my mum and her name is Maggie.’ Ruby stopped speaking and for a second I felt that I could hear the cogs in her brain revolving as she tried to figure out what was going on.
‘I get it,’ she said in the end. ‘Eva is the one.’
‘What one?’ I asked.
‘The one who came to see Madam Margarita. The only customer Madam Margarita, or should I say Maggie, ever had.’
‘So you’re not a real fortune-teller?’ I said.
Maggie shook her head. ‘Well, no, not exactly.’
Now I felt really angry. I was cross with Maggie, but mostly I was cross with myself for believing all the rubbish she had told me.
‘But that’s not fair,’ I said. ‘You’re an imposter. You took ten euro from me under false pretences. There are laws against that kind of thing. I should go straight to the police and report you.’
‘I’m ……’ began Maggie but I interrupted her. I wasn’t angry anymore – I just felt sad and stupid.
‘You tricked me,’ I said. ‘You made me believe what you said was true, and that so isn’t fair.’
Maggie spoke softly.
‘I didn’t mean any harm. And I did read two books about fortune-telling. And I was going to read another few, but they didn’t have any more in the library.’
Was this woman for real?
Did she expect me to be impressed because she’d read a few books on fortune-telling?
I read a book about space exploration once – did that mean I could sign up for the next rocket to the moon?
Ruby didn’t look very happy either.
‘What did you tell Eva, Mum?’ she asked in a cold voice. ‘Did you tell her that there was going to be a tall handsome stranger in her life? I suppose you’d have been half right. Mr Gowing is tall, and he certainly is strange. He’s not handsome though. But still, two out of three’s not bad – for someone who has read two whole books in the library!’
Now I felt angry again.
Was Ruby mocking me?
How dare she?
How would she feel if I told her what Maggie had really told me?
How would she feel if she knew that I only helped her because of what her mother had said?
How would she feel if ……?
I looked at Ruby, standing against the counter, looking like she’d happily kill her mother or me, or both of us.
I looked at Maggie next to her, looking nervous and guilty.
They were both staring at me with identical, huge brown eyes.
How had I managed not to notice the resemblance before?
Suddenly I couldn’t concentrate any more – I was too busy laughing.
This whole thing was really very funny.
Madam Margarita asked me to do something, and doing it led me right back to her doorstep.
How weird was that?
After a second, Maggie and Ruby started to laugh too. The three of us laughed until there were tears streaming from our eyes. I stopped when the pain in my side became too much. I wiped my eyes and looked at the others.
Ruby was leaning on Maggie’s wheelchair, and Maggie had her arm around her daughter’s waist. Maggie looked young and pretty, and for the first time since I’d met her, Ruby looked like a normal girl, having fun.
At last Maggie stopped laughing too.
‘Thanks for coming, Eva,’ she said. ‘I’ve made some chicken wraps. Would you like one?’
I giggled.
‘You’re the fortune-teller. Why don’t you tell me?’ I said, and then we all laughed some more, before sitting down for our lunch.
After we had eaten, I helped Ruby to clear the table, and then I said that I’d better go.
‘It’s starting to rain,’ said Maggie as we got to the door. ‘Ruby, why don’t you run upstairs and get Eva a jacket to wear home?’
Ruby ran upstairs, and Maggie wheeled herself closer to me.
‘Thank you so much for helping Ruby out these last few weeks. It means a lot to her, and to me.’
‘That’s OK,’ I said, feeling embarrassed.
‘Ruby isn’t very good at making friends,’ she continued.
Ha! That was an understatement. Ruby was a total disaster at making friends.
Before either of us could say any more, Ruby was back, holding the ugliest jacket I’d ever seen.
‘Oh look,’ I said brightly. ‘The rain has stopped. Bye now, and thanks for everything.’
Then I skipped out the door, before anyone could point out that there were torrents of water pouring from the sky.
Chapter Twenty-One
That night, I told Mum and Dad about Maggie and Ruby. I left out the Madam Margarita part, as I figured the story was complicated enough without dragging that into the middle of it.
‘So that’s what happened,’ I said, as I came to the end of the story. ‘One day, everything was fine – well sort of fine anyway. Maggie was running the stall, and Ruby got to be a normal kid. Then, when Maggie fell off her bike and hurt her back, everything changed in an instant.’
‘And it’s just the two of them in the family?’ asked Dad.
