Popcorn

by Clare Nonhebel



  Popcorn

  a novella

  by

  Clare Nonhebel

  Copyright 2014 Clare Nonhebel

  Cover design by Shirley Walker

  POPCORN

  Clare Nonhebel

  CHAPTER 1

  Miss Janes was here again to look at the bed. She did that from time to time. Soony supposed it must be her job and everyone had to do their job, didn't they? Or so Mrs Hobgrass said.

  'Are you ready to go, Soony?' asked Miss Janes, sitting down on the bed beside her and patting her hand.

  'Yes,' said Soony. She added, 'Go where?'

  Miss Janes was surprised, she could tell. 'You hadn't forgotten, had you? To June and Jim. Look, your suitcase is all packed.'

  'Oh, yes.'

  'You hadn't forgotten really, had you, Soony?'

  'No,' she said, but she had. She did forget things sometimes, things like that. Not the important things, which everyone else forgot, like the girl Sally.

  'Will Sally be there?' she asked Miss Janes.

  'Sally?' said Miss Janes. 'It's June and Jim. You remember - you've been to tea there and you've stayed a weekend.'

  'Where's Sally then?' Soony asked. She had never been able quite to work out where people went when they left Springfields.

  'Sally who?' said Miss Janes with a note of impatience in her voice. 'I don't know any Sally.'

  Soony burst out laughing. 'Yes you do! Sally who lived here.'

  'There wasn't any Sally,' said Miss Janes. 'Not since I've been working in this area, and certainly not since you've been here.'

  'Sally!' shrieked Soony. 'With the laugh! Jason hid her overall under the cushion and she laughed.'

  ‘’Oh, one of the helpers,’ said Miss Janes, losing interest. ‘That student, wasn’t she, with the fair hair in a ponytail?’

  Soony clapped her hands. ‘Yes. Sally.’

  ‘She was only here for a couple of weeks last summer,’ said Miss Janes. ‘That was a whole year ago. Do you still remember her, Soony?’

  ‘Course I do,’ Soony said scornfully. See? She didn’t forget the important things, like friends, even if they never came back to see her when they said they would. She only forgot little things, like which day she was going to live with June and Jim.

  Miss Janes turned her attention to the bed, smoothing the pillowcase and patting the sheets. ‘This is the last time you’ll be sleeping in this bed,’ she said. ‘You’ll be in a different bed tonight, in your own little room.’

  ‘Yes,’ Soony agreed.

  ‘You saw it last time, didn’t you?’ pursued Miss Janes. ‘June showed you where you would sleep.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Soony again, to humour her. They had showed the bed to Miss Janes, because Miss Janes was there to look at these things. Soony had not taken very much notice of it herself.

  ‘Well,’ said Miss Janes. ‘Shall we go?’

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ Soony agreed. ‘Are we going in the car?’ She liked the car. She was in such a hurry to get there that she ran down the stairs ahead of Miss Janes, who was carrying the suitcase, and stood by the passenger door. She crooned happily to herself, one hand inside her knickers and the other tracing the path of the metal trim on the side of the car.

  ‘Soony!’ Miss Janes called. ‘Aren’t you going to say goodbye to everybody?’

  ‘No,’ Soony called back.

  ‘Yes, you must,’ said Miss Janes. ‘Come on.’

  Mrs Hobgrass came out of her office. ‘Goodbye, Soony dear,’ she said, hugging Soony to her cushiony chest.

  ‘Bye,’ said Soony.

  ‘You’ll be a good girl, won’t you, with June and Jim? And have a lovely time in your new home. And come back and see us whenever you feel you want to.’

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ said Soony. ‘Bye.’

  ‘Are you going to say goodbye to Mr Greaves and Miss Wilmslow now?’ Mrs Hobgrass said.

  ‘No,’ said Soony. ‘I’m going in the car.’

  ‘Just a quick goodbye,’ said Mrs Hobgrass. ‘We’re all going to miss you, you know. You know that, don’t you, Soony?’

  ‘Yes,’ Soony said.

  ‘I’ll call them out here,’ said Mrs Hobgrass. ‘We don’t want to disturb the Saturday club groups, do we?’

  ‘No, we don’t,’ Soony agreed.

  Miss Wilmslow appeared.

  ‘Bye,’ said Soony, making for the door. ‘I have to go in the car now.’

  ‘Goodbye Soony,’ said Miss Wilmslow. ‘Come back and see us again, now won’t you?’

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ Soony said.

  ‘I’m sorry to see you go, Soony,’ said Miss Wilmslow. ‘You’ve certainly been a live wire around the place, that I will say. Even if we have had our few little ups and downs.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Soony. ‘We certainly have. Bye, Mr Greaves.’

  ‘Soony,’ said Mr Greaves. He put both hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. She kissed him back, on the lips. Miss Wilmslow cleared her throat. ‘I’m sorry you’re leaving us, Soony,’ said Mr Greaves.

  ‘Yes,’ said Soony. ‘Bye.’

  ‘Not that you’re really leaving us,’ he said. ‘Because even though you’ve got a new family now, this is still your old home, isn’t it, and you’ll come back and see us whenever you want?’

  ‘Yes,’ Soony said. ‘Bye.’

  ‘So be a good girl then,’ said Mr Greaves. ‘And have a lovely time being spoilt by June and Jim.’

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ said Soony. ‘Bye. I have to go now.’

  She went out to the car. The football club people were on the forecourt too, getting out of the van. Brian was twisting the wing mirror on Miss Janes’s car so he could see his face in it.

  ‘Stop that, Brian!’ shouted Keith. ‘Hi Soony, are you off now?’

  ‘Yes. Bye.’ Soony smiled at him. She didn’t mind stopping to say goodbye to Keith.

  ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,’ he called, and everyone laughed.

  ‘You dirty bugger, you!’ shrieked Soony, and all the football club laughed again – Doris and Jason and Christabel and others.

  He was a dirty bugger, Keith. When he was driving them in the van he would say jokes and make them all laugh. ‘Hey Doris,’ he would say, ‘what colour knickers have you got on today?’ Or, ‘How’s your girlfriend, Jason?’ Ooh, he was a dirty one all right.

  She wouldn’t mind going to bed with Keith. She told him so once. ‘I wouldn’t mind going to bed with you,’ she said. They were all in the sweetshop at the time, buying choc ices, and this lady had turned around and stared at them as if they were mad or something. And Keith laughed quite loudly and said, ‘Thank you, Soony,’ but underneath he felt a bit uneasy, she could tell. So she kindly talked to him instead about how much money she had, and didn’t say that she hadn’t really meant it as a joke. He was a nice bloke, Keith, as well as being a dirty bugger, but sometimes he didn’t understand all you said. But that was OK; you had to make allowances.

  ‘Are we off then, Soony?’ said Miss Janes, and Soony said, ‘Yes, we’re off.’

  ‘Wave goodbye to your friends,’ she said as they drove away, but Soony was looking in the glove compartment. ‘Any Polos?’ she said.

  June had put out her granny’s lace tablecloth and the bone china cups.

  ‘Who are you trying to impress?’ said Jim.

  ‘Oh dear,’ said June. ‘Do you think it’s too formal? Would it be better to have just mugs and plates on our knees? Or have a picnic lunch in the garden or something?’

  ‘I think you’re worrying too much,’ said Jim, putting his arms round her. ‘Everything will be fine.’

  ‘What if she doesn’t want...?’

  ‘Hey,’ said Jim. ‘She knows us now. We’re not str
angers any more; we’re family. Let’s just behave like family and then she’ll take it for granted.’

  ‘Yes,’ said June. ‘You’re right. Oh God, is that the car? Jim, is my hair all right? I forgot to...’

  ‘June’ he said warningly, and she laughed. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘OK.’

  ‘Hello!’ sang Miss Janes. ‘Here we are!’

  ‘Hello, Soony,’ said June. ‘What a pretty dress. Come on in.’

  ‘It is pretty,’ said Miss Janes. ‘She’s all dressed up for the occasion, aren’t you, Soony?’

  Soony hung back

  ‘In we go,’ said Miss Janes. ‘You remember June, don’t you, Soony?’

  ‘No,’ Soony said.

  ‘Of course you do,’ said Miss Janes, laughing. ‘Let’s go in and see what June’s got for lunch, shall we?’

  ‘No,’ Soony said.

  ‘Hello, Soony,’ said Jim, popping out of the living room. ‘My, you look gorgeous; I could eat you up.’ He flung his arms round her and made eating noises on her neck.

  ‘Fuck off,’ said Soony, and giggled.

  ‘Why?’ said Jim. ‘Am I a pain in the neck?’ He made another snap at her neck. Soony laughed loudly. ‘It’s because I’m so hungry,’ he complained. ‘I want my lunch. Coming with me?’

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ said Soony, taking his hand. ‘Have we got sausages?’

  ‘That’s exactly what we have got,’ said Jim. ‘Ham sausages and salad sausages and sausage bread rolls.’

  ‘You are a pain in the neck,’ said Soony and everyone laughed.

  Soony ate a bread roll and sat by the window, pulling threads out of the curtain.

  ‘Aren’t you going to have something else to eat, Soony?’ said June.

  There was a pattern of roses in the curtain and when you pulled a thread the pattern moved.

  ‘Wouldn’t you like a chocolate biscuit?’ said June. ‘And something to drink?’

  Soony pulled the thread hard till it snapped. It left a line of white across the rose.

  ‘I think Soony’s shy today,’ said Miss Janes.

  June was different today, Soony thought. June was worried. She kept looking across at Soony and feeling worried. Soony kept her head down and didn’t look back at June in case she got worried too. Instead, she looked out of the window at the garden.

  ‘Would you like to go out in the garden, Soony?’ said June

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ Soony said without looking up.

  June stood up. ‘I’ll show you all the new flowers I’ve put in, shall I?’

  ‘No,’ said Soony. ‘I’ll go on my own.’ She stood up and went out.

  Miss Janes looked at June and smiled. ‘It’s a year since she lived with a family,’ she said. ‘You may have a few little problems just at first.’

  Soony stood at the end of the garden beside the compost heap. Out of the window they watched her. She started to pull little apples off the tree. One, two, three... she counted them. Teeny weeny they were, the size of her thumbnail. One potato, two potato. Funny potatoes. She laughed.

  ‘I’ll call in later in the week,’ said Miss Janes, ‘just to see how everything’s going. But if in the meantime there are any problems...’

  ‘You couldn’t give us a week or so on our own?’ said Jim. ‘She might settle in better, feel it’s more permanent, sort of thing.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Miss Janes. ‘It’s up to you; you’re the foster parents.’ They laughed self-consciously.

  ‘Well,’ said Miss Janes, ‘I’ll be off then. I’ll just tell her I’m going, show her her room again perhaps? I find it helps them get the idea of home.’

  ‘Yes, yes,’ agreed June and Jim.

  ‘Soony!’ called Miss Janes. ‘I’m going now. Shall we just take your suitcase up to your bedroom?’

  Soony followed her up the stairs.

  ‘Do you remember which bedroom is yours?’ said Miss Janes. ‘No? It’s this one here, isn’t it? Remember it now? Your own little bed with the pink cover.’

  ‘Yes,’ Soony said. June was still worried; she could feel it. She shrugged her shoulders to get June’s worry off her back.

  ‘All right?’ said Miss Janes. ‘I’ll leave you to help June unpack all your things and put them in this cupboard – look, this is yours – and in these drawers. OK? Goodbye then, Soony. I’ll see you next week. On Monday or Tuesday, OK?’

  ‘Bye,’ said Soony. She picked up the suitcase and threw it on the bed.

  ‘I’ll see you out, Miss Janes,’ said Jim. Downstairs, Miss Janes patted him on the arm. ‘Good luck,’ she said. ‘You’ve got my office phone number?’

  ‘Well,’ said June. ‘Shall we unpack?’

  Soony sat down on top of her suitcase. ‘No,’ she said.

  ‘I think’, said June, ‘that what this room needs is a nice big vase of flowers. I think I’ll go out in the garden and find some to pick.’ She went towards the door. ‘I wonder,’ she said, ‘if I’ll manage to find any pink ones to match your bedspread.’

  Soony stood up.

  ‘You could come and help me if you like,’ said June. ‘To find some pink flowers.’

  ‘I’ll do it,’ said Soony. ‘On my own.’

  ‘Oh that’s a good idea,’ June said.

  ‘Where is she?’ asked Jim.

  ‘Out in the garden.’

  ‘Want me to go out?’

  ‘No,’ said June. ‘Let’s give her a bit of space.’

  Soony had found the most amazing thing. It was a tall, tall spike with little buds all over it, and the buds were bright purple. At the bottom they were big and purple with little yellow tongues, and further up they were small and purple and only some of them had tongues, and right at the top they were crammed together into a point and were green. And – here was the amazing thing – at the very place where the buds started to grow, the stem, which was green right from the ground up to there, became purple too. At the very point where the buds started to grow.

  It was so clever! Soony couldn’t believe it. How did the stem know to change its colour right there, just so that everything would match – the buds and the stem and everything, all the same colour?

  As she was watching the spike, a bee flew in between one of the purple buds and its yellow tongue.

  ‘Yeah! Yeah!’ shouted Soony. She rocked back and forth and clapped her hands. ‘Right inside its mouth! It’ll eat you up!’

  The bee wasn’t bothered. It wiggled about a bit and came flying out. Soony put her finger into the bud where the bee had been, and giggled. ‘I’m not got eaten!’ she crowed.

  The bee came back. It went into another bud, and another one. Then it flew away. The sun was hot and the sky was a beautiful blue. Crouching down, Soony could see the sky behind the spike, the purple spike with its green tip soaring into the blue.

  ‘Oh Soony,’ said June. ‘What a lovely flower you’ve found. Do you know what it’s called?’

  ‘No,’ said Soony. ‘What?’

  ‘It’s a lupin,’ said June. ‘Have you seen lupins before?’

  ‘No,’ said Soony.

  ‘A lovely purple one,’ said June. ‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Soony. ‘It’s a purple.’

  ‘Shall we pick it to put in your room?’ suggested June.

  ‘Yes,’ Soony said. The bee came back and flew near the lupin but didn’t go in. The lupin waited, lovely and purple against the blue sky.

  ‘Shall I cut it just here?’ said June.

  ‘Yes,’ said Soony, watching the bee return.

  June made a snipping sound with her scissors and the lupin fell, tumbling out of the sky.

  ‘Aaah!’ Soony screamed.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ said June. She had jumped up quickly and stood with her hand on her heart.

  Soony snatched up the bloom and tore it apart, pulling out its tongues and scattering them on the ground. ‘You fucking bugger cow!’ she screamed.

  Soony and
June and Jim sat watching television. June and Jim looked at Soony. Soony sat on the floor and looked at the screen. One hand pulled tufts out of the carpet and the other hand was inside her knickers. She swayed back and forth.

  ‘Soony,’ said June. ‘Are you tired?’

  ‘Soony?’ she said, a few minutes later.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You must be tired. I think it’s time you went to bed.’

  ‘No,’ Soony said.

  ‘It’s half past ten,’ said June. ‘Miss Janes said at Springfields you go to bed at nine. I think it’s time you went up, don’t you?’

  The man on the telly was dying in the gutter, groaning and sweating and leaking blood from his mouth.

  ‘He’s dead,’ said Soony.

  ‘Yes,’ said June. ‘That must be the end. Shall we go upstairs now and see you into bed?’

  ‘It’s not the end,’ said Soony. ‘Some people are still alive.’

  Jim switched off the television. ‘All the good bits are over,’ he said, yawning and stretching widely. ‘Why don’t we all go to bed?’

  ‘Oh, all right then,’ Soony said.

  Soony sat up in bed in her yellow nightie, crooning and rocking to and fro. June lay awake in the next room.

  ‘Go to sleep,’ mumbled Jim.

  ‘I can’t till she does,’ said June. ‘What if she gets up?’

  ‘If she gets up you’ll wake up and hear her,’ said Jim. ‘You’re a light sleeper.’

  June sighed. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘About Soony. What do you think?’

  ‘It’ll work out all right,’ said Jim. ‘Let’s wait and see, shall we?’

  ‘Yes,’ said June. ‘Yes, you’re right.’

  Soony stopped rocking. There was someone there. A faint, glimmering presence, almost swamped by the dark. She listened. Yes, there was definitely something. She smiled and slid down the bed and went to sleep, wriggling her toes.