by Joan Lingard
‘I just don’t feel like going.’
‘Don’t talk daft! You’ve been practising for weeks and you’ve got your costume. Think of all the money I spent on it!’
Mrs Jackson looked at the purple velvet outfit hanging in front of the wardrobe. Sadie looked too and sighed.
‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry! Tommy, come and talk sense into your sister’s head.’
Tommy came into Sadie’s room in his pyjamas, his feet bare. ‘I’m not going either.’
Mrs Jackson sat down on the end of Sadie’s bed. ‘You’re joking. You’re having me on.’
‘I know it’s a shock, ma,’ said Sadie, ‘but we can’t help it.’
Mrs Jackson went downstairs and Mr Jackson came up.
‘What’s all this nonsense I’m hearing? You’ll have to go. You can’t disappoint your mother. She’s been looking forward to seeing you walk for weeks.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Tommy, ‘But we’ve made up our minds.’
‘What about all the money we’ve spent on you?’
‘We’ll pay it back out of our pocket money,’ said Sadie.
‘I don’t know what’s happened to you kids.’ Mr Jackson scratched his head. ‘Well, I’m getting ready or I’ll be late. And I’ve never been late for the walk in my life.’ He left them.
The doorbell rang and the front door opened.
‘Are you ready, Sadie?’ Linda called out.
‘I’m not going,’ Sadie called back.
‘Not going?’
‘I don’t think she’s feeling too well,’ said Mrs Jackson.
‘She’ll be awfully disappointed…’ Linda’s voice died away.
When Mr and Mrs Jackson were dressed and ready to go out they came into Sadie’s room.
‘You’re letting us down badly, you realize that, don’t you?’ said Mr Jackson.
‘I never thought you’d do a thing like this to us,’ said Mrs Jackson.
And then they went out.
Sadie and Tommy sat side by side on the bed listening. The street was busy with feet going up and down. The men would be assembling at their lodges, the bands gathering with their pipes and flutes and drums, the drum majorettes high-stepping and twirling their batons. And then they heard the music beginning: the drums tapping soft, then loud, the tootle of the flutes, the deeper notes of the pipes. Tommy’s foot tapped.
‘It’s a pity,’ he said.
‘For Brede, too,’ said Sadie.
‘Aye.’
The music passed. Their lodge would be away to join the others in the procession. In the distance they could still hear the bands. But the street was quiet. Tommy put his head out of the window.
‘Not even a cat moving. What’ll we do?’
‘Go to the hospital?’
Tommy took a box from the back of his wardrobe. In it was his emergency fund, only to be touched for extra-special reasons. He tipped the contents out and put them in his pocket.
When they got to the hospital and read the visiting hours on the board they realized that this was not one of them.
‘I’m not coming all this way without getting in,’ said Sadie.
Inside the door they saw a notice up saying ‘Inquiries’ so they went and inquired. The woman was pleasant, but said that she could not give out information about patients. As they turned away dejectedly they saw Kevin coming along the corridor. He looked pale and tired.
‘Hello,’he said.
‘How’s Brede?’ Tommy asked quickly.
‘She’s going to be all right.’
Sadie let out a big sigh. ‘Thank goodness for that!’
‘She’ll take a while to mend, of course, but the operation was successful and they’re very pleased with her.’
‘We didn’t sleep a wink last night,’ said Tommy.
‘Nor I,’ said Kevin.
They walked along the corridor together and out of the hospital. They stood at the gate. They looked at one another.
‘I thought you’d have been walking in the parade,’ said Kevin.
Sadie shrugged. ‘We didn’t feel like it somehow.’
‘What are you going to do today?’
‘We’ve nothing planned,’ said Tommy. ‘We’re at a bit of a loose end. Our street’s like a morgue.’
‘I’m at a loose end, too,’ said Kevin. ‘I can’t face going home yet.’
‘I’ve some money,’ said Tommy. He jingled the coins in his pocket.
‘I fancy a day at the seaside,’ said Sadie.
‘The seaside?’ Kevin’s eyes lit up.
‘Bangor?’ said Tommy.
‘You’re on!’
‘What about Brede?’ said Sadie. ‘It doesn’t seem right us going off enjoying ourselves and her lying in hospital.’
‘Brede wouldn’t mind,’ said Kevin. ‘She’d rather we did.’
They went to Bangor by bus. The town was crowded with holiday-makers. They thronged the streets, the shops and the sands. The children bought a bag of chips apiece and walked along the seafront to Ballyholme. The chips were hot and salty, and the air was fresh off the sea.
‘It was a good idea,’ said Kevin. ‘I don’t feel half as tired now.’
They went down on to the beach at Ballyholme, took off their shoes and socks and ran barefoot across the sand into the sea. Kevin scooped a huge handful of water over Sadie.
‘That’s for throwing flour at me!’
But she did not let that pass. They ended up with their clothes soaking wet.
‘Sure it doesn’t matter,’ said Kevin. ‘The sun’ll dry us out.’
They lay on the sand and baked. All around children played, digging busily, running to the edge of the sea to fill their pails with water.
‘I’m going to make a castle,’ said Sadie. ‘The biggest castle on the whole beach.’
‘Bet I make a bigger one!’ said Kevin.
They set to work, digging furiously with their hands. Sand flew in all directions. Tommy retreated to a safe place.
‘Don’t know how you can be bothered,’ he murmured. ‘Its too hot.’
Suddenly, Sadie jumped right into the middle of Kevin’s castle. Then she ran off along the beach laughing. He went in pursuit of her and soon they were lost amongst the crowds.
After a while they came back carrying three ice-cream cones.
Later, they walked into the centre of Bangor and mingled with the throng. They went in and out of amusement arcades, idled in front of shop windows, and ate hot dogs.
They spent the last hour of their day in Bangor sitting on the sea wall. The evening sun shimmered across the water.
‘It’s been a good day,’ said Sadie, ‘considering it came after a such a bad night.’
‘I never expected to spend the “Twelfth” with a couple of Prods!’ Kevin laughed.
Tommy sighed. He was pleasantly tired, full of sea air, and his pockets were empty.
‘We’ll come back again,’ he said, ‘another day.’
‘With Brede,’ said Sadie.
