by Maria Farrer
“Hello?” Ruby heard a voice on the end of the line, a voice that sounded a lot like Mrs. Moresby’s.
* * *
Half an hour later, Mr. Bayford opened the door of his office for Mrs. Moresby. When he saw the polar bear he fainted flat out on the floor. Dealing with polar bears obviously wasn’t part of a teacher’s training.
Mrs. Moresby activated her nursing skills once again as she put Mr. Bayford in the recovery position and waited for him to come round. Ruby fetched him a drink of water and he said he would like to speak to Mrs. Moresby and Mister P alone. And THAT was the bit that Ruby was worried about, because what would he talk to Mrs. Moresby about and what would she say? Ruby was sent back to class, but she couldn’t concentrate at all. And she could hear people whispering.
Finally, she was summoned back to the Head’s office. She couldn’t help noticing that he still looked a little pale.
“I am afraid I had to send Mrs. Moresby and Mister P home. Health and safety. No polar bears allowed on school premises.”
“I was telling the truth, though,” said Ruby.
Mr. Bayford looked Ruby straight in the eye. “Mrs. Moresby has explained that you have a lot of responsibility at the moment and that caring for a polar bear is very demanding and that some allowances should be made at school. So I think we should discuss what we can do to help you. There are other students at school in a similar position.”
Ruby laughed. “You’re not telling me there are other kids trying to look after a polar bear? I mean how many polar bears have moved in round here?”
“Well no, I don’t think anyone else has a bear to look after. But there are children who help care for others at home—family members, that kind of thing—which is probably quite similar.”
“Maybe,” Ruby shrugged. She still wasn’t comfortable with this conversation.
“Do you know Marek Sekula in Mr. Cheriton’s class?” Ruby shook her head. She’d seen Marek around, but she didn’t know him. “Well, he helps take care of his dad. And there are one or two others. It’s easier if we know about these things because then we can inform your teachers and make sure you don’t get too behind with your work. There are different organizations which can help too.”
Mr. Bayford opened his drawer and took out a pamphlet. He handed it to Ruby. She glanced at the front. It said something about young carers. She fingered it for a few moments then handed it back. “They probably don’t help with polar bears,” she said.
“Maybe not,” said Mr. Bayford. “But hold on to it anyway.”
Ruby tucked it in her pocket.
“I’ve been thinking, and I wondered if it might be a good idea for you to move out of Miss Dennis’s class and make a new start in Mr. Cheriton’s room. He’s used to working with Marek and it would give you and Marek the chance to get to know each other.”
Ruby thought about this for a moment. She wasn’t that bothered about getting to know Marek, but she’d do anything to get away from Lucas and Kelly.
“Thanks, Mr. Bayford,” she said. “That would be good.”
Mr. Bayford made a note on his computer.
“Can I trust you to tell me the truth from now on?” he added.
“I always tell the truth,” said Ruby, crossing her fingers behind her back. “But I’d rather you didn’t mention the polar bear to too many people. He’s got used to me looking after him and he wouldn’t like it at all if someone came to take him away.”
Mr. Bayford nodded and typed another note.
Ruby decided discussing polar bears was certainly a good deal easier than discussing parents.
CHAPTER 13
Sparkles and Surprises
Ruby walked fast all the way home. She wanted to say a hundred thank yous to Mrs. Moresby for not spilling the beans about Mom. And she wanted to thank Mister P for being a real life polar bear—even if he did make Mr. Bayford faint.
She let herself into the apartment quietly. It was so quiet, she wondered if anyone was there. She closed the door and turned around. She had to squeeze her eyes shut and then open them again to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Tied to the back of a chair was a balloon with “11” on it. And on the table there was a cake with candles and two large, lumpy-bumpy presents. Ruby dropped her school bag on the floor.
Mom cried, jumping out from behind a chair. Mrs. Moresby came out from behind Ruby’s bedoom door with Leo tucked comfortably on her hip, and Mister P burst in from the balcony with a huge grin on his furry face.
“Happy birthday,” said Mom. “I know we’re a day late, but I hope you don’t mind.”
Ruby did not mind—not one bit. She was so happy she could have cried.
“I’m sorry,” said Mom. “You know I would never forget your birthday on purpose. It was only when I was talking to Mrs. Moresby today … anyway, we hope you like your presents.”
Ruby was so excited she was almost shaking. “Can I open them?”
Ruby opened the card first. She’d always been told that was the polite thing to do.
She smiled at the three of them then started on the present. First she undid the ribbon and her heart was thump-thump-thumping as she ripped off the paper. She knew what it was. She could feel the shape of it, the weight of it.
The paper fell to the floor and Ruby was left holding the best present she had ever been given:
“I’ve fixed it up for you,” said Mom. “It’s one of your dad’s old competition boards. I think he’d like you to have it. He did promise after all.”
Ruby hadn’t heard Mom mention Dad’s name in ages.
“How did you know?” said Ruby. “I never told you.”
“Dad and I did talk, you know. Once upon a time.”
Ruby looked over every bit of the board. “You’ve done a genius job, Mom. Thank you.”
Mom looked at Ruby and smiled. “No, it’s me who needs to thank you,” she said, “For everything that you do every day.”
Ruby had to stare at the ceiling for a good few moments before she could take everything in. She sniffed loudly and Mister P sniffed too. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and Mister P and Mom and Mrs. Moresby all did the same. Then Mrs. Moresby handed over a smaller present. Ruby ripped it open and inside were knee guards, elbow guards, and a helmet. “They’re not quite new, I’m afraid,” said Mrs. Moresby. “But they’ll do the trick. And you need to wear them … mark my words.”
Ruby didn’t know what to say. She hugged Mom and Leo and Mrs. Moresby. And then she turned to Mister P and gave him a high five.
Mom lit the sparkler candles and they fizzed and twinkled just like Ruby fizzed and twinkled inside.
Maybe wishes did come true. Even if they were a bit late!
CHAPTER 14
Crashing and Smashing
Ruby decided to wake Mister P up at the crack of dawn to go with her to the park. She wanted to try out her new board without anyone around to see her making a fool of herself. She wouldn’t dare go by herself at that time of day, but she felt safe with a polar bear by her side—he’d look after her.
Ruby had always imagined herself as an ace skateboarder, but now it struck her that having a skateboard was one thing, learning to ride it was another—and now she wished more than ever that Dad was here to teach her. Still, she’d read the magazines, so she should be fine. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?
She had to start on the sidewalk. That much, at least, she’d worked out. She strapped on her protective gear, clipped on her helmet, and placed her skateboard on the path. Mister P looked on with interest. She tried to remember everything she’d watched her Dad do, but now that the board was in front of her, nothing seemed to work quite as she expected.
She put one foot on the deck and pushed the board backwards and forwards a few times, trying to get a feel for it. This was nowhere near as simple as it looked. She pushed off and tried to balance, but she’d only gone a couple of meters before she wobbled, lost her balance, and jumped off.
Mister P scrunched up his nose—he didn’t look too impressed. Ruby scowled at him. The second try, she really bailed and smacked hard onto the tarmac. She rolled onto the grass and lay on her back, holding her leg, screwing up her face against the pain. “Ow, ow, ow,” she muttered through gritted teeth.
Mister P put his paw over his eyes and sat down next to her.
“I’m fine,” she said, annoyed. “It doesn’t hurt that much.”
She tried a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth time. A seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth! Then she kicked the skateboard out of the way and flopped onto the grass. She’d known it would be hard, but it wasn’t supposed to be this hard.
Mister P nudged Ruby with his nose, trying to get her to stand up. She ignored him. He tried again and put one hairy paw on her skateboard to hold it steady. Ruby climbed back on.
“I don’t really need your help,” she said, as she clung on to a handful of his fur to keep her balance as he trotted along beside her. “I can do this by myself, you know.”
Mister P stuck his nose in the air and kept trotting.
Ruby felt the breeze on her face and heard the rolling of the wheels on the path. Gradually she started to get a feel for the deck beneath her feet and loosened her grip on Mister P’s fur. So this is what it felt like! She laughed as the ground raced beneath her wheels and soon she was hurtling out of control towards the skatepark with Mister P racing along behind until suddenly …
Mister P grabbed the back of Ruby’s overalls in his mouth and lifted her off the board just as the board smacked straight into the wall surrounding the skatepark. The board flipped in the air and fell to the ground. Ruby was left dangling from Mister P’s teeth.
“What are you doing?” she shrieked. “I could’ve stopped. I know what I’m doing!”
From just beyond the wall came the sound of someone laughing. Then a head popped up with a huge grin. “That’s the coolest skateboard trick I’ve ever seen. What d’you call that one? The polar bear flip?”
Ruby blushed like a tomato and wished Mister P would put her down. The boy came out through the gate, picked up Ruby’s skateboard, and carried it to her.
“Nice bear,” he said. “Is he yours?”
“Nope,” said Ruby, scowling at Mister P.
Mister P opened his jaw and let Ruby drop with a thump on the ground. Ruby stood up, brushed herself down, and narrowed her eyes at the polar bear.
“I’m Connor, by the way,” said the boy.
“Ruby,” said Ruby, still blushing.
“And this is …?” Connor nodded towards the bear.
“THIS,” said Ruby with her hands on her hips, “THIS is Mister P.” She’d be having words with the polar bear later.
Connor put up his hand and Mister P gave him a high five. “Smart bear,” he said. “Is he a skater too?”
Ruby laughed. “The bear? No way.”
Connor turned over Ruby’s board and examined it carefully. “This is a great board.” He put the board down then flipped it into his hand. “Where did you get it from?”
“It was my dad’s. Mom fixed it up for me.”
“That’s awesome. Well … I presume you didn’t get up this early just to chat. Shall we go and catch some air?”
Ruby wished she could hide and shuffled closer to Mister P. She tried to think of some good excuse why air was something she wouldn’t be catching—not any time soon, at least.
“Everything OK?” asked Connor.
“Yeah. It’s just that I can’t do any tricks yet. In fact I can’t really skateboard at all!”
There. She’d said it. She waited for Connor to walk away. He wouldn’t stick around now he knew she wasn’t a skater.
“That’s insane!” said Connor. “And with a board like this! Well we all have to start somewhere. I’ll help you, if you like?”
“No—it’s all right.” Ruby was always suspicious of anyone who was too nice to her. And she certainly didn’t expect the coolest rider in the whole skatepark to help a complete beginner.
Mister P put his paw flat on her back and pushed her forwards. She glared at him.
“Come on,” said Connor. “I can teach you how to stop, at least … and I promise I won’t use my teeth!”
Now it was Ruby’s turn to laugh.
He showed Ruby how to balance her weight on the board. “Perseverance, determination, guts, and friends … that’s all it takes to become a skater,” he said. “Always remember that, because you’ll take a few knocks along the way. Now concentrate so you can get some of the basics down before the rest of the gang arrives.”
The rest of the gang? But there was no time to worry about who else might turn up. She was too busy copying everything Connor showed her. For the next hour, Connor did his best to get Ruby going. Mister P watched carefully, turning his head this way and that, blinking as he took in all the information.
Ruby couldn’t believe she was so useless. She was desperate to impress Connor, but it just wasn’t happening. She pushed off again and—
She attemtped to stop by tipping the back of the board onto the ground and—
She tried making her board do little turns and—
She took off her helmet and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
“I’m never going to be any good,” she wailed.
“You’re trying too hard,” replied Connor, smiling. “It’s like anything new—it takes time to get used to it.”
Time was something Ruby didn’t have. She checked her watch and her hand flew to her mouth. She’d been concentrating so hard that she’d forgotten about getting home. Mom might need her and Leo would want his breakfast.
She turned to Connor. “I have to go,” she said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. All the others are about to arrive. It’s the weekend—this is when the fun starts.”
Your fun, not mine, thought Ruby.
Connor skated backwards and forwards a few times, showing off a few moves. “You shouldn’t give up so quickly,” he said.
“I’m NOT giving up,” said Ruby angrily.
“Prove it.” He gave her a challenging smile.
Ruby’s shoulders drooped. If only Connor knew—she’d give anything to spend the day hanging out with the other skaters at the park, but she couldn’t. She had other priorities, other responsibilities. She’d have to find her moments and practice when she could.
“Sorry,” she said. She felt the anger start to bubble up, but she bit it back. “I could try and come back tomorrow.”
Connor saluted her. “Good. I’ll be here.” Then he looked at Mister P.
CHAPTER 15
Quitters and Survivors
Ruby held on to Mister P’s fur and skated along beside him all the way along the path to the road. “You really know how to make a kid look cool,” she said, sarcastically. “Have you got any idea how embarrassed I felt back there dangling out of your mouth.”
Mister P grinned and ran a bit faster.
“I might have made a friend, if it hadn’t been for you.” She gave Mister P’s fur a tug and he put the brakes on so hard, he nearly tipped Ruby off the front of the board.
“OK, OK, well maybe you did help a bit. But the thing is, Mister P, people like Connor will look at me and all he’ll see is someone who quits. There are times when I’d love to give up doing the hard stuff like looking after Mom and Leo and getting through a day at school. But I DON’T. And then when I’m doing something I really want to do, like this morning, I have to leave just as the fun is starting and it’s not fair.”
They walked on.
Perseverance, guts, determination, and friends.
For Connor, that’s what it took to be a skateboarder. For Ruby, it was what she needed to survive.
* * *
“Where have you been, Ruby?” Mom was standing at the door with Leo. “You’ve been gone for hours. I’ve been worried sick.”
“I only went to the park. I wanted to try out m
y board.”
Mom was angry. “I don’t like you going to the park by yourself early in the morning. You never know who might be about. Anything could happen. I would have come with you.”
“But you were asleep,” Ruby repled. “And I wasn’t by myself—I had Mister P with me.”
Mom looked hurt. “Mister P this, Mister P that,” she muttered. She slumped down in the armchair and switched on the TV, turning up the volume and staring at the screen as if it was the most interesting program she’d ever seen—which it wasn’t.
Ruby was confused. Mom never moaned about her going to the park, and Mom and Mister P seemed to get on very well these days.
Mister P put his head on the arm of Mom’s chair and the TV screen went blank.
“Who did that?” said Mom looking around and then directly at the polar bear. “Move your head, Mister P, you’re on the remote.”
and the silence in the room stretched and stretched. Mom seemed unwilling to meet Ruby’s eye and Ruby wondered what was going on.
“I found your letters,” Mom said, finally. “The ones you write to Dad.”
Ruby’s mouth went dry and she closed her eyes. No wonder Mom was upset. No one was supposed to read those letters—not even Dad—not really.
“They don’t mean anything,” said Ruby. ‘I’ve never sent them.”
“Of course they mean something,” Mom said. “But you could have talked to me, you know, and if you wanted to contact your dad you should have asked me.”
Ruby didn’t know what to say. She always tried to avoid mentioning Dad because she was too scared about making Mom even sadder.
“Do you know where he is?” Ruby asked. “Dad, I mean.” It felt odd saying the word in front of Mom.
Mom shrugged. “Last I heard, he was in Canada, but who knows if he’s still there.”
