The Girl from Hard Times Hill Read Online Free

asked.
    â€˜It’s a banana, stupid,’ I said. I knew that much. I’d occasionally seen other children eating them but I’d never tried one myself.
    â€˜Oh. D’you mean you eat it?’
    â€˜â€™Course you do – if you’re a monkey.’
    Dad laughed. ‘And even if you’re a little girl. Come on, my three little monkeys. Want to try a piece?’
    I didn’t like being called a monkey. (The Littlies
are
monkeys, I have to admit.) And although I know what a banana looks like, I wasn’t about to taste one, either.
    â€˜No, thanks.’
    Dad just laughed. ‘Go on, Megan.’
    I took a little piece. It was all I could do not to spit it out.
    â€˜Yuk! I don’t like it.’
    Shirley didn’t like it either. And as for Barbara – Barbara
did
spit her piece out, all over Dad’s shoulder.
    â€˜You ungrateful children!’ Mum laughed and ate a piece herself, but she looked annoyed. Nana ate some too. As for Grandpa – there wasn’t any left by that time. But he said he didn’t mind.
    â€˜A nice, crunchy apple is fine with me.’
    Dad shook his head. ‘To think of the care I’ve taken of that blessed banana, wrapping it up in my socks to make sure it didn’t get squashed!’
    â€˜Oooh!’ yelled Shirley. ‘You wrapped it in your
socks
.’
    â€˜Adds flavour,’ he said, grinning.
    Nana said, ‘Now, Bob – ’
    â€˜Don’t worry – they were clean socks!’
    Shirley went on making faces, but Dad just leant over and ruffled her hair.
    Grandpa went to get Dad’s suitcase in, then, and to shut the front door. (‘To think it’s been open all the time’, said Nana, ‘letting in a draught.’) Nana took the kettle off the range to brew a pot of tea. Mum kept fussing over Dad, and showing him how Barbara could walk now. Then Dad started doing tricks for Shirley, Barbara and me. He took a coin out from behindBarbara’s ear, and pretended to take his thumb off. He always used to do these tricks, and I remember loving them, just the way the Littlies do now. But somehow this time I couldn’t get that excited: I
knew
it was a coin from his pocket, and I could see that he just had his thumb bent back when he pretended to take it off.
    I did my best. I laughed, or tried to. But I’m not a very good actor. (I
never
get picked for school plays.)
    â€˜Look!’ Dad wiggled his ears at me. I laughed politely. ‘Want me to teach you?’ he asked.
    â€˜Not really. It must be nice, though,’ I added.
    Dad looked a bit puzzled. I suppose Shirley would think it hilarious, somebody wiggling their ears, but you would have thought he would realize I was a bit old for that. Suddenly there was a lump in my throat. I swallowed and looked away.
    I edged over to Mum. ‘Do you think I could go and see Pam?’ I whispered.
    â€˜Megan! When your dad’s just got home!’
    She turned away, and I didn’t have a chance to explain. So I went to help Nana with the teacups. But my face was hot with shame and anger. It wasn’t fair for Mum to be cross. The only reason I wanted to see Pam was to explain about the grammar school – so that she wouldn’t still be thinking that I might passthe Eleven Plus and leave her to go to Secondary on her own. Anyway, as Dad obviously found the Littlies more fun than me, he wouldn’t miss me.
    Everything was changing, I thought gloomily, as I set out teacups and tried not to slop the milk. New schools, Dad coming home, arguments with friends. I wasn’t sure I liked it.

Chapter Five

Making Plans
    The next day I cornered Pam in the school playground.
    â€˜Listen,’ I said, ‘I’m not going to the stupid Grammar, so stop being angry!’
    â€˜That’s what you
say
,’ said Pam. ‘But if Miss Bulmer says you are – ’
    â€˜I’m going to fail the exam,’ I