LITMIR.BIZ

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feel haglike,” she said. “I can’t go out feeling haglike!”

      How I wished, now, that she hadn’t gone out. But we’d assured her she looked beautiful, and we’d even helped her, in the end, choose which clothes to wear. She’d gone waltzing off, as happy as could be. But I couldn’t help wondering how much money she’d had left. It couldn’t have been very much; not after her mad spending spree. Almost nothing, I’d have thought. How was she going to manage, without any money?

      Tizz could obviously sense what was going through my mind.

      “It’s that Nikki,” she said. “She leads Mum astray.”

      “She’s supposed to be Mum’s friend,” I said.

      Tizz snorted. “Some friend!”

      I wondered if Nikki knew that Mum hadn’t come home. I couldn’t ring her cos I didn’t have her number. I didn’t even know where she lived.

      “Her and that stupid Zak.” Tizz said it vengefully. “They’re the ones that made Mum spend all her money!”

      They certainly hadn’t done anything to stop her. But then neither had I. On the other hand, even if I’d tried I doubt Mum would have taken any notice. She’d just have laughed and cried, “Oh, darling, don’t be such a bore! You take life far too seriously. Try to have a bit of fun, for once.”

      I had had fun! It had been the best day I could remember for a long time. And now I was feeling guilty.

      I thrust my hair back, behind my ears.

      “We’ll manage,” I said. “Don’t worry!” I leaned over and gave Sammy a hug. She had been listening, solemnly, darting anxious glances from one to the other of us. “What we have to do,” I said, “is decide what’s most important. Stuff we need to keep us going. Like bread, and milk, and stuff.”

      Sammy brightened. “Fishy fingers!”

      “Chips,” said Tizz.

      I said, “Chips aren’t good for you. We’ve got to have stuff that’s healthy. Like pasta,” I said. “That’s supposed to be good for you.”

      Tizz pulled a face. “Bo-ring!”

      “Doesn’t matter if it’s boring. You don’t think when people go to the North Pole they worry about stuff being boring? They worry about what’s good for them, like – I don’t know! Dried fish, and stuff.”

      “You gotta be joking,” said Tizz, “if you think we’re going to eat dried fish!”

      I could see that my task was not going to be easy. Tizz is just so difficult at times.

      “Wait there,” I said. I went back to the bedroom and dug a notebook out of my school bag. “Right!” I slapped it down on the table. Tizz eyed it suspiciously.

      “What’s that for?”

      “We need to work things out,” I said.

      “You mean, you’re going to get all bossy?”

      I said, “Well, someone has to. Would you rather it was you?”

      Tizz hunched a shoulder.

      “You want to take over?” I pushed the pad towards her, but she shoved it back at me.

      “I don’t want it!”

      I knew she wouldn’t. The thing about Tizz, she may be sharp as needles and full of mouth, but she is far too impatient to ever sit down and actually plan anything. She also hates being told what to do. It is a constant battle! I know that I am not as bright as she is, but I do usually get things done in the end. Slow but sure, is what Mum says.

      “OK!” I reached out for a pen. “We’re going to sit here,” I said, “and make a shopping list.”

      In the end, we made two lists. The first was things we had to have:

      Bread

      Milk

      Marge

      Cheese

      Eggs

      Cereal

      Mostly chosen by me.

      The second was things we’d like to have:

      Pizza

      Fish Fingers

      Chocolate Biscuits

      Orange Squash

      Sugar

      Jam

      Meatballs

      All of them chosen by Tizz and Sammy.

      “We’ll have to go to Tesco,” I said. “You can get stuff cheaper there.”

      Tizz didn’t like that idea. She complained that it was a long way to walk and we’d have to carry heavy bags back with us. I told her that couldn’t be helped.

      “We’ve got to go where it’s cheapest.”

      Tizz said, “That’s not fair on Mr Petrides. He’s a small shopkeeper. He has to be saved! It’s people like you,” said Tizz, “that put people like him out of business.”

      I did feel a slight twinge of guilt, cos in the past Mr and Mrs Petrides had been really good to us. Sometimes when Mum ran out of money they’d actually let us take stuff and pay for it later. You couldn’t do that at Tesco. But I hardened my heart. I had to! It was a question of survival.

      “I bet if we asked him,” said Tizz, “he’d let us have things on tick.”

      On tick was what Mum called it when she couldn’t afford to pay. I think maybe it meant that Mr Petrides put a tick by the side of her name in his account book.

      “We’ll only do that if we get desperate,” I said. “Otherwise he might ask questions, like where’s your mum or why hasn’t she been in?”

      “Mm… I s’ppose.” Tizz said it reluctantly, but at least it stopped her arguing. The one thing we were terrified of was people asking questions. We’d be safe in Tesco cos nobody knew us.

      I put all the money in my purse except for five £1 coins and five 20p pieces. Tizz watched, suspiciously.

      “What are you doing with that lot?”

      I said, “Saving it. I’m going to put this –” I scooped up the 20p pieces – “in here.” I dropped them into the saucer that Mum kept on the windowsill. “They’re in case we need a bit extra. And this –” the five pound coins – “is our emergency fund. I’m going to leave it indoors so we can’t spend it. I’m going to hide it somewhere. Somewhere safe. Like…” I roamed about the kitchen, looking for a hiding place. “In with the flour!”

      There was a half packet of flour in the cupboard, with an elastic band wrapped round it. I pushed the coins in there and put the flour back on the shelf.

      Tizz said, “I bet that’s the first place a burglar would think of looking.”

      I told her that I wasn’t scared of burglars. “I’m scared of it getting lost.”

      “Like it absolutely would,” said Tizz, “if it wasn’t hidden in a bag of flour. I mean, if it was just put in an ordinary purse like any normal person would put it.”

      “I just don’t want us being tempted into spending it,” I said. “We’ve got to have something to fall back on.”

      Tizz said, “Yeah, like living on bread and marge. Yuck!”

      Sammy said, “Ugh! Yuck! Bluurgh.”

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