Page 89 of The Flowers of Bay C
I scratch the back of my neck and throw my gaze out to the driving snow.
Jodie whistles. ‘Woah.’
‘What if he sees and comes back?’ Amina says, her brow all puckered up. ‘He will be so angry. He scared me, with all those drugs.’
‘Drugs?’ Barbara murmurs.
‘He had a load of cannabis in there, all packaged up,’ Kat says.
‘He won’t come back,’ I say, maybe too confidently. ‘He was itching to be away to whatever he was doing. He won’t know, anyway, as long as he’s driving. Besides, he just wants to get as far away as he can, doesn’t he, I mean before we manage to get hold of the police.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ Kat says, rubbing her hands together. She’s wearing a mismatched pair of Jake’s goalie gloves.
Barbara stares at the cat with a wide-eyed gaze. ‘Bring him to me! Here, puss! Come to Barbara.’
I look around at the others, uncertain. Jodie nods at me. I slowly bring the cat out and the others gasp. It is strikingly beautiful, its coat fluffy and magnificent, even whiter than the snow outside. Its eyes are a piercing blue, slicing through the shadowy gloom in the shelter. I take it over to Barbara and she reaches for it, folding it into the top of her sleeping bag, where it curls into her shoulder and closes its eyes as if it has come home. A few seconds later I hear a low purring sound.
‘It likes you,’ Kat says.
Barbara beams. ‘I am going to call him Snowy.’
‘I like that you took him,’ Kat says, turning to me. ‘I think you’re stupid, but I like that you took him.’
‘He was afraid,’ I say. ‘He was so scared. I could hardly leave him there.’
Barbara has her face almost buried in the sleeping bag, kissing Snowy and crooning loving words into his fur.
Kat and I squeeze onto the bench with the other three and we wrap the picnic rug around our shoulders. All we can do now is wait. I try not to think about how cold my feet are, my slipper socks and thin flats no match for the gathering snow.
‘Anyone want some brandy?’ Jodie says, reaching over to Violet’s walker where the flasks are stowed in the basket underneath. ‘It’ll give us a little warmth.’
Kat looks dubious.
‘I want some,’ Violet says. ‘An’ I want a fag too.’
‘Sorry,’ Jodie says.
Violet looks down at the floor. ‘Just wish I had better shoes.’ She kicks out her feet, shod in their pink slippers which look less fluffy and more bedraggled now. ‘My feet are like ice. That husband of mine, never thought to bring me proper shoes in, oh no.’
Jodie bends down and tugs off her Ugg boots. ‘Here. Mine are still kind of dry. And my feet aren’t ice like yours. See, I’ve got these great big socks on under here.’
Violet looks at her with wide eyes and a faltering mouth.
Jodie pushes the boots at her. ‘Go on. I’m fine.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Here. Get those silly things off.’ Jodie bends down and pulls them off Violet’s feet. ‘Flaming Nora. No wonder you was cold! These are wet through.’ Then she grins up at Violet. ‘No loss,really, is it, these horrible old things?’ She shoves them under the seat of the shelter. ‘RIP, hideous slippers.’
Violet’s eyebrows begin to knit together and then, after a moment, they relax as a tiny smile flutters at her mouth. ‘Why are you so kind to me?’ she asks, slipping her feet into the Ugg boots and sighing. ‘Why d’you put up with me after how I was?’
‘You’re an okay old stick,’ Jodie says.
Violet blinks and gazes out at the snow.
‘There will be someone along soon,’ Amina says. ‘We will get back. I know we will.’
‘Let’s just hope it’s not another Dodgy Caravan Dude,’ Jodie says.
