where is she?’
The phone seemed to be charging. Jonah tried pressing the ‘On’ button.
‘Jonah.’ It was Raff’s very young voice again.
‘What?’
‘Do you think Bad Granny will come and try and steal us again?’
‘Stealing isn’t the right word, really.’
‘Why not?’
Jonah frowned. It was the word Lucy used, when she told the story, but he was sure there was a more grown-up way of talking about it. ‘She didn’t think Lucy should be allowed to look after us. But that’s not the same as stealing.’
‘Will she try again?’
‘No. I don’t think so.’ The phone wouldn’t turn on.
‘Maybe we should tell the Martins Mayo’s not here.’
‘I don’t think we should.’
‘Because of the cancer?’
‘Because they might decide to phone the police. And then the police will tell Bad Granny.’
‘And she’ll come and steal us.’ Raff’s voice had gone all husky. The phone suddenly bleeped. Then it bleeped a few times more, indicating missed calls and messages.
‘Yesss!’ Raff clopped over and pulled the phone out of Jonah’s hand.
‘Raff, what are you doing!’
‘We’ve got a message from Mayo!’ he said, pressing the buttons.
‘They’re not going to be from her, stupid! They’re from people who phoned her! Give it to me! You’ll delete them if you’re not careful!’
Jonah grabbed it back off him. There was a missed call and a voice message and two new texts. He played the voice message first. ‘It’s Dora,’ he whispered. Dora sounded cross and upset, tearful, even.
‘What’s she saying? Is she saying she’s going to die?’ Raff tried to get his ear right next to Jonah’s, but Dora’s voice had stopped.
‘She said, what’s going on, you ignore my texts and then phone me up at the crack of dawn.’
‘Who, Mayo?’
‘Yes. Shush.’ He looked at the most recent text.
Awful in the hospital. Hubby lost it totally. You and me need to sort things out. Come over with boys after school?
‘Let me look.’
‘Wait.’
The earlier one, sent at 11.07, was in a different tone:
Worrying about you is the last thing I need right now.
PLEASE FUCKING REPLY
‘Give it, Peck!’ Raff snatched it.
‘Raff, give it back. I want to look at the old texts.’
‘“Come. Over. With. Boys. After. School”,’ Raff read out. ‘Right, let’s go.’ He kicked the sparkly shoes off.
‘And what shall we say about Lucy?’
‘Say she didn’t want to come. Anything. Come on, fam.’
‘They’ll think it’s weird. They’ll want to speak to her.’
Raff sat down next to him, sighing, but then jumped up again. ‘Hey! I know! Let’s pretend to be Mayo, and write that we’re coming, but she’s too busy!’
Jonah frowned. It was actually quite a good idea, although pretending to be Lucy would be like lying.
‘Come on, Joney! Then we can see Dylan!’
Dylan. Lovely, floppy Dylan. They hadn’t seen him for weeks. ‘OK. What shall I write?’
‘Say, boys coming over now, but I’m a bit busy.’
Jonah typed:
Sorry, I am OK but very busy so great if you could have boys for tea shall I send them over now from Lucy
He showed it to Raff, who studied it. ‘You don’t write “great” like that. It’s g, r and the number 8.’
Jonah made the change, and pressed Send. Raff whooped and started dancing.
‘Put your trainers back on, then. And take the lipstick off.’
‘The Martins don’t care about lipstick, fam!’
It was true. Saviour would laugh, and Dora would tell Raff how glamorous he looked. Watching Raff prancing, he imagined being with Saviour in the kitchen, helping him with the meal; Saviour glancing sideways at him, saying, ‘Penny for them.’ He wouldn’t answer, and Saviour’s brown eyes would get even kinder. ‘That bad, eh?’
‘Not that good,’ Jonah whispered to himself. ‘Lucy’s gone, and we haven’t got any food. But the thing is, I can’t tell you.’
The phone bleeped. Raff came running to read the reply. It was two words:
Fuck yourself.
‘Oh Em Gee!’ said Raff, his eyebrow shooting up. ‘Is it really Dora who wrote that? That is bad swearing, man!’
Jonah felt like crying. He lay down on the bed.
‘Is it because she’s going to die?’ Raff sat next to him.
Jonah pushed his face into Lucy’s pillow. Raff picked up the phone and started pushing buttons. After a few minutes he tapped Jonah’s shoulder.
‘Look.’
Jonah peered at the screen.
I am so soz. Please dont die xxx
‘Have you sent it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Idiot.’ Jonah put his face into the pillow again.
‘Why?’
‘People don’t say stuff like that.’
‘Yes they do!’ The phone bleeped. ‘Yesss!’
Jonah rolled over and watched him frowning at the screen.
‘“Want to see the boys. Tomorrow, not now.” Shit!’ Raff threw the phone onto the bed. Jonah reached for it.
Want to see the boys. Tomorrow not now. All too tired.
Em in bits.
‘But
