‘Yeah,’ Toby agreed. ‘You used to be fun.’
‘Oh, boys, he’s still our friend, he’s just going through some stuff,’ Summer said. We all turned to look at her, including Tommy.
‘What stuff?’ Martha asked.
‘You know, teenage stuff. We’ll be like that one day, although I don’t think I will, because I am far too nice to become like him,’ Summer explained. I jumped on the table, and nuzzled Summer. I mean, she was a genius sometimes. Even Tommy’s lips twitched.
‘And how do you know I am “going through some stuff”?’ he asked, but more kindly.
‘I heard Mummy and Daddy talk and they said you were a good kid underneath it all, so it would probably be OK. Although Daddy said if it wasn’t then we’d have to visit you in jail.’
Tommy burst out laughing. The others looked at him a little hesitantly and then they joined in. I’m not sure they understood why they were laughing. Neither did I. I had heard about jail and it didn’t sound fun. You were kept in cages, like cats were when they were in the shelter, but at least in a shelter lovely caring people looked after you; in jail they did not.
‘OK guys, you’re right. I am your friend and I have been a bit unhappy lately but I’m fine. I know, let’s make these the best posters ever and then Aleksy will be so pleased with us he’ll stop bossing us around.’
‘He won’t,’ Martha said. ‘Because we are going to audition and he said he and Connie are in charge of choosing the talent.’
‘Does that mean he might not choose us?’ Toby sounded worried.
‘Of course he will,’ Henry reassured him.
‘Yes, because we’re brilliant,’ Summer finished.
‘What are you going to do?’
‘The four of us are going to sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”,’ Toby said. ‘We wanted to do something cooler, like rapping, but Mum said it had to be Christmas songs.’
‘You could write a rap to go in the song,’ Tommy suggested.
‘But we don’t exactly know how to write a rap,’ Henry pointed out.
‘OK, how about we do the posters and then before the audition I can help you write a rap for the song? Are you all going to dress as reindeers?’
‘If we have to,’ Henry muttered.
‘We do,’ Summer declared.
‘And Pickles is going to be Rudolph, we have to figure out how to make his nose red and I’ve got antlers to put on him, but Mum’s worried he’ll eat them,’ Martha said.
‘He probably will,’ Tommy said with a laugh. Every time he laughed I saw my old Tommy again. I went to give him a fuss, to reward him. He was still there, I was right.
‘So you’ll really help us?’ Toby asked, still not convinced. Toby wasn’t as easily persuaded as the others.
‘Yeah, we can write a rap, like “Rudolph’s nose was so red, he couldn’t play with others, had to go to bed, but one night it was dark and stormy and Rudolph was the hero of the story.” Wow, I just did that off the top of my head, I’m pretty good at this.’ Tommy laughed again.
‘It’s brilliant,’ Martha said, sweetly. ‘The boys can do the rap and we can all do the singing.’
‘And Pickles will be so cute as Rudolph,’ Summer finished. That was all well and good but what about me, George, Snowball and Hana? No one had given any hint as to what our parts would be yet.
Aleksy was amazed when he came back and found a neat pile of posters all stacked.
‘We’ve done twenty for you,’ Tommy said, but he’d gone back to using his sulky voice.
‘Wow, and they are really good.’ The children all beamed at him.
CHARITY CHRISTMAS SHOW
AUDITION FOR A CHARITY
CHRISTMAS SHOW
IN AID OF HELEN STREET SHELTER– A
BRILLIANT AND WORTHWHILE CAUSE
ALL WELCOME– SINGERS, DANCERS,
ACTORS
JOIN US ON SATURDAY 1ST NOVEMBER AT
EDGAR COMMUNITY HALL
SUPPORT A GREAT CAUSE BY HELPING US
TO PUT TOGETHER A GREAT
COMMUNITY EVENT
BRINGING CHRISTMASSPIRIT TO ALL AND
HELPING PEOPLE WHO AREN’T LUCKY
ENOUGH TO HAVE HOMES THIS CHRISTMAS
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS OUT!!
There were drawings of stars, Christmas trees, and even Santa on the posters. Aleksy was right, they were really good.
‘And we’ve been practising for our audition too,’ Toby informed him.
‘Nice one, Tommy,’ Aleksy said, patting him on the back. Tommy scowled. ‘The hall is looking good now, but we need to hold the auditions and then cast the show before we can start rehearsing and then we need to look at sets and selling tickets and wow, there’s so much to do.’ He sounded abit dejected.
‘Where’s Connie?’ Martha asked.
‘She had to go out with her mum. Because of the baby taking up so much time, Sylvie wanted to spend some time alone with Connie while Claire babysat.’
‘It’ll be fine, Aleksy,’ Summer said, sweetly.
‘Tommy, will you come and help me put the posters up?’ Aleksy asked.
‘If I say no you’ll tell Mum, won’t you?’
‘Yup, but because I need help, not because I’m a snitch. Anyway, it’ll keep you out of trouble,’ Aleksy said.
‘Meow,’ I said. Tommy could always get into trouble, there were no two ways about it.
I followed Aleksy and Tommy as they went to put some of the posters up. Tommy was dragging his feet and acting as if he didn’t want to be there but Aleksy persisted. They had put the posters in plastic sleeves that Claire had pinched from Jonathan. They put a couple on lamp posts on Edgar Road, which brought back memories. A few years ago there was a spate of catnapping going on around here and posters kept going up on lamp posts looking for cats. I foiled the plan, but not without danger – I put my son George at risk and I have never quite forgiven myself for that. That was another story, and thankfully had a happy ending, but I had to say it was nice to see good news going up on the lamp posts for once.
‘We should put one in the restaurant, and some up in school, although I’ll have to do that as you’re excluded,’ Aleksy said.
‘Thanks for reminding me. I never thought I would say I miss school, but I do,’ Tommy said.
‘Really?’
‘I miss my mates, I miss football and, yeah, it’s a bit boring being on my own working at home all day. Plus I have to do a load of washing up in the restaurant. That sucks.’
‘You should tell Mum that, it’ll make her very happy.’
‘Whatever.’ Ah, there he was again.
‘Maybe I will. How about we take a poster to the neighbourhood watch people? The ones who wear matching jumpers and always carry binoculars wherever they go?’ Aleksy suggested. I meowed my approval, it was a very good idea. The Goodwins knew everyone and would soon spread the word.
I stood on the doorstep between Aleksy and Tommy as they rang the bell. Heather and Vic Goodwin came to the door at the same time. I don’t think they ever did anything without each other. I had never seen either of them on their own, in all my years on Edgar Road. Salmon was behind them. We raised our whiskers at each other.
‘Hello, are you here to report a crime?’ Vic Goodwin asked.
‘Please don’t tell me you’re here to commit one? I mean, you don’t look like criminals,’ Heather added.
‘You know us. We’re Aleksy and Tommy … from the restaurant?’ Aleksy explained, looking confused. They had seen the boys a lot, especially as they watched the street nearly all the time, and they had met them when we had the big Edgar Road power cut a couple of years ago and we all had to have Christmas lunch at the restaurant.
‘Well I know that, but that doesn’t exclude you from criminal behaviour,’ Heather said. I shook my tail. Honestly, these people!
‘We are trying to put on a show for charity,’ Aleksy said. ‘And we made posters to ask people to audition.’
Tommy stared at his feet.
‘And as you are so important on the street we thought if we gave you a poster you might …’ Aleksy said, cleverly. Flattery would get him what he wanted.