Читать книгу Sarah Lean - 3 Book Collection - Sarah Lean, Sarah Lean - Страница 33

NEXT EVENING DAD WAS GOING OUT FOR A pint with some lads from work and asked Mrs Cooper if she’d keep an eye out for me. Luke was instructed to tell me to go to bed after he had watched a DVD.

Sam and me sat outside on the front wall with our faces turned to the sky. I knew Sam couldn’t see what I could see but I wondered if he could tell how far away things were. Maybe in his darkness he knew all about infinity. The sky was just dark enough to show the twinkling eye of the brightest star. “Are you up there?” I whispered in my mind. “Can you see me?”

Long black shadows stretched across the grass towards us. I nudged Sam, breathed in deep because my heart was thumping so hard. Homeless came padding out of the shadows. Two figures walked behind him. Mum and Jed.

They all stopped a little way away. I couldn’t tell if Jed could see her, if he knew she was there. Mum reached into her pocket. I thought I saw her lips moving, I thought she might be saying something to Jed, but he didn’t look at her. And then she was gone, just as if someone had blown out the birthday candles.

Jed and Homeless came close.

Sam slid off the wall and Jed let him feel round his face. Jed’s eyes were bright as Sam turned his palms up and bounced his hands up and down as if he was throwing something. Jed laughed, a soft laugh.

“Hello,” said Mrs Cooper, coming out with two mugs of hot chocolate. “I know you. Seen you in town often enough. You tried to teach Sam and me to juggle a couple of times.”

The corners of Jed’s eyes crinkled so you knew he was smiling. “Hello,” he said softly.

Mrs Cooper put the mugs down and tapped on Sam’s hands. He nodded madly. He already knew who Jed was.

Mrs Cooper looked at Homeless lying on his back with his belly in the air, his pink tongue curled, his ears fallen back.

“Is it your dog?” she said to Jed. “It came here the other day. We thought it was a stray.”

“I look after him,” he said, and he kept smiling. “Sometimes I have to leave him on his own for a bit.”

“Is there anything we can do for you, food or blankets? I can call the RSPCA or someone if you’re having difficulties?”

Jed ruffled Homeless and shook his head. “Just hungry,” he said.

Mrs Cooper went in and came out with some fruit cake and a mug of tea for Jed. She gave Homeless some corned beef straight from the tin, asked Jed if he had everything he needed.

He looked at me; his eyes were warm and friendly. He nodded and whispered, “I think so.”

We all sat on a blanket and leaned against the wall and watched the night sky stealing the light. Mrs Cooper chatted away to Jed about how much it had been raining considering it was the start of summer. Then we were quiet as we blew on our hot drinks. I saw the steam rising, disappearing.

Then Sam suddenly said something, the clearest I ever heard him speak.

“Whose dog is it?”

“It’s Jed’s dog, Sam,” said Mrs Cooper, tapping. Sam shook his head. Jed was shaking his head too.

“Whose dog?” said Sam louder, pulling at Jed’s arm.

The stars seemed to have fallen from the sky and were in Jed’s eyes and I just knew he was going to say something beautiful. I saw Mrs Cooper spell what Jed said to me on Sam’s hand.

“I’m his guardian, if you like,” he said, looking into my eyes. “But he belongs with you.”