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CHAPTER SIX

Spring-cleaning

The next Saturday was the first Saturday in March. Mum always likes us to clean the house on the first Saturday in March. She calls it spring-cleaning.

She was cleaning downstairs, and I was cleaning upstairs. I wanted to be upstairs because I could see the shop from my bedroom window.

Downstairs there are always cars in the street outside and you can’t see out very well.

I really wanted to see Jim again, and I looked out of the window often while I was cleaning. Once he came outside to put some fruit and flowers onto the cable, but he didn’t look across the road.

The snowball fight was a week ago now. A week is a long time if you’re in love. It was sunny and the snow was gone now. I was sorry about that.

‘Haven’t you finished this room, Sam?’ Mum stood in front of me, signing. She couldn’t understand why I was still cleaning my room.

I’m usually quite quick at cleaning. When I’m not looking out of windows and remembering snowballs.

‘Sorry,’ I answered, and she smiled.

‘That’s OK. Actually, can you go to the shop to get a bottle of window cleaner for me? I forgot to buy some.’

I couldn’t believe it! She was sending me to the shop! ‘Do you feel OK, Sam?’ Mum asked me. ‘You look hot.’’

‘Yes,’ I answered. ‘I feel fine.’ But I knew my face was red.

‘Are you sure?’ she said. I’ll go to the shop if you want.’

‘No’ I signed. I’ll go.’ And I quickly went downstairs and left the house.

Jim was busy when I went into the shop. He was standing near the bottles of wine with a man. He was helping the man to decide which wine to buy. The man was quite short. Jim smiled at me over his head.

I smiled at him, and then I went over to the bottles of cleaner. Mum always buys the same window cleaner, but I stood in front of the different bottles as if I didn’t know which one was best. I wanted the short man to choose his wine quickly and leave. I wanted Jim to myself.

At last, the man left, carrying two bottles of wine, one red, one white. I took my window cleaner over to Jim to pay for it. When I got there he was writing something on a piece of paper.

Then he gave it to me. The writing was large and black. It was like an artist’s writing. I read the words: ‘I know more about snowballs than wine.’

I laughed.

‘Did you enjoy our snowball fight? He wrote next.

I took the pen from him. ‘Yes, I wrote, I did. Very much.’ After he’d read my words, he looked at me. Then he started writing again.

‘Is Ron your boyfriend?’ I read.

This time I didn’t write, I spoke. ‘No,’ I said. ‘He’s my best friend. I haven’t got a boyfriend.’

Jim understood me without any problem. Or I think he did because he smiled. ‘Do you want to meet me tomorrow night?’ he said, and he moved his mouth carefully so I could lip-read his words.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I’d like that.’

‘How long does it take to buy window cleaner, Sam?’ Mum asked me when I got back to the house, but I only smiled.

‘Sorry, Mum’ I signed and hurried quickly upstairs.

It wasn’t until I started cleaning Mum’s bedroom that I thought about the girl in the red dress again.

Who was she? But I was afraid of the answer. I liked Jim too much and I didn’t want to think about the girl in the red dress.