Princess

Princess

“It was amazing” Janine grinned at her two friends, Sally the littlest of the three and Mimi with her long dark plaits.

“What was Jan, what?” Sally spurred her on as she clutched the umbrella over them all. It wasn’t raining, in fact it was brilliant sunshine but Sally insisted. She said her Mum told her that if you don’t cover yourself from the sun, ‘it burns you to a crisp.’

“The dress, well I mean the robe my Mum put me in last night,” Janine turned to face her friends as they hung on her every word, “it had all the colours you could possibly imagine, like a fairy dress. It flowed past my ankles and trailed behind me when I walked. Mum had to lift it so it wouldn’t drag and get dirty.” Janine smiled broadly when she saw the girls looking at her in awe. She knew it was wrong to tell a lie but Mrs Peters, the English teacher, said that imagination was good. There was nothing wrong with exaggerating a little.

“When can we come to yours?” Mimi asked “I’ve never seen a proper castle before with turrets and everything.”

“What are turrets?” Sally struggled on the word.

“Turrets,” Janine jumped in “well they’re like huge stone chimneys that reach into the sky!”

“Come on Jan! When can we come over?” Sally begged.

“Umm well it’s a secret castle cos I’m a secret Princess. It’s all a big secret just between us three.” The other two seemed satisfied by this answer and Janine was pleased. She loved the way they looked at her with such admiration. “I’ve gotta go my own way now. Mum’s cooking up a feast tonight, roast pork and all the trimmings. I musn’t be late.” With this she grinned at her friends and skipped off to take a separate path.

Number 32 Oak Street. Janine looked up at the rusted iron door and went on tiptoe to get her key into the keyhole. This was where her imagination ended; right here and how she hated it! How she wished that what she saw in her head all day at school would become a reality.

“Mum! I’m home, Mummy!” Jan cried. A small, withered looking women stumbled into the hallway, a fag in one hand and a bottle in the other. Janine looked up at her with dark, frightened eyes. “Mum,” she said again softly. Janine bit back tears as she went forwards to hug her Mum. A hug that was unrequited.

“You’re late and I’ve got to go out tonight,” her Mum slurred “go put the supper on.” Janine nodded and ran off to the kitchen. Everything was so dirty, bottles everywhere; washing up that had been sitting out for weeks. She managed to find some spaghetti hoops and tinned tuna. Nothing else looked edible. ‘It’s a secret castle’ Janine’s conversation with her friends ran over in her head ‘cos I’m a secret Princess.’ She swallowed what felt like a lump in her throat and emptied the contents of the food she’d found into a dirty pan to heat up. ‘Please, please,’ she wished in her head ‘take me away from this place, make me into a real Princess.’

Janine jumped as her Mum swaggered into the kitchen, “that pan’s dirty,” she hissed.

“S… sorry,” Jan stuttered, looking to the floor. Her Mum stepped forwards and swiped her across the face. Tears bubbled from Janine’s eyes and she let out a small cry.

“Shut up child!” The pan was launched into the air hitting the wall. Spaggetti hoops and tuna dribbled to the floor. Janine collapsed in a heap and hugged herself as the punches came. ‘A secret Princess’ she said again and again in her head, ‘a secret Princess.’

....

“I’ve got something amazing to tell you!” Jan burst out, her two friends besides her. The umbrella was gone today and Sally was doing her best to shade herself with her school cardigan. “My Mum said she’s gonna make the garden into a humongous playground with a bouncy castle and everything.”

“Wow!” The two girls said in chorus.

“Yea, you know what she said? She said a Princess garden for a Princess. It’s a secret garden though so don’t tell anyone.” With that Janine skipped off to take a separate path. “Musn’t be late,” she called out “Mum’s expecting me.” Neither of them saw the tear that squeezed its way out and fell down her cheek.