The Horse Wall
Lally's getting a horse is the news down Cemetery Bank.'Lally Devine. She's getting a horse,' they say. 'She is. It cost a ten shilling note and it's coming from Ireland. And her Uncle Mick's getting it for her. And it's going to stay in the field. And it's going to eat carrots and sugar lumps.' And Patrick thinks it's a fib.
But his little brother Davy doesn't. He's running down the bank like it's Christmas, past the field where the horse is going to stay. And because their mam says to look after him, Patrick runs too. He hears Davy going on about the horse, wanting to ride it first. Promising Lally a turn on his catapult.
'You'll have to practice,' Lally says. 'It's a real horse, you know.' Lally has grown tall with almost owning a horse. She's telling us we'll have to practice on the railway wall, before we can have a go. She flicks her red hair out of her eyes, throws it back with her hand and there's the bare flesh of her underarm. Everything about her is long, Patrick thinks. Like a horse.
That night, they're sitting out at the bottom of Cemetery Bank, it's so warm. It's the summer holidays so the young ones are allowed to stay up and play while mams and dads sit on steps drinking cups of tea and bottles of beer. They're talking about the Beatles, and everyone getting jobs, now they've got a Chemical Works, and the unexploded bomb in High Street. Because it's so late they've begun to cook the bread in Overton's and there are always spare bits for anyone who wants. Buns and things. And they can eat them on the side step, with the heat of the ovens wafting out over them.
'You can have my bun,' Davy tells Lally. Patrick looks at him making up to her. 'You can have my bun, every night, you can,' he's saying.
'You're not big enough to ride a horse yet,' Lally says taking the bun out of his hand. So Davy ups and off he goes to talk at Mr Overton about getting more.
'He'll never be big enough with you pinching his food off him,' Patrick says, wishing he had given his own bun to Lally instead of eating it himself. She laughs, pushing her back against the door. Shifting her bottom around on the step.
'Here he is,' Lally says, resting head on knees to look at Davy. Patrick watches her dress slipping further and further up her leg.
'I told him they were for the horse,' says Davy, carrying a bag full of hot buns. 'But he just laughed.' Lally pushes Patrick along the step to let his brother wriggle in between them. The feel of his squirming little body against him makes Patrick feel cold. He watches Lally's long hand and his brother's chubby fingers dip into the bag.
Next day Lally wants a race. A horse race. To see who can get to London first. And Patrick's happy because there's only him and Lally walking down Cemetery Bank. Only him and Lally going in the race.
It's only pretend, but Patrick says, One Two, Three, Go and they're off, bumping their bottom along the railway wall, like it's a real horse moving, its back sore with being whipped and told to giddy up. But Patrick's catching up and Lally's slowing down. He watches her brown legs moving along, trying to reach London, which is the tree near the fence, and he's catching her up.
'Hurry up! Almost on top of you! Going to win!' He's shouting at the top of his voice.
Lally squeals, 'No you're not!' Hitting out faster with her stick and moving further along. Patrick's legs are stronger and soon he is right behind her.
'I win,' he says and throws his stick to hit the tree. Lally swivels around until her face is close to his, her eyes bright as stars and her cheeks flushed.
'You've got to jump off and touch the tree with your hand.' she says, and before Patrick can move she's clamped her long legs around his feet pressing them tightly against the rough stones of the wall. 'But I'm not going to let you.' Patrick wriggles to free himself and Lally tries to catch hold of his wrists, but he is too quick and darts his hands around her and onto her hair, yanking it back. She grasps at his shirt.
'Ow!' Lally shrieks. 'Let go.'
'You let go.'
'It hurts.'
'Let go, then.' Patrick releases her hair slightly until he can look at her face. 'Will you?'
Lally grins and looks at him with big eyes. 'I might.' She loosens the grip on Patrick's feet and he can feel the blood flowing back into them and begins to laugh.
'We both won,' he says. Lally smiles and agrees. They sit on the Horse Wall. Patrick can feel the heat from Lally's breath and opens his mouth to try and catch it.
To find out more 'Headlines and Other Growing Pains' is available for £5.99 from Biscuit Publishing, Amazon Books and Border Books Silverlink, North Shields.