And a tear came out of the corner of her eye. She was saying, “Oh, oh, oh,” and jumping up in little jumps as we hugged. Jo was running round and round us in circles and Matilda was following her.

Flossie was last off. Blimey, I think she might have grown. Her fringe has. It is down to the middle of her glasses so that you can’t see if she’s got a forehead.

She gathered us all in a big bear hug. The comrades together again. A feast of talent! Our tights runneth over.

Flossie said, in a deep Texan accent, which is weird as she’s from Blackpool, “Why, y’all, here we damned are—the Tree Sisters and li’l old Ruby Mae, back again at the old corral!!! This calls for a damn special celebration dance, let’s show these here people our rootin’ tootin’ dance. Come on, Lullah Mae, we’ll do the tune. And you dance.”

So I did it.

I did the thing that I can do.

My special talent.

I did my spontaneous Irish dancing.

And as I flung my legs around with gay abandon my thespian chums sang, “Hiddly diddly diddly diddle.”

That well-known Irish song that no one has ever heard of because it doesn’t exist.

Happy days.

I felt once more the golden slippers of applause.

Cain Hinchcliff will not be spoiling my life.

In fact, I will never be thinking about him again.

With his nose-licking ways.

Why would he do that? Why.

Bob the technician from Dother Hall was coming to pick the girls up later in his Bobmobile, so we had time to swap news before he arrived. We went and sat on the wall next to The Blind Pig while Rubes went to get some nourishing, warming winter snacks. It’s handy having a little pub friend.

Oooh, it’s good to be back. It had stopped hailing and we snuggled into our coats for a goss.

Vaisey is looking forward to seeing Jack again, her maybe boyfriend.

She said, “He gave me his plectrum to remind me of him.”

I put my arm around her and said, “That’s plucky of him.”

And they all laughed. Which is nice. I felt all warmy. Even my knees. Rubes came back with the nourishing winter snacks—cheese and onion crisps, salt and vinegar crisps, two pickled eggs, and some pork scratchings. It was like being in heaven.

Flossie said, “This is my plan for the term—I am going to become a superstar and have three or four boyfriends. I’ve grown my fringe especially.”

Jo was chomping through two packets of crisps at the same time but managed to say, “I’ve had loads of letters and phone calls from Phil!! Loads. Every day.”

I said, “Woo-hoo! So is he like your official boyfriend?”

Jo went a bit red and said, “Well, he told me about his campaign to let people know that he’s not all bad and that he has a serious side.”

We looked at her.

I said, “But he doesn’t have a serious side.”