‘God, you kids have no idea!’ He shook his head and she stared at him, knowing for a fact he had not had sex with Carmen, as she had heard them talking about it in the front garden through her open bedroom window. He had said he thought they were ready to get physical; she had said that in the eyes of God it would be better to wait until marriage for sex. He had said he’d ask God to put a blindfold on or if he’d mind turning away, just for a minute or two . . . and then Carmen had left a little abruptly.

‘Be nice to your sister! It’s her birthday!’ their dad called.

Philip gave his sister a look of pure dislike.

‘Come on, pancakes are ready!’ her mum called.

Bessie slunk past her scowling brother and took a seat at the kitchen table. Her dad was eating a pallid and rather wrinkled pancake and winked at her, the corners of his mouth drawn down in distaste. She picked up her fork to tuck into the cool, greasy lump that sat on her plate, sloshed generously with lemon juice and sugar.

‘Thanks, Mum.’ She smiled meekly and used the side of her fork to cut a mouthful.

‘You’re welcome.’

‘You were on the phone for an age!’ her dad said suddenly.

She didn’t want to look him in the eye, not when the topic under discussion had been S-E-X. ‘I guess we have a lot to talk about.’

‘Well, I guess you need to find a way to have less to talk about or, better still, wait until you see your mate. It’d be bloody cheaper! There’s no money tree in our back garden.’ Her dad was fond of telling her this, and yet, compared to Michelle’s family, they lived like kings. And if they did have a money tree, she’d give it a big shake and, with whatever dropped out, buy a ticket to California.

‘We are so proud of you. We can’t wait to see your exam results. This is just the start for you, the start of your big adventure. Our little girl . . .’ Her mum ran her palm over the tousled pineapple of hair on the top of her head and Bessie thought it odd how they saw her as a little girl and yet she knew she was a big girl with big ideas. ‘I can’t wait to see them either.’ She couldn’t wait for her adventure to begin.

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

August 20th 2021

The alarm pip-pipped its infernal noise. Bess screwed her eyes shut, reluctant to greet the day. The blanket of melancholy that wrapped her shoulders and held her tight felt as unpleasant and restrictive as it always did on days like these, weighing her down.