Cry me a river
Big issues require big knickers!
by
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Well guess what? I didn’t go to school that day? Where was I? What did I do? Well, I’ll tell you. And it’s totally not what you were expecting I bet. Well ... after I got over my dream confusion and my ‘poor me, I’ve got a Frankenstein neck’ ordeal, I actually took a look at the time to see whether this was going to be a plain-but-elegant-ponytail day, or something more elaborate with a wee plait somewhere and well-positioned-clips kind of day. And ‘slap me over the face with a wet fish’ – it was 8:45! Well, okay, I’d like to say I said to myself, ‘That’s cool, so you’re going to be a bit late, it’s not the end of the world!’ But I think you’re getting to know me well enough by now to know that I totally freaked and yelled, ‘Mum, it’s quarter to nine, I’m late! I’m late!’ whilst running about trying to find a matching clean pair of socks (would people notice one grey and one white?) I just about killed myself tripping down the last four steps of the stairs. Gee yeah, that really helped the neck situation – NOT. Then I just stared at the bench wondering when my lunch was going to magically appear. ‘Mum?’ ‘I’m in here,’ a faint voice called from upstairs. ‘Where’s Fitz?’ ‘He’s up here too.’ Back upstairs I went to find Mum still in bed and Fitz sitting on the bed in his jamis drawing on Mum’s cheque book with her eye liner. ‘I’m sorry Stella honey, but I am not feeling very well. I’ve come down with something and it’s completely wiped me out. I was wondering if you could be a good girl and stay home to help me out with Fitz today. I don’t want to bother Rodge, he’s swamped with work. And it’s long way to come for just the day. I’m sure I’ll be right tomorrow.’ ‘Oh sure thing, Mum,’ I replied, trying not to sound too chipper. ‘Don’t you worry, I’ll sort things here today, you just rest up.’ Wahoo! I thought, what a day to get off school. Excellent! I felt quite grown up to be put in charge for the day. I even phoned school and told them I wouldn’t be ‘IN’ today, and quickly hung up when Miss ‘look how fast I can clickety my fingers’ lady started to ask questions.
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About the Book
Remember the lyrics to an old Bee Gees tune called “Tragedy? How about rearranging them slightly to “When your pants fall down, flashing all of the town, it’s a tragedy!”
It is a tragic incident for Stella O’Brien, who is new to town. Losing your trou down the catwalk wasn’t part of her vision, if you know what I’m saying. And speaking of visions, she didn’t exactly visualise herself having to visit her mother in the local psychiatric hospital, Sunny Haven. “Sunny Haven for the Stark Ravin’” is what her family jokingly called it. This is no joke; in fact, jokes and fun hadn’t really been a big feature in Stella’s life for a while now. Stella’s mum gets diagnosed with the big “D” word, depression. But Stella thinks she knows what the real “D” word is: disappointment. Stella is into fashion and design (hence the trouser incident) and her mum’s into nature and saving the world. Stella sees the conflict, and she sets out to make her mum proud. The thing is, Stella doesn’t do things by halves. What Stella has planned not only involves her and her best buddies but the whole community!