yours?’
‘Nearly done,’ Janet said, beaming. ‘Even if everything’s got holes in! The people adopting will probably put the whole lot in the bin. Haven’t got anything for the kid’s eighteenth, though, have you?’
‘I’m giving the baby the silver photo frame with the picture of Robin in it,’ I said. ‘I put it in the bottom of the box last night.’
‘Oh, you can’t do that! You love it. I see you gazing gormlessly at that picture every night.’
‘But it’s the only thing I’ve got that’s precious. I’d rather this one had it,’ I said, patting my bump.
‘Look at that sacrifice. You’re a bloody good mum already!’
I smiled. ‘Not that good, because I still don’t think I’m going to need this box or the eighteenth birthday present… Robin’s going to come for me. I know it.’
Janet just sighed and shook her head.
***
By the following afternoon I’d finished the little jacket.
‘I’m going to go and put this in my box,’ I told Janet.
‘I’ll come with you,’ she said. ‘All this walking up the back stairs ought to be good for our muscles. Linda swore all them domestic chores we do here made her nice and fit for the labour.’
I wrinkled my nose, not wanting to think about the birth. I was sticking my head in the sand about it all. We made our way up to the dorm, pausing for breath once or twice.
‘Here we go,’ I said, pulling the box out from under my bed.
‘Oooh, let’s have a look,’ Janet said and she started to get everything out, inspecting each item.
‘You’re ever so good at knitting,’ she said wistfully. ‘Where’s the photo, then?’ she added.
I’d been folding clothes at the end of my bed but I looked up at this.
‘At the bottom,’ I said, peering over.
‘It ain’t here. Look.’
I rummaged through all the bits and bobs and then looked under my bed, but Janet was right: it was gone. I felt sick. ‘Someone must have stolen it,’ I said.
Janet looked furious, her cheeks turning pink with indignation. ‘Who’d do such a thing?’
‘Who would even know about the frame being in my baby box?’ I replied. ‘You’re the only person I told.’
Janet looked as if suddenly the penny had dropped. ‘That girl!’ she said, jumping up off the bed. ‘That Esme girl. She was with us yesterday when we were talking about it! Which is her dorm?’ she asked, stomping down the corridor.
‘Next door, I think,’ I said, following her. I was starting to feel nervous. I’d never seen Janet so angry. She turned the whole dorm upside down, eventually finding the frame, still wrapped in tissue, under a pillow on one of the beds. A moment later Esme came into the room.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked crossly. ‘That’s my bed you’re messing up!’
Janet didn’t hesitate. She leapt on Esme, pulling her to the floor by her ginger curls.
‘You good-for-nothing thief!’ Janet yelled at her as they tussled on the lino. Esme gave as good as she got, scratching at Janet’s face with her nails.
Eventually, alerted by the noises coming from the dorm, the severe nun, Sister Veronica, turned up, shouting and clapping her hands.
‘Help me get these two apart!’ she screamed at me and, together, we finally managed to separate them.
‘You’re to come with me to Matron’s office, both of you,’ Sister Veronica told them, but as Esme stood up we all looked in horror at her legs, which had blood running down them.
‘Look what you’ve done now!’ the nun barked at Janet. ‘I’ll deal with you later,’ she growled and she took Esme off – presumably to the maternity wing next door.
Janet looked pale as a ghost.
‘I’m so sorry,’ I told her. ‘It’s all my fault. I should have put the box somewhere safer. Given it to Matron or something.’
‘It’s not your bleeding fault. But I hope I haven’t done her any proper damage. I hope the baby’ll be alright…’
‘I’ll try to find out. You get things straight in here and I’ll go across and ask after her.’
Esme spent a night in the maternity wing but it turned out she was absolutely fine, much to our relief. But some damage had been done that afternoon. Both Janet and Esme were questioned about it all. Esme’s theft was swept under the carpet, but Janet was left with notes on her file that would prove to be less than helpful. Later, we discovered what Matron had written:
Janet displays violent tendencies and, in the event she decides not to have her baby adopted,