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HOME ALONE 5

By
Susan Brown

I hope you liked part 4 and you like part 5 even more.

Please leave feedback as it encourages me to continue.

I pushed the doors open and hesitantly walked into the shop.

It wasn't a very large shop. But on all sides of me I could see racks of school
uniforms, in all colours of the rainbow.

On the right were all boys clothes and on the left the girls section.

I walked to the rear of the shop, where there was a long counter and two ladies
standing and looking at me coming towards them.

They both smiled. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

'Um, hello.'

'Hello dear.' Said the elder of the two. 'Can I help you?'

'Er, um um.'

'Don't be shy, how can I help you today.'

I cleared my throat and finally said something sensible.

'I have a note from my Mum.'

I looked through my purse and found the note and handed it to the lady.

She smiled again as she opened it and then frowned slightly.

'Well, Katie, this isn't the dentist dear.'

'Oh sorry, I gave you the wrong note!'

She gave me the note back and I hastily pulled out the correct one from my purse and
gave it to her.

The lady read the note and then smiled.

'Oh dear Katie, you are an unlucky girl, what happened.'

'Well Miss, I was getting my bike out of the shed and I knocked into an old paint tin
that had a loose lid. I got covered in white paint. Luckily it was water based, so I was
able to clean myself up, but my brand new uniform was ruined.'

'It's a pity your Mum couldn't be here to help you.'

I gulped and then I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. I didn't really want to
think of my Mum right then.

'Don't cry honey,' said the other lady, 'we'll help get you sorted out.'

'That's right dear, don't worry, its not worth crying over.'

I was given a tissue and blew my nose. It gave me time to recover myself.

'Thanks for being so nice to me.'

'That's OK,' said the older lady. 'My name is Janet and this other lady is Dawn, now
lets get you changed.'

She then looked closely at my face.

'I don't think it's a good idea to wear makeup to school. The head mistress, as far as I
know doesn't allow it for younger girls. Would you like to go into the bathroom and
take it off?'

'Yes Miss.' I said in a small voice.

'Call me Janet, honey, now off you go. While you are cleaning your face I will get
some bits together.'

I went into the bathroom and scrubbed my face clean. So much for trying to look
older. It was silly of me to forget about makeup not being allowed in school.

After all traces of makeup had been taken off, I came back into the shop.

Dawn was serving another customer, so Janet came over.

'All nice and clean. You shouldn't hide your pretty face under all that makeup. Wait
until you have to. You should see my face in the morning before I've put my war
paint on!'

I giggled at that as we went over to the skirts.

Janet immediately took charge.

'I pride myself on knowing girls sizes without having to use a tape measure. Now
hold your arms out.'

I did as I was told and held my arms out in front of me as Janet talked to me and gave
me lots of clothes to try on.

'Right, first of all from the toes up, socks, ankle length, white. Next grey skirt
regulation, just below the knees. White blouse, school tie, sleeveless pullover and
purple blazer. Finally, straw boater. There you are Katie, go and try those on in the
changing room.'

I went to the changing room and took off my dress and slip, folding them carefully to
prevent creases. I then put on the white blouse, struggling a bit with the small buttons.
Next I pulled up and zipped the pleated skirt, tucking in the blouse before zipping it
up the side. I went over to the mirror and put the tie on. I didn't do too well and then I
heard a voice behind me.

'Having trouble with your tie, Katie? Let me help. It takes a bit of practice to get it
right.'

Janet quickly tied the knot for me and soon was helping me on with the blazer.

'Oh,' said Janet, I forgot the shoes, hang on,'

She went out of the room and seconds later I was putting on some shiny black shoes
with buckles on.

'Right, honey, lets try your hat for size.'

With that she placed the straw boater on my head, making sure that the purple ribbon
went down the back.

'There, that looks nice, lets see what you look like back in the shop. The light and
mirror is better there than in here.'

We went outside and Janet steered me over to the mirror.

I had a good look at myself and smiled happily.

I looked every inch the smart English school girl. David was nowhere to be seen. It
was just me..Katie.

'My, don't you look pretty. What do you think Dawn?

'Oh yes Janet, lovely. Are you happy with the fit, Katie?'

'Yes, it fits me really well. Thank you for helping me.'

'Ok, honey,' said Janet, 'I'll just sort out the bill. Did your Mum give you a cheque
for us?'

'No, but I have some cash.'

'Right, now let me see.'

Janet put all the tickets from the clothes into the till.

'Right, that's £160.99, have you got enough cash?'

I blanched a bit at the price, not realising how expensive those clothes would be.
'Yes Janet,' I said as I handed over the money I had from my purse.

Janet counted out what she needed and handed me the change.
'You know, next time bring your Mum because that's a lot of money for a young girl to be carrying
around.'
I took a bag which contained my dress and slip and said goodbye to the ladies.

'Thank you again for helping me.'

'No problem, good luck with your new school.'

'Bye, Katie.'

With a wave I left the shop and breathed a sigh of relief. I had managed to get away
with it.

But I now had a problem, I didn't have enough money to buy the clothes and food that
I wanted. £40 does not go very far.

I decided to go to the cash point to try to get some money out using my David card.
The cash point was just inside the entrance to the shopping centre and I walked their
as quickly as possible.

As I walked, I felt the skirt brushing against my knees, the slight draught on my bare
legs and I was conscious of the hat perched on my head. The ribbon on the boater was
ticking the back of my neck and it was distracting me a bit.

Anyway, I arrived at the cash point and there were two people in front of me.

I waited in line, worrying a bit about whether I would be 'noticed' by
officialdom. However, I was soon in front of the screen.

Mum and Dad had shown me how to use the cash point after I first got the card,
so using it held no terrors for me.

However I was very worried that the machine might reject the card if the account had
been frozen after my 'death'.

I put the card in the slot typed my pin number and asked for £100.

After a few heart stopping seconds the money was delivered to me and I was able to
retrieve my card and start breathing again.

I put the money in my purse and turned away.

Suddenly I was pushed over, my hat flew off of my head and my purse was snatch
from my hand. I felt my head hit the ground hard and I went dizzy.

I heard some shouting in the distance before I blacked out and knew no more.

When I woke up, I was on a bed, in what looked like a hospital room.

My head was splitting and I groaned something unintelligible.

'Hello, sleepyhead,' said a lady's voice, 'decided to wake up then?'

'Where am I.'

'You are in the shopping centre medical room. How do you feel, honey?'

'OK, I guess. I have a bit of a headache though.'

'I'll get you something for that in a minute.'

'What happed to me?'

'You were mugged and your purse was taken. The man pushed you over and he ran
off. He only got about 50 yards before the security men caught up with him.'

'Where is he now?'

'At the police station. Luckily, he was known to security and the police and he was
being watched, that's why he didn't get away. It's a shame that they didn't catch him
before he mugged you though.'

I put my hand on my head and went, 'Ouch!'

I had a bump on the side of my head and it was a bit sore, to say the least.
'I'll go and get you a few pills, don't go away!'

Fat chance of that. I felt like I couldn't stand up, let alone walk out.
In a few moments, the nurse came back with couple of tablets an a glass of water.

'Here you are, Katie, take these.'

I gratefully swallowed the pills and lay back down on the bed.

'When can I go home?'

'You may have to go to hospital as its normal after you get knocked out. Anyway, the
doctor is coming shortly and if says its OK for you to go home, then you can go. But
we will need to get your parents or school to pick you up. Who would you like us to
contact?'

'That's OK, I can get a taxi. My Mum gave me some money for that. Erm she's at
work at the moment.'

'Are you sure? We can ring the school and let them know what's happening. They
may say go back to the school and get your Mum or Dad to pick you up from there.
What do you think?'

'Um, no, no Mum and Dad can't be reached on their mobiles as they switch them off
when they are in meetings.'

'What about the school?'

‘Um, I don’t want to make a fuss. I’ll be OK. Anyway, Mum and Dad
will be expecting me at home when they ring me after their meeting.
They will worry, if I don’t answer.’

I was sweating now. These excuses sounded lame to me, even in my enfeebled state.

It looked like my worst nightmare was happening.

'Well I can't let you go home by yourself after having bashed your head like that.
'Where do you live?'

'Near Heaversham.' I said without thinking. Oh no, she knows where I live now!

'That's on the way home for me. I tell you what. If the doctor says you can go home. I
will give you a lift. I finish in half an hour.'

'No. that's alright. Thanks for the offer. I can get a taxi. Please don't worry. I'll be
OK.'

'Not another word. It would be a pleasure to give you a lift. Oh here's the doctor
now.'

The doctor was an old person, at least 40 and he had a nice smile. He shone a light
into my eyes and had a look at my bump.

'Well my dear, you should really go to hospital after this sort of thing happening, but I
can't see any signs of concussion and I'm sure you don't want to wait for hours in
casualty. If you feel sick or unwell at all, don't hesitate to contact your doctor
immediately. I'll give you a note to give to your parents. How do you feel now?'

'Much better, thank you.'

'Well, don't you go rushing about too soon, young girl. You've had a nasty bump remember.'

With that he left and the nurse came over.

'You just wait here and I will be back in about 20 minutes. Then I'll give you a lift
home, OK?'

'Thank you for being so nice.'

'You're welcome, honey.'

The nurse left the room and I was left alone with my thoughts.

Everything that had happened went through my head. The old lady on the bus, the
uniform shop, being mugged and now this. I could see in my minds eye what would
happen. I would be taken home and the nurse would realise my position and call out
social services. What could I do?

My head was thumping and I couldn't think straight. Then through the fog of my
disjointed thoughts came an idea. Stupid I know, but I wasn't thinking that straight.

I would leave now before the nurse came back. I gingerly got up and went over to the
door. I carefully poked my head out into the corridor. No one was around.

I went back inside the room and picked up my blazer and hat from a chair and my
purse from the desk. I was just about to go when I felt a bit guilty, just going without
a thank you. The nurse had been so kind to me.

I went over to the desk. There was some notepaper and a pen. I wrote a quick note.

Dear Nurse,
Thank you for being so nice. I don't want to put you to any more trouble, so I will get
a taxi.
Thanks again
Katie
XXXX

With that I left the room and was quickly mingling with the crowds in the shopping
centre.

I kept my eyes open to make sure that the nurse was not about and in no time I was at
the big main entrance to the shopping centre.

The was a row of taxis outside and I went up to the first one.

'Tescos please.'

'Jump in love.'

Tescos was a big supermarket in the outskirts of Heavesham and about 10 minutes
later I was dropped off at the supermarket.

I quickly got the food that I needed. Eggs, butter, milk, coconut cake, bread and a few
other things and in less than 15 minutes I was standing at the bus stop as the bus drew
up.

10 minutes later, I was letting myself into my house and sinking into the armchair and
sighing with relief.

I had made it home.

As I rubbed my aching head, I wondered what else could go wrong. Had I bitten off
more than I could chew? How much longer could I get away with this? It wasn't as
easy as I thought, living at home alone.

Copyright Susan Brown 2005