Girl from Mars Read Free Page A

happening?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œDid you call Aunt Helene and thank her for the card?”
    Shit. “No.”
    â€œGo and call her right now, or she’ll be annoyed again. It won’t take long.”
    â€œI still have homework.”
    â€œStill?” Oh, look, she’s wrinkling up her forehead the way she always does.
    â€œYes!” Are you deaf?
    â€œIt’ll just take five minutes, Miriam.”
    I’ll bet entire countries have collapsed in five minutes. I wipe up after her with the tea towel.
    â€œGet moving, Miriam.”
    â€œOkay, okay.”
    â€œThe number’s in the book. Under D. For Danz.”
    Do I look that dumb? I go to the phone, look up the number and dial.
    It’s busy. Ha!
    â€œIt’s busy!” I call out in the direction of the kitchen.
    â€œThen try again later.”
    I go back to my room, shut the door, sit in my chair by the window and pull my knees up under my chin.
    A little later there’s a knock on my door. Without waiting for an answer, suddenly Mum’s standing in my room.
    â€œI thought you said you had homework.”
    No, I lied, because I didn’t want to call my aunt to thank her for a stupid card from Tenerife and then listen to her go on for hours about how long it has been, blah, blah, and how much my dear cousin would like to see me, blah, blah.
    â€œI do.”
    â€œDoesn’t look like it.”
    â€œHow come you just march in here like that?”
    â€œI knocked,” she says crisply.
    â€œYeah, right.” I stand up and stare at her.
    â€œI did so, I knocked.”
    â€œBut I didn’t say Come in!”
    She smirks, folds her arms and gives me this look that makes me so damned furious.
    I can feel the anger building up inside me slowly, bubbling up like hot milk. Grrr.
    â€œSo, you didn’t say
Come in
. Hmmm. Right. Howabout if we just take the door off, and then you can stop worrying about whether I knocked properly or not?”
    Arrrrgh!
    â€œWell?”
    â€œBut this is my room!” I say, knowing only too well that it’s like shouting at a wall, that my cries will fall on deaf ears, just like the slaves condemned to a lifetime of drudgery. They had no rights, either.
    â€œYes, but
your
room is in
my
house, and
I
paid for this door.”
    You see what I mean? What’s she doing up here, anyway? It’s always like this. If I told Suse and Ines what Mum and I fight about, they wouldn’t believe me. So I don’t tell them.
    â€œSo take down the door, then. I don’t care!” I know I’m being ridiculous, but she started it!
    â€œFine!” She pushes
her
door open and makes a move to take it off its hinges.
    â€œWant some help with that?”
    â€œNo. I want you to go and call Helene!”
    Yeah, right. “Now!”
    Okay, fine.
    Downstairs I pick up the phone and press Redial. It rings a few times before someone picks up.
    â€œPeter Danz.”
    â€œHello, Peter, it’s Miriam. Is Helene there?” IhateherIhateherIhateher.
    â€œNo, Miriam, I’m sorry. Helene just walked out thedoor about ten minutes ago. Can I give her a message?”
    Yes, you can tell her that I’m sick of that bloody word door and that my life is shit and I want to puke. That’s what you can tell her.
    â€œYes, could you please tell her thank you so much for the card, and give her a big hug from me?” There. Did it.
    â€œWill do. Tell me, Miriam, when are you going to come and visit us? Sandra would love it if you —”
    â€œYes, it would be great, but I’m so busy right now — with school and everything...” Blah, blah. I can’t hear any sounds coming from upstairs.
    â€œThings going well at school, Miriam?”
    â€œMmmm.” (Means yes.)
    â€œGood. But call again. And don’t do anything to disgrace the family.”
    Ha, ha. Very funny.
    And he laughs a little, too.
    â€œOkay. Bye.”