Emmie 9

" Must get on." was the first thought of Emmie as the alarm clock started the week with the early morning jollity of Radio two.  She enjoyed the Terry Wogan show and she liked the sound of that Fran Godfrey. She sounded a rather charming young woman. She got herself a light breakfast of toast and honey and although she shouldn't, a rather strong black coffee with two sugars. 

The effects of the coffee served to raise her spirits and she made her way upstairs to straighten the back bedroom. She emptied the bits and pieces from the drawers and scattered a handful of lavender flowers over the lining paper to freshen them up.  She made up the bed and made a mental note to wash the nets and give them a soak of bleach. They were beginning to look a little yellow. In fact she would do that right now. She took down the lace net curtains and put them in some bleach water to soak. She must make a visit to the mini market and make some purchases to prepare for her evening visitors.

The only exception to her usual shop was a packet of rice and a jar of Madras curry paste. She was unsure about this but thought that her visitor would have plenty of ideas. When she got home she took the net curtains out of the bleach, rinsed them out and washed them through, put them in the washer for a spin and hung them out on the line in the sunshine. They would dry in no time. After lunch, the house all being ship shape  she went into the garden to sit in the sunshine with the quickly drying net curtains. They were up in place after tea clearly whiter and crisply taut.

The door bell went at about seven fifteen and sure enough it was Dorothy.
She had had some thoughts about the situation and said that she thought that great care would have to be taken. The exam results would have to be dealt with and it must be explained to her school but not necessarily with  the police. Their response was a mystery as to whose side they would take.

The girls arrived at twenty to eight. Jenny had a rucksack  and Jasmin a large Debenhams bag which might well have brought home a suit or at least a large pullover. They were rather on edge when they arrived and breathed sighs of relief as they plonked themselves down and looked at one another apprehensively. Jasmin was quite tall and slim with dark flowing hair. She was not as dark as Emmie had imagined and with a different hair style she would not draw attention. Jasmin was really quite frightened  and worried that a her brother would be doing all that he could to trace her. She said her mother and father would not let anyone else know because it would be kept as a family secret for as long as possible. She had sent a letter to her parents and told them of her decision.

"  My sister Rafia  was taken on a holiday to Bangladesh after she finished  school and she did not come back with my parents. When she did  come back she was married and pregnant. That is not going to happen to me. I want to go to university. I am frightened that my family will send out people to hunt me down. But they might not because that would tell the community what has happened and they will be dishonoured. My brother will be asking questions."

" Well you are safe for the time being," said Dorothy " and when I go into work tomorrow I will contact your school, who should I talk to? "

" Mrs Evans is my form tutor and she knows about my problems. I am sure she will help. I have got my university offer and my passport."

" What kind of passport?" Said Emmie foreseeing all kinds of problems.

" British, my parents were born in England, well my mum came from Scotland. So when my results come through I should be able to get a place away from here."
Jenny had, all the while, kept silent.  " I will keep my eyes and ears open and wait for Mrs Evans to have a word."

The two girls were taken upstairs and began to unpack. Jenny was going to spend the night and told her dad she was staying with her usual friend Samantha. Emmie left them to it and went down to join Dorothy

" They seem sensible enough. I will do some contacting with the school tomorrow about results etc and we can move on from there. We need to find some support group to get advice."

" I will make some enquiries through our deputy head. We can just wait and see what happens. If there is any threats we can bring in he police, as a last resort." Said Emmie.

With that Dorothy left and Emmie went upstairs to offer the girls a little supper and reflect on the day.

JL August 11 14:17