aunties seem to think I’ll marry him in a couple of years. So do half his family. They think eighteen is the best age for a girl to get married, and my family are desperate for me to get with Rocky. His family, the Quinns, have got loads of money, and they live in a big house on the other side of town. There’s no mistaking it. It’s got two rearing stone horses on either side of the gateposts. Gypsies and horses go together, and most of our men have a horse or two as a hobby. So the stone horses are there to remind everyone that they might be living in a house now, but they’re still travelling people.
“He’s a lovely boy, Sammy-Jo. So handsome.” Queenie paused as the Thorntons box got handed to her. Her fingers danced over the chocolates. “Oh, go on, then, I’ll just have the one. I can’t resist a strawberry crème.”
Beryl reached over and took the box off her. “Put it back! You know what you told me.”
Queenie quickly stuffed the chocolate in her mouth. “It’s only the one,” she mumbled, guiltily. Queenie’s always on a diet, but she never gets any thinner.
“You won’t get in your dress,” Beryl scolded. “It’s your own fault. I told you not to buy the size sixteen.” She rolled her eyes. “Sixteen! As if!”
That started them arguing, as usual, which gave me the chance to relax and pray that they’d forgotten about Rocky. But a couple of minutes later, Beryl turned back to me, her eyes glittering, and my heart sank because I could see she’d not finished with me yet.
“You like Rocky, don’t you?”
Before I could say anything, Savannah shouted, “Aw, leave her alone, Beryl!”
Savannah, my second-eldest sister, had finished having her nails done, and she was sitting on the easy chairs with her feet up, near to our table. “Sammy-Jo’s not interested in boys, thank goodness. She should wait until she’s older.” She glanced at her sister. “Not like Sabrina.”
Sabrina whirled round, nearly causing her girl to paint a silver stripe across her hand instead of her nail. “You got married young as well, Sav!” she howled. “So you can shut up!”
Savannah pulled a face. “I know! And I wouldn’t do it a second time, I’m telling you that for a fact. I’d have waited a few years.”
“I’m not saying Sammy-Jo needs to get married soon, but she could be dating,” Beryl persisted. Her eyes narrowed. “And Rocky could do with a girlfriend. A good Gypsy girl, that’s what he needs.” She and Queenie exchanged glances.
“Don’t start,” muttered Queenie. “We don’t know anything for sure.”
I smiled to myself but kept quiet. So they’d heard some rumours about Rocky as well.
Beryl patted my arm, as my girl put the finishing touches to my nails. “Stay here with me on the site for the rest of the summer,” she said, eagerly. “You’d like him better if you saw more of him.”
Most of my aunts and sisters live in houses now, but Beryl and Star live on the Langton Traveller site. All towns have to have somewhere for Travellers to stop, even though there’s never enough places. I pushed Beryl’s hand away.
“I keep telling you. I don’t want to get married. And Rocky’s too old for me.”
I used to idolize Rocky when I was twelve. He was four years older. He was handsome. He was rascally. Who wouldn’t fall for someone like that? He never even noticed me. I was this fierce little fighter girl who hung around and got in the way. But now I’m grown I don’t idolize him any more. I know things about Rocky that my aunties only suspect.
“He’s not that much older than you! And he won’t wait around for ever,” said Beryl, shaking her head. Like most of my aunties, she couldn’t believe anything could occupy a girl other than thinking about getting married.
“I don’t care.” I stood up. My nails were finished, thank goodness. But Beryl wasn’t finished with me.
Before I could escape, she gave me this fond but sad look. “Ah, look at
“He’s a lovely boy, Sammy-Jo. So handsome.” Queenie paused as the Thorntons box got handed to her. Her fingers danced over the chocolates. “Oh, go on, then, I’ll just have the one. I can’t resist a strawberry crème.”
Beryl reached over and took the box off her. “Put it back! You know what you told me.”
Queenie quickly stuffed the chocolate in her mouth. “It’s only the one,” she mumbled, guiltily. Queenie’s always on a diet, but she never gets any thinner.
“You won’t get in your dress,” Beryl scolded. “It’s your own fault. I told you not to buy the size sixteen.” She rolled her eyes. “Sixteen! As if!”
That started them arguing, as usual, which gave me the chance to relax and pray that they’d forgotten about Rocky. But a couple of minutes later, Beryl turned back to me, her eyes glittering, and my heart sank because I could see she’d not finished with me yet.
“You like Rocky, don’t you?”
Before I could say anything, Savannah shouted, “Aw, leave her alone, Beryl!”
Savannah, my second-eldest sister, had finished having her nails done, and she was sitting on the easy chairs with her feet up, near to our table. “Sammy-Jo’s not interested in boys, thank goodness. She should wait until she’s older.” She glanced at her sister. “Not like Sabrina.”
Sabrina whirled round, nearly causing her girl to paint a silver stripe across her hand instead of her nail. “You got married young as well, Sav!” she howled. “So you can shut up!”
Savannah pulled a face. “I know! And I wouldn’t do it a second time, I’m telling you that for a fact. I’d have waited a few years.”
“I’m not saying Sammy-Jo needs to get married soon, but she could be dating,” Beryl persisted. Her eyes narrowed. “And Rocky could do with a girlfriend. A good Gypsy girl, that’s what he needs.” She and Queenie exchanged glances.
“Don’t start,” muttered Queenie. “We don’t know anything for sure.”
I smiled to myself but kept quiet. So they’d heard some rumours about Rocky as well.
Beryl patted my arm, as my girl put the finishing touches to my nails. “Stay here with me on the site for the rest of the summer,” she said, eagerly. “You’d like him better if you saw more of him.”
Most of my aunts and sisters live in houses now, but Beryl and Star live on the Langton Traveller site. All towns have to have somewhere for Travellers to stop, even though there’s never enough places. I pushed Beryl’s hand away.
“I keep telling you. I don’t want to get married. And Rocky’s too old for me.”
I used to idolize Rocky when I was twelve. He was four years older. He was handsome. He was rascally. Who wouldn’t fall for someone like that? He never even noticed me. I was this fierce little fighter girl who hung around and got in the way. But now I’m grown I don’t idolize him any more. I know things about Rocky that my aunties only suspect.
“He’s not that much older than you! And he won’t wait around for ever,” said Beryl, shaking her head. Like most of my aunties, she couldn’t believe anything could occupy a girl other than thinking about getting married.
“I don’t care.” I stood up. My nails were finished, thank goodness. But Beryl wasn’t finished with me.
Before I could escape, she gave me this fond but sad look. “Ah, look at
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