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‘Aye Michelle, hurry up.’ A voice calls, ‘we are leaving now. Shift yourself.’ The nine-year-old sighs, walking down the stairs, joining the rest of her family. ‘About time, come on.’ She grabs Michelle’s hand, dragging the petulant child into the car.
‘Why do we have to go?’ She sighs, climbing into the back of the car. ‘Move.’ She hisses to the fifteen-year-old, Ryan may be six years older than his sister, but Michelle scares him. ‘Move di-’
‘Aye, don’t use that word.’ Deirdre warns her daughter, looking back at her, knowing exactly what she is about to call her brother. ‘We are going because our Cathy is getting married.’ She mutters something that Michelle can’t hear, as she adjusts her blanket, not without kicking her brother first. ‘Finally.’ She narrows her eyes at her kids, ‘and if either of you think about having a baby outside marriage, you will not live to tell the tale.’ The pair nod, the only person that Michelle is scared of.
‘You don’t even like auntie Cathy.’ Michelle points out, as they start the drive to her grandparents. They had this argument everyday for the last two weeks when Deirdre told her that she wasn’t allowed to go to a party because they were going to London.
‘I do.’ Deirdre insists, though none of them quite believe her. ‘Either way, she’s my sister and we are going, and you are going to have a nice time. You’ll have your cousin there.’ Michelle rolls her eyes, resting her face on the side of the window, bracing herself for the long journey. It was Niamh O’Callaghan’s swimming party next week, but instead she is having to spend the week with her grandparents and her cousin who she thought was strange. She didn’t remember much about him, except that she didn’t like him all that much.
‘Ryan, Michelle. Wake up.’ A voice alerts Michelle, waking up to the darkness. ‘We are here.’ As Michelle gathers up her belongings, wrapping her blanket around her, the coldness an unwelcomed contrast to the warm heater she had been lying on.
A loud screeching pierces her ears, as she climbs out the car. ‘I don’t want to be here.’ Michelle huffs to Ryan,
‘Aye, nor do I.’ He agrees, shoving his hand out for her so she can get out of the car. They hang behind, as they here their grandparents saying hello to Cathy and her son, neither of them interested in these niceties.
‘Aye Michelle.’ Her mother calls, looking up at her dad and brother, why is she singling her out? ‘Michelle.’ Sighing, she walks towards her mother.
‘Say hello Michelle.’
‘Hello Michelle.’ She retorts, gaining a laugh from her brother.
‘Stop being cheeky.’ Michelle shrugs, as they all seem to migrate into the house, a much bigger house than they were expecting. ‘Right, this is Michelle and Ryan.’ Deirdre points to her two children. ‘And you know Martin.’ They hadn’t really met with Cathy much, her grandparents came out a few times a year, but not Michelle. According to Ryan, she had been around a lot whilst he was young, and then she got pregnant before Michelle was born.
‘Right beds.’ Her aunt starts, as they all move into the living room. ‘If it’s okay with you Deirdre, Michelle will share with James, we are one bedroom short and we figured she would rather stay with someone her own age.’ Deirdre nods, before her daughter can protest. ‘Right, where has James gone?’ She looks around before realising he isn’t there. ‘James, come here now.’ Soon a very nervous boy appears at the door. ‘James, do you want to show Michelle you’re room? See you in a bit.’
She takes her bag from the pile that had, haphazardly, been left in the living room. ‘Hi I’m James.’ He says awkwardly, letting her collect her suitcase. ‘Do you need any help?’ Moments later he regretted asking that as she dumps her loose belongings over him.
‘Well are you going to show me?’ She demands, as he nods, scuttling up the stairs and into his bedroom. She admires it, as he lets her in. They’ve put a camp bed on the other side of the room, but the sheer size of the room shocks her.
‘Ack, you’ve got a huge room.’ She grins, gravitating to the camp bed. For the first time, she doesn’t actually know what to say, being left in a room with someone who is as awkward as she feels in the moment.
‘How was your journey?’
‘That’s a very adult thing to say.’ Michelle points out, sitting on the floor. ‘But it was long. You’re ma better be fecking grateful.’ The boy’s mouth twitches clearly amused at the idea of her saying a swearword is quite funny. ‘I’m missin me holiday to go to this.’
‘I guess.’ He grins, pulling the seams of his t-shirt, not quite meeting her eye.
‘Well are you going to sit down?’ She asks, as he obliges. Five minutes into meeting his cousin, he’s already quite scared of her, a common occurrence within the Maguire/Mallon family. Michelle Mallon, even at nine-years-old, scared most of her family. All but Deirdre, she wasn’t scared of her daughter, she was the only one willing to confront her daughter, reminding her that she wasn’t an adult.
‘Do you go to school?’ Michelle looks at him, almost like he’s suddenly grown three heads.
‘Of course, I do.’ A voice interrupts the pair, yelling at them to come down, soon appearing at the door.
‘Do you want anything to eat? We’re getting a Chinese.’ James looks between his mum and Michelle. ‘I’ll get your usual, but what would you like Michelle?’
‘Can I have chicken chow mein, and spring rolls?’
‘Please.’ Deirdre warns.
‘You certainly can. Any drinks?’
‘A double vodka and coke with ice. Smirnoff vodka if you have any?’ She smiles, as her parents throw her a look. ‘Sorry, a double vodka and coke with ice, please.’