Melanie and Jess were on their way up for another visit to the park. Melanie felt so sorry for the man with the poorly face that she just had to see him once more and when Doris said she could take Jess out again she knew exactly where they were going to go. She started to sing. "Sweet Chariot" was a favourite of her and Nana.
Sitting on the tourer steps, Josh heard her coming. He shook his head in wonderment. Her voice was so sweet and clear it sent shivers down his spine and washed away the nastiness of the last couple of hours - the police had made no bones about suspecting each and everyone of them of killing the girl Percy and Tom had found, and he'd seen the woman who seemed to be in charge talking to Percy for ages. He had no way of knowing the singing was the cheeky kid back again, but it was her face that came to mind, and he wasn't surprised when she limped onto the rectory field, the dog at her side.
Of course the little nuisance spotted him almost at once. Not in the mood for her, he groaned, and was about to jump up and go when she started waving.
Josh looked quickly around - good, no one's noticed the 1ittle creep, they're all too busy. He decided to ignore her and go inside, but suddenly it was too late: the little creep had moved as fast as she could and now she was here.
What was it with this kid?
"Hi," she beamed up at him as if he was the most important person in the whole world.
Grudgingly, Josh said hello back.
Melanie sat down on the step next to him, and started rubbing her leg, while Jess flopped down on the ground.
"Make yourself at home, why don't you?"
"Thank you."
Josh raised his eyebrows. He didn't think the kid was stupid, but obviously sarcasm was lost on her. "You, er, you sing real good."
"I know."
"Oh, you know do you."
"Course, 1 can hear other people sing, can't I?"
"And you reckon you are better than them?"
"Aye."
Josh shrugged, there was no answer to that, the kid was right. "Fancy a cup of tea?" He was joking, the first in a long time, the very last thing he intended was to make her one, but when she declined the tea and asked for pop, he found himself jumping up and filling a glass with lemonade.
"Here," he said gruffly a minute later, as he thrust the cold glass at her.
She gave him a dimpled smile and Josh replied with a lopsided one of his own, also the first in a very long while.
Melanie noticed how one-sided his smile was, but she didn't ask why, guessing rightly that it was the scarring on the side of his face that caused it. Instead she sipped her pop then, looking around her, said, "I can't wait for Friday. Especially when they switch the lights on, and even more especially when the rides start."
"Who brings you up to the Feast then?"
"Dad and Nana."
"Not your mum?"
"Oh no. I don't have a mam. Everyone at school says she wanted to send me back on account of my funny leg. Look, see?" And Melanie matter of factly stretched her toes out for Josh. "But I think Dad an' Nana stopped her - they must have, mustn't they? But I don't care. I don't need a mam in any case."
Josh felt a lump in his throat as he looked across at the slowly growing show field.
"You, er... You don't have to wait until Friday for the fair, if you don't want to." As he heard the words come out of his mouth, he couldn't believe he was saying them.
Melanie stared wide-eyed at him, then followed his eyes. "Yer mean...?"
"Yeah, why not... Come on, they'll be trying some of the rides out soon, you can come on with me."
"Great. Jess can watch." Melanie jumped up and grabbed hold of Josh's hand. For a brief second Josh froze, no one had held his hand in a long long time. Then he sighed. Today seemed to be an unusual day, and he was not completely sure he liked what was happening.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and, still unsure if he was doing the right thing or not, walked over with her to the carousel horses.
To find out more about Melanie, Josh and Houghton Feast, read Sheila Quigley's exciting novel, Bad Moon Rising.