Becky Bananas (5 page)

Favourite activity – Dancing! When I was young we were too poor for me to go to a proper dancing school and so Gran’s friend Violet taught me. Gran called her Vi but I called her Violet. Even when I was six years old, that is what I called her. She used to say, “I don’t hold with all this formality, ducks.”

Violet was younger than Gran but they’d been on tour together in the old days, when Violet was a dancer and Gran was part of a double act with Granddad. And then Violet had Bobby, who was Down’s syndrome, and gave it all up to look after him. Only she would never say that she had given it up. She would say, “Gave it up? I didn’t give
it
up, it gave me up!” And then she’d laugh this funny, crackling laugh and light another fag. She always called them her fags.

“Where are me fags? Pass me me fags!”

She used to smoke her fags even while she was teaching me.

I don’t suppose, really, that Violet was ever a very good dancer. She never did proper ballet. I think what she did was called show dancing. But she taught me how to do
plies
and positions of the feet, and
battements tendus
and
ronds de jambes.

Later, when I went to the Russell, Miss Runcie said I’d had a good grounding, so Violet must have known what she was doing even if she did pronounce
ronds de jambes
as “rondy jombs”.

I didn’t know what Miss Runcie was talking about the first time she told us to do them. I said, “Oh, rondy jombs!” and everyone laughed and I couldn’t understand why.

And then I realised and I went home and pretended to be Violet saying things wrong – rondy jombs and arabeskys and grond jetties – and Mum overheard me and told me off. She said, “Don’t you
ever
let me catch you making fun of Violet again!”

Mum said that Violet was a good and genuine person who had had a great deal to cope with in life. So then I felt ashamed and regretted that I had mocked her. I wish I could tell Violet how sorry I am!

Maybe she will be one of my guests.

Then I will be able to tell her.

What are some more of my favourite things?

Favourite dancer – Darcey Bussell! One Christmas Mum took me backstage to meet Darcey and she is really nice and friendly. She gave me a signed photograph and encouraged me to keep up with my
dancing. She said that maybe one day it would be her coming backstage to see me!

I’d
really
want Darcey to be on the programme. If I was going to be anyone other than who I am then I would choose to be Darcey. She is everything that I dream of being.

What else is there?

Favourite season of the year – Summer.

Favourite sort of weather – Sun! It is very sad and depressing, I think, in the winter, though Sarah doesn’t agree. Sarah’s favourite weather is snow! But that is because she likes to go skiing.

Favourite Food – Just at the moment it is difficult to say as I am not terribly into food owing to my mouth being sore, but as a rule I would say it is … chocolate ice cream!

Favourite drink – Pineapple milkshake. For sure!

Favourite place – Covent Garden.

Favourite music –
Swan Lake!
Because every time I hear it I can imagine that I am on stage, dancing!

Favourite group – The Beatles. Me and Sarah are really into the Beatles. It was Mum who got us listening to them. John Lennon was her favourite Beatle. She says she cried when he got shot. My favourite is Paul. He is Sarah’s, too. Imagine if he was a guest!

I think Paul is the
best
Beatle. He cares about animals, and I approve of that. I am going to stop eating animals as soon as I can. I wanted to do it when I was eleven but Mum wouldn’t let me. She said it wasn’t the time. Now she says, “Maybe in a year or two. We’ll see.”

I think I will ask her if I can do it when I’m twelve. I am going to do all sorts of things when I am twelve! Going to Wonderland is just one of them. Being twelve is my immediate goal. It is Zoë’s, as well. But I will be twelve before she is! I will be twelve on 14th September. Zoë has to wait until the end of the year.

Sarah will be twelve before either of us as her birthday is next month. But to her it isn’t anything particularly special. She just wants to go out with her Mum and buy a whole load of new clothes, and she could do that any time. Sarah’s Mum is always buying her clothes. And she always gives her a good birthday party, too. One time she hired a bouncy castle and another time there was a conjuror. But Sarah says she wants to be more sophisticated now that she’s going to be twelve.

I don’t know whether I will have a party or not. I didn’t last year. Not a proper one. Mum said it would be
“too much”. And this year I shall be in Wonderland!!! It might be greedy to ask for a party as well.

I have just thought of another favourite thing to add to my list.

Favourite person – Uncle Eddy! After Mum and Danny, of course. Uncle Eddy will
definitely
be on my television programme.

Here's looking at you, kid!

U
ncle Eddy is Mum’s brother. She calls him her
baby
brother because she was seven when he was born. That is exactly the same difference as between Danny and me!

Of course Danny is only actually my half-brother. This is because we had different dads. I told him this once, when I was in a really mean mood. I said, “You’re only my half-brother! And that’s as much as I want you to be!”

I only said it because I was feeling cross and self-pitying. It wasn’t anything Danny had done. I told Uncle Eddy afterwards and he said that sometimes when we’re feeling hurt we take it out on other people, just because they happen to be there. He said it’s a bit like getting in the way if someone’s running down the street. They don’t necessarily
mean
to knock you over, but that’s what happens.

I didn’t mean to be horrid to Danny. I wish I hadn’t been. He’s only a little boy! He doesn’t understand.

He clambered on to my bed the other day and put his arms round my neck and whispered, “I want to be your real
whole
brother, Becky.” It made me cry, that did.

Danny is a truly sensitive little boy. I think he picks up on a whole lot more than people realise, even though he is only four years old. Uncle Eddy agrees with me.