فصل سوم

CHAPTER THREE

The tour

‘I’m going away on a tour,’ Al said one day ‘All around the USA and Europe, to play music, for four months.’

I looked at him and thought, he’s going to ask me to come too. I can see the world, bring my kids. ‘Wonderful’ I said. ‘We can.’

‘When I’m away, I want you to clean the house for me,’ Al said. ‘Of course you can’t live here, but I want you to come every day to clean. And there’s another thing, Ellen.’

‘Yes, what?’ So I’m not going, I’m just his cleaner, I thought. I really hated him then. I wanted to scream - but I didn’t. I said nothing.

‘You know I get very tired on these tours, and I need drugs to help me play good music. But I don’t want to take dangerous drugs, Ellen. I need clean, safe drugs. I want you to get some drugs from the hospital for me. You’re a nurse, it’s easy for you. Just take them secretly - no one will know.’

‘That’s a crime, Al,’ I said. ‘People go to prison for that. Is that what you want me to do? Steal drugs for you, and go to prison maybe?’

‘Why not?’ He laughed. ‘You’re my sister, Ellen! And don’t forget, I gave you my parents’ house, didn’t I? What more do you want?’

That’s what he said: my parents’ house, not our parents’ house! Really, half of it always belonged to me, but Dad gave it all to Al because he was so angry about me and John. But Al didn’t think of that. He thought that everything belonged to him, just like when he and I were kids - when he played football with Dad, and I played with my dolls.

I remembered my dolls then, and the syringe with water in it. And I smiled. ‘All right, Al, I’ll get you something. You’re right, you are my brother.’

And I looked around, at the beautiful house, and the swimming pool, and the view of the sea, and I thought: You’re not married, Al, and there’s only you and me in our family. So when you die, all this is going to belong to me.

Al was right. It was easy to steal drugs from the hospital; no one saw me. I also stole syringes, which were all clean and new. Al was very pleased with them.

‘Thanks, Ellen,’ he said. ‘Now I’m going to play lots of good music. I’ll be OK now.’