Cowgirl (7 page)

We sat facing Dad at a table among the other prisoners with visitors. I never felt comfortable being there. All the prisoners met their visitors in the same room. I hated that – sometimes you’d see people crying or having an argument, and it was tense all the time.

Dad was looking fit and well, though his hair was in a ponytail which was well embarrassing.

“Should see her,” said Darren. “Massive, she is.”

“What’s this?” Dad asked.

“What he says – a cow at my mam’s.”

“Joke, is it?”

“No.”

“Looking well, Claire,” he said to Mam.

“Well, it’s all the sun I’m getting, and restaurant food.”

Mam’s sark bounced off him. “In the gym all the time now,” he said, “and I’m up to a hundred press-ups.”

It irritated me that he didn’t ask about the cow – it’s not like you hear someone’s got a cow in their backyard every day.

“She makes cheese and butter too,” said Darren.

“Who does?”

“Gran, with the milk from Jane.”

“Who’s Jane?”

“The cow,” I said. “All the neighbours are helping out, even Morris.”

Dad nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t interested. “Hundred sit-ups too – rock hard, my stomach,” he said as he slapped his belly. “You’ll be well impressed, Claire. New man for you when I’m out.”

“Can’t wait. What’s his bank balance like?”

“Course I need loads of protein. So when I’m out I’ll be eating this cow.”

He laughed, but me and Darren didn’t.

“Your daughter’s a veggie now,” said Mam.

“What? Won’t last long.”

“I am, Dad. Don’t want to eat animals any more.”

I felt proud, like I was announcing it to everyone.

“You will if you’re hungry enough.”

“No, I won’t.”

He was beginning to annoy me.

“I’ll bet you a tenner you’ll eat a burger by the time I get out.”

“Robbie,” said Mam. “Betting got you into enough trouble without you betting with your own daughter.”

“I’m only saying, love. I’m on your side.”

“There’s no sides, Rob. When you get out you’ll be back in the real world, and you’ll have to earn your keep – a bit like Jane.”

“Who’s Jane?”

“The COW!”

“On your own, Cowgirl number two?” said Sian as she got on the bus. “I heard about your gran taking on a cow – runs in the family then.”

It was odd but I didn’t feel at all bothered by her. I suppose there were more important things to worry about. I imagined Jane stood in the yard, steam coming from her nostrils and Gran hunched over as she milked her, and I wondered if Kate’s dad knew one of the cows was missing yet.

The bus arrived at school, and as everyone started getting off I remembered what Kate had told me once about cows behaving funny when they’re taken
to slaughter, like they know something’s up. Kate told me horses get put out to pasture, which is like retirement – eating, sleeping and galloping around; but not cows – they’re killed and sliced up for burgers or dog food.

“Ignoring me?” Sian said, her face shoved into mine. “Cowgirl’s learning you fast, isn’t she?”

“Cows get a rotten life, you know,” I said. She looked puzzled. “Well, I mean, all they do is eat grass, and when they have a calf it’s taken away as soon as it’s born, so the cow still gives out milk, see, which we take for ourselves.”

“So?”

“That’s a rotten life, don’t you reckon?”

“Not bothered.”

“No. Suppose you’re not. Not many are.”

“You trying to be funny?”

“No. Are you?”

I wanted to go, and as I stepped forward she backed off, which I thought was funny. I laughed, and then she grabbed me.

Right in the middle of all the shouting and screaming I realised how stupid fighting was. She was clawing and hitting me, I was doing the same back, and to be honest it didn’t hurt. It was just … well, as I said, stupid. Sian was no stronger than me.
She was vicious and angry. I was angry too, but I had reason, and right at that moment I took everything out on her. By the time a teacher turned up it was me on top of Sian, hitting and clawing. When he pulled me off I could feel my eye swelling.

I stared at Sian and saw nothing but a nasty bully, and I knew I wasn’t scared of her any more.

“It’s a misunderstanding, sir,” I said to the teacher. “I was just telling Sian what a rotten life cows have, what with being killed so young just for burgers and such. She thought I was talking about her, but I wasn’t. I was talking about cows and how brilliant they are.” The kids around us started giggling. “They give us their milk and all the thanks they get is being slaughtered before they even get into Year One!”

I think they thought I’d lost it, but I was in control and Sian knew it.

Kate was a no-show that morning and I was itching to know what was happening, so at lunchtime I ran out of school and across the Common to Gran’s. Her back door was shut. I went round and knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. The curtain moved aside and Roger looked out at me. Then the door opened and Kate was standing there. “D’you get my text?”

“No.”

“What happened to your eye?”

“Doesn’t matter. What’s going on?”

Kate glanced into the street. “Come in.”

When I went into the lounge there was Mr Banerjee, Morris, Roger, Polly, Mr Llewellyn and loads of people I didn’t know. They all had cups of tea and were gathered around Gran in her armchair, like she was the queen. She asked about my eye, so I told her about the fight.

“Good for you,” she said, which made me smile. “We been waiting for you, Gemma. Fancy some cheese, courtesy of Jane?” Whatever was going on it had nothing to do with cheese tasting.

“We been talking,” said Gran. “Kate’s dad knows a cow is missing now.”

“I told him,” said Kate. “He blew his top. Got straight on the phone to Don Mostyn and cut a deal. He’ll be coming to collect ’em any day.”

I had a brainwave. “Gran. Why don’t you buy Jane?”

“Thought of that, love,” she replied. “Well over a grand, a good cow like Jane is worth. I haven’t got that kind of money. Wish I had.”

“What’ll Mostyn do with them?” I asked.

“He’ll take ’em into his herd, calf them once or
twice maybe, and then straight to slaughter. He just wants his field back and the money he’s owed.”

“The miser,” said Roger.

“I love having that cow here,” said Gran, “and so do the neighbours.” She nodded to the others, who all started talking.

“Lovely cheese she makes,” said Roger with his mouth full.

“She brings us peace,” said Mr Banerjee.

“Aye,” agreed Morris.

“The cream I made from that milk was like nothing I’ve ever tasted,” said Polly.

It went quiet and I couldn’t bear it. “So? What’s happ’ning?”

“Well,” said Gran, “they don’t know where Jane is as yet, so we decided, or Kate has suggested, that we take the rest.”

“How d’you mean, the rest?”

“We want the whole dozen down here, on the estate. It’s all hush-hush though.”

I stood there gobsmacked. “You want to bring eleven cows down here,” I asked. “On to the Bryn Mawr?”

“That’s right. We’ve got takers for every single one,” said Gran. “We didn’t say anything before, as we wanted to be absolutely sure. So we put the word
out, and this morning Kate and I interviewed all those interested to make sure they were serious and had enough room in their back gardens or yards. In the end, we had so many takers we had to draw lots. We’ve got a good home for every cow. We’re going to hide them, Gemma. Hide them until we can find a long-term solution to help Mr Thomas. We want those cows to live longer and happier – a lot longer than Mostyn will keep ’em alive.”

I couldn’t believe they were serious.

“You can’t hide twelve cows on the Bryn Mawr estate!”

“Why not?” said Roger.

“But how you going to get ’em down?”

“Same way that I got Jane here,” said Kate. “I know a route that’ll take us all the way to the bridge over the motorway. There’s a field just past that, then we’ll take ’em to their new homes a few at a time.”

“But they’ll be spotted. Someone might tell.”

“Tell what?” said Gran. “I saw a cow in town? Unless one of them goes into a shop for a pint of milk no one’ll care.”

“When are you thinking of doing it?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, and I’ll need your help, Gemma,” said Kate.
“It’ll be safer and quieter on a school day. Will you do it?”

They all stared at me. “I think you’re all bonkers,” I said. “Mad, you are…”

I thought of my fight with Sian and the anger everywhere. I realised I’d prefer to be bonkers than angry.

“Yeah, let’s do it!”

That night I was trying out the flute, and for the first time I managed to get a decent sound out of it. Then Darren came in. “Get out!”

“I wanna go,” he said.

I held the flute at arm’s length. “No.”

“Not on that. I want to go with you and help with the cows tomorrow.”

“What you on about?” I said, pretending I didn’t know what he meant.

“Don’t mess, Gem. I heard Roger talking. All the cows are coming down on to the Mawr.”

“Darren. You got to be in school.”

“But you won’t be, why can’t I?”

“Because if I don’t show we’ll get away with it, but not both of us.”

“I’ll tell Mam.”

I sat up. “Look you, if you mess up this mission…”
I couldn’t believe I called it a mission. “If you mess this up, Gran will lose Jane.”

“I won’t … I won’t…”

“Then stay out of it.”

“No. I wanna help.”

“Why?”

I can’t remember the last time I saw my brother looking bashful, but there he was, stood at the end of my bed with his eyes on the floor. “John Wayne,” he said.

“Who?”

“I was watching a film about these boys on horses moving cattle. John Wayne was teaching ’em.”

“We haven’t got horses.”

“We got bikes. Go on, Gem. I’ll be a help, I will. Go on!”

“Darren, if Mam finds out…”

“She won’t. Thanks, Gem.”

“Darren!”

He was gone.

I didn’t sleep a wink, and during breakfast Mam wanted to know why we were so quiet.

“Tired,” Darren and me said. She stared at us, which made me think she’d sussed something was up.

When we got our bikes outside I saw Jamie at the end of our road. “Darren, tell him we got to pick up something for Mam. Get rid of him.”

“He’s coming with us.”

“What? You told him?”

“He’ll help, Gemma.”

“All right,” I said. “You can both help.”

“Lush!”

“If you can keep up.”

I started in low gear for acceleration, and ten seconds later they were specks in the distance behind me. If Darren was going to open his big mouth he got what he deserved.

I pushed up Craig-y-Nos hill like I’d never done before. I didn’t want to let Kate down. I’d arranged to meet her at the gate at the far end of the field, where the cows grazed.

I was early. I stood there on my own, the breath coming out my mouth like a steam train. It was quiet; that sort of quiet you don’t often get, like the time I lay in the middle of the road. No cars, nothing; just a bird singing as if it was in a competition. Lovely, it was. Then I thought about Dad in his cell. “Stupid,” I said out loud.

I heard a moo.

“C’mon,” I heard Kate call out. “Get along!”

The cows came into sight and there was Kate, riding on the back of one of them like a real cowgirl. I laughed. She saw me and smiled, but I could tell she was nervous too. She got off the cow, opened the gate and stepped into the lane.

“Quiet, isn’t it?” I said.

Kate gazed around. “They been milked and fed.
I’ll lead them, you follow at the back.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Nothing. Just keep them from stopping.”

“What if they turn around?”

“They won’t. They might get distracted by grass at the side of the lane but they’ll follow the others. When I hold them up at the front they’ll all stop. When you see us moving off just clap your hands and shout ‘Get along’ and they’ll move.”

I wanted to ask, “What if they don’t?” But I knew it wouldn’t help.

Kate glanced up and down the lane. “OK. Let’s go.”

She went back into the field and my heart started thumping.

“Go on!” she shouted. “GO ON!”

“What? Go where?”

“NOT YOU!” she yelled. “The cows! You just stay there!”

They started coming out into the lane, giving me the scary eye. They all followed each other, except one that turned towards me. “Go on!” I said in a thin voice. “Get along!” I clapped. Nothing. The cow glared at me, then mooed. Petrified, I was.

“Get along!”

She mooed again, like she was saying, “Who are
you to tell me where to go?”

The last cow came out and Kate closed the gate. “That’s Rachel. Stubborn, she is. Shout at her like you shout at your brother.”

“Rachel,” I said. “Get along!”

“That’s not how you talk to your brother.”

The cow stared at me and I got annoyed. “GET ALONG! GET!”

She turned and joined the others.

“That’s the way,” said Kate.

She made her way through them. “Come on, girls!” she shouted, and they all started to move off down the lane. I followed, looking at the bums of the last three cows. Now and again I’d shout, “Get!” or “Go on!” just because it made me feel like I was a proper cowgirl too.

It wasn’t long before Kate called out, “Coming up to a crossroads. Keep ’em moving!”

We got through OK and on we went, but at the next crossroads a car pulled up. The driver wound down the window. “Where you off with them, Kate?”

Kate stayed back as the cows carried on. “Bit of exercise, Mr Jarvis.”

“Shouldn’t you be at school?”

“Yeah, taking these down for ‘Bring an’ tell’.”

Kate walked on. As I passed, the driver said, “Is she
really taking them into the school?”

“That’s right. Not into the classroom though. That would be ridic’lous, wouldn’t it?”

We stopped for a break and the cows started chewing at the grass verges. Kate came through them. “All right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Going OK, isn’t it?”

She nodded. I pulled out a chocolate bar I’d stashed. I broke it in two and handed half to Kate. “Chocolate always tastes better when you’ve saved it up,” I said.

Kate bit into it. “They’re enjoying it,” she said, as she stroked the nearest cow.

“Which one’s that?”

“Donna. Bit slow is Donna – she’s easily scared. I’m putting her with Morris.”

That’s nice,
I thought.

Just then there was a car horn. Kate looked at me. “If that’s Dad, it’s over.” She went forward and I followed, even though I had to push through the cows.

“Kate. What’s going on here?” the driver said.

“They got out, Mr Conway. Boys from the Mawr, we reckon. If you back up I’ll get ’em past you.”

“But you need to go that way, don’t you?” He
pointed the way we’d come.

“There’s no passing bay,” said Kate. “You back up and we’ll get ’em past you.”

“There’s kind of you, girl.”

He reversed his car.

“Close one,” she said to me. “Get ’em moving.”

Once we were past the driver, he waved at us and drove on.

Not long after that we were at the motorway bridge, and there was Darren and Jamie waiting for us.