Mother and her sister played poker when I came out of the bedroom looking
for my trousers, but mother had just lost them to Aunt Gabriella who refused
to give them back. I sat by the coal fire and warmed my knees; winter with frost
roses on windows. Without long trousers I could not go to school, the idea of this
pleased me, I began reading a Robin Hood book. I didn’t care so much for him,
he was in love with a girl, but I liked the other ones in his gang. “Here,” mother
said, “I have won back your trousers, your shoes as well; go to school now.” I was
going to take the bike out of the shed, but a monster rat sat there.
”Mother” I yelled, “There is a big rat in the shed, it is eating the tires off my bike.”
Mother dropped the cat out of the window, from our third floor flat, I just caught it.
“Put the cat in the shed,” walk to school, it is good for you, biking makes you lazy.”
My sister came with a crate of beer she had bought at the supermarket, "you are
just like a little girl frightened by a tiny rat,” she said, took the bike out, put the dazed
cat on top of the crate and walked in. I was one hour late for school, but there was
no use telling the teacher why, he would only say I was telling tales as usual.
