Mates, Dates and Great Escapes by Cathy Hopkins

Author:Cathy Hopkins [Hopkins, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781848121737
Publisher: Piccadilly Press Ltd
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Busking It

‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going,’ said Nesta.

‘Meaning?’ I asked.

‘We come up with a solution,’ said Nesta. ‘It’s not a problem. We’ll find our own way back.’

‘No,’ said TJ. ‘Phone. We ought to phone and let them know where we are.’

We looked around for a phone box. Not one in sight.

‘Policeman,’ I said.

We looked around for a policeman. Not one in sight.

‘We could go and look for one,’ suggested Izzie.

TJ shook her head. ‘I don’t think we should leave the square, in case one of the teachers is still looking for us.’

‘Next great plan anybody?’ asked Izzie.

‘It’s a sink or swim situation,’ said TJ. ‘I say we swim. We earn our cab fare.’

‘And how exactly do you propose that we do that?’ asked Izzie. ‘Get a job? At this time of day?’

‘When in Rome do as the Romans do,’ said TJ.

‘But this isn’t Rome,’ I said. ‘It’s Florence. What do you mean? Do as the Florentines do?’

‘Mime,’ said TJ and pointed over to where the Egyptian mummy had been only an hour earlier. ‘Like the mummy. It can’t be difficult.’

‘Top idea,’ said Nesta. She pulled off her woolly hat and gave it to TJ. ‘OK, you go and stand in the square and us guys will keep an eye out for weirdos, as you won’t be able to move your eyes when you get going.’

‘But . . . but why me?’ asked TJ.

‘You’d be loads better at it.’

‘Your idea,’ said Nesta.

Izzie, Nesta and I went and sat back on the edge of the fountain while TJ positioned herself a few metres away with Nesta’s hat in front of her. She made her body go rigid and positioned herself as though she were a dummy in a shop window with one arm out as though pointing and one leg slightly up. Not bad, I thought as the first group of tourists went past and stared at her. Then the Italian boys we’d met earlier spotted her and came over. They did everything they could to get her to react – waving their hands in front of her face, doing mad dances, one even started singing. TJ managed to keep a straight face until they all lined up in exactly the same posture as her. It was funny to watch and, in the end, TJ couldn’t resist and started laughing.

Eventually the boys moved off, when they realised that TJ wasn’t into being chatted up, and she went back into her pose. She stayed still for a good five minutes, but no one walked past. Then she started wobbling and almost fell over. She quickly resumed her position. Finally an old man with white hair passed by and dropped a few coins in front of her.

‘Muchos gracias,’ she said. The man gave her a strange look.

‘That’s Spanish,’ called Nesta.

‘I’m doing a Spanish mime.’TJ called back.

A few minutes later and she couldn’t keep it up any longer. She dropped her posture and came over.

‘It’s really hard,’ she said. ‘My arms began to ache being in the same position for so long.

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