We arrived home and both my Dad and sister wanted to know all about my first evening as a Brownie. Judy asked the name of my pack and when I said Sprites, she said I should have joined the Fairies. Suspecting she was taunting me, I told her to shut up. Judy told me that she used to be in the Fairy pack and could have taught me the rhymes and clapping games that are unique to that pack. Mum suggested I apologise to my sister for snapping at her when she was only trying to help. I mumbled my apology before asking if I could get changed. “You may as well keep it on until bedtime Vincent.” Mum replied. “Anyway, it’s nice having a Brownie around the house.” she grinned. “You look lovely in your little uniform.” she added, before suggesting I straighten my socks. “He’s been learning how to plait hair.” my mother informed them.
“Have you?” Judy asked. I coyly nodded and confessed to not being very good at it. “Well you can practise on my hair if you want.” she offered. “You won’t get your knot tying badge if you can’t plait hair.” she said.
“I know… we have to be able to tie an apron properly too.” I mournfully replied.
I flicked through my Brownie Handbook whilst my sister flicked through the badge book and reminisced about being a Brownie herself. Apparently, Brownies is much more fun than Girl Guides. “Cubs is better than Brownies.” I muttered. My sister claimed the opposite was true, and cited the fact that Brownies need to learn more knots than Cubs in order to get the badge. I couldn’t argue with that, but I did maintain that Cubs was better on the grounds that we light fires, go camping, climbing, canoeing and do all sorts of cool stuff. According to my sister, Brownies do all that too and the Brownie Handbook confirmed this to also be true. Regardless, I’d still rather be a Cub.
At school the next day, seemingly everyone knew that I’d joined the Brownies and as a result I received plenty of taunts and teases from both the boys and the girls. The teacher quietened them down and suggested that the boys were only jealous because they hadn’t been nominated to take part in the May Queen ceremony. I suspected that they weren’t jealous. If anything, they’re relieved that it’s me and not one of them. I bumped into Antony at lunch time. He’s in the year below me and told me that everyone knows about him being a Brownie. “Me too.” I replied. “Are you going next week?” I asked.
“I have to.” he grumbled.
“Is Brian?” I asked. Benjimin is two years older than Antony and is in his first year at high school.
“We both have to.” he replied. “Are you?”
“Yeah.” I groaned. “I tried to get out of it but I can’t… all I can hope for is that I’m not chosen as May Queen.” I sighed. Antony agreed and said that involving boys was the worst idea ever. “Yeah.” I replied. “But try telling my mum that.” I added. A couple of kids who go to Cubs spotted Antony and I chatting and one yelled something about us being a couple of girls talking about being Brownies. “Come over ‘ere and say that!” I yelled.
He did come over and he did repeat himself, putting his nose inches from mine. My moment of bravado crumbled into cowardice. I said nothing as I felt a fearful expression sweep my face. “If you think you’re coming back to Cubs you’d better think again… we don’t want girls like you in our pack.” he said in a threatening tone. I gulped and backed away. Antony advised me to take no notice of him, before threatening that he’d set his big brother Benjimin on him. The boys sneered at us. “I’d like to see ‘her’ try.” one said before mocking the idle threat. “Oooohh! He’s going to set a Brownie on us… I’m so scared!” They laughed as they retreated. They wouldn’t have said that last year when Benjimin was supposedly the second toughest in the whole school.
When I arrived home, Mum asked me if I’d had a nice day at school. I told her about being constantly teased and taunted about joining the Brownies. Mum told me to take no notice of them before suggesting that I have a go at stitching my badges to my uniform. “Can’t you do it?” I asked.
“I could, but if you do it yourself you’ll get your sewing badge.” she replied. I told her I didn’t know how to sew and she said she’d teach me. First, she tacked my Sprite pack badge to the left chest of my brown Brownie dress and quickly stitched it all the way around. Then she tacked the other Sprite badge to the left sleeve and passed the dress to me. I didn’t do very well. Mum took over and stitched one side, then I attempted to stitch the other three sides. Mum said it wasn’t bad but could be better, before tacking the stargazing badge onto the other sleeve and passing it to me to finish. Although a bit wonky, Mum described it as ‘very good for a beginner’. “Are you going to try it on?” she asked.
“Why?”
“To see how it looks with the badges on.” she replied. “Plus…” she added, wielding her instamatic camera, “…I’d love to get a photograph.” she grinned.
I grimaced and frowned but knew one thing; when Mum says she wants a photograph, there’s no getting out of it. . “OK.” I eventually mutter.
