Saffy’s Angel

A MOST UNEXPECTED THING HAPPENED at the Banana House. Rose received a check for €144, proving that her grandfather’s will had not been nothing more than kind thoughts after all. It was presented to her by her mother one Sunday afternoon, always the Casson time for important events.
“It will just about buy you another party dress,
said Bill, who had never recovered from the extravagance of the last one.
A check meant nothing at all to Rose. She read her name on it and asked. “Is that me?”
“Of course it is, said her father, laughing at her puzzled face.
The check was pale blue and looked to Rose like a label. Saffron and Caddy and Indigo all came to inspect it, and seeing it made them feel solemn.
Caddy said, “I wonder what happened to Indigo’s car.”
“Dropped to bits, answered her father. “Years ago.”
“And my house?”
“Probably over the cliff by now.”
“And Saffy’s angel?”
The last thing Bill Casson wanted was another Sunday-afternoon argument about Saffy’s angel. He said, “My taxi will be here any minute!” and disappeared upstairs for his bag.
Rose did not have a bank account, but Caddy did. She deposited Rose’s check into it and immediately took it out again in the form of 144 one-pound coins. Then Rose was really pleased with her inheritance. She played with the coins for several days, sorting and stacking them on the kitchen table.
“What are you going to o with them all?” asked Indigo.
Rose arranged them into a three-dimensional pile on thick black cardboard, glued them together, and with Caddy’s help sprayed the whole lot gold.
“I bet you don’t send that to me in London!” said her father the next time he came home. He had been quite nice about Rose’s jammy picture. It was just bad luck that he had mistaken it for food supplies from Eve, instead of art from Rose, and had consequently dropped it in the trash.
“When have I ever send you food supplies?” demanded eve, and Bill reminded her of the time he had mailed him a homemade sponge birthday cake, labeled hopefully but futilely: FRAGILE and THIS END UP
Another unexpected thing that happened was Michael announcing it was about time Caddy applied for her driving test.
“But I asked you not long ago if I should, and you just laughed!” said Caddy.
“Times change,” said Michael. “There’s a written test first, and then the exam.”
“I suppose Diane passed the first time?”
“Obviously.”
“It’s all the exams,” said Caddy, sighing. “Do you know what is in June? All my repeat exams.”
“About time, too,” Michael said, but added, “You’ll cope, easy! Diane did.