Post by sophie on May 25, 2010 12:03:44 GMT
Thanks!
A few days later Declan went back to work and Bridget and Riley went to see Clara and Josie.
“You’re going to have a lovely day,” she told India, dropping her off at Donna’s. “Aren’t you?”
“Yeah!”
“Thanks for looking after her,” Bridget said gratefully but Donna shook her head.
“I love looking after my goddaughter, it’s no problem Didge. I hope you and Riley have a good time!”
“The girls are excited,” Bridget said, smiling. “They’ve missed him. They like having a big brother now.”
“I thought it would be nice,” said Donna sadly and Bridget remembered the man who had told her he was, and how he only been a scammer.
“Sorry Donna.”
“For what?” she asked cheerfully, although Bridget still saw the sadness in her eyes. “I’m fine. You guys have an awesome day. Me and Indy will too.”
Suddenly there was a crash of something falling over and India saying,
“Whoops!”
“India!” shouted Bridget, making a move to go in.
“I’m okay!”
“Let me deal with it,” said Donna, stopping her. “You go back and wait for Riley. We’ll be fine.”
“I know,” said Bridget and she shouted into the house, “Be a good girl India!”
“I always am!” came a call back and Bridget shook her head, laughing a little, and went back.
Riley came at eleven.
“I’ve really missed them,” he said as they drove along. “Even though we’ve only known them for a few months.”
“They’ve missed you too. I’ve missed you too!”
“Even if I wind you up?”
“Even if you wind me up.”
He turned the steering wheel and they reached Joanna’s house, and even before they had reached the door, Josie and Clara raced outside and wrapped him into a hug and he laughed and hugged them back.
“You came back!” cried Josie.
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
“We missed you!” Josie said and hugged him again but Clara, feeling embarrassed about her excitement, stood back a little.
“Did you miss me Clara?”
“Of course I did!” and she hugged him again as well.
“Hello!” came a voice and they all looked up to see Joanna standing in the doorway. It would always feel strange to her, she decided, to see her four children reunited. They may have different fathers but that didn’t matter – they were still siblings and you couldn’t tell. They all looked the same, especially Bridget, Clara and Josie. They didn’t look as though they had ever been separated.
“Hello,” said Riley in a shy voice, the shy voice he had inherited from her and she smiled at him and disappeared inside.
“How have you been anyway?” Riley asked as they started inside.
“We’re on holiday,” Josie said, still hanging onto his arm. “But we have school next week which blows.”
“You shouldn’t say that.”
“Why? It does. It really does. I don’t want to go back.”
“I thought you liked school?” said Riley in surprise and her face fell.
“Let’s talk about it when we’re inside,” cut in Bridget and they went in.
“Do you want a cup of tea?” asked Joanna, coming to welcome them.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s no trouble. You must be tired after the journey. I’ll make you cup of tea, both you,” she decided firmly and went to put the kettle on.
They went to sit on the sofa.
“How was your Easter, guys?” Bridget asked.
“Good!” said Josie. “We got three Easter eggs and we had an Easter egg in the garden and Dad came!”
“That sounds fun.”
“Clara didn’t even try and find any!”
“I’m too old for Easter egg hunts,” she said snottily.
“I don’t think you’re ever too old for them,” contradicted Bridget. “Me and Riley helped, and so did my mum and dad.”
“But you’ve got a kid!”
“Well, you’re still a kid,” said Riley and she looked annoyed.
“Josie ate all of hers at once,” she said, to take the attention off her. “And then she said she wanted to puke!”
“Reminds me of someone I know,” laughed Bridget. “Indy ate all of hers when I was upstairs and the results weren’t very good.”
Josie paled.
“I wasn’t sick, but I felt it!”
“When will you learn?” sighed Bridget, “that you shouldn’t eat all of your chocolate at once?”
“I know someone else did,” said Riley, poking her. “When she was five. And then you were sick in the night.”
“I must have blocked it out. I don’t remember it.”
“It was at the children’s home,” Riley explained and they all went quiet.
“Here’s your tea,” said Joanna, bringing out two cups.
“Thanks,” said Riley a little coldly and she hesitated and said,
“How was your journey?”
“Fine. Mum and Dad had a room all sorted when I got in.”
“That’s good then.” She looked down. “I’m going to go pop to the shops,” she said finally, noticing that he was annoyed with her. “I’ll let you guys catch up. I won’t be very long.”
She hurried out.
“That was weird,” commented Josie and then she said, “What?!” after Clara poked her.
“Let’s take these upstairs,” said Bridget quickly.
“Now what’s this about you not wanting to go back to school?” asked Riley when they were sitting in Josie’s room.
“I just don’t ,” she mumbled and Bridget put an arm round her.
“What’s going on?” asked Riley, frowning and Bridget quietly shook her head but Josie explained,
“Some kids have been mean to me,” in a quiet voice.
“What?” exclaimed Riley. “Who? And does Joanna know?”
“Mum said she’d see the teacher if they were mean to me when I go back but I don’t want her to.”
“Why not?”
“Because it won’t do any good! They’ll laugh at me!”
“I’ll go and have word with them,” Riley said. “Me and Bridget.”
“No, don’t!” she cried. “It’s okay – it’ll be okay. They’ll be laughing at someone else next week.”
“Josie.”
“I’m going to get some water,” she said and she hurried downstairs.
“I said I should go and hit them for her,” said Clara, “but she told me to leave it.”
“You shouldn’t hit people, Clara!”
“They deserve it.”
“I don’t know about hitting, but they need a talking to. Look after your sister, okay and make sure your mum goes in anyway.”
“I’ll try, but Josie can be stubborn. Even more stubborn than me.”
“She’s still your kid sister,” said Riley sternly. “So you look after her.”
“Okay, I promise,” sighed Clara.
“And what’s this?” asked Riley, “about you seeing some boy?”
“Andrew,” said Clara and she hugged a cushion.
“Don’t you think you’re too young for boyfriend?”
She looked annoyed and Bridget said,
“Riley,” in a warning voice but he didn’t listen.
“You sound like Dad,” she said angrily.
“Your dad’s right.”
“I’m old enough to see someone in my class,” said Clara. “It’s not like he’s sixteen. When did you first see someone?”
“When I was fourteen.”
“That’s only two years older and I’m thirteen in September.”
“You’re still too young.”
“No I’m not!”
“Yes you are!”
“It’s none of your business!” Clara snapped.
“You’re my kid sister!”
“Since January!” she snapped and he looked hurt.
“Clara!” said Bridget and she looked ashamed.
“You and Dad are being horrible,” Clara said. “You’re acting like I’ve done something wrong. I haven’t. Everything sucks at the moment and he makes me feel better. I think we’re in love,” she finished dreamily and Riley snorted, which was a mistake. Clara’s eyes filled with tears and she just glared at him and ran out, pushing past Josie who had come back upstairs and into her room. Josie looked embarrassed and headed back down again.
“Well done,” snapped Bridget.
“She’s just a kid! She’s not in love!”
“No, of course she’s not but it feels real to her. You shouldn’t laugh at her. Didn’t I teach you that? Not to laugh at me when I had a crush?”
“I remember you liked that guy on my footy team,” remembered Riley. “When you were fourteen. And you didn’t say anything but I found your notebook and you’d doodled his name all over.”
“And you showed Mum and Dad and you all laughed at me,” concluded Bridget sulkily. It still hurt. “That still makes me feel annoyed. I cried in my room all night.”
“And you hit me,” said Riley. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I feel bad for it now.”
“So you should go and say sorry to Clara.”
“I’m not going to apologise for saying she’s too young to be going off with some boy!”
“I mean say sorry for laughing at her.”
He sighed.
“I suppose you’re right.”
They went next door.
“Clara?” asked Bridget, knocking softly. “Can we come in?”
“If you want,” she mumbled and they headed inside.
“I’m sorry,” said Riley awkwardly, coming and sitting on the bed. “I’m sorry I laughed.”
“Huh!”
“Clara!”
“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be nasty.”
“Okay,” said Clara, but she still kept her face in the pillow.
Riley looked at Bridget and she shrugged.
“I’m going to go and check on Josie,” he said and went downstairs.
“He’s sorry,” backed up Bridget. “He really is.”
Clara sat up and wiped her eyes.
“You know Riley laughed at me for liking a boy once.”
“Did he?”
“Yes, when I was fourteen.”
“Did you go out?”
“No, he was far too old for me and never noticed me. He probably didn't even know my name.”
“Were you mad at Riley?”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t trying to be mean. He’s just a bit clueless sometimes.”
“Boys are,” said Clara and Bridget laughed at her.
“I think everyone is sometimes but I think that a lot too.”
“Do you want to see a picture of us? Me and Andrew?”
“Okay,” said Bridget and Clara took out her wallet and showed Bridget pictures of her and Andrew posing in a photobooth. He had light brown skin and curly black hair and she laughed at the silly faces they were pulling.
“It looks like fun.”
“It was on the last day of school,” said Clara, and she smiled and wiped her eyes again.
“Bridget,” said Clara in a questioning voice.
“Yes?”
“My dad came round at Easter.”
“Okay.”
“And we had heaps of fun. It was like nothing had changed. Mum and Dad laughed and they laughed together and they had fun too. It was like they hadn’t split up. Do you think they’ll get back together?”
“Oh,” said Bridget, and she felt terribly sad. “I wish I could say yes. I’m happy your mum and dad had fun but it doesn’t mean they’re going to get back together. They’ve been apart for a while now.”
“But your mum and dad did!” Clara exclaimed. “My mum and dad might too! They might be falling back in love.”
“Oh, Clara.”
“Oh, what would you know?” she said sulkily and Bridget, feeling it was her duty as a big sister, asked,
“Do you want to talk to me about it? Your mum said you were having trouble at school...”
“It’s none of her business!” Clara shouted. “I’m fine! Everything sucks but I’m fine! I don’t need anyone!”
“You don’t have to shout at me!”
“Mum and Dad might get back together and they might stop arguing about who gets to look after us and then they might stop being horrible about school and Dad would stop yelling at me about Andrew! Everything might get better and you can’t say it won’t!”
She sounded hysterical and Bridget put a hand on her shoulder but she shook it off.
“I’ll let you calm down,” she said and went downstairs to see Josie and Riley talking about something.
“Well, if they don’t leave you alone give me a call and I’ll stop them.”
“Even if you’re in Sydney?” she giggled.
“Even if I’m in Sydney.”
Joanna came back.
“Hey guys,” she said. “How’s it going?”
Clara appeared at the top of the stairs.
“How could you tell Bridget about school?” she cried. “How could you tell people stuff about me?”
“Darling, what?” exclaimed Joanna but she went back into her room with a slam.
Bridget felt awful.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “Clara was upset so I was trying to get her to talk.”
“It’s okay,” said Joanna, trying to sound better than she felt. “It’s just a teenage tantrum, she’ll calm down in no time.”
“We should go, anyway,” said Bridget awkwardly and they hugged Josie good bye and called up the stairs,
“Goodbye!” to Clara but got no response.
“I feel terrible,” she said sadly when they were in the van. “I shouldn’t have interfered.”
“You weren’t interfering; you were being a big sister.”
“I’ve probably made it all worse. Joanna’s got enough on her plate and now Clara’s even more angry.”
“You were being a sister,” Riley said again. “She’ll get over it in no time.”
“I hope so.”
“Well, now you know how it feels.”
“How what feels?”
“Having a younger sister who won’t listen!”
Bridget laughed.
“I never realised,” she said, as they drove away, “how hard it is to be the oldest!"
A few days later Declan went back to work and Bridget and Riley went to see Clara and Josie.
“You’re going to have a lovely day,” she told India, dropping her off at Donna’s. “Aren’t you?”
“Yeah!”
“Thanks for looking after her,” Bridget said gratefully but Donna shook her head.
“I love looking after my goddaughter, it’s no problem Didge. I hope you and Riley have a good time!”
“The girls are excited,” Bridget said, smiling. “They’ve missed him. They like having a big brother now.”
“I thought it would be nice,” said Donna sadly and Bridget remembered the man who had told her he was, and how he only been a scammer.
“Sorry Donna.”
“For what?” she asked cheerfully, although Bridget still saw the sadness in her eyes. “I’m fine. You guys have an awesome day. Me and Indy will too.”
Suddenly there was a crash of something falling over and India saying,
“Whoops!”
“India!” shouted Bridget, making a move to go in.
“I’m okay!”
“Let me deal with it,” said Donna, stopping her. “You go back and wait for Riley. We’ll be fine.”
“I know,” said Bridget and she shouted into the house, “Be a good girl India!”
“I always am!” came a call back and Bridget shook her head, laughing a little, and went back.
Riley came at eleven.
“I’ve really missed them,” he said as they drove along. “Even though we’ve only known them for a few months.”
“They’ve missed you too. I’ve missed you too!”
“Even if I wind you up?”
“Even if you wind me up.”
He turned the steering wheel and they reached Joanna’s house, and even before they had reached the door, Josie and Clara raced outside and wrapped him into a hug and he laughed and hugged them back.
“You came back!” cried Josie.
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
“We missed you!” Josie said and hugged him again but Clara, feeling embarrassed about her excitement, stood back a little.
“Did you miss me Clara?”
“Of course I did!” and she hugged him again as well.
“Hello!” came a voice and they all looked up to see Joanna standing in the doorway. It would always feel strange to her, she decided, to see her four children reunited. They may have different fathers but that didn’t matter – they were still siblings and you couldn’t tell. They all looked the same, especially Bridget, Clara and Josie. They didn’t look as though they had ever been separated.
“Hello,” said Riley in a shy voice, the shy voice he had inherited from her and she smiled at him and disappeared inside.
“How have you been anyway?” Riley asked as they started inside.
“We’re on holiday,” Josie said, still hanging onto his arm. “But we have school next week which blows.”
“You shouldn’t say that.”
“Why? It does. It really does. I don’t want to go back.”
“I thought you liked school?” said Riley in surprise and her face fell.
“Let’s talk about it when we’re inside,” cut in Bridget and they went in.
“Do you want a cup of tea?” asked Joanna, coming to welcome them.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s no trouble. You must be tired after the journey. I’ll make you cup of tea, both you,” she decided firmly and went to put the kettle on.
They went to sit on the sofa.
“How was your Easter, guys?” Bridget asked.
“Good!” said Josie. “We got three Easter eggs and we had an Easter egg in the garden and Dad came!”
“That sounds fun.”
“Clara didn’t even try and find any!”
“I’m too old for Easter egg hunts,” she said snottily.
“I don’t think you’re ever too old for them,” contradicted Bridget. “Me and Riley helped, and so did my mum and dad.”
“But you’ve got a kid!”
“Well, you’re still a kid,” said Riley and she looked annoyed.
“Josie ate all of hers at once,” she said, to take the attention off her. “And then she said she wanted to puke!”
“Reminds me of someone I know,” laughed Bridget. “Indy ate all of hers when I was upstairs and the results weren’t very good.”
Josie paled.
“I wasn’t sick, but I felt it!”
“When will you learn?” sighed Bridget, “that you shouldn’t eat all of your chocolate at once?”
“I know someone else did,” said Riley, poking her. “When she was five. And then you were sick in the night.”
“I must have blocked it out. I don’t remember it.”
“It was at the children’s home,” Riley explained and they all went quiet.
“Here’s your tea,” said Joanna, bringing out two cups.
“Thanks,” said Riley a little coldly and she hesitated and said,
“How was your journey?”
“Fine. Mum and Dad had a room all sorted when I got in.”
“That’s good then.” She looked down. “I’m going to go pop to the shops,” she said finally, noticing that he was annoyed with her. “I’ll let you guys catch up. I won’t be very long.”
She hurried out.
“That was weird,” commented Josie and then she said, “What?!” after Clara poked her.
“Let’s take these upstairs,” said Bridget quickly.
“Now what’s this about you not wanting to go back to school?” asked Riley when they were sitting in Josie’s room.
“I just don’t ,” she mumbled and Bridget put an arm round her.
“What’s going on?” asked Riley, frowning and Bridget quietly shook her head but Josie explained,
“Some kids have been mean to me,” in a quiet voice.
“What?” exclaimed Riley. “Who? And does Joanna know?”
“Mum said she’d see the teacher if they were mean to me when I go back but I don’t want her to.”
“Why not?”
“Because it won’t do any good! They’ll laugh at me!”
“I’ll go and have word with them,” Riley said. “Me and Bridget.”
“No, don’t!” she cried. “It’s okay – it’ll be okay. They’ll be laughing at someone else next week.”
“Josie.”
“I’m going to get some water,” she said and she hurried downstairs.
“I said I should go and hit them for her,” said Clara, “but she told me to leave it.”
“You shouldn’t hit people, Clara!”
“They deserve it.”
“I don’t know about hitting, but they need a talking to. Look after your sister, okay and make sure your mum goes in anyway.”
“I’ll try, but Josie can be stubborn. Even more stubborn than me.”
“She’s still your kid sister,” said Riley sternly. “So you look after her.”
“Okay, I promise,” sighed Clara.
“And what’s this?” asked Riley, “about you seeing some boy?”
“Andrew,” said Clara and she hugged a cushion.
“Don’t you think you’re too young for boyfriend?”
She looked annoyed and Bridget said,
“Riley,” in a warning voice but he didn’t listen.
“You sound like Dad,” she said angrily.
“Your dad’s right.”
“I’m old enough to see someone in my class,” said Clara. “It’s not like he’s sixteen. When did you first see someone?”
“When I was fourteen.”
“That’s only two years older and I’m thirteen in September.”
“You’re still too young.”
“No I’m not!”
“Yes you are!”
“It’s none of your business!” Clara snapped.
“You’re my kid sister!”
“Since January!” she snapped and he looked hurt.
“Clara!” said Bridget and she looked ashamed.
“You and Dad are being horrible,” Clara said. “You’re acting like I’ve done something wrong. I haven’t. Everything sucks at the moment and he makes me feel better. I think we’re in love,” she finished dreamily and Riley snorted, which was a mistake. Clara’s eyes filled with tears and she just glared at him and ran out, pushing past Josie who had come back upstairs and into her room. Josie looked embarrassed and headed back down again.
“Well done,” snapped Bridget.
“She’s just a kid! She’s not in love!”
“No, of course she’s not but it feels real to her. You shouldn’t laugh at her. Didn’t I teach you that? Not to laugh at me when I had a crush?”
“I remember you liked that guy on my footy team,” remembered Riley. “When you were fourteen. And you didn’t say anything but I found your notebook and you’d doodled his name all over.”
“And you showed Mum and Dad and you all laughed at me,” concluded Bridget sulkily. It still hurt. “That still makes me feel annoyed. I cried in my room all night.”
“And you hit me,” said Riley. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I feel bad for it now.”
“So you should go and say sorry to Clara.”
“I’m not going to apologise for saying she’s too young to be going off with some boy!”
“I mean say sorry for laughing at her.”
He sighed.
“I suppose you’re right.”
They went next door.
“Clara?” asked Bridget, knocking softly. “Can we come in?”
“If you want,” she mumbled and they headed inside.
“I’m sorry,” said Riley awkwardly, coming and sitting on the bed. “I’m sorry I laughed.”
“Huh!”
“Clara!”
“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be nasty.”
“Okay,” said Clara, but she still kept her face in the pillow.
Riley looked at Bridget and she shrugged.
“I’m going to go and check on Josie,” he said and went downstairs.
“He’s sorry,” backed up Bridget. “He really is.”
Clara sat up and wiped her eyes.
“You know Riley laughed at me for liking a boy once.”
“Did he?”
“Yes, when I was fourteen.”
“Did you go out?”
“No, he was far too old for me and never noticed me. He probably didn't even know my name.”
“Were you mad at Riley?”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t trying to be mean. He’s just a bit clueless sometimes.”
“Boys are,” said Clara and Bridget laughed at her.
“I think everyone is sometimes but I think that a lot too.”
“Do you want to see a picture of us? Me and Andrew?”
“Okay,” said Bridget and Clara took out her wallet and showed Bridget pictures of her and Andrew posing in a photobooth. He had light brown skin and curly black hair and she laughed at the silly faces they were pulling.
“It looks like fun.”
“It was on the last day of school,” said Clara, and she smiled and wiped her eyes again.
“Bridget,” said Clara in a questioning voice.
“Yes?”
“My dad came round at Easter.”
“Okay.”
“And we had heaps of fun. It was like nothing had changed. Mum and Dad laughed and they laughed together and they had fun too. It was like they hadn’t split up. Do you think they’ll get back together?”
“Oh,” said Bridget, and she felt terribly sad. “I wish I could say yes. I’m happy your mum and dad had fun but it doesn’t mean they’re going to get back together. They’ve been apart for a while now.”
“But your mum and dad did!” Clara exclaimed. “My mum and dad might too! They might be falling back in love.”
“Oh, Clara.”
“Oh, what would you know?” she said sulkily and Bridget, feeling it was her duty as a big sister, asked,
“Do you want to talk to me about it? Your mum said you were having trouble at school...”
“It’s none of her business!” Clara shouted. “I’m fine! Everything sucks but I’m fine! I don’t need anyone!”
“You don’t have to shout at me!”
“Mum and Dad might get back together and they might stop arguing about who gets to look after us and then they might stop being horrible about school and Dad would stop yelling at me about Andrew! Everything might get better and you can’t say it won’t!”
She sounded hysterical and Bridget put a hand on her shoulder but she shook it off.
“I’ll let you calm down,” she said and went downstairs to see Josie and Riley talking about something.
“Well, if they don’t leave you alone give me a call and I’ll stop them.”
“Even if you’re in Sydney?” she giggled.
“Even if I’m in Sydney.”
Joanna came back.
“Hey guys,” she said. “How’s it going?”
Clara appeared at the top of the stairs.
“How could you tell Bridget about school?” she cried. “How could you tell people stuff about me?”
“Darling, what?” exclaimed Joanna but she went back into her room with a slam.
Bridget felt awful.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “Clara was upset so I was trying to get her to talk.”
“It’s okay,” said Joanna, trying to sound better than she felt. “It’s just a teenage tantrum, she’ll calm down in no time.”
“We should go, anyway,” said Bridget awkwardly and they hugged Josie good bye and called up the stairs,
“Goodbye!” to Clara but got no response.
“I feel terrible,” she said sadly when they were in the van. “I shouldn’t have interfered.”
“You weren’t interfering; you were being a big sister.”
“I’ve probably made it all worse. Joanna’s got enough on her plate and now Clara’s even more angry.”
“You were being a sister,” Riley said again. “She’ll get over it in no time.”
“I hope so.”
“Well, now you know how it feels.”
“How what feels?”
“Having a younger sister who won’t listen!”
Bridget laughed.
“I never realised,” she said, as they drove away, “how hard it is to be the oldest!"