and Stephanie and Banessa and Sarah and ââ
âShoosh up, CJ.â I am watching Ben for some clue as to how he is feeling.
ââ and thereâs no boys allowed!â
âShoosh up , CJ!â
âMummy! Can I take my friends next door forthe body hunt?â CJ brightens as she thinks of an idea. âIt could be a party game!â
âWe will not have a party game which involves searching for putrefying corpses. Letâs stick to pass the parcel and musical chairs, please.â I suppose I should be pleased that CJ is blissfully unaware of the unpleasant undercurrents regarding her father. She does know that he doesnât like Ben (mainly because Keith tells her all the time), but she simply accepts this as par for the course. I give Ben full marks for this. Soon after the split, I asked him not to run Keith down in front of CJ, even though he had good reason to, but to save it for when she wasnât there. And he has done exactly that â apart from saving it for when sheâs not there, that is. He just doesnât talk about Keith at all, or even mention his name. I did tell him that, if he ever needed to talk, I was right here for him. But he hasnât ever taken me up. Perhaps he senses that I donât want to talk about it much either.
Samantha strolls into the kitchen carrying her schoolbag, grins at her sister, ignores her brother, gazes narrowly at the table â which is strewn with cornflakes and droplets of milk â and then gives me the once-over.
âHappy birthday, CJ liebling. Iâm not having breakfast, Iâm late. And I donât like that dress at all, Mommie Dearest. It makes you look like a boiled lolly.â
âSam! You have to have something to eat.â I ignore the comment about my appearance because Sam rarely likes my outfits anyway. If I could wearone of the minuscule little numbers she favours, believe me I would.
âToo hot. Iâll, like, have one of my sandwiches on the way.â
âWell, all right I suppose,â I say grudgingly. âBut donât forget your fatherâs coming back later today.â
âHow could I forget that ? Actually, Aunt Maggie said I could probably come to the airport with her so I might go straight there after school.â
âWell, let me know. Did you want to go too, Ben?â
âNo way . I hate airports.â
âOkay, bye! And have a great party, CJ!â Sam gives us all a general wave, hoists her bag onto her back and heads down towards the front door.
âOh, Mummy! We didnât tell Sam about the dead person next door!â CJ abandons her half-eaten breakfast (and as she only had eight cornflakes to start with, this means she has had the equivalent of barely one mouthful for breakfast), and races after her sister to rectify the omission.
âGet dressed quickly !â I call after her and turn my attention back to Ben, who has been looking rather glum since I told him that Keith would be here this afternoon. I wonder whether I should say anything else. The problem is that the last thing I want is to give him the impression that he is not wanted at his own sisterâs birthday party. After all, this is his home . Bugger Keith. I decide to leave it as it is.
I finish off my coffee and head down to CJâs bedroom to make sure that she is getting dressed. Sure enough, she is sitting on the floor playing with her newest Barbies.
âCJ! What did I say about hurrying?â
âUm, nothing?â
âCome here!â Exasperated, I pull her towards me and tug her nightie up over her head.
âOw! You hurt my ears!â
âWell, you should have done it yourself then.â I grab her school uniform and get her dressed in record time. Record time for her that is, not me. I tuck her nightie under the pillow, straighten up her bed and drag her school shoes out of the wardrobe.
âPut these on quickly , and then go and
âShoosh up, CJ.â I am watching Ben for some clue as to how he is feeling.
ââ and thereâs no boys allowed!â
âShoosh up , CJ!â
âMummy! Can I take my friends next door forthe body hunt?â CJ brightens as she thinks of an idea. âIt could be a party game!â
âWe will not have a party game which involves searching for putrefying corpses. Letâs stick to pass the parcel and musical chairs, please.â I suppose I should be pleased that CJ is blissfully unaware of the unpleasant undercurrents regarding her father. She does know that he doesnât like Ben (mainly because Keith tells her all the time), but she simply accepts this as par for the course. I give Ben full marks for this. Soon after the split, I asked him not to run Keith down in front of CJ, even though he had good reason to, but to save it for when she wasnât there. And he has done exactly that â apart from saving it for when sheâs not there, that is. He just doesnât talk about Keith at all, or even mention his name. I did tell him that, if he ever needed to talk, I was right here for him. But he hasnât ever taken me up. Perhaps he senses that I donât want to talk about it much either.
Samantha strolls into the kitchen carrying her schoolbag, grins at her sister, ignores her brother, gazes narrowly at the table â which is strewn with cornflakes and droplets of milk â and then gives me the once-over.
âHappy birthday, CJ liebling. Iâm not having breakfast, Iâm late. And I donât like that dress at all, Mommie Dearest. It makes you look like a boiled lolly.â
âSam! You have to have something to eat.â I ignore the comment about my appearance because Sam rarely likes my outfits anyway. If I could wearone of the minuscule little numbers she favours, believe me I would.
âToo hot. Iâll, like, have one of my sandwiches on the way.â
âWell, all right I suppose,â I say grudgingly. âBut donât forget your fatherâs coming back later today.â
âHow could I forget that ? Actually, Aunt Maggie said I could probably come to the airport with her so I might go straight there after school.â
âWell, let me know. Did you want to go too, Ben?â
âNo way . I hate airports.â
âOkay, bye! And have a great party, CJ!â Sam gives us all a general wave, hoists her bag onto her back and heads down towards the front door.
âOh, Mummy! We didnât tell Sam about the dead person next door!â CJ abandons her half-eaten breakfast (and as she only had eight cornflakes to start with, this means she has had the equivalent of barely one mouthful for breakfast), and races after her sister to rectify the omission.
âGet dressed quickly !â I call after her and turn my attention back to Ben, who has been looking rather glum since I told him that Keith would be here this afternoon. I wonder whether I should say anything else. The problem is that the last thing I want is to give him the impression that he is not wanted at his own sisterâs birthday party. After all, this is his home . Bugger Keith. I decide to leave it as it is.
I finish off my coffee and head down to CJâs bedroom to make sure that she is getting dressed. Sure enough, she is sitting on the floor playing with her newest Barbies.
âCJ! What did I say about hurrying?â
âUm, nothing?â
âCome here!â Exasperated, I pull her towards me and tug her nightie up over her head.
âOw! You hurt my ears!â
âWell, you should have done it yourself then.â I grab her school uniform and get her dressed in record time. Record time for her that is, not me. I tuck her nightie under the pillow, straighten up her bed and drag her school shoes out of the wardrobe.
âPut these on quickly , and then go and
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