Read Online Love and Devotion by Erica James - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Erica James
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and a girl stole it. She said she didn’t, but I know she did. You see, Joel, not everyone’s as nice as us.’
‘Grandma and Granddad are nice.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And Harriet. She’s nice.’
Carrie wasn’t so sure about this. For the last few days, since Harriet had come back from wherever it was she’d been, she hadn’t seemed at all nice. She’d told Carrie off for not eating enough of her cereal yesterday morning and then had snapped at her because she hadn’t tidied her room. ‘You have to do your bit,’ Harriet had said. ‘You can’t expect me or Grandma and Granddad to do everything for you.’
‘Grandma doesn’t mind tidying up; she told me she quite likes it,’ Carrie had said.
‘But Grandma can’t do as much as she used to.’
‘What’s wrong with her?’
‘It doesn’t matter what’s wrong with her; the point is you have to make sure you clean up after yourselves. And if you can remember to put the lid back on the toothpaste after you’ve finished spreading it round the basin, so much the better.’
It wasn’t even as if her bedroom had been that messy. Just a few toys she and Joel had tipped out of the box and had been playing with.
Harriet could be so bossy with her and Joel. Maybe not so much with Joel. That was because he was still little. Probably, when he was bigger, Harriet would start telling him off too.
Carrie often wished that Harriet could be more like their mother. You’d have thought because they were sisters they would be the same. But they weren’t. Other than being the same size, they weren’t like one another at all. Mum had been kind and patient, and her voice had always been gentle and full of happiness, like she was about to burst out laughing. Carrie used to love it when Mum read to her; she did all the voices, even the funny deep ones. Harriet never did that. She always rushed it as if she was in a hurry to do something else. She could look pretty sometimes, like Mum, but not when she was cross; then her lips would go all thin and her eyes would screw up in a scowl, as if she’d eaten something horrible.
Carrie knew for a fact that Harriet didn’t like children. If she did like them, she’d be married with some of her own. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so bad for her and Joel. If they had some cousins to play with, there wouldn’t be time to think about ...
Carrie stopped quickly. She’d promised herself not to let her mind get confused with sad thoughts about Mum and Dad. She had to remember what Grandma had told her, that they were happy where they were. But then everyone knew that if you went to heaven you were happy, that you didn’t have anything to worry about. There wasn’t anyone there to tell you off. No one to tell you to tidy your room.
Carrie often wished she and Joel could be there too. But if that happened then she’d miss Grandma and Granddad, who were always nice and hardly ever told them off. Granddad had taken them to the garden centre the other day - the day when Harriet came home in a bad mood with her car full of bags and boxes - and he hadn’t even told Joel off when he didn’t make it to the loo in time and wet himself. Although he did sigh quite a bit when they were queuing for an ice-cream.
It was weird, but Grandma and Granddad were the only friends Carrie and Joel now had. They hadn’t lived in their last house long enough to make any friends, and the friends they’d made before she couldn’t really remember because they’d moved house millions of times. Although Harriet said it wasn’t anywhere near that many. She said she should know because she’d stayed with them at least once in every house they’d ever lived in.
Deciding it was too hot in the Wendy house, Carrie got up and opened the two windows either side of the door. She liked playing in here; it was like having her own little house. She lifted the lid of the toy box and looked inside. There was the plastic tea set Joel loved playing with.
‘Grandma and Granddad are nice.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And Harriet. She’s nice.’
Carrie wasn’t so sure about this. For the last few days, since Harriet had come back from wherever it was she’d been, she hadn’t seemed at all nice. She’d told Carrie off for not eating enough of her cereal yesterday morning and then had snapped at her because she hadn’t tidied her room. ‘You have to do your bit,’ Harriet had said. ‘You can’t expect me or Grandma and Granddad to do everything for you.’
‘Grandma doesn’t mind tidying up; she told me she quite likes it,’ Carrie had said.
‘But Grandma can’t do as much as she used to.’
‘What’s wrong with her?’
‘It doesn’t matter what’s wrong with her; the point is you have to make sure you clean up after yourselves. And if you can remember to put the lid back on the toothpaste after you’ve finished spreading it round the basin, so much the better.’
It wasn’t even as if her bedroom had been that messy. Just a few toys she and Joel had tipped out of the box and had been playing with.
Harriet could be so bossy with her and Joel. Maybe not so much with Joel. That was because he was still little. Probably, when he was bigger, Harriet would start telling him off too.
Carrie often wished that Harriet could be more like their mother. You’d have thought because they were sisters they would be the same. But they weren’t. Other than being the same size, they weren’t like one another at all. Mum had been kind and patient, and her voice had always been gentle and full of happiness, like she was about to burst out laughing. Carrie used to love it when Mum read to her; she did all the voices, even the funny deep ones. Harriet never did that. She always rushed it as if she was in a hurry to do something else. She could look pretty sometimes, like Mum, but not when she was cross; then her lips would go all thin and her eyes would screw up in a scowl, as if she’d eaten something horrible.
Carrie knew for a fact that Harriet didn’t like children. If she did like them, she’d be married with some of her own. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so bad for her and Joel. If they had some cousins to play with, there wouldn’t be time to think about ...
Carrie stopped quickly. She’d promised herself not to let her mind get confused with sad thoughts about Mum and Dad. She had to remember what Grandma had told her, that they were happy where they were. But then everyone knew that if you went to heaven you were happy, that you didn’t have anything to worry about. There wasn’t anyone there to tell you off. No one to tell you to tidy your room.
Carrie often wished she and Joel could be there too. But if that happened then she’d miss Grandma and Granddad, who were always nice and hardly ever told them off. Granddad had taken them to the garden centre the other day - the day when Harriet came home in a bad mood with her car full of bags and boxes - and he hadn’t even told Joel off when he didn’t make it to the loo in time and wet himself. Although he did sigh quite a bit when they were queuing for an ice-cream.
It was weird, but Grandma and Granddad were the only friends Carrie and Joel now had. They hadn’t lived in their last house long enough to make any friends, and the friends they’d made before she couldn’t really remember because they’d moved house millions of times. Although Harriet said it wasn’t anywhere near that many. She said she should know because she’d stayed with them at least once in every house they’d ever lived in.
Deciding it was too hot in the Wendy house, Carrie got up and opened the two windows either side of the door. She liked playing in here; it was like having her own little house. She lifted the lid of the toy box and looked inside. There was the plastic tea set Joel loved playing with.
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