could see what was going to happen.
“Mimi!” she said, and her arms opened and now it was Mimi’s turn to be hugged to death. “Iloveyoualready. IdoIdoIdo!”
I wondered what Mimi would make of my mad mother, but she seemed quite happy. Paul just stood there with a big smile on his face. Even his eyes seemed to be grinning. Everyone who passed by glanced at us and smiled. It would have been so embarrassing at home, but nobody knew me here so I didn’t mind so much.
“Paul!” said Kate, releasing Mimi at last.
“Your mum is funny,” Mimi whispered in my ear while Kate gave Paul a big hug too, but not quite such a big squeeze. At least I hoped not.
“She’s also completely insane,” I whispered back to Mimi and she giggled.
Back at the house, Conor and Sally got hugs too. Conor kept his hands by his sides and went all red, but Sally gave a big hug back, which wasn’t what I expected.
“I want to see these chicks that I’ve been hearing all about,” said Kate, gently pushing Sally towards the back door as if she knew the way, and Sally was laughing!
So we were all out in the shed, but not before Kate had met Sparkler and practically hugged her too and now the dog was jumping all over Kate and Paul had to pull her off and lock her in the house.
The three chicks were in a box of sawdust under the heat lamp and Sally was explaining all about them to Kate and how they had to be kept at 35 degrees of heat until they were bigger and could go in the hen house.
I wasn’t sure which chick was which anymore, but Mimi pointed at one of them and said that that was Scottie and that I had named him, and Kate smiled at me and squeezed my shoulder and asked could she pick the chick up.
“Of course,” said Sally, even though she had not let anyone touch the chicks before!
Of course, Kate got all soppy when she was holding the chick.
“Aw!” she crooned as the tiny chick cheeped. “Chicks are so much cuter than rats.” And she winked at me.
“You mean mice,” I corrected her.
“You take him,” she said and she passed the chick to Mimi, who glanced across at Sally first, then held the warm little bundle to her face. Sally picked up another one and passed it to me. You could feel its bones underneath the fluff. It was weird. Nearly as weird as Sally being friendly.
Even though it was getting a bit late, Paul said that Mimi and I should take Sparkler for a walk because he and Kate had lots of boring adult things to discuss. I wondered what they were. At home, I would have stayed outside the door and eavesdropped.
“I bet they are talking about us,” said Mimi as soon as we were outside the gate. “Do you ever listen outside the door when adults chat, Tao?” she asked me.
“No, of course not,” I said. “Do you?”
Mimi didn’t answer straight away. I must have grinned when she said, “No, I don’t either. Of course not,” because she smiled and added, “Well … sometimes.”
“Me too,” I laughed.
Sparkler was one of those silly dogs who pulls at the lead and sniffs at everything and wraps the lead around poles and trees, so we weren’t getting very far. Then she did a poo!
“Ah, no! I hate that!” said Mimi, and she pulled a plastic bag out of her pocket. “You hold the dog,” she said and handed me the lead.
She put the bag on her hand and, with her nose all wrinkled up, she picked up the poo and tied it into the bag. She held the smelly bag by the tips of her fingers.
“That is gross,” I said, and held my nose.
“I hate dog’s bottoms,” she said. “They should stick a cork in them!”
Luckily there was a dog-poo bin on the next pole so she could get rid of the stinky bag.
“This bully called Sarah used to call me Stinky Chinky at school,” said Mimi, “after my mammy died.”
She was quiet then.
“Were people not nice to you when your mammy died?” I asked her.
“Yeah, they were,” Mimi said, “except for Sarah. Everyone gave me hugs and sweets and
“Mimi!” she said, and her arms opened and now it was Mimi’s turn to be hugged to death. “Iloveyoualready. IdoIdoIdo!”
I wondered what Mimi would make of my mad mother, but she seemed quite happy. Paul just stood there with a big smile on his face. Even his eyes seemed to be grinning. Everyone who passed by glanced at us and smiled. It would have been so embarrassing at home, but nobody knew me here so I didn’t mind so much.
“Paul!” said Kate, releasing Mimi at last.
“Your mum is funny,” Mimi whispered in my ear while Kate gave Paul a big hug too, but not quite such a big squeeze. At least I hoped not.
“She’s also completely insane,” I whispered back to Mimi and she giggled.
Back at the house, Conor and Sally got hugs too. Conor kept his hands by his sides and went all red, but Sally gave a big hug back, which wasn’t what I expected.
“I want to see these chicks that I’ve been hearing all about,” said Kate, gently pushing Sally towards the back door as if she knew the way, and Sally was laughing!
So we were all out in the shed, but not before Kate had met Sparkler and practically hugged her too and now the dog was jumping all over Kate and Paul had to pull her off and lock her in the house.
The three chicks were in a box of sawdust under the heat lamp and Sally was explaining all about them to Kate and how they had to be kept at 35 degrees of heat until they were bigger and could go in the hen house.
I wasn’t sure which chick was which anymore, but Mimi pointed at one of them and said that that was Scottie and that I had named him, and Kate smiled at me and squeezed my shoulder and asked could she pick the chick up.
“Of course,” said Sally, even though she had not let anyone touch the chicks before!
Of course, Kate got all soppy when she was holding the chick.
“Aw!” she crooned as the tiny chick cheeped. “Chicks are so much cuter than rats.” And she winked at me.
“You mean mice,” I corrected her.
“You take him,” she said and she passed the chick to Mimi, who glanced across at Sally first, then held the warm little bundle to her face. Sally picked up another one and passed it to me. You could feel its bones underneath the fluff. It was weird. Nearly as weird as Sally being friendly.
Even though it was getting a bit late, Paul said that Mimi and I should take Sparkler for a walk because he and Kate had lots of boring adult things to discuss. I wondered what they were. At home, I would have stayed outside the door and eavesdropped.
“I bet they are talking about us,” said Mimi as soon as we were outside the gate. “Do you ever listen outside the door when adults chat, Tao?” she asked me.
“No, of course not,” I said. “Do you?”
Mimi didn’t answer straight away. I must have grinned when she said, “No, I don’t either. Of course not,” because she smiled and added, “Well … sometimes.”
“Me too,” I laughed.
Sparkler was one of those silly dogs who pulls at the lead and sniffs at everything and wraps the lead around poles and trees, so we weren’t getting very far. Then she did a poo!
“Ah, no! I hate that!” said Mimi, and she pulled a plastic bag out of her pocket. “You hold the dog,” she said and handed me the lead.
She put the bag on her hand and, with her nose all wrinkled up, she picked up the poo and tied it into the bag. She held the smelly bag by the tips of her fingers.
“That is gross,” I said, and held my nose.
“I hate dog’s bottoms,” she said. “They should stick a cork in them!”
Luckily there was a dog-poo bin on the next pole so she could get rid of the stinky bag.
“This bully called Sarah used to call me Stinky Chinky at school,” said Mimi, “after my mammy died.”
She was quiet then.
“Were people not nice to you when your mammy died?” I asked her.
“Yeah, they were,” Mimi said, “except for Sarah. Everyone gave me hugs and sweets and
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