Two More Sleeps by Rosie Lewis

Author:Rosie Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2014-11-04T16:00:00+00:00

Our guests began arriving around midday. Thanks to Jamie Oliver, dinner was coming along nicely, so much so that when my mum arrived I was able to decline all offers of help and spend some time introducing her to Angell. Within minutes, Angell was curled up next to Mum on the sofa, still wearing the Ben 10 tracksuit she had arrived in. I had tried to coax her into wearing some of her new clothes but, understandably, she wanted to keep the few things that were familiar close by. Thankfully I had thrown everything into the washing machine when she went to bed, so at least it was clean. One by one, Angell showed my mum the toys she had opened earlier that morning. Every one of Rachel’s gifts had been a hit and Angell had spent the morning dragging them along on a blanket behind her as she followed me from room to room.

It was a relief to see her reaching out to Mum for comfort, but part of me felt a failure for not being the one providing it. As they flicked through the pages of a Little Mermaid book, Angell smiling and leaning into Mum’s arm, I told myself that her rejection wasn’t personal – in her eyes I was a usurper, the one responsible for snatching her away from her mum. It would take time for her to realise that I was firmly on her side.

With her safe haven marked out on the sofa next to Mum, Angell barely raised an eyebrow as the rest of the guests turned up – my aunt and uncle, youngest brother and his family and Mary, an elderly ex-neighbour of mine – although when Chris, my effusive older brother, arrived with his wife and three sons, she clasped her toys a little closer, chin quivering. Bounding into the living room, Chris pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, exchanged a noisy high-five with Jamie then chased Emily around with his arms thrown wide. ‘Come and give your Uncle Chris a big cuddle.’

‘Urgh, get off!’ Emily giggled, waving him away. Emily and Jamie appreciate their uncle’s unreserved enthusiasm and cheerful banter these days, but when they were small, his loud, gravelly voice left them wide-eyed and slightly tearful.

Chris laughed and gave up, his eyes finally landing on Angell.

He leaned over and slapped his hands on his thighs. ‘Oh, hello, little one. I didn’t notice you there.’ Bestowing a tickle to her tummy he said: ‘You must be Angell.’

Angell looked up tremulously and leaned closer to my mum.

I cupped a hand in a C-shape around my mouth. ‘Um, boundaries, Chris,’ I hissed, ‘boundaries …’ When I began fostering I explained to my family that foster carers have a responsibility to ensure that the children in their care will not be tickled. Having expressed their unanimous opinion (‘what piffle!’) they agreed to rein in their tactile natures, promptly forgetting whenever said children were in placement.

‘Oh, stop worrying, Rosie. She’s alright, aren’t you, Angell? Looks like you’ve got some lovely presents there.

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