Twin Tales (3 page)

‘I'd rather like a pink teddy bear jumper,' said Connie. ‘Or would I like blue better? I know! How about pink and blue striped. With a yellow teddy bear.'

‘What's that, dear?' said Granny vaguely. ‘I can't quite hear you.'

‘Because the twins are making such a racket,' Connie said, sourly. ‘They're giving me a headache.'

‘It's just their way of saying hello,' said Granny.

‘I wish they'd say bye-bye,' said Connie.

‘Ooh dear,' said Granny, pulling a silly face. ‘Someone's nose has been put out of joint by the twins. I think our Connie's gone a bit green-eyed.'

Granny often used odd expressions that Connie didn't understand. Connie went upstairs to the bathroom to give her face a quick check. When she came downstairs again Granny was still talking about her.

‘It's just as well the twins have come along. Connie's a dear little girl but she can be a bit of a madam at times.'

‘I suppose we have spoilt her rather,' said Dad. ‘I've noticed just recently she's becoming very demanding. Always wanting this, wanting that. Trips to Disneyland. House extensions. We're not made of money. Especially now.'

‘I hoped Connie would love the twins once they were born,' said Mum. ‘I'm going to have to get her to help me more with feeding them and changing and bathing them. That way she'll feel more involved.'

‘No, I won't,' Connie muttered. She sat down on the stairs and hunched up small, her head on her knees. It wasn't fair.

They'd all turned on her. They didn't like her any more, now they'd got the twins.

‘Connie?' Mum called. ‘Where are you, dear? Connie, could you go and fetch me a clean bib from the airing cupboard, little Claire's dribbled all down hers.'

‘Fetch it yourself,' Connie called, crossly.

She knew that would cause trouble. She decided she didn't care. Dad came out into the hall and hissed at her that she was showing them up in front of Granny (and Grandpa and the aunties and assorted friends and neighbours).

‘I don't care,' Connie shouted. Granny came out into the hall then.

‘There! Didn't I say she could be a right little madam at times,' said Granny, shaking her head.

‘I DON'T CARE!' Connie bawled, louder than both babies together.

It wasn't fair at all. When the babies got cross and cried they got cuddled and fed. When Connie got cross and cried she was given a good talking to and sent up to her bedroom.

Connie lay on her new pink and blue patchwork quilt and wept.

‘Connie? Don't cry, pet.' Mum came into the new

bedroom. She'd given one twin to Dad to hold and the other twin to Granny. Her arms were empty at last. She could sit down beside Connie and give her a cuddle after all.

Connie lay snuffling in Mum's arms, feeling very much like a baby herself.

‘Want my bockle,' she said, pretending to be a baby.

Mum laughed and pretended to feed her. ‘There you are, my little baby,' she said. Then she sat Connie up straight. ‘But you're not really a baby, are you, Connie? You're my big girl and you're going to be a good girl, aren't you? You're going to help me look after the twins? They need you to be their lovely big kind sister.'

Connie didn't feel one bit like a lovely big kind sister. Little Charles and Claire might very well need her. But Connie certainly didn't feel she needed
them
.

4. Blue Beads

Connie wasn't sure she wanted to be good. The twins were absolutely sure
they
didn't want to be good. They cried and cried and cried all that night. Mum and Dad were in and out of bed, feeding them and rocking them and changing them. The moment Mum and Dad stopped, the twins started. Most of the time they cried together. Every now and then Charles nodded off but Claire cried louder to make up for it. Then she screamed herself into submission and slept and Charles was startled awake by the silence. He cried. And then Claire woke up all over again and cried too.

Mum was nearly crying by the morning. And Dad. And Connie.

She couldn't find a clean blouse for school because the airing cupboard was chock-full of baby clothes. She couldn't get her hair to go right and Mum was too busy to fix it for her. Connie sighed heavily.

‘Those babies kept me awake
all
night,' she complained. ‘They kept crying.'

‘Goodness. Did they?' said Dad, heavily sarcastic. ‘Well, I
am
surprised.'

‘Couldn't you feed them or something to keep them quiet?' said Connie.

‘I feel as if I've fed five hundred babies,' said Mum.

She put her head down on the breakfast table and her eyelids drooped.

‘You need some rest,' said Dad. ‘Go back to bed, love. Connie and I will hold the fort until Granny comes.'

‘But I'll be late for school,' said Connie.

She didn't really mind being late for school. It was arithmetic first lesson and Miss Peters sometimes got cross if you didn't catch on to things straight away. But Connie felt like being awkward. She really hadn't slept very much last night and so she felt very cross and cranky. Dad was feeling cross and cranky too.

‘Do you have to be so difficult, Connie?' he said, glaring at her.

‘Yes,' said Connie, glaring back.

‘Now, Connie,' said Mum wearily. ‘I thought you were going to be a good girl and help us look after the twins?'

‘
I
didn't want the twins to come barging into this family and spoiling everything,' said Connie. ‘It's not fair. Why should I have to be good all the time? Why do I have to want the twins to be here?'

Charles and Claire started whimpering dismally in their carry-cots, as if they could understand what she was saying.

‘Oh dear, they've started again,' said Mum, getting to her feet.

‘I'll see to them. You go to bed,' said Dad.

‘You're not even listening to me,' said Connie.

‘They probably just need changing. They can't need
another
feed,' said Mum.

‘I'll take a look,' said Dad, unbuttoning both babies.

‘Dad, you're not going to change them in the kitchen?' said Connie, pulling a face. ‘Pooh! I'm trying to eat my breakfast.'

‘And I'm trying to keep my patience!' said Dad. ‘What's
up
with you, Connie? How can you be so rude and selfish? Why can't you help?'

Part of Connie badly wanted to help. She hated Mum and Dad being cross with her. But she was cross, too.

‘Nobody asked me whether I wanted the twins. I'm part of this family, aren't I? And now it's all horrid and everyone's cross and you all keep getting on to me. You don't know what it's like for me. I wish there was some way I could make you understand,' Connie wailed.

Just then the doorbell went. ‘It'll be Granny,' said Mum thankfully.

But it wasn't Granny. It was the District Nurse, come to check up on Mum and the babies.

‘Hello there. I'm Nurse Meade,' she said, smiling.

Connie smiled back, suddenly not feeling so cross. Nurse Meade had a friendly face and a bright blue frock and her long black hair was twisted into dozens of little plaits fastened with tiny blue glass beads.