was all I felt: he was OK. He never once asked me what I had done at school, or what my favourite subjects were. He never played a board game with me, took me to the park or sat at the table while I ate my tea. He brought me a gift occasionally but it was never anything I wanted. Often I heard him ask her when I would be going to bed. And then when I was in bed I would hear him murmuring and her tittering and I would pull the covers over my head to block out their noise.
One day she asked me again. ‘What do you think of Peter, Abigail? Do you like him?’
‘He’s all right.’
‘Oh, Abigail, he is more than all right! He is a very nice man, and he’s asked me to marry him. What do you think, Abigail? Isn’t that wonderful? I’ll have a new husband.’ She smiled at me with a tight jaw and dead eyes.
No, it wasn’t wonderful. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach. My dad was all I wanted, not this new man. Not Peter who barely registered my existence. I stared at my mother and cried. And she stared right back at me. Then she shook herself and said in a very jolly voice, ‘Right, fish fingers for tea?’
*****
I sometimes wonder where Peter is now. I have no idea whether or not he still lives with Kathryn and the girls, but I hope he isn’t in their lives. Peter was only ever interested in one thing and that was looking after number one. I still wonder what Eleanor’s reasons were for bringing him into our family.
– Ten –
The exams were over. Hannah and Lauren walked to the diner perched at the edge of the clifftop overlooking the bay. It was usual for most of the students from Year 11 upwards to go and they expected at least forty to turn up. This was an informal invitation, always arranged by someone in the final year. That year it was Donna Morton.
Donna was already at the diner when the girls arrived. Her blonde hair piled high on top of her head didn’t move as she flung her arms about her while she talked. She wore a white, low-cut top with denim shorts that were probably too short but still looked good on her long, tanned legs. One of the boys leaned over to whisper something in her ear and she threw her head back and laughed loudly, her large white teeth on show. Afterwards she stole a quick glance around the diner just to check everyone was watching her.
‘Oh, hello, twins!’ she called out when she saw the girls entering. ‘Have a mocktail,’ she winked as she scooped juice from a punch bowl into plastic cups, handing one to each of them before whispering, ‘If you want anything added, then go and see Becky. She’s out by the barbecue.’
‘I swear she doesn’t know who’s who,’ Lauren whispered as they walked outside, into the heat of the early evening sun. ‘I don’t think she’s ever called me by my name. If you aren’t around, she just refers to me as Twin A.’
Hannah laughed. ‘Well, obviously she has more in her boobs than her brain. Did you see the size of them? She must have implants, no one’s are that large naturally.’
‘Sophie says she has. Apparently her dad bought them for her for her eighteenth birthday. Can you believe it?’
‘Not really. That’s probably just what she’s told everyone.’ Hannah looked around to see if she recognised anyone. ‘It makes it sound like her dad is cool. Look, there’s Becky.’ She pointed towards the small group gathering by the barbecue area. ‘What do you reckon?’ she waved her plastic cup. ‘Do we see what she can add to this?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Oh, come on,’ Hannah tugged at her sister’s arm. ‘It’s not as if we’ll be here for long anyway. Might as well have a bit of fun while we are.’
It was the first year Hannah and Lauren could go to the end-of-exams party. Every year it took place at the diner, where parents could rest assured a watchful eye would be cast over potential underage drinkers. But every year a Donna or a Becky would manage to sneak in bottles of vodka and gin they had
One day she asked me again. ‘What do you think of Peter, Abigail? Do you like him?’
‘He’s all right.’
‘Oh, Abigail, he is more than all right! He is a very nice man, and he’s asked me to marry him. What do you think, Abigail? Isn’t that wonderful? I’ll have a new husband.’ She smiled at me with a tight jaw and dead eyes.
No, it wasn’t wonderful. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach. My dad was all I wanted, not this new man. Not Peter who barely registered my existence. I stared at my mother and cried. And she stared right back at me. Then she shook herself and said in a very jolly voice, ‘Right, fish fingers for tea?’
*****
I sometimes wonder where Peter is now. I have no idea whether or not he still lives with Kathryn and the girls, but I hope he isn’t in their lives. Peter was only ever interested in one thing and that was looking after number one. I still wonder what Eleanor’s reasons were for bringing him into our family.
– Ten –
The exams were over. Hannah and Lauren walked to the diner perched at the edge of the clifftop overlooking the bay. It was usual for most of the students from Year 11 upwards to go and they expected at least forty to turn up. This was an informal invitation, always arranged by someone in the final year. That year it was Donna Morton.
Donna was already at the diner when the girls arrived. Her blonde hair piled high on top of her head didn’t move as she flung her arms about her while she talked. She wore a white, low-cut top with denim shorts that were probably too short but still looked good on her long, tanned legs. One of the boys leaned over to whisper something in her ear and she threw her head back and laughed loudly, her large white teeth on show. Afterwards she stole a quick glance around the diner just to check everyone was watching her.
‘Oh, hello, twins!’ she called out when she saw the girls entering. ‘Have a mocktail,’ she winked as she scooped juice from a punch bowl into plastic cups, handing one to each of them before whispering, ‘If you want anything added, then go and see Becky. She’s out by the barbecue.’
‘I swear she doesn’t know who’s who,’ Lauren whispered as they walked outside, into the heat of the early evening sun. ‘I don’t think she’s ever called me by my name. If you aren’t around, she just refers to me as Twin A.’
Hannah laughed. ‘Well, obviously she has more in her boobs than her brain. Did you see the size of them? She must have implants, no one’s are that large naturally.’
‘Sophie says she has. Apparently her dad bought them for her for her eighteenth birthday. Can you believe it?’
‘Not really. That’s probably just what she’s told everyone.’ Hannah looked around to see if she recognised anyone. ‘It makes it sound like her dad is cool. Look, there’s Becky.’ She pointed towards the small group gathering by the barbecue area. ‘What do you reckon?’ she waved her plastic cup. ‘Do we see what she can add to this?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Oh, come on,’ Hannah tugged at her sister’s arm. ‘It’s not as if we’ll be here for long anyway. Might as well have a bit of fun while we are.’
It was the first year Hannah and Lauren could go to the end-of-exams party. Every year it took place at the diner, where parents could rest assured a watchful eye would be cast over potential underage drinkers. But every year a Donna or a Becky would manage to sneak in bottles of vodka and gin they had
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