didn’t end in upset. Nothing good, as far as she could tell, ever came of an accident.
‘Maybe we’re getting a puppy?’ Dora suggested hopefully.
‘Mmm . . .’ murmured Cassie doubtfully from beneath the covers. It was never going to happen.
‘Do you think the boiler will freeze up again at school and we’ll all be sent home?’
‘I don’t know, Dora,’ Cassie sighed wearily. ‘Why don’t you go and bother Dad with your questions. It’s too early.’
Dora stomped off with a little sniff, leaving Cassie to settle beneath her still-warm duvet; just enough time to try to block out the cloud of ugly thoughts suddenly filling her mind. No, nothing good ever came from an accident.
Richard and Helen sat the girls down that morning and told them the news.
‘A baby?’ Dora exclaimed.
‘That’s right,’ said Richard proudly.
Cassie and Dora looked at one another.
‘Is this the happy accident?’ Dora asked, turning back to their mother.
Helen burst out laughing. ‘Have you been eavesdropping on my phone calls?’
‘No . . . Well, maybe,’ Dora blushed.
‘Yes, I suppose it is,’ Helen agreed with a smile. ‘We weren’t planning on having any more children. It’s a bolt from the blue. But it turns out we’re rather pleased about it.’ Helen reached over and squeezed Richard’s hand. ‘We hope you will be too.’
‘Couldn’t you have used contraception?’ Cassie asked bluntly.
Richard coughed.
‘What’s contraception?’ Dora asked.
‘Well,’ said Helen patiently, ‘contraception is something two adults use when they make love, but don’t want to have a baby.’
‘It’s what Sharon Tate in Year Ten should have used,’ added Cassie knowingly to Dora.
‘Yes, well, like your mother says, sex and contraception are for adults. Adults who love each other,’ Richard stressed. ‘And you’re right, Cassie, we could have used contraception,’ he agreed, trying to cover his embarrassment. ‘But now that your mother is pregnant, we think it’s wonderful. So . . .’ he paused, expectation heavy in his voice, ‘what do you both think?’
‘I think it’s wonderful too,’ said Dora with a happy sigh. ‘A baby sister.’
‘Or a brother,’ Richard reminded.
‘It’ll be a sister,’ said Dora definitively.
There was silence. Cassie felt the weight of her parents’ expectation pressing down on her.
‘Well, Cassie, what do you think? Are you pleased?’
‘Yeah,’ Cassie said finally. ‘It’s great.’
There was a rush of air as Richard exhaled loudly. ‘We knew you’d be pleased. Didn’t I tell you, Helen? I said the girls would be pleased. A baby!’ He smiled broadly at them all. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll have you girls making up bottles and changing dirty nappies before you know it.’
‘Ewwww . . . dirty nappies, no thank you!’ Dora giggled.
‘A baby,’ Richard said again, shaking his head in wonder. ‘Who’d have thought this old house would see another Tide arrive into the world? Mum and Dad would have been so pleased.’
There was something about the softness in her father’s face that Cassie couldn’t bear to see. She turned away, focusing her gaze on the scene outside the kitchen window. The ground was covered in frost and above it hung a thin strip of pale sky. Higher up a blanket of dark cumulus lay heavily upon the air, as though trying to press it into the frosted earth below, suffocating it slowly. Suddenly, she longed to escape. Never mind the cold, she wanted to launch into the void outside and run and run until her lungs were bursting and her legs collapsed. Then she would lie on the ground, let the frost from the grass soak into her clothes, crawl over her skin and wrap her in a cloak of ice.
‘Earth to Cassie!’ Richard was waving his hands in front of her face, trying to get her attention. ‘Goodness, you were away with the fairies then! Did you hear me? I asked if you wanted another cup of tea?’
Cassie shook her head and
‘Maybe we’re getting a puppy?’ Dora suggested hopefully.
‘Mmm . . .’ murmured Cassie doubtfully from beneath the covers. It was never going to happen.
‘Do you think the boiler will freeze up again at school and we’ll all be sent home?’
‘I don’t know, Dora,’ Cassie sighed wearily. ‘Why don’t you go and bother Dad with your questions. It’s too early.’
Dora stomped off with a little sniff, leaving Cassie to settle beneath her still-warm duvet; just enough time to try to block out the cloud of ugly thoughts suddenly filling her mind. No, nothing good ever came from an accident.
Richard and Helen sat the girls down that morning and told them the news.
‘A baby?’ Dora exclaimed.
‘That’s right,’ said Richard proudly.
Cassie and Dora looked at one another.
‘Is this the happy accident?’ Dora asked, turning back to their mother.
Helen burst out laughing. ‘Have you been eavesdropping on my phone calls?’
‘No . . . Well, maybe,’ Dora blushed.
‘Yes, I suppose it is,’ Helen agreed with a smile. ‘We weren’t planning on having any more children. It’s a bolt from the blue. But it turns out we’re rather pleased about it.’ Helen reached over and squeezed Richard’s hand. ‘We hope you will be too.’
‘Couldn’t you have used contraception?’ Cassie asked bluntly.
Richard coughed.
‘What’s contraception?’ Dora asked.
‘Well,’ said Helen patiently, ‘contraception is something two adults use when they make love, but don’t want to have a baby.’
‘It’s what Sharon Tate in Year Ten should have used,’ added Cassie knowingly to Dora.
‘Yes, well, like your mother says, sex and contraception are for adults. Adults who love each other,’ Richard stressed. ‘And you’re right, Cassie, we could have used contraception,’ he agreed, trying to cover his embarrassment. ‘But now that your mother is pregnant, we think it’s wonderful. So . . .’ he paused, expectation heavy in his voice, ‘what do you both think?’
‘I think it’s wonderful too,’ said Dora with a happy sigh. ‘A baby sister.’
‘Or a brother,’ Richard reminded.
‘It’ll be a sister,’ said Dora definitively.
There was silence. Cassie felt the weight of her parents’ expectation pressing down on her.
‘Well, Cassie, what do you think? Are you pleased?’
‘Yeah,’ Cassie said finally. ‘It’s great.’
There was a rush of air as Richard exhaled loudly. ‘We knew you’d be pleased. Didn’t I tell you, Helen? I said the girls would be pleased. A baby!’ He smiled broadly at them all. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll have you girls making up bottles and changing dirty nappies before you know it.’
‘Ewwww . . . dirty nappies, no thank you!’ Dora giggled.
‘A baby,’ Richard said again, shaking his head in wonder. ‘Who’d have thought this old house would see another Tide arrive into the world? Mum and Dad would have been so pleased.’
There was something about the softness in her father’s face that Cassie couldn’t bear to see. She turned away, focusing her gaze on the scene outside the kitchen window. The ground was covered in frost and above it hung a thin strip of pale sky. Higher up a blanket of dark cumulus lay heavily upon the air, as though trying to press it into the frosted earth below, suffocating it slowly. Suddenly, she longed to escape. Never mind the cold, she wanted to launch into the void outside and run and run until her lungs were bursting and her legs collapsed. Then she would lie on the ground, let the frost from the grass soak into her clothes, crawl over her skin and wrap her in a cloak of ice.
‘Earth to Cassie!’ Richard was waving his hands in front of her face, trying to get her attention. ‘Goodness, you were away with the fairies then! Did you hear me? I asked if you wanted another cup of tea?’
Cassie shook her head and
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