Sister Sister(32)

‘Hi, Clare. How are you? Good day?’

Hannah turns to look over her shoulder. ‘Alice is doing my nails,’ she says; her face lights up with excitement for a brief moment and then disappears, to be replaced by one of apprehension. ‘I wanted my nails to look pretty, like Alice’s.’

‘You know how I feel about make-up and nail varnish,’ I say, not being able to stop the words from coming out, yet at the same time wanting to kick myself for being such a spoil sport. ‘You have school tomorrow. You won’t be able to keep it on.’

‘Oh, Clare, it’s just a bit of nail polish,’ says Alice, with a touch of amusement to her voice, in the way you’d tell a child that there were no monsters under the bed.

‘It’s the school policy,’ I say. God, when did I turn into the fucking head teacher? ‘Hannah, you know that.’ I’m aware that I am taking out my annoyance on Hannah, when really I’m angry at Alice. And I know the anger is unjustified. How would Alice know what the school policy was?

Hannah slips her hand away from Alice dejectedly. I look at Alice. ‘Have you got some nail-varnish remover? Only, I don’t have any – I don’t wear the stuff.’

‘Yeah, sure. It’s right here.’ Alice picks up a plastic bottle I hadn’t noticed. ‘What about if I get up early and take it off for Hannah in the morning? It’s such a shame and it’s totally my fault. One hundred per cent my fault. I honestly did not realise. Sorry, Clare.’ She bites the side of her lip. Hannah looks up from under her lashes, not quite able to meet my gaze head on. I feel a sudden pang of guilt and shame. What harm is it for one night? Hannah should have known better, but the excitement of getting her nails done obviously won out. Christ, she’s only seven. I’m the one who should know better.

I smile and go over to Hannah and give her a hug. ‘I’m sorry for getting cross,’ I say. ‘You can keep it on for the night. Either Alice or I will take it off in the morning before you go to school.’ I kiss her and instantly am rewarded with a huge smile.

‘Sorry, again,’ says Alice.

It’s at this point I notice what Alice is wearing. It’s a pink T-shirt with the words New York in white letters across the chest. I do a double-take. ‘I have a T-shirt just like that,’ I say. ‘That is such a coincidence.’

I hear a laugh behind me and it’s Mum, who must have just come into the kitchen and caught the end of our conversation. Alice laughs and exchanges a knowing smile with Mum, ‘Shall I tell her or do you want to?’

‘Tell me what?’ I look at Mum.

‘Oh, Clare, you are funny,’ says Mum. ‘That T-shirt looks like yours because it is yours.’ Mum, Alice and Hannah all laugh together.

‘Oh,’ is all I can manage to say, finding it hard to join in with the joke. Alice probably thinks I’m a proper misery. First I get all uptight over nail varnish and now I’m failing the see the funny side of T-shirt-gate.

‘I spilt something down my top earlier,’ explains Alice. ‘It was the only pink one I had and we were just about to go out. I didn’t want to change my whole outfit. I needed something to go with my white jeans, so Mum said I could borrow yours.’ The way she slips the word Mum in, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world for her to say, as if she’s been saying it all her life, doesn’t escape me. ‘Look, I’ll go change. I shouldn’t have borrowed it. Sorry.’

She gets up to leave but Mum steps forward. ‘Don’t be daft, Alice. There’s no need for that. Clare doesn’t mind, do you, darling?’

‘No, of course, I don’t.’ I force the words out and attach a fake smile at the end, while acknowledging to myself that Mum and Alice are becoming closer by the day, whereas I’m getting left behind. I feel I’m on the outside of what is fast becoming their little club. ‘Hey, isn’t that what sisters are supposed to do anyway. You know, share clothes?’

‘Sure thing,’ says Alice, quickly brightening up and sitting back down. ‘Sisters share everything.’ I watch as she takes Hannah’s hand and sets about finishing the beauty task.





Chapter 10


With the girls tucked up in bed, fast asleep, and Luke working in his studio, Mum, Alice and I settle ourselves in the living room. I bring in a bottle of wine and pour us each of us a glass. I’ve changed into my slouchy trousers and T-shirt already.

‘You look tired,’ says Mum. ‘Such a shame you couldn’t take any time off.’

‘Mmm.’ There’s no point going over old ground, so I opt for a quick acknowledgement and divert the attention onto Alice. ‘How are you managing the jet lag?’