Jean Ure - Jelly Baby

“Well, then!” Dad sat back, beaming. “Let’s give it a go, shall we, and see what happens?”

On Monday, at school, I told Lottie about Caroline coming to live with us. Lottie was all ears! She knew about Caroline. Me and Lottie always tell each other everything.

“So that’s it,” I said. “She’s moving in.”

Lottie’s eyes went big as dinner plates. “ Living with you?”

“Cos the people that own her flat want it back. Well, and cos she and Dad think it’s a good idea.”

“Does that mean they’ll get married?”

“Prob’ly.”

Lottie said, “Cool! Then you can be a bridesmaid.”

“If all goes well,” I said.

Lottie gazed at me, head to one side, her nose sort of scrunched. It’s what she does when she’s trying to figure things out, like, Why shouldn’t things go well? She has this really tiny little blob of a nose like a lump of Play-Doh. It makes her look seriously silly!

“D’you want them to?”

“To get married?” I thought about it. Did I want them to? I did for Dad’s sake. It was just that it was a bit strange, after all this time, the thought of having a stepmum. Cos that’s what she would be! And then what about Cass? If Caroline was our stepmum, where would that leave Cass?

“Don’t you like her?” said Lottie.

“I do like her! She’s really nice. Like, she didn’t get mad when Dad reversed into her?” Or when she’d sat on my dividers. “Most people would have been absolutely furious.”

“My mum would have been,” said Lottie. “She nearly got road rage the other day just cos someone cut her up.”

“Well, this is it,” I said. “Dad needs someone that’ll put up with him. You know how hopeless he is.”

Lottie giggled. “Like that time he was going round with his glasses on top of his head, complaining he didn’t know where he’d put them? And that other time he took us to the shopping centre and forgot where he’d parked the car and we all had to walk round for ages looking for it?”

Lottie and I have been friends ever since Year Three. We were in Year Seven now. She knew Dad pretty well.

“So will you be happy,” said Lottie, “if they get married?”

I said, “Yes, cos Dad will be.”

“What about that other person?” said Lottie. “The one you used to think he’d marry.”

I said, “Polly.”

Polly was lovely! And she knew all about history, same as Dad. She was actually a bit like Dad, in some ways. Hugely clever, but not very practical. We’d had loads of fun with Polly! She’d even come with us on holiday once or twice. Cass always used to say that she and Dad were made for each other.

“What happened?” said Lottie. “Has he gone off her?”

“No! It’s just that he’s known her so long. She’s like an old slipper. Sort of … comfortable. ” That was what Cass had said. She said the moment had come and gone. “And now he’s met Caroline and she’s just, like, really cool! Like a model or something? She even has these shoes that are by that designer man!”

“What designer man?”

“One that makes these really expensive shoes?” Not being into fashion I couldn’t immediately think what his name was, but Cass had been well impressed. “Must have cost a fortune,” she’d said.

“Sounds a bit posh for your dad,” said Lottie.

“She’s not posh,” I said. “Just super-cool!”

“H’m.” Lottie hooked her arm through mine as we wandered back into school at the end of break. “You know what’d be really neat? If your dad could marry my auntie!”

She’d said that before. I never quite liked to tell her that it wouldn’t work.

“My auntie’s cool,” urged Lottie.

“Yes,” I said, “I know.”

Lottie’s auntie is very small and fluffy and dresses like a teenager. She looks like a teenager. She is into dancing and karaoke, and going down the pub, which wouldn’t suit Dad at all. He is very much a stay-at-home-with-his-books sort of person. I don’t think Lottie’s aunties ever read books. Polly read loads! She and Dad were always lending books to each other and having these long discussions. Now he would be doing it with Caroline. At least, I supposed he would. I didn’t know what Dad and Caroline talked about when they were alone together.

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