by Amy Bratley
‘Here you go,’ said Erin, handing out mugs of hot chocolate to Lexi, Mel and Katy. ‘I thought we needed warming up in this weather.’
‘Lovely!’ said Lexi, placing her mug on the table. ‘Could I get a glass of water as well, please? I’m parched.’
‘This is delicious,’ Mel said, taking a sip, suddenly jumping up to disentangle Mabel’s fingers from the flex of a lamp. ‘Careful, Mabel! You find danger wherever you go!’
‘Oh, they all do,’ said Erin. ‘You have to have eyes in the back of your head. I’ve completely baby-proofed this house, so the babies should be all right. I can’t even get into some of the cupboards now! Anyway, shall I call Rebecca? I said I would about now.’
‘Yes,’ said Katy, sitting down with Rufus on her lap. ‘Let’s see her. Thanks for setting this up, Erin. I keep meaning to contact her, but work’s so busy.’
Erin smiled at Katy. She understood that Katy wasn’t complaining but that she was pleased work was busy. It was how she operated best, and keeping occupied was part of her coping strategy when anxiety struck. Mabel started to cry.
‘Look,’ Mel said, picking her up and straightening the lamp flex. ‘We’re going to see Rebecca on the screen.’
‘Yes,’ said Erin. ‘Let me get on with this before the babies go wild.’
Erin clicked on the Call button, glancing over her shoulder at Hope, who was chewing the ear of a plastic rabbit. Rufus, who could now toddle, had wriggled down from Katy’s lap and was enjoying knocking over anything Hope showed an interest in.
‘That’s boys for you,’ said Katy apologetically. ‘Rufus, darling, be gentle with Hope. Little girls don’t like to be manhandled.’
Suddenly, the screen went black, there was the sound of a dial tone and then Rebecca’s face appeared. Everyone cheered. With some of her hair braided over the top of her head and the rest of it fanned over her shoulders, her eyes huge and brown, she looked beautiful.
‘Hello!’ Erin said. ‘Rebecca. We’re all here!’
‘Doesn’t she look good?’ said Lexi, to no one in particular, looking over Erin’s shoulder. ‘Rebecca, you look great. How are you?’
‘Hey, girls,’ Rebecca said, holding Elvis on her knee, dressed in a Hawaiian print shirt and blue shorts. ‘I’m good. Great. Wow, look at you all! How are you?’
They each squinted, at Elvis, trying to focus on his face, but he was moving so much, his arms and legs circling like windmills, that Rebecca had to put him down.
‘That was Elvis,’ Rebecca said. ‘He’s quite an independent little man!’
‘Well, he has already travelled the world,’ said Mel. ‘He’s pretty rich in the life-experience department.’
Rebecca laughed then pulled a sad face. ‘Oh, I miss you, girls,’ she said. ‘This is brilliant, being here, seeing these places I’ve dreamed of seeing, but, especially with having Elvis, I miss my original antenatal-group friends.’
‘We miss you, too,’ said Erin, sighing. ‘How’s Lenny?’
‘Yes,’ said Katy quietly. ‘How is Lenny?’
For some reason, Erin felt herself blush when she asked about Lenny. And wasn’t Katy blinking a little furiously? A certain stillness descended on the room as they waited for Rebecca to answer. Maybe he had the same effect on all women. She’d never dare ask.
‘Oh, he’s unbelievable,’ said Rebecca. ‘Lenny is becoming more and more like his dad. The other day when he was looking after Elvis while I was working at the café, he started busking with Elvis out on the beach. I nearly fainted when I saw them. They were collecting money in Elvis’s sippy cup!’
The women laughed. Katy took a drink of her hot chocolate and murmured with pleasure.
‘How about you guys?’ she said. ‘Any big news? How’s life?’
No one said anything, waiting for the others to go first. Mel cleared her throat.
‘You know I proposed,’ said Mel. ‘Well, I’m thinking of retracting it. Leo is driving me insane! He thinks that, just because I’m at home four days a week looking after Mabel, I should do all the housework. Honestly, we’ve had so many rows about it. He doesn’t implicitly say I should do it, but it’s all in the noises he makes. Home from work, he walks in the door and starts unpacking the dishwasher before he’s even taken off his coat!’
Another big laugh from everyone, and then a lot of crying from Rebecca’s end as Elvis fell over and bumped his nose on the floor. She tried to calm him down, but he was getting more upset.
‘What about Jacques?’ said Rebecca. ‘Have you seen him? Any more impromptu visits to London?’
‘Not me,’ said Mel, tucking her black bob behind her ears. ‘Leo has been up to see him twice more and to talk to Coco. He said Jacques was fairly suspicious of him, but he plans to take it slowly. You can’t blame Jacques. Coco’s going to bring him down here next month to meet me and Mabel, so I’ll let you know how that goes.’
‘You’ve been very understanding,’ said Erin, gently patting Mel’s back. They smiled at one another. On the screen, Rebecca bounced Elvis on her knee, but he was still grizzling.
‘Is everything okay with Leo, though?’ said Rebecca.
‘Yes,’ said Mel. ‘Apart from the housework crap, he’s actually a bit of a star when it comes to being a new dad. I don’t know if he’s making up for lost time or something, but he’s so possessive of Mabel I can hardly get a hold of her at the weekend. Actually, I barely get any attention from him at all, but I’m glad, if you catch my drift.’
‘I know what you mean.’ Rebecca smiled. ‘And how are things with you, Katy?’
‘Yes,’ said Katy. ‘I’m a lot better, thanks, Rebecca. It’s taken a while, but I’m getting there. Working helps, and knowing that Rufus is in good hands when I’m at work helps me relax. Alan’s brilliant with him as well. I thought the novelty might wear off, but I guess he’s the kind of person who excels in whatever he does. Does that sound annoying?’
‘No,’ said Rebecca, before laughing. ‘Well, maybe a bit.’
Katy laughed and rolled her eyes. ‘Anyway, how’s your mum?’ Mel told me about her illness.’
Rebecca’s face fell. She took a sip from a glass of water near her chair and gave a sad smile.
‘We had a week’s holiday with my parents,’ she said, ‘but I think we should have done it sooner. She was in quite a bad way. I just regret the time I didn’t spend with her so much, I can’t tell you. When I look back at how I was, I think I was so immature.’
Elvis screamed, and Rebecca stood, rocking him against her chest.
‘You weren’t,’ said Mel. ‘We all have to make a bid for freedom at some point. I guess this little lot will do, too, in the future. We’ll have to stick together so we can help each other through when they leave home and refuse to talk to us!’
The women laughed, and the babies made their noises. Elvis’s scream was getting louder.
‘Sorry,’ Rebecca said. ‘I think I’ll have to go. Elvis needs to sleep. I was going to put him to bed before we spoke but I wanted you all to see him. Let’s do this again? Bye, ladies.’
They all said goodbye and Erin turned off the computer. Taking seats around the table, they all pulled sad faces at each other.
‘I miss her,’ said Mel. ‘I don’t want to wish away her trip of a lifetime, but I can’t wait until she comes back. She was really good to me at the start, when Leo decided to bugger off.’
‘Why don’t we eat?’ said Erin, moving the computer out of the way. She handed plates to everyone, plastic ones for the babies, now in highchairs around the table. After a few minutes of trying to get food into the baby’s mouths and a fragment into their own, all eyes were on Lexi, who had turned a pale shade of green and had gone completely silent. Her hot chocolate and plate of food was untouched in front of her, and she sat, both hands around her glass of water, sipping delicately, as if she had a horrendous hangover.
‘Are you all right, Lexi?’ asked Erin, frowning. ‘You’ve barely said a word. Is
everything all right with Gary?’
Lexi sighed and flushed pink. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It’s all good with Gary. I’ve been seeing him more, and he seems to have a shirt hanging in my wardrobe.’
Erin clapped and grinned. ‘That’s what I like to hear,’ she said. ‘But are you feeling well? You look ever so pale.’
‘Er, sorry, I’m feeling a bit strange,’ she answered, her eyes flicking up to the group. ‘I’m . . . I’m . . . er, well. Actually, it’s early days, but I can’t sit here and not tell you.’
Katy stretched over the table to briefly place her hand on Lexi’s. ‘Tell us what? Has this anything to do with your mother?’
Lexi shook her head and screwed up her nose. ‘No,’ she said. ‘It’s . . . I’m . . . I’m pregnant. I’m only six weeks gone, so obviously there’s a chance I could miscarry. But, yes. Believe it or not, I’m pregnant!’
They all gasped. Katy put her hand over her mouth.
‘Congratulations!’ Mel and Katy said in unison. Katy leaned over to hug Lexi.
Erin looked around at the other women. She knew they were dying to ask if this baby was by donor sperm or if Gary was the father. Erin opened her mouth to ask the question, but the moment passed when Mabel yanked at the tablecloth and managed to knock over three glasses of water.
‘Oops!’ said Mel, pushing back her chair, grabbing the glasses and unwrapping a roll of kitchen paper to soak up the water, by which time Erin had thrown a towel on to the table. ‘Bloody hell. Sorry, Erin.’
‘You’re a dark horse,’ said Katy to Lexi, next to her. ‘You kept that quiet. How many times have I seen you in the last six weeks? Three times, and you haven’t told me?’
‘I only just found out,’ she said. ‘I only just did a test. I say “a” test but, actually I did nine tests. You know what it’s like when you can’t see if the line is there or not, and so many of them come in packs of two, it’s a bargain really.’
The women laughed knowingly and Lexi put her hand on her tummy, unconsciously protective, before gingerly taking another sip of water.
‘Round two,’ said Mel with a laugh. ‘You’re a brave woman.’
Lexi smiled and pulled an anxious expression, running a hand through her short blonde hair.
‘Another one of these mysterious beings coming into the world then,’ Erin said, looking around the table at the four different babies wriggling in their highchairs. Mabel, with an air of decadence, had her feet up on the tray, a chocolate biscuit smeared all over her face and feet; Poppy was turning her pot of yoghurt upside down and hitting it like a drum, shrieking in delight when the contents splattered out the sides; Rufus was throwing chunks of cheese on the floor and gabbling in what sounded like Russian; while Hope was aiming food at her mouth and giggling hysterically when she missed.
‘Yes,’ said Lexi. ‘I hope I can be a good mum to two children. One seems like a big job.’
‘Of course you can,’ said Mel. ‘You’ll be brilliant. You already are. Much better than me.’
‘Don’t be mad,’ said Lexi. ‘I have my moments, but it’s a learning experience, isn’t it? Some days I’m hopeless, and other days it all goes to plan.’
‘I think it’s easier being at work,’ said Katy. ‘And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, though the picking up and dropping off is much more stressful than you’d ever think.’
‘Don’t let Leo hear you say it’s harder than going to work,’ said Mel. ‘He’d try his hardest to prove that I’ve got it easier by looking after Mabel for most of the week.’
‘Fruitless activity,’ said Katy. ‘Motherhood is the hardest job a woman will ever do, whatever choices she makes about going back to work and when. Take it from me.’
‘And the most rewarding,’ said Erin. ‘One hopes.’
Another laugh as Hope, on queue, threw her yoghurt pot at Erin’s head.
‘Great comic timing,’ said Lexi. ‘Perhaps she’ll be a comedienne.’
‘Perhaps,’ Erin said, looking doubtful. She leaned over to wipe Hope’s face and kiss her cheek, neon pink with teething. What will you be, little girl? she thought to herself, as she pulled her out of the highchair and on to her lap for a cuddle. What will you dream of? Who will you love? Fleetingly, Erin thought of Josiah. She kissed Hope’s head, never wanting to let her go out there into the big wide world. Glancing at Lexi, she noticed her yawning.
‘Do you want a sleep, Lexi?’ she asked. ‘I remember that blanket tiredness you feel at the start. All those hormones going crazy.’
Lexi widened her eyes knowingly and grinned. ‘Thanks, but I’m happy here. I don’t want to miss out on anything you talk about.’
‘I’m bound to say something profound,’ said Erin with a peal of laughter.
‘I need to ask your advice, actually,’ said Mel, to everyone. She moved her eyes comically from side to side. ‘It’s about my sex life – or, should I say, my non-existent sex life—’
‘See?’ said Lexi. ‘It’s all about to get interesting.’
‘Let me top up your hot chocolate first,’ said Erin. ‘We’re all ears—’
And so, in the warmth of Erin’s kitchen, while the rain streaked against the windows, they talked together, while the babies giggled and cried and crawled and Lexi’s baby developed in her womb, now no bigger than a pea, with buds for arms and legs and a heart the size of a poppy seed. Another everyday miracle, already loved.
The Girls’ Guide to Homemaking
AMY BRATLEY
Is home really where the heart is?
‘What makes you happy? What do you want from life?’
I ran through a list of things that I supposed would make me sound cool. And then I told the truth.
‘A home,’ I said. ‘A home with some people in it I love.’
On a mission to have the perfect home, with tweeting bluebirds and a white picket fence, Juliet hits a major stumbling block – reality. On the first night with her boyfriend in their new flat, Juliet discovers that Simon has been sleeping with her best friend. After growing up in a dysfunctional family with secrets that haunt her, there’s no way she is prepared to build her nest on a broken branch.
Heartbroken and seeking an escape from her troubles, Juliet retreats into the comforting world of her grandmother’s Fifties homemaking manuals, discovering tips like ‘Put a ribbon in your hair to brighten your husband’s day’, and, though Juliet knows that won’t get her anywhere, she discovers that craft and homemaking are back in style. Taking control of her life, Juliet is determined to get her home with a heart. But who will win hers?
ISBN: 978-0-330-51800-0
The Saturday Supper Club
AMY BRATLEY
A dinner date with destiny?
Wanted: four amateur cooks to compete in a supper-club contest
Rules: four strangers, four weeks, four houses, four dinner parties
You might win: a cash prize
You might lose: your heart
Eve had her world torn apart three years ago, when the love of her life, Ethan, disappeared – and she never found out why. But, now, her life is rosy. With a lovely new boyfriend, Joe, and a café opening on the cards, things finally seem to be falling into place.
. . . until she agrees to take part in a supper-club competition for a local newspaper. Eve is cooking the first dinner, and who should turn up on her doorstep expecting a three-course meal but her long-lost love, Ethan?
ISBN: 978-0-330-51968-7
The Antenatal Group
Amy Bratley lives in Dorset with her husband and two children.
Also by Amy Bratley
The Girls’ Guide to Homemaking
The Saturday Supper Club
Acknowledgements
For their support and encouragement, my sincere thanks to Veronique Baxter and Laura West. Many thanks to Macmillan’s Jenny Geras for her great ideas and editorial insight.
In writing this book I consulted my well-thumbed and much-loved copy of The Rough Guide
to Pregnancy by Kaz Cooke. I watched the Birthwise Antenatal DVD, read Afterbirth edited by Dani Klein Modisett and read information provided by the National Childbirth Trust, babycentre.co.uk and mumsnet. I also made use, with permission, of anecdotes provided by friends, including Isabel Cook, Charmaine Parkin and Melissa Four. Whilst I have tried to make each character’s pregnancy and birth realistic, it’s worth remembering they are my own interpretations based on my personal knowledge and experience of having babies. Thanks to my family, in particular my mum, Anne Cook, who always knows best. Love, as always, to my husband, Jimmy, and children, Sonny and Audrey. Thanks to my best pals and the great mum friends I’ve made over the years – I couldn’t do it without you lot! Finally, love to the memory of my father, Donald Bratley. One of a kind.