Page 95 of The Bad Mother's Diary

Brandi was really proud. She said, ‘He’s such a little dude.’

It was really strange going back to Oakley Primary as an adult. Everything looked tiny.

I remember my first day at school so well. Our teacher, Mrs Bat, had an attack of nerves and forgot the alphabet.

Callum went tearing across the playground and into the classroom without a backwards glance.

We saw him through the classroom window, chatting up a little blonde girl. Then he chivalrously pushed another boy off the computer so the girl could have a turn.

I think it’s safe to say he’ll be fine.

That’s Callum – he takes life in his stride.

Brandi was a bit cut up on the walk home. She said, ‘One day, he won’t need me anymore. Not today. But one day.’

Weird to think of Callum needing anyone. If there was a nuclear war, the rest of us would die, but Callum would be alright somehow. He’s the toughest little kid I know.

Evening

It’s amazing, but I’m really loving running right now.

And I can run for ages. I’m still pretty slow. But that’s okay. It’s not as if I’m planning onwinningthe marathon.

I feel so much lighter after I’ve run. I don’t just mean weight-wise. I mean … just in my heart.

Tuesday September 22nd

Dad’s birthday.

He said he didn’t want any fuss, but Mum arranged a surprise party.

It’s not much of a surprise these days, since Mum does it every year. But Dad was as delighted as ever, hugging all of us and saying he’s the luckiest man in the world.

Dad is easy to buy presents for. He likes anything practical, so I gave him a special rack for arranging his spanners.

He got all teary and kept saying, ‘How did you know? How did you know?’

Mum gave everyone in the pub shots of her homemade butterscotch vodka to ‘get the party started’.

I only drank fizzy water, though. I can’t drink much these days. Not now Daisy is moving around. She’s a little demolition machine. It takes her less than a minute to unwind a whole toilet roll or pull the bin over and eat whatever she finds inside.

Wednesday September 23rd

Got a call from our solicitor, Ted Grunty, today.

The paternity results are back. They show Nick is Daisy’s dad.

Of course.

Ted said, ‘Fancy Nick putting you through all this.’

I told him I didn’t care anymore. Then I burst into tears and asked why Nick was doing this.

Bloody pregnancy hormones. Shouldn’t they be gone by now?

Thursday September 24th

Visited Dr Slaughter today for my maternity health check-up.

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