Page 8 of The New Girl

Ruby put her backpack down in the hall and went in to see Robbie. He was strapped into his wheelchair and was humming along to thePeppatheme tune. At least he was calm.

Ruby went in and sat down on the couch beside him. She watched his little face light up as Peppa jumped in a muddy puddle. She sat back and hummed along with him. Not too loudly, though; you had to get the volume just right. Orla had joined in once and sang too loudly, which had led to a massive meltdown that had lasted almost two hours.

As the episode finished Robbie said, ‘Again,’ which was one of the only words he could say. He could also say, ‘Kank you’, ‘Peese’, ‘Bye’, ‘No’ (which he said a lot), ‘Es’ and ‘I dove you.’

Suzie, the speech therapist, was very happy with Robbie’s progress in speaking, but Ruby had heard her dad say, ‘Fifty quid, three times a week for a year, and he has about five words!’

But Mum had shushed him and told him that Suzie was the ‘best in town’ and that any words at all were progress. The fact that Robbie could communicate at all was kind of a miracle, Mum said. ‘Remember, Frank, the doctors didn’t think he’d be able to speak at all.’

Dad hadn’t looked convinced, but he’d dropped the subject and handed over the fifty euro to pay Suzie the speech therapist.

‘We’re going to have dinner now, yum,’ Ruby said to her little brother.

He shook his head from side to side. ‘No. Again.’

‘Mum made you chicken, rice and peas, your favourite.’ Ruby knew she had to try to gently persuade him to eat. You had to tread very softly with Robbie.

‘No. Again.’

‘OK, dinner first and then Peppa, OK?’

‘No. Again!’

Robbie’s hand began to twitch. Ruby took a deep breath. She had to stay calm. ‘Come on, Robbie, we’ll get your Peppa Pig sippy cup and your Peppa spoon, OK? I’ll put the purple juice you like in your cup,’ Ruby said.

Robbie looked at her and blinked. He didn’t say no. So, very slowly, Ruby turned his wheelchair around and wheeled him into the kitchen. Everything had to be done slowly and carefully or Robbie could fly off the handle.

She pushed the chair up to the kitchen table and filled his Peppa cup with Ribena. ‘Now, there’s your juice and I’ll get your dinner.’

Robbie grabbed the handles on the sides of the cup and sucked noisily. Ruby got his plate from the warming drawer under the oven and placed it carefully on the table.

But just as she put it down, a pea rolled sideways and touched the chicken. Robbie stared at it and then he began to scream.

Within seconds his legs and arms were thrashing about, his dinner was upside down on the kitchen floor and his sippy cup had been flung across the room.

‘It’s OK, Robbie, calm down. It’s OK.’

‘No no no no no no no!’ he yelled.

Ruby bent down to pick the food up and then got a cloth to wipe the floor while Robbie had his tantrum. There was no calming him down when he was like this. He had to tire himself out.

Eventually, after Ruby had cleaned the floor and wiped down the walls that were covered in Ribena, she turned back to him. ‘Do you want sweeties, Robbie?’ she asked as he paused in his shouting to catch his breath.

He wasn’t really allowed sweets. Sugar made him hyper, but right now Ruby didn’t care. She just wanted him to put something into his mouth and stop freaking out before her mum got home. She knew that if Mum saw Robbie upset, she’d never go to yoga again and Ruby really, really didn’t want her mum to break. She wanted her to go to yoga and have her time out.

Ruby shook a mini-packet of Skittles in front of Robbie. He stopped shouting. She poured a handful onto the table. He looked at the colours. He popped a purple one into his mouth.

Ruby watched as the sugar soaked into his tongue. He slowly began to smile. ‘Yum yum,’ he said.

‘Yes, yum yum.’ Ruby smiled back as relief flooded through her body. It was going to be OK.

She’d just have to pretend that Robbie had eaten his dinner and hide it at the bottom of the bin. She’d hide the Skittles packet too.

CHAPTER FOUR

Safa

When Safa came out of school and walked towards the big gates, Mama was waiting for her. As she walked towards her, Safa took out her hijab and tied it around her head. She felt better once it was on.

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