Page 38 of Good Sisters

Harry looked up from his phone. ‘Maybe we should look into the nutritionist for the triplets.’

I stared at my normally sensible, down-to-earth husband. What the hell had got into him? ‘Have you lost your mind? This is bullshit, Harry. This is over-the-top, overprivileged,more-money-than-sense bullshit. I cannot believe you’re even thinking of it.’

‘I know it’s a lot, Julie, but our boys are competing with the sons of these high-intensity parents for places on the team and I just want them to get picked for every game. I’d hate any of them to be sidelined.’

‘I know that, Harry, but can you please remember they’re teenage boys and it’s a game?’

‘You’re right.’ He finished lacing up his mountain boots. ‘It’s easy to get caught up in the whole circus. But I can look into a good nutrition plan for the boys myself. Clive Woodward is a fan of good nutrition.’

I sighed. ‘Knock yourself out, but leave me out of it. If you want to cook them special meals, that’s on you.’

As Harry left the room, he said, ‘Fine. By the way, I’m leaving in fifteen minutes so hurry up and get dressed.’

‘But it’s just a friendly warm-up game, right?’

‘Yes, but it’s the last one before the cup begins and it’s against St Fintan’s, one of their biggest rivals. It’s important, Julie.’

‘I’ll follow you down.’

Harry laughed. ‘I’ll see you after the match, then.’

I pointed to the black winter clouds outside our bedroom window. ‘It’s cold and looks like rain. I’ll be down later.’

‘You should invest in weatherproof boots like mine,’ Harry told me.

Over my dead body was I wearing those ugly yokes. ‘Should I go?’

‘As mother of the captains, I kind of think you should, yes, and you’ll enjoy it. Watching the boys playing for their school is my favourite thing in the world. I know it sounds a bit silly, but it makes me so proud.’

‘It’s not silly, it’s lovely. You’re a great dad. I promise to come to the second half.’

‘Great.’ Harry beamed at me as he hurried out of the room.

I listened to the sounds of them all scrambling about downstairs, shouting at each other, losing things, finding things, then, at long last, the front door slammed. Silence. That moment of silent bliss never ever got old.

I went downstairs, ignored the mess they’d made and switched on Harry’s fancy coffee machine. I heard the first spatters of raindrops against the windows and smiled to myself. Good choice, Julie! It was only a friendly, they didn’t really need me there, and I’d get a blow-by-blow replay of the match later anyway.

I was lolling about drinking coffee when my phone rang. It was Sophie.

‘Hi, are you going to the boys’ match?’

‘Of course I am,’ I lied.

‘Jess is mad keen to go. She’s all dressed up and has asked me to bring her – which she never does as I’m an embarrassment to her in general. Can we go together? I need you beside me to face that bitch Victoria.’

Victoria had been a friend of Sophie’s when she was in the wealthy social scene but had dropped her like a stone when Jack lost all his money. I’d always thought she was a vacuous cow, but Sophie had been dazzled by Victoria’s wealth, designer clothes and lavish lifestyle. Losing everything had taught Sophie to cop on, come back down to earth and choose nicer friends. That’s why she didn’t go anywhere near Victoria now.

‘Okay, but I was only planning to go to the second half,’ I admitted.

‘Julie! Jess says this is the last pre-cup game.’

‘I know, but it’s raining and I’ll be going to all the cup games.’

‘I’ll pick you up in fifteen minutes. We’ll only be ten minutes late. Besides, you have that Antarctic Goose coat Harry bought you. It’ll keep you warm.’

I hated the stupid thing. According to Harry, it was a coat people wore in the Antarctic in minus forty degrees. It was big, black, bulky and looked ridiculous. Despite the eye-watering cost of this high-end, Antarctic-proof coat, I still felt cold even when it was six degrees on the sideline. I was clearly a very cold-blooded soul.

Victoria had an Antarctic Goose coat too, but hers was red with a big fur collar and it wasn’t faux-fur either. Animals had died for that collar. I thought she looked silly in hers and she was tall and stick thin. I was short and chubby, so I looked like a Teletubby in mine. I didn’t want to wear it, but it was warmer than any other coat I had, so I reluctantly pulled it on.

---