Page 52 of Good Sisters

‘Mum, do not try to change anything. Do it the same as every year,’ Leo warned me.

‘I like the hats,’ Liam said.

‘Yeah, they’re handy for training when it’s freezing,’ Luke said.

‘I want a hat,’ Tom piped up. ‘I want to wear it into school so everyone knows my bros are on the team.’

‘Yeah, Tom wants one, and all the siblings get them. Seriously, Mum, just follow the rules,’ Liam lectured me.

I threw up my hands. ‘Okay, okay, I’ll get the hats. I didn’t think you’d feel so strongly about it. I’ve looked around and the cheapest dark red ones I can find are in Penneys.’

‘Grand, yeah, get those.’ They all nodded and went back to arguing about their smoothies while I composed my text.

Dear parents, Re the hats and scarves. I have found red ones that are close to the school colours in Penneys. €3 a hat and €4 for the scarf. If you would let me know how many each family would like to order, I’ll sort it out.

I pressed send and went to try to wrestle the boys away from the fridge, so I could take out some meat for dinner.

As I pulled the steaks from the drawer, my phone began to hop.

Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping…

Penneys? Are they wool? They need to be warm.

Can you send a photo please? The red needs to be a burgundy and not a cherry or a wine.

WTF?

I think we can do better than Penneys. Have you tried Zara?

Penneys? Please! We need to be warm and not have some cheap polyester around our necks. Go to Atelier de Cashmere and order from them.

That was from Victoria, of course. The stupid, snobby cow.

Oh yes, cashmere would be lovely.

So snug.

So cosy.

Much more appropriate for Castle Academy than Penneys.

I think Penneys sounds fine.

Yes! A kindred spirit.

Atelier de Cashmere in London has a beautiful shade of deep burgundy – a perfect match for the jerseys. We want quality, not tat.

Victoria again.

I felt my cheeks burning. Over my dead body was I buying cashmere from some poncy shop in London.

If we order from London we’ll have to pay tax. Surely we can source something locally.

That was Catherine, a sensible mum.

A soft wool would work, it doesn’t have to be cashmere.

Agreed, cashmere might be a bit pricey.

---