Page 80 of Good Sisters

Victoria sat in the centre of the parents’ section of the stand, dressed immaculately. The woolly hat and scarf rested on her lap. She had turned up her nose when she’d taken them out of the bag.

The other parents duly put theirs on, although I did see a few mums scratching their necks.

I sat surrounded by Harry, Sophie, Louise, Dad, Jack, Jess, Robert and Clara. Tom was on the sideline with his classmates, proudly wearing his hat and scarf.

When the team ran onto the pitch and I saw my three boys all kitted out in the school colours, slapping each other on the back, I felt a huge surge of pride.

I looked at Harry. His eyes were shining with tears. I grabbed his hand. ‘Wow,’ I said.

‘Unreal,’ Harry croaked.

‘Big day.’ Dad beamed. ‘Three grandsons playing. This is a momentous day.’

‘At least it got him away from Dolores,’ Louise whispered.

‘Sorry I’m late.’ Gavin plonked himself down beside us.

‘What is that?’ Louise pointed to the bright multi-coloured wrap Gavin had around his body.

‘It’s a traditional African papoose.’

‘Is the baby in there?’ Clara said, peering in.

‘Yes, she’s snuggled up.’ Gavin pulled down the side of the papoose so Clara could see her.

‘Christ almighty.’ Dad groaned.

‘Can she breathe?’ Sophie asked.

Lemon’s head did look a bit squashed against Gavin’s chest.

‘Duh, like, obviously. It’s the most natural way to carry ababy. African mothers have been doing it this way for, like, millions of years.’

‘How’s fatherhood going?’ Jack asked.

‘It’s awesome. I just want to be with her all the time. Shania, Lemon and me are a love bubble, a little unit. I can’t believe how amazing it is. She’s such a good baby. She never cries and she sleeps a lot.’

‘That won’t last,’ I muttered.

‘Definitely not,’ Harry muttered back.

Jack held Robert up so he could see Lemon.

‘She’s teeny tiny, Daddy,’ Robert said.

‘She’s not actually. She’s the normal size for a three-week-old baby,’ Clara corrected him.

‘She’s perfect,’ Sophie said.

‘I see you got your cast off, Robert,’ Dad said, nodding at his arm.

‘Yes, I did, and I have to do lots of exercises to make it strong again. Jess is helping me. Look.’ Robert flexed his skinny arm.

‘My goodness, you’re nearly as strong as your cousins.’ Dad ruffled Robert’s hair.

‘How’s Shania?’ I asked Gavin.

Gavin gently stroked Lemon’s head. ‘Crazy busy. The US sales of her tan have gone nuts. She’s on Zoom calls all day, trying to sort out production to meet the demand.’

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