The Re-Set

Happy Families

Felicity's grandmothers arrived at Broomwaters in time to wake us up, and get us ready for the big day. Caroline was there, at first, but she had a hair appointment, and left us in the hands of her mother, Sheila Blackstone, and her mother-in-law, Debra Buckingham, before we were even out of our cots. I was just lying there, when the three of them came up the stairs, thinking about how much my life had changed in just a week, since Dad took me to the café in Reigate to meet Caroline for the first time. For a start, I was sleeping in a cot, with the safety bars up so that I could not get out without help. For my own safety, according to Felicity, but I was not sure that was the real reason. It was just one of those little details of my new life that had almost slipped my attention whilst everything else was upsetting me, but having woken up really early to worry some more, I had been suddenly aware of the restriction, although it was probably the least of my worries, at that particular moment in time. Mrs Blackstone pressed the button to let the sides of the cots down, and helped me out, holding my hand as if to steady me.

"Caroline told me that she put you in a nappy...last night...sweetheart...did you use it?" She asked, gently, but I still flushed with the embarrassment, even if Caroline and I had agreed on taking what she had called a sensible precaution. I was still upset, and the accident the previous night was part of that, so she had suggested that a nappy would be preferable to waking up in a puddle. And she was right about that, because I had wet myself again, before I woke up. It felt bad, but it really was better than soaked sheets. I nodded, and sniffed, feeling pathetic all over again, suddenly close to tears. "Olivia...you have had a tough couple of days...and girls around your sort of age do often have accidents...it will just be a phase and you two are going straight into the bath anyway, so there is no need to make a mountain out of a molehill...okay little one?"

"Okay." I mumbled, and she picked me up like a toddler, and rested me on her hip. Caroline was in her thirties, I knew, although I did not know exactly how old she was, and her mother was not really that old, maybe in her late fifties. She seemed old to me, because I was twelve and thirty seemed ancient, but she was clearly fit, strong and healthy. And she seemed to have no problem carrying me around, which I would have really hated the week before. In fact, I had objected to sitting on her lap, on the Sunday afternoon, when Dad and I had our row about that horrible first weekend, but I did not even struggle as she held me tight, whilst watching Mrs Buckingham getting Felicity out of her cabin. She hugged both of her grandmothers, and then me, clearly excited about the wedding, before we all went into the bathroom together. I suppose I was getting quite used to sharing a daily bath with Felicity, after three days. It was another one of those initially massive irritations which had paled into insignificance around my more serious issues, as they exploded out of me. Little kids got bathed together. Beth and I had when we were younger, on sleepovers when we were six, and maybe seven, a bit, but as soon as Caroline had me in the nursery with sweet Felicity, it seemed to be part of our routine. Mrs Blackstone put me down and briskly pulled my white nightdress over my head, before quickly removing the swollen nappy. No one mentioned that at all, for which I was grateful, and then I was helped into the hot water, with Felicity, and we were both given a good scrub. There was no suggestion of either of us washing ourselves at all, but I did not complain, mostly because I was in no fit state. I was better than I had been the day before, I suppose, but most of my fears were still there, and I was definitely not really sure what I felt about Dad getting married, but it was still happening and I was just trying to get through it without imploding again. And the two old ladies were nice enough, patient and gentle, and understanding of my pathetic situation as far as possible, I suppose. I had no idea what they had been told, but they were evidently focussed on keeping me happy, and seemed sympathetic to the general cause. So, I let them get on with it, because I could not really do anything else.

"Someone is being a very good little girl," Mrs Blackstone said as she helped me put on a long pink dressing gown, identical to the one Felicity was shrugging herself into.