“No,” I cut in. “They aren’t a bother. They never are. And I don’t want them going to stop with Jenny and Steve. They belong here. This is their home. I don’t like them being disrupted.”
My mum came over to where I was sitting and placed a kiss on my cheek.
“I knew you’d see it like that. You’re always so selfless when it comes to those boys.”
Someone had to be.
“I’ll make sure the pantry is well stocked, and Daddy will put extra money into your account to cover any takeaways and days out you three have. It’ll be so much fun. Like one big brother and sister sleepover.”
She didn’t need to sell it as some fairy tale. They needed a responsible, caring adult, and that’s what I’d be.
“It’s fine. I have money,” I answered, popping another won ton into my mouth and not giving a fuck what she thought of my manners. I was good enough to raise her sons for her, so fuck it.
“Oh, and don’t forget the school run. And they both have football practice on a Tuesday,” Mum added like she was being helpful.
“Wednesday,” I corrected her. “Their football practice is on Wednesday until five o’clock.”
“Oh yeah.” She giggled to herself. “I forgot.”
That’s because you’ve never been to watch a single practice. I have. I’ve been to most of them.
“Your father always used to wonder why I never employed a nanny when we had those two, but you know, it’s just like I told him, why pay money for someone we don’t know to do it, when we have you?”
She really thought she was complimenting me, and I didn’t correct her. Karma would do that job when she was older and wondering why her children never took the time to visit her. You get out what you put in in this life, after all.
She glided over to the door–in the graceful way she always moved–and called for my dad and my two brothers to come and join us for dinner. I slid off the stool and took my place at the table. There was one positive… looking after my brothers would give me a distraction from the catastrophe that was my life right now. I might be a monumental fuck up, but I was determined that my little brothers wouldn’t take the same route. For them, life would be better.
I’d make sure of it.