Where the Stars Fall

15 | Frozen

WHAT A LOVELY WEATHER! It's such a sunny and warm August day it almost feels like we're not in gloomy Britain, but rather back in southern Spain, like in the good old days.

The table is already set outside waiting for the guests to arrive and Olivia has sneaked upstairs to change. I'm comfortably seated on the garden deck, soaking up the sun and watching the Burke brothers discuss the thrills of grilling and all the different techniques each one claims to have mastered. They're boasting so enthusiastically about their skills, I bet they'll forget to flip the steaks and in no time, no one will be able to tell the difference between the meat and the charcoal.

Then Raquel and her bad temper will come out spitting fire, threatening to kill them both, and I'll be watching the whole show right from the front row. I'm already grinning, and it hasn't yet happened.

I'm sipping my drink, drumming my fingers to the beat of some summer hit song they have on and eagerly waiting for Olivia to come down, with a secret beam of hope we can talk before total chaos erupts in this so-far-idyllic scenery. Because as soon as Johnny arrives with his two toddlers and my sister Sue comes on the scene with her little brood, I doubt I'll manage to have any of her attention or–

"Brian? Give me a hand, will you?"

My worst fear has just come true.

My sister storms into the back garden in a state of near hysteria, with little Emma by the hand. My niece is whining and doing some strange pee pee dance and one of the twins is crying her eyes out in the stroller, only God knows why. The other is threatening to do the same any minute and, finally, Josh is grumbling with a huge pout on his face.

I set my tonic water on the table and get up from the deck chair, coming to the rescue. "Hey? Where's your husband?"

"Mum, why can't we get a dog?" Josh asks, tugging at Sue's blouse, trying to get her attention.

"Oh, just take these." She shoves two changing bags at me. "Mark's in a coma, let him be; he'll show up later. Dammit, why hasn't mum arrived yet? Oh boy, I'm dying here. We had one of those nights."

"Why? He tried to knock you up again?" I banter, just to loosen her up a bit.

"MUM? Why can't we get a dog?" Josh insists, this time louder and pulling like billy-o at the hem of her blouse.

Sue throws me a reproachful glare and mouths, "You're such an idiot!" She then bends down towards her oldest. "We can't, Dad's allergic."

"And when Dad dies, can we get a dog?"

Sue rolls her eyes. "Sure. Why not?"

Josh seems pleased with the answer and runs to the garden, where there's already a large quilt with cushions and toys, laid out not far from the playhouse and the swing.

Emma jumps frantically and wails again, one tiny hand cupping herself down there, the other pulling at her mama. Marianne's face, my other twin niece, suddenly flushes and a loud deafening cry flies out of her mouth too.

Man, what a powerful stereo system these two!

I lift my eyes to study my sister's face. She's pale and stiff, about to snap.

"Taking Emma to the toilet. Please, change Mathilda, she's puked milk all over herself." Trying to ignore the loud screeching sounds, Sue points at the filthy clothes and then rushes inside.

No problem, baby logistics don't really intimidate me, I can handle this. I've been there since day one, since Sue popped Josh out, that twenty-inch little fella who yelled, puked, peed and pooped like no one else. And I often babysit this entire crowd too; it's my contribution to help Sue maintain her sanity and keep their marriage relatively intact.