The kitchen was warm and rain was dripping down the window. The radio was on, classic music drifting out of the speaker. We sat at the breakfast bar finishing lunch. My eight year old twin girls, Eleanor and Phoebe, munching on carrots and dip whilst I nibbled on a ham sandwich.
‘Mummy? Daddy says Halloween is cancelled, why?’ Phoebe asked.
‘It’s the virus, sweetie,’ I said, giving up eating and rubbing my huge six month pregnant stomach. I was feeling tender today and one of the twins or both had been very active in the night.
My husband had been supportive but he had needed the sleep as he had an early Saturday shift to work. I had felt guilty carrying on dozing when he got up but I had so needed more rest.
I was looking forward to him returning at two because I could have a nap he could keep the girls to the park to let off some energy. The twins didn’t do well staying inside all day and we agreed that too much TV and computer games wasn’t good for them.
‘The virus has ruined everything,’ Phoebe spoke again.
‘But I don’t want Halloween to be cancelled!’ Eleanor cried.
‘I’m sorry, Ellie, it’s just the way it’s got to be,’ I replied.
‘Can we still decorate and watch scary movies?’ Phoebe cut in.
‘But we can’t go trick or treating! That’s not going to be fun,’ Eleanor pointed out.
I pressed my hand to my mouth feeling nauseous rolling in.
‘Mummy? Are you okay?’ one of the twins asked.
I nodded and sipped some ginger ale.
‘It’s the babies,’ Phoebe said in a soft voice.
Eleanor nodded and whispered back, ‘she’s going to be sick again.’
I shut my eyes feeling the room start to swim. The whispers of the girls faded and I tried to relax. I had hoped my second pregnancy would have been better but it was turning out to be worse then my first.
Also, I was having twins again, this time one girl and one boy. So, they wouldn’t be identical like the girls but still, I wasn’t looking forward to juggling two babies again.
‘What would you like to do this afternoon girls?’ I asked them, breaking up their whispering.
‘How about some baking?’ Phoebe suggested.
‘Can make Halloween cookies?’ Eleanor pushed in.
‘I want to make a cake for dad!’ Phoebe gushed.
I nodded, ‘help me tidy lunch away then and we can do that.’
Soon, the kitchen was a mess and busy with activity the cookies had been made first and baked second as they need to chill in the fridge. Eleanor choice to make a three layer chocolate fudge cake- dad’s favourite and that didn’t take that long thanks to the double oven in the new kitchen.
Then the cake and cookies were ready for decorating after we had all tied up and only two arguments had broken out – first the twins not happy about having to tidy up then about who was going to lick the spoon and the bowl from the chocolate fudge frosting.
Later, I lay on the sofa, heat pack on my headache and the girls decorating the Halloween cookies on the coffee table with some kids’ TV on in the background on.
The door open, there were shouts of delights from the girls and I smiled knowing that now I could have that nap.
The Story Files 