If Santa was taking notes this last week, Rachel would
definitely be on the Naughty List. She and her cousin Sarah, had been playing
quietly (often not a good sign) in the bedroom upstairs while I was getting
dinner. Emilia discovered her crimes later when everyone had gone. I was clearing up downstairs when I heard a
yell of anguish from Emilia, which I took to mean the little girls had messed
up the bedroom they share.
“I’ll help tidy it all up, don’t worry” I called.
“No” wailed Emilia “it is worse than that – it is an
emergency!”
Emilia can be a little over dramatic at times so I didn’t
rush to her aid. When I reached their room I was greeted with an overpowering
smell of sickly sweet, fruit flavoured lip balm, but as I surveyed the scene,
it didn’t look too bad. Emilia play make up was all out (I am sure I had put that
somewhere out of reach but clearly not,) and there were six or so lip balm
sticks and assorted colour lids strewn across the floor. I followed my nose to
where the strawberry, raspberry, kiwi, pineapple scent was the strongest. On
the bed was an elasticated, material, belt which appeared to have been coloured
in using the many coloured, scented, greasy, sticks of lip balm. This was
annoying, but not irreparable.
“And look!” announces Emilia holding up a coverless, vaguely
familiar plastic tray of empty shapes.
“Look what she has done to my advent calendar!” she
cries, hysteria setting in now, “she’s destroyed it and eaten ALL the
chocolates.”
It is true, there is not a crumb, not a single trace of
them, all 24 chocolates devoured.
Rachel’s own advent calendar sits there untouched,
totally intact apart from one lone window she had opened earlier in the day.
I can’t help it, I am amused, I suppress a smile and go
into cross mode.
Rachel knows she has done wrong before I said a word, “I’m
sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she says on repeat while I tell her
off.
“This is very wrong” I tell her sternly, she looks a
little forlorn, and says to me, as if this is some kind of excuse;
“But I like chocolate.”
She has only a few weeks left to redeem herself, she better
start trying to be nice.
