Let's All Make Believe - Oasis

Chapter 66

Right at the start of the month I was ready for it to be the Christmas month. I was determined to make it perfect for the kids.

I built the tree and Lydia wrapped the lights around it. I put the baubles into size, type and colour and she did the same with the tinsel. Christmas had never been so organised but it had to be ready for the boys to get back and create art with their tree decorating.

Jamie walked in with Ste and Delfina at his feet and Nathan on his hip. "Wow, your Mammy and Lydia's been busy."

"We have." I nodded. "Have you all had fun?"

"What did we do?" Jamie asked them.

"Sammy and Delfie walk."

"He had you walking the dogs?" I pretended to be shocked and Ste nodded, laughing.

"Yous were in the pram for most of it!"

"Well you couldn't risk getting tired, could you? Delfie and Sammy's legs can do way more walking than yours, can't they?"

They nodded.

"Someone slept through some of the walk. Not naming any names."

He didn't have to. Ste pointed straight at Nathan and shouted "Him."

"Didn't he take you anywhere interesting?"

He shook his head just to agree with me. "No."

"Thanks for taking them while we got all this set up."

"No problem, can't wait to see the results."

Once Jamie was gone I put a Christmas songs CD on and we asked who wanted to put stuff on the tree. Ste picked up the biggest piece of red tinsel and I helped him put it around the bottom branches.

Lydia went off to do some homework marking.

"Right, Ste is doing the star this year, it's Nathan's turn next year, okay?" I gave Ste the star and lifted him up. "Put it right on that sticky up bit at the top."

"Lydia! We need help!" I yelled realising this wasn't going to work.

Nathan was around my legs, very vocally not happy to wait until next year. I wasn't tall enough and Ste couldn't stretch enough to put the star where it belonged too.

She came through and took Ste. "I'm not getting any work done until this is finished, am I?"

I picked up Nathan and helped him to put some baubles up near the top. "It's not my fault you bought a too tall tree. It's Christmas, tell them all 'well done. Very good' or summat."

"It's GCSE, it's a little more important than making them feel good cos it's Christmas." she said as Ste got the star to fit in its place. "There we go, look at that big, shiny star."

"Tell them they've done good, you usually do, don't you?" I repeated, insisting she found a way to get through the marking faster.

"I don't." She put Ste on the floor and directed him towards the baubles. "I tell them the truth, but I'm always nice about it."

"You can critique this artwork when we're done."

"Will do. It's your GCSE coursework now."

"You'd better give us an A*."

"We'll see." She walked away again.

I was trying not to focus on one boy over the other but Ste was that bit older so it was easier for him to put the baubles on the tree and make them stay in place. Nathan grabbed at me, trying to get me to pick him up, getting so jealous from the moment it was Ste's turn on my hip. Ste was about the same when it was Nathan's turn.