Alice shook her head and spoke on an indignant sigh. ‘Oh, Mummy, if I end up being a doctor, I’ll need to use those words you find so rude!’
‘Well, when you are a doctor you may use them, right now we’re eating,’ Pete said, sounding like the final authority on the matter.
But clearly Callum wasn’t ready to let the subject go. ‘At nursery, I told Lily she has a van… van-gi-nar…but she said it’s a noo noo.’
Felicity put down her knife and fork. ‘Not now, Callum!’ Realising she had lost all control of the conversation and reminding herself to have a word with Alice about what she was teaching her brother, she had to bite her lip. She dreaded what Lisa was making of the madness that was dinner with her family. It was hardly the impression she wanted to give.
‘She said I’ve got a winkle,’ Callum said, biting on a potato wedge.
‘Mum, make them stop!’ Megan demanded.
‘Winkle, winkle little star,’ Fred sang.
Callum began to giggle wildly while the girls looked suitably horrified.
‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry about this!’ Felicity said to Lisa.
Lisa let out the laugh she had been desperately attempting to holdin, as Pete fetched the bottle of wine from the fridge.
