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‘And where would you like to fly to, sweet pea?’
‘Mm, where does Prince Charming live?’
‘Well, I suppose he lives in Disneyland, which is in America.’
I lick icing from my finger. It’s yummy. My finger makes a popping noise when I pull it from my mouth, which makes me giggle. ‘Then I’ll fly to America and I’ll find Prince Charming, and he’ll kiss me and I’ll wear pretty dresses.’
‘Now, now, you don’t need to be thinking about kissing boys just yet.’ She lifts me to the ground. ‘We’ll let these set and have one later with a nice cup of tea.’
I scrunch my nose. ‘I don’t like tea.’
‘You can have orange juice.’
We go to the lounge and put onThe Little Mermaid. I sit next to Nanna and she puts her arm around my shoulder. ‘I don’t like Ariel’s daddy; he’s mean to her,’ I say. ‘I wonder if my daddy would have been like him or if he would have been nice.’
‘Your daddy was a lovely, lovely man, Rebecca.’
‘Mummy said that he left us and didn’t want to see me.’
Nanna pulls me tighter into her side. ‘Maybe when you’re bigger, I’ll tell you the truth about why your daddy left, but you should know that he loved you very, very much.’
‘Do you think I’ll ever see him one day?’
Nanna’s eyes go wet. ‘Well, you’ll see him in heaven, with the angels, but hopefully not for a long time yet.’
‘Mummy said Daddy isn’t in heaven.’
Nanna seems to get very cross. ‘He most certainly is there, sweet pea, and he’s watching over you all the time. Even when you are sad at home with your brothers and sisters, your daddy is looking out for you. Okay?’
I nod and tuck myself to her side. ‘If he is watching me, maybe he can make them all just disappear.’
* * *
Nanna packs me a box with seven cakes inside: one for me, two for my half brothers, two for my stepsisters, one for Mummy, and one for Mummy’s new friend, Dave.
‘Can’t I just have them, Nanna? I don’t want the others to have our cakes.’
She bends in front of me by the front door and kisses me on the head. ‘Maybe they’ll like your cakes so much, they’ll be nicer to you.’ She pulls me into a tight hug.
It is dark outside – and cold. Mummy must think so too because she stays in the car and shouts for me to hurry up. Maybe it’s because it’s so cold that I start to cry. ‘Nanna, let me stay with you. Please. I’ll be good. I’ll stay here and we can make cakes.’
Nanna’s eyes are wet again. She tugs the sides of my coat closed. ‘I wish you could stay here, sweet pea. I wish for that more than anything.’
‘Rebecca, come on! I don’t have all night.’
Nanna rubs her thumbs under my eyes and tells me, ‘Stop crying, darling. Don’t let them see you cry. And like I’ve told you before, you have my telephone number, and if anyone ever hurts you, you call me.’
I nod.
They don’t hurt me: Mummy, Dave and my brothers and sisters. They just aren’t nice to me either.
‘I love you, princess.’
I sniff. ‘Love you too, Nanna.’
She stands on the doorstep and watches me get into the car. Mummy pulls away before I have my seatbelt on or a chance to wave at Nanna. I reach in my bag and hold out the box of cakes between the front seats. ‘I made everyone cakes today.’
Mummy glances at the plastic box. ‘Rebecca, I’m driving.’
