In My Sister's Shoes by Sinéad Moriarty Page A

aunt?’
    ‘Yes, you dropped the boys off late this morning.’
    ‘That’s right and you made a big song and dance about it. Well, I’d like to know why Jack is standing in the corner.’
    ‘He bit Max on the arm. Biting and violence are unacceptable and children must learn the difference between right and wrong. So when they are bold they stand in the bold corner for five minutes.’
    ‘I see. And tell me, Mrs Foley, do you not believe in making allowances for little boys who might be acting up because their mothers are in hospital with cancer?’
    ‘Mrs Kennedy has never questioned my use of gentle discipline on the boys. I realize that she is in hospital and that the boys might be out of sorts, but biting another child, whatever the reason, is wrong and must be dealt with.’
    ‘Well, maybe my sister would disagree with you on this rather exceptional day. I think Jack could have done with a cuddle and a chat. I’m taking him home now.’
    ‘Jack has a minute left in the bold corner.’
    ‘Get a life, you insensitive cow,’ I snapped, ruining any hope of a friendly relationship with the boys’ teacher.
    I went over to Jack and bent down. ‘Hey, buddy, it’s time to go home now. Are you OK?’
    He shook his head. ‘I was bold today. I bit Max.’
    ‘Listen, Jack, everyone is bold sometimes. It’s OK, as long as you said you’re sorry to Max.’
    ‘I said sorry. Please don’t tell Mummy. She told me to be a good boy today.’
    ‘Of course I won’t tell her. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all over and for gotten about. And I’ve got good news about your mum. She’s feeling much better and the doctor got all the bad stuff out and she’ll be home tomorrow. So don’t you worry about anything.’
    He nodded, and bit his lip to stop himself crying. Bobby came over. I kissed them both and told them they were the best boys in the school. Bobby squirmed and wiped the kiss off his cheek, but Jack seemed to find it comforting.
    Mrs Foleyglared at me as I was leaving. She followed me out to the car and assured me that she would be having a word with Mrs Kennedy, who had chosen someone completely unfit to look after the twins.
    I spun round. ‘I’m her sister. What do you think she’s going to do? Fire me? Get used to it, Mrs Foley. You’ll be seeing a lot of me over the next few months. ’Bye now.’ With that, I screeched out of the driveway with the twins kicking each other in the back of the car.
    When we got home, I checked Fiona’s instructions for lunch.
    Proper nutrition: should include eating three meals a day and two nutritious snacks. It’s important to limit high-sugar and high-fat foods. Eating fruit, vegetables, lean meat and low-fat dairy products, including three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt to meet their calcium needs, can also prevent many medical problems down the line.
    She had picked out a menu for me to follow, which was in one of her fifty cookbooks on food for children, by someone called Annabel Karmel. I opened to page fifteen as instructed and read: ‘Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Hidden Vegetables.’
    Ms Karmel described the recipe as a great way to disguise vegetables so children would eat them unwittingly with the tomato sauce. I had to sauté onions and garlic, then add the vegetables – courgettes and carrots and mushrooms – the tomatoes, chicken stock and sugar, and then there was some simmering followed by some blending. It all sounded pretty complicated and time-consuming.
    Fiona had added a footnote to tell me that the boys hated courgette but in this wonderful recipe they’d never notice it. I wasn’t to chop it in front of them because if they saw it they’d know it was in the sauce and then they wouldn’t eat it.
    I sighed. Whatever happened to ham sandwiches? Take one slice of processed ham, put it between two slices of bread and eat. I took the vegetables out of the fridge. Thankfully, Fiona had left a jar marked ‘chicken stock’, because I had no