“This is delicious, Beth,” Mike said, grinning at Mum. “Just what the doctor ordered.”
It was true, the meal was really yummy, but Rosie couldn’t really understand why a doctor should get involved. Her stepdad’s words seemed to make Mum happy though.
As usual, Charlie, Rosie’s big brother, had tried to steal all the roast potatoes. Rosie leant across the table to grab one back from his plate, knocking over the salt cellar with her stripy jumper’s sleeve.
Esme, Rosie’s sister, screamed. “Rosie! Look what you’ve done! It’s all over my dinner!”
Mike grabbed a serviette and started collecting up the mountain of white crystals on Esme’s plate.
“It’s all right,” he said. “Worse things happen at sea.”
“No, they don’t, actually,” Esme argued.
Mum sighed. “Esme, don’t shout at Mike, and Rosie, say sorry to your sister.”
“It’s only salt,” Rosie protested. “It could have been worse. It could have been gravy, like last week. Anyway, it was Charlie’s fault, not mine! He should be the one saying sorry.”
“How did you work that out?” Charlie asked, his mouth stuffed with potato.
“You stole my roast potato!” Rosie said, a deep scowl spreading across her forehead. “I was just trying to get it back, that’s all.”
“Whatever.” Charlie shrugged.
“You’ve ruined my dinner, Rosie!” Esme cried.
“It’s not ruined, Esme,” Mum said. “Esme, stop fussing, and Rosie, say sorry to Esme, now.” Her voice had that DO IT OR YOU’LL BE SORRY tone.
“Sorry-to-Esme,” Rosie muttered mutinously, her cheeks flushing with annoyance.
“That’s not an apology!” Esme complained, bouncing up and down on her chair. “Mum, make her say it properly.”
“IT.” Rosie smirked. “What? You asked me to say it properly.”
“Rosie…” Mum’s voice held a warning. Rosie could feel the word GROUNDED floating in the atmosphere around her curly hair. She couldn’t risk being grounded to her bedroom when Freddy the flea was waiting for her in Bernie-dog’s fur.
Rosie breathed out slowly, glaring at her sister. “SOR-RY,” she snapped, crossing her fingers under the table, just to prove to herself that she didn’t mean it.
Esme grunted, and returned to eating, obviously satisfied with the half-apology.
Mum sighed. “Honestly, it’s like eating in a zoo here sometimes.”
Everyone went silent. This was something Mum said a lot. Sometimes, it seemed like she had a point.
Charlie poked another roast potato in his mouth and then snorted. He sounded like a pig in a mud bath. It sounded like this: SNORT!
His face turned from freckled, to pink with freckles, and then bright post-box red with freckles.
Mum leapt up, faster than a firework, and slapped Charlie’s back, hard. A roast potato shot out of his mouth, speedier than a spaceship. It whirled through the air, landing in a puddle of gravy in the middle of Mike’s plate with a huge SPLASH!
“Thank you very much, Charlie,” Mike said, absent-mindedly picking up the potato with his fork.
“Mike! Don’t eat that!” Mum cried.
Mike looked confused, his eyebrows dancing as he gazed at the half-eaten lump.
“Hello. Who are you?” Mike said to the potato.
Mum began to laugh, her voice cackling like a hyena. This made Mike’s lip quiver and then he chuckled.
Then they all began to laugh, even Esme, though her laughter was more like a duck’s quack.
Charlie returned to his normal colour and guffawed loudly, which made Rosie jump and giggle even more.
Rosie looked round the table at her family, feeling so happy she thought she might burst. She did love them all so much when they were silly together. Plus, Freddy was waiting for her in the front room.
Life could not get any better.