Please Don’t Take My Baby

Paula and I went upstairs and once we were in the bathroom and couldn’t be overheard Paula’s questions began. ‘Is Tyler the baby’s daddy?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’

‘How can he be? He’s only a boy.’

‘He’s old enough to father a child,’ I said.

‘What does “to father a child” mean?’

‘Make a baby.’

‘Why did he want to do that?’

‘Because he likes Jade a lot.’

‘Does he still go to school?’

‘Yes.’

‘He can’t go to school and be a daddy, can he?’

I appreciated how confusing all this was to an eight-year-old. ‘Well, he finishes school soon,’ I said. ‘But you’re right. He’s too young really to be a father. Now wash your face, please.’

Paula picked up the face flannel but it didn’t reach the water or her face. ‘Why didn’t he wait to make a baby?’ she asked, looking at my reflection in the mirror above the basin.

‘Well, sometimes people make a baby when they don’t mean to,’ I said. ‘It’s called an accident, although the parents still love the baby when it’s born.’

‘Was I an accident?’

‘No. Absolutely not. I waited three years for you.’

‘Why did you have to wait, Mummy?’

‘Because sometimes it takes a long time to make a baby and sometimes it happens very quickly.’

‘But Jade didn’t have to wait, did she?’ Paula said, trying to clarify it in her mind and finally dipping the flannel into the water and dabbing her cheek.

‘No.’

‘Jade’s baby was an accident.’

‘Yes.’

‘But she’ll still love the baby when it’s born, won’t she?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good. Because it’s horrible if someone has a baby and doesn’t love it. That would make me upset.’

I gave her a hug. ‘I know, love. Now finish washing. It’s well past your bedtime.’

By the time I’d seen Paula into bed and read her a story it was 8.15. I kissed her goodnight, came out and went downstairs, thinking it was asking a bit much to expect a lad of sixteen who was in the middle of enjoying a game to realize it was time to leave. Entering the sitting room, I saw the game was continuing; each player had a little pile of treasure chests that they had won. Toscha, as usual, had found a comfortable spot and was curled up on the sofa next to Jade, who was absently stroking her between turns.

‘It’s 8.15,’ I said gently as I entered.

‘Oh, Mum!’ Adrian cried. ‘Can’t we just finish this game?’

‘Oh, yeah, please let’s finish the game,’ Tyler said.

‘Five minutes and then you must pack away,’ I said. ‘You, Adrian and Paula have school tomorrow and Jade needs her rest.’

‘I’m OK,’ Jade said, clearly not wanting to be responsible for ending the game. ‘Can I have a packet of crisps?’

‘Yes, if you’re still hungry, although a piece of fruit would be better.’

Jade pulled a face. ‘I don’t do fruit,’ she said.

‘Nah, she don’t do fruit,’ Tyler agreed.

I thought Jade needed to ‘do’ some fruit, but didn’t say so. It was only her first evening with us and there’d be other times when I could help her eat more healthily. So I left the sitting room, went into the kitchen and returned with a large bag of assorted crisps.

‘We have these at home,’ Jade said as I offered her the bag and she took a packet of cheese-and-onion-flavoured crisps.

‘Yeah, so do we,’ Tyler said, taking a beef-flavoured packet.

Adrian, aware he didn’t normally have crisps just before bed, grinned sheepishly and quietly selected a packet of roast-chicken ones. The resulting aroma as the various flavours mingled set Toscha’s nose twitching. Although Adrian wasn’t normally allowed crisps just before bed it would have been unfair to leave him out, so I could see that one of the issues with fostering a child older than one’s own was that it could lead to double standards – with something being acceptable for a teenager but not for a younger child.

The game finished a few minutes later and they counted their treasure chests. Adrian had the most and had therefore won.

‘Well done,’ I said. ‘Let’s pack away the game now.’

‘I’ll beat you next time,’ Tyler said good-humouredly.

He helped Adrian pack the pieces into the box and closed the lid, but then sat back comfortably on the sofa and made no move to go. I now had to get Tyler off the sofa, to say goodnight and out the front door.

‘Your mum will be wondering where you are,’ I said, trying the subtle approach first.

‘Nah, she’s OK. She knows I’ll be back later.’

‘Good, but we did agree eight o’clock was the goodbye time and it’s nearly half past eight now,’ I said.

‘Oh yeah,’ Tyler said, clearly simply not realizing the time. He stood. ‘Well, thanks, missus. Thanks for dinner. It’s been very nice.’

I smiled. ‘You’re welcome, but call me Cathy. We’ll see you again soon.’ Then to Jade, I said: ‘Would you like to see Tyler out?’

Jade shuffled to the front of the sofa so that she could stand. Tyler reached out his hand and she took it. Then, in what appeared a familiar routine and was quite touching, he hauled her off the sofa with an exaggerated groan. ‘Ten-ton Tess!’ he joked. Adrian laughed but I wasn’t sure Jade appreciated Tyler’s humour; she didn’t laugh.

‘I’m going up to my room now,’ Adrian said. ‘See ya, Ty.’