MIDNIGHT - HarperCollins NZ

MIDNIGHT
going somewhere special?’ she asked excitedly. ‘Do I
need a new hat?’
Libby beamed at her. Sometimes her mother’s affliction
reduced her to tears, but not this time, because once
again she had a situation to deal with. ‘Yes,’ she answered
brightly. ‘Thomas promised to take us to the park, the
first really warm day we get. It’s too cold now – March
winds and rain most days. But come April, we might take
him up on his kind offer. So yes, you do need a new hat,
and if that one suits you, it’ll be my treat.’
With her fickle mind shifting in all directions, the
older woman remembered, ‘Oh, a fresh pot o’ tea, you
say?’
‘That’s right.’ Libby was relieved. She went to put
the kettle on.
‘And remember to put two tea-bags in it? Last time
you only put in one, and it tasted like cats’ pee.’ She
laughed out loud. ‘Not that I’ve ever drunk cats’ pee,
but if I had, it would taste just like that tea of yours.’
She gave a shiver as though swallowing something
horrible. ‘So, this time, have you done what I told you?’
‘Yes, I have.’
‘Two teabags, then?’
‘Yes, Mother. Two teabags, one sugar – the way you
like it.’
‘I bet you didn’t warm up my cup!’
‘Yes, I did that too.’
‘Good girl. At long last, you’ve learned your lesson.
You can be such a naughty child!’
Through the haze in her mind, Eileen saw a chubby
27