A Not-So-Perfect Life - Mary SueWelcome to my life. I've got a husband, and gorgeous twin daughters. A house on the most expensive beachside lot in town. I'm rising up the ranks and will qualify as a doctor soon now I'm back from my maternity leave. Two housemates, with their son, who help out with my kids so I can have some peace and quiet. You need that with two toddlers.
Toddlers that are rapidly aging.
I think as a mother I'm supposed to be sad by this, but I'm not. It's the best stage. They're still cute and want to spend time with me, but I don't have to bother with their needs in the same way. They can get their own food when they're hungry at 3am. So Angela and I approached the cake both pretty excited, I'd say.
"Make a wish!" I whispered.
"A wish!"
"She wishes for a pony!"
Eurgh. Daniel. Way to spoil my moment.
"I don't think she knows what a pony is, really," I said.
"Every girl wants a pony. She's too young for shoes and makeup yet."
And then... fire.
I don't know if the cake ignited or if I blew too hard on the candle and it was the chair that set light first. But the house was burning.
I froze. Not wanting to put Angela in the line of fire by moving the wrong way, it was all I could do.
"Mummy, why's it hot?"
How to answer that quesiton without panicking her. Because your cake's on fire and we're all definitely not going to die? No.
"Because the cake's broken, like when Daddy broke your toy boat."
"Oh. Can it be fixed like the boat was?"
Maybe I do want them to stay young. Just so they can always have that simple worldview that we're not in imminent danger and that Mummy can superglue it back together.
Luckily Sebastian was to the rescue.
"It can, but we're going to have to go outside while Uncle Sebastian fixes it."
"Can we play flying?"
See what I mean about innocence.
Daniel panicked. No helping put out the flames, no fetching Lilith from the nursery and making sure she got out safe, just panic.
And afterwards he walked past where Angie and I were and went off and played with his chainsaw again. Something about having finally mastered non-melting ice.
So you nearly didn't have a family anymore, but you have unmelting ice and you can make it look like your friend. Wow. Brilliant. Go get a prize.
Yes, sometimes I do wish I married someone else. Harsh probably, but you would too.
And, for the record, Lilith was fine. Not that Daniel cares.
We didn't go through the cake and candles business again and both of the girls became official children without the fanfare I'd have quite liked.
Alana's looking into getting the house fireproofed. She's probably playing the same scenario but with Zane in it over in her head. I know I didn't like her to begin with, but she's growing on me. She's nicer than you'd think if you read the tabloids.
We won't have any flattering pictures for the family albums, but that's okay. I don't have any before I was adopted, and you adapt.
And the bonus of unflattering ones as a mother is you can show them to prospective boyfriends when they're in their teens.
It's hard to tell who they look like, but I think Angela resembles her dad a little more. His hair, face shape, his green eyes. She seems to have a talent for art, but it's too early to tell I think. I don't want to pigeonhole my children, they'll get enough of that at school.
Lilith looks like neither of us. Her dad's hair, yes, but blue eyes. And the rest of the features I can't tell. They don't give anything away, she could really be anyone in this house's child. She's not what I expected from a little girl, all dark clothes and going off on her own.
But I can't say at this stage there's a naughty twin and a nice twin. It just wouldn't be fair.
