Mummy Knew by Lisa James Read Free Book Online

crying!’ she hissed. ‘What do you expect me to do? It’s not my fault.’
    I thought I was going to pass out with fear. Holding me by the hair, Dad forced my nose down into the wet patch that Eddie and I had made and rubbed my nose back and forwards, calling me a ‘piss-arse’. The shame was worse than the pain and I was inconsolable afterwards when Cheryl gave me a hug in our bedroom and tried to cheer me up by singing me a song.
    I continued wetting the bed every night, too. If I didn’t remember to draw back my sheets and blankets to dry off in the morning, I’d have to sleep with them wet the next night. Mummy had given up going to the launderette now, and the older girls were too busy trying to keep their own clothes clean without worrying about me. Soon I developed sores at the top of my legs where my thighs rubbed together and the urine burnt my skin. Sometimes Dad would see them as I sat cross-legged on the floor and he would tease me until I cried.
    Early one morning I was lying in bed, halfway between sleep and wakefulness, when I felt a weight bearing down on top of me. I twisted and turned, trying to push it off because it was hurting. I could barely breathe, it was so heavy. I opened my eyes and squinted at a dark shape, relieved to realise it was only Eddie come to say good morning.
    ‘Hello, boy,’ I said, then I suddenly felt hot urine seeping through the covers onto me.
    ‘Urgh, Lisa, what’s that dog done?’ Cheryl asked, lifting her head from the pillow to peer over at me.
    ‘I think he’s just weed on me,’ I said, peeling off the covers. The frosty morning air made my wet pyjamas feel like ice.
    ‘For God’s sake! That’s because he can smell your piss and he thinks it’s where he’s supposed to go,’ she said.
    I started to shiver, my teeth chattering, not knowing what to do next.
    ‘Go and stand under the shower,’ Cheryl instructed.
    I stared at her blankly. I wet the bed every night and the most I did was wipe myself down with a wet flannel.
    ‘Dog piss is stronger than ours,’ she explained. ‘You’ll have to wash it off properly otherwise you’ll have all the bitches after you on the way to school.’
    I wasn’t sure what she meant but I followed orders anyway. I picked my way down the dark passageway alert for any more of Eddie’s deposits. I hated going into the damp bathroom, which smelled like a mix of mould, soap and wet ashtrays. The blue vinyl shower curtain was torn and fringed with mildew. I tugged it aside and heard it ping from another of the holding rings, so now it was only half attached andhung limply as if at half mast. I pushed it further aside so that I could inspect the bath for spiders. My body was beginning to itch in a way it didn’t when I’d only slept in my own wet patch.
    Cheryl appeared over my shoulder and turned on the tap for me. The rubber shower hose sprung into life, drenching the pair of us in freezing water.
    ‘I’m not doing it!’ I cried. ‘It’s freezing.’
    ‘You dirty cow,’ said Cheryl, disgusted. ‘Get in there now.’
    We stood looking at one another as the pipes gurgled and the bedsprings began to squeak in Mummy’s bedroom opposite, then I gave in and let her lift me into the bath for a quick wash-down.
    I usually got myself ready for school now, with a little help from Cheryl. Diane was usually staying with her boyfriend, Martin, so wasn’t around much, and Davie had enough to contend with just trying to find something to eat. Mummy had started to slip even further behind with the washing so every day before school I had to either pull on the same clothes as the day before or set about finding something else. I’d often have to resort to rummaging through the dirty washing in the hope of finding something that I’d once considered too dirty to wear but which now looked Daz-fresh compared to the alternatives. Occasionally, when I had no other option, I’d raid my sisters’ clothes but they were obviously too