It seemed like such a good idea at the time. But, as it turned out, it definitely wasn’t.

14

TULLY

Tully woke at 3 am with a dry mouth, a thumping headache and all of the anxiety in the world. This was what happened when you got drunk in your thirties. She had memories – distant memories – of being drunk in her twenties, nights when she’d collapse happily into bed at the end of the night (often with a nice-looking boy), and when she finally got to sleep she’d drift into a slumber so deep she wouldn’t wake until noon the next day.

Today, when she woke for the second time, it was 6:21 am and Locky was sitting astride her stomach. ‘Daddy says you’re feeling sick,’ he said unworriedly.

‘I’m sure you sitting on her stomach doesn’t help, mate,’ Sonny said, lifting Locky off her.

Tully rubbed her eyes and glanced around. ‘Where’s Miles?’

‘Asleep,’ Sonny said. ‘In his bed.’

‘His big-boy bed?’

‘Yep. Been in it since seven last night.’

Tully couldn’t believe it. ‘Tell me the truth: did you drug him? Lace his bottle with alcohol?’

‘You were the only one laced with alcohol last night,’ Sonny said, smiling. It was strange, seeing him smile at her. Tully started to wonder if she was still drunk and imagining it. Then he said, ‘It was nice to see you so relaxed last night. I haven’t seen you like that in ages.’

‘Are you saying you like me drinking?’

‘I like you letting your hair down,’ he corrected, then he took Locky’s hand. ‘Come on. Let’s let Mummy sleep.’

‘Wait, I can go back to sleep?’ She gazed at him with an intensity that made her headache a little worse. ‘But . . . I’m a drunken disgrace. You should be reporting me to the police. Taking my children away from me and putting them with a very nice elderly foster family who still have one of those old-fashioned cookie jars filled with homemade biscuits!’

‘I’ll let you off with an official warning this time,’ Sonny said, and disappeared out the door.

Tully sank back into the pillows. She had almost forgotten how great Sonny was. People always reminded her, of course. Sonny’s so great! So good with the children! Such a caring husband! Just an all-around good guy! Lately, when people said it, Tully felt resentful. What about me? she wanted to cry. I’m great! Why is everyone always talking about Sonny? But they were right. Sonny was great. It was just that, when you’d been married a while, you tended to forget these things.

With that thought in her mind, Tully stretched out and fell asleep in a matter of minutes. The next time she woke it was 10 am. Not noon, but a very nice sleep-in for an old goat like her. Her mouth still didn’t taste right, but her headache was gone and she felt more human than she had four hours earlier. Best of all, there was no small child bouncing on her mid-section. She closed her eyes again, planning to doze for a bit longer, when suddenly she remembered her bag, and lurched upright.