Big Bear and the wicked step daughter - part one

My step daughter Toni (never trust a girl with a boy's name) decided to come for the weekend despite several attempts to put her off. 'There's no room', I protested 'Why don't you come after Easter?', 'Ned's got nits', 'NO, YOU CAN'T BRING YOUR BOYFRIEND'. I even asked Dickie to tell her not to come - he invited her a day early with Bradley, her beau of the mo, and told her she could stay indefinitely. 'She is my daughter Lulu, our house is her house...'

I tried to look cheery as Dickie went to super human lengths to tidy the house, cook her favourite food and put on a fresh shirt. Oh the guilty gestures of an absent father, why didn't he make this much effort for me?

There are several reasons why Toni and I can never be friends. Toni has a knack of pointing out everything that's wrong with our relationship (normally what's wrong with me), of siding with her father at any given opportunity and constantly talking about his wonderful ex girlfriends. On top of that she is only a couple of years younger than me, miles thinner, taller and has a cracking job as a financial advisor in the city. She is very into London. And working. And the gym. Of course, I am into these things too, if only I had the time.

'I bet you're glad you didn't give away Big Bear now aren't you' smirked Dickie 'Toni will be so pleased when she sees how much the boys love him'. Bugger. Big bear. A huge, monstrous, purple, polystyrene bear Toni had given Ned for his second birthday. It snored if you moved it to the left and growled if you moved it to the right - what can I say? The boys loved him. Dickie thought it showed how much Toni loved her new baby brothers, but deep down I knew it was out to get me.  He had to go. If I couldn't get rid of the step daughter, I was damn well going to get rid of the bear.

At first I simply put him out with the rubbish, Ned burst into tears and went running to Dickie. 'Oh I was only worried about the polystyrene' I said defensively. Next I gave him to our neighbour Penny for the Cadcove tombola, she returned him several hours later saying she couldn't sell him and break Ned's heart.  I argued that he had to learn about loss at some point - Father Christmas, melting snowmen, teenage girls and she looked aghast. When we finally moved Ned into his own room he would wake screaming in the night, refusing to sleep until Big Bear was placed in the bed next to him. Big Bear had become more important than me.

And finally last week, I took Big Bear to Oxfam and finding the door shut, left him outside in the pouring rain. Ned cried all night, but I told him I'd buy him a hamster if he didn't tell Daddy, 'But I want Big Bear' he sobbed. 'A hamster is better, they move quickly and they can bite - hard' I said. 'I want Big Bear' screamed Ned.  'I want Big Bear'

I told Dickie and Toni I'd taken him to the dry cleaners - 'Specially for your visit Toni' and ran to Oxfam pleading to save the revolting creature, they didn't have it. Even Oxfam didn't want Big Bear. Sodden and smelly they had thrown him out the back.  I trawled through the bins, but couldn't find him, it was belting down and I stank of trash. I sank to the floor and began to cry. Toni would hate me for ever, Dickie would blame me for Ned's bear-less misery and I would have to grovel to the evil step daughter for the rest of my life.

But there she was, my very own guardian angel.  Moll. Wonderful, beautiful Moll, poking her head from around the bins 'I saw you go into Oxfam and wondered who you were meeting out here' she said with a wink, but then seeing my tears she added, 'Can I help?' For three hours Moll helped me climb into the various skips of trash in the icy rain and recovered a sad half drowned Bear who had literally had the stuffing knocked out of him. Bear and me both.

Ned thought his return was marvellous. And Toni looked smug. She suggested going to the pub alone with Daddy and Bradley - so they could get to know each other. 'You won't mind babysitting will you Lulu?' I said it was a lovely idea but completely impossible as I had invited Moll and her family for dinner... Big Bear sat at the head of the table and no one said a word.