Belle and Daisy (2)

Belle and Daisy took to being someone’s animal like a duck to water. They gave lots of kisses to everyone and, no matter how many beds my aunt, Fiona, put on the floor, they still preferred the makeshift bed that was basically a deconstructed box with a jumper with their mothers smell on it.

After one day without them, as I was letting the little family bond, I was in withdrawals. I got a phone call when I was laying in bed watching Netflix the following morning. It was my aunt Fiona asking me over for a pizza. She said she really needed to ask me a very important question. I, of course, accepted without hesitation.

The day flew by. I got nanny, who we were staying with as it was our turn on the rota, her lunch, which she only ate a small bite of, and kept her off the drink until 4pm, which was a massive feat on its own. Nanny liked her wine and she had ‘special wine’ that was basically wine that had been watered down as she was guzzling the stuff like water. Anyone who entered the house knew where the ‘special wine’ was and lunged at her if she was about to pour a glass from another bottle.

My aunt, Fiona, arrived over for me at 5pm. I was only too delighted to be getting away from Judge Judy as nanny and I were watching the same episode for the third time that day. Poor nanny has dementia and the wine makes her sleepy, so I just go with it not to wake her by trying to prise the remote out of her grasp, waking her, and having to watch the same Judge Judy again.

Fiona entered the house and sat down on the couch. I had an overnight bag packed just in case because you never know what you were going to encounter when you walk into the Cooper household. I ran to get my bag and stood in the doorframe waiting for Fiona to stir. Thankfully, she didn’t chat to my nanny or my mother for very long before she whisked me off to 511 Churchfield.

As the car pulled into the driveway, I got so excited for puppy kisses that a kaleidoscope of butterflies surged through my body. I got out of the car and was greeted at the door by mummy Lorraine, who had a puppy under each arm. I put my bag over my shoulder and rushed to see my little princesses.

I was met with waggy tails and had to put my glasses on top of my head as the puppy kisses were flying. I had put some cleaning wipes for my glasses in my pocket for just the occasion. I took Daisy from mummy Lorraine, and held her up to my face where the gobbledygook started automatically. She kissed me on the nose and I pulled her close into my chest. She raised her little head and began to lick my chin, tail still wagging. I was surprised at its strength as it hit my body over and over again.

Fiona, who took Belle and did almost the exact same thing I had done with Daisy, eventually ushering me into the house where I placed my bag on the floor before sitting down on the couch, letting Daisy walk all over me. Fiona handed me Belle and they began to groom each other on my lap. ‘Aaahhhh’ the three of us said in unison.

As the clock turned six, me not knowing where the last hour went, Fiona clapped her hands together and said, ‘pizza!’ My tummy rumbled and I realised that, although I had fed nanny, I had forgotten to feed myself. Mummy Fiona ordered the pizza and asked them to deliver and sat down beside me on the couch. The girls fell over our legs trying to get to know the both of us better at the same time.

Daisy, who was the rebel of the two managed to crawl up my jumper and placed her head on my cheek, staying there for several minutes. I held her bum in my cupped hands and basked in the glory of being in a puppy’s life again. This action of her planting her face on someone’s cheek became known as ‘the Daisy hug’, a hug she has only ever given to me and her mummy’s. I felt honoured to get the first one.

When the food arrived, both puppies were fast asleep…until they heard the doorbell. They barked in unison, but they were barks that weren’t yet fully formed…they were squeaky. We all ‘aaahhhed’ as it was the first time hearing them make that sound.

Whilst mummy Lorraine answered the door, me and mummy Fiona picked up our respective puppies and carried them into the kitchen for fear that mummy Lorraine would trip over them as she carried the two large pizzas in from the hall. Both girls cocked their noses up to the glorious smell of the food.

‘We’ll get you yours now!’ mummy Fiona explained, but of course they couldn’t understand her. Mummy Lorraine placed the pizza’s on the table as mummy Fiona got some chewy sticks that were supposed to aid teething out of the utility room. We placed both puppies onto the ground and mummy Fiona handed them the sticks.

They didn’t know what to do with them at first, but Daisy, the rebel, stood there looking at it and got into a playful stance. With her bum in the air and her head on the ground, she pounced on the stick. Belle, the more placid of the two did the same until she had the guts to lick the thing. She must have liked the taste as she, eventually, picked it up and brought it to her deconstructed cardboard box. Daisy followed suit and the pair of them started to chew the teething aid, holding them upright in their front paws.

As we ate the pizza, the girls quiet with their treats, mummy Fiona said she had a very big question to ask. I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what it could be, and was shocked once she asked; ‘will you be their godmother?’

I stopped chewing the Margareta pizza with ham and extra cheese and was so flattered that I almost chocked on my food. I wiped my mouth, removing some pizza grease that had gotten on my cheek, and looked from Lorraine to Fiona and back again. They were looking at me with quizzical expressions. I swallowed hard and took a sip of my diet coke and began to cry. No one had ever asked me to take on such a gargantuan task before. I was flattered. I wiped my eyes with the same tissue I removed the grease with and, of course, I said; ‘yes!’ Both women audibly exhaled and I looked down on the two angels, who were still enjoying their sticks.

After we had eaten more than we should have, the three of us sat on the couch, the two puggles jumping from one to the other and my heart strings tugged…’wow’, I said to myself…’godmother!’ I smiled and picked the two of them up at the same time, holding one in each hand and announced, ‘from now on, I’ll be known as auntie Sinead!’ They kissed my nose in agreement. I couldn’t stop smiling at the honour.