Why was I in Gran's Bed?

We have a long skipping rope double stretched across our quiet street. Skipping is my favorite game. I’m not quite five, but as good as the big kids and this evening my feet have wings as I soar through and over the ropes, singing the rhymes and then leaping out for the next girl to take her turn.
Suddenly dad’s at our front door calling me in for bed. I protest. 'I don‘t want to, it’s not dark yet, no one else is going in.’
He shouts, ‘don’t argue, I want you in right now!’
Obstinacy swells in my chest making me reckless. Made brave by the other children standing there I refuse.
‘Don’t make me come to get you,’ he threatens.
I make him. He chases me right down to the end of the street, grabs me by the scruff of the neck and frog marches me home.
My friends laugh. I don’t. I scream and kick and scratch...Loudly.

When I’m indoors I refuse to wash and wriggle so hard mum can’t get the flannel anywhere near me.
Dad’s face is like thunder, and I know I’m very near a smack. Worried about the neighbours hearing my screams, mum makes shushing noises.
He tries to take me up to bed, but I want mum to see me up as she usually does. I fight him all the way. And why is he making me go in gran’s bedroom? Her feather bed tickles my legs and the sharp ends of the feathers dig into me no matter how I wriggle and squirm looking for a comfortable position. I itch and fidget and whine.
Mum comes in and sits on the edge of the bed. I want her to lie down beside me, but she won’t.
‘Why am I in gran’s bed? Why did dad make me come in early?’ I demand.
She leans over, makes hushing noises and smoothes my hair away from my hot fretful face. Her long, silky black hair falls across my eyes. It makes a curtain of darkness and has her special mother smell. I want her to stay like that.
She kisses me, winces, and starts to sing a lullaby, but I don’t want her to sing. I want to go out with my friends. I can still hear them playing outside in the street.
Dad pokes his head around the bedroom door and frowns. ‘Aren’t you asleep yet? You’re spoilt. You’re old enough to get yourself off to sleep. Let your mother be.’
I sniffle and start crying again.
Mum says, ‘leave her be Richard, she’s in such a state you’re only making her worse.’
I love her so much I can’t begin to describe it, but tonight I don’t care. I have a big knot of anger in me. I get like that sometimes, although I know it hurts her feelings when I do.
Dad brings me a glass of hot milk, but I can’t stop sobbing.
He puts his arm around mum’s shoulders. 'You have to come down now Dora. Leave her alone; she’ll cry herself to sleep in a minute.’
Mum gets up slowly and follows him out of the door.
I can’t believe my eyes. I’m so shocked she’s left me alone that I stop crying. Downstairs I can hear them talking and the front door opens then shuts. Is it gran coming in from the pub? but I’m in her bed; where will she sleep? I strain my ears, but can’t hear what’s going on.

Suddenly dad's shaking me. It's morning. The sun is lighting up the thin bedroom curtains and I’m hot and sticky.
In the smoky glass mirror of gran’s dressing table that stands opposite the bed I can see that the feather mattress has made deep creases in my cheeks.
Dad smiles down at me. ‘We’ve got a surprise for you. Come and see.’
I think it’s Christmas; it’s what he always says on Christmas morning, but then a warm sunbeam dances across the bed through a chink in the curtains, reminding me it's the wrong time of the year.
I try to guess what the surprise is. Perhaps it’s a new bike? It’s nearly my birthday; I expect they’re letting me have it early. I've forgotten I've been horrible and don’t really deserve presents.
He helps me out of bed and leads me across the landing to their bedroom where I normally sleep in a small bed in the corner.
‘Here you are. What do you think of that then?’ He sounds pleased.
Mum is sitting up in bed wearing a pretty new nightgown and a pink satin bed jacket that I‘ve never seen before. She’s holding a snowy white shawl in the crook of her arm. She pulls the shawl back and shows me a baby monkey. At least it looks like a monkey to me.
‘Say hello to your new sister. She arrived last night.’
I’m not impressed. I knew we were going to have a baby, they’ve been telling me about it for ages. ‘Where‘s my surprise?’ I ask.
Mum looks hurt but smiles. ‘Now Elaine’s here, dad’s going to collect a pram and a baby doll for you later today, and then we can take them out for walks together.’
I'd rather have a bike but something stops me saying it. The little devil inside me has gone with the night.
I go to the bed and look at the baby. Mum lays her down, puts her arms around me and kisses me.
‘We’re sorry about last night. The baby was ready to be born and we couldn’t leave you playing outside while all that was going on could we?’
But I don’t see why not.