Me and My Sisters Read Free Page B

her and given her an exercise regime that she could fit easily into her chaotic life. But it didn’t last. She said she had tried really hard for four days, but then the boys got expelled from summer camp for cutting off a little girl’s ponytail during the arts and crafts class and Julie had turned to chocolate for comfort. When I suggested she could have tried to eat carrot sticks and nuts instead she’d told me to ‘Shove your carrot sticks up your arse,’ and slammed down the phone.
    It wasn’t that I didn’t see it was tough for her – the triplets were a real handful – but I did think that if she managed her time better she’d be able to fit everything in, including more sleep, exercise and some time for herself. I was just trying to help.
    My youngest sister, on the other hand, had far too much free time. I couldn’t understand how Sophie wasn’t bored out of her mind. How many pedicures can you have? She had only one child, Jessica, and a full-time housekeeper-childminder. Sophie was always perfectly groomed and she looked great, but I found it incredible that, with all her spare time, she never seemed to read the paper or even watch the news. She was completely clueless about current affairs – all she seemed to read were fashion magazines. Her life consisted of tennis, beautician, hairdresser, and endless coffee mornings talking rubbish with other bored, wealthy housewives. When Jessica started play-school last year I suggested Sophie should get a part-time job or go to college and do a course, but she looked at me as if I was mad and asked, ‘Where on earth would I find the time?’
    I was tempted to say, ‘How about in between your skinny latte and your blow-dry?’ but Julie kicked me under the table, so I shut up.
    It also bugged me that Sophie never, ever , asked me about work. I didn’t have a family, and my career was a huge part of my life. I had recently become only the second woman ever to be made senior partner at Higgins, Cooper & Gray. It was a really big deal. I got front-page coverage in the Law Gazette , the Law Journal and Legal Week .
    I asked Sophie about Jessica and Jack all the time, and listened to her going on about Jessica’s talent as a ballet dancer, the pros of an Aga versus a gas range and how Jack was making millions, but she never once asked me about my job. She was only interested in finding out what cool new restaurants were opening up in London and if I’d seen Priscilla Haddington – some kind of ‘It girl’ socialite who lived in my apartment block.
    The thing that shocked me most, though, was the money issue. Five years ago Dad had sold his business, just before the bottom dropped out of the economy. His timing really was impeccable. With the money he made he gave all four of us €80,000 each, a ‘rainy-day fund’, he called it. I had ordered Gavin to hand his over to me to look after because I knew he’d waste it otherwise, and when Julie had asked my advice on how to invest hers, I’d offered to look after it for her. The money was really important to her. They weren’t well off and she really wanted to send the boys to a private school. I was delighted to be able to tell her last month that her money was now worth €92,000.
    When I was doing that for Gavin and Julie, I had called Sophie to see if she wanted me to invest hers too, but she said she’d given it to Jack. When I asked what he was doing with it, she said she didn’t know and got really huffy when I said I thought it was ridiculous to have no idea where your own money was or how it was being invested. Considering how successful Jack was, she reckoned it was in pretty safe hands, she snapped.
    The flight was finally called and we were able to board the plane at nine forty-five so I got to my hotel, as predicted, at eleven o’clock. I never wanted to stay at home with Mum and Dad – which Mum strongly resented: I found it claustrophobic. I’d been living on my own since I was eighteen