The Phone Call Rang!

Tuesday, August 5 08

Mrs Bennet realised with annoyance that almost half her shopping money had been spent in just 10 minutes. The camping food list would consist of only tins, bread and crackers at this rate. The offending crisp which led to Mrs Bennet swallowing part of her tooth cost her £42 which hurt her far more than the tooth would have done if she’d not done anything about it.

“I’m obviously in the wrong job. If I earnt £40 every 10 minutes looking after the children, that would be £240 an hour! I look at mouths and bottoms all day long too but my purse is constantly empty,” she grumbled silently.

Mrs Bennet was secretly relieved it hadn’t cost her more money. But that was an expensive swallow! Somewhere in her body, a tiny piece of tooth was floating around. Not that she wanted to see it again, but she was amazed how a millimetre square could cost so much. Only last month a stone, the same size, had fallen out of her engagement ring and had cost £80. She’d got the Scooby Doo van caught on a gate post and as she had to either go forward or backwards, she completed the masterpiece and created £400 work.

Living was expensive. Living with five daughters, a husband and herself was even more so. She got her wages when she returned home.

“Mummy, while you were out the phone call rang,” shouted out Miss Emily Bennet.

The pain of parting with £42 eased. “When you hear such great comments like that, it makes living worthwhile,” she thought, kissing her second eldest daughter on the head.

The phone call rang to invite the Bennet family round to play that afternoon. This pleased the little Bennets as they did like to know what they were doing. It also meant the rain – which prevented them from riding their bikes and slashing in the paddling pool – no longer bothered them. Instead after happily picnicking on the carpet, Mrs Bennet put out two buckets, divided up the ring links which attached the babies’ toys to their gym, and challenged them all to see how many they could throw into their targets. It provoked a mini lounge Olympics which caused much amusement, followed by a painting session decorating the air-drying clay models they had made the day before. Once this was done, Mrs Bennet proceeded to get out two directors chairs (which were lined up in the hallway ready for camping) and threw a duvet over them to create a mini tent. A simple act but it created a source of great merriment – particularly when the little twin Bennets joined in after their lunchtime sleep and got stuck between the chair legs.

It was hard work on Mrs Bennet’s part, but at least the children were happy – until World War III broke out as usual around five o’clock. By the time Mr Bennet arrived his wife looked exhausted. She was persuading her daughters to at least try her sausage casserole while trying to stop Miss Rosie Bennet whacking her smaller twin on the head with a toy flute in the musical instrument box.

An hour later, five women friends were on the doorstep waiting for their taxi driver. She had organised an evening out at the pub, but since she had the largest car had been nominated the taxi service for the night. Instead of five little girls she had five grown ladies, who she was very tempted to strap in as was her usual custom.

“Now no messing in the back, no arguing and no whining!” she instructed her passengers.

“Yes mum!” her new offspring replied in unison.

A diet coke and a coffee later, she realised too late that she had overdosed in caffeine and was shaking. She returned home to find Mr Bennet staring at the dining table.

“Are you working?” Mrs Bennet asked him.
“No, I knocked over the hamma beads and now I’m trying to put them back – not very successfully!”
Mrs Bennet smiled. Hamma beads were the bane of her life. If they weren’t ironed when the designs were completed, a slight knock and they risked rolling everywhere, as Mr Bennet experienced first-hand.

Mr Bennet was kept busy for a long time. He had to abandon one design, but the rescued creation was dutifully ironed and placed in a safe place.

Mrs Bennet didn’t offer to help – she was entertained far more watching Mr Bennet polish up his artistic talent and motor skills!