The bed-bug

Thursday morning, 7 January 2010

'Janiiiiine!' came the urgent whisper.

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned onto my back in the bed. As I turned back onto my side I found the strength to open them, and there she was in her shin-length flannel nightgown, hair mussed, pink fluffy bunny held up to her chest, staring straight at me in the near-blackness of the room, two feet away. Instantly my eyes went wide-open. 'What's wrong?' I asked, worried.

'I'm collllld!'

I made half a face. 'You're cold?'

She nodded, urgently, as though this were an issue of the gravest importance.

'What's wrong with your bed? Go get yourself tucked in.'

'I can't! The covers are all twisted.'

I sighed and rolled onto my back again, turning my head to see the clock. It glowed, faintly-- 2.10 a.m. I sighed more and turned back to her, lifting the covers to let her in. She seemed to brighten immediately and snuggled in on her side in front of me as I shifted backwards a little to the other pillow. Then I pulled over the flannel sheet, cotton comforter, heavy bedspread and thick microfleece blanket, tucking it all in round her knees and elbows and leaving my arm round her hips, actually holding her lower hip to keep her close to me. It was actually very cosy, with her soft flannel bottom nestled into my lap and her head right under my chin.

She sighed, happy to be warm and to have got her way, and I batted some of her hair aside and got myself comfortable again against the colder pillow. I let out another sigh, the deep sigh of getting comfortable again, and she mimicked me, like that game we sometimes play-- one of us will exhale like that and the other will copy it, and it evolves into this teasing contest of holding our breath and seeing who has to inhale or exhale first, and there are plenty of tricks to fool the other one into breathing in too much or not holding onto enough air long enough, you know. But I would not play with her tonight. In another minute-- I think-- we were asleep.

...

'Janiiiiine!'

This time I didn't move. I just opened my eyes.

Lisa lay facing me, her nose about eight inches from my own. 'What's that music?'

It was the Brandenburg No.6 playing quietly on my iPod which goes off as my alarm-- not the first movement... so that meant it was barely 6.05. I sighed. 'Are you still here?'

She made a cute little smile at me. 'My room is still cold,' she whispered.

'Were you up?'

'No.' She held the bunny up under her chin, like she does, right between us. I kissed the bunny's face and peeled back the covers behind myself to back out, leaving her in the warm middle of the bed. With Bach still playing I pulled out some black underwear and a black t-shirt and went round to my bathroom.

Halfway through my shower she tapped lightly on the door and then opened it a bit. 'Can I come in?' she called, in a scarcely-louder version of the same urgent whisper she uses in the middle of the night.

'You don't have to get up,' I told her from behind the curtain.

'I need the potty!' she said, half giggling, and went round the bath to it. When she was done she knocked on the vinyl shower curtain. 'When are you coming out?'

'When I'm done, of course. Go get yourself back into the bed and stay warm.'

'Okay!' she said happily, for she knew we both expected her to get back into MY bed.

She was asleep when I came out. I pulled on the black leggings and the oversize oatmeal sweater I had left on the chair for last night, and Jessy came in, in her own charcoal-grey leggings and heavy blue-and-black chequered flannie, as I was pulling up my socks. 'Hey. What's happened to--'

'Shhh,' I said, and pointed. Jessy saw the little lump under all my covers and nodded. 'Two a.m.,' I told her.

Jessy smiled. 'Are you just going to let her stay there?' she whispered.

I shrugged. 'Why not?'

'Well, at least she got warm. Her door was open. All hers are on the floor.'

I turned off the iPod to let her sleep and Jessy and I went down stairs. I suppose I should have done homework last night, but there was Epiphany Mass and the vicar's party afterwards and we had all got home quite late. I would have to get myself out of this predicament somehow.

In the kitchen there was a lovely little fire going. Mother took a kettle off the fire and poured out for tea. I informed her that Lisa had come into my bed last night so she'd know where to find her, and Jessy and I stood at the counter to share a toasted English muffin with strawberry jam with our tea. Daddy came down the side stairs and appeared in the doorway. 'Do you have anything important to do today?' he wondered.

I looked over at him. 'Well, school,' I said.

Jessy looked up. 'I have a test in history,' she said.

Daddy pointed at her. 'You'll go for that,' he said, and then he turned and pointed at me, like to tease. 'And you?'

I recognised my opportunity. 'Nothing I can't make up,' I said at once. 'Although I didn't get much sleep last night, seeing as the bed-bug came into my bed at about two o'clock.'

He smiled. 'Did she? Well, you can sleep in the car. David and Kurt are coming round to put down vocals and I could use you on the board... probably in the booth too.'

I nodded and set the books bag down in a chair. So! --I wouldn't need that today! 'But of course. When do we go?'

'We'll drop this one on the way out, and then leave. Roger's driving us. It might not be all day. It's supposed to snow tonight.'

Jessy scowled at me. 'I have a test in history, and you have this?'

I shrugged. 'You wouldn't want to have to take it tomorrow.'

'We might not even have school tomorrow,' she said.

'And then you'd have to take it Monday.'

'It won't be a big snow,' Daddy said, and went out to the side stairs again.

Just as we were gathering in the hall, little Lisa came hurrying down the front stairs. Without a word she ran up and threw her arms round me. I hugged her back. 'Thank you for keeping me warm,' she said sweetly.

I bent down and kissed her. 'You kept me warm too!'

She giggled. 'Can I keep you warm tonight too?'

'I think what we will do is get your bed all in order, and all your covers tucked-in, and then you and that silly rabbit will be just fine together.'

She smiled at me. 'Okay,' she said, and leaned up and kissed me too. 'I love you.'

'And I love you, good angel.'

'Snug as two bugs in a rug,' Jessy said to me as we descended outside to the car with Daddy. 'She really is a good little snuggler.'

I smiled. 'Like you were,' I reminded her.

'Hey! Still am.'

'I'm sure.'

...