'Then why do you do it?' Kendall asked.

'Don't be so rude, Kendall!' I said, nudging him.

'No, it's a perfectly sensible question. Shame is, I haven't got any answers. I eat because I'm greedy. I like food.'

'I like food too,' I said, biting my lip.

'Don't look so worried. I'm sure you won't take after me,' said Auntie Barbara, happily biting into a big eclair, cream oozing everywhere.

'I don't take after Mum,' I said, reaching for an eclair too.

'I don't think you need take after anyone. You're yourself. Unique. The one and only Jayni.'

'She's not Jayni,' said Kendall.

Auntie Barbara wiped the cream from her mouth. 'Who is she then, Kenny? Whoops, sorry, Kendall.'

'I call myself Lola Rose now,' I said shyly. 'And Kenny's Kendall, like he said, and Mum's Victoria Luck.'

Auntie Barbara nodded. 'Are these new names to stop your dad tracking you down?'

'How do you know?'

'Because he came barging into my pub weeks ago, effing and blinding and generally doing his nut. He said your mum's gone off with a footballer. Has she?'

'No! She stopped seeing him ages and ages ago. No, we had to do a runner because my dad hit my mum, and then he went for me.'

'My dad didn't hit me. My dad said I'm his little champ,' Kendall said, sticking his chin up. 'He's the big champ and I'm the little champ.'

'Little chump, more like,' I said.

'You shut up, Lola Rose,' said Kendall, clenching his fist.

'I think Lola Rose is an absolutely lovely name,' said Auntie Barbara. 'Did your mum think that up?'

'I chose it myself,' I said proudly. 'You won't tell Dad, will you, Auntie Barbara?'

'What do you think I am, daft?' said Auntie Barbara. 'I had a few sharp words with him.'

'He didn't hit you, did he?'

'I'd like to see him try,' said Auntie Barbara, flexing her big arms. 'I don't think any man would dare take me on. Even your grandad thought better of it once I'd got to a certain age. He had a really nasty temper too, just like your dad. He didn't mellow in old age either. He was a crabby old beggar up until the day he died. In fact he died in mid rant, yelling at me because I was changing the beer barrels-'

'So he's dead, our grandad.'

'A couple of years ago. I tried to let your mum know but she'd moved. She isn't a girl for keeping in touch. We didn't really get on when we were kids, your mum and me. We were so different, chalk and cheese. We had this awful row over something and I got really mad at your mum. But that was long ago. I'm not mad at her now and I've never been mad at you two. I'm so happy you phoned me, Jayni. Sorry, Lola Rose.'

'How did you get here so quick? There aren't any buses this early, are there?'

'I drove, sweetheart. I'll pop back down to the car in a minute and get my case.'

'Your case?'

'I'm staying to look after you, darling. Until your mum gets better. I've got it all organized at the pub. I've got this lovely Australian couple working as bar staff, and they're going to manage things for me till I get back. You didn't think I'd just lob a few pounds and a packet of biscuits at you and then disappear? I'm your auntie. You're family.

'I'll go and see your mum this morning,' said Auntie Barbara.

'I'm coming too,' I said.

'And me,' said Kendall.

'Will it upset him?' Auntie Barbara mouthed.

'Probably,' I mouthed back.

I was worried Mum might be upset. Upset with me for calling Auntie Barbara.

We went to the hospital together, Auntie Barbara striding confidently down the ward, Kendall and I scuttling along behind her.

Mum was lying on her back, looking towards us. Her face screwed up. 'Oh Gawd, what are you doing here?' she said rudely.

Auntie Barbara blinked but then she laughed cheerfully. 'Good to see you too, Nikki,' she said, and bent down to give her a kiss.

I was sure Mum would wriggle away. She didn't. Her good arm hooked round Auntie Barbara's neck and she hugged her hard.

'So how are you?' said Auntie Barbara.

'Fine!' said Mum. She still had great wads of bandage on her breast and under her arm. Her face was ghostly pale without her make-up and her hair hung in limp strings.

She pulled me close for a hug too, whispering in my ear. 'Has Jake been in touch?'

'No,' I said wretchedly.

Mum sighed as if it was somehow my fault.

'Lola Rose has been a little star, Nik. She's been so responsible and grown up.'

'Yeah yeah yeah. Takes after you then, doesn't she?' said Mum.

'Kendall's been brilliant too,' said Auntie Barbara. She was laying it on a bit thick now. Kendall had been a right pain.

Mum just gave a little snort.

'Mum?' said Kendall. He climbed up onto the bed, wanting to see her face. He frowned at her. 'You look horrid, Mum.'

'Thanks a bunch,' Mum muttered, pushing him away. 'Get off the bed, Kendall, I don't want you breathing all over me.'

Kendall slid off the bed, tears in his eyes. He looked at me to make it better. I knew he hadn't meant to be unkind. He was worried that Mum still looked so ill.

'I don't like you,' he said, his lip trembling.

'I don't like you either,' Mum said, shutting her eyes.

'I don't want you for my mum any more,' Kendall said, tears spilling. 'I want Auntie Barbara.'

I covered his mouth up quick. 'He doesn't mean it, Mum,' I said hurriedly.

Maybe he did. He thought Auntie Barbara was wonderful. She knew all about sharks for a start. She'd been on holiday to America and seen the island where they made that old movie Jaws, the one where the shark chews people's legs off when they're swimming in the shallows.

Auntie Barbara got it out the video shop for Kendall that evening. He watched it sitting on her vast lap, George clutched to his chest. Auntie Barbara was worried that he might be frightened but he didn't seem to mind a bit. He only got upset at the end, when the shark died.

I couldn't watch any of it. I sat cross-legged with my back to the telly, working on my scrapbook, a pile of magazines by my side. I was doing a 'Favourite Food' page for our family Mum, Auntie Barbara, Kendall and me. It was difficult to balance the page. Auntie Barbara had heaps and heaps and heaps, I had lots, Mum had hardly anything if you didn't count wine and ciggies, and Kendall just had a red ice lolly.

'Did you see sharks when you were on holiday, Auntie Barbara?' Kendall asked.

'Not swimming in the sea. I saw whales though, lots of humpback whales. I've got photos at home, I'll show you sometime. I went out in this special whale-watching boat. The whales like to eat plankton so they blow out this sticky stuff and all the little fishy things get stuck and then the whales come along and go chomp chomp chomp.' Auntie Barbara mimed it for us. Kendall did his best to imitate her and blew sticky stuff out of his nose by mistake.

'Have you ever been to Disneyland, Auntie Barbara?' I asked. 'My friend Harpreet has and she says it's the best place in the whole world.'

'I haven't ever been there. Still, maybe we could go some day?'

'You mean, you and Kendall and me? And Mum? But how could we afford it? The lottery money's all gone.'

'I could treat us,' said Auntie Barbara.

'Are you rich?' Kendall asked excitedly.

'Not rich. But I'm reasonably well off, I suppose, now your grandad's passed the pub on to me. I don't spend much on clothes and posh cars and stuff, but I do like to go on good holidays. I went to Thailand last year. It's a fantastic country and lovely lovely people. I've got this smashing Thai family who do the meals in my pub now. Have you kids ever had Thai food?'

'We have Chinese takeaway. I like chicken chow mein,' I said.

'You wait till you try Thai. It's truly scrumptious.'

'Truly's in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,' said Kendall, proud because he'd remembered.

'We had the video at our old home,' I said.

'It's a play now too, with a real car that flies right up in the air. We could go sometime if you like,' said Auntie Barbara.

We stared at her. It was as if she was taking us in a magic car, flying us out of our own dull life to a dazzling magic land where everything seemed possible.

She took us up to town on Sunday morning and said we could go anywhere we wanted. Kendall chose the aquarium, surprise, surprise. Auntie Barbara was very understanding when I explained I couldn't go in. She sat me on a bench overlooking the river.

'You sure you'll be OK?'

'Yeah, of course,' I said.

I wasn't. The sharks were shut up in the aquarium but I couldn't shut all my other worries up. They swam round and round my head. I felt really guilty that Kendall and I were having a good time with Auntie Barbara while Mum was stuck in hospital, still not better. She'd looked so small when we'd said goodbye. I was scared she'd shrink every time we went to see her, until one day she'd just be a hank of hair, a few bones and a bandage.

I was scared I might start crying so I tried to distract myself. I gathered up some sweet wrappers and started tearing them up and sticking them with spit onto my arm like tattoos. I'd seen a picture of a snail made out of coloured paper at school so I copied that. Then I did a butterfly and a ladybird and a rose.

Auntie Barbara sucked in her breath when she saw. I thought she'd make me pick all the papers off and give me a lecture about licking dirty bits of paper. Mum would have. But Auntie Barbara held my arm up and inspected it closely, smiling.

'Do you like Matisse?' she said.

I'd never even heard of Matisse so she took us to the Tate Modern. Kendall moaned and said it was going to be boring-boring-boring, but when we'd walked all along the river bank to this huge gallery he ran around all over the place and no one seemed to mind.

There was a special Matisse exhibition. I wasn't sure I liked his work at first. All the paintings were a bit squiggly and didn't look real though I liked the bright colours. Auntie Barbara liked a picture of a big lady lying back on a sofa in funny floppy trousers. She said she'd have a go at making some similar trousers for herself. She makes most of her clothes because she's so huge she can't find anything in the shops.

'I'll make you a pair of stripy trousers too, Lola Rose,' said Auntie Barbara. She saw the look of horror on my face. 'Joke!' she said, laughing.

We turned a corner and there was the school snail picture, absolutely huge, bigger than Auntie Barbara.

'It's a collage!' I said.

'Do you know something? I think your collage work knocks spots off old Matisse. I love that food picture you did last night. Hey, talking of food, I'm starving! Let's go and find the cafe.'

We all had sausages and mash. Kendall turned his sausages into sharks and made them swim in the mashy sea but then he ate them all up. I ate mine too, and then a big strawberry cheesecake, but on the bus to the hospital I started to feel sick. Kendall went quiet too. Auntie Barbara put her arms round us.

'Will Mum be better now?' Kendall asked.

'Let's hope so,' said Auntie Barbara which wasn't quite the same as a straight yes.

When we got to the ward Mum was propped up on her pillows, her hair carefully brushed, her make-up pink and pretty, almost her old self.

'You are better, Mum!' said Kendall.

'Yeah, I'm going home tomorrow, they've promised,' said Mum.

'That's great news, Nik,' said Auntie Barbara.

'Victoria,' said Mum.

'Victoria Luck. Lady Luck,' I said.

'That's right, that's me,' said Mum, but she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes kept swivelling past all of us.

We stayed for a while, Auntie Barbara and me trying to chat to Mum, Kendall sitting on the floor muttering to George. Mum slid further and further down the bed, barely replying.

Then she suddenly sat up straight. She licked her lips and then bared her teeth in a big smile.

I looked round. Jake was shuffling up the ward, clutching a small bunch of carnations, the sort you buy outside a garage for 2.99. Mum behaved as if he'd given her an armful of hothouse lilies. She gave him a really smoochie movie-star kiss right in front of us. Jake's mouth was all wet when he pulled away. He lifted his arm as if he wanted to wipe it. Mum was gazing up at him. His arm froze. He looked like a statue saying hello. Then he waved it awkwardly at Kendall and me.

'Hi, kids,' he said. He nodded nervously at Auntie Barbara too.

'Hi, I'm Victoria's sister,' she said.

Jake looked astonished. Auntie Barbara watched him, waiting for some crass comment. She seemed utterly composed but I saw her fingers fidgeting behind her back, digging hard at a hangnail. It must be awful everyone always amazed that two sisters could look so different.