The Suitcase Kid Paperback - 1998

Excerpt

When my parents split up they didn't krow what to do with me. My mom wanted me to go and live with her. My dad wanted me to go and live with him. I didn't want to go and live at my mom's new place or my dad's new place. I wanted to stay living in our old place, Mulberry Cottage, the three of us together. Four, counting my lucky mascot toy rabbit, Radish.


There were all these arguments about who would get custody of me. I thought they were talking about custard at first. I hate custard because you can never tell when there's going to be lump and it sticks in your throat and makes you shudder.

My mom got mad and my dad got mad and I got mad too. I felt I was being split up. Half of me wanted to side with Mom. Half of me wanted to side with Dad. It was much easier for Radish. She just sided with me. She lives in my pocket so there's never been any hassle over who gets custody of her.

We had to go for family counseling. It seemed a bit stupid because my mom and dad didn't want to be a family anymore. This lady chatted to me. She was trying to be ever so casual but I knew she was trying to figure things out. She had some little dolls in her office, a mommy doll and a daddy doll and a whole set of children dolls in different sizes. She wanted me to play with them. I poked the mommy doll and the daddy doll in the stomachs and said I didn't like playing with silly old dolls.

But this lady saw me fiddling around in my pocket and she got a glimpse of Radish. I like to hold Radish tight when I'm feeling funny.

"Oh, what a dear little toy. Let me have a look," she said, in that silly voice grown-ups always use when they're trying to get you to like them.

"She's not a toy, she's a mascot," I said. I didn't want to show her Radish at all. She's mine and she's private. But I had to let this lady paw at her and undo her dress and turn her upside down, in a very rude sort of way.

"What's Bunny's name?" she asked.

You'd have thought I was two years old, not ten. Ijust shrugged and shook my head.