‘Uhh, this bag is so heavy’ groaned Brianna on the way home from school.
‘I know right?!’ Mads wailed, trudging along the road. ‘Mr O’Pharel gave us way too much homework today. How am I going to manage that and swimming practise?’
‘Oh yeah, you’ve got a competition at the weekend, haven’t you? Against St. James?’ Brianna asked. ‘Ouch, this bag is digging into my shoulder!!’ she complained as she started to trail it on the ground.
Yep, I hope we win this time! We’ve been beaten every month for the past year.‘ God, this school bag is so heavy!’ moaned Mads. ‘I literally feel like I’m carrying another person on my back!’
A sudden voice from behind them brought the girls to a stop: ‘Well at least that’s a bag you’re carrying and not an actual person!'
They’d almost forgotten Carmen was with them: she was being so quiet.
‘Look at you, whining about the slight inconvenience of carrying a bag on your back for a few hours. How about carrying a baby inside you for a whole nine months, huh? How would you feel about that?’
Brianna and Mads looked at her with open mouths, stunned.
‘Close your mouths, you’re catching flies’ Carmen muttered.
Mads spoke up, after what seemed like forever in silence. ‘You’re…..’
‘Three months now’ Carmen admitted.
Brianna put a comforting arm around her. ‘Come here and let me carry your bag’.
‘You sure that won’t be too heavy for you?’ Carmen asked cheekily, swinging her bag over Brianna’s arm.
‘Oi, I’m doing you a favour missy!’ chuckled Brianna, grinning. Then she linked her arm around Carmen’s and Mads gave Carmen’s tummy a little pat.
‘You know what?’ Mads said as she turned to her friends, ‘my bag doesn’t seem as heavy anymore.’
And they all laughed. And Carmen felt a little bit better.