Mock Sisters

They look alike and are two years apart. They've been friends forever, or at least since the time when they were both around to enjoy it. They love each other and spend tons of time together.

But boy do they bicker!

"The computer's not working."

"That's cuz you broke it."

"I did not break it. You touched it when I wanted to play and then it stopped working."

"It stopped working after that!"

On and on and one. As Simone's hubby puts it, "Verbal diarreah."

So yesterday, when the eight year old's mother was to pick her daughter up in a couple of hours, Simone thought she would take the two girls to an outdoor swimming pool in spite of the cooler temperatures of both the air and the water. They needed cooling off. Plus they both enjoy swimming.

The first ten minutes went well. Things started souring when the eight year old was "It" and failed to recall that the colour black did indeed belong in a box of crayons. This was very important information as it meant the difference between catching one's prey or standing there, with one's back turned to the prey, trying to shout out all the colours that inhabit crayon boxes.

Shortly after that, the 11 year old accidentally got kicked in the throat by the 8 year old. Drama ensued, whereby the 11 year old temporarily lost the ability to breathe properly. This problem resolved itself when Simone informed the girls that they had 15 minutes of swimming time left. Then a squabble sparked further fury as the 8 year old had lost the mask she was using to see underwater. The 11 year old refused to give up her mask. The 8 year old sulked on the deck while the 11 year old attempted to find the mask in the deep end where the 8 year old swore she'd dropped the mask.

"Two minutes left till we leave," said Simone.

The 11 year old pouted, upset at having spent all her swimming time searching for the 8 year old's mask. The 8 year old jumped into the pool and, seconds later, promptly found the mask in the shallow end.

"Time to go," announced Simone, secretly relieved that these "sisters" do not actually live together. Bad enough they were going home to the 13 year old who'd promised he'd spend the hour the girls were at the pool listing all the reasons why the 11 year old annoys him...