Nino becomes a big brother

The day the baby came home, Nino had been waiting at the window since breakfast. He'd tidied his room, drawn a rocket to hang above the crib, and hidden his old cloth bunny under his pillow, just in case. When the car finally pulled up, Dad climbed out holding a very small bundle wrapped in a yellow blanket.

"This is Lou, your little sister," Mum whispered. Nino leaned in. Lou was red and wrinkly, and her fists were clenched as if she was about to pick a fight with someone. She opened one eye, looked at him for a second, and started to howl.

Over the next few days, everything was about Lou. Lou was hungry, Lou was sleepy, Lou had a tummy ache. When Nino wanted to show off his block tower, Mum said "shh." When he wanted to play tag, Dad said "later." One evening, sitting alone at the top of the stairs, Nino felt a lump in his throat. He was jealous. And he felt a bit invisible, too.

Dad came and sat on the step beside him. He didn't say anything for a while. Then he asked, "Do you know what Lou can't do yet?" Nino shrugged. "Laugh. She's never laughed in her whole life. Babies learn it by watching the big kids. And nobody in this house pulls faces as well as you do."

Nino thought about it all evening. The next morning, he planted himself in front of Lou's bouncer. He puffed out his cheeks, crossed his eyes, stuck out his tongue, and made the noise of a duck with hiccups. Lou stared at him very seriously. Nothing. He tried the elephant with a cold, then the duck again. And all of a sudden, the corners of Lou's mouth curled up. A tiny sound came out, like a bubble popping. "She laughed!" Nino shouted. "Mum, she laughed for me!"

That night, Nino was the one who sang the lullaby, very softly, one hand resting on the edge of the crib. Lou grabbed his finger and wouldn't let go. He stayed there a long time, listening to her tiny breaths, until his own eyelids grew heavy. Dad carried him to bed, where the old bunny was waiting under the pillow. In the next room, Lou was already asleep, her fist still closed around nothing.