she had never thought it such a luxury before, to have someone else to brush and braid her hair. there had been a time when they had all helped one another, flurries of brushes and hair pins and friendly teasing when a lock of hair escaped from its intended place. now, she often braids her hair on her own - - - after john leaves for work and, when she’s lucky, before the twins wake up. sometimes, though, she isn’t lucky, and she must brush and braid and keep an eye on twin toddlers at once. for now, though, demi is napping (and napping rather abruptly, curled up on the sofa almost like a little puppy) while daisy sits contentedly in her mother’s lap, playing with a little rag-doll, and amy stands behind her chair with comb and pins, expertly weaving the brushed-smooth strands into braids.
“you always were the best of us when it came to things like this,” meg says with a little sight, closing her eyes in pure contentment as her sister continues her work. “....at least you never burned my hair!” (but there’s laughter in her voice for that long-ago-forgiven incident, only fondness for the memory remaining.)