The next morning Sandra woke up after a very sound sleep and wondered what it was she had been wondering about.  Then she remembered and was just as puzzled as she had been when she went to bed.  She decided to lie in bed and have a Good Think.

“Sandra, are you awake yet?” her mother called from the kitchen. 

Everyone knows that when you are having a Good Think you can’t be disturbed, so Sandra concentrated on thinking and didn’t answer.

“Sandra!  How many times do I have to call you?   Quickly!  We have to get going or Auntie will be waiting.”

Sandra didn’t answer again, but she did get out of bed and was muttering to herself about why grown-ups were always in a hurry and why it didn’t matter anyway if Auntie had to wait and why did she have to go with her mother to the airport anyway.   She banged her cupboard door shut and stamped on the floor.  She was NOT in a good mood.

“Sandra, that’s quite enough!  Now get dressed and be quick about it,” her mother called out.

“What did I do?  Anyway, why does Auntie always have to come so early in the morning?”

Her mother was standing with the hands on her hips when Sandra stamped into the kitchen.  Sandra knew that look and it meant trouble.  But her mother didn’t say anything.

Sandra loved her auntie and her auntie lover her.  She didn’t see her very much but when she did come and stay they always had a wonderful time together.  But today nothing was going to make Sandra happy! 

“It’s not fair!  Why can’t I do whatever I want?  Why do I never get to choose what I want to do?” she was thinking and her face was dark with anger and self-pity.

When they arrived at the airport Sandra’s auntie had not yet come out.  “See!” Sandra was thinking as she glared at her mother.

It wasn’t long before Auntie appeared and waved happily when she saw them.  Soon Sandra was being kissed and hugged and both her mother and her auntie were talking at the same time.  Sandra was NOT in the mood, and she was cold towards her auntie and didn’t say anything.

She saw her auntie stop and look at her in a surprised way, but then also very sadly.  Actually, Sandra thought she looked like someone had hurt her, and she thought she saw her wipe away a tear.  But before long they were in the car driving home again while Sandra sat in the back and stared out the window without saying a word.

Sandra remembered all the lovely times they had had together and felt ashamed that she was so angry and had been so mean to Auntie.  “But,” she thought, “It’s not my fault.  She should have come on another day.”

It was no good.  She knew she was wrong.  She felt worse the more she thought about it.  “Everyone tells me I am a nice girl, but I am mean and awful.  What if people find out?  I will never have any friends!”

Big tears rolled down her cheeks.  She was not angry any more, just very miserable.  How could she ever be different?

Sandra didn’t notice that the car had stopped in their driveway and her mother was helping Auntie with her bags and taking them into the house.  The car door opened and Sandra looked up into Auntie’s face.  Sandra was shocked.  Her auntie was looking at her with such love and sadness; she was not angry at all and she didn’t say anything.

Sandra burst into tears, threw her arms around her neck and held on tight, sobbing loudly.  Her auntie started to cry too, and when they eventually stopped, they both looked at each other and started to laugh, hugging each other some more.

In the kitchen the grown-ups had the usual cup of tea while Sandra opened some of the lovely presents that Auntie had brought for her.  She loved her auntie even more now, not because of the presents, but because her auntie had loved her when she knew she didn’t deserve to be loved at all.

That night, while she lay in bed, Sandra remembered how she had felt while driving home from the airport.  Her auntie had forgiven her and everything was good now, but there was still one problem.  Why was she so bad and why was it so easy to be bad?  Where did the badness come from? 

She had to find out.