Beniamino

Carolina was not happy.

She had had everything planned. Her new little sister would be called Talia, after a great great Aunt of Mama's,and she and Talia would play dolls and have tea-parties and make Daisy chains and dress up and sneak into Papa's study and look at Carolina's dagger and, and... And Carolina was going to be the best big sister ever!

But of course, now everything was ruined.

"Girls, this is your new baby brother. Beniamino."

It wasn't fair. Papa had often joked about wanting a son to be the man of the house so he could have a rest. But it was always a joke. And anyways, Mama had girls. Mama always had girls. Mama only had girls. So, why was she having a boy now? Carolina wanted her baby sister!

"But you said you'd call it Talia! You promised!"

"I know Pretty-Girl. But Talia's a girls name, and Benji is a boy," Mama replied, feeding Beniamino his bottle.

"But you said he'd be a girl!" she accused.

"I thought he would be cara mia. But he's a boy."

"But you said!"

"Carolina!"

Mama had reached the end of her short tether. Carolina pouted and left still mumbling "you said," under her breath.

Benji was a boy. Benji was annoying. Benji was smelly. Benji was loud.

"You kept me up last night," Carolina informed him angrily. He blinked at her. She narrowed her eyes. Her sisters would tell her to shut up. Her sisters would fight back. Her sisters would not fall asleep and ignore her like that! But Benji was her brother. Carolina was not happy.

Mama was too busy with the bambino to notice.

Papa called her over for a talk.

"What's wrong Pretty-Girl?"

Carolina squirmed in his lap.

"Is there a problem with the new baby?"

Carolina shrugged.

"Don't you like him?"

Carolina shook her head.

"Why?"

Carolina thought long and hard.

"Because he's a boy," she stated simply, after some time.

Papa stroked his chin.

"Oh? Don't you like boys?"

Carolina shook her head again. Violently this time.

Papa raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a boy. Don't you like me?"

"Of course I like you Papa!" she exclaimed, horrified.

"Even though I'm a boy?"

Carolina examined her feet.

"Beniamino can't help being a boy Pretty-Girl. It's not his fault."

Carolina bit her lip. "I wanted a little sister," she muttered. "Isabella and Amata-Maria and Verdette all have a little sister. Why can't I have one?"

"Because Pretty-Girl, then you wouldn't have a little brother. And," Papa tapped her nose "then you wouldn't be my baby girl would you?"

x-CZ-x

Carolina soon discovered Benji wasn't as bad as she had thought. He was, she noticed, alot cuter than the other babies she saw in prams when Mama took them out. And he was smarter too. There was something in his eyes that made Carolina sure he was the most intelligent baby she'd ever seen. In no time, he was sitting up by himself and then he was feeding himself and then he was walking and then he was talking and then he was following her round everywhere and introducing her as "My littlest big sister Carolina."

Yes, Carolina thought, She quite liked Benji.