Jules leant her forehead against the car window, the motorway passing by in a blur. She should try and get some sleep, the kids would give her no peace on the flight and she knew Colin would be no help with them, but she was too excited. They were finally on their way to Mexico, for not only her baby sisters wedding, but also two long sun drenched weeks, complete with her parents on hand for babysitting duties. Colin had taken some cajoling into this trip, but it would be worth it, she knew it. She glanced over at him and let herself imagine them walking along the beach, hand in hand, watching the sunset over the Cancun Riviera.

Colin was compiling a spreadsheet in his head of how much this wedding trip was costing him. Flights, hotels, car hire, he ticked off the items as the miles sped by on the motorway. New clothes, bridesmaid dresses for Katy and Becky, litres of suntan lotion and bug repellant that Jules had insisted they needed. He could feel a vice like headache pressing across his temples. Jesus, the numbers were eye watering. He glanced in the rear view mirror. Were those Bose headphones that Becky was wearing, head nodding slowly to whatever godawful music fourteen year old girls listened to nowadays? Jules wouldn't have bought her those would she? And the wedding gift. He’d almost forgotten. A Sous Vide machine, whatever the hell that was, for four hundred fucking quid. What the hell was Jules thinking? That there was a magic money tree at the bottom of the garden? He clenched the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening. And why the hell did her hippy sister and drippy boyfriend feel the need to get married in Mexico, of all places, and insist that the whole family come?

Katy kicked lazily at the back of the drivers seat. How much longer? She was desperate to know when they would be at the airport, but daddy had shouted last time, threatened to turn round and take them home if they spoke again, so instead she bit her lip. She poked her sister next to her, who ignored her and carried on applying layers of mascara to her lashes. Mummy would tell her off when she saw. Katy would make sure of it. The rucksack between them rustled, so Katy picked it up and placed it gently on her lap. She had some cupcake left from their stop at the motorway services, so she broke off a piece and crumbled it into the top of the bag. ‘Here you go Mr Sniffin’ she whispered ‘It’s delicious cupcake. Daddy said it cost-a-bloody-nuff, so we should eat it.’ The hamster sniffed the crumbs before scooping them with his paws into his chubby cheeks. Mrs Potter next door was meant to be keeping an eye on Mr Sniffin while they were in Mexico, but Katy didn't trust her, she had mean eyes, so she’d decided what harm could it do to bring him with them? Katy must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, the car had stopped and mummy was lifting her rucksack off her lap.

‘The passports are in here’ Jules said to Colin, who was lifting the suitcases out of the boot. Jule’s opened the bag and screamed so piercingly that she dropped the bag, allowing Mr Sniffin to run out onto the tarmac and immediately scuttle off under a row of cars. Colin snatched the bag from the ground and reached inside. He pulled out a soggy shredded bundle of paper. ‘Oh’ said Katy, choking back a sob, ‘Mr Sniffin made himself a bed.’ Colin’s face drained of all colour before slowly turning red. ‘He bloody well did. Out of our sodding passports’