Not Having Fun

018

I frown and hold my hand while it cramps. "I'm finished Dad!"

"Is that you done Max?" He looks over my written lines. I hit Chris so I had to write a whole page of lines. But I got to draw a picture at the end.

"Can I go and play now?"

Dad nods. "Remember, no outside,"

"Go and play in your room then," He starts to put his jacket on. "I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back for dinner,"

"Okay Dad,"

I go up to my room. I try to play, I really do. But it's too boring. I want to paint something big, but all my paper is too small. So I paint on the wall instead.  I got spanked when I did it the last time but this time I'm hiding it. I'm not three anymore. I'm smart now. They'll never find out, I moved my drawers out from the wall so I can move them back and hide my drawing.

Last time, Mum said if I did it again she'd "tan my hide with the wooden spoon". That was forever ago, she probably forgot.

I start drawing. I make a big space scene. I draw Chris being dragged along by a spaceship. Maybe his lungs will blow up, like in The Simpsons. There's a creak in the hallway. Someone's coming! I quickly drag the drawers back over to the wall. They're so heavy! I just get them back against the wall when the door opens.

"Hi Max," It's Mum with Roxie. Roxie has started crawling. When Mum puts her down, she crawls over to my paint.

"Ah ah," Mum picks her up away from the paint. "That's not for you. Max, now that Roxie is moving around on her opwn, we need to make sure all the lids are put back on things,"

"Okay Mum," I start putting the lids back on the paint.

"Are you painting?"

"Uh huh Mum,"

"Can we join you?" she kneels down with Roxie. I huff.

"Noo, I want to paint by myself,"

"Okay," Mum frowns in thought. "We need to get you bigger paper, it/s no fun making tiny paintings you can't hang on the wall," 

At least she understands that part. 

When she leaves, I  don't notice that she leaves my door ajar. I go back to painting, completely unaware.

"Holy shit!"

I spin around. Chris is standing there, witness to my whole wall of painting. 

"MUUUUM!"

"No, wait!"

"This can be payback for hitting me this morning," he smirks and leans against my door.

"I'm downstairs!" Mum calls. "What is it?"

I look pleadingly at Chris. "Please don't tell!" I mouth.

"Max painted all over the wall!"

"WHAT?!"

"You're stupid!" I run into him and start punching his tummy. He easily holds me back.

"This is great, you'll get in so much trouble!" he laughs.

Just as Mum comes upstairs, he ;stops holding me back and falls back onto the hall floor. "Aargh!"

"Chris!" Mum kneels down and helps him up. "What happened?!"

"Max pushed me for telling on him!"

She sighs. "You've done the same to him for telling on you. But that's still no excuse, Max. Get in the corner," 

I go to the corner, stomping a little bit. Mum talks to herself while she cleans the fresh paint off the wall. "We'll need to repaint some of these,"