~𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀~

𝑺𝟏 𝑬𝟔: 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆

Previously on Keeping up with the Lingards... 

"Fuck sleeping in here, I'm going someplace else." 

"Come on Jesse, in the fucking car you drive your daughter in?" 

"Maybe you're just tired, come to bed."

***

19:55 PM

Cheshire, England

📍Princess Hope's Bedroom

"But Hope was also inside the box, and it was released into the human world, giving humans hope to rise against the bad things in their lives." 

Anisha slowly closed the book once more, and put it on the bookshelf. Turning around, she saw that the little girl was smiling at the woman. 

"Are you sure we can't read it again?" she pleaded. "Please?" 

"Sorry love," Anisha sighed. "I'm afraid it's your bedtime!" 

Hope sighed and dramatically flopped on the bed. "Hug?" 

"Of course! Come here." 

Anisha smiled and her heart warmed as the young girl came over to bury her stepmother in a massive hug. 

"I love you a lot Neesh," Hope whispered. "Daddy is very lucky to have you." 

"Ha, yeah. And everyone is lucky to have you. Bedtime?" 

"Fine," Hope groaned, and got herself under the covers. 

But just as Anisha was about the switch the lights off and the nightlight on, Hope remembered something. 

"I need to tell you something!" Hope insisted. "It was really weird, but also a bit funny." 

"And what's this?" Anisha asked, looking Bemused. She sat at the edge of the child's bed. "Go ahead sweetie. I'm all ears." 

"Well," Hope began. "When you went out shopping last week, and I was eating lunch, there was a knock at the door. Daddy opened it and I went to go see who it was, because I thought it was you coming back." 

The older woman nodded. "Who was it? Was it Uncle Rashy?" 

Hope violently shook her head. "Uncle Rashy doesn't have blonde hair," she giggled, "or high heels. Or make-up. But Daddy let her in, saying she's one of Daddy's friends." 

"What happened next?" 

"Well, I was watching TV, cause I finished lunch and you were still gone. Daddy and the blonde lady went upstairs, they said they were having an 'adult talk'. After that I heard a loud noise." 

Anisha raised her eyebrows. "What was it?" she asked. 

"I don't know. But it was scary, there were lots of bangs coming from upstairs, and I thought it was a robber. So I ran upstairs to tell Daddy! But the noises got louder when I went upstairs." 

The scene that Hope innocently described did not sound like anything Anisha was pleased to hear, but she wanted the girl to continue. 

"And when I got to the door, I heard the blonde lady. She was... breathing funny."

"Breathing funny?" 

Hope shrugged. "She sounded like she was being hit by something really hard. So I opened the door a bit, and I saw really weird stuff." 

Anisha was dreading what poor Hope could have seen, but stayed quiet. 

"The blonde lady was sitting on Daddy, and she was jumping on him. Like Peppa Pig in muddy puddles! And she didn't wear clothes which was gross."

The poor girl shuddered. "Daddy was breathing funny too, but then he nearly saw me, so I had to run away. After a while blonde lady came back downstairs, and after that you came back." 

Anisha was dead silent, staring ahead at the wall. She nodded and looked to Hope.

"What a weird day, huh?" 

"I know! Don't tell Daddy I saw it though, it might be a bit embarrassing." 

Anisha nodded, and tucked Hope into bed once more. "But I think it's time we go to bed, hmm?" 

Hope yawned and nodded. "Goodnight Neesh!" 

"Goodnight Hope!" 

***

"No fucking way!" Malia screeched. "He did that?" 

Anisha nodded. "It makes sense why he was sending all those texts, and Hope is too young to have imagined all that damaging stuff." 

The two were speaking on the phone. It wasn't that late, but Jesse was out again, declaring that tonight was the night to chill with the lads. And honestly, Anisha had no energy to tell him no. So she just let it happen, and took herself to the couch.

"Can you imagine when Hope grows up though? She's gonna realise she witnessed her Dad having sex! With some random bimbo as well!" 

"He's sick," Anisha scoffed. "So eager to fuck her and he couldn't even make sure his child, one that I apparently am making digs at because I can't have any, was out of the house!" 

"Wait... What do you mean by that?" 

"I mean, Jesse tried calling me out at my inability to give him kids. He's so stupid!" 

"Girl, what the hell are you still doing there? Go shag someone else! And if you somehow end up pregnant, that'll show him! Stupid ass motherfucker." 

"Going after someone else won't solve anything, Malia. Enough about me though, what about you and Jude? You guys okay?" 

"Yeah yeah, we're okay. He messaged me back, actually."

Malia sighed. "We, um, went on a date, and I thought he might ask me out, y'know, officially. But he didn't."

"Then that's his loss," said Anisha, kissing her teeth. "Jesus, men ain't shit these days, are they?" 

"That's right, girl. Men ain't shit."