Somnolent Strike

Date

It was embarrassing going into MaggieMoo's with a kid looking like a muddy cow and a scowling homeless woman who looked like she was getting kidnapped. 

Well I hadn't exactly mentioned we'd be driving hundreds of miles up to Kansas... so technically...

It was the next day and we were all in a bad mood from the long drive, but I was determined MaggieMoo's was the best ice cream place. It even had a statue of a dragon that I'd loved to climb around on as a kid. Winry immediately began climbing on it, clutching its horns with both dirty hands and leaving muddy footprints.

The staff glared at Winry but I decided to pretend I hadn't seen.

"So... what would you both like?" My voice sounded like I was being strangled.

"Red licorice ice cream for me and Winnie." Isa (what kind of name was that?!) insisted. 

Winry jumped off the statue.

"No no no. Ice cream pizza."

Isa frowned. "Winry shut up! Stop showing me up." 

I noticed people were frowning at us and shivered.

"One red licorice ice cream, and an ice cream pizza." I said quickly.

When we sat at a cow table, Isa kicked me hard.

"Who do you think you are? I said I wanted Win to have the red licorice!"

"But Winry didn't want it." I said dumbly, rubbing my shin.

"She never wants anything I offer her. Little cow. She needs to learn she can't have everything she wants all the time." And with that Isa snatched the ice cream pizza from Winry's hands, dropped it on the floor and stomped on it. I watched in horror as Winry started screaming. She jumped on the floor, walked round the table and threw herself on the shiny marble slabs. Her fists hit at the ice cream pizza and she shrieked and rolled around.

With a deft flick of her wrist, July slapped her, but it did nothing but make it worse. Winry was shouting so loud customers began to leave. I saw one member of staff coming over.

"You'll have to leave, I'm afraid." She made shooing gestures us.

"Can't we just buy one more ice cream pizza please?" I said desperately. 

The lady sighed.

"Oh I don't know." She looked at the muddy, sad lump that was Winry.

Her eyes softened.

"Well just one more I suppose." She went to go and make it but Isa suddenly picked Winry up and ran out of the door.

I ran after them.

"Wait! What about the ice cream pizza?"

"They can shove it up there ass. I'm Winry's mom and she should listen to me when I say no."

The words bubbled up to my lips before I could stop them. 

I tried, I really did. I tried so hard not to say it.

"You're a very bad mother."