The Misfortunes Of Carrie

Epilogue| The Misfortune In Penguins

Epilogue| The Misfortune in Penguins 

Five Years Later

"Arah! Stop trampling mud all over the house! When you come back from Soccer practice, I told you to leave your shoes outside so you don't get mud all over the house." I yell through the house and I hear her heavy cleats come bounding down the stairs and sigh.

"Sorry mum," she says and takes off the dripping wet cleats, dropping them onto the floor.

"Arah, I swear to-"

"Sorry!" she says sheepishly and picks them up.

"Hose them off and then set them out to dry before your lacrosse game tomorrow. Then you can clean up the mud all over the house," I scold her and she sighs.

"Fine."

She cleans up her mess and goes up to shower while I step into the house and sigh deeply. My phone beeped and I read the text from Alec.

Im working late again tonight, emergency at work. Please feel free to shoot me. Jk jk love you. Don't wait up.

I shake my head at the text. Since the move we were both working like crazy and barely saw each other lately.

I need the sex.

Arah comes bounding back down the stairs in her ducky pajamas and I laugh at the rat's nest of hair on her head.

"Ow!" She winces when she hits her leg against the cardboard moving box.

"Sorry, lovely. I'm still unpacking. Come have dinner," I set the leftovers on the table and she stares at it.

"Did you make it?"

"No, your dad did. No sit and eat," I reassure her and she smiles, sitting and eating it quickly.

"Mum, can I sign up for basketball?" She asks me.

"Sure, baby. Give me the information and I'll sign you up," I tell her, looking at the papers on our dining room table. "How are you liking your new school?"

"It's okay, I made new friends," she says brightly and I smile, mentally exhaling in relief.

"That's great! Who are they?" I ask excitedly.

"Calm down mum," she gives me a weird look. "They are Jasper and Jordan Cooke, brothers and they're awesome! Jordon taught me how to make mud pies and I taught Jasper how to climb trees!" She grins, and I laugh.

"That's awesome. Do you want to invite them over for a sleepover tonight? I got the schools phonebook and I can ask their mum," I tell her and she nods.

"Yes! Can we play outside?" She asks and I nod.

"Sure, I know that the backyard is a bit smaller than your grandparents but tomorrow, I'll take you guys to the park or something," I promise her and she smiles, bouncing excitedly. "And we can make cookies!" I exclaim gleefully.

"Mum," she rolls her eyes. "No."

"Fine, I'll make cookies." I decide, "But finish your dinner."

"Okay," she finishes it instantly and brings me back the school address book and I call the name under her class. Their mum agreed to bring them over around seven and Arah couldn't stop bouncing around the house.

I finished unpacking boxes around the house. It was a whole new city to explore, Seattle. I graduated last year and spent the last year in a custody battle for Arah back in Mancheston. Her grandparents didn't want her to move but Alec and I had jobs set up here and neither of us wanted to stay in Mancheston or Riverton. Alec moved up here and found a place for us to live since his job demanded him to be there immediately, while I stayed behind and sorted the adoption out. Ultimately, I won. Arah's grandparents were old and mainly living off the money I gave them for Arah but I felt guilty. They had raised her when I couldn't and so I promised visits every few months.