Mommy ✓

if i could fly: (ii)

P A R T  II
Pretoria, 2020.
*

The Hearth household had changed in many ways. For instance, there were now two Hearth parents, instead of one; the downstairs area of the house had been redecorated and Paiten's mother had given it 'a woman's touch.'

It was amazing what light-coloured curtains, a red leather couch set and glass coffee table could do to the sitting room alone – nevermind the kitchen. It felt as though she was in a completely different place and each time she came to visit, there were new additions and the house looked less and less like the one she had grown up in.

What transformed the house the most were the pictures. They were hung on the wall like prized art pieces and lined up in perfect rows on dressers and tables. These glossy, enlarged professional portraits told tales of their new lives: the dad, the mom, the daughter and the son. All perfect, all whole - a white-picket-fence-family. All they were missing was a dog and Paiten had no doubt she'd come to visit one day and she'd find that a Labrador, Husky or Dalmation had joined the gang.

Manda was currently staring at one of those pictures in the hallway that led into the kitchen. It was of the four of them over last Christmas dressed in matching silver and blue outfits. Anna had taken the picture with the family Canon camera – she'd saved them thousands on a professional photographer – while they stood in front of the giant Christmas tree adorned with ornaments and big, neatly wrapped presents.

"You look good in silver," Manda said, nodding at the portrait.

"Thanks."

"It's interesting," Manda began, still staring at the picture, "how so many years separate you and Gabriel but he's a copy-and-paste of you."

It was true. The boy had her exact skin tone, the same silky curly hair and a chin that followed the same curve as his sister's. The only difference was in their eyes – Gabriel had inherited his mother's wide shape and his pupils were a light hazel. His name suited him – well, the second bit. With the wide-eyed, demure look that was captured in all of his portraits, he looked as though he was an angel who had fallen on earth and seemed startled to be amongst mortals.

It made it all the more harder for Paiten to sort out her feelings for the child.

"I'm going to catch up on The River, you coming?" Paiten said instead.

"Yeah sure, of course," Manda replied.

Not a minute had passed until they heard the baby's cries on the monitor.

"I've got him," Manda said and dashed for the stairs.

When Manda came back down some ten minutes later Saint Gabriel was in her arms with his head tucked into her neck, content and quiet.

The image of his floppy curls resting against her light neck and the look of quiet joy on Manda's face struck her. She'd always been good with her brother – it seemed as though she had a magic touch that could work wonders with him. And she loved him. She was jealous of how easy it was for her – compared to her own self.

"He had a full diaper but now he's all sorted aren't you, Angel? I'll see if he's not hungry."

Manda fed him his afternoon meal and later rewarded him with the Cheese Curls for finishing it all. She rocked him on her lap in the sitting room until he fell asleep again on her chest.

Paiten had her attention on the TV screen, The River was her favourite show. Her eyes would wander to her best friend and her brother every few minutes, but only for a little while until the drama in the show would suck her back in.