“Mummy! Mummy!” Paisley’s voice drags me from my slumber and I open my eyes to see her hovering over my face. “You’re back!”
I yawn and reach for my phone, its 7am and the bright sun is pouring through the small gap in the curtains onto my face waking me up completely. “Come here, cheeky” I say groggily and pull Paisley into a cuddle. I kiss her cheek as she squirms out of my arms. “Will we go get breakfast?” I ask her and her face lights up.
“Yes!” She shouts loudly, way too loud for this time in the morning and she throws both arms in the air. “Shhh” I hold my finger to my lips and I nod my head at Sarah who I’m guessing by the state she was in last night she will be feeling rather fragile this morning and the longer she sleeps the less moaning I have to hear.
Paisley mimics me and holds her finger to her lips. “Shhhh” She copies and I roll out of the bed and quickly tie my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. I scan my eyes over my reflection in the mirror and I look terrible, I still have last night’s makeup on and it’s smudged around my eyes, I look like a panda.
“Let’s go eat” I hold out my arms and Paisley jumps into them from the bed. I close the door gently behind me and head downstairs into the messy kitchen; it looks like a bomb has gone off. My parents are away and all my siblings are in bed it’s never this quiet. I like it. “Do you want cereal or toast?” I ask her and she points to the cupboard where she knows the cereal is kept.
I open the cupboard and she reaches for the box of rice crispies and I close the door. I put Paisley on the floor and she pulls out the kitchen chair before climbing onto it with the cereal. “The bowl, mummy”
I put the bowl down on the table and she pours the cereal into it with a very serious, concentrated look on her face, she really is getting independent. “Did you have fun with Amy and Sally last night?” I ask her as I pour in the milk and handing her a spoon.
“I got chocolate” She smiles cheekily before giggling.
“Wow!” I gasp in exaggeration and sit down at the table with her.
“And 3 stories” She states holding three fingers in the air.
“You did have a good time, didn’t you?”
She nods spooning more food into her mouth. I just sit and watch her as she eats. I can’t believe how grown up she’s getting, soon she will be 3 and starting nursery, I don’t know what I’ll do with my days when she’s not here 24/7. The time really does fly by while having fun. Milk dribbles down her chin and I reach over the table to wipe it away and I tuck her hair behind her ear. I can’t stop thinking about last night and seeing Cheryl at that club. After sleeping on it in some ways I wish I hadn’t saw her. Every time I see her my heart skips a beat and I’m not entirely sure why, of course I’m attracted to her just like half of England but it can’t be anything more than complete idolisation could it? No it defiantly can’t, I don’t know why I’m even questioning myself. I’m not a lesbian, I’ve never even thought of a girl in ... ‘That way’ but Cheryl she’s different. Her dimpled smile has the power to brighten anyone’s day no matter how down they are and her laugh, god her laugh makes my heart swell. She’s the woman of every mans and most women’s dreams and I have her number saved in my phone but again I’m too scared to contact her in case I sound too keen.
***
The kitchen is a still a right state, if not even worse. With my parents returning home later today I should really get cleaning it. Dirty dishes are cascaded over the counters from this morning’s breakfasts and food has been dropped onto the floor, the living room is even worse. The floor is scattered in toys and nobodies hoovered since my parents let like 3 days ago. I bet the mess in the kitchen is from Adam, he’s lazy and used to my mum and dad doing everything for him, he came down and ate then I ordered him to the shop for today’s paper, I have to get him and Amy to do something since school and college is off, if I didn’t Adam would spend all his time in his pit upstairs and Amy would be out doing god knows what with god knows who. I’ve enjoyed my parents being away I haven’t been nervous at all about sudden arguments or fights that I would have to spilt up, it’s been bliss apart from Amy and Adam’s non-stop bickering.
