Saving Amy

Grandpa Gone Wrong

Sophia was now four years old, and she still had no idea of who her mum was. Her dad, a man called Joseph Green with the same skin colour as her, had come to Mitchell's house, wanting to see his daughter. Sophia had come to the door, and he'd seen her. Like her teacher two years ago, he fell under her spell immediately. He stayed for the rest of the day, playing whatever games she wanted to. "I want to go with Daddy!" She'd said when he was leaving, but Mitchell said she couldn't because "Mummy said I had to look after you, princess." After a tearful last hug and making him promise to come back, Sophia had let him go.

She had developed more of her personality. She was still the same energetic little girl who could run around all day and not get tired. She loved makeup, she collected it from kids magazines, and she loved styling hair, she said she wanted to be a hairdresser when she grew up. She adored her Uncle Alex more than anyone else, and he adored her. Everyone in the family recognised the same passion for music in her that was in Amy. Sophia couldn't sing yet because she couldn't understand the lyrics to songs, but she understood the music itself, and she would sing that repeatedly.

The family were having a barbecue in the back garden, it was Mitchell, Janis, Alex, and Sophia, who was busy playing with her new pet rabbit, a golden coloured lionhead rabbit named Dandelion, when Alex picked her up from behind, making her squeal in delight. "Sophia Jade Winehouse, you get more beautiful every time I see you!" He spun her round like she was flying, kissed her cheek and then put her down on the grass.

"Uncle Alex, look what I can do!" Sophia took a deep breath, and then did a cartwheel. Everyone clapped and she stood up, beaming. "Very good, princess!" Alex said. Sophia ran over to the grown ups and stood holding one of the chairs. "Where's Isla?" She asked. "She's coming over later, sweetie." Janis told her.

Then the four of them heard the front door opening, and footsteps in the hallway. "Is that Isla?" Sophia shrieked excitedly. "Hello?" A voice Sophia didn't recognise called out, and she ran to hide in her playroom, which was really the garage but they called it the games room because it had all her toys, games and books in it, twinkly fairy lights all around the room, and pink letters spelling SOPHIA on one wall. She was shy with everyone except her family, so whenever anyone else came over, she ran to hide there and locked the door.

Amy walked out into the garden, a lit cigarette between her fingertips. "All right, everyone?" She said casually, like it hadn't been forever since they'd seen her. Janis, Alex and Mitchell all hugged her at the same time, making her laugh. She stubbed her cigarette out under her heel, leaving a black mark on the ground. "How are you all?" She asked, after they'd found another chair for her. "Everyone's fine," Alex smiled at his sister. "That's good. I only have ten, fifteen minutes to stop by." Amy explained. "Where's my baby?"

Alex opened his mouth to call for Sophia, but Mitchell stopped him with a gesture that went unnoticed by Amy. "She's upstairs sleeping, we shouldn't wake her up. Maybe you can see her next time."
He walked a disappointed looking Amy to the front door and waved goodbye to her. When he turned around, Janis and Alex were behind him. "Why did you do that?" Alex demanded. "Sophia doesn't even know who her mum is and you just ruined her chance to meet her!"
"After what happened at the preschool, Sophia learning that word from Amy and repeating it, it isn't good for her to be around Amy." Mitchell explained.

"That's stupid!" Janis exclaimed. "Children are supposed to be with their mothers if they can, and she can!" Sophia ran in from the garden, but hearing the shouting, she stopped in the hall. "What's wrong?" She asked, sucking her thumb. "Nothing, Sophia." Janis said. "Who was that?" Sophia edged closer. "It was just a friend." Mitchell said. Alex glared at him. "Juliette?" Sophia asked. "Lauren?"
"No, not Juliette or Lauren." Mitchell said. Sophia shrugged, and ran up the stairs to her room.

Janis grabbed her car keys from the kitchen table. "Come on Alex, we're going. Mitchell, you'd better find out how to tell Sophia about her mum, because she can't grow up without her." Alex picked up his keys and left without looking back at his dad, closing the front door behind him. And in her flat, Amy lay awake all night wondering about her daughter, and why she felt like her dad hadn't told her the truth.