Peace at last!

Written for Short Story Slam 12

Peace at last! I thought he’d never fall asleep. Listen; bliss. All I can hear is the ticking of the clock, and the rustling of autumn leaves in the world beyond his cosy little room. ‘Yes’ I said to her, ‘you go out and enjoy yourself this evening; you deserve it and it’s time for our first attempt at father-son bonding’. Little did I realise what I’d let myself in for.

I need to start clearing up the bombsite that used to be our lounge. I had no idea how loose the curtain track had become and I had no idea how tight his grip was on the fabric when I tried carrying him away from the window. I’m never going to have time to get out the ladder and my tools and reattach the rail before she gets home . I know I said I’d feed him, after all, how difficult could it be? I’m sure it wasn’t my fault the first jar of baby food exploded in the microwave, it must have been faulty. Then to demonstrate how tasty the Heinz cauliflower and broccoli cheese was, I let him watch me eat a little myself. Mistake . When I got back from throwing up in the bathroom he was tucking into the cat litter, and for some reason he found it tastier than the gloopy slime in the little jar. He was probably right . The kitchen looks like a disaster area and if she sees all that baby food splattered across the ceiling she’ll be furious. Actually, pale green looks quite good, I’ll bear that in mind when we redecorate .

 Tabby the cat is probably still hiding behind the sofa. Can’t say I blame her. At one stage I nearly joined her. He’s got a lovely little wind up toy cat, I like playing with it myself, but he seems to think that torturing Tabby is far more fun . Actually, whilst watching him it did occur to me that he has a natural aptitude for riding - one day he might even become a jockey. 


I’m not too good with things horticultural, but I’m hoping that if I poke the snapped-off part of her precious orchid back into the dirt in the flowerpot, it might re-grow its roots. After all, the wriggly worm he snapped in half in the garden earlier today managed to survive. It was funny actually ; both halves went off in different directions! I bet they won’t arrange a get-together in our garden! 

He looks so sweet and innocent lying there. I wonder if he’s dreaming? We are going to the coast tomorrow. What was it Winston Churchill said, something about fighting them on the beaches? He’s probably plotting something right now. I had no idea how hard looking after a child single-handedly could be ; I’m worn out. 

 It’s really comfortable here. I think I deserve a little rest before I start downstairs. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I’ll just er, er, mmmmmmmmmmm.