Reading time: 7 minutes, 53 seconds
Jack went wild and smashed a china elephant. The one Claire brought from Africa. For heaven’s sake. It was a special gift. Claire believed the elephant drew good luck to her life, and now it crashed into a million pieces. Awesome.
Maybe if it weren’t for the shocking news, it wouldn’t have happened; Rebecca wondered. She was torn to bits as she watched Claire’s little angel girl Sammy writing away her own name.. Whaaat??? Jack could barely pronounce his surname or remember his age.
How in the hell did she learn to write her own name? She was busy sorting out the puzzle whilst Jack snuck out from the kitchen like Houdini. Then he grabbed the bloody elephant and BOOM; let it fall, just like that.
Not on purpose, of course. Rebecca knew how much it meant to Claire, but how could she possibly feel responsible?
Why didn’t Claire keep it hidden in the first place? Under her pillow or in the basement. Why did she need to keep such a valuable gift on display in the living room..Yes. In the living room!!! The busiest room in everyone’s house. How Insane. Right? Everyone could reach it. But no, of course, it must have been Rebecca’s kid smashing the gift…Aaargh!!!!
OK, fair enough, Jack was a clumsy kid, but so what anyway?
Any three-year-old could’ve dropped it. Claire had thousands of visitors per week.
Thank god Claire didn’t make a scene, though. It was awkward enough already. She looked surprisingly quiet.
“I am so sorry, Claire. I am sure Jack didn’t mean it.”
“That’s alright. I still have the stones.” She sniffed.
Phew. Claire took it well.
What stones was she talking about? Rebecca couldn’t recall any more crappy mysterious stories about some rocks.
Sammy was counting from one to ten..Claire was tidying the mess,
and REbecca was dressing up Jack. What a fun afternoon..
“How’s Jack with numbers?” Claire turned to Rebecca whilst she was on her knees…Why the question? Rebecca started to wonder. Just because Sammy was a new candidate for a Nobel prize, it didn’t mean that Jack was a stupid kid because he had no clue about numbers whatsoever.
“He’s good! A bit shy but doing really well.” Rebecca patted Jack’s back proudly.
Oh boy..Rebecca never wanted to become one of those mothers; who are comparing her child’s abilities to others..neither did she want to become a liar….
But did she have a choice? All her friends gave birth to genius children. Where did that leave her with Jack?
Yes. Jack was a happy, healthy kid, but he was not interested in learning. And of course, nobody was EVER going to find out. EVER!
Biting her fingernails; Rebecca was driving back home. Jack was content in his car seat at least. The casino lights were dancing on his lap. He was amused by the corner shops..and the funeral service..It was a lovely April evening.
”Stop sucking your finger, Jack.!”
And how come Claire’s house is always so tidy? And her soft muffins..so indulging..Rebecca murmured and glanced at the box full of three yummy home-made blueberry muffins sitting next to her..Thank god Claire put them next to Rebecca’s coat before the incident happened.
“Muffin. I want muffin.” Jack demanded.
When does she find the time to bake anyway? And energy? Miss almost perfect. Yep. Almost. She wasn’t married yet. Alan didn’t propose to her yet. Ha! Gotcha! Bloody Claire!
“Bloody Claire.” Jacked repeated quietly.
Poor Rebecca was drowning in her own pool of jealousy; ignoring Jack’s calling. She was losing her own sanity.
They arrived home. Rebecca parked the car when a tsunami of salty tears started washing her hot cheeks..What now?
“I want to go home, mama.”
Two minutes later…
“Are you serious, Becc?” Eric held Jack’s soaking wet nappy in between his fingers as she was opening the front door; wiping her own tears away. He was disgusted.
Oh, you must be kidding me. Did I get the time wrong? She checked her phone, but it was 18:00. The time was right, but her husband arrived home early. Busted.
Rebecca put Jack down and took her shoes off.
“Sorry. I was in a hurry.” She sighed.
“Becca, how many times did I tell you to switch off the lights when you were leaving home?” Why did he need to be such a pain? Eric was now walking from one room to another; inspecting the flat and criticising Rebecca.
“Enough, Eric. You come home from work; eat your dinner, and watch YouTube channels. That’s it.” Rebecca opposed. She had enough comments coming from a man who didn’t lift a finger at home. Why did he need to act like a king and made her feel like his maid? Rebecca wondered if that was a man thing or a marriage thing or what.
“Excuse me, honey? Did you forget who pays the bills? Are you asking me to do all the chores now too?”
“But I am all by myself with no help, Eric. It’s not easy to keep the house tidy, you know? And it’s not only that! Remember, you have a son!.” Rebecca burst into tears because Eric was so insensitive and kept raising his voice to make a point..
For the best, she disappeared behind the bathroom doors; she knew it there so well lately. It was a safe zone. She could be completely herself. No more fake masks that represented a happy and content wife or a “mamma hero.” She could be tearful and desperate Rebecca, with greasy hair and who was crying for help. Why is he such a nerd? She kept whispering to the mirror.
“Maybe call your sister, Becca. I don’t know what to do with you anymore. No matter what I tell you, nothing works.” Eric added.
Eric wasn’t always like this – egocentric and gross. Rebecca remembered him as a supportive and loving boyfriend who was so thrilled to have a son. Ever since he started his new job and Jack was born; he’s changed. He became cold-blooded and patronising. He wasn’t helping with Jack, and he was pissed off every time Rebecca didn’t want to have sex. The dynamics in their relationships changed.
Rebecca’s changed too, though. From a confident and good looking chick, she became fatigued and a tearful wreck of nerves. She had no sex drive. Or maybe she had, but Eric took it away whenever he raised his voice..Every single conversation led to an argument with him. But at least Jack was happy.
Or was Rebecca really failing as a mother and a wife? Maybe Eric was right. Perhaps it was time to call her sister.
Jess was a long way from London. Her boyfriend owned a farm up north. She was Rebecca’s younger sister and didn’t think about having children as yet. She loved children so much, though, which was why she wanted to become a primary school teacher. Jess was the prettiest one. With her pale soft skin and ginger hair; red lipstick and white teeth; so many men ended up hypnotised and addicted to her nutty eyes as years passed by…
Rebecca and Jess shared sweet childhood memories. Sadly, their parents died suddenly in a car accident only five years ago. Since the tragedy, Jess and Rebecca became one unit.
Rebecca and Jess Shared Sweet Childhood memories. Sadly, their
parents died suddenly in a car accident only fiver years ago. Since
the tragedy, Jess and Rebecca became one unit.
The next day, Rebecca called Jess, who agreed to come down to London at short notice. But only if Rebecca paid her visit back for a week!
Rebecca nodded carelessly. She had no idea what life on farms was like, and it wasn’t important. Long before Eric, Rebecca used to be a typical city barbie..She wouldn’t know how chicken eggs got to the shelves in her local store or what milking cows actually meant. But she needed a friend. A close friend. Someone to talk to. She’d agree to anything to achieve that.
Eric was relieved that Jess was coming. Little Rebecca and Eric knew how Jess’s visit was going to make a change in their lives..and marriage. Or did they want to live next to each other like silent roommates forever?
“Hey, Becky-boo!” Jess screamed when she appeared on Rebecca’s doorstep the following day. It was a heartwarming moment for both. Jess looked so young and beautiful as usual; wearing her pink floral dress; covering her boney shoulders with a blue jeans jacket.
“Hey, little sister. Soo good to see you” Rebecca hugged her as if it was for the last time in their lifetime.. Her presence almost pushed tears into Rebecca’s eyes; there was so much to talk about.
“Alright, alright! Let me in! Where is my little nephew!” Jess screamed.
It was soo good to have her around. She brought such good vibes to their home already.
Rebecca let Jess settle in their living room. When she unpacked her suitcase, she started stocking stuff on Rebecca’s kitchen counter… A butter…a box of fresh eggs and milk. All good home-made products from Jess’s new farmer Malcolm. Oh, he was so smart; hard working and sexy. If there ever was a perfect gentleman like you see in those telenovelas; he was definitely one of them. No woman could ever feel insecure with him. He was such a symbol of strength, and he was so kind too.
Jess marched to the kitchen and started opening all cupboards..
“Where do you keep flour, Becky-Boo?”
“What are you doing, Jess? You can’t cook?” Rebecca teased her.
“Give me the flour and watch! I’ll make some pancakes for all of us.” Jess winked at her.
“By the way, Malcolm says hi.” She added and lifted an egg.
Rebecca made a pot with raspberry tea and popped into a corner shop for jam and chocolate spread. Jack stayed with Auntie Jess. They were building blocks.
Soon Rebecca opened the front door.
“So tell me, sis, what’s going on?” Jess grabbed the chocolate spread and headed to the kitchen. Rebecca started talking about her struggles as a mother; housewife and a wife.
“Is that a bread in your hair, Becky-Boo?” Jess pulled a piece of crumb from Rebecca’s hair whilst she was talking about housework..As they kept chatting, Rebecca started to feel like a total loser and burst in tears. Her marriage was falling apart. She tolerated her husband’s insults which were becoming worse and worse every time she let him cross the line..Finally, she had someone to talk to.
“I don’t like seeing you like this, Becky.” Jess squeezed her arms. “Let me give you something.” She came back from the living room with two pink bath bombs. Jack was watching TV.
“Take a shower Becky and then we’ll have something nice to drink, OK?” She added.
Jess was an angel. She was a real lifesaver; having her around was better than going to the spa. Rebecca felt loved like she didn’t feel for a very long time.
Jess was enjoying her time around Jack and Rebecca too. She read Jack a story that put him to sleep. Eric was out for drinks after work. It was a perfect evening.
Jess even brought scented candles; fairy lights and a bottle of expensive wine from Malcolm. Rebecca prepared some snacks, and they sat on the floor in the living room like two teenage girls; chatting away they were digging in memories which led to Jared. A boy they both fell in love once. It was a great evening full of laughter..
“Becky, pack your stuff. We are going to leave tomorrow. I will take you to Malcolm’s farm and show you something. You and Jack will love it there” Jess put her glass of wine down and grabbed Becca’s hands..
“What? Are you crazy? I can’t leave like that?”
“Actually, I think we should have done this a long time ago Becky-Boo..”
TO BE CONTINUED….
What would you do in Rebecca’s shoes?
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Fabulous Read! 