When We're Together (Damon Albarn)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Monday 15th June 2009

"Primrose will you please put your clothes back on" I said with a frustrated sigh, watching as she took off her school uniform before running around the kitchen in her underwear "you can't go to school like that"

"Don't want to" She shouted back before launching herself over the back of the sofa, her high-pitched squeals being the only indication to how entertaining she was finding herself. I looked across to Damon and couldn't help but smile at the bemused smirk he was trying to hold back. At least Primrose wasn't the only person finding herself funny.

"Clothes are kind of a non-negotiable darling" Damon called out to her, I took a sip from my coffee as I watched her jump out from behind the sofa, a perplexed look on her face as she glared at Damon.

"Not for me Daddy!" She retorted, laughing gleefully before ducking behind the sofa again. 

I caught a glimpse of Fox out of the corner of my eye, his shorts were in a pile on the floor as he fumbled with his tie, desperately trying to undo it before myself or his father realised what he was doing. Before I could say anything my eyes fell upon Missy, who had abandoned her uniform on the floor, and was currently running across the kitchen in her underwear to join her sister behind the sofa.

"Clothes aren't for me either!" She laughed, I couldn't help a smile from growing as I heard both of the girls burst into a fit of giggles when they realised they were hiding behind the sofa together.

"No Fox" I sighed weakly as I watched him, finally free from his tie, also running to join his sisters. It was a pathetic attempt to stop him, i'd given up on the words before I'd even finished speaking them.

"Now what?" I asked Damon with a laugh as I sat down next to him, both of us facing the sofa which seemed to have growing laughter bursting out from behind it.

"Well we seem to have raised three nudists" He commented, glancing across to me with raised eyebrows and a grin on his lips.

"Yeah, well they get that from you" I grinned, though I couldn't help but shake my head through the laughter "Oh Damon, what are we going to do? We're never going to get them to school on time"

"Let's have the day off" He responded quickly, I looked across at him in surprise, that was the last thing I expected him to say.

"We can't" I told him, shaking my head as I watched the smile on his face grow "What does that teach them? If you do the exact opposite of what we ask then you get to have the day off school?"

"Let's live a little" He mused, a smile on his face growing, I wasn't sure what had gotten into him "We never let them have a spontaneous day off"

"Damon" I scoffed, laughing in disbelief at his words "They have half the fucking year off"

"Come on darling, one day off never hurt" He grinned, his eyes showing that glint when he knew he was going to get his own way, something he hadn't lost after all these years.

"But we've got that interview today, I really don't want to bring them with us, that never works" I told him apprehensively, Damon and I had well and truly learnt over the past few months that children and interviews do not mix.

"We'll have them come here" He responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but his words just sent alarm bells off in my head.

"Have them come into our house?" I exclaimed, laughing at how ridiculous I found his suggestion "Jesus Christ Damon, we can't do that"

"We can sit in the garden" I shook my head at his words, but his grin as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and placed a kiss on my head told us both that he had won.