✅ My Cousin's Keeper [NaNoWriMo 2021]

6. My Love

I dropped Tess off at her school. Raybridge High was an imposing red brick building which always looked more like some kind of prison to me, but I hadn't had a reason to really look at it before. As soon as she was out of sight I drove off, hoping that I would get to Pine Ridge in time.

It wasn't such a big deal, and that road was always a pleasant drive. But I spent almost the whole journey this morning wondering what I was going to say about Tess. From the deliberate politeness of my cousin moving in, to the nerves of her parents, a movie that had broken the ice, all the way through to this morning's hectic rush, and the first confirmation that Tess really wanted to be my little. I had no idea how much or how little it was appropriate to share. I was excited, of course, and wanted to elaborate on every last detail of how cute my baby girl was, and how much fun we were going to have. But I was the responsible one now, so I knew I had to respect Tess's privacy.

I pulled up on a patch of waste ground next to the Pine Ridge Municipal Care Trust; a building that in just about any other town would have been clearly labelled as either a retirement home or aa hospital, but here was inexplicably expected to fulfill both roles. There were a couple of trees planted haphazardly on this patch of ground, leading to some local kids treating it as an unofficial park. But between the pine trunks, I saw a figure walking with flowing golden-red hair and a sharp olive suit that almost matched her tan.

"What's a nice girl like you doing–" I started, but didn't get any further before she spun around and grabbed my arm in a way that promised some measure of pain in the near future if I didn't come up with a more original line.

"Gabrielle," she smiled like a shark, showing off perfect teeth. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I dropped my cousin off at school. It's barely three minutes away, and I haven't seen you since Friday. Can you imagine what a burden it is, to go so long without you?"

"I can imagine. But consider yourself lucky. There are poor, starving people in Nigeria or wherever who've never seen me at all. So, you've finally got a little girl living in your house?"

"Yeah," I nodded. I hadn't told Ffrances about my hopes that Tess would turn out to be a good little, but I'd not exactly made a secret of how much I liked the thought of having a little one to look after. I'd almost asked her once if she wouldn't mind being a child once in a while, but I knew she would never go for it. She was too used to being the one in control, and it was that side of her that had really got my attention in the first place. I loved her, and I knew I would never be able to see her as just a toy to live out my fantasies.

"So how is she? Settling in well?"

And that was it. The moment of truth. "She's so cute, it's hard to believe she's nearly fifteen. I imagine she'll be getting carded until she's well older than us, if she doesn't have a growth spurt soon. She's getting on well, even wanted to do the chores herself. I'm sure she'll be the best housemate ever. She'd wait on you like I do, but for her there'd be no ulterior motive, it's like she really is a nice person, and she wants to do everything she can for the people around her. I promise, you'll love her."

"I love you, silly girl. I don't need anyone else. But I'm sure she'll bring out my maternal instincts in full force. So... you're being the responsible adult? Not trying to corrupt her?"

"Of course not!" I was almost outraged; but Ffrances always knew how to push my buttons. I never knew if she was being serious, and a good part of me was sure that she never was. "She's a little kid, Ffrances. She's my cousin. I just want her to have a good life, so she doesn't have to jet all over the world with her parents. You know how hard it can be, going through school not knowing if you'll be moving before you finish the year?"

"Cute. But is she a teen, or a little kid? You seem a little unsure."

"I told you. She's not... Well, she's little, and she's cute. She might be older than you'd believe when you look at her. But she's given me a sign now, she feels pressured to act her age and she doesn't like it. It's a burden on her, so if she trusts us enough, would you be okay playing Mommy? Let her admit how vulnerable she is, and take responsibility so she doesn't need to?"

"If she can ask me. She's your family, and that makes her our family, right? So I'll do whatever I can to help her cope with the rigours of school. This won't mean we lose out on private moments, will it? Is she responsible enough to entertain herself when the adults want to do something fun?"

"I think so," I chuckled a little. "But just in case, would you like to take advantage of a brief moment where nobody can see or hear us?"

She glanced around, pointedly noticing all the traffic drifting past on Brock Street. Probably nobody would even notice us through the trees, but I knew Ffrances had a very different opinion on what other people might see. She also had an exhibitionist streak a mile wide.

"You know I can't resist you, babe," she grinned. "But you also know, given that you've ambushed me less than ten feet from the back gate, that it's almost time for my shift to start. And I'm not going to be cuddling my girlfriend up against the wall when I'm supposed to be working. I don't neglect my responsibilities, Gabby. My patients need me."

"I'm glad I got to see you. I'd missed you so much."

"Five minutes," she snapped back with a wicked grin, pressing me against the hospital wall and kissed me deeply, pulling back after a second to whisper: "Maximum. And you better not disappoint me."