Poppy/H.S

Chapter 33

Harry's POV

I keep a tight grip on the wheel as I quickly glance into the rear view mirror, the sight of a tired Poppy using the back of her hand to touch her eyes as she struggles to stay awake. Ever since she woke up this morning, she's been feeling a bit under the weather. She was also more cuddly than usual in the morning. However, the thing I found the most odd, is the fact she didn't want to eat her breakfast this morning. Mum woke up early in the morning to make breakfast for us all, which she didn't have to, but she always says it's something that makes her happy. I could tell how glad she was we joined her during the holidays, because even though she never shows it on the outside, I've come to realise she hates being home alone ever since Robin died, even though it's been years since he passed away.

I miss him everyday. I never thought I'd be that close to someone who wasn't my biological father, but he'd been the best fatherly figure in my life. I know what living with a single parent is like, since it was just me, Gemma and mum fit quite some time before she met Robin. When mum and dad got divorced, we only saw him every other weekend, which was very little time compared to the fact he used to live with us before that. However, it was only after my parents had gotten divorced, that I realised that even though dad was with us almost nonstop in the house, he wasn't really there for us emotionally. He'd always been extremely closed off to us, just sat on the couch watching football while mum would bring him a fresh can of beer every few hours. With time, I noticed mum hadn't been happy in the relationship with dad for a long time. Her life was stereotypical, and even though there were both of my parents living under the same roof, I felt like I had only one of them with whom I could count on. She was the first person in the house to wake up, make breakfast for everyone and prepare lunches for me and Gemma that we would take to school.

It was the little things that dad would say at the table that made realise their marriage was anything but ideal. He would always point out the things he didn't like about the meal mum had made, picking at everything, even though my mum has always been a flawless cook. It felt like all mum did was take care of us and go to work, day after day, while dad just woke up to a fresh breakfast every morning and then went to work. Every day that he came from work, Gemma and I would ask him to play with us or even help us with some homework. A normal parent would smile, nod and spend time with their kids, just like mum did. However, dad would always mutter some curse words under his breath, explaining how tired he was from working in his nine to five job.

I've always been a mummy's boy, and now I seem to understand why. Even before they got divorced, it had always been me, Gemma, and mum. The only person on whom our household was dependent on was mum, that's why I didn't care much when dad left. It didn't change anything except for the fact that he moved out and mum had more time for the two of us, when she didn't have to run around her ex-husband like a servant.

I was extremely glad when she told us about Robin. I was around ten years old, I think, when she introduced him to him to us. Of course, like any other boy, I was very protective of my beloved mother, which resulted in me interrogating Robin about his intentions. No matter how strong and emotionless I wanted to look in front of Robin, I was taken aback by his charismatic personality. There was something about him that would just scream he was a good person when you looked him in the eyes. The look in his eyes was very honest, signaling his intentions with my mother were pure and he loved her dearly.

After he moved in with us, I immediately noticed how different mum was. She was smiling every day, blushing as she would prepare breakfast for us all with Robin's help in the kitchen. They were the perfect duo. Whenever she was sad, he always knew what to say to bring a smile back on her face and cheer her up. Robin's joke were the best. He was the person who introduced me to knock knock jokes, actually. I would always tell his jokes to my friends at school, and somehow, that was the way I became slightly more popular in my friend's group.