Stella and Annabelle

Stella and the rainbow socks

Stella was fed up. She had a thousand things to do and no time to stop and take a breath. This was starting to become a permanent feature of her in her everyday life. While she knew this was the life she had chosen for herself that didn't make it any easier and she had thought she would have had more support.

She pulled out of her work car park and drove to pick up her son from daycare. Hopefully traffic wouldn't be too bad and she could make it into the city quickly to pick up the flowers and then get to the bakery before they shut on the way home. It wouldn't leave her much time to get dinner organized for Oscar before his bedtime so maybe it would be a baked beans and toast kind of night.

Oscar was in a wonderful mood when she picked him up and his educators boasted that he hadn't had any accidents today. Oscar had just turned 3 and Stella had decided it was time to get toilet training done with. She had caved and given him his nappy back several times when he had refused to use the potty. But it seemed to be working now.

As she approached the florists to pick up the flowers, Oscar beside her, his tiny hand clinging on tightly to her's "I need to do a wee mummy!" Oh fuck. Where is the nearest public toilet? She rushed him off in the opposite direction towards the shopping centre. Once they had finished in the bathroom Oscar complained that he was hungry. Shit. Hoping to avoid a meltdown Stella looked at her watch, should have just enough time to get something before picking up the flowers. She looked around, a pop up café with muffins and other pastries on the counter wasn't too far. She rushed Oscar over and joined the short line. There was a woman at the front who seemed to be taking forever making up her mind. Stella looked at her watch impatiently. When she heard a little voice, "I love your rainbow socks. My mummy likes rainbows too!" Stella looked down at Oscar, then up at the person he was talking to. A tall, lean woman with short, dark hair, wearing black denim shorts and rainbow socks up to her knees looked back at her and smirked, "I bet she does."

Stella could feel her entire face turning red, "Ha, yeah. Um hi," she said to the gorgeous woman standing before her.

"Hi," the woman replied, "he's cute," she smiled, "pretty smooth little wingman you've got there."

Stella laughed nervously. Fuck I don't have time for this, she thought to herself. But suddenly time seemed to slow down. She started to feel a little dizzy. As if this is really happening to me right now. The indecisive woman left with her purchase and then rainbow socks made her order. Stella waited patiently, giving Oscar a little smile, "Do you want a blueberry muffin buddy?" She asked him.

"Yes please mummy!" He responded. Stella smirked to herself, he was clearly trying to impress rainbow socks with his manners.

The woman with rainbow socks turned to look at him with wide eyes and a friendly smile "A blueberry muffin! Good choice!"

As Stella ordered the muffin for Oscar rainbow socks waited to the side of the pop up café. Stella took a step away, reached into the paper bag tearing off a chunk of muffin and handed it to Oscar. She was in a hurry, what was she going to do? Fuck it! She thought, be bold. Stella felt around the inside of her handbag, hoping she still had a business card left. It took far too long and she felt like a crazy person standing next to this glamorously cool looking woman fiddling around in her handbag. Finally two rectangle cards fell into her hand, success! She pulled one out victoriously.

"I'm so sorry, I don't mean to seem rude. But err, I think you're hot and here is my card and I have to go or I'm going to be late for like a billion things. I'm sorry, bye!"

Stella thrust the card into the stunned woman's hands, scooped up Oscar in her arms and briskly strode away, her face scarlet. What the fuck was that? she thought to herself. I must have terrified that poor woman!