The New Language of being a Mum | Six the Musical

i | ella

Reposted, edited and to be continued from my old account - cover + title updates to come

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"AUF WIEDERSEHEN , Dankeschön Frau Lisa," Nat waved at the camera, trying quickly to mentally recall all the words her tutor had taught her in the last hour, her eyes scanning her scruffy, but organised notes.

"I still can't believe you schedule German lessons in between shows Natalie," a laugher fell from Maiya's tongue as she unpacked the brown paper holdall hanging from her wrist. "You could have been shopping, with us. We went to Zara," she raised the bag in the air, an attempt to tease the blonde.

"Listen Mai," she placed her hands on her knees and allowed her swivel chair to push round, the actress now facing Maiya. "I have a child. That depends on me. She's just been completely uprooted and sent to a different country with a strange lady she doesn't understand. I can't not try to speak the language she's learnt, that's not fair to her." Her voice fell," You get me?" She whispered the line, in hope she would. "i-I mean you don't get me, but you get me. Right?"

A warm smile drew across Maiya's face, as her feet carried her towards Natalie. She placed her hands on her shoulders, before leaning forwards to embrace her in a hug. "Course we do Nat, course we do." She, once, ran her fingers through her hair, before standing back up. "Where's that ball of energy anyways?" She giggled, Natalie's blonde strands fumbling around in her digits.

"Aimie took her to get something from the cafe," she smiled up "She'll be back soon." Maiya couldn't help but notice the smile dawn upon Nat's face at the idea of her return.

"You love being a mum really." A smirk rid across her lips as she ran her fingers across Nat's shoulders, beginning to walk away.

Natalie opened her mouth to retaliate, then saw a woosh of red hair dance across the room, from the corner of her eye.

"Mein Schatz," she giggled the affectionate term. She opened her arms as she spoke, allowing the red-head to come crashing into her body.

"Natalie May Paris! You can't call a child that!" A brush of pink splattered again Natalie in the face as the older woman turned around, despair flooding her eyes.

"It means my darling," she laughed, before turning her attention back to her daughter. She slipped her phone out her pocket, getting an audio translator up on her phone "Ellie, baby, Wie Gehts?" She pressed the listen button.

"Gut! Ich habe zwei Kuchen gegessen und, und, Aimie hat viel zu essen gekauft und wir teilten viel Essen." She giggled "Ich liebe Kuchen..."

Natalie laughed, waiting for a the auto translator to finish translating. The moment felt like forever. A pang of guilt struck her for an instant, as she knew she could not respond, or even understand, until the phone worked. She relied on a computer to communicate with the one person that depended on her the most.

"Es tut mir leid Ellie, es tut mir leid." She meant the apology. She really did. She also wanted to buy time for the damned computer to process. Nat had learnt some basic phrases and words. Enough to gain her attention, and to apologise, and to ask basic questions. But she couldn't understand an answer. Anything that required vocabulary or grammar she couldn't do. And she was also listening to a four year old talk. That's difficult in even your own language.

Ella understood. She nodded with a smile. "Mama," she stood up on Natalie's lap, then moving her hands to her mothers face. Stability.

"Mama's here, mein Schatz, mama's here." She took the child by her waist, taking her weight so she wasn't to fall. The small buzz on her phone, signalling the translation had been complete, interrupted the gentle kiss Nat pressed against the ginger's hair. "Ooh you and Aimie shared cake?" She smiled, which then faulted as she saw the confusion outbreak on her daughter's expression, in which she took the opportunity just to stay quiet, and pull her in for a long hug.

-

"You two seem cosied up," A smile erupted on Aimie's face as she walked in to the blonde actress cradling the young girl in her arms, a blanket draped over them.

"Yeah, yeah we are." She smiled, idly running a finger across the red head's scalp. "She crashed after her sugar high you will be accepting the blame for," the nonchalance in her tone suggesting Aimie, despite being responsible for the 5 year old's excess intake of sugar in that moment, should have no real concerns with Nat shifting the blame to her.

"Aww, thats adorable." The pink haired woman laughed, packing away the hair drier. Her head darted as she heard a ping "Nat your phone," she peered over, hoping to gain something, anything; a name she could use to tease her or anything of that nature. But was evidently dishearted, crossed with confused, at the actual pop up.  "Oh- Its an email confirmation, you booked a flight?"

"Yeah, I don't know if we're going to actually go, but I've booked it, so the options there." The blonde continued to let her fingers roam through her daughter's hair.

"Booked what Nat?" Aimie asked soothingly, placing herself gently on the end of the sofa so she was facing opposite her best friend. "If you don't mind me asking,"

"I'm taking her back to Germany. For Christmas. She's used to seeing Christmas Markets and celebrating st Nicolas day. They aren't really a thing here and I want to make sure she is an enriched in her culture as she can be, living in England, " A small smile fell back upon the younger woman's face as she thought of the idea, all she wanted was her to be happy and never to grow up resentful of Natalie or her birth parents.

"Ella Marie Paris, aren't you lucky you have such a thoughtful mother, eh?" She kissed her hair and then stood up "What about our Christmas Party? Will you be here for that?" Again, another gentle question. She knew this was hard for Nat to make the calls as it was for them to hear it.

Her only answer was a shake of her head "Sorry Aims," she whispered "Even if I wasn't going, I think I'd sit it out. I've got Ella to think of and a party like that is far too overwhelming and loud and late," She avoided all eye contact with the older woman, focusing all her attention on her daughter in her arms.

"Course Nat, don't worry, we all understand." A falsifying smile rode the Pink Queen's lips, "I'll give you two some space," before she took herself away to the other dressing room