Eating For Two

Chapter Six - Affection

The birds woke me up this morning, instead of my alarm clock.

I opened the windows to hear them chirping.

‘I feel like Sleeping Beauty.’ I laughed.

I came back to reality.

I made up my bed and then went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

I went back to my bedroom closet and squeezed into an old pale blue skirt and black camisole. I slid my feet into black pumps and brushed my long hair into a ponytail.

Downstairs, my mom was humming. Yes, humming.

She wore her short blonde hair in a messy ponytail.

Hailey watched in amazement as she sat at the kitchen table.

‘Tia! You’re up!’ my mom kissed my cheek.

I gave a weak smile.

She looked down at the food on the table, and then at my concerned face.

‘I know that it’s going to take a while for you to get used to seeing me doing things like this.’ She gestured to the breakfast that she’d just cooked.

After a few moments of silence, I finally spoke.

‘It’s nice, mom. To see you doing things like this.’ I sat on a wooden stool and started eating from the egg and bacon.

‘I’m sorry if it’s not edible. I haven’t cooked in so long.’ My mom washed her hands at the kitchen sink and flung herself in one of the chairs.

I drank the last few gulps of my orange juice and grabbed my bag at my feet.

‘We better get going.’ I said looking at Hailey.

Hailey drank her juice quickly and stood up.

‘That was good.’ She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

‘Bye girls.’ My mom called from the kitchen.

She blew kisses in the air and Hailey pretended to catch one and put it in her pocket.

I just smiled and headed for the door.

When I entered the school gates, my head started spinning.

It was difficult to breathe and my heart was shaking in my chest.

I hurried to the nearest girls’ bathroom and paced into a cubicle.

I shut the door firmly behind me.

I flung the toilet seat up and heaved out breakfast.

It was a brown colour, and I felt like vomiting again just by looking at it.

I flushed the toilet and closed it so that the smell could disappear.

I opened the cubicle and two juniors were raising their eyebrows at me.

Ignoring them, I washed my face and dried it with a disposable towel.

I walked out of the bathroom and saw Seth by his locker.

I wiped my mouth just in case I’d missed a spot and then walked over to him.

‘Hey, you.’ I said with a smile in my voice.

‘Tia?’ he looked from his locker and gave me a lazy grin.

His black hair was ruffled, as if he hadn’t brushed it before coming to school.

His big blue eyes were smiling at me.

Little did he know, that I was carrying a child.

And that I was in love with him. I was sure of it. I don’t even know how I can be standing here in front of him without falling over my feet.