Oasis: Time Flies...

Morning Glory

I woke up in a bed. Good start, more often than not it's someone's settee or their floor. I looked around and realised it was my own room, not a hospital, not some lads, my own bedroom, my own bed.

I didn't stay under the duvet long, I had to get up and get out the house, fast. I felt sweaty, I felt shaky, I was in need.

I'd slept in a thick jumper, apparently all I'd done was kick off my shoes and my jeans. I pulled all of the clothes I slept in off and found fresh ones. I'd stay in these but my parents might start asking questions. One of the benefits of never moving from my parents', they still did everything a parent usually does. Fresh underwear, t-shirt, jogging bottoms and a hoodie, I couldn't see my trainers, I must have left them elsewhere. I pulled the hood over I was ready to leave for the day. No time to shower or any of that nonsense.

Mam was in the kitchen listening to the radio, making her lunch. I didn't know why I even went in the kitchen, knowing it would just slow me down and my shoes definitely weren't in there. She was dressed nicely and everything even though it was her day off.

"What time d'you call this then?" she asked in a jokingly judgemental tone.

I didn't know what day it was never mind what time it was. "Erm morning?" I answered with a shrug.

"Have you heard this?" she asked, nodding towards the radio. "Terrible, in't it?"

It was banging on about how some lad; Noel Gallagher had defended that Brian Harvey from East 17 for doing like seventeen Es in one night or something. He'd apparently tried to convince those toffs that run the country that we all do drugs, he thinks it's about the same as drinking tea so stop kicking up a fuss. I'd agree but I don't drink that much tea.

I kept up with popular culture just enough to have heard about this, I knew a few songs of Britpop but my crowd mostly prefer stuff we already know, familiarity.

"Yeah, terrible, Mam." I agreed.

He wanted congratulating if he had really done that many Es and made it through the night still alive, not condemning as they were all trying to do. Plus that Noel, I was glad someone was willing to tell the truth.

"Are you having breakfast?"

"I'll buy summat from the shop." I lied, I didn't have time for food either.

"I can make you something." she offered.

"No thanks. I've got an appointment, I'm gonna be late."

She turned and looked at me, ready to give some excited speech about being proud of me, assuming I meant a job interview or something.

"You're not going out like that, are you?" she asked. "Who's gonna offer you a job when you look homeless?"

I was on the dole and she was still under the illusion that I went out everyday job hunting, I never had done, there was nothing to hunt, no point. Plus a job would just get in the way of my hobbies.

"Yeah." I wasn't insulted, I was way beyond caring about myself or how anyone thought about me to care that even my own mother thought I looked like I did. "It's raining."

I didn't have a clue if it was bright, red hot sun or freezing, ice and snow outside but raining was a pretty good guess, it does, a lot. I hoped it was, I prefered the rain and Ton' might just take pity on me if I turned up soaked.

"D'you want some money?" she asked as she got up and found her purse, it wasn't a question, she always meant here, have some money. "Will a tenner do you?"