Destroy Me

26 // HER RENDITION OF MAMBO NO. 5

I WOKE UP TO the sound of Millicent crying. I looked at my alarm clock and yawned before sitting up and running a hand through my hair. For a minute, I was shocked at the lack of it. But then I remembered that I'd gone and gotten it cut last week.

I got dressed and then went downstairs. Lindsay was rattling a toy at her two-year old daughter, who was still wailing as loud as she could.

"Oh Millie," I cooed and scooped her up.

"Devon," Lindsay snapped, "she just ate. Be careful or she'll get sick."

"Oh Millie, Millie, Millie," I sung and tickled her nose. Millicent started laughing and Lindsay clicked her tongue.

"Why?" She demanded and frowned at her daughter. "Why do you like Auntie Dev more than me?"

"Dev, Dev, Dev," Millicent squealed and grabbed my finger.

"Because I'm cooler," I grinned. "Isn't that right Millie?"

Millicent nodded eagerly and I put her down. She waddled towards her toy box sitting in the corner of the living room and started pulling them all out.

"Millicent!" Lindsay cried. "I just put them away!"

Millicent turned to smirk at us before tipping the whole box over. Lindsay gasped and I started laughing uncontrollably.

"I've given birth to a monster," she breathed and Millicent started on the other box.

"I've got to go to work," I chuckled and went over to plant a kiss on the top of Millicent's head. When I turned, Lindsay had the most exhausted look on her face. "You know, Georgie really loves Millie. If you want, I can take her with me for the day."

"Could you?" Lindsay pouted. "Would it be too much trouble?"

"Not at all," I smiled. "Are you going to come to work with me Millie? Come and see Georgie?"

"Georgie!" Millicent shouted and threw her hands in the air.

"Before we go though," I said and crouched down to put the box up properly, "we need to clean up the mess."

"Clean it up," she repeated and started putting the toys away. As she did that, I went and grabbed her a jacket before taking Lindsay's car keys off of her. "We're going in mummy's car?"

"Mhmm," I hummed as I strapped her into her car seat. "Mine doesn't have your special seat."

Millicent sung along to the radio as we drove to my work, a cafe that opened up a few months after I'd graduated. Of course, Millicent came before that. Lindsay didn't tell anyone she was pregnant until June, when she was five months.

When I parked in front of the cafe, I grabbed Millicent out of the car and carried her in.

"Millie!" Georgie, my manager, cried happily. She held her arms out for him to take her off of me. "Oh how I've missed you, little Millicent."

She laughed at him and I went to grab my apron. I could hear Georgie playing with Millicent as I shoved a notepad and a pen into the pocket of my apron.

When I came back out, Georgie had put Millicent at the closest table to the counter and put a milkshake in front of her.

"Hey, Dev," he said as he saw me. I walked over, put my hand on Millicent's head and smiled at him. "All the people we had lined up for today cancelled."

"All of them?" I frowned.

"Yeah," he frowned. "Can you sing for us?"

"Um," I paused and looked down at Millicent. As soon as she heard the word, she burst out in some new Katy Perry song. Georgie laughed and I nodded at him. "Yeah, I can do it."