Trust

✍ Fight

"Poppy! Get downstairs now! Your dad is going to be here in ten minutes. Adam! Get off the couch now and for goodness' sakes, change out of your uniform!" Mum had been yelling for the past half hour. It was amazing how good her lungs were for a woman who swore that she couldn't run a mile without needing her asthma puff.

I grabbed my bag of weekend clothes and hurried downstairs. Mum was on the landing and she glared dramatically at me.

"What were you doing upstairs for so long?" she demanded. "Honestly, Poppy, it doesn't take fifteen minutes to change and put some stuff into a bag. Adam! Didn't I just tell you to go get changed?" She whirled on my younger brother and he groaned.

"Mum, lay off him."

"Lay off? Lay off?" Mum's fury came on me. "You kids are incorrigible and lazy and you deserve so much worse than what I'm giving you, but of course, when you go to your dad's, all he does is pamper you and give you what you want, doesn't he?" She laughed sardonically and threw her hands up into the air. I took the brief moment of silence to take a look at mum. She was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and an oversized sweater. She had makeup on and the overpowering scent of her flowery perfume almost made me gag.

"Look, you don't have to be down here when dad comes," I said.

"You would just love that, wouldn't you?" mum sneered. "What? You've already accepted his slut of a girlfriend as your new mum, haven't you? I knew it! I-"

"Mum, listen to yourself!" I cut in. I was angry, but for some reason, my tone was hard and bitter. "If you would just hear yourself, you would realize how insane you're sounding right now." I paused for breath and thankfully, my mum was too shocked to start speaking. "You're my mum. You're Adam's mum as well and no one will ever take your place." My tone had softened. I stepped forward and dropped my bag, holding out my arms. Mum sighed and I quickly hugged her.

"I'm so sorry, Pops," she whispered. "You're right. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, mum."

"How did I ever end up with such a smart and mature daughter?" Mum pushed me away to arm-length before stroking my hair gently. "Thanks Pops."

"You could show your gratefulness by baking brownies on Sunday so Adam and me could have some when we come back," I suggested hopefully. Mum smiled and rolled her eyes at me.

"And immature Poppy is back again." Mum smacked the back of my head lightly while I laughed.

*****

"I don't know why she does it." Adam slumped down into the seat next to me. I plugged my earphones into my phone.

"Does what?"

"Put herself through the ordeal of seeing dad with Kira. She does it every time and then goes on a rampage for the next two days." Adam slammed his hand against the driver's seat in front of him, jaw twitching furiously.

"Just let it go, Adam," I said. "It's just the way mum is." I watched as mum and dad got into yet another battle of words at our front door. They did this every time dad dropped Adam and I off or picked us up. It was, quite frankly, exhausting.

To make matters even worse, dad's new girlfriend, Kira, was standing beside him and choosing the worst moments to chime in with her opinions.

I stared at the leggy blonde before asking, "What happened to Holly?"

"Dad broke up with her a couple of weeks ago," Adam replied.

"And he's on to Kira already? Shouldn't say I'm surprised though," I muttered. The words tasted like acid rolling off my tongue. It was no secret that I hated dad's girlfriends. Ever since he and mum separated, he had a different girl on his arm every few weeks; if the girls were lucky, they made it to two or even three months.