I scroll down my contacts and hover my thumb above Cheryl’s name, I’m not completely sure about this, she may be sleeping and even if I do call her what is she going to be able to do? Maybe I could stay at her place I think to myself but I doubt it, she won’t want strangers moping around her home especially an energetic highly sprung toddler.I try Sarah’s phone once more but its still off and im getting no reply from Nicola. I look at Paisley who is falling asleep opposite me, her head keeps dropping to the side then she soon wakes up. We can’t stay here all night I need to swallow my pride and call Cheryl. After a second of hesitation I press call and I hold the phone to my ear eagerly waiting to hear the familiar Geordie voice on the other end.
“Hello?” Cheryl’s groggy voice comes down the phone and it immediately sends butterflies fluttering around my tummy.
“Hi Cheryl its erm … Kimberley, did I wake you?” I mutter and there’s a short silence followed by a rustle of bed sheets.
“Its fine, What’s wrong? Are you ok?”
“Yeah… well erm… I don-” I don’t get the chance to finish as Paisley climbs sleepily onto my lap and her elbow knocks the mug full of tea and spills it across the table. “Shit!” I curse plonking her back on the ground and grabbing serviettes to clean up the mess. People around me are staring and Paisley’s now whingeing pulling on my leg in desperate need of attention. “Come here” I whisper and sit her on my lap. I bring my attention back to Cheryl who sounds more than concerned on the other end of the phone.
“Kimberley? What’s happened?” I can hear concern catching in her throat.
“Paisley spilt my tea sh-“
“I mean what’s happening, where are you? I can hear voices”
“Yeah I’m … at a café”
“What? It’s almost midnight” She states as if I didn’t already know.
“I have nowhere else to be” I say quietly and I hear another rustle from her side of the phone followed by what sounds like a room door closing.
“And Paisleys with you?”
“Yeah, she’s knackered bless her”
“What café is it?”
“Its umm” I grab the menu and look at the logo at the top of it. “It’s called Pete’s place, do you know it?”
“I’ll be 5 minutes” And with that she hangs up.
I clean up the last of the tea Paisley had spilt struggling to do so with one arms. She’s laying on my lap and my other arm is having to hold her so she doesn’t fall off. She’s shattered she can barely keep her eyes open. She’s gripping onto a scruffy white blanket that she’s had since she was a baby and she’s sucking on her dummy. I’ve been told she should have came off the dummy a while ago but she needs it to sleep and I can’t bare seeing her so upset without it. She reaches up and twirls the ends of my hair around her fingers just like she always does and its only moments before sleep takes over and she’s dead to the world.
“What a mess mummy has us in” I whisper and I push back her loose strands of hair. I can’t believe Cheryl is on her way here, she must have almost immediately jumped out of her bed, I’m such an inconvenience to people and I hate it. After about 5 minutes the café door opens and a small woman shuffles through the door. She’s wearing a baseball cap and a big pair of sunglasses hiding her petite face, she looks too posh to be in here. She looks around the room as if she’s looking for someone. She looks in my direction and I notice the unknown woman is in fact Cheryl. She waves her hand at me and quickly rushes over to us. Before I even get a chance to speak she’s pulling me along with Paisley into a tight hug
