Raven.

Not in my job description.

"Pizza."

"No chips."

"PIZZA!"

"CHIPS."

"PIZZA."

I stared at the twins; they had been arguing about what to eat for far too long.

"Shut the hell up!" I screamed, finally fed up with the shouting. I couldn't stand kids. Sure thing I would like to be a mother later in life but I would raise mine slightly differently than these two had been raised. It wasn't their fault that there mum was so carefree and inconsistent, but it was still annoying. Rubbing my temples I walked over to the fridge, attempting to stay calm... ish, and flung the door open. "Right I'm making pasta seeing as you two couldn't decide." The twins both opened their mouths in sync to complain. I beat them to it. "And if I hear any complaining I'm calling your mum." I threatened.

That shut them up. As carefree as their mother could be she could also be very, very strict. I once had to call her whilst she was in the middle of a date to inform her of Ben and Molly misbehaving whilst I was babysitting them. I wouldn't forget that, heck even I felt guilty and hadn't even done anything. I've got to give credit to Catherin, their mother; she did know how to yell.

After an uneventful meal time I had put the twins to bed and was currently sprawled out on their sofa watching the flicking through the channels. By the time the ten o'clock news had come on Catherin was just walking through the front door. After taking off her soaked jacket and slipping off her shoes she joined me on the sofa.

"It's all a bit depressing. Isn't it?" She sighed looking at the news. "Everyone is out to kill each other." I nodded in response. Truth be told I found it interesting. Yes it was a bit depressing at times but it was always good to be up to date on current events.

Catherin turned to look at me. "Hot Chocolate?" she asked.

I saw Catherin more of a mother than my own recently. I started working at her shop stacking shelves to earn some extra money over the school holidays, babysitting her kids were not in my job description at all. A year one we had become good friends but she had big plans for her shop. Before I know it she was moving her shop to Glasgow hoping to get even better business there. Consequently I lost my job at the shop in my town; I was too young to drive so I couldn't continue. Catherin felt sorry for me seeing as at the time I needed the money, so she offered me a job babysitting her children when she couldn't get home in time. Naturally I took the job. Fast forward a year and here we are.
I envied her and her children. Other than being a bit too carefree once minuet and then super strict the next, she was the perfect mother in my eyes. She tried so hard for her children, the only reason she started her shop was to provide for her children when her husband died. She made every single sports day, every single school play and never misses a parents evening. My mother had never been to one of mine. Strange isn't it? My ex-boss was more of a mother to me than my own.

It wasn't always like that with my mum but more on that later.

I smiled at Catherin. "I'm fine thank you, I best be off."

After being paid and asked by Catherin several times if I wanted to borrow an umbrella, due to it raining, I made my way home. It wasn't too far for me to walk, just across the other side of town. I was safe though so I had nothing to worry about; well I thought I was safe anyway. I would have been nice to have my mum to pick me up, but I knew thaw wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. You see my mum will randomly go off on various business trips. Doesn't sound bad does it? It never used to be. As a child it would be a night away every month, by the time I was a teenager it was a couple of day ever two weeks. Lately she's almost always gone. In fact she's gone longer than she spends time at home. I wouldn't mind if she told me where she was. I've confronted her time and time again getting the same result. 'Don't worry.' She would say 'It's just business.' That's a lie. She works at a small electronics store out of town. How she can spend weeks on business trips is beyond me.