Cast The Die

Chapter Eleven

June 2006

"You promised this was over, Will!" Mummy cried. I stood in the doorway to the living room, listening to my Mummy on the phone. She noticed my arrival and hung up the phone after muttering something else into the handset. "Hey, Moo, I didn't know you were up. Would you like some breakfast?" she asked me.

"Yes please, Mummy" I said. I followed her into the kitchen and pulled myself up onto the stool. She seemed restless, agitated. "Where's Daddy?" I asked.

"He's gone to work sweetie, what would you like? Pancakes? With chocolate spread?" has she been crying?

"But, it's the weekend?" I stated.

"He had something important to do. He'll be home later" she said.

"Pancakes with chocolate spread please" I said grinning.

I ate my pancakes whilst Mum tidied the kitchen, three times. She took everything off the island and sprayed it with a cleaning spray, then wiped it off with a yellow cloth. Then, she sprayed all the other worktops and even some of the cupboards and wiped it off again with the same yellow cloth. She rearranged the fruit in the fruit bowl and placed it in the middle of the island. She put the cookbook that stands next to the window next to the fruit bowl. And then put it back. She repeated some of these tasks up to three times and then started sweeping the floor. I knew something was wrong because she started cleaning the oven. She only cleans this much when she's not happy. I think Mummy gets an anxious tummy too.

I got dressed into the clothes that Mummy lay on the bed for me. My favourite blue jeans with pink flowers across the pockets. A white t-shirt with ruffle sleeves and socks with penguins on them. We usually go out on a Saturday but since Daddy is working, I'm not sure what we'll be doing. I asked Mummy to put a braid in my hair with my favourite pink scrunchie. I watched her in the mirror as she intertwined the three pieces of hair to make a perfect pattern. She kissed me on the top of my head and whispered something I couldn't make out.

"What time is Daddy back? Can we still go to the park? And get ice cream? I might get chocolate this time" I said, admiring my hair.

"I'm not sure, Moo. Even if he's not back in time, I'll take you for ice cream" Mummy smiled. I jumped up to give her a hug and she squeezed me tight like she usually does.

I was watching TV when my Daddy arrived home from work. I ran to the door to greet him and he lifted me up into his arms. He wasn't wearing his work uniform, when he goes to work, he wears a suit with a nice tie. He was wearing black jeans with a black t-shirt and his trainers. He never wears anything other than black or white, except his ties. Mummy and I picked out a light blue tie for his birthday once, he said it was his favourite. I kissed him on the cheek, and he put me back down on the ground. His face was clammy, like when he goes for a jog, but he's wearing jeans. Who runs in jeans? Maybe he lost his running shorts.

It was 1pm and Daddy had been home for a while. I'd just finished my lunch that Mummy made for me and went back to watching TV. I thought we would go straight to the park, but he's been in the back room since he came through the door. I'm not allowed in that room, it's full of Daddy's important work things. He helps people when they're going to jail, sometimes people get accused of doing things that they didn't do, and my Daddy helps prove they're innocent. A girl in my class wrote on the table with a permanent marker and told the teacher that I did it. I got sent to the Head Teacher's office. I tried to tell her I didn't do it, but she didn't believe me. I should have asked for a Lawyer.

It was now 2.30pm. Daddy came out the back room to make himself a coffee and went straight back in. I've been testing out my new pens in my Princess colouring book for the past 30 minutes. Mummy has been gardening for an hour, but she came in to bring me some snacks. Once I'd finished the first page of the book, I started putting my pens away into their case. I love colouring in pictures, my best friend Jen always ruins her books by going out of the lines and she chooses random pages to do. I always start with the first page and work my way through, all my colouring books are neat and organised. Daddy says I'm just like Mummy in that way, but I'm not sure what he means.

At 3pm I went to play outside on the swing-set my Daddy built for me last week. It's right at the back of the garden, next to the shed. The frame was a dark green colour to match the plastic seats. I sat on the swing, held tightly onto the ropes and kicked my feet off the ground to give me a head start. I started swinging my legs back and forth to get higher and higher. It's more fun when someone else is on the second swing, you can have competitions to see who can get the highest. I stopped kicking my legs and let the swing slow down on its own. I sat silently watching Mummy put her gardening kit back into the other shed. I still don't know why we have two sheds. I can't help but feel like today has been very strange. I don't know why but I just have a feeling that something bad has happened, or something is going to happen. I hope I'm not psychic, I don't want that kind of power. I'd prefer invisibility if I had the choice.

"Macey? Are you there?" Jens voice came from the other side of the fence.

"Yeah, the gate is open!" I shouted back. She came running into the garden and sat on the swing next to me.

"Hi Macey, hi Angie" she said, out of breath. Mummy's name is Angela, but everyone calls her Angie.

"Hello sweetie, where's your mum?" Mummy asked.

"She's coming, I said we should race but she's just too slow" Jen said, getting her breath back.

"I'll just go wash my hands and pop the kettle on" said Mummy. She turned and walked into the house as Ali walked in the garden.

"Hey, Moo" she said waving.

"Hi, I like your hair" I said. It's short, very short.

"Thank you, fancied a change" she smiled and walked into the house.

"She's going through a mid-life-crisis Dad said" Jen stated carelessly. I didn't know what she was talking about, but five-year-old me didn't know anything.