Hey there!
I had an interesting morning.
It started with lovely sleepy cuddles from the kids; I got a good ten minutes in the shower after that and managed to dry my hair before hubby left. The boys then decided that they wanted to do some drawing together in the playroom, and have me help them choose what to copy from the book that shows lots of step-by-step skeletons, vampires and other figures. That was cool, but I was getting a bit pushed for time.
I soon noticed that Eldest had left one of his reading books in the playroom and, as I was returning the book to his bag, I caught sight of a crumpled invitation to a school ‘learning event’ on the 15th of November that I was supposed to RSVP to on Friday just gone…
The invitation had a lovely original coloured drawing on it by Eldest, and also a tear off strip. Well, I couldn’t deface his artwork (!!) so I had to fire up the PC, take a pic of the invite and then print it off, fill in and cut the slip to the right size…
By that time it was about two minutes before the timer was due to go off to herald the kids’ socks and outdoor wear being forced upon them donned. Youngest reminded me at this point that he wanted to wear his gloves and hat and scarf. His favourite gloves were in the wash, and both boys’ scarves were upstairs in my wardrobe. Cue me running about on a different floor from the kids, barking instructions that they gleefully ignored 🙁
At about 8.10am (5 mins before we usually leave) my children had their socks, shoes, coats, hats and scarves on – but both were unhappy with aspects of their glove provision. This took another ten minutes to resolve, and faaaar more patience than I felt like mustering.
Plus we discovered that Hubby had accidentally gone to work with Youngest’s favourite hat in his pocket, and I got a bit teary about the possibility of it being lost; because both kids have worn it and it is very special to us, blah blah…(hormonal much?!)
Yes! That doggy hat which coordinates so nicely with Youngest’s bag…!
The boys and I tumbled out the door and down the lane, with me clucking about how Eldest was never going to be first in his line this morning (it was 8.27am), and Eldest intermittently cuffing one-gloved-Youngest about the head (for daring to complain that we were walking too fast and overtaking him).
Somehow we caught up and arrived before the school bus, and everyone else in his class; meaning Eldest did actually get to be (the coveted) first in his line (?!) and I still had ten minutes to get Youngest sorted.
I was the proverbial bear, by this point. The day was a disaster, I felt like I was going to explode at one more tiny word…
Youngest’s shoe bag, on his peg in the nursery cloakroom, felt heavier than usual. He only has a pair of plimsolls in there and a few pull-ups with nappy bags. When I moved the soft shoes and handed them to Youngest, there was suddenly a cheeky painted face smiling up at me with sharky teeth. An errant welly boot had somehow snuck in over the weekend.
I asked the nearest nursery teacher if someone had lost it, and she whooped and said that a poor wee girl had been looking EVERYWHERE for it.
Well, that made me chuckle! The boot was swung about; grinning for all it was worth. Suddenly my day brightened, Youngest and I got his layers off while brainstorming how the boot climbed into the bag without anyone noticing, and what it was thinking now.
As I left the nursery and wandered across the playground, having had another lovely cuddle with Youngest, and with about three minutes to go before the bell; my friend called and asked me if I wanted to go to the local café with her once I was finished with Eldest. I did, and we had a great laugh; as this Monday vibe continued to wreak its insanity and we put a positive spin on it.
I didn’t get my writing done at the usual time, but that didn’t matter; because Sandy, who gave me today’s marvellous ending for my short story, was who I was busy giggling with instead 😉
I wrote the below in the last possible 20 mins I could squeeze in: after lunch and before picking up Eldest!!
I stood in that queue and thought of all my hopes from school; how I was going to change the world with the many ideas that I had. The people I was going to inspire with my wonderful creations…!
Five years was a long time to wait to realise that I was now drifting in the wrong direction. I reminded myself repeatedly that every ‘failure’ could be seen as me realising what I wasn’t cut out for.
You weren’t paid, in retail, to stand for hours creating the perfect stack of produce. No one understood that you couldn’t just interrupt a genius mind, and expect her to tend a till at a moment’s notice!
Offices didn’t seem to appreciate you rearranging the furniture every week; or asking for an extended lunch hour so you could source prettier paperclips online.
I needed somewhere that indulged my passions, saw the potential in every idea I had – as I did.
I finally was called to the table, and excitedly told the woman at the Jobcentre my plan: I was going to go for that “Interior Designer’s Assistant” [vacancy] after all. I was being silly before. I brought out the little folder I had with me, with the magazine cuttings outlining my colour choices for my dream living and dining area; the swatches of fabric I had spent a happy afternoon in Remnant Kings picking out.
The woman looked at me coldly. “Too late” she said “that position was taken off our books yesterday. Change of circumstances, or something like that.”
I closed my folder with a snap. “Fine!” I said “You don’t have to look so happy about it!”
She just smirked at me, as others started to look over at us.
“Forget it!” I fumed, and walked out.
The Phoenix was, once again, reduced to ash…
295 words this time (not including the ending I was provided, or the damn word that I missed out in my haste, which is why it’s in the square brackets!) Woohoo!! Again, I was writing to the very last second and had no time to do a proper edit – but hey, I’m at peace with it.
Kind of…?
I went with the angle that I thought of about third. I used to hate visiting the Jobcentre, haha.
Thanks again to Sandy for her fabby closing line 🙂
Tomorrow it is Amanda’s turn. I have an appointment to keep whilst Youngest is on his Wood Walk with Hubby, but I am hoping to get the piece written late morning, so I should have some scribbly pages for you on Facebook before lunch.
Until then, friends!!
[Pic is from here]
P.S If you would like me to write a ‘Facebook Fiction’ piece using one of your phrases, please submit it according to the rules outlined on this challenge page. Thanks!
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