Anti-Stall

Not my damn parents

London, England

I reached home on a pleasant evening, it felt good to be back in familiar surroundings after being away for so long. Mom and Pops had the biggest smiles on their face when they saw me walk out of the terminal'

"Natalie! My baby, we missed you so much." Mom gave me a hug.

"Welcome back kiddo! Rest up for the week, things are about to get very tiring."

We piled my stuff into the car and started our drive home, I filled them in about the cities I visited, the work I did and the people I met. Pops was tired from a day of work and so was mom, all of us freshened up, ate dinner and then retired to our rooms.

I spent some time reading and then scrolling on my phone which was interrupted by Tim's phonecall.

"Hello? All good Timothy?"

"Yes Chatty Nattie, all good, are you free tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'm free. But why?"

"We haven't had a gossip rundown in so long! Erica is busy with her boyfriend but I have so much to spill."

"And so you're inviting me? An honour Tim! I'll be there!"

"Same place, the Art café, be there!"

"Does the Barista give you free coffee or something? You go there all the time."

"It's good coffee and the vibe of the place is immaculate, hmmm at this point I'm wondering why don't they give me free coffee! Alright I'm going to go email their manager, Be there!'

Was he kidding or was he serious? That's a secret I'll never know. I was going to have a busy day tomorrow! Get coffee with Tim and then dinner with Erica and Pierre. I was so excited, I couldn't wait for it to be tomorrow already.

************************

I woke up to the smell of waffles and maple syrup, My tummy rumbled. Pops made the best waffles, I rushed to the kitchen to see the two of them having the time of their lives singing along to songs and cooking.

"Good morning my dancing queens! What are you up to?" I asked.

"Making waffles and then heading to work." Pops answered.

"It's a slow day, not too many orders so I'm at home to annoy you." Mom laughed.

"Joke's on you! I'm not even going to be home for that long!"

"What are your plans?"

"Eat breakfast, go to the park for a bit and then come back home to bother you for lunch. And then! Get coffee with Tim and go out for dinner with Pierre and Erica."

"You didn't tell me about dinner plans!"

"I told Pops! I thought he would tell you."

"Slipped out of my mind, oops." He apologised.

"Alright then Nat, have fun."

Pops headed out, I sat down and devoured the maple syrup soaked waffles. Mom was on the phone with one of her vendors, you don't bother the woman when she's negotiating with someone.

My phone buzzed, I had messages from Erica and Tim. Both asking if I remembered that we had plans for today, to mess with them I replied no. Tim laughed but Erica had a mini panic attack.

"Hello? Erica! Calm down! I was messing with you."

"Don't ever do that again! I want this dinner to be perfect and memorable."