Three Years, Five Months and Eleven Days

Chapter Four

The picture on the side is of Caerfai Bay :)

Enjoy!

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      When I woke up the next morning, Beth was gone from the bed. I could tell by the light streaming through the window that it was almost mid-day already. As I climbed out of bed, tying my wild mane of hair into a ponytail, I accidentally knocked my unfinished tub of ice cream from the night before off the bedside table. It had all melted over night so I stood and watched in horror as liquid chocolate ice cream spread over Beth's white carpet.

     'Shit!' I cursed, jumping to pick the tub up. I was too late of course; there was a lovely, big stain. I stood still, thinking for a few seconds, debating what I should do. Either, I could try and clean it up myself, risking doing the wrong thing and making it worse or I could go and get Dee to do it because she knew a lot about cleaning and could get stains out of anything.

     If I chose the first option, Dee would likely lose a bit of money replacing the carpet, second she would definitely loose some time cleaning the carpet. Oh hell, I would just go get Dee, and look like a lazy person, but I had good reasons.

     I left Beth's room, went into the conservatory type dining room and saw Dee and Beth, sitting at the table in the garden, eating breakfast or lunch, I couldn't tell which. I continued out the back door and sat down at the table with them.

     'Morning,' they both said in unison.

     I bit my lip. 'Dee.'

     'What have you done this time?' Dee sighed. She'd known me long enough to recognise my guilty voice.

     'I knocked over a tub of melted ice cream,' I said, ashamed.

     'On Beth's carpet?' she asked. I nodded. 'What flavour?'

     I didn't reply straight away, not wanting to say, but there was no point not telling, she'd find out eventually. 'Chocolate fudge brownie.'

     'Oh god,' Dee gasped, getting up and rushing inside.

     'Good thing it's a Sunday, else she wouldn't be home to tidy up after you,' Beth said, once Dee was gone. I could tell from the way she said it that she really meant 'You shouldn't have asked her to do that, be more polite next time and do it yourself.'

     'Hey!' I cried defensively. 'Do you really think I could get a stain like that out of a white carpet?'

     'You could have tried.'

     'I would have just made it worse,' I told her.

     'Don't spill it next time then.'

     'You're in a bad mood today,' I commented, taking half a croissant from her plate.

     'Sorry,' she said, sounding more relaxed already. 'I just feel bad for my mum sometimes. She's always cooking and cleaning, but she won't let me help.'

     'That's cause she doesn't mind doing it.'

     'That doesn't mean she enjoys doing it,' she pointed out.

     'Okay, next time I won't spill ice cream,' I reassured her. 'Where's Michael?'  

     'In bed,' she told me. 'Looks like he sleeps in even more than you.'

     'Beach today, right?' I asked her. She nodded and smiled.

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