Three Years, Five Months and Eleven Days

Chapter Sixteen

Okay, so here it is, Chapter Sixteen! It's medium length, but I promise it's worth it, because the with the end brings a revelation (well, cliff hanger really) that is the prelude to a whole new section of the book, and the focus will change completely! It is exciting stuff, because this also marks almost exactly the half-way point!!

Hope you like it :D

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     I stayed at home for the next four days, still spending loads of time with Beth and Michael, but I was living at home, because it was nice to spend time with Rob. We watched TV together, had our meals together and I even went with him to the supermarket on Thursday to help him with getting all our food for the week. I’d never spent so much time with him during the holidays, and it was nice.

     On Friday Michael arrived on my doorstep. ‘What you doing here?’ I asked, giving him a quick hello kiss.

     ‘Well we’re always at Beth’s house, and even over the last few days when you’ve been staying here, you’re the one that comes to us,’ he explained. ‘And I wanted to see your house.’

     ‘How’d did you know which one it was?’ I asked, leading him to the kitchen.

     ‘Beth told me it was the pink one,’ he said. ‘And boy was she right.’

     I laughed. ‘Yeah, Rob and I have tried to convince my mum to let us repaint it, but she likes it, for some reason I don’t understand,’ I told him, leaning against one of the counters.

     ‘Well I never said I didn’t like it, I was just saying, it’s…bright.’

     ‘And by defending my mum like that,’ I continued for him. ‘You’re saying that it’s how I act towards her that I need to work on most.’

     ‘Not really,’ he said. ‘But it wouldn’t hurt.’

     ‘It’s easy being nice to Rob and Isha and Dee, but that’s cause I have the opportunity to see them, I don’t know when I’ll next see my mum.’

     ‘You could just try being nice about her until you do,’ he suggested.

     ‘No,’ I snapped, suddenly. ‘Look, I took your advice, and I’m being a better person, but this thing with me and my mum is much bigger than that. I’m going to talk to her, and maybe you’re right and she’ll have a reason for going off with my dad like she did. Unless she does, I’m not changing anything in the way I treat her.’

     He sighed. ‘We’ll have to wait till she comes back and see, won’t we?’

     ‘We?’ I asked sceptically.

     ‘After all you’ve told me, I really want to meet her,’ he said.

     ‘Oh no, no, no,’ I told him. ‘I’m not telling her about you until I have to.’

     ‘What?’ he cried. ‘You’re going to lie to your parents?’

     ‘Well not my dad,’ I said. ‘But my mum. Why are you acting like it’s the end of the world?’

     ‘Because lying to your parents just brings about disaster,’ he told me.

     ‘Well I’m not going to tell them everything, am I?’ I pointed out.

     ‘There’s a difference between not telling them everything and lying.’

     I sighed. ‘Michael, everyone keeps things from their parents.’