Times were hard. I had just split up with my girlfriend of seven months and because I had a low paying job as a porter at a hotel downtown, I had to move back in with my mum and sister Faye. The house was nice with three bedrooms, a reasonably sized kitchen and a living room. Mum, in her mid forties, was a teacher who worked five days a week at the local secondary school. Faye, who was twenty years old, was studying to become a nurse.
As I pulled up to the house in my shitty runaround of a car, the front door burst opened and Faye stepped out. She was skinny with short brown hair and was wearing blue jeans with a grey t-shirt.
"He's here," I heard her call out as I opened my door.
I grabbed my box of things I had taken back from my ex and turned around to see Faye striding along the lawn to meet me.
"Hey," Faye said as she reached me. "Lemme help you with that."
"It's light," I replied. "I got it."
We walked up the driveway to the front door where Mum stood in the doorway. Like Faye, she was skinny but with long brown hair that was currently tied up in a ponytail. Mum was wearing cotton pyjama bottoms with red and blue stripes down the bottom and a long sleeved white t-shirt.
"It's so good to have you back," She said as I drew level with her.
"Thanks," I replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "It's nice to be back."
"I'm not surprised," Faye exclaimed. "I'm shocked you even lasted that long with that cunt."
"Faye Rosie Kingston," Mum shouted. "You wash your filthy mouth out at once."
A smile burst into my lips and very quickly turned into a laugh. Noticing my laughter, Faye grinned herself and stepped past Mum.
"Sorry Mother," She said.
"That's better," Mum replied. "Don't laugh, it only encourages her."
"Do you call all your patients that or only the ones who are assholes?" I asked Faye.
It was Faye's turn to laugh. Hearing the laughter, Mum look towards the heavens.
"Help me," She said, joining the fun. "I've raised two animals."
If only she knew what was to come.
**THE NEXT DAY**
I woke up in my old double bed. It took me a brief moment to remember where I was. My stomach growled impatiently so I got up and went in search of food. Faye, dressed in her nurses' uniform, was sitting at the wooden table drinking coffee and reading a book.
"Yo," I said.
Her eyes flickered away from the book to me.
"Hey," She replied. "You sleep okay?"
I nodded.
"Lovely thanks," I answered. "Where would I find anything breakfast related?"
"Top cupboard has cereal. There's bread in the cupboard next to it and there might some bacon and eggs in the fridge."
"Thanks," I replied.
Turning around, I opened up the cupboard and pulled out the bread. Faye got up, her chair make a scraping sound as it rubbed against the floor.
"You mind washing up my things?" She asked. "I'm heading to class."
"Nope," I replied.
"Cool," She replied, grabbing her bag. "And thanks for helping me defuse the whole c-bomb thing with mum last night."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"It was funny," I replied. "And true."
"She's been annoyed with my cussing lately."
"Have you been doing it a lot then?" I asked.
"That," She replied. "And a whole of other things she doesn't know about..."
Her voice trailed off and suddenly her usually happy demeanor was replaced with a shy one.
"Like what?" I asked, interested.
"Never mind," She replied. "I gotta go."
With that, she made to walked out. I didn't want to end the conversation without having the last word.
"Well you know where I am if you want to talk."
She stopped, halfway out of the door.
"Thank you," She replied before leaving.
As I heard the front door slam behind her, I began to preoccupy myself with breakfast. The conversation with Faye was still replaying in my mind.
**LATER**
After a seven hour shift at work, I crept back into the house. It was close to midnight so I shut the door noiselessly as possible.
