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"Let me help with the ironing," I said to mum. She was feeling a little 'under the weather', and I didn't think she ironed dad's clothes properly anyway. "I could do mine and dad's, that'll make life easier for you."
"Yes Lexy, thank you, that will help. If you have time you could dip into mine too, but if not it's fine. I just need to get ahead of it before I go into hospital."
My name is actually Electra, but only dad calls me that, everyone else calls me Lexy, but I love Electra, dad told me he picked that name, and that mum picked my second name which is Persephone. It's okay I suppose, Penny for short I guess, but no one ever uses my second name.
"I will see how I get on mum." I am not so cold as to not do mums, but my priority was to do dad's and to do it properly. Mum was due to go into hospital for a few days, and then when she comes out, she won't really be doing anything for a month, so it'll be down to me to look after dad. Dad had even made up the spare bed as he wouldn't be able to sleep with mum when she comes out in case he knocks her stitches, or something. They don't tell me everything.
I guess mum was having a hysterectomy, I didn't really know. I know that she was upset about it, and that they have said it absolutely isn't cancer, but they won't say what it is to me. I got the ironing board out and plugged in the iron and poured water into its reservoir. Whilst it was heating, I went and sorted through the laundry. I would do dad's shirts first, and then his trousers, then pants, then socks, then mine, and then, if time, mums.
I loved ironing dad's shirts, I liked to make sure I got the pleat on the back absolutely knife sharp, and that the collars didn't curl. When a shirt was done, I put it on a hanger with the opening facing left. I told dad last week that we needed to go to Ikea and buy some hangers, the ones he used were a terrible mix of plastic shop hangers, all different sizes and shapes, so annoying, so difficult to get the wardrobe looking good. In fact, I may just borrow mum's car and debit card and just go and buy them myself and then throw out all dad's awful plastic horrors.
When I had finished the ironing, I did mum's too, I took dad's up to their bedroom and started putting it away. Dad's wardrobe really was a mess. Shirts all on different hangers, some facing left, some facing right, and his sock and pant drawers were simply disasters, I don't know why mum let it get like this. I tipped dad's sock drawer onto the bed and started rolling his socks in pairs and putting them neatly back in the drawer, so much neater. His pants I folded, left side under, right side under and then the gusset under. They all fitted much better in his drawer now.
But the shirts. I decided that the best I could do, for now, was to have all the shirts facing the same way, and then I would sort them by hanger height. That took me the best part of twenty minutes, but I was so pleased when I had done. I looked in dad's other drawer, it had a scarf, a box fill of cufflinks, a few ties, which I rolled up neatly, and a box of condoms. Really? That surprised me, I wondered what he could want them for, it was unlikely to be for mum, as far as I knew she couldn't get pregnant anymore.
I did dinner whilst mum rested in the lounge, I wanted to make sure dad had a decent meal. I cooked some lamb mince, diced some carrots, and made some potato mash, assembled a quick shepherds pie and threw it in the oven to cook. It should be done in about an hour for when dad gets home. I went and sat with mum.
"Tea is all sorted mum," I said as I sat on the chair opposite the sofa that mum was on.
"Thank you sweetheart, I could have done something."
No mum, you probably couldn't. You don't seem to be able to look after yourself, never mind dad. "I know you could mum, but, well, I am going to be looking after dad for the next few weeks, so a bit of practice won't hurt me."
"I know darling. I am going in tomorrow, so your dad will be all over the place, if there are any leftovers, it might be worth saving them to reheat for him when he gets a minute."
"Yes mum." No mum, I will do him something fresh, I might grab the leftovers for my lunch, but I will do something proper for dad.
"It is going to be a bit mad for the next few weeks baby girl," dad said to me as he helped me with the washing up.
"It will be fine dad, I will look after you."
"I am sure you will poppet, but, well, I can't expect you to do everything."
"Dad, I can do everything for you that mum does, and as I am not broken, I can probably do more. There is nothing I can't do for you. You just worry about mum, I will worry about you." And I did mean everything, I would do anything for my dad.
"Thank you love."
As I lay in my bed later I heard mum and dad talking and dad saying to mum that he and I would be fine, that I knew what to do, and that she wasn't to worry. Mum was saying, maybe but she can't do everything, and dad saying that I probably could. They talked a bit about the hospital, I could tell mum was upset. I wondered if she though a hysterectomy made her less of a woman? No idea, also, no idea what difference it would make, I hadn't heard them be intimate for months. Perhaps she was just sore down there? Either way, she wasn't taking care of dad.
I woke up early and threw my robe on and went down to the kitchen. Mum couldn't have any food today, so I made her a glass of water. For dad I made some toast and got the coffee ready for him for when he came down.
"Morning poppet" dad said as he came into the kitchen. "Nothing for mum."
"Morning dad" and I gave him a nice morning hug, I could tell he hadn't been taken care of, the lump pressing into me as I hugged him was testament to that, "coffee in a moment. There is some toast, do you want a poached egg with it?"
"Just toast love and then I will shoot off and get mum to the hospital. If all goes well her operation is this afternoon."
"I did mum a fresh glass of water in case she wanted to wet her whistle."
"Thank you, she might. Go up and see her, she would like that."
I went up and gave mum a hug, I couldn't help thinking that she could have helped dad out in some way, hand, mouth, something. Oh well.
"Have you got everything mum, phone earbuds, charger etc?"
"Yes love, and dad can probably bring in stuff if I need it." Yes mum he can run around after you because you couldn't be bothered to think of stuff.
"Yes, or I could borrow your car and bring it into you."
"Good idea love, I shan't be driving for the next month."
Many hugs and reassuring words later, they were gone. Dad would stay with her until they started the tests, then he would leave. He would go back in the morning and see her, they said he could have half an hour, and then he would have to leave until proper visiting time tomorrow evening.
I made Mum and Dad's bed and tidied their room, all the dirty, or unsure if dirty, went in the laundry basket, I would deal with it tomorrow whilst dad was visiting mum.
After tea, dad and I sat a watched an old film, 'Eyes Wide Shut' a bit of a nonsense film that I supposed in its day might have seemed erotic. Dad phoned the hospital, the operation was a success, mum was in recovery.
"I think I'll go up," Dad said.
"Ok, I will join you in a minute."
"What do you mean?"
"You are not being alone tonight, I will be up when I have tidied."
"I am not sure..."
