I know I said I would write this a couple of weeks back but due to A-level overload, it got delayed. Today I am ill so I'm not revising because I haven't been taking anything in at school and I doubt I can now so I thought I would get this written instead! Very different from 'Poison' which is kind of a relief, it's nice to write some funny stuff instead although 'Poison' is still continuing. Enjoy! :)
"Guy." Anya said, walking into the living room and leaning against the doorway. "Lucas and Greta want to know if we can visit this afternoon."
"Ah. Great. What did you tell them?" Guy responded, putting his newspaper on to the coffee table and looking up at his wife.
"I said that we would." Just then, a small, dark-haired girl came bouncing into the room. "We're going to go and visit Lucas and Greta today Zoshie." The little girl frowned and crossed her arms.
"No." She said stubbornly.
"Why not?" Asked Guy.
"It's boring." She sighed. It was true. Lucas and Greta were very strict people. They had an immaculately clean house and everything was cream. They didn't care for children, they thought them loud and disruptive so every time Guy and Anya went to visit them, Zosia had to sit on the sofa with the grown-ups and listen to them talking.
"Perhaps we shouldn't take her." Guy said.
"We could ask Colette?" Anya suggested.
"Ask Colette what?" Colette called from the kitchen, before going to join the family in the living room.
"Could you look after Zosia today?" Anya asked, turning to face her. "Please?" She grinned.
"Please please please Colette!" Zosia begged, still bouncing.
"Alright then." Colette agreed, smiling in amusement at the little girl's enthusiasm. "Has she had lemonade?"
"I…don't think so. Zosia?" Anya said, trying not to smile at her daughter, who by this time had stood still and was looking directly at her mother. She shook her head. "Are you sure?"
"I haven't." She told her, tilting her head to one side and winding a chunk of hair around her finger.
"You're a terrible liar missy!" She said to her, picking Zosia up and whirling her round as the young girl giggled in delight. "Who gave it to you? As if I couldn't guess!"
"Daddy told me it was a secret." She said, her eyes wide and innocent. "Oops." She said, putting her hand over her mouth in realisation that she had let the cat out of the bag.
"Oh thank you Zoshie, thank you very much!" Guy said sarcastically. Zosia just laughed.
"What did you give her lemonade for?" Colette exclaimed. "And now I've got to look after her all day!"
"She is seven and has already had one cup today!" Anya chipped in.
"Alright, alright! I'm sorry! We're on holiday and I didn't think it would do any harm just once."
"You know it sends her hyper!"
"I'm sorry okay? What time do we need to go?"
"Now-ish." Anya informed her husband. She then spoke to Zosia. "You be good for Colette yes?"
"Mm-hm." The girl replied, nodding.
"So that's no trouble, no fibs, no mischief and no stubbornness right?" Zosia nodded again. Guy laughed. "What?"
"You can hardly tell her not to be stubborn! She's your daughter!" Guy joked. Anya playfully kicked him.
"And yours!" Colette added, sticking up for Anya. To that, Guy said nothing. "Right come on you." She said to Zosia, holding out her arms. "Let's get rid of your mum and dad." She obediently reached out and Colette took her from Anya.
"Bye bye." Zosia said, waving.
"She's keen to get rid of us." Guy laughed. In turn, Anya and Guy kissed Zosia goodbye and off they went.
"Right." Colette said, shutting the door. "What are we going to do with you?" She asked. Zosia shrugged and looked at Colette, a cheeky grin on her face. "How about we go to the river and feed the ducks?" She suggested.
"Yes please!" Zosia explained, her eyes lighting up.
"Go and get your shoes and coat on then whilst I find the bread." She instructed, setting the child down on the ground. Zosia ran off to do as she was told.
Ten minutes later, Colette was all ready to go. "What are you doing?" She asked. Zosia was bumbling around in the hall looking concerned.
"I can't find my other shoe." She told her, an amusing genuinely panic-stricken look upon her face. Colette smiled, entertained at the girl's genuine terror.
"Don't worry." She reassured her. "Where did you have it last?" She asked, kneeling down in front of her.
"I don't know."
"When did you have it last?"
"Yesterday."
"You go and look upstairs and I will look down here." Colette noticed Zosia looking near to tears. "Don't worry, we will find it." She told her and they went their separate ways.
"I FOUND IT!" Colette heard an excited cry a few minutes later. Zosia came running down the stairs and met Colette in the hallway.
"Where was it?" She asked.
"In my room. I used it last night as a bed for Tiny." She grinned, referring to her toy mouse.
"See, I told you we would find it. Come on then, put your shoes on and let's go." Zosia obeyed and they were soon out of the house and down by the river.
It was a cold day, average for February in Poland though. The wind was bitter and the sky was clouded over, almost as if it was going to snow. Colette and Zosia seemed to be the only ones around, well, apart from the ducks. Zosia skipped along the river bank at full speed. "Stay where I can see you!" Colette called after her. Zosia stopped and skipped back over to Colette.
"Can I have the bread for the ducks please?" She asked.
"Here you go." Colette said, handing over the bag. Zosia started tearing the bread into pieces and throwing it into the water.
"You can feed them too." She said, handing Colette a few slices of bread.
"Thank you." She replied, taking the bread and doing as Zosia did.
"Colette?"
"Zosia?" She answered.
"Why did you want to be a nurse?" The child questioned in interest.
"Well…I suppose because I like helping people and making people better."
"The doctors make people better, not the nurses!" Zosia informed her. Colette looked shocked.
"Who told you that?" She exclaimed, half smiling.
"Daddy did."
"Did he now?" Colette laughed. "Your daddy is a naughty man. And he's wrong." She joked.
"Right. I will tell him that." Zosia said, deadly seriously. Colette rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you want to be a doctor?"
"Oh I'm not clever enough to be a doctor!"
"Yes you are!" Zosia cried in protest. "You know lots and lots and lots of things!"
"No I don't! Not as much as your mum and dad."
"Mama says that daddy knows too much for his own good." She said. Colette chuckled.
"So are you going to be a doctor or a nurse?" She asked.
"I thought I would be a doctor but I'm not as clever as you and you are really clever so I think I will be a nurse."
"You could be really clever. You're only young you will learn a lot. You don't start training until you're eighteen so you have plenty of time to learn." Zosia started counting on her fingers.
"Umm…eleven years." She announced.
"See. Plenty of time."
"Good!" She grinned. "I will be a doctor!" Just then, there was a nip at her hand and Zosia squealed, dropping the chunk of bread that she was holding and huddling up to Colette, who put her arm around her.
"It's okay." She reassured her, bending down to the girl's level. "It was just a duck, he wanted the bread. Did he get your fingers?" Zosia shook her head.
"Not quite." She sniffled.
"That's alright then." She smiled at her.
"I don't like it." She said.
"Look, I'll show you." Colette took a chunk of bread and offered it to the duck, who took it gently. "You see. They're friendly." Zosia copied Colette and sure enough, the duck took the bread just as gently, causing the girl to smile.
"Hello Mr Duck!" She said, edging closer. "Is the bread yummy?"
"Zosia come away from the edge of the river." Colette warned
"Can I stroke him?" She asked Colette, jumping up and down.
"No I really don't think that is a very good idea." She replied quickly.
"But why?"
"Because you might scare him."
"No I won't I'm only little!"
"Oh but you scare me sometimes!"
"When?" She asked, squinting.
"Lots of times!"
"Oh alright then." She took a step backwards, losing her balance and falling into a rather deep muddy puddle. "Oh dear." She said, tears springing to her deep brown eyes. She rubbed them. Colette sighed.
"I think it's time we went home don't you?" Colette suggested, picking a wet, muddy seven year old child up.
A couple of hours later, Colette had Zosia home, bathed and ready for bed, wrapped up in a fluffy pink dressing gown. They had settled down in front of the television. Anya and Guy walked in to find Zosia snuggled up to Colette, fast asleep. They grinned in amusement.
"Everything alright?" Anya asked.
"Don't ask!" Colette laughed.
"What did you get up to?" Guy joined in.
"Where do you want me to start?"