What Rachel said last night, about her pyjamas- it reminded me of back in the day when my brothers and I would camp in our lounge room when we had babysitters. And wa-la, this was born. That and school is over and I'm bored after only one day. Read and review,
xoxox
Rachel: I never had Barbie pyjamas. They were My Little Pony.
Rachel Rafter had never expected their lives to be so dramatic. When they were children, they were so carefree, so hopeful. But they soon realised that their lives weren't the ones they had dreamed up in the silence of the night.
Heartache, heartbreak, the loss of a family member. The year they had just lived through was one of the best and the worst any of the Rafters had ever had to endure.
But, despite their year, they all gathered around the kitchen table to wish Ruby Rafter a happy first birthday. Ben and Nathan smiling through the pain, Rachel wrapped in Jake's arms, Carbo and Retta (much to Ben's disappointment) smiling at the little girl.
"Alright, I think it's time for this munchkin to go to bed", Julie decided, holding up the sleepy little girl. "Come on, darling, let's go. Say good night, angel!"
Ruby waved to her family, the big mishmashed group that they were.
"Yeah, I've gotta head home. I promised Mum and Alex I'd go out with them in the morning", Jake apologised. "Happy birthday, Rubes. Good night, all!" he kissed his girlfriend and Ruby on their foreheads and escaped towards the front door. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"
"We're going to head home", Carbo told them, looking adoringly into Retta's eyes. "Thanks for dinner Mrs Rafter. Mr Rafter".
"We'll be back soon, mate", Nathan said.
"I'm going to take Chel home", Ted decided. "Won't be too long".
"Thanks for coming, Chel", Dave said, "It means a lot to us".
"Wouldn't miss it for the world".
"We better go", Ben mumbled, turning to Nathan, as their family slowly dwindled out.
"You should stay", Rachel said suddenly, surprising everyone.
"Where did that come from?" Nathan laughed.
"We could watch a movie?" she suggested. "Come on, no one's working tomorrow. We're all free until after Christmas. One late night isn't going to kill us".
"Sounds like a plan", Nathan agreed.
The three had fought as children, and while they had grown closer with age, had been drawn together especially during the last year. While they still argued like cats and dogs, they showed their love for each other.
On the rare occasions their parents went away for the weekend and left them with babysitters (more often than not tedious old ladies who would rather knit in front of the television set- they preferred Chrissy, their mother's best friend), they'd all gather in Rachel's bedroom. She was the oldest and therefore found herself responsible for her two little brothers. She'd sleep on the bed, and the boys would take sleeping bags and her floor. Granted, it wasn't often, but when it did happen they made the most of it.
Ben and Nathan never thought they'd be in the positions of their younger selves again, but that night they were. lying in sleeping bags on their older sister's floor, while their parents, grandfather and baby sister slept peacefully.
"This is not how I expected this to end", Nathan said softly, into the darkness. "What a year, hey?"
"I know", Rachel agreed. "After everything that's happened... I'm slightly scared how next year's going to turn out".
"It doesn't matter how next year'll turn out", Nathan said firmly. "What matters is that we're all together. We're a family".
"I never thought'd I'd be in this position", Ben said gruffly. "Mel was my life... and now she's gone. I can't believe how any of our lives turned out. Nathan, you were the successful married one. And now you're working for Dad".
"Thanks for rubbing it in, mate". Nathan chuckled slightly.
"I didn't mean it like that. Rach, you were so dependant, and yet you've been living at home for ages".
"Benny where is this going?"
"And we have a little sister. I seriously did not expect life to turn out like this". Ben was quiet. "And I didn't expect to ever be in a sleeping bag on Rachel's floor ever again".
"Just like the good old days, huh?" Rachel chuckled, reaching for her beloved stuffed rabbit. Nathan laughed.
"Some things'll never change".
"next thing you know old Mrs Brown is going to be busting in here telling us we wouldn't get ice cream if we didn't be quiet and go to sleep", Rachel giggled.
"Mrs Brown hated me and Rachel, she loved you", Ben told him. "Never understood that".
"That's because Nathan was a suck-up".
Their chatter slowly dwindled into silence, as the three older Rafter children contemplated their lives, in the darkness. It was just like when they were kids.