"C'mon Rhian. You have to get up, we're going to be late." The whispered
plea brought Rhiannon reluctantly back to the consciousness she'd been
fighting most of the night. With a barely audible sigh, she turned her
back on the first rays of sunlight that had discreetly crept through the
window just moments before and fixed her gaze on the angelic face that
stared down at her with a worried frown.
"Kiara...did you sleep?" Rhiannon asked and the girl shook her head, long honey-blond hair falling in her face. Rhiannon sighed, louder this time before throwing the covers back. "Me either." Kiara jumped onto the bed and gave her Aunt a hug. The two lay there silently as they both tried to gather the strength to face the day and Rhiannon absently wondered when it had become such a hard task to get out of bed. Forcing herself to slowly rise from the warm comfort of her bed, she turned her thoughts to getting her young charge prepared for another day, which had become increasingly difficult lately. "Have you decided what you want for breakfast?"
"Nope." The girl's answer was somewhat despondent as Rhiannon shooed her off the bed in an attempt to re-make it.
"Well, what would you like? I can make you waffles? Pancakes? Toast?" The suggestion was hopeful, although she was almost certain that her niece would reject the offer, as she always did.
"No thanks." Kiara's golden hair covered her face as she leaned dejectedly against the bedroom wall. Rhiannon finally turned around with a no nonsense expression on her face and her hands on her hips.
"Well, you have to eat something, girl. I won't let you waste away in front of my eyes." She replied in a slightly harsh tone of voice, not in the mood for any shit this early in the morning.
"I said no, Rhian. I'm not hungry." The girl replied forcefully and Rhiannon growled in frustration, but not about to give in.
"Kiara, if you don't start treating your body with respect, you'll make yourself ill. I'm almost certain that your mother will think that I'm unfit to look after you if she sees you in this state. All I want is for you to have a little bit of breakfast, at least. Is that really too much to ask?" Rhiannon realised that she may have been somewhat dramatic, but she could see that it had shocked Kiara slightly and at least gotten her thinking a little bit.
"Okay, cereal then. Just a little." She consented after a long silence and Rhiannon breathed an audible sigh of relief ahead of giving her niece a long hug.
"Thank you sweetie. Now off you go and get ready, you don't want to be late for school." Kiara nodded shortly and shuffled out of her aunt's bedroom, obviously unhappy about losing the argument.
Rhiannon crossed the room to open her curtains. She spent a few minutes contemplating calling in sick; the thought of going into work today was almost unbearable. But, she knew that she had to do it otherwise she'd just spend the whole day curled up on the couch watching daytime soaps and feeling sorry for herself. Determined not to waste the day on such a futile task, she grabbed her outfit for work and had a quick shower.
Slowly as she dressed, Rhiannon felt the familiar loathing come over her, as she did every time she put the uniform on. It was always the same. Black underwear, black faded jeans, black form-fitting t-shirt, black ankle boots and, lastly, the black hair tie to hold her thick mane of dark auburn hair back from her face.
"I need a new job." She sighed to herself as she gave the vanity unit a quick wipe down, before reluctantly making her way down the stairs into the kitchen she'd spent most of the night cleaning. That's what she did whenever a bout of insomnia hit. She'd clean. And consequently, the entire house was almost always immaculate. Quickly throwing some bread into the toaster, she managed to get Kiara's breakfast ready while the girl, who was always ready at least a half an hour before her Aunt, sat in the living room watching TV. "Come on honey, eat your breakfast and then I'll do your hair." Rhiannon called through the door and Kiara moped her way to the kitchen table and proceeded to play with her food.
"Kiara." Rhian raised an eyebrow at the girl, realising that this was a continuation of the argument they'd had upstairs. "Eat your breakfast. Now."
The girl sighed in an exaggerated fashion and started to slowly chew down her food. Rhiannon rolled her eyes at the childish display, grabbed her toast and coffee and sat across from Kiara who continued to eat tiny mouthfuls as slowly as possible.
"Do you want me to do your hair this morning?" She asked and took a sip of strong black coffee just as the phone rang. "Shit." She jumped, spilling the scalding liquid down her shirt and burning her tongue at the same time.
"Language." Kiara said mildly, imitating the way Rhiannon so often scolded her Mother when her tongue slipped. She gave the girl a look that was not to be argued with and quickly answered the phone in the living room. Kiara didn't need to eavesdrop anyway, she knew as soon as the phone had rung, just as Rhiannon had, that it was her mother calling. When Rhiannon returned to the kitchen fifteen or so minutes later, she was wearing a new shirt. The distant look on her face alerted Kiara to the fact that there was something wrong.
"Rhian?" Kiara whispered, trying to get her distracted Aunt's attention.
"Hmm?"
"Well? What did she say?" She asked, insistent this time and Rhiannon frowned, looking worried now.
"Come on love. Finish your breakfast so I can do your hair." Kiara shook her head with a distant look on her face and before she could stop herself, the question she'd been suppressing popped out of her mouth unbidden.
"She's not coming back, is she?" Rhiannon's eyes widened in shock and she placed her coffee down on the bench, too shocked to answer right away.
"What? Oh, Kiara of course she's coming back. What on earth would make you think that she wouldn't?" She raced over to her niece's side and grabbed her shoulders gently. When the girl didn't answer, Rhiannon gave her a hug and tried to reassure her. "You listen to me Kiara. Your Mum loves you so, so much, but the job she has right now is very demanding honey, she has to travel a lot. If there was a way around that, I'm sure she'd take it, but I don't think she has any choice. She just rang to tell me that she's running a bit late and she'll be back next weekend, okay?" Kiara forced a smile and nodded, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.
"I'm sorry Rhian." She cleared her throat and got up to put her bowl in the sink. "I didn't really think she'd gone. It was stupid of me to ask." She avoided her Aunt's shrewd eyes as she spoke, knowing that she'd break down if she did.
"It wasn't stupid of you. But don't ever think that your Mother is going to abandon you, she loves you more than life." Rhian said slowly, "If you do need to talk about things though, I'm here for you Kiara. I know how hard it is for you with your Mum always on the road." Kiara just nodded and Rhian's heart ached to see her niece feeling so abandoned and hurt.
"We should go. We're going to be late." Kiara said softly, picking up her bag and Rhiannon looked at the clock.
"You don't want me to do your hair?" Kiara shook her head and forced a smile, almost tripping over her feet in her haste to get out of the house.
"Jesus, what am I doing?" Rhiannon leaned against the bench and looked up at the ceiling. It was hard taking care of such a sensitive child, especially since she'd never had any children of her own. She sometimes wondered whether she was doing more harm than good, but her sister Imogen didn't trust anyone else to take care of the child.
For the past three and a half years, Rhiannon had been taking care of Kiara while Imogen was on the road with the WWE. And after her behaviour of late, it was obvious that Kiara was miserable and blamed herself for her mother's absence.
"Damn you Imogen. You should be here for your child!" She cursed in an angry whisper, throwing the coffee cup in the sink and quickly buttering a piece of toast to take with her in the car.
She ran out of the door, her bag flying off her shoulder as she jumped into the vehicle and Kiara gave her an amused look. "You're always in a hurry Rhian." Rhian threw her niece a quick smile.
"I'm always running late." She put the piece of toast in her mouth and started the car as Kiara shook her head and turned the stereo on.
"It'll be okay." Kiara said so quietly that Rhian almost missed it and as they drove down the street in silence she had to wonder whether she was right.
"Kiara...did you sleep?" Rhiannon asked and the girl shook her head, long honey-blond hair falling in her face. Rhiannon sighed, louder this time before throwing the covers back. "Me either." Kiara jumped onto the bed and gave her Aunt a hug. The two lay there silently as they both tried to gather the strength to face the day and Rhiannon absently wondered when it had become such a hard task to get out of bed. Forcing herself to slowly rise from the warm comfort of her bed, she turned her thoughts to getting her young charge prepared for another day, which had become increasingly difficult lately. "Have you decided what you want for breakfast?"
"Nope." The girl's answer was somewhat despondent as Rhiannon shooed her off the bed in an attempt to re-make it.
"Well, what would you like? I can make you waffles? Pancakes? Toast?" The suggestion was hopeful, although she was almost certain that her niece would reject the offer, as she always did.
"No thanks." Kiara's golden hair covered her face as she leaned dejectedly against the bedroom wall. Rhiannon finally turned around with a no nonsense expression on her face and her hands on her hips.
"Well, you have to eat something, girl. I won't let you waste away in front of my eyes." She replied in a slightly harsh tone of voice, not in the mood for any shit this early in the morning.
"I said no, Rhian. I'm not hungry." The girl replied forcefully and Rhiannon growled in frustration, but not about to give in.
"Kiara, if you don't start treating your body with respect, you'll make yourself ill. I'm almost certain that your mother will think that I'm unfit to look after you if she sees you in this state. All I want is for you to have a little bit of breakfast, at least. Is that really too much to ask?" Rhiannon realised that she may have been somewhat dramatic, but she could see that it had shocked Kiara slightly and at least gotten her thinking a little bit.
"Okay, cereal then. Just a little." She consented after a long silence and Rhiannon breathed an audible sigh of relief ahead of giving her niece a long hug.
"Thank you sweetie. Now off you go and get ready, you don't want to be late for school." Kiara nodded shortly and shuffled out of her aunt's bedroom, obviously unhappy about losing the argument.
Rhiannon crossed the room to open her curtains. She spent a few minutes contemplating calling in sick; the thought of going into work today was almost unbearable. But, she knew that she had to do it otherwise she'd just spend the whole day curled up on the couch watching daytime soaps and feeling sorry for herself. Determined not to waste the day on such a futile task, she grabbed her outfit for work and had a quick shower.
Slowly as she dressed, Rhiannon felt the familiar loathing come over her, as she did every time she put the uniform on. It was always the same. Black underwear, black faded jeans, black form-fitting t-shirt, black ankle boots and, lastly, the black hair tie to hold her thick mane of dark auburn hair back from her face.
"I need a new job." She sighed to herself as she gave the vanity unit a quick wipe down, before reluctantly making her way down the stairs into the kitchen she'd spent most of the night cleaning. That's what she did whenever a bout of insomnia hit. She'd clean. And consequently, the entire house was almost always immaculate. Quickly throwing some bread into the toaster, she managed to get Kiara's breakfast ready while the girl, who was always ready at least a half an hour before her Aunt, sat in the living room watching TV. "Come on honey, eat your breakfast and then I'll do your hair." Rhiannon called through the door and Kiara moped her way to the kitchen table and proceeded to play with her food.
"Kiara." Rhian raised an eyebrow at the girl, realising that this was a continuation of the argument they'd had upstairs. "Eat your breakfast. Now."
The girl sighed in an exaggerated fashion and started to slowly chew down her food. Rhiannon rolled her eyes at the childish display, grabbed her toast and coffee and sat across from Kiara who continued to eat tiny mouthfuls as slowly as possible.
"Do you want me to do your hair this morning?" She asked and took a sip of strong black coffee just as the phone rang. "Shit." She jumped, spilling the scalding liquid down her shirt and burning her tongue at the same time.
"Language." Kiara said mildly, imitating the way Rhiannon so often scolded her Mother when her tongue slipped. She gave the girl a look that was not to be argued with and quickly answered the phone in the living room. Kiara didn't need to eavesdrop anyway, she knew as soon as the phone had rung, just as Rhiannon had, that it was her mother calling. When Rhiannon returned to the kitchen fifteen or so minutes later, she was wearing a new shirt. The distant look on her face alerted Kiara to the fact that there was something wrong.
"Rhian?" Kiara whispered, trying to get her distracted Aunt's attention.
"Hmm?"
"Well? What did she say?" She asked, insistent this time and Rhiannon frowned, looking worried now.
"Come on love. Finish your breakfast so I can do your hair." Kiara shook her head with a distant look on her face and before she could stop herself, the question she'd been suppressing popped out of her mouth unbidden.
"She's not coming back, is she?" Rhiannon's eyes widened in shock and she placed her coffee down on the bench, too shocked to answer right away.
"What? Oh, Kiara of course she's coming back. What on earth would make you think that she wouldn't?" She raced over to her niece's side and grabbed her shoulders gently. When the girl didn't answer, Rhiannon gave her a hug and tried to reassure her. "You listen to me Kiara. Your Mum loves you so, so much, but the job she has right now is very demanding honey, she has to travel a lot. If there was a way around that, I'm sure she'd take it, but I don't think she has any choice. She just rang to tell me that she's running a bit late and she'll be back next weekend, okay?" Kiara forced a smile and nodded, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.
"I'm sorry Rhian." She cleared her throat and got up to put her bowl in the sink. "I didn't really think she'd gone. It was stupid of me to ask." She avoided her Aunt's shrewd eyes as she spoke, knowing that she'd break down if she did.
"It wasn't stupid of you. But don't ever think that your Mother is going to abandon you, she loves you more than life." Rhian said slowly, "If you do need to talk about things though, I'm here for you Kiara. I know how hard it is for you with your Mum always on the road." Kiara just nodded and Rhian's heart ached to see her niece feeling so abandoned and hurt.
"We should go. We're going to be late." Kiara said softly, picking up her bag and Rhiannon looked at the clock.
"You don't want me to do your hair?" Kiara shook her head and forced a smile, almost tripping over her feet in her haste to get out of the house.
"Jesus, what am I doing?" Rhiannon leaned against the bench and looked up at the ceiling. It was hard taking care of such a sensitive child, especially since she'd never had any children of her own. She sometimes wondered whether she was doing more harm than good, but her sister Imogen didn't trust anyone else to take care of the child.
For the past three and a half years, Rhiannon had been taking care of Kiara while Imogen was on the road with the WWE. And after her behaviour of late, it was obvious that Kiara was miserable and blamed herself for her mother's absence.
"Damn you Imogen. You should be here for your child!" She cursed in an angry whisper, throwing the coffee cup in the sink and quickly buttering a piece of toast to take with her in the car.
She ran out of the door, her bag flying off her shoulder as she jumped into the vehicle and Kiara gave her an amused look. "You're always in a hurry Rhian." Rhian threw her niece a quick smile.
"I'm always running late." She put the piece of toast in her mouth and started the car as Kiara shook her head and turned the stereo on.
"It'll be okay." Kiara said so quietly that Rhian almost missed it and as they drove down the street in silence she had to wonder whether she was right.