Mummy's night out
Margaret "Mummy" Pig stared at the middle-aged swine in the mirror. OK, so she wasn't what you would call "young" anymore but she still felt like she could pull off the pink dress she was wearing. She'd had it for years, ever since her and her husband's third anniversary. Reaching inside a ruby box, she pulled out a gold locket and opened it up. Tears started to well in her eyes when she saw the picture: a much younger, fitter Daniel "Daddy" Pig. His facial hair was just starting to come in, his stomach wasn't lined with the layers of fat he was currently sporting and his eyes… His eyes shone with his youth, with endless potential promise laid out in front of him, ready to take life by the horns.
Margaret sighed and closed the locket, slipping it around her neck. She wouldn't open it again, not tonight. She sprayed herself with the perfume he had bought her a few weeks ago and stood up. Tonight, she was going out. She never went out for herself anymore: Whenever she did, it was to take her children somewhere or to go to the shops. She loved Peppa and George with all her heart but sometimes, they made her wonder why she'd even had kids.
Occasionally, she would ponder what life would be like if she hadn't had kids. Maybe she could have gotten a better job, followed her childish desires to be an actress. Ever since she was young, she wanted to be on stage, to make people happy. Now, she always had an audience of three people, all of them expecting her to play the role of the kind, patient mother and understanding wife while he sat in his easy chair, watching the television or reading the newspaper.
No, she mustn't think like that. Daniel was great with the children and always did his best to help life run smoothly. He wasn't the best when it came to fixing shelves or putting up swing sets, but she still loved him.
Maybe.
She had to admit that some of his finger features had been shed over the years, replaced with a larger stomach, more facial hair and a more laid-back attitude than she would have liked.
From the sitting room, the sound of running engines caught her ears. Peppa and George had known she was going out for some time, Peppa even asked if she could come. Nostalgia caught up to her as she remembered how she always used to ask her mother to come with her to the pub, eager to try her first taste of alcohol. Of course, she had to gently let her daughter down. She'd have her time eventually.
Though come to think of it, where was her husband?
Opening the door, she was treated to the sight of her husband and two little bundles of joy watching TV. Six little eyes were entranced by flashing colours and fast movements, almost sucking them into the screen entirely. Rolling her own, she knocked on the door to grab everyone's attention.
"Everyone! It's time I was off!"
"Can't we wait until the race is over?" Daniel groaned. "It's nearly finished!"
"No, I'm already running behind as it is!" She snapped, a little harsher than she'd meant to sound.
The sounds of the television abruptly ended as the four of them centred the hall. George was holding Mr. Dinosaur, as per usual. Peppa looked slightly disappointed but still managed to smile. Daniel was looking back at the TV with regret in his eyes.
"Are you going to have fun, Mummy?" Peppa? asked.
"Yes," Snorted her mother. "But don't worry, I'll be back in the morning."
"I wish I could come with you."
Margaret bent down as if to bring herself down to the status of a child.
"I know darling, but Mummy needs to have some time to herself," She said.
Peppa just nodded.
Everyone put their shoes on and climbed into the little red car they knew and loved. The family had never thought of getting another one, even though it broke down a little more often than they'd like it to. It had been their trusty steed for years, no reason to throw it away. Not to mention they couldn't afford another one.
As her spouse drove her down the hill their house was perched on, Margaret remembered the one thing that her parents couldn't give her: A sibling. When she was ten years old (Or eleven, she could never remember which), they had told her that was adopted. They couldn't have children of their own, so they did the next best thing. She'd never worried about it too much growing up, she had plenty of friends to talk to and she didn't like the idea of sharing a room anyways.
But now that she was a mother and all her childhood friends were having more and more children, she felt a little jealous. Not of the mothers but of the children getting new brothers or sisters. She had no idea what it was like to have a lookalike to play with and talk to. Now, she wished she did.
That's why after Peppa was born, she immediately wanted to have George. She didn't want her daughter to grow up without a sibling, not like she had. Daniel had told her to wait, that they needed to learn how to look after one child before starting on another. Thus, they waited until she could walk before worrying about another child.
For some time after George was born, she'd been wanting to give birth to a third. She'd never told her husband: He'd never brought it up and seemed to perfectly happy with the two piglets they already had together. They were comfortable enough money-wise anyway and having a third child could ruin that. Not only would money have to be stretched a little further, they'd have to move to a bigger house, an action which they currently could not afford.
"Mummy, what you and your friends going to do?"
She snapped back to reality and turned to face her daughter.
"Well, we're going to go a restaurant and talk about grown-up things."
"What kind of grown-up things?"
"We're going to talk about taxes and bills and how well our children are doing."
A lie. A tiny, harmless little white lie to protect her innocence.
"We're here!" Announced Daddy pig as the car rolled to a stop.
Peppa and George couldn't help but be thrilled by the noise and lights of the city. They'd been here several times, of course, but rarely had they ventured here after dark. The glow of the streetlights, the noise of young people under the moonlight, it was all new to them.
"Ooh…Pretty!" George cooed, in awe of the colours and noise.
"Thank you, dear. Bye, Peppa. Bye, George."
All three of her family were treated to a kiss on the cheek before she stepped out, a simultaneous "Goodbye!" from the family entering her ears as she stepped onto the pavement. Turning back to give a little wave to her children, Margaret strolled down the street.
In front of a little Chinese restaurant were her friends: Sarah Sheep and Rhona Rabbit. She had known Sarah since she was in Nursery: They'd been best friends ever since, barely spending any time apart. Their daughters were also best friends, continuing a silly sort of tradition.
She hadn't met Rhona until she was in secondary school. She'd always been a scatter-brained sort of girl, not sure what exactly she wanted to do with her life. Thus, she was working umpteen different jobs at once at any one time. Whether Margaret went, she found Rhona there, whether it be a local funfair or the library. It was any wonder she had time to breathe!
"Rebecca!" Sarah bleated. "Glad you could make it!"
"Sorry I'm late," She sighed. "My husband wanted to wait until his show was finished."
"Oh, that Daniel…" Rhona giggled.
On further inspection, Margaret realised that they were all wearing the same colours they had at their final high school dance. Margaret in pink, Sally in cyan and Rhona in bright orange. Memories flowed back to her, how they promised to always stay together, no matter what. They had spent the night dancing with each other, barely paying boys any attention. As far as they were concerned, they were enough for each other. The rules had stretched a little each time one of them a boyfriend but none of them minded.
Too bad she'd outright broken that rule when she went and got married. The girls had been kind to her, of course, but she could sense a distance growing between them. No longer could she drop everything to dance the night away or have a round of ten-pin bowling: She had a man now. Daniel had been very sweet to her, supportive of whatever she did and always remembered her birthday, parent's birthdays, whatever needed minding. Over time, however, age took over his body, sapping away his youth and turning him from a star athlete to a chubby, forgetful sack of his former self. When she'd had Peppa, he was the one who suggested the name. When George was born, he was named after Daniel's late grandfather. It wasn't a major problem or anything. At least, that's what she told herself. As the one who went through all the pains, aches and hurt that came with giving birth twice, why shouldn't she…
"Maggie? You alright?"
Margaret snapped out of her daze, letting loose a little squeal as she did so.
"Huh? Oh, yes! I'm fine!" The pig smiled. "Shall we go in?"
"Please! I'm starving!" Rhona giggled, rubbing her belly.
And with that the trio walked into the restaurant, the awkward silence long forgotten.
The restaurant was still small and quiet, just as they remembered it. It had new waiters of course but everything else seemed to have survived the aging process rather well. The paintings of long, winding dragons were still there, the little paper fans still hung to the walls and on closer inspection, the little Chinese symbol on the chopsticks was still identical to what it had been umpteen years ago. After being shown to their little, round table, the three looked over their menus. All their old favourites remained, joined by new options.
"I still can't believe everything's still the same," Margaret gasped, surprised at how familiar the place was.
"Yes, it's like we never grew up!" Rhona chimed in. "What are you girls having?"
"Not sure, what about you?" Sarah asked, staring down at her menu.
"No idea!"
The three of them giggled like the schoolgirls they once were, their youth being summoned from years of retirement.
"How about we get some dumplings and spring rolls to share?" Sarah suggested. "Didn't we have them when we were younger?"
"Oh yeah, we did!" Rhona smiled. "I hope they haven't changed."
"Yes, that sounds lovely," Margaret replied, a little quieter than the other two ladies.
She didn't mean to sound like she wasn't enjoying herself but she couldn't get her mind out of the gutter.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Rhona asked.
"Yeah…I'm fine," She muttered. "I think I just need a drink."
"If you say so," Sarah sighed. "I'll buy the first round."
They got the red wine rather quickly. After a hearty "Cheers!", they each took a large gulp of the sweet, sweet nectar and sighed.
"Ah…This brings back memories, huh?" Rhona grinned. "Remember when we all had our first beer?"
"It was at that house party at Margaret's wasn't it?"
"Yep! The very same!"
Back then, the girls were barely thirteen and had been kept well away from alcohol. Bored with the endless chit-chat of grown-ups, they had snuck into her parent's basement and each picked out a bottle. About five seconds after finishing it, they had been plucked out by Margaret's mother and given a good, long lecture on the danger of underage drinking. Then, her father had overheard and joined in. Before long, pretty much everyone over eighteen had had a go at them.
"That was so long ago!" Margaret chuckled at the memory. "I got grounded for ages!"
Her parents always had been rather strict. Was she too strict on Peppa and George? Maybe a little…
"Me too," Sarah smiled. "Parents are always so strict…"
"You're one to talk, you're a mother yourself!"
"Yeah, and it's a lot of work. At least you've got a husband to help you."
But did she? Daniel was good with the children but seemed to act more like a child himself rather than a responsible role-model. Most of the time, she had to be a parent to him to get anything done. Did she even still love him?
"Barely!" She laughed, shutting the question out of her mind. That awful, awful question that she'd been mulling over for months now.
The starters arrived just after her giggle, more to convince herself she was happy than to appease the other women. Each girl took a spring roll and chomped into it, the flavour stealing any doubt that the recipes have changed.
"I've forgotten how good these are," Rhona smiled. "Makes a change from carrots!"
Soon after, she had finished the pastry and was now halfway through a dumpling.
"Steady on! Save some for us!" Margaret laughed. Her friend looked rather funny with beansprouts clinging to her mouth.
"Sorry! I'm so just hungry, didn't get a chance to have lunch." The rabbit mumbled, mouth still full of food. She was breaking quite a few tables, but she didn't care: A day of working a supermarket check-out and keeping order in a library would starve anyone, after all.
Sarah and Margaret could only laugh, too amused to be angry.
"How are the jobs going, anyway?" Sally inquired.
"Not too good."
At once, the tone at the table took a nose dive towards negative territory.
"It's not the first time I've missed lunch. I've just got so much to for other people, it's like… What do I want? Where am I going? I'm not even sure what I want to do anymore!"
The friends nodded understandably. In all honesty, they were surprised she wasn't feeling this way a lot sooner. Rhona had never seemed to care about going in a single direction: If you handed her a map, she would most likely ignore it and find her own way there. It made for quite an adventure but wasn't the most practical way to do it. The same seemed to apply to her own life.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Sarah asked.
"I wanted to! It's just that you two are so busy I thought I'd never get a chance…"
"You still could have told us, we're friends, aren't we?" Margaret sighed, realising the hypocrite she was.
Rhona looked down and chomped on her final dumpling.
"I just…I dunno…"
Sarah put a supportive hand on her friend's shoulder, giving it a few pats of sympathy.
"I understand. Life isn't all peaches and cream for me, either. I've been trying to find a new man this month: I've already gone through three of them!"
Rhona managed to chuckle. "Urgh, men. Who needs 'em?"
"I do," Sarah whimpered. "It's not just for me, I want Suzie to have a father figure in her life."
"Ah…What about her actual father? Any idea where he's gone?"
Two pleading eyes looked at Margaret. The pig nodded and crossed her arms. Sarah's boyfriend had always made it clear that he didn't want children. When Suzie was born, he almost immediately did a runner, dodging the call of fatherhood by skipping town. No one knew where he'd gone. From that day on, Margaret not only had to deal with her own piglet but basically had to be a surrogate second parent to Suzie. That was why she and Peppa had seen so much of each other growing up; Their ascension from acquaintances to best friends had come as nothing but a relief to the two grown-ups.
"I think we'd better order our main courses…" Margaret sighed, eager to change the topic.
Rhona got the message and stared down at her menu, the topic having been dropped entirely.
After ordering their meals, the three friends hardly spoke, their friendly chit-chat having evolved into an improv heart-to-heart session at the drop of a hat. Now they simply looked at each other from time to time, taking little sips out of their wine glasses.
Margaret was the only one of the trio who hadn't talked about her issues. Instead, she took to looking around the little restaurant, seeing all the happy couples eating together. There was even a pair of parents with a small girl enjoying a late dinner together. Instantly, she was reminded of her origins as a parent. Had she ever brought Peppa here? No, she hadn't. Maybe she should…
"Margaret? Margaret?"
"Maggie?"
Mummy pig looked up to see the trio's waiter looking at her expectantly. He looked patient enough but something about his posture made her realise that he saw her as nothing more than a paycheck dispenser.
"Oh! Erm…I'll have the chicken chow-mein please."
A slapdash decision if there ever once one: She hadn't had that in ages. Still, if memory served her correctly, it was a safe option. She'd remembered enjoying it when she was younger.
The waiter nodded and left, leaving Margaret alone with a duo of concerned friends.
"Something's wrong. I know it." Rhona stated, rather bluntly at that.
"Rhona, I'm sure…"
"No, we've spilt our guts, now it's her turn. What's wrong, Maggie?"
She hated that nickname. Rhona knew that.
"Well…You see…It's about Daniel."
"Oh…" Muttered Rhona and Sarah.
The pig took another sip of her wine. Given that she was the only one in a healthy relationship, this might be a problem that was out of their league. Still…
"I'm not sure if I love him anymore."
There, she'd said it. Better to get it all out in one go.
"I mean, he's great with the children and I know he's trying his best…" She continued. "But I'm just not sure if the sparks still there. He used to be so athletic and now all he seems to want to do is sit in that damn chair."
She recoiled a little; her chest pounding. How could she talk about him like that?
"Anything else?" Rhona asked.
The rabbit was promptly given a sharp slap on the hand by Sarah, followed up by an icy glare.
"What?" She replied. "She needs to get this all out."
"You're right, I do. He doesn't seem to have any… Ambition anymore. I mean, back then he was always striving for great things, pushing himself further and further. Now, it seems like he's lost all his drive. He just sits about and acts more like a third child most of the time."
Putting a thin pink hand over her eyes, Margaret allowed herself to do the one thing she never did anymore: Cry. Some of her tears refused to stay hidden, slipping through the tiny cracks in her fingers and sliding down her arm. She'd refused to cry in front of her children. That wouldn't help matters at all.
Sarah bleated softly and put an arm around her friend.
"Do you need a minute?" She cooed, half-asking, half-suggesting.
Mummy pig nodded and trudged off to the ladies' toilets. It was in the exact same place it was way back then.
When she returned, Margaret was surprised by just how much she'd managed to calm herself down. She'd used up a small handful of toilet paper, drying her tears but she'd managed to compose herself a lot quicker than she expected. Her make-up was a little smeared, thick black lines emerging from her eyelids and small stalactites of pink hanging from her lips ruining what had once been a perfectly planned face.
Once she sat down, she noticed that the meals had not yet arrived: It had only been a few minutes after all. The wine between the three of them was nearly finished.
"Are you feeling any better?" Sarah asked.
Margaret nodded and let her head tilt back, taking the last drops of sweet red wine down her throat. The alcohol buzzed through her, bringing her corpse of a spirit back to life.
"Yes. I'm sorry you had to see that." She muttered.
"No probs. It's part of being girlfriends, isn't it?" Rhona smiled. "I can't say much about your husband, but he is a decent man."
"No matter what you decide, we'll help you any way we can." Sarah continued.
Margaret smiled and gave a little nod.
"Do you remember," Rhona butted in. "The time when he got the car stuck in the mud and we had to carry him home by helicopter?"
"That didn't happen, did it?!" Sarah bleated.
"Yes, it did! Turns out I'd left a pipe in the middle of the road, so he tried to take a shortcut and got stuck in the mud!"
The trio burst out into a fit of giggles, Margaret even going so far as to start snorting.
"And one time, he borrowed Peppa's bike and ended up diving into the duck pond!" She laughed.
The giggles promptly restarted, even louder this time. Even through the laughter, Mummy pig couldn't help but feel a little guilty: This was her husband she was talking about after all. Still, she was sure he wouldn't mind, they'd already laughed about both events before.
"And who had the chicken chow-mein?" Asked the waiter, three plates balanced on top of each other.
"Oh…Oh, that's mine," Margaret managed to splutter in between laughs. "Sorry."
The waiter rolled his eyes and handed the women their food. Chicken chow-mein for Margaret, King prawn fried rice for Sarah and a large plate of spicy duck for Rhona. At once, the rabbit began tearing at the meal, sauce making itself quite at home on her face.
"Someone's hungry." Laughed Sarah.
"I told you, you try working a gazillion different jobs a day!"
"Gazillion? That's not even a word!" Giggled Margaret as she made a start on her own food.
The chow-mein was rich but covered with a just a little too much sauce. The chicken was slightly chewy (A side-effect of overcooking) but she didn't care. It was just like it was all those years ago.
After splitting the bill three ways and leaving the restaurant, the three walked over to a small, quiet bar that none of them had been to before. The melancholy of the night forgotten, all three skipped down the road like schoolgirls, arms linked together tightly.
"Bong-bing-boo! Bing-bong-bing! Bing-bong-bingity-bongity boo!"
The awful, awful sound of three slightly buzzed grown-ups singing a song meant for pre-schoolers rang throughout the street. Despite their lack of talent, they received no looks. Heck, compared to some of the other animals on the street, they were actually quite well behaved!
The pub was dimly light and music that they'd never heard of hummed over the speakers. Still, it wasn't loud and the place was clean so they called it home for the next hour or so.
"£5 for one drink? Get outta here!"
"Margaret, don't you think you've had a bit too much?" Sally asked, giving her a pat on the back.
"Uh…Maybe you're right…"
Mummy pig looked down at the small army of glasses in front of her, each one telling her she'd probably had more than enough. She got the message loud and clear.
"Rhona, are you sure you're not having any more drinks?" She asked, pushing a half-full glass away from her.
The soberest person at the table looked up from her glass of carrot juice. After having a glass of wine or two at the restaurant, she hadn't had a drop more alcohol that night.
"No, I'm fine. I've got work in the morning."
"On a Sunday?!" Sarah gasped.
"Yes, you know I'm very busy! I even got an award from the queen, remember?"
"Oh, not that old story again…" Sarah and Margaret laughed.
Rolling her eyes, Rhona finished her drink and stood up, straightening up her dress.
"Anyways, I really should get going. Need to be up early to fly my helicopter."
"If my husband needs rescuing, I'll let you know."
That brought all three of them into a fit of giggles.
"But seriously," Margaret sighed. "It's not the same without all three of us, how about we call it a night?"
"Fine with me." Sarah agreed.
Hand in hand, the three of them left the bar with smiles on their faces and songs in their hearts. Thankfully, they kept the song INSIDE their hearts this time, much to the relief of all those around them.
"Taxi! Taxi!"
With a raise of her hand, Margaret had somehow summoned a herd of people large enough to fill every taxi in sight. As she lowered it, they all drove away.
"Darn…Now, what do we do?"
"Ring your husband?"
"Sarah, you're joking, right?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
The clock on the pig's phone read 12:10. Peppa and George would have (Hopefully) been asleep for hours now. Heck, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that Daniel had fallen asleep waiting for her. Maybe it was the booze, maybe it was the rumble of thunder overhead but somehow, calling him didn't seem like the worst idea she'd had that night.
"Fine…I'll call him."
Back at the house, Daddy pig had just fallen asleep, taking full advantage of the extra space he was given. Without the presence of his wife, he had full reign to stretch himself out. The feeling of freedom this brought helped him dive into a very, very pleasant slumber.
This was why when the phone next to him started ringing, he was more than a little upset. Who could it be at this hour?!
"H…Hello…?" He mumbled, the after-sleep taste in his mouth nearly making him gag.
"Uh…Hello?"
"Margaret? Are you alright?"
"We're fine, it's just that we can't seem to find a taxi. Could you…Pick us up?"
"It's just past midnight! Can't you just call one?"
Oh, right. She'd forgotten she could do that. As a victim of ageing, technology seemed to be endlessly slipping through her fingers. As time went by and more and more gadgets and gizmos were added to her life, Margaret had struggled to keep up.
"Oh, right… Thanks, dear, I'll be home soon."
Her reply came in the form of a large yawn and few creaks. Whether it was the mattress or her husband's bones she didn't know.
"Alright, goodbye."
"Bye. I love you."
"Love you too. I'll keep the bed comfy for you." Daniel laughed.
"Thanks." Margaret sighed, ending the call.
She had never been so embarrassed.
Sometime later, after she and the girls had squashed themselves into a taxi, Rhona was dropped off at her burrow. Then, Sally was released from the admittedly quite comfy confines of the vehicle. After two goodbyes and rounds of cheek-kisses, Margaret found herself standing outside her own house, on top of her own hill.
Why did we buy a house on a hill? She thought to herself, sliding a key into the lock after much difficulty.
Come to think of it, everyone I know lives on a- "Argh!"
Sliding forward after pushing the door open, she had somehow tripped herself up on the rug and been sent flying to the ground. Rubbing her snout, she quickly shut the door and froze up. Had the children woken up? She'd never live it down if they had.
After a few seconds (Which felt more like hours to her), she decided that she'd somehow gotten away with her little mishap and forced herself upright. Slowly, she slipped her heels off and stumbled her way up the stairs, her trudging turning into a tip-toe as she passed her children's room.
Her bedroom was warm. A little TOO warm for her liking. Silently, she opened the window, allowing a cool breeze to drift through the room. The heat lifted away, Margaret felt her limbs begin to loosen, her arms reaching down to take off her dress.
I'll put that away later… She thought to herself as she collapsed into bed, shoving her husband's arms out of the way.
The mattress pressed down under her weight, giving way to a very comfy place to sleep. As she was about to pass out, she felt her lover's arms once again wrap around her. Too tired to shrug it off, she shut her eyes and instantly fell into a deep, deep sleep.
The next day was Sunday, widely considered a day of rest amongst the English. For Peppa and George however, Sunday was simply another day of freedom. They were too young to understand the very concept of relaxing. Margaret could already hear their footsteps thumping about the landing as she was rather rudely dragged away from her snooze.
"Urgh…. Wubbanoza…" She mumbled, her mouth outright refusing to form any kind of coherent word.
"Too early, that's what time it is…" Daniel yawned, putting on his glasses. "Shall I tell them to quiet down?"
The woman next to him could only nod as her head hit her pillow, her mind right on the bridge between consciousness and sleep.
"Right, will do."
The children had been quite productive in the two minutes they were up. They had already parked themselves in front of the TV, bowls of cereal in front of them.
"Up, down! Up, down and all around!" Bellowed Mr Potato.
The little piggies giggled as their potassium-rich idol bounced around the screen, dancing with an energy that any real person could only hope to achieve.
"I love Mr Potato!" Snorted Peppa.
George snorted twice in response.
The two took no notice of their father coming in. In fact, it took him snatching the remote from between the two of them for his presence to be noted.
"Shhh!" He ordered, finger pressed to his lips. "Mummy's still asleep."
"Asleep? But it's morning?" Peppa inquired.
"Well, she's very tired. Can you do something quieter, please?"
"Like what?"
Daniel didn't have an answer to that. Most of their games involved running around and screaming at some level: telling them to play with their toys wouldn't much good.
"You can still watch your show," He suggested. "Just try and keep quiet, please."
"Ok, Daddy," Peppa replied, George following up with an understanding snort.
Margaret wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up: She didn't bother to look. Her saliva tasted awful and her eyes were being pulled down by invisible weights. Come to think of it, her body felt like it was ten times heavier. Putting all her strength into her arms, she managed to push herself into a sitting position, allowing the blood to flow naturally around her new position. Sighing to herself, she put a hand to her pounding head. The music had long gone but the beats still pounded around her head, turning her skull into a nightclub.
She didn't bother to put make-up on but put on some half-decent clothes. With the birth of two little miracles came the death of the days where she could walk down to the kitchen in her underwear.
I could really use a bath…
Before that though, she needed to present herself to her children. If not, they'd be wondering where she was. Speaking of which, the house sounded oddly quiet for a Sunday. Daniel must have taken the kids out somewhere.
The stairs felt even more intimidating than they had the previous night. Gripping the bannister, she slowly descended the wooden hill, wobbling to and fro slightly as she did so. Taking advantage of the quiet, she went into the kitchen and flipped the kettle on.
"Drink me, you know you want too." The Instant Coffee seemed to moan.
Mummy pig didn't need to be asked twice. The scent of fresh caffeine was welcomed into her nostrils with great fanfare as she mixed the small brown beads into a mug of boiling water. Now, where was the milk?
"Looking for something?" Asked a voice from the heavens, handing her the milk.
The chubby, stubbled angel was welcomed to Earth with a short kiss on the cheek, the carton being taken graciously and poured into the brown liquid.
"How was your night?"
"Great. What time is it?"
"Half twelve."
"Kids?"
"Your parents' house"
"Thank god."
Collapsing onto the kitchen chair, Margaret resisted the urge to sip the scalding beverage. She didn't want to be hungover AND have a burnt tongue. Her husband sat at the other end of the table.
"Would you like anything to eat, dear?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Pancakes?"
"Please. Just don't stick them to the ceiling this time."
With a chuckle, her knight in green armour rose to the table and began making her food. Into a bowl went flour, milk, and an egg. Before long, the trio of ingredients had been mixed, a pan had been lit and the first of many began to cook.
"Do you know?" Daddy asked. "I think this was the first breakfast I ever cooked you."
"Yes, it was." Mummy smiled. "And didn't we have strawberries too?"
In one smooth motion, the fridge was flipped open. A box of ruby red fruit made its way onto the kitchen table, shining in the afternoon sun.
"Oh, Daniel…"
The pig smiled and took hold of the pan, about to flip it. He bent down slightly, wrist ready to fling the confection skyward…When he reached into a drawer with another hand and brought out a spatula.
"Just in case," He smiled. "I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to safety."
Margaret couldn't help but laugh as she nibbled on a strawberry. True, he wasn't as fit or young as he used to be but to be fair, neither was she. Even after all these years, he knew how to make her smile.
Mummy pig loves Daddy Pig.
Everybody loves Daddy Pig.