Chapter 36

A Day Off

The birds chirped loudly outside, inside their nest. Typing could be heard from a near-by room. A yawn escaped from a very tired teen. Sophie stretched as she finally printed off her History homework. She had unfortunately been studying and typing all night, and she was exhausted. The pages lay neatly inside the printer. She however yawned and walked over to her bed. Thankfully she wasn't due into school until eleven o'clock, she sleepily walked over to her bed to get a good 'night' sleep. As soon as her head touched the pillow, she was soundly asleep.

An alarm rang the loudest it could. Nigel jumped from the bed, like a rocket. Rachel moaned. It was the same routine every day. Nigel ran towards the toilet, before his children could get to it first. Rachel stared at the ceiling. She was waiting for the-.. "Honey, have you seen my shaving foam?" called Nigel. Rachel softly giggled. He still couldn't find that shaving foam. "It's in the bathroom cupboard like it has always been." She called back. She turned in the bed towards the empty space that once housed her husband. Even though it was his day off, Nigel would always get up at six o'clock. "It's not there." He shouted back, while turning on the tap to fill up the basin. Rachel rolled her eyes. Rachel got out of bed and went towards the bathroom. She popped her head inside the bathroom. Nigel turned towards her like a ninja. He did a karate chop with his razor in his hand. "Only me." Laughed Rachel. She opened the cupboard and there to behold was the shaving foam. "Thanks Rach." Grinned Nigel. As Rachel turned towards the door, Nigel touched her shoulder. She stopped in her tracks. He turned her full body around with his left hand. With his right hand he clicked the door's lock shut. "Care for a shower?" he had a mischief grin on his face. Rachel blushed and smirked. "After you Mr Uno." She said while pulling off her nightie. He slipped his boxer-briefs off. She playfully smacked his bottom with a towel from the cupboard underneath the sink. She soon joined him inside the shower and the pair got to their 'fun'.

Charlie came out of his room like a zombie, he did not sleep well. He had been studying all night, as his exam was today in a few hours. His parents giggled as they came out of the bathroom. Charlie made a gagging noise as he hurriedly walked by them. He wanted to avoid eye contact. Nigel and Rachel blushed heavily as they went into their room to change clothes.

Louise was already awake as she was working at the Airport's Breakfast bar. She would have to work hard enough to achieve her monthly goal of $300. The $300 would go towards her vacation fund, she already had a few hundreds saved by. "Well that wasn't embarrassing." said Nigel in the silence. Rachel touched her cheeks, they were still scarlet. She had changed into her work clothes. Even though it was Nigel's day off, it wasn't her day off. "I can't believe we did that." Said a very flushed Rachel. Nigel smiled and kissed Rachel on the forehead. "He's nearly eighteen. He should understand we're adults and we're madly in love. Remember the days before the kids were born. That was wild." said Nigel softly. Chills spread up Rachel's back, forcing her to blush even more while she giggled. "Those were the days." She grinned. The couple shared an intimate kiss. "You have a relaxing day, honey. See you when I get back." Rachel said. She grabbed her briefcase and her high heels. No time to make breakfast, she will have to buy coffee and a croissant from Patton's restaurant, before work.

Nigel slipped his feet into his fluffy bunny slippers. Both Charlie and Louise got him them as a joke. Sipping his hot cup of coffee, he searched the newspaper for interesting news. "Recently discovered Horsemeat was used in Hamburgers at 'recently shut-down' restaurant." Nigel stared down hard at the newspaper. Good thing he never ate at 'Aunt Sal's Café'. "Local resident, Mr Jimmy McGarfield has recently been cleared of charges of indecent assault. The victim had pulled out his evidence. Mr McGarfield had promised he did nothing wrong and that the victim had simply got confused and wrongly accused him. The case has been dropped, and Mr McGarfield will happily return to his family; to his lovely wife and two daughters. " Nigel clutched the newspaper within his hands. Jimmy didn't deserve innocence. He was never innocent. He and his lovely must had blackmailed the poor guy into discarding his claims. Even though Jimmy did lost his job and went a bit heavy on the alcohol, it doesn't justify his actions. Nigel truly did feel sorry for his children, as they would need to deal with his horrible actions.

Nigel twiddled his thumbs. It was only lunchtime and he had six more hours until Rachel got back from the Bank. He hated days off. There was never anything to do. The clock ticked loudly. He couldn't take anymore day-time television or another cup of coffee. The weather was lovely, as it was dry and the sun was shining. Nigel stretched and headed towards his bedroom for his 'comfortable' shoes. Chirping could be heard. Louise's bird frantically flapped his wings in his cage. Nigel hushed the bird as he fed him some seeds. Poor bird, he was lonely. Nigel stroke the feathered bird and said goodbye to him. Louise was almost finished school, she wouldn't be too long. Nigel locked the door as he headed out along the pavement towards the park and shopping mall.

The temperature was far warmer than Nigel expected. He wiped his brow with his hand. He laid rest on top of a grassy hill near the pond and park. He heaved as the sun shone brighter. Children laughter could be heard from the swings and slide. Nigel grinned as he remembered the many times; he and Rachel took their children to the park and the pond. Louise was small as a munchkin inside her pram. Rachel was holding her in her arms while tossing pieces of bread towards the ducks and swans. Louise was only two and a half at the time. She would always be amazed at the beautiful and elegant swan swimming in the water. Charlie however was busy trying to catch frogs near the pond, or playing Frisbee with Nigel. Those were the days. Nigel's eyes filled up. Oh, how they have grown up. Nigel wiped his tears of joy and sadness away as he stood up from the grass. He headed towards the mall which was not far away at all. He could get some food, drink and maybe something for his beloved wife.

"Nigel! I'm home!" called Rachel, her feet were killing her. She had to print off multiple documents for clients and customers at the bank, either they related to business or personal accounts. Rachel rubbed the soles of her feet. She was exhausted and couldn't wait for a big tall class of red wine and a tasty meal. "Honey?" called Rachel. There was a moment of silence until a small bang could be heard from the kitchen. "I'm in here. I've got a surprise for you." sang Nigel. He sounded so happy. Usually he moaned or complained about his days off. Rachel questioned his motives. What was he planning? The kitchen door slowly opened. Nigel was carrying two dinner plates with spicy Italian meatballs and spaghetti on them. Rachel licked her lips. She couldn't wait to dive in. "Ah, ah." Nigel said while waggling his finger as he placed the plates down. He left the kitchen and came back in five minutes later. He was holding a black papered bag, the ones you would see from a jewellers. He placed the bag in front of his shocked wife. "What's this for? It's not my birthday?" she questioned. The smell of the food was getting into her brain. She couldn't wait any longer. She quickly grabbed a fork and pierced the meatball. She slipped it into her mouth, before her husband could protest. "You try not having lunch and only having a croissant." She said. Nigel held up his hands. He wasn't going to question her motives. He knew that feeling fine well. Rachel excitedly opened the bag. Inside were two objects; the first one was a sapphire diamond necklace, the second object was a lingerie set. It was frilly, black and very sexy. "Is that..." began Rachel. She pulled out the piece of clothing. It came with a set of handcuffs. Nigel blushed slightly. He knew how to surprise her. "We've got matching pairs." He winked as he pulled his trousers slightly below his hip. It was a satin black thong. Rachel blushed. She didn't really care for those meatballs anymore. She only wanted his. "How about it, Rach? Let's go back to the good old days." He whispered while pulling up his trousers. He grabbed a meatball to taste it before his hard work went to waste. "Oh Nigel!" said Rachel. She flung herself across the dining table and onto Nigel's lap. The pair were in a tongue war. Passion and fireworks could be felt, as the meatballs began to get cold.

"I can't believe I was worried about noth-…" began Charlie, when he walked in onto his parents mid- kissing. Both he and Louise stopped in their tracks when they noticed the lingerie on the floor. "Mum, Dad. Could you save that for the bedroom, please." Said Louise. Today was a hard day for her too, as the breakfast bar was extremely busy and she had her Biology exam today. The parents blushed and quickly sorted themselves out. "Anyone for meatballs?" asked Nigel, as he blushed. Charlie grabbed plate while Louise checked on her pet. The adults both looked sideways towards each other, the lingerie safely hidden, and the meal deliciously yummy. Today had been the best day off for Nigel and it wasn't completely over yet.

Well hello, fellow KND readers. I hope you enjoyed this little chapter. I did enjoy creating the awkward and romantic scenes. Time for my bed. Goodnight all.

Littlemissfg.