* A Day with the O'Connell's *
The sun was just rising up over the great O'Connell Manor in London. That's when the day starts. Well, for Evelyn at least. Being used to waking up very early on the week days for work, Evy's body didn't care what day it was and woke her up. She sat up in bed looking next to her, to see her husband lying fast asleep. Not wanting to wake him, she cautiously climbed out of bed. Trying as hard as she could not to make any nosie, she walked over to the window, but knocked over a vase on the bedside table, causing it to crash to the ground. Rick woke immediately, staring at his clumsy wife, realizing she had made the noise.
" I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."Said Evy as she frantically tried to clean up the mess.
"It's all right, here, let me give you a hand."Rick said, rather tiredly as he fumbled out of bed to get a towel to clean up the water that had gone everywhere. After going into the bathroom to get the towel, he joined his wife on the floor as she gathered the roses that had been spread around the floor along with the shattered glass." What were you doing up so early anyway?"
" I always get up this early you know that." She said in a very questioning tone, wondering why he asked that in the first place.
" I know, but you can sleep in when you don't have to go to work you know." I know that your used to waking up early for work, but you should try to go back to sleep. You need to get more rest. Between working at the museum, being a wife, and a mother to Alex and sometimes Jonathon, you hardly get enough rest."
" I can handle it."she said in a stern voice." I'm a woman of many talents."
"Be that as it may, you may be able to live with no sleep, but I on the other hand need it. I'm going to go back to sleep. You can join me if you like."
"No thank-you, I'll just finish cleaning this up and then I'm going to go into the library to do some reading and have some tea." Evelyn looked up from her mess to look at Rick, only to find that he was already in bed and asleep, not have had listening to a word she said. " Right then." she said to herself quietly, and left the room. The marble floor was quite cold on her bare feet, as she walked down the hall. Then she stopped abruptly as she got to the flight of stairs leading her downward. She had heard a strange nosie coming from Alex's room. Instead of going down, Evelyn continued straight to her sons room, a little frightened of the nosie she had just heard. When she got to his room she placed her hand on the doorknob and slowly began to turn it. As the door slowly opened, she herd the nosie again but this time more clearly, and it wasn't that strange it sounded like a, like a..
" Mum look what I found." said Alex as he held up a small kitten.
" Alex where did you get that." she said sounding part mad, part excited.
"I found it yesterday when I was playing in the garden."
"Why didn't you tell your father, or Jonathon, or me for that matter?"
"Because I didn't think you would let me keep him." the boy said in his little innocent British accent.
"That's not the point, you shouldn't hide things like this from us. And just when were you planning on telling us about your newly found discovery?"
"I was going to tell you Mum, I just, um, I just forgot that's all."
Knowing he was lying, Evelyn didn't attempt to argue with him, but instead took the small animal from his arms and held it close to her looking at it. It was rather cute. It was white with a small tan stipe on its forehead, and the same color at the tip of its tail and on its paws. By the look on her face Alex knew she wanted to keep it, but convincing his father would be the hard part.
"So, can we keep it?" Alex repeated, knowing what here answer would be, and always was.
"We'll see." as she handed the little kitten back to Alex.
"Aw, Mum." he wined.
"I'll have to discuss it with your father.
Those were the words he didn't want to hear.
"In the meantime, why don't you come downstairs with me and I'll have Marie get the poor dear some food and water."
"Okay, just let me get dressed and I'll be right down."
Looking at herself Evelyn realized that she was still in her small nightgown and needed to do the same.
"Alright."she said, then closed the door behind her as she walked down the hall into her own room to get dressed. When she walked into the room she felt a sharp pain in the heal of her right foot that caused her to scream. It was very loud and she woke Rick once again.
" Are you alright sweetheart? What happened? " he asked in a very worried and concerned voice.
"I must have missed a piece of glass when I was cleaning up, and I stepped on it." she explained, tears forming in her eyes.
Rick hurried out of bed and walked over to her, piked her up, and sat her on the bed. He lifted her foot up to see how deep the glass was. It wasn't in that deep, so he pulled it out himself. She screamed lightly as he did this, it hurt very badly, and then she winced at the sight of all the blood on the piece of glass Rick held in his hand.
"I'm going to go get something to clean your cut, stay here okay."
She nodded and he left. As Evy sat their, she noticed her foot was bleeding a lot. Being the clean freak that she is, she was more concerned about blood getting on the bed and carpet, then how bad it hurt. So she leaned down to grab the towel Rick had gotten earlier to clean up the previous mess, and pressed it against her wound. Just as she had done so, Rick had returned with what looked like things you would find in a first aid kit.
" Evy, that's a dirty rag, do you want to make it worse?" her husband scolded.
" No, it's just that I ... ...
"Never mind." he interrupted. " Let me see your foot."
She sat on the bed while he cleaned and dressed her wound, and when he was finished he told her that she should stay off of it. Rick knew his wife wouldn't listen to him, but she agreed just to hummer him. Just then Alex walked into the room with the small kitten in his arms.
"Where have you been Mum? I've been waiting for you down their for ages."
"Oh, well I had a little accident." she said showing him her foot.
"How did you do that Mum?"
She told him what happened when the kitten in his arms mewed softly, which startled Rick. He was lost in Evelyn's eyes as she told the story and did not notice the kitten that his son was holding.
"Where did that come from?" he asked.
"It's mine." he said proudly.
"Alex! Now what did I just say?"
" You said 'we'll see'." trying his best to imitate his mother.
Rick was still confused.
"Wait a minute, what's going on?"
"Alex found a kitten in the garden and wants to keep it. I told him we would have to discuss it with you first."
"So Dad, what do you say. Can I keep it?"
He looked over to Evy who had the same expression on her face as her son, a pleading one.
"As long as it stays out of my way."
"Oh thank-you dad" said Alex as he hugged his father.
"Yes, thank-you" said Evy playfully as she joined Alex and Rick in the hug.
Just then the family's warm moment was interrupted by Jonathon walking in to the bedroom. They could all see that he was drunk, and they remembered that he had not come home the night before.
"Jonathon, don't tell me your just now getting home."scolded Evy ,like she was talking to Alex. Well, she might as well, Alex was almost more mature than his uncle.
"Alright then, I wont tell you." he said as he struggled to stand upright.
They could smell the strong scent of liquor in his breath as he spoke.
"Come on Jonathon, let's get you to your room before you pass out." said Rick as led his brother-in-law to his room on the other side of the house.
When they were out of sight Evy turned to her son and asked -
"So what are you going to name him?"
"I'm not sure yet, I'll have to think of a name."
"Okay. Are you as hungry as I am?" she said as she tickled him.
"Yes ... ha ... but you'll have ... to stop that" he said as he squirmed about trying to escape his mothers arms.
She stopped, only after hearing him cry 'uncle.' Then she and her son walked down to the breakfast table, but with some difficulty because of her foot. When they arrived, the table was set and had a number of different foods on it. It was Saturday, so that meant that the maids and other help worked for the O'Connell's .
They were quite wealthy, so Rick hired some people to help Evelyn out with the house work. And the house was also very big, well it wasn't a house at all, it was a manor, the O'Connell Manor. Just as Alex and Evelyn were settled down began to eat Rick walked in.
"I swear, if Jonathon comes home like that one more time I'm going to throw him out !"
"Now dear, you know he doesn't mean any harm, and besides, he has nowhere else to go. I am his sister, the only one he has left. We are the only family he has."
"I know, but when he comes to I'm going to have along talk with him, and set down some new rules."
"Good, now lets just enjoy this nice breakfast we have and try not to think about Jonathon.
"Okay." said Rick, sitting down to eat. The food did look very good, and considering the morning he had, he felt he deserved it.
They all enjoyed their breakfast and left Marie to clean it up.
"Thank -you for the breakfast Marie, it was wonderful."Evelyn tanked, while the rest of her family walked out forgetting to do so very rudely. "Don't mind them, they appreciate you but aren't polite enough to express their feelings.
" Their is no need to thank me Mrs. O'Connell, I am just doing my job.
"Yes well, be that as it may, I know you would appreciate a few kind words every now and then."
Evelyn was such a kind hearted woman, and she couldn't see how anyone could act any differently from her perspective. But then again, Evelyn had changed for the better because of a person who was the exact opposite of her. Rick. He had changed her and made the biggest impact of all on her life. He had given her so much including her son. So she refrained from yelling at him and Alex about not thanking Marie.
Evelyn walked out into the first floors library and sitting room to find Rick and Alex playing with the little kitten.
"As long as it stays out of my way, huh?"Evelyn said with a grin on her face.
"I was just, uh, I ... ...
"We were just playing with umm, well, I still haven't thought of a name." Alex was trying to save his father but knew his mother wouldn't give up that easily.
"So what's with the sudden change of mind?"Evy questioned with a little mischievous tone in her voice.
"Well, I was just thinking about how useful cats are. If ya know what I mean. Great mummy repellant that is."
"Yeah, but you don't need a little cats help to scare away mummy's do you dad?"
"Sure Alex."he replied, wanting to escape the subject as sone as possible.
"Honey",she said looking at Alex."Why don't you go into the kitchen, Marie has something's for your kitten.
"Okay Mum."he said as he walked from that room into the next.
"And don't forget to thank her!" she yelled after him.
"Don't worry Evy, he's a good boy, he takes after you." he said as she limped towards him to sit on the couch.
"Is that what you think, you think I'm a good little girl and nothing else?"she said rather defensively.
"Well, that's what you are aren't you?"
"Well, I was ... "she whispered as she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips.
"Hmm, I guess not ... ...
He continued with their kiss when Alex walked in
"Oh gosh not again, do you two ever stop?" Alex said in disgust.
"You should be grateful for that." Rick said smiling at Evy.
"Huh?" Alex said, not having a clue what his father meant by that.
"Nothing."said Evy, stopping her husband from going on to talk about things that would just confuse Alex and embarrass her.