1.
Alice sighed, and leant her head against the car window. Sometimes she wondered how she got herself into these things! Maybe it was the fact that she was good-natured, and didn't like to say no.
"You know that James is a diabetic right? So that means-" Her mother began.
"-if he has a diabetic attack I have to give him some of the jelly beans that are in the container on top of the fridge and call Mark on his cell phone straight away" Alice completed.
"Right, and if he is thirsty after he goes to bed-"
"-he can have water. Relax mom! I've got it!" Alice said. "It should be Mark panicking like this not you!"
"It's just that I want to make sure everything's alright!" Her Mom explained.
"I'm sure everything will be fine. I have babysat before you know!" Alice said, rolling her eyes. "Back home I used to baby-sit for the twins all the time!"
"Alice, I wish you'd stop referring to Donvale as home. We've been here three months now, surely it's beginning to feel like home?" Her Mom said.
Alice didn't reply. How could she tell her Mom that she didn't feel like this was home? That "home" was where the rest of her family-her Dad, and her brother, and her grandparents-and friends were. Not somewhere they'd moved because her Mom and Dad got a divorce and her Mom decided to go back to work full-time, and when she got her "dream job" this meant moving halfway across the country and leaving behind everyone she loved? And that sometimes she regretted going with her Mom? And that she didn't think too much of her Mom's new boyfriend?
"Alice?" Her Mom persisted.
"It's just, well, sometimes I miss Dad, and my friends.." Alice said, sighing.
"Oh sweetie that's perfectly normal." Her Mom replied, glancing over at her, and then looking back at the road. "If you didn't I'd be concerned! But you know you can spend summers with them. And when you go to college if you want to go to one back over on the East coast that's perfectly alright with me!"
"I haven't even thought about college yet." Alice admitted. "It seems so far away."
"It's never too early to start planning your future!" Her Mom said. "Like whether you want to do prelaw or not?"
Alice's Mom was a lawyer and as long as Alice could remember she'd always hoped one of her children would follow in her steps. Whilst Alice considered herself and her Mom close (that was probably the main reason she moved with her-she was a lot closer to her than she was to her Dad) she wasn't too sure she wanted to be stuck in a courtroom all day!
"So, what exactly is this fundraiser tonight?" Alice said, changing the subject.
"It's for the new building. The firm and a few other firms, think it would be good if we were all in one building. That way, with us all specialising in different areas, it would be nice and neat." Her Mom explained.
"So Mark's firm would be moving into the building too then?" Alice asked.
"We hope so, yes." Her Mom replied.
"Hmmm." Alice said, but she didn't have time to say anything else, because they were pulling into the driveway of Mark's fairly large house. It was in a nicer area than where Alice and her Mom lived, but Alice still felt that the cozy house she and her Mom shared was far more "homey" than this. She had a sudden thought that if her Mom and Mark got married they'd have to move into here, and made a face.
"Are you coming in?" Her Mom frowned at her.
"Oh, right, sure." Alice said, getting out of the car.
Mark answered the doorbell almost straight away. "I thought you'd changed your mind." He said.
Alice glanced at her watch; they were only five minutes late for god's sake!
"No just my outfit at the last minute. Alice didn't like the one I had on- she thought it was too.revealing."
"Sounds fine to me." Mark said, winking at Alice, who managed a weak smile. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about the man which she just didn't like. On the phone to her brother the other day she'd told him this, and he asked whether she just didn't like the fact that their Mom had a new boyfriend already? "I'd probably feel the same way if Dad came home with some new chick!" He assured her. Alice had agreed that this was a possibility, but even so she couldn't shake the feelings she had about him. At least his seven-year-old son, James, was cute!
"Where's James?" Alice asked.
"Watching television. His show doesn't finish for another ten minutes, so you won't get a word out of him until then. Come in and say hello, and I'll say goodbye." Mark said, and they all went down the few stairs to the sunken living room.
James was seated on the floor, only a few meters from the television, engrossed in the show.
"I've told him on countless occasions not to sit so close to the television." Mark said, shaking his head. Then he went over and kissed his son on the top of the head. "We're leaving now, make sure you do what Alice tells you!"
James nodded.
"Okay-we're off then. You know his bedtime and everything. My cell phone number is number one on the speeddial in case you need me, but everything should be fine." Mark said.
"Sure, bedtime at eight thirty, and after that I'll just curl up with this exciting novel for English." Alice said, indicating her backpack. "It usually puts me to sleep, but since I'm here maybe I'll be able to concentrate more."
"Okay, and remember if you want anything to eat or drink help yourself." Mark said.
Alice's Mom took his hand. "She's done this before Mark." She assured her boyfriend.
"I know, I know. But with James' problems and all I can't help but be a little concerned." Mark replied, with a rueful grin.
"We wont be any later than twelve I shouldn't think." Alice's Mom said, giving her a kiss.
Mark smiled and then they were off.
Alice sat in an armchair waiting for James' program to finish. When it did he turned round and grinned at her. "I love that show. I wish I had an alien as a friend."
"You do-me!" Alice replied, and he laughed.
"You're not an alien!" He said.
"Of course I am!" Alice assured him.
"Okay-if you're an alien what planet do you come from?" He demanded.
"Mars!" Alice replied, and he shook his head.
"You can't! Scientists say Mars is unin-unha...you can't live there!" He said confidently.
"Well they would say that wouldn't they? They don't want to scare the people on earth, do they?" Alice asked.
He looked at her for a moment, and then shook his head again. "Nice try. Wanna' play Monopoly before I go to bed?"
"Sure, as long as you don't mind losing?" Alice replied. She glanced at her watch; he had almost an hour before he had to go to bed. Plenty of time for a game!
He ran out of the room, and came back a few moments later with the game. They sat down on the floor and began to play.
Alice sighed, and leant her head against the car window. Sometimes she wondered how she got herself into these things! Maybe it was the fact that she was good-natured, and didn't like to say no.
"You know that James is a diabetic right? So that means-" Her mother began.
"-if he has a diabetic attack I have to give him some of the jelly beans that are in the container on top of the fridge and call Mark on his cell phone straight away" Alice completed.
"Right, and if he is thirsty after he goes to bed-"
"-he can have water. Relax mom! I've got it!" Alice said. "It should be Mark panicking like this not you!"
"It's just that I want to make sure everything's alright!" Her Mom explained.
"I'm sure everything will be fine. I have babysat before you know!" Alice said, rolling her eyes. "Back home I used to baby-sit for the twins all the time!"
"Alice, I wish you'd stop referring to Donvale as home. We've been here three months now, surely it's beginning to feel like home?" Her Mom said.
Alice didn't reply. How could she tell her Mom that she didn't feel like this was home? That "home" was where the rest of her family-her Dad, and her brother, and her grandparents-and friends were. Not somewhere they'd moved because her Mom and Dad got a divorce and her Mom decided to go back to work full-time, and when she got her "dream job" this meant moving halfway across the country and leaving behind everyone she loved? And that sometimes she regretted going with her Mom? And that she didn't think too much of her Mom's new boyfriend?
"Alice?" Her Mom persisted.
"It's just, well, sometimes I miss Dad, and my friends.." Alice said, sighing.
"Oh sweetie that's perfectly normal." Her Mom replied, glancing over at her, and then looking back at the road. "If you didn't I'd be concerned! But you know you can spend summers with them. And when you go to college if you want to go to one back over on the East coast that's perfectly alright with me!"
"I haven't even thought about college yet." Alice admitted. "It seems so far away."
"It's never too early to start planning your future!" Her Mom said. "Like whether you want to do prelaw or not?"
Alice's Mom was a lawyer and as long as Alice could remember she'd always hoped one of her children would follow in her steps. Whilst Alice considered herself and her Mom close (that was probably the main reason she moved with her-she was a lot closer to her than she was to her Dad) she wasn't too sure she wanted to be stuck in a courtroom all day!
"So, what exactly is this fundraiser tonight?" Alice said, changing the subject.
"It's for the new building. The firm and a few other firms, think it would be good if we were all in one building. That way, with us all specialising in different areas, it would be nice and neat." Her Mom explained.
"So Mark's firm would be moving into the building too then?" Alice asked.
"We hope so, yes." Her Mom replied.
"Hmmm." Alice said, but she didn't have time to say anything else, because they were pulling into the driveway of Mark's fairly large house. It was in a nicer area than where Alice and her Mom lived, but Alice still felt that the cozy house she and her Mom shared was far more "homey" than this. She had a sudden thought that if her Mom and Mark got married they'd have to move into here, and made a face.
"Are you coming in?" Her Mom frowned at her.
"Oh, right, sure." Alice said, getting out of the car.
Mark answered the doorbell almost straight away. "I thought you'd changed your mind." He said.
Alice glanced at her watch; they were only five minutes late for god's sake!
"No just my outfit at the last minute. Alice didn't like the one I had on- she thought it was too.revealing."
"Sounds fine to me." Mark said, winking at Alice, who managed a weak smile. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about the man which she just didn't like. On the phone to her brother the other day she'd told him this, and he asked whether she just didn't like the fact that their Mom had a new boyfriend already? "I'd probably feel the same way if Dad came home with some new chick!" He assured her. Alice had agreed that this was a possibility, but even so she couldn't shake the feelings she had about him. At least his seven-year-old son, James, was cute!
"Where's James?" Alice asked.
"Watching television. His show doesn't finish for another ten minutes, so you won't get a word out of him until then. Come in and say hello, and I'll say goodbye." Mark said, and they all went down the few stairs to the sunken living room.
James was seated on the floor, only a few meters from the television, engrossed in the show.
"I've told him on countless occasions not to sit so close to the television." Mark said, shaking his head. Then he went over and kissed his son on the top of the head. "We're leaving now, make sure you do what Alice tells you!"
James nodded.
"Okay-we're off then. You know his bedtime and everything. My cell phone number is number one on the speeddial in case you need me, but everything should be fine." Mark said.
"Sure, bedtime at eight thirty, and after that I'll just curl up with this exciting novel for English." Alice said, indicating her backpack. "It usually puts me to sleep, but since I'm here maybe I'll be able to concentrate more."
"Okay, and remember if you want anything to eat or drink help yourself." Mark said.
Alice's Mom took his hand. "She's done this before Mark." She assured her boyfriend.
"I know, I know. But with James' problems and all I can't help but be a little concerned." Mark replied, with a rueful grin.
"We wont be any later than twelve I shouldn't think." Alice's Mom said, giving her a kiss.
Mark smiled and then they were off.
Alice sat in an armchair waiting for James' program to finish. When it did he turned round and grinned at her. "I love that show. I wish I had an alien as a friend."
"You do-me!" Alice replied, and he laughed.
"You're not an alien!" He said.
"Of course I am!" Alice assured him.
"Okay-if you're an alien what planet do you come from?" He demanded.
"Mars!" Alice replied, and he shook his head.
"You can't! Scientists say Mars is unin-unha...you can't live there!" He said confidently.
"Well they would say that wouldn't they? They don't want to scare the people on earth, do they?" Alice asked.
He looked at her for a moment, and then shook his head again. "Nice try. Wanna' play Monopoly before I go to bed?"
"Sure, as long as you don't mind losing?" Alice replied. She glanced at her watch; he had almost an hour before he had to go to bed. Plenty of time for a game!
He ran out of the room, and came back a few moments later with the game. They sat down on the floor and began to play.
