Susan pulled herself out of bed. Suzie had been crying for several minutes and Chloe hadn't noticed apparently.
Carrying Suzie she wandered into Chloe's room. She wasn't there. No surprise really. But no matter what happened Susan couldn't really give up hope for her sister. Even if it was all for Suzie's benefit now.
The phone rang. Susan ran to her room, still balancing Suzie on her hip.
"Hey, Susan here."
"Hey." Mark.
"Oh hi." She smiled.
Suzie squealed happily.
"Oh, should I call back?" Mark asked.
"Na, just hold on for a sec." Susan went into the living room and put the phone on the coffee table while she pulled out Suzie's few toys from underneath the table. Picking up the phone she let Suzie down onto the floor.
"Hey." She sighed.
"You okay?" he asked concerned.
"Yah. You should try this single parenting thing sometime. It's quite a job."
Mark lay back in bed, he'd just woken up and his first thought was to call her so he did. And she was there! "Where's Chloe?"
"Who knows." Susan rearranged coloured blocks in front her on the rug. Suzie was happily rolling a toy car backward and forward knocking all the other toys out of the way. "But she'll turn up sometime today and I won't even ask. Suzie will go to her as if she were the perfect mum. Oh gosh, that sounded bitter."
"No it didn't but I think you'd be justified if that were the case."
"No I wouldn't – she's my sister. It shouldn't matter what she's doing, what she's done. You know what I want? I want to take Suzie and go back to Chicago and somehow, now this is the hard part, not care that Chloe is screwing up her life."
"But you can't?"
"Nope, I can't."
"That's a good thing Susan."
"I'll take your word on it."
"Do you know how amazing you are?"
"Na, this isn't so bad – I just get immense joy from whining, and you are my unfortunate victim. I mean, Suzie's quite happy playing by herself, and Chloe's absence isn't all bad – Suzie's never so happy when Chloe's high. So today I'll take Chloe into work with me, we'll eat breakfast at Arizona's version of Doc McGoo's, and I won't have to worry about her cause she'll be at daycare."
"Sounds good." He wasn't convinced.
"Yeah." She had the blocks piled up in a stack that Suzie then smacked over. Apparently this was an improvement on the car so Suzie took the bricks and proceeded to make towers and break them down. Over and over… Susan laughed.
"What?" Mark asked, wishing he could see her.
"Oh, just Suzie – she's making towers and smashing them. It's quite dramatic actually. Hey, how's Rachel?"
"Good. Yeah, I got her a dog for her birthday. So did Craig. We're quite the family."
"Great minds eh?" Susan half-laughed
"That's what he said."
Suzie toddled over to her aunt and gracefully fell into her lap. "Oh, come here baby," Susan hugged the little girl.
"I'm guessing that was aimed at a gorgeous blonde?" Mark laughed.
"What makes you so sure?" Susan laughed. "I think she needs to be changed."
"Well I don't so much mind if the first one was aimed at me, but I really hope that wasn't."
Susan laughed, "I should go. Get us some breakfast. Make myself decent. You know, go to work. All that jazz."
"Yeah. Okay. Well, I'll talk to you later."
"I'll try and be less distracted."
"Oh, don't worry bout it, I'm used to it."
Susan laughed. "I'll see you later Mark."
"Okay. Love you." He forced himself to say what he wanted to say – despite being a little scared to say it.
Susan knew how hard that was for him. "Mark, wait." She wanted to stop him hanging up.
"Yeah?"
"I love you too." Susan breathed. Suzie squealed again. "I have to go."
"Bye." He smiled again.
Susan put the phone back in her room and set about getting Suzie ready to go, with an uncommon grin on her face.
Carrying Suzie she wandered into Chloe's room. She wasn't there. No surprise really. But no matter what happened Susan couldn't really give up hope for her sister. Even if it was all for Suzie's benefit now.
The phone rang. Susan ran to her room, still balancing Suzie on her hip.
"Hey, Susan here."
"Hey." Mark.
"Oh hi." She smiled.
Suzie squealed happily.
"Oh, should I call back?" Mark asked.
"Na, just hold on for a sec." Susan went into the living room and put the phone on the coffee table while she pulled out Suzie's few toys from underneath the table. Picking up the phone she let Suzie down onto the floor.
"Hey." She sighed.
"You okay?" he asked concerned.
"Yah. You should try this single parenting thing sometime. It's quite a job."
Mark lay back in bed, he'd just woken up and his first thought was to call her so he did. And she was there! "Where's Chloe?"
"Who knows." Susan rearranged coloured blocks in front her on the rug. Suzie was happily rolling a toy car backward and forward knocking all the other toys out of the way. "But she'll turn up sometime today and I won't even ask. Suzie will go to her as if she were the perfect mum. Oh gosh, that sounded bitter."
"No it didn't but I think you'd be justified if that were the case."
"No I wouldn't – she's my sister. It shouldn't matter what she's doing, what she's done. You know what I want? I want to take Suzie and go back to Chicago and somehow, now this is the hard part, not care that Chloe is screwing up her life."
"But you can't?"
"Nope, I can't."
"That's a good thing Susan."
"I'll take your word on it."
"Do you know how amazing you are?"
"Na, this isn't so bad – I just get immense joy from whining, and you are my unfortunate victim. I mean, Suzie's quite happy playing by herself, and Chloe's absence isn't all bad – Suzie's never so happy when Chloe's high. So today I'll take Chloe into work with me, we'll eat breakfast at Arizona's version of Doc McGoo's, and I won't have to worry about her cause she'll be at daycare."
"Sounds good." He wasn't convinced.
"Yeah." She had the blocks piled up in a stack that Suzie then smacked over. Apparently this was an improvement on the car so Suzie took the bricks and proceeded to make towers and break them down. Over and over… Susan laughed.
"What?" Mark asked, wishing he could see her.
"Oh, just Suzie – she's making towers and smashing them. It's quite dramatic actually. Hey, how's Rachel?"
"Good. Yeah, I got her a dog for her birthday. So did Craig. We're quite the family."
"Great minds eh?" Susan half-laughed
"That's what he said."
Suzie toddled over to her aunt and gracefully fell into her lap. "Oh, come here baby," Susan hugged the little girl.
"I'm guessing that was aimed at a gorgeous blonde?" Mark laughed.
"What makes you so sure?" Susan laughed. "I think she needs to be changed."
"Well I don't so much mind if the first one was aimed at me, but I really hope that wasn't."
Susan laughed, "I should go. Get us some breakfast. Make myself decent. You know, go to work. All that jazz."
"Yeah. Okay. Well, I'll talk to you later."
"I'll try and be less distracted."
"Oh, don't worry bout it, I'm used to it."
Susan laughed. "I'll see you later Mark."
"Okay. Love you." He forced himself to say what he wanted to say – despite being a little scared to say it.
Susan knew how hard that was for him. "Mark, wait." She wanted to stop him hanging up.
"Yeah?"
"I love you too." Susan breathed. Suzie squealed again. "I have to go."
"Bye." He smiled again.
Susan put the phone back in her room and set about getting Suzie ready to go, with an uncommon grin on her face.