10

Cow and her Heifer friend left for five days of gambling in that wonderful casino on the water, the huge wad of money Jack slid into her pocket with a kiss to her cheek must have weighed her down a bit. I took comfort with the image of her falling overboard with it dragging her to the fucking bottom of the ocean.

Of course… she is probably one of those shits that float.

Sorry… that's crass.

So.

I spent the week watering plants, cuddling the cat I was actually quite fond of and shifting things about. Looking at things I never had the balls to look at before. Read papers from her desk, change photos in frames… only mildly like… from the same picnic but a different shot. Or the photos from her last birthday, replacing the one of her and Jack smiling with the one where her gob is open. Little things. It felt so… so… fulfilling.

I also rearranged her wardrobe so her winters and summers were all together… I took a shoe here and here… never a pair… just one. Felt so childish but at the same time… she started it. Now I will show her exactly what it means to fuck with someone's head.

I changed the books in her bookcase, I changed the towels in the bathroom for a different shade of the same color and then… my coup de grace… I painstakingly repainted the kitchen in a different shade too.

Her gross avocado green is now a preppy apple green. So much better.

I could not wait for her to see.

Snigger.

.

.

"No Cariad, I don't want to make it worse. She will be tired, cranky and the beds are probably nowhere near as good as hers so she will likely want a nice hot bath, a good meal and some sleep. I ordered her favorite place to deliver a meal. You know I seem to upset her… I do not want to do the wrong thing to upset her" I soothed, watching him leave to collect her, taking her home.

I waited.

Oh god, I wish I were there… but… I sort of was. You see… I also placed a camera or three so I could watch and it took her a while. She sat on the sofa that was at a different angle, turning her body all the time like it might return to the position she preferred. Then she frowned at the pictures on the mantle, her eyes flicking over them before she rose and walked over to look at each one.

Then came the kitchen.

Jack's voice was a little tinny but I heard him "Mama, it's green. It was always green."

"But it's the wrong green. Jack, sweetie, why is my kitchen a wrong green?"

"Mama… what?" Jack laughed "Stop it, maybe you just forgot the color or misremember or something?"

"Oh for goodness sake" she huffed, opening a drawer to find the knife fork and spoons are now the fork, spoon and knifes. Snigger. She blinked and closed it, then walked to the other room still seeming to be in shock.

Jack kissed her cheek and headed off home so I had to stop watching. Unfortunately it means I missed her finding her bedroom but hey… she WAS going to have a bath so I hope she liked all her bubble bath being a different scent in each bottle.

Jack was so happy when he got home, telling me that the house looked magnificent.

Not a word of her complaints.

"You know… I am glad" I nodded, "Let's have a nice night out on Friday, ask Mother to join? Maybe at that new rotating restaurant she was going on about?"

Oh yes, the one where she will want to wear her best shoes… if she can find two. Or her mink stole … oh dear. Maybe the cat got it? I don't know… it will smell of cat pee and it might be because it was in the litter box for a while but…. I did dry it thoroughly.

He chewed over it for a while, then I tried so hard to bite my tongue but he noticed.

"What. What is it?" he demanded.

"Well, poor dear might be hinting for a remodel or something? That place is a little… dated. You say so yourself" I said then added like it was a throwaway comment… almost jokingly "I mean, not like she's getting confused or dithery. Right? Dementia does not run on your family? Right?"

"Great Aunt Doris had it" Jack gasped like I didn't know.

COW went on and on about it. She had been disgusted that her mother's sister acted like that, even called her a lunatic. Oh yeah, I was working it now.

Game set and match?