Angela looks on as Jane's peas were being pushed about on the plate; occasionally a pea or two would be buried in the mashed potatoes and seemingly offending peas have been smushed. A mother would really appreciate someone not playing with the food she cooks, besides, it's simply bad manners. "Janie, stop playing with your food."
"Well, I'm not hungry," Jane mumbles.
"Not hungry? You're always hungry," Angela watches as Jane went on to focusing her apparent vengeance on the mashed potatoes - lifting them up high with her fork to only have them plop back onto her plate.
Angela notes too that even the chicken is untouched. Strange.
"Janie," Angela reaches over to feel Jane's forehead, "Are you not feeling well?"
Jane shakes her head.
"Is the chicken not to your liking?"
Jane shakes her head.
"Then why are you not eating?"
"I'm not hungry," Jane drops the fork, indignant, "I haven't got a stomach for food right now."
"Will you have it later?"
"I don't think I'll ever be hungry," Jane sighs, "May I be excused Ma?"
"You may," Angela watches as Jane pads lifelessly to her room. Strange. Maybe Jane's just upset that she didn't get to go to the game with the boys. Though, it's not the first time since she's been told to stay home. Strange indeed. Jane doesn't pad, she runs, she bounces.
Angela finishes up her own meal. Jane doesn't not have an appetite for food. Strange indeed, Angela thinks.
"Janie? Honey?" Angela pokes her head into the room, waiting for an invitation.
"Yes, Ma?"
"Is something bothering you honey?"
"No."
"Really honey?" Angela waits at the door.
"Yes."
One-worded answers, definitely not her little Janie. "Did something happen at school?"
"No."
"Is it about Maura?"
"No!" Jane's face flushes.
"It is, isn't it?" Angela moves to sit next to Jane. She knows how Jane doesn't like to be hugged; she keeps her hand on Jane's knee instead.
"No…"
Angela watches Jane - head down, lips in an upturned smile. Mothers aren't known to have hawk eyes for no reason. "So, how's Maura?"
Jane shrugs.
Mothers know how to push buttons too. "Did you start the fight?"
"What makes you think I started it Ma?"
Oh yes, she can do this. "Well?"
Jane shakes her head.
"Should I be calling Mrs Isles?"
"No Ma! It's just," Jane sighs, "I think I did something wrong to Maura."
Angela shakes her head to hide her smile. Those two children, she thinks. Always running after each other; sharing secrets, giggles and moments. Her daughter starts doing sleepovers, with only Maura and vice versa. Those two, Angela thinks as she smiles to herself. "What did you do Jane?"
"It's not what I did Ma, it's what I didn't do, I think…" Jane slumps against the bed.
"Are you eventually going to tell me about it Janie?"
"In art class today, Maura she," Jane turns to hide a smile, "Maura she," Jane's cheeks turn beetroot, "She gave me a heart Ma."
"A heart?"
"Yes! A real life human heart!" Jane delivers an eye roll. "A paper heart Ma."
"I don't need that attitude from you Jane, and what did you do?"
"I just said thank you."
"Which is bad because?"
"Because...I didn't give her my heart Ma…"
"Why didn't you?"
"I wanted to! No, I want to! I was just waiting…"
"What were you waiting for?"
"For when Valentine's Day comes Ma! Duh! When else do you give pretty girls hearts?"
Angela was not expecting that but, who would have thought, her little Janie's a romantic inside. "Well, how are you going to make up for it? Do you want to make up for it?"
"No," Jane folds her arms and huffs, "She won't talk to me just because I made one silly mistake of wanting to wait. So, no."
"Okay, so, no more Maura for dinner? No more Maura for movies? No more-"
"No more Maura for sleepovers."
Angela watches as Jane sinks lower into herself, as her eyes water and her arms fall to the side. She reaches out to tug a curl behind her daughter's ear.
"Janie, wanting to wait isn't wrong, but sometimes," Angela searches for a reference, not the best one but, it'll have to do, "Remember that episode where SpongeBob lost Gary, Janie?"
"Maura's not a pet Ma!"
Angela laughs. "I know that Janie but-"
"Gary went away because Spongebob didn't let Gary know that he loves him."
"Yes, that is what I meant."
"Can we go over to Maura later Ma?"
"Not right now?"
"Nope," a head shake, "Can I use the marker pens Ma? Please? I promise I'll be careful."
"You will not draw on the table or the walls again?"
"I promise," a nod, "Can we go after I'm done with the marker pens Ma?"
"I'll have to check with Mrs Isles Janie."
"Go call her Ma! Go!" Jane stands to pull at her mother and all but pushes her out the room. "Hurry Ma! Maura must know!"
Angela turns to look at Jane bent over a table, busy writing out a card. She smiles.
"Press the bell Ma!" Jane points at the bell, hurrying her Ma.
The door opens.
"Hi Mrs Isles," Jane waves," May I speak to Maura please?"
"Hi Jane," Constance smiles, "Maura's in her room. Can you promise to first ask, if Maura wants to speak to you?"
"Okay," a solemn nod, "I will."
"Go on then. You know where her room is."
"Thank you Mrs Isles!" Jane beams and dashes up the stairs, leaving Constance and Angela looking after her - a head of bouncy curls.
Jane knocks, "Maura?"
"Jane?"
"May I please come in?"
"No."
"Maura! Please?"
"Fine." The door opens. Maura's in her pyjamas, with flowers on them.
Jane hands Maura her heart, "It's for you Maura."
Maura looks at Jane - cheeks pink, holding back a smile. "Thank you Jane."
"This too Maura," Jane hands her a card, "Read it. Please?"
"Okay Jane," Maura looks down at the card. There were smiley faces and heart stickers all over it.
'Dear Maura, I'm just writing this to say that I was saving the heart to give it to YOU for Valentines' Day. I don't know why that made you not talk to me, I said thank you but, I think it's because I made the mistake of not giving you my heart. I hope you'll forgive me for my mistake. Ma says that we are like Spongebob and Gary. I hope you don't ever leave me Maura because I am giving you the heart now and this is in marker pen so no eraser can erase it away. I love you Maura. Please don't not talk to me and please, have dinner, watch movies, and we can have sleepovers every night, just you and me, please?'
"Jane, I'm sorry I over-reacted," Maura pulls Jane into her room to sit on the carpet with her, "Can we be friends again?"
"Maura!" She hugs her. "We are best friends! Always!"
"I want to watch Chicken Run again."
"That's my favourite movie Maura, not yours, but okay."
"I know it's your favourite movie Jane, you laugh a lot at it and it makes you happy and I want you to be happy because I love you too! You are my best friend too," she hugs her.
"We can watch Wallace and Gromit Maura! Then we both can laugh a lot. You like the one where they go on the moon right? Even though it's not really cheese and I like the wrong trousers episode!"
"That episode has scary music Jane, but I have them downstairs! Do you think you can sleep over tonight?"
"Don't worry Maura, I'll protect you! Let's go ask Ma! I'll race you!"
Jane stops. "No, no racing tonight. Together Maura!"
Jane reaches out to hold Maura's hand and the two bustle down the stairs.
They spend the night together, sharing laughs and giggles over a movie; happy together.
A/N: Hi there, thank you, for the time~
This was written for the week themed 'Mistakes' and, I enjoyed it - very much. Hope you did too~
Thank you, for the time=)