Fridaymorning and it was still dark outside. Robbie woke up when the alarm on her phone went off. She opened her eyes and saw the light from the landing shining a little into her room. She quickly got up and walked over to her parents bedroom. The bed was all neatly done and it looked all cleaned up, as if no one had been there all night. Immediately she walked out of the room and ran downstairs.
- 'Mummy, dad?' Robbie nervously shouted.
- 'Oi….shsssss, keep it down babe, you'll wake up Mum, she's still sleeping' Ronnie said who had come out of the kitchen over to the stairs. Robbie jumped into her mothers arms and put her legs tightly around Ronnie's waist.
- 'I thought you'd already left' Robbie said feeling relieved to see her mum still being at home.
- 'You little doughnut, ofcourse not, i told you we would say goodbye to you, i would've woken you up if you were still asleep silly' Ronnie said giving Robbie a kiss on her neck. Ronnie carried Robbie back to the kitchen where Roxy and Jack were sitting at the kitchentable.
- 'You thought they had gone already, without saying goodbye, you muppet!' Roxy said smiling at her babysister.
- 'So when are you leaving, aren't you gonna say goodbye to mum then?' Robbie asked sitting down with Ronnie who pulled her onto her lap.
- 'We already said goodbye to mum last night' Ronnie said stroking her hand across Robbie's face.
- 'So when does that cab going to get here then?' Roxy asked.
- 'In about 15 minutes i guess' Jack said' now you call us if something is up yeah?' Jack said looking at Robbie.
- 'Yeah and you take care of mum ok dad?' Robbie said.
- 'Of course don't worry darling, I will take good care of your mum' Jack said.
- 'Now promise me you both are going to behave like two good little girls yeah' Ronnie said looking at both Robbie and Roxy.
- 'Yes mummmm!' they girls both said rolling their eyes at each other.
Then the doorbell rang.
- 'Is that the cab already?' Ronnie said surprised, obviously the cab arrived still a little unexpected.
- 'Think so' Jack said standing up and walking out of the kitchen to the front door and opening it.
It was the cabdriver.
- 'You alright mate, let me help you with the suitcases' Jack said as he and the cabdriver carried the suitcases outside to the car.
- 'Well, I'll see you in a couple of days my loveys' Ronnie said as she gave both girls a hug' behave for me yeah!'
- 'Take lot's of pictures yeah mum' Robbie said.
- 'We'll do' Jack said walking back in 'come here you'.
Jack lifted Robbie up into a tight hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
- 'We will call you every night yeah babe' Ronnie said as she ruffled her hand through Robbie's hair.
- 'Mum I'm gonna miss you' Robbie said with a little tear in her eyes.
- 'Yeah I'm gonna miss you to my little heart' Ronnie said, her eyes welling up a little.
- 'Come on you muppets, it's what…just 5 nights alright' Roxy said.
- 'Yeah common, before you know it…' Jack said.
- '…You'll be back and on my case forever, being a pain in my a…' Robbie said as Ronnie put her hand on Robbie's mouth.
- 'That's right' Ronnie said' come here you' Ronnie pulled Robbie to her chest and gave her a kiss on the head 'mummy loves you so very much!'
- 'Love you too peeps, come back soon yeah!' Robbie said taking a step back standing with Roxy.
- 'Think that is your cue guys!' Roxy said winking at Ronnie to go now.
The four of them walked outside and Ronnie and Jack both got into the cab. They waved as the cab slowly drove past nr 27.
- 'Come on let's get a little more sleep yeah' Roxy said as she put her arm around Robbie and walked inside.
- 'Rox can i..' Robbie said.
- 'Already counted on it babes, and we can really have a little ly in since Amy is still at Dot's' Roxy said knowing Robbie wanted to ask if she could come sleep with her.
Later that day Robbie was sitting behind the laptop at the table in the livingroom. Ronnie and Jack had texted that they arrived safe at Charles de Gaulle airport in France.
Glenda walked into the living-room and sat down on the sofa putting her shoes on.
- 'Where you going?' Robbie asked looking up from the laptop.
- 'Mummy has to be at the bookies at half 4 darling, i have a shift for a couple of hours, someone went home sick' Glenda said.
- 'What about tea then?' Robbie asked.
- 'Did you start your packing yet?' Glenda asked ignoring the question about tea.
- 'Well I can't pack everything yet mum, i mean we still be here for a couple of days right, at least until mum and dad come back' Robbie said.
- 'Yes but we can bring it over darling, and then when Ronnie and Jack come back they only have to unpack and we can move in straight after they are back ' Glenda said standing up again.
- 'Yeah alright, now what about tea?' Robbie asked again.
- 'Roxy will make you some, now mummy's off, I will see you later darling' Glenda said blowing Robbie a kiss and leaving the livingroom.
- 'Wait a minute, mum?' Robbie said standing up already hearing the door slam.
Robbie walked over to the window and looked outside, instead of her mum walking across the square she saw her walking over next door to nr 29.
Robbie frowned, then walked back to her laptop finishing her chat-session.
A couple minutes later Robbie got a little bored and dialed Peters number:
- 'Peter' he said answering the phone.
- 'Hey you mister Beale' Robbie said 'you alright, how was school, can't believe Jane made you go after coming home so late last night'.
- 'Well it was more dad's job pushing me to go' Peter said 'how are you coping, you heard something from Ronnie and Jack then?'
- 'Yeah, they arrived safe, thanks for asking' Robbie answered.
- 'Great party it was ey?' Peter said.
- 'Yeah definitely!' Robbie said letting herself fall down on the sofa.
- 'So what you doing now then?' Peter asked.
- 'Am waiting for Roxy to come home and make us some tea, i'm starving' Robbie said.
- 'So where's Glenda then?' Peter asked.
- 'At the bookies, she said she had to do a shift for a couple of hours, she didn't really tell when she would be back' Robbie said putting her feet on the table.
- 'You want to come over and have tea here then?' Peter asked 'I'm sure it's no problem for Jane to make you some'.
- 'No, I'll better wait for Roxy, i mean, don't want her to be here by herself when she comes home, she hates eating alone, i mean there's Amy of course, but you know what i mean right?' Robbie said.
- 'Yeah alright' Peter said 'ehm you wanna meet up tomorrow then, i mean i know you'll be packing and stuff, but maybe if you have a break?'
- 'Yeah sure' Robbie said' I will meet you at the café for lunch then, alright?'
- 'You're inviting me?' Peter asked grinning.
- 'No you 're inviting me of course, you're gonna be owning that café when you're older so i want you to serve me' Robbie was grinning at the other side of the line.
- 'Alright then, round one i will be there, time's good for you then miss Branning?' Peter asked.
- 'Perfect mister Beale, you really know how to get into my good books' Robbie said 'I'll see you later yeah'.
When they hung up their phones, Robbie looked at the clock, she thought Roxy would have been home by now. She grabbed her phone again and called.
- 'Hey this is Roxy i'm probably too busy doing my nails so call me later yeah, tata' Roxy's voicemail said.
- 'Rox where are you, you're suppose to make me tea?' Robbie said' I'm starving'.
A couple minutes later Robbie's phone went off "ROXY"
- 'Rox, where are you?' Robbie asked a little irritated since it was already close to 7.
- 'Eh slow down, who said i was making your tea tonight?' Roxy asked 'did you made that up yourself shorty?'
- 'No stupid, mum said you would make me tea' Robbie said walking around the room over to the window again looking outside.
- 'Oh really now, and where's mum then?' Roxy asked.
- ' She's at the bookies, she said she had to get in and do a shift' Robbie said.
For minute it was quiet on the other side of the line.
- 'Rox, you still there?' Robbie asked.
- 'Yeah I'm just thinking, i can't remember mum telling me to make you tea, ehm why don't you come over to the Vic and we'll grab something to eat yeah' Roxy said.
- 'The Vic, you've been at the Vic this whole time?' Robbie asked.
- 'Yeah, i was just having a drink with Christian and Syed here' Roxy said.
- 'And where's Ames?' Robbie asked.
- 'At Max and Vanessa's they 've got Oscar for the weekend, I'll pick her up later' Roxy said 'just come over yeah'.
- 'Yeah alright' Robbie said. Robbie put the phone in her pocket and walked to the hallway.
She got a little scare when for a minute she thought she heard someone coming down the stairs, she looked up. Of course there was no one there. Then she heard a door close. She then realized it must have been next door at nr 29. She did find it a little strange, since no one lived there yet, in neither of the apartments.
She slowly opened the door and peeked outside, she saw no one. But when she had closed the door of nr 27 and wanted to walk over to the Vic she saw a glimpse of her mother Glenda again walking into the Vic and when turning her head to the right she saw Phil walking through his backdoor at nr 55.
She shook her head and crossed the square, as she entered the Vic she immediately saw her sister sitting at a table with Christian an Syed, and their mum standing at the bar. Roxy stood up and walked over to their mum.
Robbie closed the door and also walked over to where her mum and sister were standing.
- 'There she is, my little darling' Glenda said putting her arm around Robbie.
- 'Mum' Robbie said' You already done at the bookies?'
- 'Yes, it was just a couple of hours, can't leave you alone at night now can i?' Glenda said as she ordered herself a gin and tonic.
- 'You dope, you must have misunderstood mum, she's gonna get you something to eat yeah?' Roxy said looking at Robbie.
- 'When, just before i go night night, mum you said Roxy would fix me tea right?' Robbie said getting more and more confused by these two women, she missed her mum already, at least her Ronnie was always straight with her and was always clear about everything, with Ronnie she knew what to expect.
- 'Now now, no need to get cranky darling, guess you're still al little tired from this whole week of partying, the wedding and packing and all, I tell you what, let me finish my G&T and then we're gonna go home, have you in bed on time tonight ok, so you'll have some energy for the weekend' Glenda said winking at Alfie who was standing behind the bar listening in.
- 'I can't believe this, Roxy could you please say something, I'm not 5 anymore mum, talk normal, Roxy?" Robbie said looking at both her mum and Roxy, watching her sister walking back to her table.
- 'What, Robbie, mum is right, it's been a crazy week alright, once you'll get a decent night of sleep you'll be alright, now go home with mum, eat something and you can lay in my bed if you want, i'll be there later yeah' Roxy said sitting down.
- 'Forget it, you selfish cow you are, you think you can win me over by sleeping in your bed, you think it will make it all alright, well guess what, i'll sleep in my own bed!' Robbie shouted at Roxy, feeling betrayed by her older sister and walking out the doors of the Vic.
Roxy got up and wanted to follow Robbie outside.
- 'It's alright darling, i'll take care of her, I'll take her home yeah' Glenda said tapping Roxy on the back making her sit down again and winking to Christian and Syed 'she's obviously exhausted'.
- 'If there are any problems mum you call me yeah' Roxy said 'believe me she can still throw a tantrum'.
Glenda winked at her daughter and walked outside. She saw Robbie sitting on the bench at the little park.
Glenda sat down next to her youngest daughter and put her arm around Robbie's shoulder. Robbie moved over and pushed Glenda's arm away.
- 'Darling come on, let's go home and mummy will make you a nice sandwich, we can watch a little telly and then Ronnie probably will give you a call and then you can turn in, get a good night of sleep, it's gonna do you good, you'll see' Glenda said. Robbie looked at Glenda and then got up walking over to the house. Glenda grinned a little and then followed.
About an hour later Robbie had eaten a sandwich Glenda had made her. She couldn't eat anymore than the one sandwich. She had taken a shower and was now watching telly just like Glenda had said. She had to admit to herself that she was feeling tired indeed, now she was waiting for when Ronnie and Jack would call. Then Robbie's mobile went off and she saw it was Ronnie.
- 'Mum?'
- 'Hey my little love, how are you, you ok?'
- 'Yeah I'm fine, mum made me a sandwich and now we're watching telly together, and you and dad, how's Paris? ' Robbie said a bit cheery not to upset both her mums, she didn't let Ronnie know she missed her already and didn't want to show Glenda that she just rather had Ronnie at home.
- 'Well we just had dinner which was very romantic, we're sitting on a bench now at the Seine and we're watching the moon, it's a little cold but your dad is keeping me warm, he says hi to his little munchkin and to give Amy a big kiss also'
- 'Yeah we'll do, you both enjoy it all yeah mum'
- 'We will, give your sister, mum and Amy a big kiss yeah, and of course the biggest kiss is for you babe, we love you sweetie'
- 'I love you both too mummy'
- 'Sweet dreams my little love, stay out of trouble yeah, we'll call you tomorrow'
- 'You two behave yeah!' Robbie said as she started grinning.
- 'They're alright darling' Glenda asked.
- 'Yeah' Robbie said 'they just had a romantic dinner and they were sitting at the Seine'. Robbie leaned over and gave Glenda a kiss 'mum asked me to do that'.
Robbie then settled herself down sitting close to Glenda. Glenda put her arm around her youngest and pulled her a little closer.
- 'Oh you know what, you want me to make you a cup of coco darling?' Glenda asked after a couple of minutes.
There was no answer, so Glenda looked at Robbie and saw that her youngest child had fallen asleep against her.
- 'Told you, you were tired my little one' Glenda whispered smiling as she heard the frontdoor opening up.
- 'You alright mum?' Roxy asked sitting down on the armchair with a very sleepy Amy on her lap 'she fell asleep then?'
- 'Yeah, your sister called, they talked and she gave me a kiss after and sat down next to me and then fell asleep' Glenda said still soothing Robbie's back.
- 'Yeah she does that, ehm you want me to take her upstairs then, put her to bed?' Roxy asked 'cause I'm gonna put this one to bed too, I might take a bath and turn in myself'.
- 'No i wanna enjoy this moment, i'll bring her up in a little while, don't worry, you go take Amy upstairs' Glenda said winking at Roxy.
- 'Alright just ehm, pick her up or just wake her slowly yeah, but my advise is to just pick her up, when you wake her up she'll probably bite your head off' Roxy said smiling.
- 'I might have not been around all your lives darling but i know how to bring one of my girls to bed, don't worry you bring my beautifull granddaughter to bed yeah, and i will deal with this one' Glenda said ordering Roxy to just go upstairs.
- 'Alright mum, don't say i didn't warn you' Roxy said 'come on my little angel, let's get you to bed, goodnight mum'.
- 'Sleep well my darling' Glenda said to Roxy as she softly stroked Robbie's back.