Cause he gets up in the morning
And he goes to work at nine
And he comes back home at five-thirty
Gets the same train every time
The clock radio on the side table clicked on at exactly 8am, letting out a loud, high-pitched BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! until Stephanie reached over to switch it off. The wolf was in an unusually chipper mood as her eyes fluttered open and she sat up in the bed, and the sunlight casting into the room along with the pleasantly catchy song playing on the radio only brightened her up even more.
He's a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
Rather than throw away the day by sleeping in, Stephanie swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stretched her arms out straight, letting out a satisfied exhale as all her joints went back into place. She found herself humming and murmuring the song's lyrics to herself when she sat at her vanity mirror and began applying her makeup, though after adding the last finishing touches she couldn't help finally singing out loud while she admired her reflection.
Cause you're oh, so good!
And you're oh, so fine!
And you're oh, so healthy!
In your body and your mind!
After getting changed - opting for a plain but flattering black blazer and skirt - Stephanie headed into the kitchen to make breakfast, changing the TV to the same radio channel so that the music continued to echo around the apartment. She placed two slices of bread on the griddle, letting them cook over a small, steady heat while she went to her daughter's room and approached the younger wolf's bed.
"Come on, sunshine..." She chuckled, playfully tapping her finger on the head that was still buried under the covers. "Gotta get up for school."
"Ugh..." A groggy voice groaned back, still muffled under the blanket. "Five more minutes...?"
"I give ya five minutes, baby, ya take an hour..." Stephanie snarked, rolling her eyes before she grabbed the bottom of the blanket and yanked them off. "UP AND AT 'EM!"
"Mooooom...!" Porsha whined back, the fourteen-year-old finally sitting up to pull the covers back over her lower body. "What's even the big deal? It's just gonna be like every other day."
"Yeah, and I expect ya to get up for all those days too, Porsha..." Stephanie ruffled the top of her daughter's head, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm makin' French Toast, by the way."
"Oh... y-yeah, cool..." Porsha yawned, then lounged back in her bed as Stephanie left the room and closed the door over behind her. A soft, vibrating BZZZZZ... drew the wolf's attention to her phone on the nightstand, and she reached over to grab it and see Meena's text message on her screen. "Hmm..."
Trying to figure out what to wear!
Which one makes me look least fat...?
Porsha clicked her tongue as she studied the photos her friend had sent of herself in various outfits, quietly murmuring to herself as she typed out her response.
"You... don't need... to... worry. You... look... gorge... wait, how do ya... oh, gorgeous. Yeah... nothing wrong... with... being... a little... curvy. Hashtag... Big... And... Beautiful..." She hesitated as her finger hovered over the Send icon, before her cheeks suddenly flared a bright red. "Oh God, that's way too flirty, I gotta reword that... okay, um..."
"RISE AND SHINE, SWEETHEART!"
"Gah, what the...?! W-whoa!" Porsha jolted up in a panic, letting out a shriek as she tumbled back and fell to the floor with a blunt THUD! After taking around ten seconds to regather her bearings, the young wolf pulled herself up out of the pile of pillows and bedsheets and made her way over to the window, rolling her eyes when she saw the familiar little lizard down on the ground with the megaphone. "Oh... morning, Ms. Crawly!"
"GOOD MORNING, PORSHA!"
"Ah... the wake-up call worked, then..." Stephanie chortled as she came back into the room, passing Porsha her French toast while she looked out the window to wave to Ms. Crawly herself. "Thanks, Joanne!"
Porsha was still clad in her blue sci-fi pyjamas as she took her breakfast into the kitchen, propping herself up with her elbows while she leaned against the centre table. While she did quite enjoy the song that was still playing on the radio channel, her curiosity was enough of a prompt to reach over the couch and grab the remote to have a quick glance at what else was on.
"In other news, former Redshore City entertainment mogul Jimmy Crystal is set to appear in court today, to hear the final verdict regarding his potential -"
"Oh, shoot!"
Porsha quickly scrambled to switch off the news feed as she heard her bedroom door creak open. The young wolf only just managed to turn the channel back to the radio station before her mother came back in, and tried her best to look casual and inconspicuous as she dug into her French toast again.
"So..." She paused for a moment, thinking of anything else to say. "So, uh... s-so since when was Ms. Crawly the neighbourhood alarm clock...?"
"That was just a little experiment me and Buster came up with the other day. Operation: Sleeping Beauty..." Stephanie chortled, keeping some of her daughter's laundry from the day before draped over her arm as she went over to the washing machine. "Seeing as you're wide awake now, I think we got a major breakthrough."
"Terrific..." Porsha snarked, still scrolling through her phone with one hand while eating her French toast with the other. "By the way, does Rosita still want me to come over tonight...?"
"Yeah, they want ya round at seven." Stephanie answered, standing up again after she closed the washing machine door. "She said she'll have the lil' tykes in bed before ya get there. As long as ya don't make a ruckus, it'll be fine."
"Oh yeah, cool..."
Porsha pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. Given the struggles that her own mother had endured raising just her alone, the younger wolf could only imagine what Norman and Rosita had to go through raising twenty five troublemaking three-year-olds.
"Why'd they ask me to do it, anyway?" She asked as Stephanie straightened back up. "Doesn't that Gunter guy normally babysit for 'em?"
"Ah, well... last time Gunter was there, the kids strung him up with gummy rolls and tied him to a coffee table like some kinda sacrifice..." Stephanie chuckled, barely managing to hold back a laugh as Porsha's eyes bulged wide. "Don't worry, Porsha, you're gonna be great. Just don't let 'em near the candy jars, okay...?"
"Oh, uh... y-y-yeah, okay..." Porsha nodded, drumming her fingers on the table for a moment, before finishing her meal and heading back to her bedroom to change. "So, uh... so what are you guys all doin' tonight?"
"Eh... Buster just wants to draft out some ideas for the next show. Everybody's got shifts and stuff all day, so tonight's the best time we can all meet up."
Stephanie looked through some of the paperwork that was scattered all over the table, including a letter that she'd opened from the Council the night before.
"Ugh... one of the fuse boxes backstage is actin' up too." She said. "City Hall says it's like a fire hazard or something, so... Ro's gonna take a look and see if we need to call somebody."
"For real...?" Porsha came back in, now wearing an old leather jacket - which was still quite oversized for her, despite previously belonging to a nine-year-old gorilla - over her mother's old vintage Clay Calloway shirt, with her backpack draped over her shoulder. "Is she even, uh... what's that word again, um... q-qualified, for that sorta stuff?"
"She got a Masters in Engineering before goin' to med school, so she's about as qualified as the guys who'll charge money for it..." Stephanie cut off her laughter when she noticed a familiar framed photograph buried under the pile of papers, silently picking it up while Porsha continued talking.
"Alright, well... as long as she knows what she's doing, I guess..." Porsha closed the fridge door, having raided it of most of its chocolates and sweets to load into her bag, before looking over to see Stephanie still in her catatonic state. "Y'okay there, Mom...?"
"What...? Oh, uh... y-yeah, I'm fine, baby..." Stephanie cleared her throat, wiping the corner of her eye as she propped her and Suki's old Valentine's photo back up on the table. "So, you uh... y'all set to go?"
"Uh-huh!" Porsha quickly ran over and wrapped her arms around Stephanie's waist, gently resting her head right under her mother's chin. "Love ya, Mom."
Stephanie sniffled, feeling her eyes mist up as she gently tightened her grip. Even now, she'd often found herself shocked by how much her Porsha had grown over the last decade - and how close she had come to completely missing out on seeing it - but seeing Suki's photo had been an even more sentimental reminder of the pain and sacrifices they'd had to endure to get where they were now.
"Yeah..." She exhaled, kissing the top of Porsha's forehead before finally letting her go to the door. "Love ya too, sunshine."
"Mum, did you really have to sit in and listen, then...?" Johnny whined, keeping his keyboard tucked under his armpit as he and Mary left the music room and headed down the mostly empty school hallway. "Everyone were looking at you like a right weirdo."
"Oh, don't be daft, love, it was fine!" Mary laughed, playfully ruffling the top of her seventeen-and-a-half year old's head. "Besides, they all sounded great. Y'know, you really ought to get some of them kids to try auditioning at the Theatre. Bet Mr. Moon'll love that!"
"Most of them other kids don't even know me and Ash do that stuff at the theatre for Mr. Moon."
"So? What's wrong with them finding out, darling...?" Mary then stood up straight and pursed her lips, finally realising who wasn't with them. "Hang on... where is Ashley? I thought she were coming with us."
"She is." Johnny said, rolling his eyes. "You're the one who came early, Mum."
"Why weren't she in the music club thing, then?"
"She's doing this self defence thing with her mate today. See...?" Johnny stopped suddenly, making Mary realise they'd walked right into the school gymnasium, and he pointed over to the ring that was surrounded by some of the other students. "That's them in there now!"
"Is it?" Mary repositioned her glasses as she squinted a little. "Oh, bloody hell, it is!"
Ash was wearing a rubber head guard and a baggy red shirt that was one size too big - though the porcupine's quills still protruded from both - and she and the hedgehog both wore red leather gloves as they traded blows. Or rather, Ash tried her best to throw punches that either didn't land or made little impact, and otherwise just let herself get hit by her clearly more experienced opponent.
"Oh God, poor girl looks bloody hopeless..." Mary shook her head, almost like she was feeling secondhand embarrassment for the young porcupine. "And who's that other one battering her?"
"That's her friend, Katy. Remember, she's come by the Theatre with us a couple times..." Johnny said, cringing a little as they saw Ash taking more quick jabs to her head and chest. "She's um... sh-she's usually right nice, Katy is. Y'know, when she's not doing this."
"Oh yeah, love, I'm sure she is..." Mary chortled, still slightly nervous. "Still, she's knocking nine bells out of her, isn't she? Ooh!"
THWACK! There was a collective wince from the entire crowd of other students watching when Katy's right hook that sent Ash straight to the canvas. The porcupine was clearly dazed by the blow as she propped herself up with her elbows, only just beating the count of ten as she managed to clumsily pull herself back to her feet.
Even Katy looked concerned, gently holding onto Ash's hands to try keeping her friend steady. "Y'okay, Ashley?"
"What? Uh... y-y-yeah, Katy, I'm good." Ash tried to take a fighting stance again, only to droop her arms with relief when the instructor blew the whistle to end the round. "Oh, thank God."
"Shake that one off, babe! You got it!" Lance called over from one of the benches a few feet away, barely taking attention off his phone, before he glanced over to see the two gorillas that had just arrived. "Oh hey, J Man! What's up, dude...?"
"Oh yeah, uh... h-hi, Lance..." Johnny pulled a slightly awkward smile as he waved to the porcupine. From what his parents had always taught him, the young gorilla would have hoped that Lance wouldn't be so casual seeing what his girlfriend was putting herself through, but with how he'd seen them together in the past, it wasn't too surprising either. "Wait... Mum? Mum, what are you doing...?"
"Ugh... okay..." Ash was still taking long, deep breaths as she propped herself up on the corner post, trying her best to stop the small but messy trail of blood that was dripping from her nostrils onto her shirt. "Eh... at least it's red, I guess..."
"Ashley... Ashley, hey!" Mary's voice took the seventeen year old off guard, as she glanced up to see the gorilla standing behind the ropes. "Y'alright there, darling?"
"Oh... h-hey, Johnny's Mom." Ash pulled a smile, giving a quick but loud snort after this caused her nose to start bleeding again. "I thought you weren't picking us up til later...?"
"Well yeah, I came a bit earlier to see Johnny practice, but um... but yeah, I just thought I'd quickly pop over, see how you're holding up." Mary took a tissue from her purse, gently holding it to the eighteen-year-old's nose. "I take it you're not ahead on points, then."
"Hey, to be fair, two rounds was way longer than I thought I was gonna last..." Ash winced a little. "I think Katy's going easy on me."
"Oh yeah, I can tell." Mary snarked. "Love that defence strategy, by the way. Yeah, blocking all those hits with your face. Right clever, that is."
Ash rolled her eyes, though even this caused some pain with the bruises near them. "Well, what else am I supposed to do?"
"Keep your bloody guard up, that's what!" Mary nearly laughed. "You're not her punching bag, Ashley."
"I might as well be, it's not like I'm gonna beat her..." Ash groaned, glancing back over to the hedgehog stood at the opposite corner. "Katy's been doing this since like 8th Grade, she's basically a pro."
"Well, I wouldn't say that. She's been making a few slip ups." Mary made a beckoning gesture with her hand, prompting Ash to lean a little closer. "Alright, so she does the little jabs with her left, then she always does the big swing with her right. If you slip under that, then her -"
"Wait wait wait, are... a-are you coaching me...?!" Ash went wide-eyed when Mary shrugged. "Since when did you know anything about boxing?"
"Eh, me and Johnny's Dad watch it on TV all the time." Mary chuckled, then cleared her throat. "Now, if you duck under her right when she swings, her side's wide open. So you've got to just dig it right in there, knock the wind out of her. Know what I mean, love...?"
"Uh... y-yeah, I think so. Wait, so it's her right side I hit, right...?" Ash asked for extra clarity, tilting her head when Mary nodded. The porcupine then stood back up when the whistle blew to signal the next round, almost forgetting to put her mouthguard back in before she left her corner. "Okay... okay..."
The first minute or so seemed to be more of the same, though Ash was at least making more of an effort to block the smaller jabs Katy was sending her way. Johnny noticed his mother murmuring to herself while they watched, almost like she was still trying to give Ash advice when the porcupine couldn't even hear her from the distance, and Mary seemed to be getting both anxious and excited as she concentrated on the hedgehog's right hand.
"Alright, any minute... any minute now, come on..."
Finally, Katy swung with her right, and everyone watching almost felt time slowing down as the next two seconds seemed to stretch to a long, painful minute. Ash had taken the advice to heart as she swiftly ducked down, letting the hedgehog's fist sail right over her head. Katy was still mid-swing when Ash noticed the right side of her lower midsection was now completely unprotected - just as Mary had said it would be - and felt a full surge of pure adrenaline as she sent a direct hit right into the opening with a powerful THWACK!
"Eurgh...!" Katy froze up as all the air in her lungs - and her mouthguard - flew straight out, releasing a high-pitched noise which sounded like the midpoint between a pained grunt and a breathless wheeze. For a brief moment it seemed like the hedgehog's entire body had switched off, staggering a few inches forwards before she finally flopped down face-first on the canvas with a THUD!
"YES, GET IN THERE!" Mary suddenly shrieked, quickly covering her mouth when the students - including Johnny and Lance - all looked over at her. "Oh, uh... s-sorry, I just... I told her to do that, so..."
"Oh God, Katy!" Ash paid no attention to the instructor blowing the whistle as she clumsily took her gloves and headguard off, throwing them aside before she carefully sat the hedgehog back up. "Y'okay?"
"Y-y-yeah, I'm good. I'm fine, it's just... that was a hell of a shot... ow!" Katy let out a hoarse laugh, though even that caused her some pain as she clutched her stomach. "Y'know, I figured I was gonna have to let you win one of these days, Ashley, but I wasn't even taking it easy on you that time."
"Yeah, well..." Ash suddenly froze up, looking over to Mary and Johnny as they waved to her from just outside the ring. "Wait, did I win...?!"
"Hell yeah, you won!" Lance suddenly cut off what Johnny was going to say, clumsily moving past the gorilla as he climbed in and rushed over to his girlfriend. "Babe, you were awesome! Katy came out swingin' like BASH! But then you went like WHOOSH! and then you went WHAM! and Katy went down like BLERGH...!"
"Ugh... yeah, real flattering impressions, Lance..." Katy snarked as she took off her own gear, letting Ash help her to her feet before she pulled the porcupine into a hug. "Knew you had a fighting spirit in there somewhere, Ashley."
"Hmm, yeah..." Ash still ached a little as she climbed down out of the ring and picked up her backpack. "I'm definitely sticking to singing, though."
"Oh yeah, deffo." Johnny nodded, with Mary noticing the more shy posture he took on when the porcupine got closer to him, before the three of them started walking out into the hallway. "Still, you did right well."
"Aw. Thanks, Johnny..." Ash said, before looking up at the older gorilla. "Oh, and I uh... I really appreciated the coaching."
"Nah, think nothing of it, love." Mary chuckled, taking on a slightly more bitter tone. "Yeah, I don't like to just look away when somebody needs a hand up."
"Hey, you guys!" Porsha loudly exclaimed as soon as the door opened, only to cut herself off when the mother pig on the other side quickly shushed her. "Ooh... sorry..."
"Oh no no, it's fine, honey... we just put the kids to bed." Rosita whispered, glancing over to the couch where her husband was still putting on his shoes. "Yeah, they're actually pretty heavy sleepers once you get them down, but just don't make any loud noises, okay?"
"Oh yeah, I can do that. Quiet as a mouse." Porsha made a "lips sealed" gesture over her mouth, before taking a moment to consider her words. "Well y'know, not like that Mike guy, but... b-but yeah, y'know what I mean."
"Yeah, as far as mice go, Mike's definitely the loudest we've met." Norman said as he and his wife both laughed, before they took a step back to let the young wolf into their living room. "Still, it was real nice of you to do this, Porsha. Y'know, after what happened with Gunter last month, I thought we'd never be able to get a sitter ever again."
"Nah, come on, it's fine... besides, I've been saying to my Mom for ages I wanna help out more." Porsha sat herself down on the couch, glancing over at the staircase towards the door to the piglets' bedroom. "I mean, babysitting ain't exactly what I had in mind, but yeah, we're always happy helping you guys out."
"Hmm... and we really appreciate it." Rosita gently clasped Porsha's hand in her own. "Alright, we'll be back around 9, so uh... oh, and Stephanie gave you all the low-down, right?"
"Uh... yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, she did..." Porsha took a moment to recall her mother's advice. "Yeah, she said don't make no noise, don't give 'em candy, and... and uh..."
"And if anything comes up, don't hesitate to call me." Rosita got up on her tiptoes to give Porsha a kiss on the cheek, then headed back over to the door with Norman. "Okay... have fun, Porsha!"
"Uh-huh, yep, will do!" Porsha sounded frantic, almost impatient, as she sat up stiff as a board, keeping a smile on her face as the two pigs closed the door over. "Byyyyyyyyeeee..."
The fourteen-year-old waited another five seconds or so, then quickly darted over to the window to look down into the street. Porsha squinted a little to keep her eye on Norman and Rosita as they crossed the street, making sure they were definitely gone before she darted back over to the couch and started texting Meena.
"Watching... the... piglets. House... all... to... ourselves... how 'bout some... Quickflix... and... oh God, no, that's way too flirty!" Porsha groaned to herself, taking a few deep breaths to regain her focus as the reddish beam faded from her cheeks. "Okay, uh... ooh, hang out! Yeah, that's it... how about... we... hang... out. Yes, nailed it!"