Day 4: Acknowledge your true values
The sound of childish wailing drifted from downstairs.
Esmé wrenched the warm duvet over her head on her Sunday morning lie-in. Obviously, someone’s family were visiting for an early morning house call. She could image a young nephew or niece running amuck downstairs while flapping parents were begging them to be quiet in Uncle…
Which name filled the blank? Uncle Dam? Uncle Jonah? Uncle Asa? Uncle Russ?
She gave a snigger and plumped her pillow, snuggling down for an additional thirty minutes of sleep.
The wailing continued, louder than before.
She chastised herself for moaning, before flinging the duvet back and getting up and dressed. What did she expect in a shared house? With the comings and goings of five adults, surely peace, harmony and Sunday lie-ins couldn’t be guaranteed.
‘Morning,’ sang Esmé, entering the kitchen to find a little boy aged about three devouring toast at the table, his dungareed legs and football slippers swinging gleefully. Asa was cooking sausages at the stove, while Kane swept up dried Coco pops scattered across the floor tiles.
‘Morning,’ said Kane, looking up from his housework.
‘Hi,’ shouted Asa, as he turned round from the grill pan.
‘Who owns the little one?’ she pointed to the dark haired boy and pulled a quizzical face.
‘Russell’s little lad,’ said Kane.
‘Really?’
‘A previous relationship. His mother dropped him off for his visiting day. Toby, meet Esmé, my sister,’ said Kane, quite formally for a child to adult introduction.
‘Hi, little fella,’ said Esmé, heading for the kettle. ‘You’re early?’
‘I dropped by to see how you were…’ said Kane, adding. ‘Mum’s really concerned, that’s all.’
Esmé began to make her morning tea. So, he’s talking to me today.
‘I know but I need some space to get my head straight before she starts with the questions.’
‘Where’s Russ?’
‘In bed, I think,’ answered Asa, without taking his eyes off the sausages.
Esmé screwed her face up, looked at Toby and then at Kane.
‘Are you serious?’
‘Yeah,’ said Kane, emptying his Coco pop collection into the bin.
‘His child is visiting and he’s in bed?’
‘Shhhh,’ said Kane, and dragged her through the archway towards the sink area. ‘Little piggies.’
‘I know but still, that’s taking the piss, Kane… a guy should look after his child, not leave it up to his housemates or even his best mate. That’s not right. It’s not fair on the little piggy as you just called him… The mother wouldn’t be happy, would she?’
‘No,’ answered Kane, in a monotone.
‘No,’ added Asa.
‘Sorry… but I’m not having this.’
‘Esmé, please…’ is all she heard of Kane’s protest.
In two seconds she flew from the room, darted to the first landing and rapped sharply on Russ’s door. She was determined to follow her plan, and the calendar had said to acknowledge her values, so she would.
‘Russ!’
‘What’s wrong?’ came his sleepy reply.
‘This… and by that, I mean you still being in bed while little Toby is downstairs, it really isn’t acceptable,’ she began. ‘And before you say it’s none of my business, I beg to differ. I live in this house and I know that any mother would not be too happy thinking she’d dropped him off, as you obviously haven’t collected him and now you aren’t even up nor dressed and my brother has taken responsibility to feed him breakfast… which I presume he has naughtily thrown all over the kitchen floor and then demanded toast.’
‘Uh!’
‘Russ, are you listening to me?’ she rapped on the bedroom door again, purely for good measure.
‘Esmé, go away!’ shouted Russ.
‘How dare you!’
‘Please?’
‘No, I have every right to come up here and say my piece.’
‘Esmé, please leave it.’
‘I won’t. You’re expecting the rest of us to entertain your child in our house and then when his mother appears later you’ll want to take all the glory for being such a great father… well, I don’t think that’s right!’
Silence. Today’s task was far easier than she’d imagined.
‘Russ, you had better get up and get dressed now, otherwise I’m phoning the mother – this isn’t acceptable… you’ve got responsibilities and you need to start putting his needs before yours.’
She could hear shuffling behind the closed door.
She stepped back from the door as it was wrenched open.
‘And later when she gets here I am going to…’ her voice died, as a woman’s face and body appeared, tousled hair, panda eye mascara, with a bed sheet draped around her body.
‘Do you mind? We’re trying to… you know?’
Looks like she would need to get used to such encounters, thought Esmé.
She pushed past the tousled siren and entered Russ’s darkened bedroom.
‘And this is absolutely shocking… you’re up here… doing this…’ she screamed, as Russ quickly grabbed the quilt making himself decent for his unexpected guest. ‘Have you no shame? Your little boy is downstairs, eating toast made by my brother – who, may I add, doesn’t even live here and… and…’ Esmé stopped as the woman climbed back into bed and nuzzled up to Russ’s body. ‘Shame on you – that’s all I can say!’
Esmé marched from the room, her arms flailing, a look of disgust etched on her features. She descended the staircase to find Kane standing open mouthed at the bottom.
‘What did you say?’ he gasped.
‘I told him straight. He has definitely gone down in my estimation… this is shocking. How any man can be up there with some tart while his little boy is eager to start his visiting day is beyond me. What a lowlife?’
‘You didn’t say that though, did you?’
‘Of course, I did. I told him.’
‘And… then what?’
‘Then nothing, she climbed back into bed without batting an eyelid about his paternal responsibilities… shocking.’
‘There’s no need to cause trouble – you’ve said your bit.’
‘He needs to be a father and step up to the plate,’ Esmé said, walking back to the lounge, where Dam was watching morning tv. ‘Don’t you think so, Dam?’
‘Sorry, I heard the shouting but thought I’d keep out of it.’
She flung herself down in the armchair.
‘Russ and Toby… it’s not right, the little boy is playing football alone in the garden – I’ve a good mind to phone the mother and tell her.’
Kane stood at the door and stared at Dam.
‘You haven’t got her number, have you?’ asked Dam, muting his programme.
‘No, but that’s not the point… if I had, I would.’
Kane sighed. Dam sighed.
‘I could phone his mother,’ she added.
‘Whose?’
‘Russ’s mother… She’d go mad if she knew…’
‘No!’ cried Kane. ‘I wouldn’t.’
‘Yeah, I agree with Kane,’ added Dam. ‘It might spoil the surprise.’
‘What surprise?’
‘Russ is taking Toby round for a surprise visit later today.’
‘Oh,’ said Esmé, as she hugged the sofa cushion to her chest. ‘I suppose it’s not her fault her son is some low-life father that can’t respect his kid… oh, I see what you mean, why should she pay the price for his low morals.’
‘Exactly!’ chimed Kane.
‘That’s more like it,’ said Dam, glancing at Kane.
Esmé played with the seam of the cushion.
The wind had been taken from her sails.
‘But still, she should know that he’s not doing his job as a father.’
‘No!’ chorused the men.
‘Seriously?’
‘We’ll have a word with him… won’t we, Dam?’
‘Oh yeah, a strong word with him about his responsibilities,’ added Dam.
‘You can tell him what I said,’ she added.
‘Word for word,’ said Kane eagerly.
‘Absolutely,’ muttered Dam, as he turned back to focus on his tv programme.