Magicanimalclub: 2 : What Happened?

Success

--DAVIDS POV--
The next morning we woke at 8am. The sun was rising in the yellow sky.
I sat awake beside my sleeping wife until I got a knock on the door. It was Rosie. She was beautiful, I was proud to call her my daughter. James and Ash walked in behind her, I moved closer to Nicole and my children climbed up onto the bed, it was bright, beautiful and I was smiling.
Like the old days, when my kids were all young and woke us up in the early morning with their smiling faces and giggles.
It was James who gave his mother a poke on the cheek, Nicole winked her eyes open and looked at me, I gave out a laugh before she panned over at her three beautiful children, our children.
"Hi mummy!" Rosie giggled as if she was no older than four years old, kissing Nicole and lying down on the bed beside her brothers who lay down.
"Rosie! James! When did you get here?" Nicole asked, I saw the happiness in her face.
"Just very early this morning, how you don't mind if we stay for a bit?"
"Oh I wish you three could just stay with me forever." She said, hugging her three kids, she looked over at me,
"You are looking at me like.. What are you doing here? Where's my coffee?" I said out loud, making a Nicole smile, "yeah go get me a coffee, love." She said,
"Alright." I responded, climbing out of bed.
The day was bright and I couldn't help but just sigh with happiness. My wife was happy, therefore I was.
Whenever I witnessed a person who was happy I instantly felt rewarded. I felt the happiness spread like a candle which ignited a forest, a blaze of love.

--EMILYS POV--
I sat at home with my mother. She was always silent now. As if she lived a constant lie inside of a dream: a nightmare.
"Mum?" I said, walking up to her, as her eyes fixed my gaze.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Are you okay?" I asked her, my mother's eyes looked down before she blankly smiled.
"Yeah." She sighed, she wasn't over my dad's death, it had been over six months but still the tremors in my mind ached.
I hugged her, "it's alright, mum." I whispered in her ear,
"How's Ash?"
"He's not great at all- last time I visited him he just burst into tears, apparently his mum is very unwell."
"Nicole? How so?"
"Terminal cancer." I sighed,
"Oh gosh- we should really go visit them."
"They're away to Yorkshire for a while, not too sure why."
"Well that's where they're from: they only moved here about twenty years ago." My mother explained, I had forgotten about her and the Spencer family's relationships.
"Huh, I never knew that." I said, surprised.
"So.. Any good news in the world?" She asked me,
"Well... I have some news.." I smiled, "I may have just received an unconditional offer to do Journalism at Cambridge University!"
"Oh my god! Really?!" Mum's eyes widened as she put her hands on my face and kissed my forehead. "When did you find out?!"
"Just last night- But I don't know whether to take it-"
"What? It's Cambridge! One of the best universities in the world!"
"But what about you.." I sighed,
"What about me? It's your life."
"But you've got a life too.."
"I will be okay."
"You sure Sqaishey?" I asked her,
"I love it when you call me that." She smiled.
"Why don't you make a video?" I asked her,
"I can't just make a video- it's been like twenty years, nobody remembers me."
"You'd be surprised."
"But, all the kids that watched me are adults- they probably have kids of their own I-"
"Then made if more adulty, come on mum!"
"Maybe.."

--DAVIDS POV--
"So what are you going to do today?" Joe asked.
"Mm.. Maybe go for a walk, reminisce."
"Cool, with Nicole?"
"With everyone, they need to get to learn the ways of Huddersfield."
"But what are the ways of Huddersfield?" Joe asked me.
I hesitated.
My mind seemed to go off in a tangent and I couldn't find the angle.
What was I thinking about? Who was I talking to? Why was I speaking?
What am I doing here? I should be upstairs..

I walked back upstairs until I reached the bedroom door and remembered that it was coffee that Nicole wanted. And so I padded back down the familiar steps that I once walked down everyday, years ago.

"Remember to make Nicole coffee." Joe said, leaning against the counter.
"Are you alright Joe? You look sad."
"I'm in your head, Dave. What does that say about you?"

I tried to focus on something else: making the coffee. Making sure it was exactly the way she liked it- ..milk with.. No wait she didn't take milk did she? No of course she did.. Or is it just black..? I proceeded to making a giant pot of tea and coffee with several cups and a bowl of sugar and a jug of milk.. Then i could inspect how she made her coffee.

I carried the tray carefully up into the room where everyone was talking about their experiences at university, I placed the tray down on the table and everyone made what they wanted.

We were all having a laugh until I noticed that Ash was constantly on his phone, I wanted to nudge him, to be respectful, but then I noticed that neither his hands or his eyes were moving, he was focused on something, with his mouth slightly opened.
"Ash.."
Ash didn't move. Not an inch, he stared deep into his phone, I moved over to him and looked at what he was reading and rereading.
Dear Master Ashton Spencer.....We would like to offer you an unconditional place at Oxford University of Mathematics..
I was as speechless as Ash.
My mouth dropped as I stared at him..
My son just got accepted into the best university in the UK...!

A feeling of pride enriched me and the rest of my family: a feeling of love, youth and freedom. I knew my children would be able to look after themselves when we died, which, by the looks of things would be soon,
"God your son is a lot smarter than you!" Joe laughed at me.
"I know.. I know.."