SINFUL *STILL editing*

SINFUL - 57

Morgan lifted her gaze away from her mother to focus on her youngest sister, Amanda holding her 5 week old son close to her chest. She tried not to scrutinise the way in which she was supporting his head and instead basked in the moment, taking out her phone so she could take a picture of them. "Heather, move over so you can get in it." She encouraged her other sister to join them before she pressed the capture feature on her phone. Morgan was happily surprised that Heather immediately closed the novel that she had had her head stuck in and shuffled along the sofa closer to Amanda and Reagan. Heather was very much an introvert, usually she would refuse to take part in what the rest of the family were doing and kept to herself. Not that they did much together anymore. "He's so beautiful." Heather gently stroked his head full of dark silky hair.

"He's perfect." She always instantly felt whole when she was around her son, something that she had been missing for years. She turned back to the open plan kitchen where her Sierra Leonean mother was rinsing off some of Reagan's bottles.

"Mum?"

"Yes darling?"

"What do you think should we do tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? What's...going on tomorrow?" Her mother's tone was deliberately sluggish as she feigned ignorance.

"It's Daryl's birthday." Morgan wasn't at all surprised by her mother's reaction but as usual she felt let down. Morgan continued to cling onto the hope that she would come around, she had to believe that. There was only so long that she could keep pretending and refusing to face their reality.

"..." Her mother stopped what she was doing for a moment before completely changing the subject. "Do you still need me to take Reagan tonight?" There were so many things Morgan wanted to say but she felt it was pointless, so instead she held unto it all and allowed her feelings to weigh on her. Morgan found it hard to believe that this is what their relationship had come to. They had always been close until a monumental event had obliterated their dynamics. Now Morgan felt incomplete without her support system, yes her mother was there for her physically but emotionally she had shut down and as she grew older she was feeling like she was in this world alone. Lost and vulnerable.

She knew it was too painful for her, far more than she could bear but Morgan was feeling it also. Now it was as though her life was an endless cycle of smothering silences. She had grown accustomed to the feeling of frustration.

"Morgan?"

"What?"

"Do you still need me to look after him?"

"No, no...I don't need you." She kissed her teeth. "Please, just go."

*

Kobe sat perched on the top bunk of his bunk bed, his feet hanging down as he leaned forward with the PlayStation controller in his hands. He could hear Prince's frustrated grunts from where he sat below him on the bottom bunk. Raheem sauntered into Kobe's bedroom with a large bowl of cereal balancing in one hand as he used his free hand to send a text message. Once he was in the room, Raheem placed his bowl of cereal on the large wooden chest of drawers where the medium sized flat screen television sat, beside several canisters of deodorant, a large tub of Vaseline and another large tub of cocoa butter.

"Prince, you're a joke." He sniggered, noticing that Kobe was beating 4-1 on the match of Fifa that they were playing. "I beg you let me play cus this is just embarrassing."

"One more match then I gotta go anyway." Prince hissed, ignoring his jeering comments.

"Say nuttin." It had just turned 10pm and Raheem was only now changing out of his school uniform. He stood at the corner of the room that he currently shared with Kobe, removing his school tie, shirt and trousers and replaced them with a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. When he was finished, he sat down beside Prince watching him lose woefully as he ate his cereal.